:''Edah, should not be confused with the

Haredi Haredi Judaism ( he, ', ; also spelled ''Charedi'' in English; plural ''Haredim'' or ''Charedim'') consists of groups within Orthodox Judaism that are characterized by their strict adherence to ''halakha'' (Jewish law) and traditions, in oppos ...

communal body in

Israel Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...

known as the

Edah HaChareidis The Charedi Council of Jerusalem ( he, העדה החרדית, ''haEdah haCharedit'', Ashkenazi pronunciation: ''ha-Aideh Charaidis'' or ''ha-Eido ha-Chareidis''; "Congregation of God-Fearers") is a large Haredi Jewish communal organization based i ...

.'' Edah was a Modern Orthodox

Jewish Jews ( he, יְהוּדִים, , ) or Jewish people are an ethnoreligious group and nation originating from the Israelites Israelite origins and kingdom: "The first act in the long drama of Jewish history is the age of the Israelites""The ...

organization, generally associated with the liberal wing of

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is the collective term for the traditionalist and theologically conservative branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Written and Oral, as revealed by God to Moses ...

in the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territori ...

and with the

Religious Zionism Religious Zionism ( he, צִיּוֹנוּת דָּתִית, Romanization of Hebrew, translit. ''Tziyonut Datit'') is an ideology that combines Zionism and Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' ( "National Religiou ...

movement of

. Its headquarters were located in

Manhattan Manhattan (), known regionally as the City, is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the five boroughs of New York City. The borough is also coextensive with New York County, one of the original counties of the U.S. state ...

New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the Un ...

Opening

Edah was founded in 1997 in response to what its founding director, Rabbi Saul Berman, called “the separatist trend in Modern Orthodoxy” It promised in its mission statement to “give voice to the ideology and values of modern Orthodoxy and to educate and empower the community to address its concerns." Edah organized conferences, fellowships, and adult education programs, primarily in the New York metropolitan area, and to a lesser extent around the world. It also published the Edah Journal, an academic journal on Modern Orthodoxy and contemporary issues in the religious community. ''The New York Times'' reported that Yeshiva University's biology department chairman, an

ordained Ordination is the process by which individuals are consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the denominational hierarchy composed of other clergy) to perform ...

rabbi, "denounced Edah as 'outside the pale of Judaism'."

Closing

In July 2006, Edah announced plans to close down its operations as a stand-alone entity. In a news release, leaders of the organization claimed that it had made significant achievements, but given limited financial resources available, a tactical decision was made so that its goals would be able to continue through other means. After winding down operations, Berman took on an administrative position at

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Yeshivat Chovevei Torah Rabbinical School (YCT) is an Open Orthodox yeshiva, founded in 1999 by Rabbi Avi Weiss. Currently located in the Riverdale neighborhood of the Bronx, New York, its mission is to educate and place rabbis who are "open, ...

(YCT), an Open Orthodox rabbinical school in New York City. YCT also assumed Edah’s journal, website, and audio-visual library. The Edah Journal was rebranded as ''Meorot: A Forum of Modern Orthodox Discourse'' and its publication continued by YCT. :

References

External links

Edah website
{{Authority control Jewish organizations Orthodox Judaism in New York City Modern Orthodox Judaism in the United States Jewish organizations established in 1996