Menachem Keren-Kratz
Biographic Data
| ID | 631515 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Menachem Keren-Kratz |
| GIVEN NAMES | Menachem |
| FAMILY NAME | Keren-Kratz |
| SIGNATURE | KEREN-KRATZ M |
| AFFILIATIONS | independent scholar |
| ORCID | 0000-0003-1429-0697 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 22 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 18 |
| WORKS AS AUTHOR | 22 |
| WORKS AS EDITOR | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2014 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Ideologically Justified Violence Among Israel’s Haredi Society
In recent decades, the Israeli press occasionally reports on various sorts of violent acts taken by Haredi Jews and aimed at other Haredi individuals or groups. These acts range from slander, discrimination, threatening, and banning, to damaging private property, stoning, and even physical violence. Unlike regular crimes, the perpetrators of these acts of violence justify their actions for ideological and religious reasons, insisting they are onl…
When Prophecy Fails
The term “Cognitive Dissonance” describes a psychological process that aims to reduce mental tension between conflicting understandings. Such conflicts happen, for example, when an individual or a group discovers that certain events contradict previous assumptions or beliefs. The greater the gap between reality and the presupposition, the greater the dissonance. So, when a fundamental religious belief is confronted with facts that seem to totally…
The Turnaround in Israel's Haredi Society in the Late 20th Century
In recent decades, research on Haredi society has expanded significantly, emphasizing its distinctive characteristics in contrast with the broader Israeli social fabric. Commonly described as "separatist", "secessionist", "isolated", and "an enclave", Haredi society is often perceived as segregated from the rest of Israel's population. However, recent studies suggest that this reclusiveness is a relatively recent development. Until the 1980s, mos…
Nomi M. Stolzenberg and David N. Myers, American Shtetl
Journal Article Nomi M. Stolzenberg and David N. Myers, American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, A Hasidic Village in Upstate New York Get access Nomi M. Stolzenbergand David N. Myers,American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, A Hasidic Village in Upstate New York (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2021). 477 pp. Menachem Keren-Kratz Menachem Keren-Kratz Independent Scholar [email protected] Search for other works by thi…
Post-Holocaust Immigration and Hassidic Leadership
Immigration, particularly forced immigration, has a profound impact on every aspect of immigrants' lives. One such aspect is their religious convictions and practices. Nowadays, Migration Studies is a major academic field that produces many books and articles each year. This article examines the impact of forced immigration on the daily practices and internal relationships between leaders and followers of a specific religious group-Hassidism, in …
Jewish Hungarian Orthodoxy
Beginning with the informal establishment of Jewish Orthodoxy by a Hungarian rabbi in the early nineteenth century, this book traces the history and legacy of Jewish Hungarian Orthodoxy over the course of the last 200 years. To date, no single book has provided a comprehensive overview of the history of Hungarian Orthodoxy, a singularly zealous, fundamental, and separatist faction within Jewish circles. This book describes and explains the impact…
The Battle Over Hasidic Radicalism
Throughout its history Hasidism has faced various challenges, including frequent internal controversies that augmented its ramified social and cultural frameworks. Many of these controversies have revolved around competition and political antagonism rather than ideological or theological incentives. This article addresses a harsh controversy that erupted between the Belz and Munkács Hasidic groups after the First World War. This feud reflects the…
Satmar and Neturei Karta
Throughout history, many Jewish laymen and rabbis have objected to the collective return of the Jews to the Land of Israel, particularly if it was motivated by nationalistic rather than religious reasons. They did so for many reasons, the most persistent of which relied on a religious rationale. Anti-Zionist stands were voiced by both ends of the religious spectrum: the radical Reform on the one hand, and the ultra-Orthodox on the other. Followin…
Va-yo'el Moshe
It is important to remember not only that many Jews rejected Zionism but also that for some it symbolized an abomination, heresy, and the worst collective sin the Jewish people have ever committed. Since it was first published in 1960, Va-yo'el Moshe -a book written by Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, the SatmarRebbe-is considered the most radical anti-Zionist text written by a Jew in modern history. During the ensuing sixty years, the book has reappeared …
Leopold Cohn and the Evolution of Messianic Judaism into the Leading Missionary Movement among American Jews
Since the early days of Christianity, it was generally accepted that a person could be either a Jew or a Christian, but not both. This, however, changed in the late nineteenth century. Yitzhak Leib Josowitz was a young Jew who studied at Hungary's top yeshivas and ordained as a rabbi. Shortly after settling in New York in 1892, he converted, ordained a priest, changed his name to Leopold Cohn, and became a missionary. Cohn promoted a relatively n…
Jewish Orthodoxy’s First Rabbinical Conference
The early stages in the formation of the movement that would subsequently become known as Jewish Orthodoxy have been well researched. This article, however, reviews the circumstances around a specific episode, a rabbinical conference held in Paks, Hungary, in 1844. The review of this failed conference opens the door for a discussion on three key questions related to the understanding of Jewish Orthodoxy: (a) Why were the Hungarian rabbis the firs…
Keeping up the separatist tradition
In recent decades several studies had reviewed Hungarian Jewry and its unique characteristics, especially the official separation between Orthodox and non-Orthodox communities. Throughout the ages, despite having individuals who were lax in their religious conduct, the Jewish community was always regarded as a cohesive body which was willing to readmit its deviant members who repented. This was known as the concept of Klal Israel.The Orthodox–non…
Inclusion Versus Exclusion in Intra-Orthodox Politics
Ever since the concept of Jewish Orthodoxy emerged in the early-19th century, and especially after Jews were awarded equal civic rights in the 1860s, several religious leaders sought to establish Orthodox organizations. They, however, faced two main obstacles: first, the concept of an Orthodox organization was new to Jewish history and conservative rabbis automatically opposed anything new and condemned it as “modern.” Second, an Orthodox organiz…
Kimmy Caplan. Amram Blau
Neturei Karta is the most radical Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) group both in Israel and abroad. Even after the Holocaust it steadfastly objected to the establishment of the state of Israel and to this day, seventy years later, its members still refuse to recognize Israel’s sovereignty. In recent decades, the group has attracted universal condemnation after its members held public meetings and demonstrated alongside Israel’s worst enemies such as Hamas…
The Campaign for the Nature of Jewish Orthodoxy
Developments of the twenty-first century, such as women’s quest for equality, gay rights, the constantly connected smartphone, the stream of information from social media, and the spread of new and old spiritual movements, present Jewish religious leaders with an enormous dilemma. Some think that in order to preserve the ancient Jewish tradition it is imperative to erect and guard high and impenetrable social, moral, and halachic walls around the…
Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum—the Satmar Rebbe—and the Rise of Anti-Zionism in American Orthodoxy
The Politics of a Religious Enclave
History in general and the study of religious fundamentalism in particular, as well as the ongoing conflicts between various Muslim groups in the Middle East, teach us not only the importance of religious identity but also about the lengths that those who seek to hold on to a specific identity are prepared to go. This article addresses one minor manifestation of this vast phenomenon. From the mid-nineteenth century onward, Hungarian Jews began to…
Westernization and Israelization within Israel’s Extreme Orthodox Haredi Society
Belying its conservative and old-fashioned image, Haredi society is constantly changing. Scholars examining these changes debate their direction and scope as well as their future implications. In this article I address the most striking example of these social changes. I argue that not only is Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) society adopting Western social values in addition to certain Israeli characteristics, but that these processes are occurring even …
The social and cultural role of small Jewish literary centres – the case of Sighet, Romania
When scholars speak of cultural centres, and particularly when they refer to pre-Second World War Jewish literature and the Jewish press, they generally mean those that existed in the large cities of Europe and America. This article suggests that researchers should take note of the fact that cultural centres evolved also in smaller and more remote locations. Whereas the centres in the big cities catered to a Jewish population that was largely wel…
The Politics of Jewish Orthodoxy
In its early days at the turn of the nineteenth century, Jewish Orthodoxy (henceforth: Orthodoxy) was no more than an abstract notion shared by a few European rabbis who dreaded the consequences of modern values, opposed the idea that Jewish children should be taught secular subjects and resisted the introduction of religious reforms. Only a century later, at the beginning of the twentieth century, were two global Orthodox organizations—Ha-Mizrah…
Maramaros, Hungary--The Cradle of Extreme Orthodoxy
Hast Thou Escaped and Also Taken Possession? The Responses of the Satmar Rebbe – Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum – and his Followers to Criticism of his Conduct During and After the Holocaust
Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum – the Satmar Rebbe was among the most known rabbinical figures after the Holocaust. He became known for establishing a large and prosperous Hasidic court while at the same time maintaining ultra-conservative, extreme orthodox and anti-Zionist views. His unique theological interpretation of the Holocaust asserted that the severe sins committed by Zionism forced God to punish the People of Israel by the harshest of punishments…
Maramaros, Hungary--The Cradle of Extreme Orthodoxy
Westernization and Israelization within Israel’s Extreme Orthodox Haredi Society
Belying its conservative and old-fashioned image, Haredi society is constantly changing. Scholars examining these changes debate their direction and scope as well as their future implications. In this article I address the most striking example of these social changes. I argue that not only is Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) society adopting Western social values in addition to certain Israeli characteristics, but that these processes are occurring even …
The Politics of Jewish Orthodoxy
In its early days at the turn of the nineteenth century, Jewish Orthodoxy (henceforth: Orthodoxy) was no more than an abstract notion shared by a few European rabbis who dreaded the consequences of modern values, opposed the idea that Jewish children should be taught secular subjects and resisted the introduction of religious reforms. Only a century later, at the beginning of the twentieth century, were two global Orthodox organizations—Ha-Mizrah…
The Politics of a Religious Enclave
History in general and the study of religious fundamentalism in particular, as well as the ongoing conflicts between various Muslim groups in the Middle East, teach us not only the importance of religious identity but also about the lengths that those who seek to hold on to a specific identity are prepared to go. This article addresses one minor manifestation of this vast phenomenon. From the mid-nineteenth century onward, Hungarian Jews began to…
The Campaign for the Nature of Jewish Orthodoxy
Developments of the twenty-first century, such as women’s quest for equality, gay rights, the constantly connected smartphone, the stream of information from social media, and the spread of new and old spiritual movements, present Jewish religious leaders with an enormous dilemma. Some think that in order to preserve the ancient Jewish tradition it is imperative to erect and guard high and impenetrable social, moral, and halachic walls around the…
Hast Thou Escaped and Also Taken Possession? The Responses of the Satmar Rebbe – Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum – and his Followers to Criticism of his Conduct During and After the Holocaust
Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum – the Satmar Rebbe was among the most known rabbinical figures after the Holocaust. He became known for establishing a large and prosperous Hasidic court while at the same time maintaining ultra-conservative, extreme orthodox and anti-Zionist views. His unique theological interpretation of the Holocaust asserted that the severe sins committed by Zionism forced God to punish the People of Israel by the harshest of punishments…
Maramaros, Hungary--The Cradle of Extreme Orthodoxy
Westernization and Israelization within Israel’s Extreme Orthodox Haredi Society
Belying its conservative and old-fashioned image, Haredi society is constantly changing. Scholars examining these changes debate their direction and scope as well as their future implications. In this article I address the most striking example of these social changes. I argue that not only is Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) society adopting Western social values in addition to certain Israeli characteristics, but that these processes are occurring even …
The social and cultural role of small Jewish literary centres – the case of Sighet, Romania
When scholars speak of cultural centres, and particularly when they refer to pre-Second World War Jewish literature and the Jewish press, they generally mean those that existed in the large cities of Europe and America. This article suggests that researchers should take note of the fact that cultural centres evolved also in smaller and more remote locations. Whereas the centres in the big cities catered to a Jewish population that was largely wel…
The Politics of Jewish Orthodoxy
In its early days at the turn of the nineteenth century, Jewish Orthodoxy (henceforth: Orthodoxy) was no more than an abstract notion shared by a few European rabbis who dreaded the consequences of modern values, opposed the idea that Jewish children should be taught secular subjects and resisted the introduction of religious reforms. Only a century later, at the beginning of the twentieth century, were two global Orthodox organizations—Ha-Mizrah…
Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum—the Satmar Rebbe—and the Rise of Anti-Zionism in American Orthodoxy
The Politics of a Religious Enclave
History in general and the study of religious fundamentalism in particular, as well as the ongoing conflicts between various Muslim groups in the Middle East, teach us not only the importance of religious identity but also about the lengths that those who seek to hold on to a specific identity are prepared to go. This article addresses one minor manifestation of this vast phenomenon. From the mid-nineteenth century onward, Hungarian Jews began to…
The Campaign for the Nature of Jewish Orthodoxy
Developments of the twenty-first century, such as women’s quest for equality, gay rights, the constantly connected smartphone, the stream of information from social media, and the spread of new and old spiritual movements, present Jewish religious leaders with an enormous dilemma. Some think that in order to preserve the ancient Jewish tradition it is imperative to erect and guard high and impenetrable social, moral, and halachic walls around the…
Kimmy Caplan. Amram Blau
Neturei Karta is the most radical Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) group both in Israel and abroad. Even after the Holocaust it steadfastly objected to the establishment of the state of Israel and to this day, seventy years later, its members still refuse to recognize Israel’s sovereignty. In recent decades, the group has attracted universal condemnation after its members held public meetings and demonstrated alongside Israel’s worst enemies such as Hamas…
Keeping up the separatist tradition
In recent decades several studies had reviewed Hungarian Jewry and its unique characteristics, especially the official separation between Orthodox and non-Orthodox communities. Throughout the ages, despite having individuals who were lax in their religious conduct, the Jewish community was always regarded as a cohesive body which was willing to readmit its deviant members who repented. This was known as the concept of Klal Israel.The Orthodox–non…
Inclusion Versus Exclusion in Intra-Orthodox Politics
Ever since the concept of Jewish Orthodoxy emerged in the early-19th century, and especially after Jews were awarded equal civic rights in the 1860s, several religious leaders sought to establish Orthodox organizations. They, however, faced two main obstacles: first, the concept of an Orthodox organization was new to Jewish history and conservative rabbis automatically opposed anything new and condemned it as “modern.” Second, an Orthodox organiz…
Jewish Orthodoxy’s First Rabbinical Conference
The early stages in the formation of the movement that would subsequently become known as Jewish Orthodoxy have been well researched. This article, however, reviews the circumstances around a specific episode, a rabbinical conference held in Paks, Hungary, in 1844. The review of this failed conference opens the door for a discussion on three key questions related to the understanding of Jewish Orthodoxy: (a) Why were the Hungarian rabbis the firs…
Leopold Cohn and the Evolution of Messianic Judaism into the Leading Missionary Movement among American Jews
Since the early days of Christianity, it was generally accepted that a person could be either a Jew or a Christian, but not both. This, however, changed in the late nineteenth century. Yitzhak Leib Josowitz was a young Jew who studied at Hungary's top yeshivas and ordained as a rabbi. Shortly after settling in New York in 1892, he converted, ordained a priest, changed his name to Leopold Cohn, and became a missionary. Cohn promoted a relatively n…
Jewish Hungarian Orthodoxy
Beginning with the informal establishment of Jewish Orthodoxy by a Hungarian rabbi in the early nineteenth century, this book traces the history and legacy of Jewish Hungarian Orthodoxy over the course of the last 200 years. To date, no single book has provided a comprehensive overview of the history of Hungarian Orthodoxy, a singularly zealous, fundamental, and separatist faction within Jewish circles. This book describes and explains the impact…
The Battle Over Hasidic Radicalism
Throughout its history Hasidism has faced various challenges, including frequent internal controversies that augmented its ramified social and cultural frameworks. Many of these controversies have revolved around competition and political antagonism rather than ideological or theological incentives. This article addresses a harsh controversy that erupted between the Belz and Munkács Hasidic groups after the First World War. This feud reflects the…
Satmar and Neturei Karta
Throughout history, many Jewish laymen and rabbis have objected to the collective return of the Jews to the Land of Israel, particularly if it was motivated by nationalistic rather than religious reasons. They did so for many reasons, the most persistent of which relied on a religious rationale. Anti-Zionist stands were voiced by both ends of the religious spectrum: the radical Reform on the one hand, and the ultra-Orthodox on the other. Followin…
Va-yo'el Moshe
It is important to remember not only that many Jews rejected Zionism but also that for some it symbolized an abomination, heresy, and the worst collective sin the Jewish people have ever committed. Since it was first published in 1960, Va-yo'el Moshe -a book written by Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, the SatmarRebbe-is considered the most radical anti-Zionist text written by a Jew in modern history. During the ensuing sixty years, the book has reappeared …
Nomi M. Stolzenberg and David N. Myers, American Shtetl
Journal Article Nomi M. Stolzenberg and David N. Myers, American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, A Hasidic Village in Upstate New York Get access Nomi M. Stolzenbergand David N. Myers,American Shtetl: The Making of Kiryas Joel, A Hasidic Village in Upstate New York (Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press, 2021). 477 pp. Menachem Keren-Kratz Menachem Keren-Kratz Independent Scholar [email protected] Search for other works by thi…
Post-Holocaust Immigration and Hassidic Leadership
Immigration, particularly forced immigration, has a profound impact on every aspect of immigrants' lives. One such aspect is their religious convictions and practices. Nowadays, Migration Studies is a major academic field that produces many books and articles each year. This article examines the impact of forced immigration on the daily practices and internal relationships between leaders and followers of a specific religious group-Hassidism, in …
When Prophecy Fails
The term “Cognitive Dissonance” describes a psychological process that aims to reduce mental tension between conflicting understandings. Such conflicts happen, for example, when an individual or a group discovers that certain events contradict previous assumptions or beliefs. The greater the gap between reality and the presupposition, the greater the dissonance. So, when a fundamental religious belief is confronted with facts that seem to totally…
The Turnaround in Israel's Haredi Society in the Late 20th Century
In recent decades, research on Haredi society has expanded significantly, emphasizing its distinctive characteristics in contrast with the broader Israeli social fabric. Commonly described as "separatist", "secessionist", "isolated", and "an enclave", Haredi society is often perceived as segregated from the rest of Israel's population. However, recent studies suggest that this reclusiveness is a relatively recent development. Until the 1980s, mos…
Ideologically Justified Violence Among Israel’s Haredi Society
In recent decades, the Israeli press occasionally reports on various sorts of violent acts taken by Haredi Jews and aimed at other Haredi individuals or groups. These acts range from slander, discrimination, threatening, and banning, to damaging private property, stoning, and even physical violence. Unlike regular crimes, the perpetrators of these acts of violence justify their actions for ideological and religious reasons, insisting they are onl…
Political science (17 works) · Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies (16 works) · Judaism (15 works) · Sociology (13 works) · Law (10 works) · Orthodoxy (10 works) · Philosophy (10 works) · Politics (10 works) · Theology (10 works) · History (9 works)