Orthodox Judaism and the Politics of Religion
From Prewar Europe to the State of Israel

During the first half of the twentieth century, nationalizing processes in Europe and Palestine reshaped observant Jewry into two distinct societies, ultra-Orthodoxy and national-religious Judaism. Tracing the dynamics between the two most influential Orthodox political movements of the period, from their early years through the founding of the State of Israel, Daniel Mahla examines the crucial role that religio-political entrepreneurs played in these developments. He frames the contest between non-Zionist Agudat Yisrael and religious-Zionist Mizrahi as the product of wide-ranging social and cultural struggles within Orthodox Judaism and demonstrates that at the core of their conflict lay deep tensions between rabbinic authority and political activism. While Orthodoxy's encounter with modern Jewish nationalism is often cast as a confrontation between religious and secular forces, this book highlights the significance of intra-religious competition for observant Jewry's transition to the age of the nation state and beyond.

Reviews & endorsements

'This systematic, rigorous analysis of Orthodox Judaism in its encounter with nationalism captures the emergence of the very tensions and fissures that continue to define Orthodox politics today. Mahla's account of the rise of two distinct Orthodoxies - Zionist and non-Zionist - highlights the potency of politicized religion during modernity. It is a major achievement in the field.' Glenn Dynner, author of Yankel's Tavern: Jews, Liquor and Life in the Kingdom of Poland

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Product details

• Date Published: March 2020
• format: Hardback
• isbn: 9781108481519
• length: 318 pages

• dimensions: 236 x 160 x 22 mm
• weight: 0.57kg
• contains: 6 maps 1 table
• availability: Available