Sliding to the Left?: Contemporary American Modern Orthodoxy

During the second half of the twentieth century, many observers of American Orthodoxy were struck by its move to the right, and a small group of social scientists offered a number of basic sociological factors to explain why Orthodoxy in modern society adopted a stance of greater isolation and ritualistic stringency. Perhaps the first social scientist to point to that phenomenon was Charles Liebman, who indicated (albeit without explaining) the trend in his pioneering analysis of American Orthodox Judaism. ¹ Almost two decades later, he wrote his seminal essay, "Extremism as a Religious Norm," ² which analyzed religious extremism in general and Jewish religious extremism in particular but did not deal specifically with American Orthodox Judaism. Rather, he focused on developments in Orthodox Judaism in Israel.

In a paper that focused specifically on American Orthodox patterns, Chaim Waxman distinguished between haredi Judaism and Modern Orthodoxy in terms of three variables. ³ The first involves attitudes toward the larger society and the larger Jewish community and essentially is a matter of "isolation," the stance of the haredi, versus "inclusion," which is that of the Modern Orthodox. A second variable entails attitudes toward modernity, general scholarship and science, with the haredi being antagonistic and Modern Orthodoxy being accommodating if not welcoming. The third involves a basic difference between the two communities in their attitudes toward Zionism and their active involvement in Jewish national rebirth and development, with the haredi being antagonistic towards the Zionist enterprise and the Modern Orthodox welcoming it as a religious value. ⁴ A number of examples of "haredization" were presented but perhaps its most conspicuous manifestations were in American Orthodox Jewry's greater punctiliousness in ritual observance, perceived by many to be a proclivity to adopt unduly stringent stances, humrot, on ritual matters, as well as a distinct inward turn highlighted by decreased cooperation with the Conservative and Reform branches of American Judaism. By the turn of the 21st century, these tendencies advanced to the point where a keen observer of the American Jewish scene perceived a kulturkampf in American Judaism, with the Orthodox versus the non-Orthodox engaged in a "struggle for the soul of American Judaism." ⁵ Most recently, Samuel Heilman argued that within Orthodoxy the haredi sector has won the battle and their religious values now characterize American Orthodoxy as a whole. ⁶

Our hypothesis is that American Orthodox Jewry is much more heterogeneous than the above-cited observers perceived, that the modern Orthodox sector, in particular, is neither of one stripe nor has it overwhelmingly "haredized" and, indeed, there have been some developments indicating significant ritualistic departure not only from haredi norms and values but from traditional Jewish religious behavior as well. We will discuss those developments as they relate to gender, theology, and organizational issues. The findings of our interviews on the state of American Modern Orthodoxy with more than fifty knowledgeable observers will then be presented, after which we will present our own, tentative analysis. While this article highlights many of the basic elements of this phenomenon, our ultimate objective is to study all of this empirically and to arrive at a more definitive assessment of American Orthodox Judaism.

Gender Issues

One of the most discussed and pressing concerns for many modern Orthodox Jews is the role of women. ⁷ Increasing numbers of modern Jewish women have felt that they have very limited or no place in the Orthodox synagogue or the organized community. Historically, few opportunities existed for women to pursue higher levels of Judaic studies. In the synagogue, women have not been counted for a quorum nor have they been able to lead mixed prayer services or even pray together in the same way as their male counterparts. However, in recent years, a variety of attempts have been made to expand the educational opportunities available to women and increase their role in greater Synagogue life.

A driving force behind many of these efforts is The Jewish Orthodox Feminists' Alliance (JOFA), an organization of women and men that seeks "to expand the spiritual, ritual, intellectual and political opportunities for women within the...