Summary
The ultra-Orthodox Jews of Israel, referred to in Hebrew as the Haredim (literally, the fearful or God-fearing Ones), whom Lustick expressly distinguishes from Jewish fundamentalists: their extreme traditionalism aims at isolating their way of life from the state, not at imposing it through politics (For the Land and the Lord: Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel, Introduction, lines 545-610).
Details
- Their lives revolve around the careful fulfillment of thousands of rules contained within the halacha (code of Jewish law) as interpreted by their rabbis; their distinctive seventeenth-century garb, self-segregated neighborhoods, obsessive ritualism and indifference or opposition to Zionism reflect commitments to isolate their way of life from the State of Israel, not to impose it upon it through politics (Introduction, lines 551-570).
- Outbursts among the Haredim, often violent, increased in the years before Lustick wrote — driven by their growing numbers, a desire for homogeneity in new neighborhoods, and competitive militancy for financial supporters in the United States — in protests against theater operating hours, the location of public swimming pools and the sexual content of advertisements (Introduction, lines 565-580).
- Haredi representatives may wield substantial bargaining power on issues of direct religious concern, but they tend not to regard macropolitical issues, including territorial questions, as matters of great consequence; because they are non-Zionist or even anti-Zionist, they have effectively opted out of key political struggles over the course Israeli society will take. Despite their belief in relatively direct contact with the sources of transcendental authority and their refusal to compromise on ritual and religious law, they cannot be considered fundamentalist under Lustick’s definition, which requires active political engagement for rapid and comprehensive change (Introduction, lines 575-595).
Related pages
For the Land and the Lord: Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel, Jewish Fundamentalism, Gush Emunim, National Religious Party