A new book by Dr. Menachem Keren-Karz argues that Bnei Brak became a Haredi city only in recent decades, not from its founding. In an interview tied to the book, Keren-Karz says many people instinctively reject that claim, but his research in archives and interviews points to a far more mixed past. The book, "Bnei Brak: From a Religious Colony to the Capital of Israeli Haredi Society," was published by Yad Ben-Zvi in 2026.
Keren-Karz describes the city’s founder, Yitzhak Gerstenkorn, as visibly Haredi and learned, but politically aligned with Mizrachi. He says several things that seem exceptional today were once common, including Haredim serving in the IDF, many working for a living, and a generally positive attitude toward the state and army. He also found that Bnei Brak once had two football clubs, a religious club called Elitzur Bnei Brak and a secular club called Hapoel Bnei Brak.
One striking example in the book is a 1940 memorial service in Bnei Brak for Ze’ev Jabotinsky, which sparked harsh broadsides calling it a desecration. Keren-Karz says that was an exception, not the norm, and points out that the city later renamed its main road from Ben-Zvi Avenue to Jabotinsky Road, where it remains today. He also quotes a 1951 HaModia report describing Independence Day as a day the Haredi public shared in the national celebration, while acknowledging the community’s wartime losses.
The historian says the ultra-Orthodox public has long been shaped by myths that turn recent developments into ancient tradition, such as claims that Haredim always opposed secular studies, always avoided workforce participation, or always separated from the state. He adds that many Haredim who fought in underground groups or in the army later became leading figures, including Rabbi Yitzhak Meir, Rabbi Avraham Ravitz, and journalist Yitzhak Nachshoni. He also discusses Rabbi Joseph Shalom Elyashiv, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe, and the Hazon Ish, noting that early Haredi leaders often saw protest as a last resort and were deeply involved in rebuilding Torah life.
Keren-Karz says he deliberately softened language on sensitive disputes, especially around Rabbi Shach, because the book is aimed in part at Haredi readers. His central message is that the community they belong to is dynamic and has changed far faster than most people imagine.
