The Orthodox had a consciousness of continuance of their lifestyle admidst the swirl of change of the modern world. They clung to the Torah, the Jewish religious tradition, for guidance in how to lead all of one's life. Life was a continuum. Laughing, eating, drinking were all a part of life, yes, but not to be emphasized, prided over, or enhanced over normal standards. The goal was always to be self-aware and self-controlled, and those who went to extremes of behavior and lost these things were shunned. This continuum is what kept the "Jewish Jew" going during tough times, as the quote from Ahad Ha-am comes to mind: "More than the Jewish people keeping the Sabbath, the Sabbath has kept the Jewish people (alive)."
    The study of Torah was the shelter, though, of the Orthodox Jew. One had never attained a "done" amount of learning of Torah; there was always more. This is reflected in calling a man of letters not a "learned man", etc., but one "who knows how to learn." A rich man, especially if he was relatively unlettered, tried to marry off his children to Torah scholars. Learning was directly associated with perfection of character; the term "aidele yid" ("beautiful Jew") referred to a scholar.

    There were two basic kinds of Orthodox. THe Mizrachi were the religious Zionists, similar to the Modern Orthodox today. In general, they were modern-leaning people, except for their commitment to traditional Judaism. They wore modern dress, and made co-ed schools with general studies occupying 1/2 of the day, and Jewish studies occupying the other half. Much of the next section does not, in part, apply to these Orthodox.
    "Jewish Jews" were highly visible without taking any action. This made them more threatened than other Jews from anti-Semitic attack. The male members didn't shave. Women wore conservative clothing, especially the older generation. They also wore wigs or kerchiefs for modesty. The men wore a traditional coat, and a silk coat called a kapote or bekeshe on holidays. They also wore a special four-cornered undershirt. In Congress Poland, a small black cap was used, while in Galicia, a soft, wide-brimmed felt hat was donned. Many wore a straymel, a brown velvet hat with brown fur trimming, on holidays.
    The Orthodox sublimated their pain through learning. Learning of the tradition began at age 4 or 5 with cheder, the elementary school. Even the smallest town had some sort of cheder (lit. "room"). Conditions were frequently difficult. Broken windows were stuffed with pillows or rags to keep out the cold and floors may have been made out of dirt. At five one was expected to be learning chumash, or the Bible. At about age seven one started the Mishnah, the precursor of the Talmud. These small schools (typically 15-30 in a class) were frequently taught by rabbis not from the town where the school was located. Typically, a rabbi would come to a town and inquire of his services. If the parents approved, he rented a room and taught there or in a study hall. This traveling rabbi would go home for the High Holidays, and the festivals.
    After independence, the Polish government required public school attendence (or general curriculum). Even the Agudat Israel, the umbrella organization for Chassidim, started making schools with Jewish studies in the morning and general studies in the afternoon. The other choice was public schools. The government was frequently lax with these rules, and some got away without going to public school. After one's bar mitzvah, one could continue one's studies in a yeshiva such as the Bobov yeshiva. Many families, however, were too poor to support their son past 13 and elected to keep him home to work.