Q&A: Haredim and Modernity
Haredim and Modernity
Question
Hello Rabbi Michael Abraham,
I read and listen to you, and you talk a lot about the Haredim and Haredi society, and of course attack them at every opportunity. Now, I don’t know whether you’re aware that you’re talking about Israeli Haredism. Israeli Haredism is very political, systematic, cynical, PR-driven, and forceful. Israeli Haredism has undergone a very deep politicization of its entire way of life, and in a certain sense even of its religiosity. Everything has become political, petty, and institutional.
As a Haredi who was born in Belgium and lived in London for many years and is now in Israel, I can’t help but see the huge differences between Israeli Haredism and Haredism abroad, which I assume you don’t know. Haredism abroad is much more authentic, pure, and free of politics, and therefore also much more open and liberal. The Haredi abroad is generally much more intellectually independent and much more connected to his way of life—not out of coercion and not out of politics—and therefore is also much more liberal and open. There is a very broad spectrum of Haredim: some are more devout and some are more liberal, overlapping with the Modern Orthodox that you like so much.
This is a public that includes lawyers, psychologists, academics. By the way, most Haredim abroad work, and that is not just a default but a way of life. The Haredi abroad works, gets an education, but at the same time is much more authentic and connected to his identity. Usually they live in excellent relations with the gentiles; they have connections in local and national politics.
I understand that you have more fundamental criticisms of the Orthodox conception of Judaism, and I’m not talking about that. I’ve noticed that most of your criticisms of the Haredim actually concern Israeli Haredism—its public and political struggles, its PR, its wheeling and dealing, its fake cries of doom and disaster—but notice that this is a new Haredism, made in Israel, after the Holocaust. The authentic and original Haredism is abroad, and it may very well be that you don’t know it at all.
In my opinion this is an important distinction. By the way, I’d be happy if you wrote a column about the differences between them.
Thank you very much,
Answer
Hello,
You are repeating things that I explicitly wrote in the latest series. I even noted expressly that among the Haredim there are also Modern Orthodox. Though I have always wondered what exactly is Haredi about them (unless they oppose Zionism in some sense. That too is not very clearly defined).
I really am less familiar with Haredism abroad, but I know very well that such differences exist. And indeed, the main part of my criticism of the social and political conduct is directed at Israeli Haredism. The criticism of the attitude toward Jewish law and the internal conduct also applies to quite a few groups abroad.