Youth movements in Jerusalem

It is often said that today’s youth differ from the youth of the past – that the current generation, raised in the lap of the Internet and the smartphone, is glued to the monitor, holed up in its room, communicating through icons.Many perceive youth movements as a relic of a past world that embodied activities outside the home, the spirit of cooperation, friendship, love of the land, initiative, and care for one another. In 2006, the last year in which a national survey on the subject took place, the number of youth movement members in the country stood at 176,000. According to the Education Ministry’s list of recognized youth movements, a total of 13 such groups were operating in Israel in 2014.In 2015, a total of 11 youth movements have been operating in Jerusalem’s Jewish sector. The movements reflect the social diversity of the city’s population: Four are secular (Scouts, Hano’ar Ha’oved Vehalomed, Hashomer Hatza’ir, and Hamahanot Ha’olim); two are national-religious movements (Bnei Akiva and Ariel); one is affiliated with the traditional-religious movement (Noam); and four are haredi (ultra-Orthodox) movements (Bnot Batya, Pirhei Hadegel, Heichalei Oneg and Ezra).The Bnot Batya movement is exceptionally large, numbering 17,410 girls this year. The reason for this is the inclusive nature of haredi education: The movement serves a complementary educational function within the Bais Yaakov network of schools. The secondlargest movement is also haredi – Pirhei Hadegel – with a membership of 4,578 boys, ages nine to 13. Taking into account the memberships of Ezra (2,042) and Heichalei Oneg (890), we find that the total number of youth movement members in the haredi sector is the highest in the city, at 24,920.Bnei Akiva is the third-largest youth movement in the capital, and the largest within the national religious sector.This year it has 3,881 members.Taking into account the membership of Ariel (1,493), we find that the total membership in national-religious movements is 5,374.Among secular youth movements, Hano’ar Ha’oved Vehalomed is the largest, in part because of its widespread activity in east Jerusalem Arab neighborhoods. This year, it has a total of 3,495 participating members. The Scouts, which is the largest movement in the country as a whole in terms of membership, ranks second in size after Hano’ar Ha’oved Vehalomed in Jerusalem, with 2,484 members.Taking into account the memberships of Hashomer Hatza’ir (2,240) and Hamahanot Ha’olim (282), we find that the total membership in secular youth movements is 8,501.Noam, which operates in the spirit of the traditional-religious movement, has 233 members, making it the smallest of the youth movement categories in the city’s Jewish sector.Thanks to Louis Goldberg, director of the research and development department at the Jerusalem Municipality’s society and youth division, for the data and assistance.

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