‘Jewish and Scientologist’: ideal citizenship as a legitimisation strategy in Israel

This article explores how citizenship discourses can serve as a strategic tool for religious minorities, particularly new religious movements (NRMs), to achieve legitimacy within a hostile and suspicious societal context. Focusing on the case of the Center of Scientology of Israel, this study investigates how NRMs leverage their corporate characteristics to engage with local discourses of citizenship, thereby attempting to secure legitimacy and acceptance within Israeli society–a society typically wary of non-Jewish practices. Through an analysis of in-depth interviews with key community members, we argue that the Center of Scientology’s legitimisation strategy aligns with the neoliberal communitarian citizenship model. This approach strategically blends Jewish ethno-national identity with market-oriented practices, allowing the Center to navigate the complexities of societal integration and legitimation.