Haredi Community-Based Activism to Promote Secular Education in New York Hasidic Schools

• In Event: Religion, Spirituality, and Educational Outcomes

Abstract

The study explored Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) community-based activism aiming to promote secular education in New York Hasidic schools for boys. The data derived from documents, observations of social media platforms, and interviews with Haredi activists. The findings showed that the activists used various tactics that were targeted to different audiences within the Haredi community and bypassed the censorship mechanisms of the religious establishment. The activists’ discourse revealed interrelated facets of legitimacy: pragmatic, religious, educational, rights-based, and sociopolitical. Their discourse also combined revolutionary arguments with ideas based on existing community conventions. The conclusions account for the role of employing creative strategies, targeting different communal audiences, and combining various facets of legitimacy, in producing a counter-narrative that undermines power structures in enclave communities.

Authors

• Lotem Perry-Hazan, University of Haifa

• Shai Katzir, University of Haifa