Haredi

Alternative Spellings

Heredi, Hareidi, Charedi, Kharedi, Chareidi, Hareidi

Definitions

• Adjective or noun referring to an individual, institution, or practice associated with strictly Orthodox (non-Modern) Jews.

Example Sentences

• "Starting with a handful of young women, the Haredi College now has more than a thousand students, men and women, with 96% of graduates securing employment." (http://www.jewishfed.org/event/pioneering-haredi-college-jerusalem)
• "Many Haredim in Israel live in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Mea She'arim."
• "A chareidi is someone who doesn’t look for halachic “tax loopholes” to get around the system." (http://hamodia.com/2014/03/04/discovered-chareidi/)

Languages of Origin

Modern Hebrew

Etymology

חרדי Haredi - one who trembles (in fear of God).

Who Uses This

Religious: Jews who are engaged in religious observance and have some Jewish education

Regions

North America

Dictionaries

The JPS Dictionary of Jewish Words, by Joyce Eisenberg and Ellen Scolnic, (Philadelphia, 2001).
The Joys of Hebrew, by Lewis Glinert (New York, 1992).
Dictionary of Jewish Usage: A Popular Guide to the Use of Jewish Terms, by Sol Steinmetz (Lanham, MD, 2005).

Notes

Pronounced kha-RAY-dee or kha-reh-DEE. Plural noun form: Haredim - חרדים. This term has become more common in Jewish English since the 1980s, influenced by English-speaking Jews' ties to Israeli discourse, where the word is common. The term "Haredi" is seen as a good alternative to the term "Ultra-Orthodox," which many group members consider derogatory.