New acronyms and euphemisms are being invented almost daily to define the ever-changing groupings. These include dati lite, Datlash (an acronym for dati lesheavar, formerly religious), Datlashlash (a formerly religious person who has returned to religion), Datlaf (dati lifamim, sometimes religious), mit'hazek ("getting stronger," anyone with a growing interest in religious observance) and Hardalnik (Haredi-leumi, Haredi Zionist).
Read this fascinating piece in Haaretz on the religious revival occurring in Israel.
Language is a far more nimble force than any institution in Jewish life. One thing common to the life of Jews both in Israel and abroad is that the one-dimensional movement descriptions cannot fully describe the complexity and nuance of modern Jewish identity. One cannot say when, but where language goes, institutions will trail sooner or--as in Israel's case--very much later.
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