Yeshiva Students Research Articles

Notes from Jerusalem

Notes from Jerusalem Daniel Noah Moses I One morning I wake up thinking—I don’t need to be doing this anymore. It’s too much. I go swimming in the afternoon, which is wonderful. That night I meet two American friends; we eat grilled vegetables and drink whiskey. Tipsy in the taxi home, I find that Jerusalem is again a magical city. I pass the Old City walls. I pass where Abraham almost sacrificed his son, where the Temple used to stand, where Jesus was crucified, where Mohammed went up to heaven. Then I go home, brush my teeth and go to sleep. II Eighteen months before The toothless Israeli taxi driver and I sing together all the way from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, late on a Friday afternoon, with the windows open and the sun going down. The wiry and wrinkled driver grew up in Morocco, and he sings of his intense love for Jerusalem with a nasal soulful Arabic wail. When he hears that I have not been to Jerusalem in over ten years, that I just arrived from America, that I am moving to Jerusalem, he cannot contain his joy. Almost shabbat. On the way to Jerusalem. With the windows open and the sun going down. This is what the rabbis and mystics and peddlers of Poland dreamt about for generations. This was a Jewish prayer for 2,000 years. III A few days later, I walk in the Old City of Jerusalem with friends and friends of friends. In the room where, according to tradition, Jesus and the Apostles gathered for The Last Supper, an Orthodox Jewish teacher, bearded, head covered, explains what we are seeing. My friend, a Palestinian university professor in his fifties, corrects him on several points. The Jewish teacher turns to my friend. “You seem to know a lot about this room.” “My family lived here for 500 years,” explains my friend. His ancestor was a Moroccan Sheik who, one night, in the fifteenth century, had a dream: he dreamt he, as a good Muslim, should become the caretaker of King David’s Tomb. He moved with his family, his followers, his servants, his wealth, to Jerusalem. Once there, they took care of the tomb of King David—which is just under the room where, they say, the Last Supper took place (according to The New Testament, Jesus was a direct descendant of King David; according to Jewish and Christian traditions, The Messiah must be directly descended from this Royal Line). Later that day, my friend shows me a photograph from the early 1940s of his extended family in the garden of the complex where King David’s tomb is said to be, where the Last Supper is said to have taken place. The ancestral sheik is buried in a neglected mausoleum in “Independence Park,” on the Israeli side, in West Jerusalem, near other half‐forgotten Arab tombs, a Blockbuster’s video store and a good inexpensive Italian restaurant. IV The Holy Land is composed of walls, sacred space, separate worlds. I jump them. Lunch in Hebron; dinner in Tel Aviv. Actual distance has nothing to do with the physical realm. Emotional and spiritual geography have their own reality. On Ben Yehuda Street, the kids with pierced eyebrows and noses and chins skateboard past the black‐coated “haredi” Jews who, in their own way, with the long “payess” (side‐curls), look just as funky. The sidewalks are crowded with tired Russian immigrants, with rambunctious American yeshiva students, with tourists, with Ethopian Jews standing guard to check bags at coffee shops. Young soldiers get on the bus with guns strapped across their shoulders. The soldiers are all colors; all sizes; the green uniforms wrap them up like the candies in a box of mystery chocolates. Their parents and grandparents come from the deserts of Yemen; from the shops of Baghdad and Warsaw; from the rolling countryside outside of Cluj. Where else can one see beautiful young women with machine guns hanging casually between their breasts? Take a right on Jaffa Road (from Ben Yehuda) and head toward Damascus Gate. In ten minutes, by foot, you are in another world. The covered Muslim...

An Ideology for American Yeshiva Students: The Sermons of R. Aharon Kotler, 1942-1962

In the years following World War II, Rabbi Aharon Kotler emerged as one of the most influential leaders in American Haredi Orthodoxy. Founder of BethMedrash Govoha, a yeshiva located in Lakewood, New Jersey, Kotler viewed full time Torah study as a central, indeed the central value, for Jewish men. This article is an attempt to identify the ways in which Kotler’s lectures were moving beyond the ideas of his Eastern European predecessors, and were articulating an ideology and theology that would motivate young Americans to abandon the upward mobility of American culture, and replace it with the poverty of a yeshiva life. This ideology is part of the reason that Beth Medrash Govoha, and the Haredi Judaism it pioneered, became so central in American Orthodoxy in the second half of the 20th century.

Ethnography of Exclusion: Initiating a Dialogue with Fundamentalist Men

In this article I present the results of my fieldwork with ultra-Orthodox men, who are forbidden to interact with women. Specifically, I focused upon the world of young Torah scholars in the Jewish ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community in Israel. This essay demonstrates the strategies I developed in order to enter this group and interview members: using a yeshiva student as a key informant, studying ancient texts with yeshiva students and simulating yeshiva practices. These methods enabled me to gain trust and privileges in a world forbidden to females. I thereby achieved a better understanding of how yeshiva students interpret their experiences in terms of the sacred and the profane, and how they evaluate and critique these experiences.

The Sense of the Worthy as a Motivation for Studying: The Case of the Yeshiva

This paper describes a type of motivation for studying that has not been accorded sufficient psychological consideration - namely, motivation based on belief in the worthiness of the subject matter. This sort of motivation is distinguished from both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. It is exemplified by the motivation for studying at the Yeshiva, an institution in which the sense of the worthy is explicitly highlighted. Interviews with highly motivated Yeshiva students reveal that the sense of the worthy is central to them and also constitutes an anchor to other types of motivations for studying. We point out two factors that enhance the effect of the sense of the worthy at the Yeshiva - its ethical orientation and its being a total institution. The interviews suggest that being motivated by the sense of the worthy does not lessen the students’ feelings of autonomy or their intrinsic motivation. We suggest two intervening variables between having a sense of the worthy and acting accordingly - the associated feelings and the individual’s sense of identity. By examining two important motivations for studying - the needs for achievement and self-actualization - we point out the influence of culture on the expression of these needs. Finally, we suggest that the sense of the worthy can and should serve as an important motivational factor in liberal education as well.

Between commandments and laws: Religiosity, political ideology, and legal obedience in Israel

This paper presents three surveys designed to examine the effect ofreligiosity and political ideology on legal disobedience among Israeli citizens. In addition to samples of the general Jewish population (N = 1,728), thesurveys included samples of three groups characterized by a combinationof religiosity and right-wing political orientation: Yeshiva (religiousseminary) students (N = 464), ultra-orthodox Jews (N = 217), andsettlers in the occupied territories (N = 361). The results show thatacceptance of the rule of law is weaker among ultra-orthodox andright-wing respondents. Furthermore, compared to the general populationof Jews, Yeshiva students and ultra-orthodox Jews expressed lower levelsof commitment to legal obedience. Comparison of attitudes before andafter the occurrence of controversial legal and political events indicated thatsuch events have a generalized effect on legal obedience.

Not bound by the law: legal disobedience in Israeli society.

The issue of whether there is a 'prima facie obligation to obey the law' has intrigued human society since the days of Socrates. However, most of the writings in this field have dealt with theoretical aspects of the issue, such as the boundaries of legal obedience and frameworks defining the circumstances under which a citizen is not obliged to obey the law. Very few studies have investigated the phenomenon of legal disobedience empirically. The current study is based on a survey of Israeli citizens belonging to three sectors of the population (Jews in the general population, Israeli Arabs, and orthodox Jewish students enrolled in religious yeshiva seminaries). Respondents' attitudes towards the judicial system, the rule of law, and the duty to obey state laws were examined by means of a questionnaire especially designed for the study. The findings point to gaps between the three groups: Compared to the Arab population and the yeshiva students, support for state laws and the rule of law was stronger among Jews in the general population and, conversely, belief in the supremacy of other laws (i.e. religious laws) over state laws and readiness to take the law into one's own hands were stronger among the Arabs and the yeshiva students, compared to the general Jewish population.

Peer-Based Learning: A New-Old Alternative to Professional Development

Rabbi Joshua ben Perachya said: Get yourself a teacher; acquire a friend to study with you. This ancient piece of wisdom comes from Pirket Avot 1:6, the Hebrew Book of Our Fathers, written thousands of years ago as a compilation of the best advice on life and living. Much of their advice is compellingly fresh today For instance, Yeshiva students still practice chavrusa, the Hebrew word for partner-based study, whose root is friend. Yeshivas are secondary Jewish parochial schools that emphasize the study of religious texts. Chavrusa is the process of grappling over these complex texts with a peer. The interchange between peer-learners has proven to foster deeper reflection because it introduces contrasting perspectives, sometimes even generating arguments, about interpretation, meaning and application of the ancient teachings. Furthermore, a sense of reciprocity and dual accountability is created when both people are engaged in at once. Take a moment now to think back to a time in your life when you learned something significant. When and where did it happen? Who was involved? Now, consider your professional growth during the past few years. How has it come about? What or who facilitated your development? Chances are the setting for at least one of your recollections was outside the classroom. And chances are the learning trigger was a personal interaction or experience that caused you to try things or think in ways. In other words, it is likely that some incidental occurred that you did not even consciously recognize as part of your development at the time. It is also likely that your was solidified by a process of praxis, that is, trying something new, reflecting on how well your practices or refrained thought patterns served you and then further refining your actions or thinking. Did a teacher or mentor facilitate this process of action and reflection for you? Or was it a spouse or partner, a co-worker or classmate, a friend or relative ... in other words, a peer? How Can I Use This New-Old Concept? So, what is the link between this old approach to working with high school-aged Yeshiva students and the new idea of using peer-based with professionals in corporate or university settings? To begin with, it is essential to acknowledge the power of bi-directional peer relationships in facilitating professional and personal growth. On that foundation, staff developers build peer-based activities into intentional professional development efforts that are both cost-effective and versatile because they capitalize on three key factors: the learners' own expertise, an intrinsic drive to improve and the context. First, utilizing the learners' expertise is crucial because professionals have relevant knowledge and experience to bring to the project; tapping into this is both affirming and motivating. Second, since most healthy humans share the intrinsic drive to improve themselves and be helpful to others, working in partnership with a respected peer is both engaging and supportive of joint accountability for outcomes. Third, context-specific issues are important because most learners, particularly busy professionals, are motivated to solve real-life problems. Addressing actual problems also facilitates customization, thereby increasing the potential for transfer of to occur. Brookfield (1986) puts it this way, Self-directed learners rely heavily on peer ... for support, information exchange, stimulus through ideas and locating relevant resources (p. 83). Engagement in is optimized when activities are explicitly grounded in [learners'] own concerns and circumstances (p. 84). When each participant plays the dual roles of helper and learner, the potential of a collaborative peer partnership is virtually unlimited (Saltiel, Sgroi & Brockett, 1998). Peer Learning Partnerships Defined Let's take a closer look at the peer partnership by distinguishing it from mentoring, examining the process as it has been translated into professional development programs or identifying the defining qualities of the peer dynamic. …

What Has Gone Wrong with Israel's Right?

It was clear to me that there was something strangely wrong with Israel's Right on the night of the first mass protest against the Israel-PLO accord. One hundred thousand people, perhaps two, were jammed into the roads around the Knesset in Jerusalem, that night in September 1993, still stunned by news that the government of Israel was treating with the Arch Murderer, as governments of Israel had been accustomed to call him. For hours, as I watched, the strapping men with their moustaches and their trim kippot , the mothers in head-scarves wheeling their strollers, the black-hatted Yeshiva students, and masses of the less categorizable strained for that moment when some words, some notes, some voice might embody their fears and the fears of millions in Israel and the Diaspora that weren't there.

RECENT TRENDS IN THE HISTORIOGRAPHY OF ZIONISM: A REVIEW ESSAY

A number of recent scholarly studies in Zionist history have broken important ground in the research and analysis of controversial episodes that eluded the earlier generation of historians of Zionism. Several of the latest studies are briefly marred by their authors' attempts to find lessons from the Zionist past to apply to contemporary political and religious problems. Nonetheless, the new scholarship does succeed in raising previously neglected questions, clarifying important issues, and enriching our understanding of Zionist history. Jeff Halper's Between Redemption and Revival: The Jewish of Jerusalem in the Nineteenth Century1 is a good example of useful historical analysis that goes awry when the author seeks to project contemporary political categories into an era where they cannot be comfortably applied. Halper presents his study as a corrective to the popular, but overly simplistic, assumptions about differences between the YishuvJewish society that was in place in the Holy Land and the New Yishuv that the Zionist pioneers began establishing in the late 1800s. Halper succeeds in correcting that stereotype, but he stumbles when he attempts to go further. Halper demonstrates that the conflict between the two cultures did not pit secular, rural, productive Zionists who earned their keep, against a religious, urban, Ashkenazi yeshiva community dependent upon halukah charity funds from abroad. The Yishuv was a pluralistic entity, with Sefardis as well as Ashkenazis, rural as well as urban residential patterns, and wage earners as well as yeshiva students. There were even some differences in religious behavior within the Old Yishuv, although Halper may be overstating their significance; he characterizes the Ashkenazis as ultraorthodox and the Sefardis as moderates

Effects of diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids on plasma lipoproteins—the Jerusalem Nutrition Study. II Monounsaturated fatty acids vs carbohydrates

Seventeen male Yeshiva students were randomly allocated to a crossover study with two 12-wk dietary periods of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFAs) vs a carbohydrate (CHO)-rich diet while concentrations of saturated (SFAs) and polyunsaturated (PUFAs) fatty acids were kept similar. Total plasma cholesterol (TC) decreased significantly by approximately 7.7% and low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) by 14.4% on the MUFA diet, whereas on the CHO diet no significant change in cholesterol concentrations occurred, in contrast to that predicted by the equations of Keys and Hegsted. Concentrations of high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) did not change significantly on either diet. On the MUFA diet there was a significantly lower proneness to peroxidation of plasma and LDL lipids and less extensive metabolism of conditioned LDL by peritoneal macrophages. We conclude that dietary MUFAs lower TC and LDL-C concentrations, independently of other dietary fatty acids and in addition may reduce the susceptibility of LDL to oxidative stress.

Effects of diets rich in monounsaturated fatty acids on plasma lipoproteins—the Jerusalem Nutrition Study: high MUFAs vs high PUFAs

Twenty-six Yeshiva students were randomly assigned to a 24-wk crossover study of monounsaturated fatty acid (MUFA) vs polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) diets (50% carbohydrate, 32% fat, 18% protein) fed alternately during two 12-wk periods. Total plasma cholesterol (TC) decreased significantly by approximately 10% and approximately 16% on the MUFA and PUFA diets, respectively. Plasma triglyceride response was variable. Low-density-lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) decreased in both groups with an additional significant effect between periods. Concentrations of high-density-lipoprotein cholesterol did not change significantly. LDL-receptor status in fresh monocytes, affinity of LDL towards the LDL receptor in cultured fibroblasts, zonal-centrifugation profiles, and lipoprotein composition were not significantly different between the diets. There was a significantly higher tendency toward lipid peroxidation on the PUFA diet, as ascertained by more thiobarbituric acid-reactive-substances formation on that diet. Dietary PUFA results in somewhat lower TC and LDL-C concentrations whereas with MUFA the susceptibility of LDL to oxidative stress is lower.

Inside the Jewish Terrorist Underground

Above the parched hills of Hebron, on the West Bank of the Jordan River, Kiryat Arba's stone-hewn apartment towers rise into the clear desert air. fortress-like quality they create is appropriate. Kiryat Arba is ringed by barbed wire. Israeli soldiers man the checkpoints and prowl the yard at night. For several years now, militant bands of Orthodox Jews have moved down the slope from Kiryat Arba into Hebron's squalid, fly-blown Casbah, where they have carved out a Jewish foothold in the heart of this fiercely nationalist town of 75,000 Arabs. settlers have journeyed to seeking a messianic kingdom on land that was once part of ancient land they claim was given to them by God and to which their return is divinely ordained. Hebron-the site of King David's first throne and Abraham's tomb-is to the settlers the essence of Zion resurrected. Today there are three Jewish enclaves in with some two hundred settlers; about 65 percent are of American origin. Most are fervent supporters of the major right-wing religious-nationalist organizations that dominate life on the West Bank-Gush Emunim (Bloc of the Faithful) and Rabbi Meir Kahane's avowedly anti-Arab Kach party. Leaders of both groups have vowed to secure and defend the West Bank at any cost, even threatening to take up arms against the Israeli government if it tries to trade territory for peace with the Arabs. Yona and Malka Khaykin came to from Boston. With their five children, they live in the Casbah next to the Abraham Synagogue inside a heavily fortified compound, surrounded by wroughtiron gates and guarded by teenage yeshiva students who tote Uzi submachine guns as unself-consciously as they wear yarmulkes and prayer shawls. Twenty-eight families live in the compound, most in restored houses wrested from Arabs. Hebron is the first place Jews bought property in ancient Israel, says 35-yearold Yona Khaykin, a thin, intense computer programmer with a master's in physics from MIT. The house where Abraham lived is nearby. may say the fact that Jews lived here 2,000 years ago is no reason for Jews to live here now-that it's an Arab city and it's not ethical to force them out. Well, I say Western European values are bullshit. Messiah will come. There will be a Jewish kingdom. Jews will be the spiritual bosses of the world. . . . can't create a messianic Jewish state with 1.9 million Arabs! Khaykin boasts that he and his friends deliberately provoke Arabs into violence, hoping that the army will respond by driving them off the West Bank. Several months ago, Khaykin told me, he and fifty armed settlers broke into a mosque in nearby Halhoul during Friday afternoon prayers to give his three-year-old son a ritual haircut. set up a table on prayer rugs. A rabbi cut the child's hair; then the settlers brought in watermelon from a truck. offered the Arabs some melon, Malka Khaykin, Yona's 31-yearold-wife said, recalling the shock on the Arabs' faces. They refused. We spit the seeds all over the floor. Malka, a small, severe-looking woman, told me that it's not enough to merely live in the land of Israel: You have to live in the realm of perfect faith, a world in which God, the Torah, the land, and the

Oral Disease in Yeshiva Students

Oral Disease in Yeshiva Students