On July 1, 2025, CNN published an article that claimed that “After centuries of isolation, ultra-Orthodox Jews engage with the world more than ever.” To test the validity of this claim, a survey was conducted with Mispar’s exclusive panel of Orthodox and Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Americans. Within the analytical sample (n=283), almost half of the survey respondents (49%) resided in New York, while the remaining respondents resided in 21 other states including New Jersey (16%), Illinois (4%), and Texas (3%). The sample consisted of 142 females and 141 males, 207 ultra-Orthodox and 76 Orthodox* Jewish respondents, from ages 19-72.
When respondents were asked, “To what extent do you agree or disagree that after centuries of isolation, ultra-Orthodox Jews are engaging with the world more than ever?” approximately one-third of respondents (36%) strongly agreed with the statement. Forty-two percent of respondents somewhat agreed. Of the nine percent of respondents who disagreed with the statement, 6 percent somewhat disagreed and 3 percent strongly disagreed. A common reason given for disagreement was that in their opinion, ultra-Orthodox Jews have always engaged with the outside world and that nothing has changed. As demonstrated by Figure 1, Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox respondents expressed nearly identical levels of agreement with the statement, suggesting a shared perception of engagement.
Figure 1. Perceptions of Ultra-Orthodox Jews Engaging With the World More than Ever.
When asked, “In which areas do you feel ultra-Orthodox Jews are engaging more with the broader world?” the most frequently selected category was business and commerce (71%) followed closely by technology and digital media (69%). The area in which respondents felt ultra-Orthodox Jews were interacting least with the broader world is in the area of education (42%).
Most respondents (51%) reported perceiving increased engagement with the broader world as mostly positive. Seven percent viewed the engagement as mostly negative, while approximately a third of the sample (33%) said engagement was both positive and negative. As demonstrated by Figure 2, the perception of engagement with the broader world as having positive or negative consequences were virtually identical for Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox respondents.
Figure 2. Is Increased Engagement Positive, Negative, or a Mix?
It’s worthwhile to note that 3 percent of men and 8 percent of women in the sample viewed ultra-Orthodox Jews engagement with the broader world as mostly negative. Thus, these findings may indicate gender differences in the way Jewish Americans view ultra-Orthodox engagement with the broader world.
*Note: Respondents were coded as Orthodox if they self-identified as Modern Orthodox, Orthodox, or Sefardi. Respondents were coded as ultra-Orthodox if they self-identified as Chassidish, Yeshivish, or Litvish.