Description
Book SynopsisA Well-Worn Tallis for a New Ceremony: Trends in Israeli Haredi Culture is a study of contemporary ultra-Orthodox religiosity in Israel. This book analyses the on-going reconstruction of Haredi culture in Israel, a process which has been spurred on by the challenges of modernity, the worldwide resurgence of religion, and the strong sway of Israeliness. Despite its founders’ and the present leadership’s long-standing efforts to establish and buttress an community enclave, various modern trends and state institutions, such as secularisation, consumerism, feminism, and the military, are having a profound impact on the yeshiva world. In other words, modernity is making inroads into the Jewish state’s Haredi ‘ghetto’ and transforming many aspects of everyday life. Over the course of her extended research on this community, Stadler has discerned changes in several key areas: religious life; the family structure; and the community’s interface with government authorities and the rest of the populace. Her book sheds light on all these developments.
Trade Review"Stadler begins her book with a thorough review of the literature on religion and modernity. She then discusses her research findings on haredim. Stadler's fascinating work illustrates the interaction between fundamentalist beliefs and way of life within the context of modernity." -- Roberta Rosenberg Farber
“Nurit Stadler’s A Well-Worn Tallis for a New Ceremony: Trends in Israeli Haredi Culture makes an important contribution, bringing to an English-speaking audience more of this growing Israeli academic conversation….Stadler offers a rich understanding of Haredi experience based on close observation, interviews, written sources, and multimedia materials. Stadler is part of a growing group of Israeli students of Haredi culture…who offer rich analysis of contemporary Haredi culture from an anthropological perspective, in addition to a growing number of scholars working on economics, geography, quantitative sociology, history, Jewish thought, and Jewish law.” -- Yoel Finkelman * H-Net Reviews *
