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The Pious Ones: The World of Hasidim and Their Battles with America Kindle Edition

by Joseph Berger (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 197 ratings
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As the population of ultra-Orthodox Jews in the United States increases to astonishing proportions, veteran New York Times journalist Joseph Berger takes us inside the notoriously insular world of the Hasidim to explore their origins, beliefs, and struggles—and the social and political implications of their expanding presence in America.

Though the Hasidic way of life was nearly extinguished in the Holocaust, today the Hasidim—“the pious ones”—have become one of the most prominent religious subcultures in America. In The Pious Ones, New York Times journalist Joseph Berger traces their origins in eighteenth-century Eastern Europe, illuminating their dynamics and core beliefs that remain so enigmatic to outsiders. He analyzes the Hasidim’s codified lifestyle, revealing its fascinating secrets, complexities, and paradoxes, and provides a nuanced and insightful portrayal of how their all-encompassing faith dictates nearly every aspect of life—including work, education, food, sex, clothing, and social relations—sustaining a sense of connection and purpose in a changing world.

From the intense sectarian politics to the conflicts that arise over housing, transportation, schooling, and gender roles, The Pious Ones also chronicles the ways in which the fabric of Hasidic daily life is threatened by exposure to the wider world and also by internal fissures within its growing population. 

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  1. Print length
    386 pages
  2. Language
    English
  3. Sticky notes
    On Kindle Scribe
  4. Publisher
    Harper Perennial
  5. Publication date
    September 9, 2014
  6. File size
    1714 KB
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Editorial Reviews

Review

“Mr. Berger, who has reported on Hasidic communities for 30 years, plays the role of mythbuster…. The Pious Ones is a nice primer on Hasidim. There’s so much more to say on this subject, and no one is better placed to do so than Joseph Berger. ” — Wall Street Journal

“A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the world of Hasidim.… [S]olid research and approachable writing.” — Kirkus

“For those who’ve wondered about the black-hatted men in frock coats with long beards, Berger …provides many of the answers…. An absorbing read.” — Booklist

“Fascinating…, Although sympathetic, Berger does not romanticize the chasidim…. His book takes us on a remarkable journey into the complexities of their lives.” — Jewish Week

“The most intriguing sections in Berger’s book discuss the conflicts between Hasidim and the more secular, often Jewish, neighbors with whom they butt heads over issues of property, pluralism and women’s rights.” — New York Times Book Review

From the Back Cover

Veteran New York Times journalist Joseph Berger takes us inside the fascinating, insular world of the Hasidim to explore their origins, beliefs, and struggles.

Though the Hasidic way of life was nearly extinguished in the Holocaust, today the Hasidim—"the pious ones"—have become one of the most prominent religious subcultures in America. In The Pious Ones, New York Times journalist Joseph Berger traces their origins in eighteenth-century Eastern Europe, illuminating their dynamics and core beliefs, which remain enigmatic to outsiders. He analyzes the Hasidim's codified lifestyle, revealing its fascinating secrets, complexities, and paradoxes, and provides a nuanced and insightful portrayal of how their all-encompassing faith dictates nearly every aspect of life—including work, education, food, sex, clothing, and social relations—and helps them to sustain a sense of connection and purpose in a changing world.

From the intense sectarian politics to the conflicts that arise over housing, transportation, schooling, and gender roles, The Pious Ones chronicles the ways in which the fabric of Hasidic existence is threatened by both exposure to the wider world and internal fissures within its growing population. What lies ahead for the Hasidim, and what lies ahead for American culture and politics as these ultra-Orthodox Jews occupy a greater place in our society?

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00I7USCGE
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Harper Perennial; Original edition (September 9, 2014)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 9, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1714 KB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Sticky notes ‏ : ‎ On Kindle Scribe
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 386 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.3 4.3 out of 5 stars 197 ratings

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Joseph Berger

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Customer reviews

4.3 out of 5 stars
4.3 out of 5
197 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

BLinNJ
5.0 out of 5 stars A Journalist's Insight
Reviewed in the United States on April 6, 2020
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It's made clear from the beginning of the book that author Joseph Berger, a reporter for the New York Times, has set out to provide factual information about the beliefs, rituals, and every-day lives of the Ultra-Orthodox without casting personal judgment. Much of what he reveals is quite shocking, but Berger remains true to his intentions. The result is an overview of a very secretive sub-set of society bound together by rituals and laws established in 18th century Eastern Europe. If you're looking for an introduction to Ultra-Orthodox life, I think this is an excellent starting point.
6 people found this helpful
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Matt Young
4.0 out of 5 stars I hope they are not the future of Judaism
Reviewed in the United States on October 7, 2016
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The more I read this book, the more I was reminded of one time when I was in Jerusalem with a friend of mine. The day was very hot, and we were dressed in shorts and sandals. Standing nearby, motionless, as if he was waiting for someone, was a Chassidic man in full regalia and undoubtedly very uncomfortable. I said to my friend, "Don't you feel sorry for that poor guy?" My friend, a fairly observant Conservative Jew, said, "No, I do not feel sorry for him. I think he is a jerk," using a certain Yiddish word that roughly means jerk but which Amazon might not like me to print. He was a jerk, according to my friend, because he confused sterile ritual with true spirituality. Despite the many sympathetic portraits of certain individuals in the book, I keep coming back to my friend's words.

I was initially a bit put off by the hagiography of an elderly grandmother who now has around 2000 descendants. She implicitly makes the point, spelled out in an epilogue, incidentally, that the population of Chassidim is mushrooming, while non-Orthodox Jews are assimilating and wisely practicing birth control. Chassidim, the epilogue suggests, are the future of Judaism. At any rate, the book eventually dispensed with the elderly grandmother, got down to business, and presented sympathetic portraits of people who left the fold and people who remain, as well as one or two who remain but maintain connections to the secular world, sometimes secretly. I thought it was telling that Chassidim who want to watch television have to do so in the utmost secrecy.

A goodly portion of the book describes the strong-arm tactics that some Chassidim have used to acquire land or power as their community outgrew their territory in New York City and they moved to other parts of New York and New Jersey. Chassidim, it turns out, despite their apparent piety, are statistically about as guilty of various crimes as anyone else. I got a little bored with some of the anecdotes, possibly because I was vaguely familiar with them, but the book certainly fleshed them out. Indeed, I learned more than I want to know about the Chassidim and their activities.

My attention to the book was interrupted once or twice, so my reading was a little disjointed. Nevertheless, I was left with the impression that it was a collection of articles that were stitched together with insufficient editing, so (if I remember correctly) certain terms or subjects were introduced more than once, as if they were new. I suppose such redundancy is better than not introducing them at all.

Do I recommend the book? Yes, if you want to know about the Chassidim and their activities, though not as much about their beliefs or their theology, this book will be a good primer.
3 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Opening the door to a very different culture
Reviewed in the United States on December 21, 2015
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Learning about a fascinating yet different culture broadens my appreciation for America and all its glorious diversity. As the oldest in a large Irish clan, I can appreciate the challenges of the large Hasidic families detailed in this book. However the description of the lives of women and girls in this culture, their lack of education and, more importantly, their lack of life choices was disturbing. The author's attempts to explain the reasoning behind this culture's philosophy and deeply held religious beliefs allowed those of us on the outside to appreciate the deep faith of these people.
5 people found this helpful
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MargoPsu55
3.0 out of 5 stars Overly admiring and rosy-colored view of a fundamentalist society
Reviewed in the United States on December 24, 2016
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Overly admiring and rosy-colored view of a fundamentalist society. Sure, some people thrive in a tightly controlled environment with few choices, but many do not. This author's fawning treatment of the joy of Hasidic life is a warm fuzzy but he brushes right past the darker aspects of this insular world (.e.g., child sexual abuse swept under the rug, families threatened with financial ruin and violence because of minor transgressions, arranged marriages between strangers that, if you believe the author, never ever turn out badly for the participants, etc.) The info and facts about Hasidic history and customs in this book is good, but take it with a grain of salt. You should also balance this book by reading some of the many, many memoirs of people who escaped these communities.
17 people found this helpful
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Eric Maroney
4.0 out of 5 stars Middle of the Road
Reviewed in the United States on June 6, 2018
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Many recent books, particularly memoirs, have taken aim at modern Hasidism, and with great justification. An often hostile and insular world, many Hasidic communities stifle freedom of expression, use economic and social pressures to force conformity, abuse government social services, fail to punish sex offenders in their midst, among other things.

Certainly, this is all true. But in The Pious Ones: The World of Hasidim and Their Battles with America, by Joseph Berger, the author tries a middle road in his treatment of the many branches of Hasidism. Unlike the recent, harsh memoirs, or the idealized portraits of Hasidism by the likes of Elie Wiesel, Berger treats Hasids as real people, warts and all.

The biographical portraits he presents are of people who more or less "fit" into the Hasidic; for some Jews, Hasidism works. Berger tells their stories with compassion and understanding.
13 people found this helpful
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Easy read and very informative regarding the Hasidic and their culture. It exposes all facets good and bad of this mysterious group.
Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2021
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Well done expose of Hasidic life. Very informative and pleasurable reading experience. The author does an excellent job maintaining reader interest.
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Pirooz Aghssa
5.0 out of 5 stars This is a wonderfully written book
Reviewed in the United States on October 3, 2014
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This is a wonderfully written book. It is engaging, interesting, and balanced. This book brings up some very important points about conflicts that arise from religious practices of people living in a country where there is a separation between church and state. I have great admiration for Joseph Berger for his ability to cover controversial topics quite truthfully in my opinion, while maintaining distance and objectivity.
11 people found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

bourdonfennec
3.0 out of 5 stars ok
Reviewed in Germany on June 19, 2016
Verified Purchase
it's an easy read not much more it would have been a lot more instructive if the largest groups had been highlighted as well as the diferences
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ST PATRICK
4.0 out of 5 stars Endlessly interesting, slightly depressing.
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 4, 2017
Verified Purchase
I've recently become fascinated by orthodox Judaism. Outside of Israel and New York, Ultra Orthodox Jews, or 'Haredim', are virtually unheard of. There have been very few books, documentaries etc about them until recently, yet they do actually exist in substantial numbers in some surprising places. Gibraltar-Spain, Gateshead-England, Antwerp-Belgium, Melbourne-Australia, Toronto-Canada, Los Angeles-USA, Strasbourg-France and many other cities in the western world have large and growing Haredi communities.

They are a very insular society made up of several different sects, all of whom can trace their ancestry back to the Jews of Eastern Europe. They dress, talk and behave very much as their ancestors would have, and due to unbelievably high birth rates (most Haredi women aim to have as many children as possible during their fertile years; 10-15 kids per woman is not unusual), their numbers are growing rapidly.

This book focuses on the community in the Eastern USA, predominantly New York (as well as neighboring New Jersey which also has several large populations). It details the history, lifestyle and culture of this little know group, covering everything from their complex dietary requirements, strict dress codes and attitudes towards non-Jews. The book also details their increasing influence in some parts of New York and New Jersey as a result of their ever-increasing numbers and confidence.

The writer is thorough in his detail and very knowledgeable on his subject. He highlights the good and bad sides of this community, detailing so many interesting facts about the population which I simply would never have known without reading this book.

After reading 'The Pious Ones', you may well be left with the impression of a slightly selfish religious group who are demanding and a little hostile to those who are not like them. However, it is important to remember that these people were almost wiped out by the events of WW2 and the Nazi regime, and that their insularity, strict adherence to their religious texts and desire to procreate are simply the only way they can possibly rebuild their community in it's purest form, the way it used to exist before the holocaust.

The book also presents some uncomfortable questions which are familiar to all of Western Europe, the US, Canada and Australia: How are increasingly secular/atheist societies with decreasing birth rates supposed to respond to deeply religious minorities with much higher birth rates? The answer will be different from country to country. The US has the most to consider with the rapid growth of so many different religious groups, including the Amish, Orthodox Jews, Mormons and Muslims.

Europe has a similar issue with the projected growth of Islam on the continent (Islam in much of Europe is represented by some very conservative, often intolerant sects), it will have to make some tough decisions and decrease the level of political correctness it currently adheres to if it wants to avoid some serious civil unrest over the coming decades.

It seems that despite the technological, theological, social and scientific progress that mankind has made over the past century is meaningless; the religious will inherit the earth.
2 people found this helpful
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