Jewish Orthodoxy and Its Discontents: Religious Dissidence in Contemporary Israel

Professor Topel is a unique figure in the sociology of contemporary Jewish culture. This is because she comes with no axe to grind, with no political or religious agenda, and with the sensibility of the insider combined with the discerning eye of the outsider. In a world where Jewish studies tend to be undertaken by people with an identifiable–though to be sure, not always partisan–religious or political allegiance, this is something to be valued and nourished.

This intriguing volume skillfully analyzes a hitherto little studied phenomenon in contemporary Israel: members of the Jewish ultra-orthodox community who question many of its assumptions and practices and seek alternative answers and lives outside of it. Placing her analysis within the broad contours of the debate about . . . religious disenchantment or re-enchantment of societies, Topel admirably shows how complex the contemporary scene is. As such, her ethnography richly portrays both the broad social and institutional aspects of this phenomenon and the very human voices that it encompasses.

This is an accessible and engaging study of ultra-orthodox Jewish dissidents in contemporary Israel. The relationship between the ultra-orthodox and secular enclaves of society rarely leaves Israeli media and has not made international headlines. For example, there is a raging debate about the conscription of ultra-orthodox Jews into the army. Yet, despite the importance of this issue, there is a lack of sociological research and little data on the issue of dissent; Marta Topel’s book is an important work that helps to fill this gap in the literature. . . .Given its wide lens of analysis, Jewish Orthodoxy and its Discontents is useful for anyone who wants to learn about the ultra-orthodox or the relationship between the different enclaves of Israeli society by approaching them through the issue of religious dissidents; the book will be helpful to both academics and non specialists with an interest in the issue. This is a fascinating book which I recommend highly.