Jews and Fundamentalism


 

Publication Date: January 2005

Publisher: Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

Author(s): Samuel C. Heilman

Research Area: Culture and religion

Keywords: Culture; Educators; Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Judaism; Jewish Outreach

Type: Report

Abstract:

The author posits two categories of fundamentalist Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Judaism: active and quiescent (passive). The former category includes Chabad and the religious Israeli settlers; the latter includes the yeshiva-centered Jewish enclaves. The author discusses the recent decline of non-fundamentalist Modern Orthodoxy, tracing the trend to factors including: the perceived decline of American culture since the 1960s; the increasing predominance of Haredi teachers and rabbis in Jewish day schools; and the influence of Israeli Haredi yeshivas and seminaries at which American Orthodox high school graduates spend a gap year studying.