Haredim in North America
The Haredim are ultra-orthodox Jewish people who strictly adhere to Jewish laws and traditions. They consist of Yeshivish and Hasidic peoples. Around a half million people, over 6% of the North American Jewish population, are Haredi, and this percentage is steadily growing because of high birth rates.
Yeshivish
As the Hasidic movement spread in the 18th century throughout Eastern Europe, the Misnagdim (opponents) spread to criticize, and sometimes persecute, Hasids for their fascination with magic and lack of Talmudic (Jewish traditions and commentaries) study. Over time, the persecution and animosity stopped, but this movement grew into an ultraorthdox community focused on Talmudic study and adherence. They are identified as Litvish, due to their origin in Lithuania, or Yeshivish, because of their emphasis on starting yeshivas (Orthodox Jewish schools). Yeshivish also denotes the language spoken by this group, which is an amalgam of English, Yiddish, and rabbinic Hebrew.
Hasidic
Hasids carry on the dress and customs of 18th-century Europe but have chosen urban centers like New York City as the center of their courts, organized around their rebbe (tzaddik). Despite their urban abodes, they remain deeply insular and have little exposure to outside information (and the gospel). Intermarrying and socializing with one’s own Hasidic group is custom. Hasids who stray from the beliefs and customs of their Hasidic court, even toward another Hasidic court, are often shunned and expelled from their communities. Hasidic courts take their names from their town origins in the 18th century and most closely relate to groups from the same region: Hungary (Satmar, Pupa); Russia/Ukraine (Chabad-Lubavitch, Skver, Breslov); Galicia (Bobover, Sanzer, Belzer); Romania (Vizhnitz); and Poland (Gerer). Most of these groups speak Yiddish at home and also speak English (or Yinglish). The Chabad-Lubavitch interact much more with other Jewish peoples and tend to speak less Yiddish than the other groups.
Religious Life
Hasidism is a renewal movement of Judaism that began in Eastern Europe in the mid-18th century. Whereas other ultra-Orthodox Jewish people focus on memorization of Jewish laws and rabbinical commentaries, the Hasidic movement emphasizes mystical, magical, and experiential aspects of relating to the divine while maintaining strict adherence to Jewish laws and customs. By the mid-19th century, hundreds of rebbes (leaders of Hasidic courts) had spread throughout Eastern Europe. Their population continued to swell, but the overwhelming majority of Hasids were killed in the Holocaust. Nevertheless, Hasidic rebbes who escaped to Israel and New York revived the movement into the most visible and growing branch of Judaism today. Hasidic Jewish religious life involves closely following what the rebbe has instructed about Jewish law and traditions. It is a part of the mystical tradition within Judaism called kabbalah.
These are the Haredi communities in North America most in need of gospel witness
| People Group | Metropolitan Area | Population Size | Concentrated Area | Priority Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Satmar Jewish | New York | 156,744 | 99 | |
| Chabad Lubavitch Jewish | New York | 27,103 | 91 | |
| Skver Jewish | New York | 17,678 | 91 | |
| Yeshivish Jewish | New York | 120,000 | 91 | |
| Bobover Jewish | New York | 23,509 | 90 | |
| Pupa Jewish | New York | 8,825 | 90 | |
| Vizhnitz Jewish | New York | 18,382 | 90 | |
| Sanzer Jewish | New York | 7,006 | 88 | |
| Belzer Jewish | New York | 12,518 | 86 | |
| Breslov Jewish | New York | 5,000 | 86 | |
| Gerer Jewish | New York | 8,791 | 84 | |
| Yeshivish Jewish | Toronto | 16,000 | York | 75 |
| Yeshivish Jewish | Los Angeles | 13,600 | Hancock Park | 74 |
| Yeshivish Jewish | Miami | 10,726 | North Miami Beach | 72 |
| Yeshivish Jewish | Washington D.C. | 9,921 | Glen (Baltimore) | 70 |
| Yeshivish Jewish | Chicago | 5,894 | West Rogers Park | 68 |
Helpful resources for sharing Jesus with the Haredim
| Resource | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Yiddish New Testament | Most Haredi Jewish people speak and read Yiddish. This website contains a digitized, updated version of the Yiddish New Testament into the vocal signs used in today's Haredi Yiddish. |  |
| JESUS Film | JESUS film video in Yiddish. |  |
| Yiddish Bible Audio Version | Listen to an audio version of the Yiddish Bible. |  |
| Top 40 Messianic Prophecies | These passages from the Jewish Scriptures find their fulfillment in the life of Jesus. In English. |  |
| Bible for Children | Audio and Video Biblical Resources for Children in Yiddish |  |