Young men in Israeli haredi yeshiva education : the scholars' enclave in unrest / / by Yohai Hakak.

• Author: Hakak, Yohai.
• Year of Publication: 2012
• Language: English
• Series: Jewish Identities in a Changing World 19.
• Physical Description: 1 online resource (197 p.)
• Notes: Description based upon print version of record.

By 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. This book is also available in paperback. "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 Contents

Preliminary Material -- Introduction -- Chapter One The Literature -- Chapter Two Collecting the data: Beginnings -- Chapter Three The Ideal Haredi Male Body and the Struggles between Body and Soul in Haredi Education -- Chapter Four Equality or Excellence in Students’ Achievements -- Chapter Five Holy Amnesia: Remembering Religious Sages as Super-Humans or as Simply Human -- Chapter Six deviating, Resisting and Challenging the Ideal Male Bodily Model -- Chapter Seven Psychology and democracy in the name of the God? Modern and Secular discourses on Parenting in the Service of Conservative Religious Aims -- Chapter Eight Will the Scholars’ Enclave Re-adjust? -- Bibliography -- Names and Subjects Index.