Their presence is prominent in recent years in malls that are not in haredi areas; many of them visit the zoo in Jerusalem and the safari in Ramat Gan; others visit the Yad Vashem Museum in Jerusalem, Beth Hatefutsoth in Tel Aviv, and the museums of the Haganah, IZL, and Lehi. Yeshiva students can be seen touring the Golan and the Negev; some even take part in rappelling treks. Indeed, many Israeli haredim are undergoing a process of Israelization, characterized by integration without assimilation. Even their protests against the Supreme Court or the economic policy reveal a process of integration, partial acceptance of the laws of the land and the authority of government institutions, and even participation. All these exist simultaneously with isolation, criticism, and strong verbal protest.

The papers in this book are based on recent studies and are the result of the combined efforts of researchers who address the various dimensions of the integration of haredim in Israeli society. This integration, characterized by an attempt to prevent assimilation in the surrounding society, is sometimes accompenied by conflict and may cause the observer to err and see only its dimension of isolation and seclusion. From this book we can learn both about one of the main cultural enclaves in Israeli society and what is new in research about it, as well as the processes at work in this society at the beginning of the 21st century.