Back to the Tishing

B"H

If the Dushinsky Rebbe is not changing his mind today and goes up to Haifa, we are going to participate in his regular Jerusalem Tish.

Chanukkah is coming up and this means automatically that there will be plenty going on in the chassidic areas. I just hope that they do not divide the streets of Mea Shearim, as the Edah HaCharedit did during Chol HaMoed Sukkot. I am not really into any division mood and being told by private guards that women should go back into their kitchens where they belong.

Apropos women in Mea Shearim:
On Tuesday night my friend and I came back from a Shiur and were passing the Mea Shearim / Ge'ulah neighbourhood. It seemed that the Toldot Aharon women had a party somewhere, as many of them were on their way home. The streets were crowded with with Toldot Aharon.

While standing at Kikar Shabbat, we saw a rather strange looking Toldot Aharon woman. She cannot have been older than 22, she wore the usual black head cover and the black stockings. However, the woman did not really keep the rest of the strict dressing code.

Her neck was to obvious, she wore exaggerated high heels and her skirt was quite short. Okay, she can do whatever she wants and it is non of our business. Nevertheless, we were just wondering what the other group members say to this behaviour.

Sociologists could claim that every chassidic group has its own groups within. Apparently there are Toldot Aharon women starting to go their own ways which doesn't mean that they are dropping out or become rebellious.
If this particular woman finds other women like her in the group, so why not ? At least she won't be an outlaw.

I find it very interesting to watch the social behaviour and the attemps of certain chassidic women to modernize their female society. They still stick to their laws and Takanot but, on the other hand, try building their own little society according to their interests and views. This makes a group more flexible and can only be of an advantage. Whoever is against modernization does not need to participate. I am sure that also a person refusing any modern ways can find plenty of friends at Toldot Aharon.

Another thing we realized is that the Toldot Aharon women are always seen with each other. I have never seen one of their women with a litvishe woman or someone from a different Chassidut.