Tish with Toldot Aharon

B"H

The Mea Shearim chassidic group Toldot Aharon is causing wild demonstrations, they wear funny clothes, throw stones, burn garbage and do other crazy things. In other words, they are just a bunch of religious fanatics.
You can find these opinions in the Israeli press, TV, and even other chassidic groups spread those ideas.

But are those opinions about Toldot Aharon really true, just made up or exaggerated ? Why are they being hated ? How are the Toldot Aharon members really and what exactly are their ideas and values ?

When I decided to write about chassidic groups I did not want to take all the information from books. For me it is much more real going out to their neighbourhoods, meet people and speak to them. If possible, go into their Batei Knesset and to the Tish of the Rebbe.
I myself do keep many chassidic customs although I am not a member of any group. Anything chassidic has found my interest for many years. Another reason why I do write about them is the Holocaust. When you go to Eastern Europe and the old Shtetls today, you mostly find cemeteries or former synagogues now turned into theatres or club houses.
When I decided to write about Toldot Aharon and started reading the books of their founder and first Rebbe, Rabbi Aharon Roth, I was very impressed. I have mentioned before that I do not always agree with them but I gained lots of respect and accepted them as they are.

However, going to their synagogue was different. The whole last week, I was so excited. How do they react to strangers and will they let me in at all ?
I took a friend of mine with me and when we entered the great Mea Shearim synagogue, we did neither find a womens' section nor did we see any women. It was Leil Shabbat and the only thing we heard was the singing of the men.
We decided to go back into the street, find a woman and ask her if we took the right entrance. I spotted out a Toldot Aharon woman who was standing across with her little children. I went up to her and asked. She said that we chose the right entrance, but "You know, she explained, we do have the custom that our women do not pray at the synagogues on Friday nights. What you can do is coming to our Tish a little later. And, by the way, you are lucky today, the Rebbe's daughter got married this week and we are doing Sheva Berachot."

We could not believe her open response. Where were all those claims from the Israeli press ? No one was throwing stones at us. Instead a nice young woman answered our questions.

Furthermore she told us that if we need a Beit Knesset, we can go to their split off Avraham Yitzchak, also located in Mea Shearim.
However, my friend and I decided to go to Rabbi Mordechai Machlis first. Have Kiddush and a meal, as we did not know if Toldot Avraham Yitzchak would make a Kiddush.

At 11.40pm, we were back at the Toldot Aharon synagogue and found the door to the womens' entrance locked. Instead we saw many women rushing into a certain direction to the back of the building. We just followed them and saw that they were all climbing up some stairs and going into an apartment block. We did not know what to do and asked another woman who told us that we should also enter. It came out that the apartment block was a second entrance to the synagogue.

As we walked around the synagogue, chassidim were rushing up and down. No one really took notice of us. Everybody was just running to see the Rebbe.

We entered and through a long hallway we reached the womens' section which was already crowded. All the women had also brought their children and even babies.

My friend and I found a good place where we could stand and we even had a great view. But as the place got more crowded, our view was gone. We climbed up a few metal stairs which were placed in front of the Mechitza. The Mechitza consisted of two huge windows and in the middle was a huge iron board. One could still see something through the board but not too much. Of course, we were standing behind the board but somehow managed to see.

It was a great experience seeing all this chassidim with their Streimel and in their light - brown silk coat. The men downstairs started singing and upstairs, more and more women and children shuffled in. I do not know how everybody did it but eventually everyone was standing on this stairs. Especially children were climbing all over the place. I thought that the whole construction would break any minute and fall down right onto the Rebbe's Tish.

The men got up, sang and the Rebbe, Rabbi David Kahn, walked in. My friend and I could really see almost everything. The Rebbe placed himself in a special chair and he wore a beautiful dark blue silk coat. I have to say that he looked much older than on pictures I had seen before.
He said a prayer, went for Netillat Yadaim and changed his blue coat into a white one. He made Kiddush and said the Beracha over the bread.
The two challot were huge and someone helped him cutting them. According to their custom, the slices were devided between the chassidim. Later on, also cake was served and many took a tiny piece from the slices.

Elderly chassidim were sitting right at the front table and the younger ones including children sat or stood behind. Upstairs and downstairs, everybody just looked at the Rebbe. Mothers even lifted up their babies.

It was a very impressing scene.
Unfortunately, we could not hear the brief Drasha the Rebbe gave. I think that when you go to a Tish it is better to be a man. We women were stuck behind the glass windows and unable to hear much. The men downstairs had much more space and heard everything.

On our way out, we met a woman from the Chassidut Breslov. Carefully she came in and was so happy to see us, as we were not Toldot Aharon. Obviously, she was afraid to ask any of the other women and so she asked us. If they let in other people as well. "Yes, I said, there is nothing to worry about. They are very friendly people."

This coming Friday, my friend and I are going to the Beit Knesset of Toldot Avraham Yitzchak. Someone told us that they do have a Kiddush and are very open.
However, we liked going to Toldot Aharon and learned a lot about their members. The only thing we saw were friendly and very helpful people, and we will definitely be back.

Instead spreading any rumours, the press should go and speak to them. Otherwise they just cause unnecessary hatred.

So far, I did not find out about the brides (the daughter of Rebbi Kahn) and the grooms names but I wish them Mazal Tov and all the best.

Hopefully it will work out that I can speak to a member of Toldot Aharon who will answer my questions. As you probably know, haredi society works very different and a friend of mine is contacting the member who, on the other hand, needs a recommendation from my Rabbi.

If anyone of you would like to go to the Toldot Aharon Tish should be halachically Jewish, speak Yiddish or Hebrew and show some interest. Of course, someone should be dressed very modestly; women in a long skirt and with long sleeves, and men with kipa, long trousers and long sleeves.