The Haredization of American Orthodox Jewry


 

Publication Date: January 1998

Publisher: Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs

Author(s): Chaim I. Waxman

Research Area: Culture and religion

Keywords: Demography; Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Judaism; Orthodox Judaism; Jewish Law (Halacha)

Type: Report

Coverage: United States

Abstract:

The author discusses the much-noted shift to the right amongst American Orthodox Jewry. He explores differences between Modern Orthodoxy and Haredi Orthodoxy, discusses demographic trends among the two groups, explains Haredi Orthodoxy's insistence on stringency, attitude towards modernity, and insistence that generations decline in merit as time proceeds. He discusses the impact of yeshiva education upon the Orthodox world. The author places Orthodoxy's "Haredization" in context of a larger societal trend towards religious stringency.