Bnei Brak - A different chassidic World

B"H

Not many tourists come to Bnei Brak and if, they are either Jewish or mostly Jewish orthodox. There is nothing to see in that rather small town near Tel Aviv unless you are either interested in the Israeli branch of Coca Cola or in the haredi (ultra - orthod.) world. Although there are some secular and national religious living in Bnei Brak, the majority of the population is haredi. The majority of the majority are the Litvish with their huge Yeshivot "Ponibezh" and "Chazon Ish". If you prefer to go to the chassidic area, well, it takes some time but once you are there, you have almost all of them.

A little more than an hour before Shabbat started, I found myself standing in the main and shopping street of Bnei Brak, the Rabbi Akiva Street. I had absolutely no idea where to find the Chassidim and started walking up this long road. On my way I asked a woman and a Beit Yaakov girl where I would find Kiryat Vishnitz, as the Vishnitzer have their own neighbourhood in the town. "Wow, far away. You have to take a bus. Go to Chazon Ish Street and then ask again". Those were the answers I got.

I didn't take a bus because I wanted to see as much of Bnei Brak as I could. Near the Rabbi Akiva I found the great Synagogue of Chassidut Alexander. Once, Alexander had a great chassidic history in the Polish town Alexander. However, after the Holocaust not too much remained of it and they even decided to get together with Gur. Today you can still find Alexander in Bnei Brak but as they are a kind of together with Gur, I don't know about their politics regarding women. Alexander has a Tish but no one in Bnei Brak seemed to know if the women are allowed in. And because Alexander is a little far away from all the other chassidic groups, I decided not to check it out. Maybe next time. Anyway, it seemed to me that Chassidim of one group didn't know too much where the others were located. Don't ask the Litvishe of Bnei Brak about Chassidim, as the absolutely have no clue.

After walking up the whole Rabbi Akiva I got to the Chazon Ish Street on the right. I entered the street and asked a woman about Kiryat Vishnitz. "I am from Vishnitz", she replied, and described me all the way. A few meters further on the right I already found the synagogues of "Dushinsky", "Bobov" and "Seret - Vishnitz". Almost across was the Satmar neighbourhood with a huge synagogue and a small shopping center called "Makolet Satmar".

Some meters further in the Chazon Ish was the Ashlag - Synagogue (HaSulam - former Rabbi Ashlag wrote a huge commentary on the ZOHAR). However, I was very anxious to find two synagogues: the Shomrei Emunim - the original group of Toldot Aharon with todays' Rebbe Avraham Chaim Roth (son of Rebbe Aharon Roth) and Sadigora (Sadigura).

The Chazon Ish Street is endless and I found many many synagogues. In the side streets were even some litvishe synagogues. However, I was facing a real dilemma. Which shul should I choose for the Shabbat evening service ? There were so many of them ? I even found Breslov.

I decided to spy out the side roads and found the "Shomrei Emunim" near Rashi Street. If you saw the building, you wouldn't believe it. The front side of the building is full with musical instruments haniging on the wall. It looks a little hippie but very nice. At least, it is something else in the middle of serious Bnei Brak.
I know Rebbe Roth from his Jerusalem Tish but he lives and has his center in Bnei Brak. I found the entrance to the women's section (Ezrat Nashim) and found a man in there. I spoke to him for quite a while and he explained that the women of Shomrei Emunim don't have the custom to come to the Friday night service. The Chassidim all live around the synagogue but it is hard to recognize them as Shomrei Emunim. In Bnei Brak they wear ordinary black long coats and not like in Jerusalem coats similar to the Toldot Aharon. The founder of Shomrei Emunim (later, due to a split, Toldot Aharon), Rebbe Aharon Roth, wanted his Jerusalem Chassidim to wear Jerusalem style clothe and this is why the clothe in Bnei Brak differ. There Chassidim are not obligated wearing the Jerusalem style.

It was already after the Shabbat siren and I didn't want to waste more time with looking for a synagogue where the women come for the Friday night service. Just around the corner of the Shomrei Emunim I found Chabad and walked in. Nevertheless, I turned out to be the only female.

The Chabadnikim there were those of the real old original ones. Not Baalei Teshuva and things. Serious and they spoke Yiddish. The synagogue was nice and they also had participants from other chassidic groups. Even one Gur or Alexander. I have to say "or" because in Bnei Brak you have Gur and Alexander and they wear identical clothes.

Mincha (afternoon prayer) was done within less than ten minutes. Then the Chabadnikim sat down and had a class among each other. I couldn't hear too much but the Shiur was partly in Hebrew and partly in Yiddish. For Maariv (evening prayer) they had a great Chazan singing all the prayers.

I hadn't made any plans but had brought some grape juice and bread. I made my own Kiddush after the service and left. I really wanted to find Sadigura and visit the Tish. I walked and walked and soon I new many synagogues and their location, but no Sadigura at sight. I walked the Rabbi Akiva until its end and came to a street called Kahaneman. And there I found something interesting. Many times I have heard about them but never made it for a visit: Chassidut Biale.

I found the Biale Synagogue and walked into the women's section. There I found a guy studying. Obviously all the guys were sitting in women's sections that day.

I asked the guy about a Biale Tish. This was the start of an half - our conversation with him. He explained me all the Bnei Brak groups and how to get there. He really knew everything and was like an encyclopedia. This is exactly what I needed. In the end, he even asked about my age. I think he was looking for a Shidduch, but I escaped on time.

"You know, the guy said, Bnei Brak is very easy to spot out. There are only four streets encircling the chassidic areas and you are standing in the middle of them. Sadigura ? Walk up the road but I have to tell you, there is not much going on in Sadigura. Go to Modzidz or Vishnitz. Vishnitz has all the Tish guests and they are huge. Look at their Beit Midrash; they have two floors women's section. Everybody is going to the Vishnitz Tish".

Me: "Who is giving the Tish ? Israel or Menachem Mendel ?
(The two fighting sons of the Vishnitzer Rebbe in Bnei Brak)

Guy: "Oh, you know something about groups. Israel is giving the Tish and he is the king here. Not Menachem Mendel".

Me: "How about Gur ? What do people here think of them ?"

Guy: "Well, Gur is difficult. They only talk to themselves and you will never get information from them. No one has anything to do with them. A chassidic group should be open and happy and not like Gur".

Me: "How about Machnovka, the small group having a fight with Belz ?"

Guy: "Machnovke, Machnovke, they have a tiny shul in Rashi Street and even started calling themselves "Machnovke - Belz" or "Belz - Machnovke". Fights among Chassidim are very sad".

Me: "And what about Biale ?"

By the way, the guy was not Biale but just goes there to pray.

Guy: "Well, it is very sad here in Bnei Brak. The Biale Rebbe has 300 people coming in for his Shabbat service and he is a great man. Unfortunately, he doesn't have any Chassidim and he is over 80 years old".


I was very grateful to the guy despite his asking for my aged and maybe Shidduch intentions. And next time I am in Bnei Brak, I will definitely go to the Biale service. But not because of the guy.

I kept on walking Kahaneman Street and somehow got lost in one of the side roads. I passed the Karlin - Stolin center and suddenly found myself in Kiryat Vishnitz. There I got totally lost and asked a Chassidiah (chassidic woman) for the way. Through Ezra Street I got back to Chazon Ish and on my way I found the huge Nadvorna Synagogue. After again having a look if the Shomrei Emunim have a Tish going on (there was none), I decided to go to the Nadvorna Tish, as I was too lazy walking back to Vishnitz. Modzidz, by the way, is only for guys.

I walked back to the vast synagogue complex of Chassidut Nadvorna and found the Ezrat Nashim without any difficulties. I was just about to enter, as right behind me appeared the Nadvorna Rebbe with a few Chassidim and two young litvishe guys. I made space and one of the Nadvorna Chassidim gave me a sign to wait a few minutes.

Here I was, standing almost next to the Nadvorna Rebbe who lives in a house right across the women's entrance. He was so busy talking to the two Litvishe who were almost creeping before him. The kissed his hands and already drove me nuts. They bend down and couldn't stop creeping anymore but the Rebbe escaped inside his own entrance door.

The Ezrat Nashim in Nadvorna is huge and reminded me of the one in the Belzer Beit Midrash in Jerusalem. Huge and clean. The Mechitzah are glass windows with little painted holes inside. I was dripping, as it was so hot and humid outside. Nadvorna has a great air condition and lots of space to stand. More and more women walked in and disappeared around a corner a little further. I followed after a while and found a small room with only glass as a Mechitzah. A woman told me that I should stay here because we are able to see everything. She introduced herself as a Nadvorna member and we had a great talk. And by the way, the Tish would last for two hours and their members are only to be found in Bnei Brak. No New York, no Jerusalem. In Jerusalem they only have a small shul in Ge'ulah, I replied.

It was very easy talking to the women and girls of Nadvorna. They speak Hebrew and Yiddish and many times even use Hebrew among each other. Also the teenage girls.

Me and another Israeli girl were the only visitors. On the men's side downstairs were four or five national religious and at least 300 Nadvorna Chassidim. The Rebbe started the Tish with clapping his hands. As soon as he claps, everyone listens to his command, I can tell you that. He was the first Rebbe I ever saw so much involved into songs. He waved his arms and clapped. The guy I met at Biale had told me that Nadvorna has the best melodies (Niggunim). I cannot confirm that. I loved the first song. The second was sung to the melody of "Avinu Malkeinu", but all the rest was nothing throwing me off the table I was sitting on. For me, still Belz has the best Niggunim.

The Nadvorna Rebbe made Kiddush and had some Challah (Shabbat bread) but this was it. There was so much food but he divided everything among the Chassidim. It was a great Tish and never boring. I will definitely go again although it is very hard walking back to Tel Aviv at 2am in the morning.

If you are in Bnei Brak, don't always go with the most famous, in this case Vishnitz. Visit the smaller ones as well and I can only recommend Nadvorna.

Nadvorna on Pessach Sheni

Wedding Nadvorna - Biale