PERFECT STORM :

A Jewish demographic state : Having lodged itself close to the top of the national agenda, the issue of demography is forcing both the right and the left to grapple with the difficult dilemma at the heart of the state's character. Can Israel be a Jewish and democratic state? Is there any such animal?
(Lily Galili, June 29, 2002, Ha'aretz)

About three months ago Prof. Arnon Sofer sent an urgent letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. the subject was the need for separation from the Palestinians. "Most of the inhabitants of Israel realize that there is only one solution in the face of our insane and suicidal neighbor - separation," wrote Sofer. "You should have known this months before they did, as the grave demographic data were put on your desk many months ago. In the absence of separation, the meaning of such a majority (of Arabs - L.G.) - is the end of the Jewish state of Israel. You should remember that on the same day as the Israel Defense Forces is investing efforts and succeeding in eliminating one terrorist or another, on that very same day, as on every day of the year, within the territories of western Israel, about 400 children are being born, some of whom will become new suicide terrorists! Do you realize this?" [...]

According to figures presented by Dr. Yitzhak Ravid of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, in 2020 the population of the land of Israel will reach 15.1 million, of whom 6.5 million will be Jews. Sofer says that in 2020 the number of Arab citizens of Israel will reach 2 million, and the Jewish majority will shrink to 65 percent. According to Ravid the number of Arabs will come to about 1.9 million. Prof. Sergio della Pergola presents identical numbers. According to demographic assumptions that are accepted throughout the world, a minority of more than 30 percent defines a state as binational. There are also demographers who are following the foreign workers, as well as the non-Jews, particularly among the immigrants from the Commonwealth of Independent States. Certain demographers put these in the category of "Others," as an additional demographic threat to the Jewish majority; others see them as reinforcements for the Jewish majority, as they are "non-Arabs."

I don't know about the rest of World Jewry, but my Jewish friends and family seem to be in a state of complete denial about these cold hard numbers. If Jews don't get serious about revitalizing their religious beliefs and cranking up their birthrates they are doomed no matter what happens in "peace" negotiations. Eventually they'll just breed (or unbreed) themselves into oblivion and Judaism may well cease to exist, with the Jewish race subsumed into America's melting pot and Jewish beliefs a matter for study in university antiquities departments. There is no more important issue facing Israel and Jews. Posted by Orrin Judd at June 30, 2002 8:10 PM