Boychiks in the Hood: Travels in the Hasidic Underground by Eisenberg

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Eisenberg, in his work, identifies several types of modern Jews, mainly divided into secular and religious individuals. Among the secular Jews, the author notes the Zionists, who lead a way of life different from the religious one, although they are related to the Zionist creeds. However, they allow themselves not to rest on religious holidays and not to observe a number of traditions. At the same time, Satman Jews and the Ultra-Orthodox Hasidic population stand out among religious Jews (Eisenberg, 1995). Eisenberg notes that Satmans are unique to other Hasidim, so all Jews can be attributed to this group. Separately, the Lubavitcher type is mentioned, which is characterized by life in communities and the name Chabad (Eisenberg, 1995). There are no fundamental differences between traditional Judaism and Lubavitch culture (Eisenberg, 1995). At the same time, Chabad considers the only religious way to be happiness and love, which contribute to the knowledge of the wisdom of the Torah. It is important to note that Ultra-Orthodox Jews are not the same; they differ in their lifestyle and current beliefs. In other words, any type of this nation can be Ultra-Orthodox (Eisenberg, 1995). In turn, it is necessary to distinguish between ultra-Orthodox and modern Orthodox Jews in such a way that the second type is characterized by the ideology of cosmopolitanism, which can lead to a loss of identity.

The author has a disturbing idea of the raging Jews in Europe and America. This can be explained by the nation facing numerous difficulties and even loss of identity. In America, the example of four places, Catskills, Oybegone, Minnesota, Harvard, it becomes clear that the people are experiencing both serious changes and pressure from society (Eisenberg, 1995). This lies in the racism, new ideologies and economic situation of the communities, but the community in Minnesota is an exception due to its Ultra-Orthodox. Uman and Poland stand out among European communities, where Jews also experience difficulties associated with cultural isolation.

First of all, Yiddish plays the role of an important component of identity in a multicultural society. For example, Ultra-Orthodox Jews use this language as their main language, thus isolating themselves and protecting their traditions (Eisenberg, 1995). At the same time, Yiddish makes other people accept the promises of Hasidism, thus fulfilling the role of propaganda of Jewish culture (Eisenberg, 1995). Thus, the main importance of the language lies precisely in its cultural role for the Jews.

Reference

Eisenberg, R. (1995). Boychiks in the hood: Travels in the Hasidic underground. Web.

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