Israel Speaks
In the capital of Israel, Jerusalem, there are 3 main population groups
living side by side: the secular and ultra-Orthodox Jewish population
and the Arab population.
The different interests of the secular and the ultra-Orthodox Jews
have caused a lot of tension in recent years.
Artist Larry Abramson has lived in Jerusalem since the age of six.
He moved to the city with his parents from South Africa.
Already in the beginning of the state of Israel the city of Jerusalem
was divided into two. The Jews lived in the Western Israeli part
and the Arabs in the Eastern part which belonged to Jordan.
In the Six Day War in 1967 Israel occupied the Eastern parts of the city
from Jordan and the city was united.
Larry believes the city's ultra-Ortho- dox trend started already back then.
Larry lives in the city's Western neighbourhood of Kiryat Yovel.
In recent years Kiryat Yovel has been one of the main battle scenes
between the secular and the ultra-Orthodox populations.
Demographer Yaakov Feidelson worked previously as Benyamin Netanyahu's
advisor and as the mayor of the city of Ariel.
He has researched the demographics of Israel and Jerusalem for 30 years.
Asher Suzin is a student in the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
He is an activist in the "If you will it" organization
which acts on behalf of the Zionist values and the love of the motherland.
He thinks the ultra-Orthodox population is not the city's biggest problem.
About 40 percent of Jerusalem's residents are Mouslim Arabs
who live mostly in the Eastern parts of the city.
Asher thinks that in order to preserve the unity of the city
Jews should also inhabit these areas.
There are those who believe that dividing the city into two would solve
its demographic problem and would guarantee it a Jewish majority.
Jaakov claims, however, that the division would cause the Arabs
to move from the Eastern side to the Western side of the city.
What then would be the solution for the city's demographic problem?
Yaakov suggests that instead of shrinking the city by dividing it, -
the city should be expanded by joining neighbouring cities to it.
People agree on one thing: The current situation has to change.
Translation: Sonja Mattayev