Here’s episode number 5 of Donald Kraybill’s “What I Learned From The Amish” podcast. This week he focuses on “Amish hackers” – Amish who “work around certain church regulations without breaking them”. These workarounds represent a form of progress but still respect church rules. Their hacking “boost[s] efficiency, production, and convenience in certain areas of Amish life.” These are the innovators of Amish society. He…
This is a neat video showing volunteers putting together pre-built homes right in the heart of Holmes County, Ohio – Charm, to be precise – but destined for families struck by disaster hours away, in West Virginia and Dayton, Ohio. Amish have traveled to the sites of disasters to help clean up and reconstruct for decades now. But this effort via Mennonite Disaster Service expands…
2024 UPDATE: Don Shenk passed away in late 2021. It was very kind of him to share a collection of his images with us, not long before he died. Originally published in October 2021, I’ve just updated this post with another five favorite images at the end, along with a few comments of mine. I hope you enjoy. Don Shenk’s Amish Photography Don Shenk is…
Do Amish women have freedom in their marriages? Are they dominated by their husbands? What does “head of household” mean? Read on for some of my own observations on these questions – or check out the video above. Head of household Do Amish husbands control their wives? This is a bit of a sensitive question, I suppose. The Amish male is considered the head of…
Donald Kraybill’s new podcast is called “What I Learned from the Amish”. Following up last week’s podcast on community, we have the next in the series, on technology. A snippet from this episode: “For starters, let’s just cancel the big fat myth that the Amish reject modern technology. It’s just not true! What is true, is that Amish communities selectively screen new technology, trying to…
I saw and was sent a story on the Amish, COVID, and specifically herd immunity, and I wanted to share a few thoughts on it. It is an interesting report which I learned a few things from – but I’ve also got a few issues with it. Do Amish communities have herd immunity? So we heard stories sharing beliefs that certain Amish communities had reached…
In a culture that emphasizes marriage, how do single Amish people fit into the community? For the Amish, marriage is the ideal for most people in the community. Most young Amish people expect to get married, or want to get married, and have a family. Being married with a family in a sense reflects the values of the community. There is a degree of…
“This is not a sales pitch for the Amish team, but an invite to tap some of their communal wisdom.” I’m happy to share that Donald Kraybill has a new book coming out soon, called What The Amish Teach Us: Plain Living in a Busy World. It’s a bit different in its approach than his many previous books on the Amish: It sounds audacious, but…
We’re back with part 2 of a two-part Q & A with Don Burke on his Amish photography. If you missed part 1 you can catch up here. In this part Don shares how he chooses which communities to visit, what he’s learned from taking Amish photos, and more. Amish America: Have you ever gotten anything unusual or unexpected while taking pictures? Don Burke: Oh…
Here’s a look at six surprising facts about the Amish and cars. Contrary to some belief, the Amish do make use of cars – just not as drivers. They are often passengers in cars, may hire non-Amish to drive them, and in some cases even own their own vehicles (e.g., for work purposes). This article answers questions including: What is an “Amish taxi“? Do…