The Origins of Israel and Mankind by Brendan Stannard

There are two chief rabbis in Israel, one Ashkenazi and one Sephardi. The two main religious-ethnic groupings are those Jews from central and eastern Europe and their descendants who follow the Ashkenazic traditions and those Jews from the Mediterranean region and North Africa who follow the Sephardic. As such, it is often at odds with a strong secular sector that seeks to prevent religious bodies and authorities from dominating national life. Religious Jewry in Israel constitutes a significant and articulate section of the population. For example, religious Jews immigrating to Israel generally continue to pray in synagogues established by their respective communities. The revival of Hebrew as a common language and a strong Israeli national consciousness have facilitated the assimilation of newcomers to Israel but not completely eradicated native ethnicities. The Jewish community today includes survivors of the Holocaust, offspring of those survivors, and émigrés escaping anti-Semitism. Differing in ethnic origin and culture, they brought with them languages and customs from a variety of countries. Jews from eastern and western Europe, the Middle East and North Africa, Central Asia, North America, and Latin America have been immigrating to this area since the late 19th century. Druze and other ethnic Arabs who do not consider themselves Palestinians make up a small fraction of the total population. More than one-fifth of the population consists of Arabs, almost all of whom are Palestinians from Sunni Muslim (roughly three-fourths) or Christian communities.

Jews constitute about three-fourths of the total population of Israel.

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The Origins of Israel and Mankind by Brendan Stannard