The appeal of Orthodoxy to young, secular-born Jews

The appeal of Orthodoxy to young, secular-born Jews
ARI ALTSTEDTER
From Globe and Mail
Published Wednesday, Dec. 29, 2010 11:06PM EST
Last updated Thursday, Dec. 30, 2010 7:47AM EST
432 comments

As Canadian youth continue their march toward secularism, with the majority of religious communities aging and shrinking, a small but steady trickle of secular Jewish youth have been heading in the opposite direction.

In what one scholar says is a movement of “tens of thousands of people” worldwide in the past two decades, Jewish youth raised in secular homes have been adopting Jewish Orthodoxy, one of the more demanding religious practices.

Becoming Orthodox means more than just giving up bacon. From bans against driving and using electrical or electronic devices on the Sabbath, to dietary laws so strict that very few grocers, restaurants or butchers can meet their requirements, to a daily routine permeated by prayer and ritual observance, adopting Orthodoxy is more than an embrace of faith, it is a dramatic change in lifestyle.