The Quest for Meaning and Fulfillment Among Haredi Women in Israel

Abstract

Abstract The status of Orthodox women has undergone many changes in history and reached its peak during the interwar period. At that time, Orthodox women were allowed to acquire both traditional and general education and enjoy the fruits of Western culture. They also helped to provide for their families, either by working with their husbands or by running their own businesses. These achievements were not maintained during the post-Holocaust period in Israel as Haredi women were expected to participate in restoring the totally ruined Torah World to its pre-Holocaust glory. To that end Haredi women were encouraged to bear as many children as they could and become their family’s main breadwinner to allow their husbands to study in the yeshiva for many years. Haredi women took up this burden and for many decades sacrificed their well-being and health without complaint. In the 21st century, once Haredi women realized that the world of the Torah had regained and even surpassed its scope in Europe, they sought to reclaim their previous social status. Nowadays, many Haredi women seek to enrich their life in ways that until recently were considered undesirable and immodest. In their pursuit for a meaningful life they combine intrinsic adherence to a Haredi identity and tradition while also adopting other ways of behaving with personal agency to pursue meaning in their life.