Known as a potent political force able to steer entire voting blocs, this body of rabbis, businessmen and government liaisons was unable in recent months to muster enough Orthodox community support for its most established darling. "It's kind of like an Orthodox Tea Party'' is taking control.
The Asbury Park Press reports:
…Known as a potent political force able to steer entire voting blocs, this body of rabbis, businessmen and government liaisons was unable in recent months to muster enough Orthodox community support for its most established darling.
In this bubble of rigid customs and clear hierarchies, a consensus has formed that the grip of the old order is slipping as technology and new thinking take hold.
It is struggling, they say, to keep up with an expanding Orthodox population as fresh voices speak out and the economy shifts personal priorities.
"We're at a point where the community has minds of its own and does not just follow recommendations without understanding them,'' Vaad member Avrohom Moshe Muller said. "It puts us in a different position.’’…