:''Edah, should not be confused with the

Haredi Haredi Judaism (, ) is a branch of Orthodox Judaism that is characterized by its strict interpretation of religious sources and its accepted (Jewish law) and traditions, in opposition to more accommodating values and practices. Its members are ...

communal body in

Israel Israel, officially the State of Israel, is a country in West Asia. It Borders of Israel, shares borders with Lebanon to the north, Syria to the north-east, Jordan to the east, Egypt to the south-west, and the Mediterranean Sea to the west. Isr ...

known as the Edah HaChareidis.'' Edah was a Modern Orthodox

Jewish Jews (, , ), or the Jewish people, are an ethnoreligious group and nation, originating from the Israelites of History of ancient Israel and Judah, ancient Israel and Judah. They also traditionally adhere to Judaism. Jewish ethnicity, rel ...

organization, generally associated with the liberal wing of

Orthodox Judaism Orthodox Judaism is a collective term for the traditionalist branches of contemporary Judaism. Theologically, it is chiefly defined by regarding the Torah, both Torah, Written and Oral Torah, Oral, as literally revelation, revealed by God in Ju ...

in the

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and with the

Religious Zionism Religious Zionism () is a religious denomination that views Zionism as a fundamental component of Orthodox Judaism. Its adherents are also referred to as ''Dati Leumi'' (), and in Israel, they are most commonly known by the plural form of the fi ...

movement of

. Its headquarters were located in

Manhattan Manhattan ( ) is the most densely populated and geographically smallest of the Boroughs of New York City, five boroughs of New York City. Coextensive with New York County, Manhattan is the County statistics of the United States#Smallest, larg ...

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. Edah's motto was The Challenge to be Modern and Orthodox”.

Opening

Edah was founded in 1997 in response to what its founding director, Rabbi

Saul Berman Saul J. Berman (born April 30, 1939) is an American scholar and Modern Orthodox rabbi. Berman was ordained at Yeshiva University, from which he also received his B.A. and his M.H.L. He completed a degree in law, a J.D., at New York University ...

, 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 Consecration in Christianity, consecrated, that is, set apart and elevated from the laity class to the clergy, who are thus then authorized (usually by the religious denomination, denominationa ...

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 (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 based in New York City Orthodox Judaism in New York City Modern Orthodox Judaism in the United States Jewish organizations established in 1997 1997 establishments in New York City Defunct Jewish organizations based in the United States