Orthodox Judaism [further Considerations] | Research & Encyclopedia Articles

Orthodox Judaism [further Considerations]

ORTHODOX JUDAISM [FURTHER CONSIDERATIONS]. In a little more than fifty years, American Orthodox Judaism went from being a marginal phenomenon whose survival seemed to be in question to a religious option firmly established and at home in North America. There has, however, been a struggle among Orthodox Jews in the United States that has intensified since the early 1980s. The struggle concerns the definition of Jewish identity and the best way to assure its continuity. The traditionalist right wing of Orthodox Judaism, the so-called haredi movement, has not disappeared as many predicted it would but has instead been successful in building institutions, training rabbis, and asserting its place in the Orthodox world. This haredi approach appreciates American freedom of religion but wishes to remain separate from mainstream culture and values. This includes living in separate enclaves, dressing in demonstrably different ways (particularly noticeable among the men), downplaying the use of English, and eschewing a university education, while at the same time giving general secular cultural (which they consider toxic and defiling) a lower ontological meaning than the Jewish one. Instead, they value a life of Torah study above all else and scrupulous attention to ritual details, a life they sustain with many institutions that they have successfully built and sustained since the 1950s.

Orthodox Judaism [further Considerations] article

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