Thoughts on the Study of the Orthodox Community: After Thirty-Five Years

Publication Date: January 2008

Publisher: Association for Jewish Studies; Association for Jewish Studies

Author(s): Samuel Heilman; Samuel Heilman

Research Area: Culture and religion

Keywords: Orthodox Judaism; Culture; Academic Research; Values

Type: Report

Coverage: United States United States

Abstract:

The author, a prominent scholar of Orthodox Jewry, discusses recent trends in the Orthodox world that have taken place during his 35-year career in the field. He discusses the "slide to the right" in Orthodoxy which has seen traditionalist Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Judaism resurgent and growing in numbers and vitality, while Modern Orthodoxy (representing a dynamic synthesis of Jewish tradition and contemporary culture) has seemed to stagnate. But, the author notes, recent years have brought some signs of a possible resurgence of Modern Orthodoxy, including the "Open Orthodox" approach of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, and the efforts of JOFA (The Jewish Orthodox Feminist Alliance).