Ultra-Orthodox Jews in the Mea Shearim neighbourhood of Jerusalem on Aug. 2, 2012.
With its distinct ethnic and religious quarters outlined in ancient stone, the walled Old City of Jerusalem symbolizes the continuing controversy over who its rightful inhabitants should be. Both Jews and Palestinians claim old Jerusalem as their capital, even as the Israeli government (and Jewish settlers) sets up shop in the modern city that’s sprung up around it. Now, one substantial community, Ultra-Orthodox Jews, is making a move to transform the face of the city and its real estate. Their fecundity and growing preponderance has driven more secular Jews out of Jerusalem—and may be a harbinger of what the rest of Israel will look like in the future. In Jerusalem, as Karl Vick wrote in TIME in August, “the children of the very religious account for 65% of elementary-school pupils. Across Israel, where ultra-Orthodox now account for 10% of the population, they make up 21% of elementary-school enrollment. Demographers calculate that with a birthrate three to four times that of seculars, they will account for 1 in 5 Israelis in 20 years.” The zealotry of the ultra-Orthodox is beginning to affect everyday life, even for the less devout. As Vick writes, “downtown billboards in Israel’s capital no longer feature women; advertisers fear defacement or, worse, boycotts. On public buses, ultra-Orthodox women sit in the back–a situation Hillary Clinton likened to the pre-segregation South… In Bet Shemesh, a half-hour outside Jerusalem, ultra-Orthodox men spit on an 8-year-old girl who was on her way to school, calling her a ‘whore’ for her long-sleeved clothes, which were not conservative enough for their standards.” It is a different face of Israel from the beach-and-bikini scenes of Tel Aviv—and one that will be increasingly contentious in years to come.