Modern Orthodoxy in the United States: A review essay

Abstract

One wonders whether that train leading to the modern world is symbolic or real and whether our "centrist" must really catch it. As for the prayers of the traditionalists, there is little doubt that a representative sampling of 6:30 A.M. minyanim in Boro Park would reveal that even worshippers firmly ensconced in the Orthodox Right are not unaffected by the need to get to work on time.9 I have great respect for the authors of this study. Samuel Heilman has proven himself a wellspring of important insights into American Jewish life, and the superb quantitative studies by Steven Cohen have set the standard for the field. This book, however, is unworthy of its justly distinguished authors. Marred by fatal conceptual confusions, it is more likely to mislead its readers than to enlighten them. A study of Modern Orthodoxy in America remains a desideratum. (from Conclusion)