Two segments of Israel’s population stand out as the poorest of the poor: “ultra-Orthodox Jews” and “Muslim-Arabs.” Unemployment rates for ultra-Orthodox Jews (mostly ultra-Orthodox men) and Arabs (mostly Arab women) are very high. So are birth rates. The result: 59 percent of the ultra-Orthodox (also known as Haredim) are poor. Similarly, 58 percent of Arab Israelis are poor. Other groups with notably high rates of poverty are the elderly and new immigrants — but the numbers for these two groups are much lower, 23 percent and 17 percent, respectively.

Israel’s poverty doesn’t solely stem from the lack of full participation of these two groups in its economic life. But the high visibility among the poor Haredis and Arabs influences the never-ending public debate about how to put an end to poverty.

Kindling a sense of social solidarity among middle-class Israelis toward members of these groups is difficult for several reasons. First, the ultra-Orthodox and Arabs don’t mix much with most Jewish Israelis (both these groups refrain from military or other national service). Second, to be blunt, Israelis know that Haredis and Arabs are disproportionately represented in the underground economy (namely, by evading taxes). Finally, to a large extent they are poor because of choices they make — preferring their traditions over participating in the modern Israeli economy. Simply put: For Haredi Jewish men, the choice is generally to study the Torah and have many children (while the women have to provide for the families). For Muslim Arabs, it is to keep women at home and have many children (while the men go to work).

Every country and every society has a problem of solidarity between rich and poor. But in Israel, societal rifts along religious and ethnic lines are exacerbated by the lack of trust between the different groups. This makes Israel’s poverty a lot more troubling.

The Jewish Haredi isn’t just different in customs; he also tends to have far more children than can be conveniently raised on a small income. The Bedouin Arab isn’t just different religiously and ethnically from the majority of Israelis; he is also poorer, in some areas, dirt-poor. Jews and Arabs have many issues that separate them; economic rifts add fuel to the fire. Secular Jews and Haredis have issues that divide them; poverty adds fuel to that fire, too.