The Defense Rests? Haredim and Israeli Society

The new Azure is out, with plenty of goodies to choose from. This post will refer to an article that's sure to cause discussion - a full-fledged defense of Haredi norms and values in Israeli society.

First, the good news. The article is nothing if not thorough, critiquing the arguments of scholars from Jacob Katz and Menahem Friedman to Bernard Susser and Charles Liebman. All are criticized for interpreting the Haredi community solely through the lens of modernity, rather than looking for the deeper historical and theological roots at the base of the Haredi outlook. Rose surely has a point that Haredi society in Israel can not attribute its success solely to the support of the Israeli government, since similar communities are equally successful and prosperous abroad - in Holland and in the US, for instance. After so many years of academic Haredi criticism, it is nice to finally see such a well-articulated defense. Whether or not one agrees with it, and I certainly don't, it will certainly enrich the discussion about Haredim, breaking down many old stereotypes.

Now for the bad news. Though I don't pretend to be able to completely respond to the article (I'm sure there are many others who will do that), I thought I might point out but one of the problems in this spirited article. The main issue I have is that the author seems to view the world in black and white (no pun intended). There is Haredi, or religious Jewish society, and there is the secular modern world. A substantial section of Israeli society is actually in the middle, made up of "traditionalists"s, Modern Orthodox and so forth. Rose seems to think that the Modern Orthodox are simply pale copies of the "real thing" - Haredi society (reinforcing an already existing inferiority complex in MO society, where WE seem to think the same thing, sigh...). As opposed to the secular world, MO ideology just doesn't seem to be worth as much effort. There is also a sub-current of unintentional condescension towards the reader, who apparently just doesn't 'understand' the Haredi way. I hope that the author will modify this a bit in the future.

Anyway, like I said, the article is sure to cause discussion. I just hope someone will one day write "Modern Orthodox Judaism: A Defense" in a similiar vein - showing why we think WE'RE right, against both the Haredi and secular worldviews. Now THAT would be something to read.