Not Your Parents’ “Nonobservance:” A Rejoinder

JL;DR SUMMARY Zev Eleff responds to Elli Fischer and Matt Williams' critiques of his essay "The Vanishing Non-Observant Orthodox Jew," clarifying that his study does not delve into patterns of religious observance within Orthodox Judaism but focuses on the social-religious label of the Non-Observant Orthodox Jew, a term that emerged in the 1950s due to economic and social factors. A way out west there was a fella, fella I want to tell you about, fella by the name of Jeff Lebowski. At least, that was the handle his lovin' parents gave him, but he never had much use for it himself. This Lebowski, he called himself the Dude. Now, Dude, that's a name no one would self-apply where I come from. But then, there was a lot about the Dude that didn't make a whole lot of sense to me. And a lot about where he lived, likewise. But then again, maybe that's why I found the place s'durned innarestin'.

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