Tradition in a Rootless World Quotes

“Orthodox Judaism mandates that men have greater obligations in prayer and study, while women’s primary role is in the family. Therefore, women do not participate as much in those ongoing rituals that create a relationship to God.”
― Lynn Davidman, Tradition in a Rootless World: Women Turn to Orthodox Judaism

“In the contemporary United States, middle-class individuals are expected to construct their own identities and lives by choosing from among the various institutional arenas those that will become the primary source of identity.”
― Lynn Davidman, Tradition in a Rootless World: Women Turn to Orthodox Judaism

“The Hasidim asserted that God could be approached through the heart far more than through the mind and that singing and dancing were appropriate means of worship.”
― Lynn Davidman, Tradition in a Rootless World: Women Turn to Orthodox Judaism

“The women’s belief that they were fulfilling the path laid out by their grandparents provided a sense of identity, a connection with a larger order and with their roots.”
― Lynn Davidman, Tradition in a Rootless World: Women Turn to Orthodox Judaism