Returning to Tradition: The Contemporary Revival of Orthodox Judaism (review)

Volume 9, No.4 Summer 1991 131 Returning to Tradition: The Contemporary Revival of Orthodox Judaism, by M. Herbert Danzger. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1989. 374 pp. $29.95. Orthodox Judaism, which as recently as thirty years ago was looked upon by many observers as a rapidly disappearing anachronism, has undergone a remarkable transformation in its public image in recent years. Far from disappearing, Orthodoxy has reasserted itself in the public's perception as a movement both viable and vibrant. It has reinforced its claim not merely to be the Judaism of the past, but also to be the Judaic wave of the future. It has done so not least because of the phenomenon of the B'alei Teshuva, Jews from non-Orthodox backgrounds who, numbering in the thousands, have joined themselves to the various Orthodox communities and adopted their lifestyles. In consonance with its newfound prominence, scholars have become increasingly interested in the phenomenon of Orthodoxy, both historically and in terms of its social anthropology. Sociologists such as Samuel Heilman, Charles Liebman, William Shaffir, and Janet Aviad, among others, have engaged in an attempt to understand contemporary Orthodoxy. M. Herbert Danzger's book is an admirable contribution to this work. Danzger has studied the Ba'al Teshuva phenomenon in Israel and North America with an insider's knowledge of Orthodox Judaism and its innumerable nuances as well as with the detached perspective of the sociologist. Playing this dual role is never free from pitfalls, but the author expertly seems to avoid most of them. The only notable lapse is in his assertion (p. 104) that the separation of the sexes in Judaic worship goes back thousands of years to the Jerusalem Temple, an assertion which is far from conclusive historically and which has been vigorously challenged by some. However, this acceptance of the Orthodox version of history does not materially diminish Danzger's achievement. He has chronicled the movement of "return" to Orthodox Judaism with scrupulous regard for the differing experiences of men and women, Americans and Israelis, hippies and straights. What he discovered, among other things, was that those who "returned " nearly always possessed some Judaic education and ethnic identity, however minimal. The notion of Ba'alei Teshuva coming from a complete tabula rasa regarding Judaism is a myth. Danzger also shows that there existed important homologies between the hippie phenomenon and the Orthodox institutions (yeshivot) which began attracting them in the 1960s. These included a general countercultural stance relative to dominant societal mores, a rejection of the work ethic as a criterion for "success," and the subordinate position ofwomen. 132 SHOFAR What becomes clear in Danzger's analysis is that there are basic differences between the conversion process in Judaism and that in Christianity, stemming from fundamental differences in. the sociologies of the two faith communities. This stands as a useful corrective to the sociological literature on the conversion process, which normally takes Christianity as its paradigm. Finally, Returning to Tradition indicates that the Ba 'aL Teshuva phenomenon has had and is likely to continue to have a profound effect on Orthodoxy itself. Whereas previously Orthodox Jews worked hard to retain their own children in their communities, now they are attracting Jews from the "outside" culture who have joined by their own choice. The implication for Orthodoxy is potentially profound. As Danzger states (p. 340): In the process the traditionalists open themselves to the broader world in their innermost recesses ... Even if they are successful, their own beliefs are transformed from unarticulated ... practices to reasoned choices. The nature of their beliefs is changed. It may be strengthened-but not necessarily . Ira Robinson Concordia University Montreal Secrets of the Times: Myth and History in Biblical Chronology, by Jeremy Hughes. Journal for the Study of the Old Testament Supplement Series, 66. Sheffield, England: JSOT Press, 1990. 315 pp. $60.00. Hughes' monograph on biblical chronologies is a successful revision of an Oxford dissertation directed by James Barr. The validity of his approach is rooted in his recognition that biblical chronology is primarily mythic and schematic, a product of the biblical writers' imperative to explicate the theological significance of the lapse of universal and Judaeo-centric time. The theological...