Israel is one of the few countries in the world where it is possible to identify, within the public sphere and sometimes at a mere glance, a person’s religious, communal, or political affiliation through external signs of dress. This phenomenon is particularly visible among the various ultra-Orthodox currents, which adhere to distinct sartorial codes, but it is by no means limited to them.

When Arab citizens are added to this picture, it becomes difficult to overlook the broader social reality that emerges: large segments of Israeli society live side by side without truly living together. In many respects, a form of segregation has developed, a strong term, admittedly, but one that is not entirely unfounded, produced by communal, religious, and national divisions.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews, religious Zionists, settlers, and Arab citizens of Israel do not share a common social space, regardless of their socio-economic circumstances, as is generally the case in developed societies. They do not reside in the same neighborhoods, study in the........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)