Haredim
Tal TalesTuesday, July 31, 2012 by Elli Fischer | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Tomorrow, the Deferral of Military Service for Yeshiva Students Law (Temporary Measure), better known as the Tal Law, will expire. This law is not just any law: it is the latest enactment of the so-called “status quo arrangement” that frames the uneasy relationship between Israel’s Haredi and secular populations, and between religion and State more generally.
Rav Elyashiv’s Mixed LegacyTuesday, July 24, 2012 by Yoel Finkelman | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Last Wednesday night, in the middle of a blazing heat wave, a quarter of a million people flocked to the funeral of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. At the request of the deceased, no eulogies were delivered, but for the rest of the week, the Haredi press spoke of little other than the man.
New York Jews: Growing in Numbers, Growing ApartThursday, July 5, 2012 by Leslie Lenkowsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Ever since the first 23 Jewish settlers arrived in New Amsterdam in 1654, New York City has been the economic, cultural, religious and, not least, demographic center of Jewish life in North America.
Editors' Picks
Israel vs. Haredim Moshe Averick, Algemeiner. Haredim are criticized today for not serving in the IDF or contributing to the workforce. But secular Zionists must acknowledge their historical role in deliberately marginalizing the Old Jew.
Orthodox Surging in America . . . David Brooks, New York Times. "The families stuffing their groceries into their Honda Odyssey minivans in the Pomegranate parking lot represent a challenging counterculture. Mostly, I notice how incredibly self-confident they are."
The Ambassador from Beit Shemesh Jodi Rudoren, New York Times. One new Knesset member from the Yesh Atid party, which seeks increased haredi contributions to Israeli society, is himself an Orthodox rabbi. Can he help bridge Israel's religious divides?
Haredi Holy War Amir Mizroch, Forecast Highs. Fearing that a new alliance between Yesh Atid and Jewish Home will see haredim drafted into the IDF, Israel's haredi rabbis are mounting a fierce campaign to protect the status quo.
Smashing the Idols Josh Yuter, Jewish Press. Has veneration of gedolim, great rabbis, become "the single greatest impediment to intelligent religious discourse in the Orthodox Jewish community"?
The New Haredim Daniel Goldman, Jerusalem Post. A year after the violence between haredim and non-haredim in Beit Shemesh, tensions persist. But more haredim are entering the workforce and joining the army, and their voice is growing.
The Silent Yeshiva Deborah Fineblum Raub, JNS. Ma’aseh Nissim, Israel’s first yeshiva for the deaf, has not only tailored Talmud study to the needs of students who cannot hear, but also brought sign language into the ultra-Orthodox world.
The Leftist Alternative Evelyn Gordon, Jerusalem Post. While Netanyahu looks certain to lead Israel's next government, he favors a new coalition with the center-Left. But that prospect may hinge on the electoral success of Am Shalem.
Israel's Other Election Yehuda Schlesinger, Israel Hayom. The campaign is on for the election of Israel's next Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi. Religious Zionist candidate, David Stav, warns that a haredi victory would see Israel "torn to shreds."
The Faith Stays in the Picture Yair Raveh, Fathom. Israeli cinema used to be a reliably religion-free zone. Not any more.