The Chassidic World in Detail

B"H

I am anything but a person only relying on books or Wikipedia. Especially when the subject is called: "The Chassidic World".

Okay, I can read the Yiddish forums of the Chassidic society. Just yesterday, a Vishnitzer Chassid proudly showed me all the Vishnitz and Seret - Vishnitz Sites. Including nice pictures of the Rebbes.

And by the way, just in case you didn't know, the Vishnitzer Rebbe from the States is coming to Jerusalem after Pessach.

Besides reading professional literature, I very much enjoy talking to Chassidim, going to synagogues and the Tishes. As I totally agree to chassidic ideas, I consider writing about the issue as a part of me. It is not just a mood or finding out gossip. It means much more to me and every day, it is also getting more significant in my private life.

Yesterday was a quite successful day for me. First of all, I finally find out the exact location of the Neturei Karta synagogue in Mea Shearim. Hopefully they will let us in to their service on Shabbat. I promise to behave very well and not showing up with Zionist flags.

Another thing is that, at the moment, I am reading two books at once. One about Satmar and the other about the women of Toldot Aharon. The author of the Satmar book, Israel Rubin, has a special connection to Satmar and got the personel permission of the great Satmarer Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum, to write about the group. The outcome was a great informative book in an even religious way. Not that I am relying on books, as I said before, I also talk to people and, fortunately, I do know Satmarer women to talk to. Some Israeli ones from Mea Shearim. But maybe I shouldn't say "Israeli".

The other book is actually a manuscript of a former Bar Ilan University student. She studied sociology and wrote her Ph.D. about the women of Toldot Aharon. However, there are great differences in the two pieces of literature. Whereas Israel Rubin writes more or less also from a religious point of view, the Bar Ilan student has a totally academic approach. I hope that I can find out her e - mail or phone number, as I would like to talk to her personally.

She does give many facts but many things we have experienced differently when we went to Toldot Aharon. Anyway, I still haven't finished reading the two books but as soon as I do, I will give further details. Especially about Toldot Aharon. I am going to write about the student's experiences and what we have faced when we went to Toldot Aharon and spoke to the women.

Generally I think that someone writing about chassidic groups should be part of the chassidic or at least religious Jewish life. I hate it when people show up at the groups in order to investigate. As soon as they get their information, they publish everything and just disappear. With me it is different, as I somehow consider myself a part of Chassidut. Not belonging to a certain group but completely being absorbed by Chassidut itself.