"Take Evolution Theory, Mix it with God, and Religiously Speaking, You Are Set:" Israeli Ultra-Orthodox Youth Negotiating Religious and Social Taboos

• In Event: Highlighted Session: Formal and Informal Religious Study in Homogenous as well as Pluralistic Contexts

Proposal

In late modernity, the journey to adulthood is often a gradual process, a time for self-exploration and self-expression (Arnett, 2024). However, this trajectoryis not universal. In religious communities with a conservative lifestyle, such as the Jewish ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) society, the coming of age is a rapid aiming to minimize the stage of transition and exploration (Nadan et al., 2019). The stage of Haredi adolescence is planned carefully to lead young people to adulthood - marriage - as soon as possible. In Haredi society's ethos, marriage is considered a sign of religious stability and having chosen the Haredi lifestyle and beliefs (Gersoni et al., 2024).
This challenges the universality of youth studies research in the Western world as youth in these communities, are governed by social norms that differ from those in secular and/or non-traditional communities. This unique coming of age experience faced by Haredi youth is the key focus of this study.
This research delves into the transition period of adolescence among Haredi Israeli youth. It argues that due to the lack of acceptable social time and space for identity work and exploration processes among young Haredim, the internet emerges as a crucial alternative space. The Facebook group 'Confessions of Haredim' (henceforth referred to as CoH), is a prime example of this. The CoH group serves as a platform for identity research and discussion of taboo topics.
Israeli Haredi community leaders balance modern technology with a traditionalism that protects their members. For example, not all Haredi communities permit internet usage in any form, but some do permit limited use mostly for business purposes (Mishol-Shaul & Golan, 2022). However, Haredi societies perceive young adulthood as a time of spiritual risk, and for that reason, adolescents are prohibited from accessing the internet across the board.
Despite the prohibition against internet use by young people, studies show that the age of Haredi internet users is steadily decreasing (Israeli Bureau of Statistics, 2022). The internet provides Haredi youth with a space to reflect on their lives and their position within their communities, as well as to discuss conflicts or questions they have about their religious views (Poryes at al., in progress).
The kinds of identity negotiations and boundary formations done by young Haredim in online spaces such as CoH is analyzed using the theoretical frameworks, of positioning and boundary work.
This paper addresses the following questions: How do members of the Facebook group CoH define "Haredi young adulthood"? Which taboos are up for discussion and even normalized, and which remain outside the bounds of acceptability? How are new Haredi gender norms constructed in this online space?
CoH has about 6K members. It provides an opportunity to observe interaction between large numbers of people, as well as interaction between the sexes. The majority of participants portray themselves using fictitious profiles.
This qualitative research uses discursive online ethnographyלחץ או הקש כאן להזנת טקסט.. It includes a sample of 1,000 confessional and negotiation-oriented posts posted between May 2022 and September 2024. Twelve posts and responses by group members were analyzed in-depth, using thematic and discourse analysis. These posts were chosen based on the following criteria: they collectively reflect a diversity of topics and dilemmas, and they each generated a rich discussion in the comments. The original posts are understood in term of positioning, where the author position themselves in relation to others in the community. The responses are understood as a form of boundary work, wherein the audience in CoH reinforces or challenges Haredi norms.
The Facebook group CoH provides a space for confessors who challenge norms. These individuals use the platform to discuss tensions and gaps in their self-discovery and exploration of identity, belonging, and dis-belonging within Haredi society. The confessions discuss taboo issues, including faith, heresy, premarital sex, and sexual identity—topics often marginalized in daily Haredi life, thereby questioning and reshaping Haredi norms. The analysis shows that the confessions can be met with acceptance, rejection, normalization or denial. For example, while doubt is increasingly accepted as part of religious life, outright lack of belief in God still seen as a threat. Thus, the CoH members collectively defines the boundaries that include or exclude one from the community, although these boundaries may differ from those defined by the Haredi leadership.
In conclusion, this process highlights the subjectivity and exposure of young people with a Haredi background to perspectives that are taboo in the offline space. These individuals seek to maintain their place within the community while crafting a DIY Haredi identity. The group members strive to shape a form of Orthodoxy that adapts to modern realities, deconstructing and renegotiating taboos related to evolution, heresy, and sexuality.

Author

• Malki Poryes, Ben-Gurion Univeristy of the Negev