On the subject hip-hop-ization. There is a Russian Jewish kid who was close to Lubavitch as a teenager in Maimonides School and then went to YU. Along the way he picked up ghetto lingo and gestures. A few months ago he spoke at his grandfather’s yharzeit. I was amazed that he was articulating his drosha with rap hand movements. So definitely this is a live phenomenon.
Tzemach Atlas | Homepage | 06.28.06 - 7:46 am | #

"Jewish fundamentalist Taliban" ??? Seems to me you're trying, but failing, to explain two types of very committed souls. The first is someone exceptionally zealous for the halachic details of yiddishkeit, but the yeter hara gets hold of him twisting it in to zealousness against others. The second is the fully engaged fellow who believes it sufficiently to so strongly focus his activities and so disregard the normal functions of society, that we either classify him as a tzaddik, gaon, illuiy, or, since there's only room for a few of those and not everyone is great at speaking or influencing or being held up as the example, a nut job.

In neither case do our zealots run around forcefully enforcing ultra-strict yiddishkeit, chopping off heads, stoning women, blowing things up, and generally going after outside society while terrorising their inside society.
Akiva | Homepage | 06.28.06 - 9:04 am | #