Abstract
Social solidarity is the conscious and voluntary affinity between human beings that instills in them a sense of guaranteed mutual assistance. Israeli society has long been characterized as having a high level of national solidarity, especially in times of crisis. The COVID-19 pandemic in 2020 put this notion to the test. The lack of agreement about fundamental norms of civil society in general and the nature of Israeli democracy in particular questioned the interdependence of its communities. This study examines the pandemic’s effect on the sense of social solidarity in Israel. Using a quantitative approach and a representative sample of the adult population, the results show that the pandemic did affect the sense of solidarity. Moreover, taking into account long-standing religious and ideological cleavages in Israel, the pandemic exacerbated existing divisions among different groups.
Original language | English |
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Pages (from-to) | 127-147 |
Number of pages | 21 |
Journal | Israel Studies Review |
Volume | 38 |
Issue number | 1 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - 2023 |
Bibliographical note
Funding Information:The authors would like to thank the Israel Studies Review editors and the anonymous reviewers for their valuable comments
Publisher Copyright:
© Association for Israel Studies
Keywords
- COVID-19
- Israel
- cleavages
- group solidarity
- interpersonal solidarity
- national solidarity
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Cultural Studies
- History
- Sociology and Political Science