The Sacred and the Impure in Judaism: Law, Food, and Identity

The Sacred and the Impure in Judaism examines the radicalization of certain Orthodox Jewish groups through the lens of kashrut, or Jewish dietary laws. Mata F. Topel begins with a historical look at chumratization—the tendency among rabbis toward more rigorous interpretations of Jewish law—beginning in Hungary in the late 19th century and on through the nascent radicalization of Israeli Orthodox Jews in the 1950s.

Then, drawing on Orthodox kashrut manuals and interviews with kashrut supervi...