Description
Book SynopsisBy looking at the case of Lithuanian yeshivas in Israel, Yohai Hakak’s book explores the internal tensions and dynamics of religious orders during a stage of a relative ‘loss of charisma’, in which the enthusiasm of the founding generation has diminished. It is the first study to include participant observations conducted within these institutions, which are the sacred heart of this segregated and highly religious community. The book highlights the current crisis these fundamentalist institutions are going through marked by a dramatic growth in yeshiva dropout rates. It examines the new and innovative ways the rabbis are trying to respond to the crisis. As part of these attempts the rabbinical discourse portrays a unique utopian and egalitarian world governed by supernatural forces and unlimited spiritual resources and incorporates Western psychological and democratic ideas. "Hakak's book is a great scholarly achievement." Motti Inbari, University of North Carolina at Pembroke "In sum, the book manages to elaborate on important developments and changes in the Haredi world: The emergence of cautious deviance, questioning of old ideals, or the rise of individuality. At the same time Hakak explains how these changes inflict strains upon the social structure of the Haredi world. The book can be therefore recommended particularly to scholars dealing with the development within the Haredi society." Peter Lintl, Institut ür Politische Wissenschaft, Friedrich-Alexander-Universität Erlangen-Nürnberg
Table of ContentsAcknowledgments Introduction Chapter 1: The Literature: Fundamentalism and the Haredi Society: Between Tradition and Change Chapter 2: Collecting the Data: Beginnings Chapter 3: The Ideal Haredi Male Body: The Struggles between Body and Soul in Haredi Education Chapter 4: Equality or Excellence in Students’ Achievements Chapter 5: Holy Amnesia: Remembering Religious Sages as Superhumans or as Simply Human Chapter 6: Deviating, Resisting and Challenging the Ideal Male Bodily Model Chapter 7: Psychology and Democracy in the Name of the God? Modern and Secular Discourses on Parenting in the Service of Conservative Religious Aims Chapter 8: Will the Scholars’ Enclave Re-adjust? Bibliography
