AGUDAT YISRAʾEL is the world movement of Orthodox Jewry, founded in 1912. The name Agudat Yisraʾel, or Agudath Israel (Union of Israel), commonly abbreviated as "Agudah," is derived from a passage in Jewish High Holy Day liturgy that speaks of all creatures forming "one union" to do God's will. Established in order to preserve the traditional Jewish way of life and to counter the influence of competing secular or religious ideologies, Agudat Yisraʾel nevertheless adopted a series of ideological and organizational innovations. The very act of organizing an Orthodox political party was in itself a concession to the sociopolitical exigencies of the time, which more extreme Orthodox elements opposed on principle.

History

The initiative for the formation of Agudat Yisraʾel came from the separatist Orthodox communities of Germany united in the Freie Vereinigung für die Interessen...