Fordham University Anthropolgy Study: Hassidic Jews!

I came across an interesting Fordham University study that was performed by anthropologist Ayala Fader, Ph.D..The interesting part of course is that the study was done on the Hasidic community of Boro Park.As the article explains it was not easy for Ayala to gain entry into the Hasidic community. She makes a an interesting point that the Hasidic women typically speak better English than the men.She thought this was because they were more modern so to speak but found out later that was not the case. After spending two years in the Hasidic community she certainly picked up on many of their customs and routines:

Those practices run the gamut from maintaining a modest appearance and bodily comportment to acceptable ways of speaking and questioning. One example of how Hasidic women alter society to suit their purpose involves the stricture of dressing modestly. The women shop for clothing at secular department stores, “but they modify those clothes to make them modest,” Fader said. “They add pieces of material at the neckline and they lower hems or sew up slits. It’s the same thing with hair and books or organic food or self-help literature — and the same thing with language.”