The Dor Moriah Analytics Center has been closely studying Israeli society. Over two years, the organization's experts conducted 14 nationwide sociological studies and 5 expert surveys.
To ensure the credibility of our results, we commissioned well-known Israeli firms Maagar Mochot and Geocartography to conduct the surveys using our questionnaires.
We sought to understand how ideological divisions could impact Israel's foreign and domestic policy, and whether these divisions could lead to a collapse of state authority.
We published our research findings in major Israeli media outlets in three languages: Hebrew, Russian, and English. Israel Hayom, Maariv, Times of Israel, The Jerusalem Post, Vesti, Channel 7, and other Israeli media outlets published and widely disseminated our research results.
We also held meetings with Knesset members and, as one outcome of our research activities, initiated and secured registration of a lobby to legalize district councils in Israeli cities.
We have now reached a point where we feel it imperative to prepare a special report for the Israeli Knesset and submit it to Speaker Amir Ohana. This activity report will outline the primary threats to the State of Israel posed by two antagonistic worldviews that have formed in public discourse: the "secular-liberal" and "religious-conservative" perspectives.
During this fascinating research process, we not only confirmed our "ontological bubbles" hypothesis but also determined that the situation in Israel requires special tools to save Israeli society and the country as a whole. Israel, as a territory of competing solidarities, cannot exist in its current format. The divergent interests of various groups, considering simplified antagonistic worldviews, could lead to a breakdown of the entire system of state governance.
On January 23, 2025, in Tel Aviv, the Dor Moriah Analytics Center held an expert meeting focused on two significant topics:
- Preparation of an analytical report: "Israel Between Crisis and Opportunity: New Strategies for the Future"
- Discussion of the results of a January 2025 sociological survey: "2024 Results and Expectations for 2025"
Between Secular-Liberal and Religious-Conservative
Many research organizations in Israel document divisions in Israeli society. Many say that October 7 did not unite people but rather exacerbated these divisions.
We agree that there are divisions between left and right, secular and religious, supporters of the liberal Supreme Court and supporters of judicial reform.
However, for us, all these antagonistic narratives have positive and negative correlations and boil down to two simplified antagonistic worldviews. We call this system of interconnected simplified ontologies an ontological bubble.
The problem with the ontological bubble is that conventional information influence tools cannot stop the destructive processes. Any information influence only intensifies the division, triggering negative reactions to neutral positions from supporters of simplified ontologies. A situation where everyone caught in a simplified ontology recognizes the simplification and inadequacy of their own worldview seems completely unrealistic. This is especially true considering that 60% of respondents acknowledge that Jews are God's chosen people.
The high level of radicalization in respondent answers revealed by the study should also be considered. On the most significant social issues, most people take extreme positions, and this reflects not so much a process of situation analysis as a behavioral strategy oriented toward pushing through their values and interests rather than dialogue and interest coordination.
We were also interested in Israelis' attitudes toward Vladimir Putin's election as President of Russia. Israelis primarily associate Putin's victory in Russia's 2024 presidential election with the prospect of intensifying tensions between the collective West (US and EU) and the Global South (BRICS countries and several African and Latin American nations) - 44.4%. Additionally, 25.3% associate it with an increased Russian military presence in the Middle East.
Moreover, the difference in perception of these events between Jewish and Arab populations varies by almost threefold for some responses.
Regardless of which topic we examine, we observe a clear dichotomy between the two simplified worldviews we have described.
We observe these differences between the right and left. Sometimes these differences are quite substantial.
We were also interested in examining varying expectations for 2025 regarding different geopolitical aspect
"Israel Between Crisis and Opportunity: New Strategies for the Future"
Israel finds itself at the intersection of global transformations, balancing between regionalization and globalization, changes in the US, and the influence of both the Collective West and the Global South. The report for the Knesset will present a comprehensive picture of current challenges: dependence on the US, political turbulence, ontological bubbles, discourse division, and geopolitical map changes.
To ensure Israel's most favorable development and move away from threats of social division, we propose:
- "A new vision of Israel's future as a technological bridge" between the Collective West and Global South within the framework of an Abrahamic economic cluster, uniting Israel, Arab countries that signed the Abraham Accords, and other Middle East and North African countries willing to join this economic union.
- Creation of modern financial instruments based on cutting-edge technological solutions in banking and fintech (blockchain and others), while adhering to Jewish conservative-religious traditions - Halakhic banking (financial activities based on Halakha norms, similar to Islamic banking) and establishing Abrahamic banking on their foundation, integrating Islamic and Halakhic banking systems.
- Strengthening Israeli citizens' influence on political decisions affecting their daily lives through creating self-organization bodies in the format of legalizing district councils in Israeli cities.
Halakhic banking is a socially oriented financial model aimed at restoring trust in society. It is based on the rejection of usury (riba/ribit), ethical financing, and support for the real economy sector.
Key Principles:
Fair risk distribution - instead of interest-bearing loans, partnership models are used where the bank and client share profits and losses
Cooperative structure - clients become co-owners of the bank, increasing transparency and management involvement
Social responsibility - financing projects in education, healthcare, and sustainable development
Regional integration - creating economic ties between countries based on mutually beneficial investments
Halakhic banking forms an alternative to the speculative financial system, ensuring sustainable growth and strengthening economic justice.
We understand that this process is quite complex. However, in our opinion, only these steps can save Israel from the threatening trends and the "ontological bubble" in which Israeli society finds itself.
This article was written in cooperation with NPO Dor Moria