In this paper the author discusses different understandings of community and community inclusion as they are presented in a transcript of the YouTube video It Gets Better – Gay Orthodox Jews. This video, part of a much larger anti-bullying campaign, features the testimonies of five men. As their stories unfold in what could be described as a “coming out narrative”, the boundaries of the Orthodox and the LGBTQ communities are renegotiated, revealing a new space at their intersection. Furthermore, the analysis of the transcript suggests that embracing queerness is not tantamount to exclusion but rather the opposite. It is by affirming themselves both as Orthodox and queer that those men are able to reclaim their place in the community. Finally, the author argues that this case of community inclusion through self-fulfilment echoes and at the same time problematises theories of secularisation and individualisation in late modernity.

The purpose of this work is to identify and discuss those ideological issues which divide Jewish Orthodox opinion today in North America. Using a short 1978 article by Shubert Spero entitled Orthodox Judaism. which identified four major areas of conflict within Orthodoxy, as a starting point, I endeavour to expand upon, verify, and update Spero's findings to the present situation, thus filling an important gap in the sociological literature of North American Orthodox Judaism. Beginning with a historical introduction to Orthodox Judaism and a general discussion of the present sociological composition of North American Orthodoxy, I proceed to devote one short chapter for each of the several issues to be discussed. In conclusion, the seriousness of the divisions within Orthodoxy are assessed in terms of the effect they may have on the total unity and stability of the Orthodox movement in North America. / Thesis / Master of Arts (MA)

Thesis (M.A.)--Brandeis University, 2009. / Title from PDF title page (viewed on May 29, 2009). Includes bibliographical references.

Orthodox Jewish adolescents develop and mature within a very structured environment. The aim of this study was to explore adolescent psychosocial identity development within Orthodox Jewish education. The secondary focus was the nature of the religious identity acquired through religious education, specifically Jewish Orthodox education. The literature study explored adolescent identity and development (within Erikson's framework), religious orientation and Orthodox Jewish education. The qualitative research was conducted empirically, in the form of a case study of seven adolescents from a single-sex Orthodox school based in Johannesburg. The themes that emerged from the empirical study are as follows: the community; Orthodox Judaism; education; parents, family and peers; adolescent and religious identity. The study indicated that the participants' identity development is dominated by their religious psychosocial world that paradoxically provides the structure that supports and complicates their identity development. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)

Orthodox Jewish adolescents develop and mature within a very structured environment. The aim of this study was to explore adolescent psychosocial identity development within Orthodox Jewish education. The secondary focus was the nature of the religious identity acquired through religious education, specifically Jewish Orthodox education. The literature study explored adolescent identity and development (within Erikson's framework), religious orientation and Orthodox Jewish education. The qualitative research was conducted empirically, in the form of a case study of seven adolescents from a single-sex Orthodox school based in Johannesburg. The themes that emerged from the empirical study are as follows: the community; Orthodox Judaism; education; parents, family and peers; adolescent and religious identity. The study indicated that the participants' identity development is dominated by their religious psychosocial world that paradoxically provides the structure that supports and complicates their identity development. / Educational Studies / M.Ed. (Guidance and Counseling)

Amidst the decisive events of the 20th century - the Holocaust and the rebirth of the Jewish homeland - which impacted heavily on Jewish attitudes, emerged a broadening of religious doctrines creating diversity within Judaism. Previous insularist tendencies were replaced by revised outlooks on proselytisation, blending with the unique characteristics of South African Jewry. Clearly, local Jewish society and the Rabbinate have placed these updated perceptions high on its agenda. The inevitable mixed reactions have been reviewed in this work, which looks at the long road travelled by the convert from the viewpoint of current motivations, acceptance by the community and post conversion levels of observance. My own theory is a model encompassing the respective components of local proselytism looking at categories of converts, their motives, demands to be met and obstacles. To comprehend the contemporary position, a historical survey delved into the issue from its Biblical origins via the influences of centuries, reaching the South African scene. This inquiry investigated the development of conversion policies drawn from an evolvement of energetic Halakhic debate. These attitudes manifest themselves in archival sources from 1924, of which my analysis is the first of its kind. From these records, together with those of my own community and data available from the Cape Beth Din, the interpretative statistics thus compiled identified characteristics and motivations of applicants and procedural mechanics. This work proceeded a step further. Focus on the Durban model provided an ideal observation point for the post conversion stages. Personal knowledge of the candidates gained from my service to Durban Jewry enabled me to assess their respective adherences and absorption into the community. Furthermore, responses to a questionnaire sent to the local Jewry and interviews revealed attitudes both of Jews by birth and the converts themselves whilst added perceptions were obtained from a questionnaire sent to the Rabbis of South Africa. In the final chapter I submitted proposals and recommendations, some of which are radical. Covering the entire process of conversion this model attempts to address the future of conversions in South Africa as this is expected to remain a pivotal issue of immense momentum. / Religious Studies & Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)

Amidst the decisive events of the 20th century - the Holocaust and the rebirth of the Jewish homeland - which impacted heavily on Jewish attitudes, emerged a broadening of religious doctrines creating diversity within Judaism. Previous insularist tendencies were replaced by revised outlooks on proselytisation, blending with the unique characteristics of South African Jewry. Clearly, local Jewish society and the Rabbinate have placed these updated perceptions high on its agenda. The inevitable mixed reactions have been reviewed in this work, which looks at the long road travelled by the convert from the viewpoint of current motivations, acceptance by the community and post conversion levels of observance. My own theory is a model encompassing the respective components of local proselytism looking at categories of converts, their motives, demands to be met and obstacles. To comprehend the contemporary position, a historical survey delved into the issue from its Biblical origins via the influences of centuries, reaching the South African scene. This inquiry investigated the development of conversion policies drawn from an evolvement of energetic Halakhic debate. These attitudes manifest themselves in archival sources from 1924, of which my analysis is the first of its kind. From these records, together with those of my own community and data available from the Cape Beth Din, the interpretative statistics thus compiled identified characteristics and motivations of applicants and procedural mechanics. This work proceeded a step further. Focus on the Durban model provided an ideal observation point for the post conversion stages. Personal knowledge of the candidates gained from my service to Durban Jewry enabled me to assess their respective adherences and absorption into the community. Furthermore, responses to a questionnaire sent to the local Jewry and interviews revealed attitudes both of Jews by birth and the converts themselves whilst added perceptions were obtained from a questionnaire sent to the Rabbis of South Africa. In the final chapter I submitted proposals and recommendations, some of which are radical. Covering the entire process of conversion this model attempts to address the future of conversions in South Africa as this is expected to remain a pivotal issue of immense momentum. / Religious Studies and Arabic / D. Litt. et Phil. (Religious Studies)