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AMISH & HASIDIM.
Term Paper ID:24642
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Essay Subject:
Compares Christian & Jewish groups. Origins, separatism, communalism, leadership, structure, creeds, education, clothing, work, gender relations.... More...
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9 Pages / 2025 Words
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Paper Abstract:
Compares Christian & Jewish groups. Origins, separatism, communalism, leadership, structure, creeds, education, clothing, work, gender relations.
Paper Introduction:
The Amish and Hasidic religious systems have much in common. Both are pietistic spiritual movements. Both eschew secularization and favor separation of their communities from the outside world. And both religions were founded about three hundred years ago. A shortcoming of the way of life of the Amish and Hasidim, however, is their subordination of women and their restrictions on education.
The Amish Church resulted from dissension within the Mennonite religious sect of Europe. The principle point of disagreement that caused the rift was the interpretation of the "Meidung," the practice of shunning or avoiding a member of the church who had broken a rule. The Mennonites interpreted Meidung as merely excluding the banned person from the communion table. Jakob Ammann, insisted that Meidung meant shunning the banned
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Married Hasidic womenwear wigs, and although they adopt modern dress styles, their clothing mustbe long-sleeved and high-necked, even for girls: "The hasidic girl iscarefully shielded from boys from her early age until marriage."[x] Amishwomen wear long dresses and keep their heads covered, generally withbonnets. The role of husband and wife are carefully differentiatedby tradition. The American economy is undergoing a fundamental change that willaffect the Amish and the Hasidim regardless of their attempts to separatethemselves from the outside world. Hasidism has always been a leader-centered movement. Ministers generally preach thesermons. You have what amount to Amish suburban areas."[xvi] Although there is more latitude among jobs that Amish people mayaccept, workers of every age are restricted by the limitations of an eighth-grade education. Favorable economic conditions have benefitted the cohesivenessof these two groups, but both the Amish and the Hasidim are vulnerable tofuture economic trends. The Hasidic people have a deepdistrust of the printed word, particularly when authored by those outsideits immediate spiritual community. . A shortcoming of the way oflife of the Amish and Hasidim, however, is their subordination of women andtheir restrictions on education. was forced to excommunicate those whowould not reform."[i] The first Amish came to the United States during the 172 s, joining awave of German migration. Like the Amish, Hasidic Jews are concentrated in a few areas of thecountry. Amish Society. Intercourse, PA: Good Books, 1992.Reich, Robert. Rarely do the Hasidim attend college because of theirdisapproval of secular education. (December 1996),82.Hostetler, 16.Mintz, 57.Useem, 93.Robert Reich, The Work of Nation (New York: Vintage, 1992),2 6.Terence Brake, Danielle Walker, Thomas Walker. Doing Business Internationally. The schools haveaccredited academic programs, but mornings are devoted to religious studieswhile afternoons are set aside for secular programs: "In Lubavitcherclassrooms it is the Rebbe, not George Washington, whose portrait hangsabove the blackboard."[vii] Extra-curricular interests such as sports,movie stars, and varsity competitions are considered Christian pleasures,unfit for orthodox Jews. "The Virtue of Necessity." Inc. The trend toward automation and the self-serve economy arecreating major declines in job opportunities in the routine production andin-person services sectors. and thecollections of the rebbes' discourses, because our Rebbe got theinformation in them from the rebbe before him, and so on in an unbrokenchain."[vi] The Hasidic Jews prefer to teach their students in private schools,with boys and girls educated in separate facilities. Thus there is no question of "liberation" forthe Amish woman. Although existing within the framework of orthodox Judaism,the Hasidim have established their own unique ultra-orthodox way of life. The controversy over Meidung widened andAmmann's followers, known as the Amish, were as stubborn and inflexible asAmmann himself, which led to the inevitable split: "Ammann privatelyconfronted those who were erring and asked them to mend their ways. For instance,the Amish consider buttons "fancy" accessories that might tempt the wearerto pride or vanity, and moustaches are prohibited. America, which boasts the best universities inthe world, is a leader in the development of symbolic-analytic workersbecause of the nation's academic emphasis on critical thinking: "Thestudent learns to examine reality from many angles, in different lights,and thus to visualize new possibilities and choices."[xix] Unfortunately,the schools systems of the Amish and Hasidim are limited in their abilitiesto teach these skills because of their distrust of secular education. The Amish elect and select their church officials bylot: "Even though the community might view the man chosen as lessqualified than another nominee, the members are satisfied with the resultbecause the choice was God's."[v] Hasidism stresses the superiority of religious enthusiasm anddevotion over study and intellectualism. An Amish person who marries outside the sect, oreven into a more liberal branch of the sect, is placed under the Meidungand shunned for life. Granted, the LubavitcherHasidim are more open to outsiders; members of this group often conductaggressive sidewalk campaigns and outreach programs: "Placing great faithin what he believes to be a desire for higher spiritual values among theyoung, the [Lubavitcher] Rebbe has sent hundreds of emissaries to speak atcolleges and universities."[ix] Most Hasidim, however, are suspicious ofoutsiders, as are the Amish. The males simply find work that enables them to maintain a levelof subsidence that will not interfere with their religious studies: "Mosthasidim in New York belong to the ranks of skilled workers."[xv] OtherHasidim open businesses that allow them and their customers to fulfill thespiritual law. Deacons take care of general administration and assist withceremonial duties. Preserving traditionis a goal as opposed to learning to reason abstractly. In the future, there will be only three main categories of jobs:routine production services (repetitive task work), in-person services(e.g., sales), and symbolic-analytic services (work that requires creativethinking). Neither group is economically self-sufficient; yet neither educates its members to compete academically in theoutside world. The Amish offer a limited range of educational subjects and theyexpect the pupils to master that material unquestioningly. The bishop is the leader of thecongregation and its chief authority. Court names usuallyrefer to the places in Europe or America that were the birthplace of theirfounders. Holy Days. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1968.Nolt, Steven. Burr Ridge, IL: Irwin, 1995.Harris, Lis. The Amish and Hasidic religious systems have much in common. The mobility of Amish young people is limited,and so is their choice of mates. Doing BusinessInternationally (Burr Ridge, IL: 1995), 6.Reich, 23 .----------------------- 1 As soon as the law will allow, Amishchildren are taken out of school for work at home."[viii] The Amish and Hasidim are similar in their attitudes towardproselytizing and contact with the outside world. Therefore, thepreferred occupation of the Amish is farming: "The charter of Amish liferequires members to limit their occupation to farming or closely associatedactivities such as operating a saw mill, carpentry, or masonry."[xii] With the price of farmland soaring, however, many Amish cannot affordto own farms. . The Jewish American Family Album. The Lancaster County Amish ofPennsylvania, with their lucrative agri-businesses and cottage industries,are among the most prosperous Amish in the nation. New York: Summit, 1985.Hoobler, Dorothy and Thomas Hoobler. Among the Old Order Amish, clothing styles have changed littlesince. . Endnotes BibliographyBrake, Terence, Danielle Walker, and Thomas Walker. Their salary is turned overto the parents, who save it for investment in livestock, farm machinery, orthe family business. The Information Age offers untapped potential for both tocreate home-based businesses that would allow them to sustain theirlifestyles. New York: Vintage, 1992.Schneerson, Menachem Mendel. They believe that the physical world is pureand good as opposed to the adulterated material world. The Amish want their children to learn to worktogether as a group, not to compete as individuals. Memorizationreplaces reasoning because the Amish culture is dominated by oraltradition. Although Amish women work, they generally prepare for the life of ahousewife from childhood. The modern economy is characterized by a web ofbusiness relationships; in other words, a global economy: "Companies inthe global environment of the 199 s will need to use all the resourcesavailable to them on a worldwide basis."[xviii] Traditional categorieslike "manufacturing" or "service" industries are becoming obsolete. The importance of family background is alsoimportant among the Hasidim. Of the three types of jobs, only symbolic-analytic services arerising. The court is any Hasidic group that is attached to a particularRebbe, the chief rabbi in the community and principal interpreter ofspiritual law. Bothare pietistic spiritual movements. Baltimore: Johns Hopkins University Press, 198 .Mintz, Jerome. Discipline is important in Hasidic education, andthe children generally spend much of their time indoors, pursuing extra-curricular religious or musical studies. Likewise, Hasidim avoid eating in non-Jewish homes andlimit their contact with people and circumstances they considerirreligious. Whenthey refused admonition he . The Amish focus on defending their solidarityand preventing their baptized members from succumbing to the temptations ofthe outside world. This represents a serious liability for those who leavethe sect and seek careers: "While a college degree does not guarantee youa much higher income than it did years ago, without a college degree youare not even in the running."[xvii] Likewise, the professional class ofthe Hasidim is small because members prefer the vagaries of the skilledtrade industry in which they happen to be employed at the time. Parents andteachers are more concerned with whether the children will develop intoefficient farmers, small business owners, and housewives: "The Amish haveno schools of higher learning . For instance, asignificant number of the Amish of Geauga County, Ohio work for outsiders,a situation that some sociologists believe has been detrimental to thepreservation of the community's cultural values, "they don't really evendress Amish anymore. As one Lubavitcher rabbi puts it, "A rabbi is somebody whohas studied more law than other people. TheInformation Age prevails, creating unique opportunities for thoseeducationally prepared for it. Both the Amish and the Hasidim are endogamous, choosing their matesfrom within their own sect. Baal Shem Tov's immediatesuccessor was Dov Baer, who began systematizing the doctrinal implicationsof Tov's parables in light of kabbalistic Jewish doctrines. This description likewise fits the mode ofapparel of Amish men, but Amish dress is even more staid. When the Amish first began to arrive in the American colonies theywore what others of their social and economic class were wearing. The principle point of disagreement that causedthe rift was the interpretation of the "Meidung," the practice of shunningor avoiding a member of the church who had broken a rule. . Today that figure is morelike 5 %"[xiii] The Amish tradition of mutual aid, cooperation, andpatronization of Amish-owned business has given these establishments a muchlower rate of failure than secular businesses. Rabbi MenachemMendel Schneerson (known to many simply as "the Rebbe") led the Lubavitchmovement in the 2 th century for more than four decades. It wasnot until about a hundred years ago that the current clothing styles wereadopted. A part of the practice of both the Amish and Hasidic religionsinvolves dress styles. The Amish mostly settled in the Midwest(particularly Ohio and Pennsylvania), creating cultural islands with acommon language and philosophy. And both religionswere founded about three hundred years ago. Toward a Meaningful Life. The Hasidim prefer to rely on thewritings that result from the oral tradition initiated by Baal Shem Tov.As one Hasidic student explained, "I trust Lubavitcher books . These demands require all their effortsbecause the Amish believe that leisure time is sinful: "For hersatisfaction in life she turns to brightly colored flowers in the garden,or in the winter, to rug-making, embroidery work on quilts, pillowcases,and towels, and to shelves of colored dishes in her corner cupboard."[xiv]Modern Amish women often sell these wares to outsiders. His greatinfluence and dedication led to speculation in his later years regardinghis alleged fulfillment of the Jewish messianic prophecy: "The focus ofmuch of the attention paid to the Rebbe, rather than being on the study andapplication of his teachings to bring about redemption, has shifted almostexclusively to the question of whether the Rebbe himself is theMessiah."[iii] The various Hasidic groups are called courts. Despite the transition from farming to non-farm activities, theeconomic survival of the Amish family is dependent on having a large numberof children. (December 1996): 8 -93.-----------------------Steven Holt, A History of the Amish (Intercourse, PA: GoodBooks, 1992), 33.Lis Harris, Holy Days (New York: Summit, 1985), 13.Menachem Mendel Schneerson, Toward a Meaningful Life (NewYork: William Morrow, 1995), 282.Dorothy Hoobler and Thomas Hoobler, The Jewish American FamilyAlbum (New York: Oxford University Press, 1995), 113.John Hostetler, Amish Society (Baltimore: Johns HopkinsUniversity Press, 198 ), 113.Harris, 3 .Ibid, 191.Hostetler, 16.Harris, 1 5.Jerome Mintz, Legends of the Hasidim (Chicago: University ofChicago Press, 1968), 83.Ibid,76.Hostetler, 9 .Jerry Useem, "The Virtue of Necessity." Inc. Young people who have finished eighth grade and are notneeded full time on the farm go out to work. Neither the Amish nor the Hasidim appear to have developed the idealbalance of religious separatism. It was foundedby Baal Shem Tov in the 18th century. Both eschew secularization and favorseparation of their communities from the outside world. Women generally work until after theyare married and become pregnant, then their lives revolve around themaintenance of the household. Young people are guided into marriage bytheir parents, with the consent of the Rebbe: "The governing premise of amatch is, of course, that the orthodoxy of both parties be withoutblemish."[xi] Amish life in the 2 th century is characterized by an increasing, butstill relatively limited, degree of economic diversity. Thoroughness is more important than fast learning. New York: Morrow, 1995.Useem, Jerry. Thus the number of Amish who operate family-centered"cottage industries" is on the rise: "Twenty years ago, 5% of Lancaster'sAmish population worked in nonfarm businesses. The result is a high degree ofintermarriage, not among first cousins, but among families with a common,if distant, ancestor. . Jakob Ammann, insisted that Meidung meant shunning thebanned person at every occasion (even family gatherings) until the personrepented and had been forgiven. Leadership in Amish society is widely distributed among thecommunity. The Mennonitesinterpreted Meidung as merely excluding the banned person from thecommunion table. Tov taught largely through parablesthat stressed humility and purity of heart. Each church district has three types of leaders: one bishop,two ministers, and one deacon. The Work of Nations. General factory work has traditionally been prohibited, but in recentyears some church districts have relaxed that rule, too. Legends of the Hasidim. When there's a question of what todo I'm able to tell them."[iv] The Hasidim consult their rabbi on allmanner of personal affairs including whom to marry and where to live. . For the Hasidim, neither men nor women have what are consideredcareers. The Amish cherishtheir closeness to nature. Amish men who cannot find work on Amish-owned farms or businessesseek work in feed mills, sawmills, dairies, and cheese factories near home. About 15, Lubavitcher Hasidim live in Brooklyn, New York.[ii] Another community of Hasidim has been established in upstate New York. The modern economy differs from that ofthe past for many reasons. Hasidic adult males are usually bearded and dressedin black hats and dark suits. The Amish Church resulted from dissension within the Mennonitereligious sect of Europe. Like the Hasidim, the Amish exert complete control over theirchildren's education. AHasidim community also exists in Israel. The man is in charge of the farming (or business) and thewoman in charge of the household. New York: Oxford University Press, 1995.Hostetler, John. The History of the Amish.
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