Neo-Orthodoxy (Torah im Derekh Eretz, Hirsch)

Neo-Orthodoxy is the movement formulated in the nineteenth century by Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch, principally in Frankfurt am Main, in response to Reform Judaism and the challenges of emancipation. Its motto "Torah im Derekh Eretz" (the Torah with the way of the world) advocated rigorous observance of Jewish law combined with engagement in German culture, education, and civic life. Hirsch defended the idea that fidelity to tradition was not incompatible with modernity, but should on the contrary integrate it within an affirmed religious framework. He also worked toward the separate organization of Orthodox communities in relation to Reform institutions (Austrittsorthodoxie). This synthesis exerted a lasting influence on modern Orthodoxy in Central Europe and subsequently in its American and Israeli extensions.

Sources & resources

• Encyclopaedia Judaica — 2e éd., Keter/Macmillan
• Jewish Virtual Library ↗