A Society in Motion
Structures and Processes in Ultra-Orthodox Judaism
Abstract of the Hebrew Publication
- Written By: Prof. Benjamin Brown
- Publication Date:
- Number Of Pages: 11 Pages
- Center: The Joan and Irwin Jacobs Center for Shared Society
In recent decades, haredi (ultra-Orthodox)
society has undergone significant changes
in several critical areas: More ultra-
Orthodox men are going out to work;
the haredi education system is becoming
more diverse; The ultra-Orthodox media is
becoming more open; The ultra-Orthodox
woman is more aware of her important
place as a breadwinner, and thus as a
pillar of the existing social order; Ethnic
discrimination is more acute; Those joining
the haredi community are gradually taking
their place as a semi-independent sector;
The numbers leaving the fold are growing, as are the numbers of school dropouts, many of whom adopt delinquent behavior; and the move of many ultra-Orthodox families to Israel's periphery often serves as a lever for development in these areas, yet in some cases generates tensions. At the same time, changes are emerging in the ultra-Orthodox intellectual world: new variants of halakhic scholarship, and especially of halakhic rulings, are developed and an ever-expanding variety of books on religious thought add new products to the Jewish Torah library. The current book seeks to presents the dynamics that characterize thisĀ society, in sharp contrast to its static and fossilized image, in an academic-yet easy- to-read style.