Haredi

("God Fearing"; pl. Haredim)

   The term usually used to describe the ultra-Orthodox Jewish religious community in Israel, whose political interests are represented, in most cases, by such parties as Agudat Israel, Degel Hatorah, United Torah Judaism, and Sephardi Torah Guardians (SHAS). While this community is generally non-Zionist in political orientation—believing that the full national renewal of the Jewish people must await the arrival of the Messiah—most Haredim have come to terms with Zionism and have, to one degree or another, become integrated in modern Israeli society. Only a small, extreme element of the Haredi community, represented by such marginal groups as the Neturei Karta, actually pursue a policy of noncontact with Israeli society and can be described as anti-Zionist. This small population rejects the notion of an Israeli polity and views the use of the Hebrew language in the state of Israel as blasphemous because it is the "language of God." Demographically, the Haredim (along with the "modern Orthodox") are among the fastest growing segments of the Jewish-Israeli population.