Holy Days: The World of the Hasidic Family

by Lis Harris

Combining a historical understanding of the Hasidic movement with a journalist's discerning eye, Harris captures in rich detail the day-to-day life of this traditional and often misunderstood community. Harris chronicles the personal transformation she experienced as she grew closer to the largely hidden men and women of the Hasidic world.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Judaism, Jewish, Judaica, Ethnography, History

272 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1985

Reviews

[Holly McIntyre · Rating 5 out of 5]

Like many Americans of WASP extraction, I have slim knowledge of Jewish history between the Book of Acts and Elie Wiesel. This book is a fascinating and useful introduction to a small slice of that rich history. Written in the mid-1980s by The New Yorker staff writer Lis Harris, the book weaves together Harris’s experiences with a Lubavitcher Hasidic family in Crown Heights, Brooklyn with her research into three centuries of Hasidic history. The result is compelling reading; I consumed it as I might a well-written thriller, seeking along with the author to understand how do these intensely religious people live and why do they live this way? She presents a well-rounded depiction of the positives and negatives of Hasidic life, although I could not help but wonder what and how much has changed since she wrote thirty years ago. Harris succeeded in a writer’s most difficult task: she left me wanting to know more.

[Jen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book on the heels of having read The Chosen, so I was interested to learn more about the Hasidim. I liked getting a more every-day feel for what their life is like in more contemporary times, although this book is now over twenty years-old; however I'm hard-pressed to believe much has changed for this community in that time, since "new and improved" is absolutely *not* their motto.

I liked the writer--a Jewish woman who grew up in a non-religious household--and appreciated her observations as "my" ambassador into this generally private world. She has two chapters on the history of the Hasidic movement, and the second one especially was kind of tedious--I skipped out of that about half-way through to get back to the more fascinating stuff, ie the Hasidic family that was her ambassador into the community and her interactions with them. The author's goal in learning first-hand about the Hasidim was to learn more about the religious aspect she felt missing from her own life, but with this being the driving force behind her quest, I felt she dropped the ball on it in her book. She does discuss along the way how she's affected by her periodic immersions into the Hasidic world and definitely gives her take about their practices, but she didn't sum up her experience on a personal level. So in the end I felt like I was left hanging because she didn't answer her own bigger questions. However, I sure did learn a lot about Hasidic life!

[Mark Klempner · Rating 3 out of 5]

A receptive New Yorker columnist spends about a year visiting the Lubuvitcher community in Crown Height and tells the tale in this book. It really is well written, fair, and quite absorbing if you are interested in the subject matter. Along the way you learn a lot about Judaism and about the Hasidic strain of Judaism that the Lubuvitchers are part of. The portrait that emerges is both flattering and embarrassing . . . in other words, real. She obviously did not want to offend the hosts who so graciously took her into their inner world for a year and yet she does not shy away from expressing her sincere reactions and to discussing the not so great side of the scene in Crown Heights as well as the impressive parts. The result is a balanced portrait based, of course, on the limitations of the author. Fortunately, Ms. Harris was up to the task in both a literary sense and in the sense that she basically carried out an anthropological study in which she was the participant observer. This book continues to be relevant to anyone who would like to understand the Lubuvitcher community and the Chabad philosophy and teachings.

[Lucy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lis Harris is Jewish, but not observant. But she feels compelled to explore the Hassidic roots of her family, and so she finds a Hassidic family, the Konigsburgs, to shadow and learn from.

The book is respectful, but not awed. Harris clearly respects her subjects, and she is impressed by much of what they say and do, but she doesn’t accept it all blindly. She both lauds and criticizes, sometimes in the same paragraph. She explores the historic roots of the Hassidic community, interspersing chapters of straight history with chapters detailing her experiences in the Konigsburg home.

This is a readable, interesting, well-written exploration of Hassidic Jewry that gives a clear, well-rounded outsider’s view. If this is a subject that you are interested in, I highly recommend this book.

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

There is errors, such as chabad believing the rebbe is still alive, spelling mistakes and grammatical issues in this book and author does present herself as quite ignorant of her own culture and heritage as well as being duped into believes a lot of garbage the world says about homemakers, traditional women’s roles and what really majors people happy

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting information, but the editing was so bad that I checked to see if it was self published. I will look for another book on the topic, a book in which the editing and sentence structure do not detract from the information.

[The Curious Spoonie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Let me begin this review by saying that I do not practice the Jewish faith so I acknowledge that I am commenting on this book with a certain amount of bias and unfamiliarity.

Although I was originally interested in learning about the Hasidic community from an ethnographic perspective I soon discovered that this book was authored not by an anthropologist but by a journalist. Lis Harris wrote for the New Yorker for over two decades and I found her journalistic approach to the topic just as interesting. Her style is a blend of journalistic fact, personal experience, and thoughtful research.

The majority of the book is a narrative of the author’s visits with one particular Lubavitch family and the surrounding community. To a lesser extent she also documents solo experiences (such as a trip to the mitzvah). Also included is a good deal of history and background on Chabad-Lubavitch which was helpful but also a bit overwhelming for the average reader. In my opinion, this information would have been better interspersed throughout the book instead of grouped mostly in 2-3 chapters as some of it felt unnecessary (though it may have been more relevant in the 1980s when this book was written).

It should be said that Harris’s encounters were mainly with just one branch of Orthodox Judaism and, for the most part, just one specific family within that branch so one can’t use this book as a reliable example of all of Chabad. Still, she manages to paint an engaging and realistic picture of the people and beliefs she observed and to make her subjects not just human but relatable.

Although I enjoyed my reading, I feel like this book would have been helped by a unifying purpose. The impression I was left with was that Ms. Harris had gathered up a good deal of information and experiences on her chosen topic and then simply put it into book form. I didn’t really feel that she had something specific to say or a particular question she wanted to answer. Was this text intended to be an academic study, a personal journey, or an observational field report? I’m still not sure.

Case in point, the author begins the book by commenting on her own secular connection to Judaism and there are a few places in the book during which she mentions her own emotional response to what she is experiencing, but these places are few and far between and never go into much depth. She does not remove her own emotions and opinions from the work completely, however, but then also does not explore them enough to warrant their mention which leaves things feeling incomplete.

The part of the book that I responded to the most was the final three chapters. Here, some of Ms. Harris’s journalist persona slips away and we feel, although not full understanding, her genuine feeling for this community she has been invited into. It is a challenge for us humans to be objective about the “other” and to see the good in people who appear very different from ourselves. I'm not really sure, on a personal level, Ms. Harris was able to achieve that and so I was left with a bittersweet sadness that, although she had come to empathize with the Lubavitch way of being, she hadn’t truly been able to learn what they had been trying to teach her.

[Tim Nason · Rating 4 out of 5]

A wonderfully well-written report of Lis Harris's interactions with a young Lubavitcher Hasidic family in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. It is compassionate, appreciative and very thorough, providing an insider view of an intensely devout and closed religious society. Harris is not uncritical in her description of the group's insular attitude, but she is accepting of its value in preserving the Hasidic community that thrives and expands despite its close proximity to ethnically- and culturally diverse neighborhoods. The book also effortlessly slips in a great deal of history, and also explains many of the customs and rituals that guide Hasidic daily life through the year.

Reading "Holy Days" has led me to greatly enjoy reading Chaim Potok's "My Name is Asher Lev," a coming-of-age novel that takes place within the Lubavitcher society (termed "Ladover" in the novel).

[Scott Thomson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very interesting insights. Technical problem with my copy; two page 62’s and no page 118.

[Robyn Luk · Rating 5 out of 5]

i love jewish food and mealtime.

[Thomas Ryan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the easiest read but worth the effort.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this investigation of a Lubavitcher Hasidim family by a secular Jew. I could feel Harris's respect for the family even if at times she was frustrated by them; one could also feel a certain wistfulness by Harris as she explored the religious life of this family and experienced holidays and life events with them. I wonder if she ever became more religious. I felt the historical chapters on the history of Hasidism were less well done; I preferred her accounts of time spent with the family.

[Carla Stockton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just finished this wonderful book. Like the author, I come from a background where the ultra-religious world of the Hasidim is part of a family heritage about which no one has ever been willing to speak to me. Harris's loving examination of this world within a world of worlds is both respectful and skeptical, and it never seeks to judge or to encourage its reader to judge; it simply illustrates how the realm of the Hasidim works for those who choose to live within it. A wonderful reading experience!

[Kathy Knapp · Rating 4 out of 5]

Most of my friends, having grown up in the Midwest, have limited experience with Orthodox Judaism, let alone Hasidism. I came upon a need to understand for a very personal reason - a family member's conversion. This book does a fair job of representing a close knit group of Religious in New York that is enlightening and respectful. It was an easy read - not technical - it was presented in layman's terms. I have much to learn. This book was a primer, of sorts, for me.

[Nancy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Doing some digging into Judaism, and this book was recommended as an oldie but goodie in the anthropological category. Good for understanding the strengths and attractions of a deeply connected, rule-bound community in a highly transitory, disconnected society. The book reads smoothly, for the most part--the "interesting parts," not merely research. Harris is respectful and digs out the meaning and value in a lifestyle that might be considered anachronistic or even rigid and demeaning.

[molly · Rating 3 out of 5]

you have to be really interested in hasidim to like this book. the family is harris profiles is interesting but my secularism kind of turned me off from all the religious stuff but the sociology of it all is pretty fascinating. what is even crazier is what is going on with the lubabvitcher community now and there "messiah has a come!" vs. "no, that's just some guy from crown heights" debate

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing look inside the lives of Brooklyn Hasidic Jews. Lis Harris takes us inside many places that helped me to better understand the lives and values of my Jewish neighbors. I really enjoyed this book, and I recommend it to anyone with a curiosity about Hasidism.

[Wendy Brafman · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting survey of the life of Hasidics. I agree with another reviewer, however, that the historical chapters were harder to follow and less engaging. I would be interested to learn if anything has changed in the community since Lis published the book in 1985.

[Daughters Of Abraham · Rating 3 out of 5]

Contemporary story of the Hasidic community in East New York, Brooklyn. The author is a Jewiosh woman who is an outsider to the community.
Some found it interesting and educational. Others felt the author was condescending.

[Amy Jones · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was a lot of interesting information in this book. However there were a few really slow chapters. It was worth reading and skimming the slow chapters. The book was written in the 1980s and most of the slow chapters were not as relevant today as when the book was written.

[Elizabeth]

Required reading that I actually loved.

[Inez · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this book when I was in college (like a hundred years ago :D) I don't have much to tell except it was a book with lots of basic information to educate a non-Jewish reader.

[James]

if you're interested in this topic, then I recommend this book. There is also a lively discussion of the Lubavitcher / Satmare conflict. (Lesson #1: Not all Hasidic peoples are the same!)

[Sandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

What seems to be a factual intro to Hasidic life and beliefs. Lots of myths debunked.

[Cynthia · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fascinating non-fiction book about a Jewish woman who befriends a Hasidic family and penetrates their community to learn about Hasidism.

[suz · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book came to me at the perfect time-- just as I was leaving Isabella Freedman Jewish Retreat Center to re-enter Chicago life.

[Craig Bolton]

Holy Days: The World Of The Hasidic Family by Lis Harris (1995)

[Jennie]

Had borrowed from Sharon fall 2006 but never read. Still interested to read!

[Rita · Rating 5 out of 5]

This true store gave me a look into a different culture. Good read

[Courtney Byrne-Mitchell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book.