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Haredi Judaism (Hebrew: יהדות חֲרֵדִית Yahadut Ḥaredit, IPA: [ħaʁeˈdi]; also spelled Charedi in English; plural Haredim or Charedim) consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict interpretation of religious sources and their accepted halakha (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating or modern values and practices.[1][2] Its members are usually referred to as ultra-Orthodox in English; however, the term "ultra-Orthodox" is considered pejorative by many of its adherents, who prefer terms like strictly Orthodox or Haredi.[3] Haredi Jews regard themselves as the most religiously authentic group of Jews,[4][5] although other movements of Judaism disagree.[6]
Some scholars have suggested that Haredi Judaism is a reaction to societal changes, including political emancipation, the Haskalah movement derived from the Enlightenment, acculturation, secularization, religious reform in all its forms from mild to extreme, and the rise of the Jewish national movement.[7] In contrast to Modern Orthodox Judaism, followers of Haredi Judaism segregate themselves from other parts of society to an extent. However, many Haredi communities encourage their young people to get a professional degree or establish a business. Furthermore, some Haredi groups, like Chabad-Lubavitch, encourage outreach to less observant and unaffiliated Jews and hilonim (secular Israeli Jews).[8] Thus, professional and social relationships often form between Haredi and non-Haredi Jews, as well as between Haredi Jews and non-Jews.[9]
Haredi communities are found primarily in Israel (13.6% of the population),[10][11][12] North America (12% of American Jews),[13] and Western Europe (most notably Antwerp and Stamford Hill in London). Their estimated global population numbers 2.1 million as of 2020,[13] and, due to a virtual absence of interfaith marriage and a high birth rate, the Haredi population is growing rapidly.[14][15][16][17] Their numbers have been further boosted since the 1970s by secular Jews adopting a Haredi lifestyle as part of the baal teshuva movement; however, this has been somewhat offset by those leaving.[18][19][20][21]
According to data from a January 2023 report by the Israel Central Bureau of Statistics, Haredim, with their current population growth rate being 4% per year, will by the end of the decade form 16% of the entire Israeli population, including Arabs.[22] A previous report from May 2017 forecast that Haredim would form 20% of the total population in 2040, and 32% in 2065; by then, one in two Israeli children would be Haredi.[23][24] Similarly in the United States, 61% of all Jewish children living in the Eight-County New York Area are Orthodox with Haredim making up 49% as of 2011.[25]
What unites haredim is their absolute reverence for Torah, including both the Written and Oral Law, as the central and determining factor in all aspects of life. ... In order to prevent outside influence and contamination of values and practices, haredim strive to limit their contact with the outside world.
Haredi Judaism, on the other hand, prefers not to interact with secular society, seeking to preserve halakha without amending it to modern circumstances and to safeguard believers from involvement in a society that challenges their ability to abide by halakha.
Haredim regard themselves as the most authentic custodians of Jewish religious law and tradition which, in their opinion, is binding and unchangeable. They consider all other expressions of Judaism, including Modern Orthodoxy, as deviations from God's laws.
Orthodox Judaism claims to preserve Jewish law and tradition from the time of Moses.
Mainstream Jews have—until recently—maintained the impression that the ultraorthodox are the 'real' Jews.
Wertheimer
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was invoked but never defined (see the help page).Given the high fertility and statistical insignificance of intermarriage among ultra-Orthodox haredim in contrast to most of the rest of the Jews...
The number of baalei teshuvah, "penitents" from secular backgrounds who become Ultraorthodox Jews, amounts to a few thousand, mainly between the years 1975-1987, and is modest, compared with the natural growth of the haredim; but the phenomenon has generated great interest in Israel.
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