Masortim (Hebrew: מסורתיים, Masortiim lit. "traditional [people]", also known as Shomrei Masoret lit. "upholders of tradition") is an Israeli Hebrew term for Jews who perceive and define themselves as neither strictly religious (dati) nor secular (hiloni).[1] Their affinity is mainly to mohels and rabbis of Orthodox Judaism (for their brit milah, bar mitzvah, and weddings), and in 2015 they comprised roughly one-third of the Jewish population in Israel.[2]
Masortim—not to be confused with Masorti (or Conservative) Jews—observe many of the minhagim and halachot most associated with normative Judaism. Only a few authors, like Elliot Nelson Dorff, consider the American Conservative (masorti) movement and Israeli masorti group to be one and the same.[3] Similar to Dati and Haredi Israelis, most Masortim affirm a strong belief in God; endorse the belief that Israel was given by God to the Jews; keep kosher; observe Jewish holidays and Shabbat; and study Torah or Gemara semi-regularly.[4] Unlike their Orthodox and Haredi coreligionists, Masortim less frequently report regular synagogue attendance or prayer; public head-covering; belief in a conflict between science and religion; or support for remaking Israel into a halachic state.[5] Like Hilonim, most Masortim prefer Israel to be governed by democratic principles; keeping public transportation open on Shabbat; and extending the military draft to Haredi men.[6]
The number of Masortim is hard to determine since it is based upon the self-definition of the participants in surveys. According to a 2006 Israel Central Bureau of Statistics estimate, 39% of the Jewish Israeli population define themselves as Masortim.[7] In 2016, Pew Research Center put that figure at 29% of Israeli Jews (or 23% of Israeli adults).[8]
Shomrei Masoret perceive the preservation of the Jewish tradition, minhagim, and family customs, as an educational and a family value.
The tradition, minhagim, and family customs is also relevant in terms of the Jewish denomination of origin affiliation, and thus the percentage of Shomrei Masoret is especially high among the Mizrahi denomination of origin affiliation. Many of them (and their offspring) define themselves as Shomer Masoret (or Masorti), even if some or part of their lifestyle's customs are generally accounted as secular (Hiloni), still, they pay heed to preserving and keeping the Jewish Tradition heritage as it was observed in their or their parents' country of origin. In that context, the political party Shas (a religious-Orthodox Mizrahi-denomination political party) raised the banner of "" (Restore Past Glory), a slogan that swept many non-religious-Orthodox Mizrahi-denomination voters, who, nevertheless, see the importance of preserving their traditional denomination.
One may not find many Ashkenazi (European displacement) Israelis defining themselves as Shomer Masoret (or Masorati). This is because, among other reasons, the dichotomy that was created after the Age of Enlightenment, between secular, Reform and Orthodox European Jews, was a dichotomy that did not exist among the Middle Eastern Jews.
Masortim are not a denomination of Judaism but rather a sociological group and their attitude towards the religious observance has much do with one's personal preferences and tendencies, and in the context of their desire to see themselves as part of the comprehensive Jewish religious system, without being obligated to full observance of the 613 commandments. Every Masorti has his/her own level of observance, which depends only on one's own free will and one's personal selection of what is perceived by him/her as a relevant religious commandment, tradition or custom of Orthodox Judaism.
Nevertheless, one may ascribe to the majority of them, a notable distinguishing quality – the preservation of the basic Jewish traditional minhagim, that are accounted as the most recognizable elements of Orthodox Judaism: