Breaking Into Politics Essay Example

In their confrontational book, Claiming Society for God: Religious Movements and Social Welfare in Egypt, Israel, and the United States, the authors demonstrate the manner in which the Shas used a patient approach of the bypass and creating grassroots set of connections of religious and social institutions to break into politics. This was a strategy of making religion the foundation stone of the society. This particular write-up will discuss how the Shas used such a peaceful and patient approach instead of using armed resistance or terror campaign.

Is your time best spent reading someone else’s essay? Get a 100% original essay FROM A CERTIFIED WRITER!

Save 25%

The authors acknowledge Shas as the conservative movement that is wholly involved in politics. In the year 1984, it became the opposition party thereby having the chance of pushing their cultural and economic agendas to the public (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012). Ever since the parliamentary elections held in 1984, Shas has been playing a vital role in the coalition government for the most prolonged period. Shas built itself on the grassroots by gradually becoming the leading provider of necessary services to the populace that was underprivileged (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012). A considerable population that they won their hearts was the Jews who were the most significant consumers of the social services that they provided (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012).

The authors further document that if the Shas were unable to get the political support of the people, then its impact on the politics of the Israeli could have been short-lived. The Shas also offered devotion to its members, and through this, it was seeking in drawing more followers into the Shas movement. Although Shas was bringing in new members who were not of the same religion, it did not mean that it was compromising itself (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012).

Shas also used technology to sacralize the Israeli community. The Shas utilized their websites to disseminate religious blogs and journals (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012). They also had online sessions for discussions and consultations with religious leaders. Moreover, Shas managed to survive the scandals that had fallen on its leadership (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012). This was when the party leader of the Shas movement and the minister of Israel for Interior got investigated for illegally taking funds that were allocated to the ministry and channeling them to organizations that got associated with the Shas (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012).

Conclusion

The authors finally concluded that ever since Shas got into parliamentary elections, it had grown to be the country's most prominent religious party and in the 1999and 2006 elections, it emerged the third biggest party (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012). Shas has been a distinctive group since from its start it had been both a political party and a religious party. The other factor that makes Shas has been a unique movement is that it mobilized both the religiously orthodox and ethnic groups as compared to the other campaigns (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012). Its penetration and dominating the Israeli was not because it compromised its religion but because of its strategic plan of delivering the social necessities to the society. The survival of the Shas movement and its success is not guaranteed although it has overcome a lot of severe challenges from the earlier periods. Its ability to get sufficient votes has enabled it to be a kingmaker thereby ensuring that it does not halt its support in building alternatives, delivering resources and having an essential voice in the Israeli politics and community (Davis, Nancy & Robert, 2012).

Work Cited

Davis, Nancy Jean, and Robert V. Robinson. Claiming society for god: Religious movements and social welfare in Egypt, Israel, Italy, and the United States. Indiana University Press, 2012.