Real Jews: Secular Versus Ultra-Orthodox: The Struggle for Jewish Identity in Israel [Hardcover]

Noah Efron (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 0465018548 | ISBN-13: 978-0465018543 | Publication Date: May 27, 2003 | Edition: First Edition, First Printing

Most Americans would be shocked and disturbed to learn that the harsh rhetoric of virulent anti-Semitism is alive and thriving in Israel. Israel is a Jewish state, after all, so the anti-Semitism found there could hardly be aimed at all Jews. In fact, the Israeli brand of anti-Semitism pits secular Jews against fundamentalist Jews, the ones in traditional clothing following exacting religious rules.Writing from his unique vantage as a Tel Aviv resident, Noah Efron examines the discomfiture and spleen that some secular Jews feel when confronted with their ultra-Orthodox brethren. He recounts the difficult history of the ultra-Orthodox in Europe and Palestine, and examines their role in Israel, a country obsessed with and conflicted about what it means to be a Jew. Despite political, economic, cultural, and religious reasons for the tension between the two groups, little can explain the ferocity with which the Orthodox are loathed today, or the shocking rhetoric that many secular Jews use to denounce and ridicule them. This chilling and disturbing book documents the terrible details of an animosity based partly on fact and partly on a fantasy that threatens the future of Israel.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Efron brings equal empathy to each of the clashing narratives of contemporary Israel. -- New York Times Book Review

Efron paints the whole complicated panorama of the conflict and documents its awful details with sensitivity and fairness. -- Emmunah Magazine

Efron shows that... the clash between religious and secular culture will determine the character of Israeli democracy, and of Judaism. -- Washington Post Book World

It has been done… Prof. Efron…aptly describes the struggle for the hearts and minds of young Israelis. -- The Jewish Press

Noah Efron makes clear in his stunning new book… what Israeli Jews face on a daily basis. -- The Nation

About the Author

Noah Efron is a professor at Bar-Ilan University in Tel Aviv. He was formerly a fellow at MIT and a staff writer at the Boston Globe. He lives in Tel Aviv.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 320 pages
• Publisher: Basic Books; First Edition, First Printing edition (May 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0465018548
• ISBN-13: 978-0465018543
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (20 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #619,558 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

30 of 32 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MASTERPIECE OF HONESTY, CLARITY AND VISION, December 18, 2003

By 

Leo Schwartz (Lakewood, NJ United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Jews: Secular Versus Ultra-Orthodox: The Struggle for Jewish Identity in Israel (Hardcover)

What a thrilling cliffhanger! No, no. REAL JEWS is not a novel; it's a real picture of human nature that serves as the engine driving people to act in their own "best" interests. Efron has delved into the mind of the Chiloni, into his psyche and unearthed not only how he sees the Charedi, but also shines the light on why he sees him that way. When I finished reading I was left with the feeling that, the Chiloni, in Kafkaesque fashion, is trapped in his own historical web and is almost compelled to see the Charedi as a parasitic, greedy, self-righteous primitive buffoon. He sees him as the "Tartuffe, Shylock, Falstaff, and Ruth" of society. He does so, in Dr. Efron's view, because the Charedi now has become the "other" antagonist (replacing the traditional anti-Semite) against whom the modern Zionist Jew reacts in his attempt to find his place in the world.

The artistry of the writer develops the picture to the ultimate that it carries the reader with that argument as if it were the last word. But alas! Like a magician, he flips over the coin and uncovers the weaknesses imbedded therein. He demonstrates that what the Secular Jew accuses the Ultra-Orthodox Jew of doing is the blemish that stains the accuser himself, the Chiloni. Noah Efron demonstrates that there exists a different set of values and rationale that motivates the Charedi Jew, and that the fear the secular Jew experiences toward the ultra-Orthodox is based more on irrationality and anticipation, and his failure to accept that the ultra-Orthodox act in the same self-interest as much as the secular Jew does.

In this turn again he delves into the mind of the Charedi Jew and unearths not only how he acts and how he sees the secular Jew, but also why he sees him that way.

It's a tearful commentary to read the last paragraph of the author's book.........."My grandparents did not live to see the self-assurance of secular Israel disintegrate. They did not live to be hated by people whom they loved so deeply, and for this I am relieved. Even in these very troubled times, I sometimes think that this relief saddens me most of all."

The unique quality I find in this work, REAL JEWS, is not merely the purposeful concealment of the author's viewpoint, but the clarity of the presentation of all sides of the argument. It is left to the reader to weigh them and to evaluate their merits. Noah Efron enhances his integrity in this effort as an "honest broker".

This achievement is in line with Jewish juridical procedure. It is axiomatic in Halacha, that if one cannot see all sides of an argument he does not see a complete picture of the event. It is for this reason the Talmud states in Sanhedrin 17a that in a capital case if all 23 judges vote guilty, the accused is not executed. This is based on a premise that if no one can present an opposing argument in defense of the accused, then there is a blinding, incomplete vision of the event, and society may not take a life without a clear decision.

Efron placed all sides on the table for all to see.

It's a great work!

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Real Jews, June 11, 2003

By 

adele berlin (silver spring, MD United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Jews: Secular Versus Ultra-Orthodox: The Struggle for Jewish Identity in Israel (Hardcover)

This is an important book for anyone interested in Israeli society and its future. Well researched, well written, and well balanced, the book puts the tensions between secular and Haredi Jews in historical and sociological perspective. The outlook for reducing these tensions is not optimistic, but perhaps this book will promote more understanding than currently exists.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating, October 1, 2003

By 

jonathan lowenstein (London United Kingdom) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Real Jews: Secular Versus Ultra-Orthodox: The Struggle for Jewish Identity in Israel (Hardcover)

This books sets out to answer the question 'why do secular Israelis fear/dislike ultra-orthodox Jews so very much?'. I thought I knew a fair amount about this issue, and wasn't all that interested in learning more, but the book really surprised me -- it made me laugh and think, and I found myself citing it to many others.

The story is extremely well-told and compelling. Efron makes it easy to empathise with every side by illustrating each issue with personal anecdotes from his own life between the seams, as a yarmulke-wearing Jew living in a secular neighbourhood of Tel Aviv, teaching in a religious Jewish University but with a profoundly critical and feminist world view.

Buy this book if you know only a little about the issue, but especially if you think you already know all the answers!