Book Review-Yeshiva Fundamentalism- Sociology of Religion

Religion and Gender, 2015

Nashim: A Journal of Jewish Women’s Studies and Gender Issues , 2020

Contemporary Jewry, 2006

A particular body position commonly known as Oriental sitting has become a metonvm for the hardcore indigenous Sabra. The empirical observation that ultra-orthodox Jews systematically avoid this charged behavioral pattern is the point of departure for the argumentation that there is a distinct radical-religious Jewish physicality. Ethnography of typical Haredi postures and movements like sitting, running, haircutting, caressing and sleeping, serves to further the understanding of Haredi culture. In the tradition of the Sociology and Anthropology of the Body this paper raises questions about certain aspects of traditionalist Jewish society and its current transformation.

Qualitative Sociology, 1993

Everett C. Hughes, writing about the many small communities not yet swept out by the broom of our industrial and urban civilization, reflected: "How long will it take to mop them up, no one knows. The process seems to be going on rapidly now, but it will probably last longer than any of us would predict" (1952: 25-26). Hasidic Jewry specifically, but ultra-Orthodox Jewry more generally, are obvious cases in point. Their adherents cling to a lifestyle that is deeply rooted in traditionalism. It is precisely because of the puzzling persistence of their distinctive lifestyle that ultra-Orthodox Jewry-identified as haredim in Israel has captured the attention of the wider public, both Jewish and Gentile. Academics and journalists have researched their communities and reported their findings in scholarly and popular publications. As well, hasidim have drawn attention unto themselves, both intentionally and unwillingly. Lubavitcher hasidim's proselytizing work in the wider Jewish community is, most recently, and most dramatically, highlighted by a "We Want Moshiach Now" campaign. At the other extreme, hasidim have become embroiled in controversies in the communities in which they reside. Racial tensions and conflicts between the hasidim and Blacks in Crown

Gorgias Press eBooks, 2014

As a fundamentalist religious group, the Israeli Haredi 1 community claims to adhere to stable fundamentals of belief which also shape the male body as different from the secular Israeli male body and as opposed to it. In this article I will question such claims by focusing on how young Israeli Haredi men construct their bodies in relation to the secular Israeli body, which is considered their principal 'Other'. I will show that due to the processes the Haredi community is undergoing, and especially the transition of many men from the protected Haredi space to wider Israeli society, the secular body's influence on the Haredi body is increasing in some respects. Other aspects of the Haredi body remain constant and form a challenging alternative to the secular male body. I will also reveal the organizing logic for this process. 2 In 1999-2000, the Israeli Haredi community was alarmed at the establishment of a new Haredi Brigade (Hanachal Hacharedi) within the Israeli Defense Forces. Until then, young Haredi men did not serve in the army. 3 The formation of the new unit was received with very vocal protests from all parts of the Haredi community and especially from the more conservative sectors. The common perception of Haredi rabbis of military culture and weapons can be learned from the pamphlet "In the Campaign: Journal of the Torah World", (No. 1 August 1999). This edition is devoted entirely to the "horrors of recruitment" and its terrible implications. The back page of the pamphlet bears a picture of a Haredi child looking admiringly at a Haredi soldier and stretching out his hand to touch the gun he is holding. The picture is captioned: "a pure Haredi child, attending the ceremony at the end of basic military training of the Haredi Nachal unit" [the newly formed unit, Y.H.]. He looks admiringly at the weapons held by the Haredi soldiers. One of the soldiers lowers it and the child strokes the gun longingly, like children who reach out to the Torah scroll when it is removed from the Ark in the synagogue. 4 The faces (of the child and the soldier in the photograph) are blurred for obvious reasons (ostensibly to preserve their anonymity), and thus readers are saved the expression on this pure child's face when first seeing this 'new world', so opposed to the inner atmosphere of the Torah world. What does the child growing up in an atmosphere of holiness think of this encounter?"

Haredi Masculinities between the Yeshiva, the Army, Work and Politics, 2016

Journal of Men Masculinities and Spirituality, 2009

As a fundamentalist religious group, the Israeli Haredi 1 community claims to adhere to stable fundamentals of belief which also shape the male body as different from the secular Israeli male body and as opposed to it. In this article I will question such claims by focusing on how young Israeli Haredi men construct their bodies in relation to the secular Israeli body, which is considered their principal 'Other'. I will show that due to the processes the Haredi community is undergoing, and especially the transition of many men from the protected Haredi space to wider Israeli society, the secular body's influence on the Haredi body is increasing in some respects. Other aspects of the Haredi body remain constant and form a challenging alternative to the secular male body. I will also reveal the organizing logic for this process. 2 In 1999-2000, the Israeli Haredi community was alarmed at the establishment of a new Haredi Brigade (Hanachal Hacharedi) within the Israeli Defense Forces. Until then, young Haredi men did not serve in the army. 3 The formation of the new unit was received with very vocal protests from all parts of the Haredi community and especially from the more conservative sectors. The common perception of Haredi rabbis of military culture and weapons can be learned from the pamphlet "In the Campaign: Journal of the Torah World", (No. 1 August 1999). This edition is devoted entirely to the "horrors of recruitment" and its terrible implications. The back page of the pamphlet bears a picture of a Haredi child looking admiringly at a Haredi soldier and stretching out his hand to touch the gun he is holding. The picture is captioned: "a pure Haredi child, attending the ceremony at the end of basic military training of the Haredi Nachal unit" [the newly formed unit, Y.H.]. He looks admiringly at the weapons held by the Haredi soldiers. One of the soldiers lowers it and the child strokes the gun longingly, like children who reach out to the Torah scroll when it is removed from the Ark in the synagogue. 4 The faces (of the child and the soldier in the photograph) are blurred for obvious reasons (ostensibly to preserve their anonymity), and thus readers are saved the expression on this pure child's face when first seeing this 'new world', so opposed to the inner atmosphere of the Torah world. What does the child growing up in an atmosphere of holiness think of this encounter?"

Since its inception approximately 4,000 years ago, diversity has been a major part of Jewish life. Beginning with the twelve tribes of Jacob – Israel – Jews have traditionally viewed themselves as a family with many stripes. This perspective of diversity within the Jewish community would last throughout most of the Diaspora – Jews from all backgrounds enjoyed the ability to express their individuality. In the aftermath of the Holocaust however, a small remnant of the Orthodox community in Europe immigrated to the newly founded, secular, state of Israel. The dynamics of the period forced the more conservative portion of the community into defense mode, planting the seeds for a social disaster - which only worsened as the years went by. Sixty five years later, The Ultra-orthodox Jews- called Haredim - in the state of Israel have become a self-proclaimed, discriminated minority. To better understand the conflict in Israeli society, I set out to answer the following questions; what are the characteristics and rationale behind Haredi, extreme behaviors? Can Haredim evolve beyond their defensive position - that is, to meet the challenges of an ever diversifying State of Israel? And can the Haredi community accept the challenges of modernity by becoming community leaders, living lives of ethically and morally sound conduct - in the pursuit social justice on a global scale? I compiled a lot of current research which discusses the Haredi community adaptation – or lack thereof - to modernity. After an annotated bibliography, I review the collected literature, searching for the underlying themes of the conflict between the liberal and illiberal factions; I then proceed to suggest a solution: The education of classic Jewish literature on diversity and the role of the Jew in a global world - which will hopefully usher in a new era in the Haredi – Ultra-orthodox Jewish- perspective of its role in an ever-evolving world.