NO219 Chapter Notes -Haredi Judaism, Neturei Karta, Gush Emunim
Document Summary
In a neighbourhood in jerusalem, ultra-orthodox jews close off the streets to traffic every friday in strict observance of the sabbath. The majority of jerusalem"s inhabitants, however, consider themselves ethnic rather than religious jews, and they disregard the sabbath along with most religious rules. Montreal, tradition dictates that male and female worshippers must be segregated, and the rabbi is necessarily male. In toronto, at a reform synagogue, men and women sit together for services led by a female rabbi. And although the conservative movement has been ordaining women for more than two decades, some conservative synagogues still choose to separate their congregations by gender. There is indeed great diversity in judaism today. In this chapter, we shall try to understand that diversity, and the unity that underlies it, by tracing the historical origins of judaism and the transformations associated with modernization.