Map of the 13 states of Shtet

1. Butzin (בוצין)
2. Artzberg (ארצבערג)
3. Goerlitz (גוערליץ)
4. Hokhburg (הוכבורג)
5. Elbe (עלבע)
6. Mitlshtet (מיטלסשטעט)
7. Tzfunshtet (צפוןשטעט)
8. Santztounberg (סאנצטונבערג)
9. Plauen (פלאוען)
10. Tzvikburg (צוויקבורג)

In addition, Shtet has given its 3 major population centres the status of city-states (שטאָט-שטאַט):

1. Khemnitz (כעמניץ)
2. Dresden (דרעסדען)
3. Lebzish (לעבזיש)

European bison and Eurasian lynx, both were
"re-nativised" into Central Europe by Shtet

Shtet is known for its numerous and lively rivers, with over 200 present in the small nation. The largest and 'dominant' river is the Elbe, which flows through the entire nation and, along with the Mulde river, provides Tzfunshtet with fertile lands where much of the nation's agriculture is based. The Oder and Neisse rivers flow in the east and define the border between Shtet and Poland.

Shtet is composed largely of hills and mountains, with only Tzfunshtet being considered a flat land as part of the North European Plain. The chief mountain range is the Ore Mountains, which stretch along the southern border with Czechia. In the west and south, the Upper Lusatia is present. Along both banks of the Elbe river lays the famous region of Santztounberg, known for its picturesque landscape and the largest national park in Shtet.

More than half of Shtet's land is used for agriculture, and about one-third is forested, primarily through reforestation programs. Tzfunshtet occupies one of the most fertile parts of the country and is highly developed agriculturally, though fertility diminishes toward the Ore Mountains of the south. Wheat, barley, sugar beets, wine, peas, apples, butter, and cheese are the principal food products, while dairy cattle raising is important on the extensive pastures of the Ore Mountains. Forestry has also become an important industry since the country's implementation of Eco-Bundism and stringent resource regulation; wood has become one of the country's primary building materials, and Shtet is famous for its wooden architecture.

"Wood ear," also called "Jew's ear," is
a common edible wild mushroom in Shtet

Though Shtet's climate is generally temperate, much like the rest of Central Europe, the mountain country has a harsher climate than the rest of the country. Snow can be found in the south even during the summer months of July, June, and August.

Ever since Shtet's ecological revolution, the region's biodiversity had bounced back to pre-industrial levels. Many of the species previously present in the region had returned. The Ministry of Environment classifies over 28,000 species of plant and fungi, of which over 5 thousand are flowering plants and 321 rare moss, and over 40,000 animals species, mostly insects, of which 13,000 were not previously found commonly in the region. The Ministry also extends the "protected" status to much of the nation's fauna and has developed 10 different types of protected geographic areas. Shtet has 5 national parks, the largest of which is located in Santztounberg, and 23 protected landscape areas.

Shtet's Eco-Bundist and kibbutz program had allowed native fauna to encroach far deeper into populated regions than previously. It is not uncommon to see wild mammals, such as pine martens, wildcats, hares, or badgers even in centres of kibbutzim. Larger animals, such as deer, boar, bears, and even chamois in the south, are easily found outside of kibbutzim. This led to hunting becoming a common past-time activity in rural kibbutzim, partly out of recreation and partly out of necessity, in order to control wildlife populations and defend human settlements.

The demographics of Shtet are monitored and updated by the Central Department of Statistics. The nation has an approximate population of 9,712,000 as of December 2019, around 74% (7,162,600) of which is composed by ethnic Jews of all backgrounds. The German minority the second largest ethnic group, making up around 17% (1,602,480) of the total population, followed by the Polish minority which makes up just over 6% (611,856) of the total population. The remaining 3.45% is made up of smaller minority groups, such as the Sorbs, the Czechs, Syrians, non-Jewish Ethiopians, and Han Chinese.

The population has not grown significantly since the 1990s, with the last large population spike being the Third Bashtetikn around the collapse of the Soviet Union. The average fertility rate nationwide is 1.25, though this varies greatly between demographics. The Jewish Orthodox community has the highest fertility rate, with 2.6 children per woman. However, this number is considered largely irrelevant by many, as many couples choose to adopt, thus artificially decreasing the fertility rate.

Religion

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Religion plays a central role in Shtetan society and culture. As the only country with a Jewish majority (74.20%), Judaism has strong influences over the shaping of Shtet. The largest minority faith is Christianity, with 19.80% of the population affiliating themselves with some form of Christianity. The largest Church in Shtet is the Evangelical Church, an alliance of various Lutheran, Calvinist, and United churches, with 17.80% of the Christian population claiming to be a member of the Church. The second-largest Church, with 6.00% of the Christian population, is the Roman Catholic Church. Most Christians living in Shtet are of German, Polish, Czech, or Sorb heritage. The remaining 2.00% is composed of other minor faiths, such as Islam, Buddhism, Hinduism, and Paganism.

While the Government does not officially track Jewish denominations or level of observance, all synagogues are required to record and report international affiliations. As of 2014, the largest affiliation was the World Union of Progressive Judaism (composed of Reconstructionist, Reform, Liberal, and Progressive synagogues) with 67.00% of all synagogues reporting membership, followed by the Orthodox Union (composed of Modern Orthodox, Haredi, Hasidic, and other ultra-Orthodox synagogues) with 16.00%, and the Conservative-aligned United Synagogues with 15.00%.

In place of denominations, Shtetan Jews tend to identify themselves by the degree of religious observance. In 2014, 42% of Jews identified themselves as "secular"; 25% identified as "cultural traditionalist"; 25% as "religious traditionalist"; and 8% as Haredi. Another 2009 poll found that 65% identified themselves as "not religious" or "convinced atheist" with 30% saying they are "religious."

Education

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Main article: Education in Shtet
Shtetan culture places great emphasis on education. European anti-Semitism has often locked Jews out of landlordship and crafts, forcing many Jews to invest in higher and comprehensive education in order to access academic and professional pursuits, often involving finances and moneylending, as well as science, medicine, and law. The emphasis on education also comes from Jewish traditions of yeshiva and Torah study. Within contemporary culture, scholarship and entrepreneurship became pillars of Shtetan society, cultivating intellectual pursuit. This is exemplified in the nation's high university graduation rates and innovative industries, particularly in the areas of progressive law, green economics, and biotechnology.

The education system of Shtet consists of early childhood education (ages 1-6), primary education (ages 6-12), secondary education (ages 12-15), gymnasium/polytechnicum (ages 15-19), and tertiary education (typically lasting between 3-6 years). Compulsory education takes place between kindergarten and high school. The school year runs from early September to early July and is standardised throughout the country at the sole domain of the Ministry of National Education.

There are two main national education tracts in Shtet: state-secular education, and state-religious education. While private education and homeschooling do exist, it is minimal, with only two private schools existing in the entire country (both owned and run by Haredi and ultra-Orthodox communes). State-religious education caters primarily to the Orthodox community, offering intense Jewish studies programs, and involving tradition and observance in their administration. Private religious schools focus nearly entirely on religious Torah study and largely ignore secular subjects - a topic which is heavily debated and criticised by secular and non-Orthodox circles as a social problem.

Culture

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Shtetan culture, often also called Yiddish culture (Yiddishkeit), has its roots in ancient Hebrew, history and life in the diaspora, the Bundist movement, as well as German and Slavic minorities.
Saxony is considered the birthplace of Yiddishkeit, including Jewish philosophy, literature, art, folklore, mysticism, and festivities. Dresden specifically is regarded as the cultural hub of Shtet.

Melting pot and Naturalism

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Since its founding post-Holocaust, Shtet experiences a number of mass migrations (באַשטעטיקן, bashtetikn, lit. "settling"), the region was rapidly supplemented and radically altered by the culture and traditions of arriving Jews. The Bundist movement unites all Jews under a national, European-style right of self-determination. However, to deal with the radically different subcultures of Jewish sub-ethnicities, the first Shtetan President, Joseuf Stein, led a campaign of merging all Jewish subcultures into a single, "melting pot" culture that would remove differentiation between old and new immigrants. While the policy was originally aiming to protect Sephardic and Mizrahi minorities from the veteran Ashkenazi majority, the policy had since been readapted by later administrations to protect all ethnic minorities in Shtet.

An important aspect of the policy involves the conscription mandate of the Shtetan Defence Forces. By operating as a universal experience for new Shtetans, the national army created a common ground among all citizens. Further, the infrastructure projects carried out by the army served to create transcultural solidarity, by allowing different cultures to work alongside each other. Similarly, the Shtetan national education system, which has since incorporated aspects from all sectors, enabled different students and youth to study and play together at the same schools.
"Eco-Bundism," though commonly called "naturalism," a movement created soon after the Tsar Bomba test in the USSR, has also created a new form of communal solidarity. Environmentalism, communalism, decentralisation, and expressivity have become very famous aspects of Shtetan culture. Naturalism is the largest artificial culture, and has at times clashed with the melting pot as a new "primary culture."

In the modern-day, Shtetan society is culturally divided among "traditionalists" - who have remained close to the conservative melting pot - and "progressivists" - who have instead embraced Naturalism as their national identity, even abolishing and creating entire cultural concepts.

Yiddishism

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"Yiddishism" is a cultural and linguistic movement, which began in the 19th century, as a response to the rapid assimilation of Jews into European cultures. In an effort to protect Jewish identity from being erased, secular and religious authorities alike proclaimed that Yiddish reflected the status of the Jewish people as a whole.
Stein's Bund advocated for the usage of Yiddish as the national language for the proposed Jewish state in Europe, and portrayed usage of Yiddish as the most realistic and pragmatic option, in contrast to "utopian Hebraists" and "suicidal assimilationists."

Following World War 2 and the Holocaust, Yiddish's usage suddenly declined by over 50%, with 5 million of its speakers being victims of the Holocaust, reducing its total amount of speakers down to just 6 million. However, the establishment of Shtet aimed in part to protect and promote Yiddish as part of the new nation's goal to revive the Jewish people. In 1950, Yiddish was declared the official language of Shtet, against opposition from Hebraists and German speakers in the nation. A national education system based entirely on the Yiddish language was established, comprising kindergartens, schools, and universities.

While Hebrew is spoken commonly in Shtet, it was historically repressed as a "bourgeois" language until the 1980s. Recent developments, organised mostly by the Shtetan Institute of Hebraists, have increased the number of Hebrew speakers from just under 5,000 in 1979 to 90,000 in 1985. In 1991, Hebrew was declared to be a national language of Shtet.

Cuisine

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Shtetan cuisine, like its culture, is comprised both of traditional Jewish dishes and cuisine brought from the rest of the Diaspora, exemplifying its melting pot culture.
Hailing from over 80 countries, Jewish people have emigrated into Shtet since its founding, bringing with them the foods and recipes they developed in the Diaspora. These traditions have commingled with other Jewish recipes, Jewish dietary laws, and the native and foreign ingredients to create a dynamic cuisine. Many foods thought as "Shtetan" originated from the wider cuisine of the Middle East, Europe, Africa, and India.

Example of a Shabbat dinner

Geography has heavily influenced Shtetan cuisine, with the climate determining which ingredients can be regularly grown, thus setting the foundations for Shtetan cuisine staples. Grains, root vegetables, and fresh fruits are used for nearly every dish, including soups and salads. Since the birth of Eco-Bundism, meat consumption had been declining rapidly, especially in Orthodox neighbourhoods. Since 1982, Shtet had ceased to produce any meat; the limited amount of it present in Shtetan markets is imported from neighbouring Germany and Poland. Despite this, fish (which in Jewish tradition is considered "parve" rather than "meat" - a belief which was affirmed in a 1983 Supreme State Court ruling - and thus remains to be farmed domestically) remains a large part of Shtetan cuisine, such as the Ashkenazi gefilte fish.

Kashrut, although not kept by all Jews in Shtet, is perhaps the most influential aspect in Shtetan cuisine. Since the 1970s, non-kosher foods have been subject to high tariffs, which has affected the availability of certain foods, especially pork and shellfish (both heavily consumed in the region prior to Shtet). Food regulation includes kosher preparation of food, such as separation of meats and dairy products. During Pesach week, when leavened foods are prohibited for observant Jews, the Ministry of Agriculture and Food temporarily transfers the possession of all leavened products to the Jewish-German Friendship Association in Berlin. Also during Pesach, many farming kibbutzim and urban bakeries cease the production of leavened goods in favour of matzo and leaven-free products.

Other Jewish holidays have also influenced eating patterns and cuisine. Various types of challah are baked for Shabbat dinners, sufganiyah for Hanukkah, hamantaschen for Purim, charoset for Pesach, and a wide range of dairy products for Shavuot. Shabbat dinners specifically, eaten on Friday, are the most important meal of the week for Shtetans. During Friday evening, many households will invite family, friends, and members of the community to enjoy dinner with them. Such dinner parties are generally common, especially, though not exclusively, during other holidays. Many Orthodox and religiously observant kibbutzim organise kibbutz-wide dinners.

Shtetan eating customs follow closely those of European ones, with lunch rather than dinner being the most important meal of the day. Evenings and breakfasts tend to be light and consist of various cheeses, yoghurt, cream, vegetables, salads, olives, eggs. Pickled fish with fresh fruit is also a very common light meal. Tea, rather than coffee, has become the standard drink of Shtet, mostly as a result of trade restrictions and import limits. Tea is drunk both hot and cold during all seasons, and recently Taiwan-originated bubble tea has become very popular, with many small bubble tea stores opening up.

National Insignia

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National flag

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The flag of Shtet has its origins in the Jewish Defence League and the Bund. It was officially adopted as the national flag on 1 May 1946, a month after its establishment. It depicts the Star of David horizontally split into the national colours of white and blue. The background is likewise horizontally split with the inverse colours of the Star of David, with white on top and blue on the bottom. The official proportions are 2:3, though variants in 8:11 are also common.

The horizontality of the flag intends to reference Poland, where the JDL was originally established as well as where the vast majority of Jews lived prior to Shtet's establishment. Common belief holds that it also represents the tallit, a traditional Jewish prayer shawl. The Star of David represents the nation's Jewish majority and status as a State of the Jews.

The ancient Israelites used a blue dye called tekhelet, made out of a rare marine snail, to dye their tzitzit in order "so that they may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them (Num 15:39)." Further, the blue on the flag symbolises God's glory, purity, and severity (gevurah). The white represents divine benevolence (chased).

Colour	Name	8-bit hex code
....................	White	#ffffff
....................	Tekhelet blue	#075299

The Republic of Shtet

2 years 310 days ago