The Media Challenge to Haredi Rabbinic Authority in Israel

Abstract

Haredim, or ultra-orthodox Jews, live in cultural ghettos, withdrawn from the influences of modern life. To strengthen the hand of Haredi rabbis against their members being influenced by the outside media, institutional Haredi dailies newspapers were created by these rabbis - becoming in effect mouthpieces to their flock.Over the last thirty years an alternative Haredi media has evolved inside Israel - comprising independent weekly magazines, Haredi news websites, and Haredi radio stations - which have challenged the rule of Haredi rabbis. The challenge reached a peak with rabbinical bans on the Internet not adhered to by a considerable segment of the Haredi community. Today, many Haredim have computers and some of these have Internet. One of the major results is a loss of Haredi rabbinical hegemony. The article draws upon a survey of Haredi rabbis in Israel carried out by the author.