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Haredi Judaism (Hebrew: יהדות חֲרֵדִית Yahadut Ḥaredit, IPA: [ħaʁeˈdi]; also spelled Charedi in English; plural Haredim or Charedim) consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict interpretation of religious sources and their accepted halakha (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating or modern values and practices.[1][2] Its members are usually referred to as ultra-Orthodox in English; however, the term "ultra-Orthodox" is considered pejorative by many of its adherents, who prefer terms like strictly Orthodox or Haredi.[3] Haredi Jews regard themselves as the most religiously authentic group of Jews,[4][5] although other movements of Judaism disagree.[6]
Some scholars have suggested that Haredi Judaism is a reaction to societal changes, including political emancipation, the Haskalah movement derived from the Enlightenment, acculturation, secularization, religious reform in all its forms from mild to extreme, and the rise of the Jewish national movement.[7] In contrast to Modern Orthodox Judaism, followers of Haredi Judaism segregate themselves from other parts of society to an extent. However, many Haredi communities encourage their young people to get a professional degree or establish a business. Furthermore, some Haredi groups, like Chabad-Lubavitch, encourage outreach to less observant and unaffiliated Jews and hilonim (secular Israeli Jews).[8] Thus, professional and social relationships often form between Haredi and non-Haredi Jews, as well as between Haredi Jews and non-Jews.[9]
Haredi communities are found primarily in Israel (13.6% of the population),[10][11][12] North America, and Western Europe (most notably Antwerp and Stamford Hill in London). Their estimated global population numbers over 1.8 million, and, due to a virtual absence of interfaith marriage and a high birth rate, the Haredi population is growing rapidly.[13][14][15][16] Their numbers have been further boosted since the 1970s by secular Jews adopting a Haredi lifestyle as part of the baal teshuva movement; however, this has been somewhat offset by those leaving.[17][18][19][20]
According to data from a January 2023 report by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Haredim, with their current population growth rate being 4% per year, will by the end of the decade form 16% of the entire Israeli population, including Arabs.[21] A previous report from May 2017 forecast that Haredim would form 20% of the total population in 2040, and 32% in 2065; by then, one in two Israeli children would be Haredi.[22][23]
- ^ Raysh Weiss. "Haredim (Charedim), or Ultra-Orthodox Jews". My Jewish Learning.
What unites haredim is their absolute reverence for Torah, including both the Written and Oral Law, as the central and determining factor in all aspects of life. ... In order to prevent outside influence and contamination of values and practices, haredim strive to limit their contact with the outside world.
- ^ "Orthodox Judaism". Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
Haredi Judaism, on the other hand, prefers not to interact with secular society, seeking to preserve halakha without amending it to modern circumstances and to safeguard believers from involvement in a society that challenges their ability to abide by halakha.
- ^ Shafran, Avi (February 4, 2014). "Don't Call Us 'Ultra-Orthodox". Forward. Archived from the original on August 8, 2022. Retrieved May 13, 2020.
- ^ Tatyana Dumova; Richard Fiordo (September 30, 2011). Blogging in the Global Society: Cultural, Political and Geographical Aspects. Idea Group Inc (IGI). p. 126. ISBN 978-1-60960-744-9.
Haredim regard themselves as the most authentic custodians of Jewish religious law and tradition which, in their opinion, is binding and unchangeable. They consider all other expressions of Judaism, including Modern Orthodoxy, as deviations from God's laws.
- ^ "Orthodox Judaism". Berkley Center for Religion, Peace & World Affairs. Archived from the original on May 16, 2012. Retrieved May 15, 2019.
Orthodox Judaism claims to preserve Jewish law and tradition from the time of Moses.
- ^ Nora L. Rubel (2010). Doubting the Devout: The Ultra-Orthodox in the Jewish American Imagination. Columbia University Press. p. 148. ISBN 978-0-231-14187-1. Retrieved July 24, 2013.
Mainstream Jews have—until recently—maintained the impression that the ultraorthodox are the 'real' Jews.
- ^ For example: Arnold Eisen, Rethinking Modern Judaism, University of Chicago Press, 1998. p. 3.
- ^ Waxman, Chaim. "Winners and Losers in Denominational Memberships in the United States". Archived from the original on March 7, 2006.
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
Wertheimerwas invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ "Statistical Report on Ultra-Orthodox Society in Israel 2023". en.idi.org.il (in Hebrew). 2023. Retrieved March 3, 2024.
- ^ שנתון החברה החרדית בישראל 2019 (PDF). Idi.org.il. Retrieved March 2, 2022.
- ^ "How many ultra-Orthodox live in Israel today, and how many in 40 years? These are CBS data". Hidabroot.org. November 11, 2020. Retrieved March 2, 2022.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Norman S. Cohen (January 1, 2012). The Americanization of the Jews. NYU Press. p. 389. ISBN 978-0-8147-3957-0.
Given the high fertility and statistical insignificance of intermarriage among ultra-Orthodox haredim in contrast to most of the rest of the Jews...
- ^ Wise 2007
- ^ Buck, Tobias (November 6, 2011). "Israel's secular activists start to fight back". Financial Times. Archived from the original on December 10, 2022. Retrieved March 26, 2013.
- ^ Berman, Eli (2000). "Sect, Subsidy, and Sacrifice: An Economist's View of Ultra-Orthodox Jews" (PDF). Quarterly Journal of Economics. 115 (3): 905–953. doi:10.1162/003355300554944.
- ^ Šelomo A. Dešen; Charles Seymour Liebman; Moshe Shokeid (January 1, 1995). Israeli Judaism: The Sociology of Religion in Israel. Transaction Publishers. p. 28. ISBN 978-1-4128-2674-7.
The number of baalei teshuvah, "penitents" from secular backgrounds who become Ultraorthodox Jews, amounts to a few thousand, mainly between the years 1975-1987, and is modest, compared with the natural growth of the haredim; but the phenomenon has generated great interest in Israel.
- ^ Harris 1992, p. 490: "This movement began in the US, but is now centred in Israel, where, since 1967, many thousands of Jews have consciously adopted an ultra-Orthodox lifestyle."
- ^ Weintraub 2002, p. 211: "Many of the ultra-Orthodox Jews living in Brooklyn are baaley tshuva, Jews who have gone through a repentance experience and have become Orthodox, though they may have been raised in entirely secular Jewish homes."
- ^ Returning to Tradition: The Contemporary Revival of Orthodox Judaism, By M. Herbert Danzger: "A survey of Jews in the New York metropolitan area found that 24% of those who were highly observant (defined as those who would not handle money on the Sabbath) had been reared by parents who did not share such scruples. [...] The ba'al t'shuva represents a new phenomenon for Judaism; for the first time there are not only Jews who leave the fold ... but also a substantial number who "return". p. 2; and: "These estimates may be high... Nevertheless, as these are the only available data we will use them... Defined in terms of observance, then, the number of newly Orthodox is about 100,000... despite the number choosing to be orthodox the data do not suggest that Orthodox Judaism is growing. The survey indicates that although one in four parents were Orthodox, in practice, only one in ten respondents are Orthodox" p. 193.
- ^ Gross, Judah Ari (January 2, 2023). "Haredim are fastest-growing population, will be 16% of Israelis by decade's end". The Times of Israel. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ "Oops, Something is wrong" הודעה לתקשורת – תחזית אוכלוסיית ישראל עד שנת 2065. Israel Central Bureau of Statistics. May 21, 2017. Retrieved January 24, 2023.
- ^ Druckman, Yaron (May 21, 2017). ישראל 2065: 20 מיליון תושבים, כל אזרח שלישי - חרדי. Ynet. Retrieved January 24, 2023.