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International Handbook of Jewish Education pp 1063–1080Cite as

Ultra-Orthodox/Haredi Education

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Part of the book series: International Handbooks of Religion and Education ((IHRE,volume 5))

Abstract

Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox) Judaism developed in the modern era as an isolationist reaction against the ways in which the freedoms of modernity pushed Jews away from strict observance of Jewish law. Haredi Jews view Torah study as particularly central, even as the very purpose of creation. Therefore, the Haredi educational system for men discourages general education and is designed to encourage them to gain independence and expertise in the Talmud along with a personal piety that comes with that expertise. Men are expected to be involved in full-time Torah study well into adulthood. For women, the educational system inculcates the value of feminine domesticity and sexual modesty, while downplaying abstract text-knowledge. Women are to grow into mothers, wives, and (paradoxically) often breadwinners in order to support their husbands’ Torah study. While the Haredi community has enjoyed a period of significant growth in the past decades, its educational system currently suffers from a severe financial crisis and from a perceived increase in drop-outs and defectors.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    Furthermore, because Haredi society is divided into numerous groups and subgroups, each subgroup often maintains separate educational institutions for its own population (Friedman, 1991, p. 155, but see p. 159; Schiffer, 1998, pp. 12–15).

  2. 2.

    Some groups, particularly the more radically isolationist Edah Haredit, do not accept government funding for their schools, but they are a small minority even on the Israeli Haredi scene.

  3. 3.

    As of 2007, Haredi education in Israel included 27.0% of the student body in elementary schools and 20.5% of high school age students, meaning approximately 161,000 elementary school students and 57,000 high school age students. See the information from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics, available at http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton.html?num_tab=st08_12&CYear=2008 and http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton.html?num_tab=st08_10&CYear=2008.

  4. 4.

    Marvin Schick (2005) puts the number of students in Haredi schools in the United States at just over 100,000.

  5. 5.

    Certain Canadian Provinces do provide government funding for parochial schools.

  6. 6.

    In the academic year 2006/2007 there were 44,395 young men registered in yeshivas in Israel, and 67,313 in kollels, according to Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics (see http://www.cbs.gov.il/reader/shnaton/templ_shnaton.html?num_tab=st08_10&CYear=2008). Numbers for North America are much more difficult to come by, though yeshiva students certainly number in the tens of thousands. For now out-of-date numbers, see Helmreich (1982, pp. 48–49).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Bar Ilan University, Tel Aviv, Israel

    Yoel Finkelman

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  1. Yoel Finkelman
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Correspondence to Yoel Finkelman .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. United Jewish Israel Appeal (UJIA), Kentish Town Road 37, London, NW1 8NX, United Kingdom

    Helena Miller

  2. Jewish Inst. Religion, Brookdale Center, Hebrew Union College, West 4th St. 1, New York, 10012, New York, USA

    Lisa Grant

  3. Melton Centre for Jewish Education, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem, 91905, Israel

    Alex Pomson

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Finkelman, Y. (2011). Ultra-Orthodox/Haredi Education. In: Miller, H., Grant, L., Pomson, A. (eds) International Handbook of Jewish Education. International Handbooks of Religion and Education, vol 5. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-007-0354-4_58

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