Two Books Explore Challenges Within Haredi Society

Two new collections of personal stories, "Masachet Yetzia" (Exit Tractate) edited by Yehuda Shachat and Yossi Klar, and "Eich Hi Ochezet" (How She Holds) by Meirav Alma Sver, delve into the complexities and limitations faced by individuals within the Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community. "Masachet Yetzia" focuses on those who have left the community, detailing their often clandestine journeys of self-discovery, such as the dramatic acquisition of their first pair of jeans. The book highlights that leaving the community does not always mean abandoning religious observance, with some individuals remaining observant while living outside their original communities or in liminal spaces between Haredi and secular life. It also emphasizes the desire to maintain family ties and connections to faith and society.

"Eich Hi Ochezet" examines the experiences of women who remain within the Haredi world, exploring the internal struggles and limitations they encounter. Sver's work illustrates how even professional success, such as in high-tech, can be capped by male superiors who limit women's earnings to maintain a perceived balance. Both collections, while distinct in their primary focus, critique rigid education, restricted choices, the idealization of poverty, discrimination, and community-imposed silence around issues like sexual harassment and women's immersion in the mikvah.

The articles suggest that the critiques are not aimed at Haredi Judaism itself or at religious observance, but rather at the flaws within the community's structures, where communal interests and fears can be presented as integral to religious law. The authors argue that while the Haredi community's concerns about maintaining its identity in the face of modernization are valid, a complete closure of boundaries is counterproductive, leading to more damaging, clandestine encounters with modernity. The piece references the historical challenges faced by Eastern European Jewry in the early 20th century as a cautionary tale about the potential loss of cultural and representative monopolies.

Ultimately, both books are presented as more than just literature; they are seen as tools for social change, with carefully selected narratives serving the authors' arguments. They function as sociological documents and internal Haredi indictments, urging the community to recognize and develop a more inclusive and adaptable form of Haredi life that can accommodate evolving needs and aspirations without necessarily abandoning its core tenets.