Israeli Ultra-Orthodoxy: Credit and Credibility

Abstract

In recent decades, members of Israeli ultra-Orthodoxy have been exhibiting self-denial, stringency, and unwillingness to enter the workforce despite material hardships. Public discourse has long considered theirs an 'intentional poverty', yet the parsimoniousness attributed to them and its presumed intentionality are losing credibility. I use the concept of credit-in both its economic and its normative senseto analyze social regulation among Israeli ultra-Orthodoxy. I look at the community's efficiency in redistributing its members' resources through interconversion of social and material goods. I go on to identify the limits that self-regulation comes up against under capitalist pressures and show how these pressures express themselves in ultra-Orthodox norms and practices. Finally, I relate credit and credibility to the larger issue of excess in the present day.

Competing ethical regimes in a diverse society: Israeli military refusers

“…Though secular Ashkenazi culture still defines “Israeliness” for many people (Lavie , 77–80), this culture is not, in fact, universally shared. Despite their diversity, ultra‐Orthodox in Israel share many cultural attributes and values that set them apart from secular society (Heilman ; Stadler ; Weiss ). Similarly, despite the diverse origins of the Mizrahim, their shared experience in Israel has forged cultural commonalities beyond those shared by virtue of their Middle Eastern heritage.…”

“…To understand their reasons for refusal, I went to Jerusalem, where most of the refusers lived, to attend events supporting them and to interview the soldiers, their families, and the rabbis who had encouraged these young soldiers to refuse. As soon as I arrived and began to speak with people, I was drawn into the elaborate networks of ultra‐Orthodox social support (Weiss ). While secular conscientious objectors were easy to contact directly and referred me to other conscientious objectors, the refusal of the ultra‐Orthodox soldiers was very much a community affair.…”

Capitalist normativity: Value and values

“…Religious zealotry, for example, grows for those whom, in their economic insecurity, rely on their religious community for their daily bread. It entails a normativity that cedes nothing to freedom of choice or action, inspiring good deeds or moral dispositions as matters of obligation (Berman, 2000;Chen, 2010;Weiss 2014).…”