IOverview
Haredi, plural Haredim, means those who tremble, from a verse in Isaiah about those who tremble at God's word. It is the collective name for the Orthodox Jews who keep halakha most strictly and have changed their way of life least in response to modern society.
English language media often say ultra-Orthodox, but many in the community find the term dismissive and prefer Haredi. The Haredi world has three main parts: the Hasidic groups, the Litvish groups of the Lithuanian yeshiva tradition, and Sephardi Haredim of Middle Eastern and North African origin. All three keep the law strictly and differ in origin, style and the teachers they follow.
IIHistory
In Podolia, Rabbi Yisrael ben Eliezer, the Baal Shem Tov, who lived roughly from 1700 to 1760, taught that God is present everywhere and that even the unlearned can draw near through sincerity, joy and song. Hasidism spread across Eastern Europe around rebbes, each founding a dynasty usually named after its home town. The opponents, the Mitnagdim, led by the Vilna Gaon, championed Talmud study. The Volozhin yeshiva opened in 1803 and became the model for the Litvish tradition.
As Reform grew in the 19th century the two camps drew together in defence of tradition, and Agudat Israel was founded in 1912. The Holocaust destroyed most Eastern European centres. Survivors rebuilt in Israel, above all Jerusalem and Bnei Brak, and in New York.
- c. 1740The Baal Shem TovHasidism begins in Podolia.
- 1803Volozhin yeshivaThe model for the Litvish yeshiva tradition.
- 1912Agudat IsraelUmbrella body of traditional Orthodoxy, founded in Katowice.
- 1939 to 1945The HolocaustMost Hasidic and Litvish centres in Eastern Europe are destroyed.
- 1984Shas partyThe political voice of Sephardi Haredim in Israel.
IIIBeliefs and Distinctives
- Torah from Heaven: both the Written and the Oral Torah were given by God at Sinai, and halakha is fully binding.
- Torah study as the highest calling: men devote as many years as possible to Talmud study in yeshiva and kollel.
- Holding to tradition: many groups quote Rabbi Moshe Sofer's dictum that the new is forbidden by the Torah.
- Following the sages: each community follows a rebbe or the leading scholars of the generation.
Hasidim add joy in worship, the wordless melody called niggun, attachment to the rebbe and teachings rooted in Kabbalah. Litvaks stress deep analytical Talmud study. Attitudes to the State of Israel vary: some groups take part in politics through Haredi parties, while groups such as Satmar and Neturei Karta oppose a secular state established before the Messiah.
IVWorship, Rites and Daily Life
Haredi life follows three daily prayer services, full Shabbat observance and strict kashrut. Men usually wear black coats and hats and grow sidelocks called peyot, and some Hasidic groups have special Shabbat garments. Women dress modestly, and married women cover their hair.
Families are typically large. Boys and girls are schooled separately, and marriages are often arranged through a matchmaker. Many Hasidic groups speak Yiddish day to day, keeping Hebrew for prayer. Communities run their own schools, charitable funds and rabbinic courts.
No. Litvaks also wear black coats and hats but do not follow a Hasidic rebbe. Many Modern Orthodox Jews, by contrast, wear only a small kippah. Dress marks particular communities, not a uniform for the whole religion.
VOrganisation and Distribution
There is no central authority. Each Hasidic dynasty organises around its rebbe, Litvish yeshivas around their heads, and Sephardi Haredim around leading rabbis, most famously Rabbi Ovadia Yosef. In Israel, Haredi parties sit in the Knesset.
According to the Israel Democracy Institute's statistical report published in February 2025, Israel had about 1,390,000 Haredim in 2024, 13.9 percent of the population, with 57 percent of them under 19. In the United States, Pew Research Center found in 2021 that 11 percent of Jewish adults under 30 are Haredi, compared with 1 percent of those 65 and older. The main American centres are Brooklyn, Lakewood and nearby areas.
VIIn Vietnam
As far as the library can find, there is no settled Haredi community in Vietnam. The only organised Jewish centres found belong to Chabad, a Hasidic group within this world, with Chabad Houses in Ho Chi Minh City since 2006 and Hanoi since 2014 according to Chabad's own sites. See the Chabad branch page for details. Judaism is not among the sixteen religions recognised by the state, according to figures cited by VietNamNet in 2025.
VIISymbol of the Branch
No symbol of its own is recorded with a source for this branch, so the library uses the common symbol of the path.
VIIISub-branches
- Hasidic (Chabad, Satmar, Ger, Belz, Bobov...)
- Litvish
- Sephardi Haredi
IXOther Branches of Judaism
Reform Judaismיהדות רפורמית Yahadut ReformitTook shape in early 19th-century Germany (Hamburg Temple, 1818) and grew in North America.Uses the common symbol of the pathHaredi Orthodox Judaism, including Hasidismחרדים Haredim, חסידות HasidutStrictly traditional Orthodoxy centred on Talmud study, with distinctive dress.Uses the common symbol of the pathModern Orthodox Judaismאורתודוקסיה מודרנית, דתי לאומי Dati LeumiTook shape in mid-19th-century Germany with Rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch.Uses the common symbol of the pathConservative Judaism (Masorti)יהדות מסורתית MasortiTook shape with Zacharias Frankel in mid-19th-century Germany and in North America from 1886.Uses the common symbol of the pathReconstructionist JudaismReconstructionist JudaismGrew from the thought of Rabbi Mordecai Kaplan in early 20th-century North America.Uses the common symbol of the path
Chabad-Lubavitchחב״ד ChabadA Hasidic group founded by Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi (1745 to 1812).Karaite Judaismיהדות קראית Yahadut Qara'itAccepts only the written Tanakh as supreme authority, rejecting the rabbinic Oral Torah and Talmud.Uses the common symbol of the pathXSources
The library cross-checks the sources below. Where they disagree, the page gives both.
?Quick Questions
What is the difference between Haredi and Hasidic?
Haredi is the umbrella name for the most traditional wing of Orthodoxy. Hasidim are one group within it, following the movement of the Baal Shem Tov and attached to rebbes. The Haredi world also includes Litvaks and Sephardi Haredim.
Why do Haredi men grow sidelocks?
Following an interpretation of a verse in Leviticus forbidding shaving the corners of the head. The sidelocks are called peyot, and their length and style vary by community.
How many Haredi Jews are there?
The Israel Democracy Institute counted about 1,390,000 Haredim in Israel in 2024, 13.9 percent of the population. There is no reliable global figure, since other countries do not count the group separately.
Do Haredim support the State of Israel?
Positions vary. Many take part in politics through Haredi parties in the Knesset, while some groups such as Satmar oppose a secular Jewish state established before the Messiah.