Yeshiva Fundamentalism: Piety, Gender, and Resistance in the Ultra-Orthodox World

Preface

xiii Preface when the Zionist state was created, a new form of ultra-orthodox (Haredi) fundamentalism developed as well, a postwar variation of fundamentalism invigorated by devotees struggling to defend a Jewish lifestyle destroyed in the Holocaust. in this rejuvenated religiosity, all men are confined to a life of studious devotion, in contrast to the traditional Jewish system in prewar eastern europe, in which only a few were chosen for full-time study. By the late 1940s and early 1950s, however, Jewish scholars—in Hebrew, bnei Torah—were regarded as the last bulwark defending traditional, learned Judaism. in israel, the talmudic seminar, or the eastern european yeshiva style, has become the center for male worship and fellowship. At the yeshiva, devoted men reinterpret sacred codes, revive talmudic wisdom, and strive to set themselves apart and protect the community from the temptations and distractions of modernity and secularism. These yeshiva men are considered virtuosos of texts, a collective elite of the Haredi world who hold enormous sacred power. Because they consider the Haredi world the only body able to regenerate Judaism and a Jewish way of life according to the scriptures, they and their wives have been encouraged to produce large families and reestablish the studious ideal of piety in the Holy Land. Although this postwar Jewish fundamentalism has now become institutionalized , its basic religious orientations are currently being transformed by a new generation. Accordingly, in this book i examine these shifts in yeshiva piety, particularly its effects on the israeli Haredim and generally the meanings of piety and resistance in fundamentalist culture. over the last three decades, scholars of fundamentalism have focused mainly on the first stages of these groups’ creation and establishment in the modern state. in this book, however, i examine an entirely different stage and context. That is, my analysis is of the experiences and narratives of a new generation of fundamentalist yeshiva men as they reflect on their own history and reconsider the outcomes of the governing xiv Preface model of piety. Certain processes in this well-established fundamentalist society, both within and outside it, have sometimes caused the devotees to resist its model of piety. i demonstrate that the new generation of yeshiva men feel that this “ready-made,” one-size-fits-all model of piety is no longer satisfying. in their view, fundamentalist piety has alienated them from state institutions (army, workplace, politics) and created uncertainty in their family life, gender roles, and everyday experiences. in their attempt to find solutions, these men have questioned major aspects of their life: their rabbis, the family as currently constituted, and their relation both to the state and its institutions and to civil society. Their conclusions are tentative and at times ambiguous, simultaneously accepting and rejecting the very same assumptions. within their critique of piety, these men have formed an idealized image of their forefathers and, at the same time, have been forced to face the practical problems in their everyday life, financial situation, social position, marital and work options , morality, and future. My own attraction to the contemporary Haredi yeshiva life in israel evolved together with my interest in the sociology and anthropology of religion, especially the manifestations of worldwide fundamentalism. At first glance, the Haredi yeshiva world seems to provide a perfect opportunity to explore text-based religiosity and to study the modern aspects of asceticism, male virtuosity, extreme piety, modes of segregation, religious fraternities, and other aspects of the fundamentalist revival. The Haredi yeshiva culture is a community bounded by space; therefore it seems to present an ideal case study of the manifestations of extremist religiosity and the manner in which radical forms of devotion are played out just a short distance away from a dynamic, secular, modern state. Captivated by the lives of these bnei Torah or, more specifically, these men’s studious lifestyle and enclave culture, i decided that the yeshiva world would be an appropriate case study. i also knew that the “inside story” of the yeshiva world had not been sufficiently studied by scholars of religion and israeli studies. i was encouraged by the generations of anthropologists who had entered closed religious communities, as well as their techniques for obtaining access, learning other languages, making friends, and becoming familiar with new ideas and concepts about other cultures. in addition, reading the extensive research on the worldwide revival of fundamentalism, such as “born-again” Christian groups in the United States, the pious Shi’ite Muslim movements in the Middle east, and...