Dialog

Toldot Aharon Chassidim in their Shabbat or festive clothes.


B"H

Last Erev Shabbat (Friday night), I went to the chassidic Tish of the Toldot Aharon. Usually the group is referred to as extreme and when I went to their great Synagogue in Mea Shearim, I experienced the following:

When I came to the Tish at about 11pm, most seats and places to stand were taken. The Ezrat Nashim (women's side) was totally packed and all the metal benches were occupied. While searching for an available place in order to look downstairs into the men's section and watch the Chassidim and Rebbe David Kahn, I got into the second room of the Ezrat Nashim. There I met three young American girls who tried to squeeze themselves onto the metal bench and look downstairs. I knew one of the girls and soon they decided to leave and let me have their place instead. I jumped onto the metal bench and had an unbelievable view downstairs. Rebbe Kahn was eating his chicken soup and the Chassidim around him were singing.

I didn't even have the time to make myself comfortable and was only standing for not even half a minute, as a woman right beside me started involving me in a conversation. She was in her 60ies and according to her head cover I rather suspected her being from Chassidut Dushinsky. Not that she wore a wig and a Tichel (hanky). She wore a white head cover as most Toldot Aharon women on Shabbat but something was different. It wasn't the usual head cover and to me it looked liked this woman was a visitor as well.
Then we had the following dialog:

She: Which language do you speak ?
Me: Whatever you want. Hebrew, English and some Yiddish. She: Where are you from ?
Me: Israel
She: But where are you from originally ?
Me: Germany
She: Where do you live ?
Me: Mostly Tel Aviv.
She: Oh, you are going back to Tel Aviv tonight ?
Me: No, it is Shabbat. And actually I am in Jerusalem for a few more days and not only for Shabbat.
She: Oh, you are religious ?
Me: Yes. At least I am doing my best.

Then she investigated about my family and where they come from, and how I got to the Toldot Aharon at all. I, on the other hand, used the opportunity to ask her some questions in return.

Me: And what about you ? Were you born here or in Hungary (the origin of Toldot Aharon is in Hungary) ?
She: No, I am also from Germany.
Me: From Germany ? Wow, just a few months ago when I came for Shacharit here I met a Toldot Aharon member whose family was from Germany as well. Are you also from Munich ?
She: No. (She told me the exact place but, so far, I don't want to mention it).
She: How do you know about the Toldot Aharon ?
Me: I have acquaintances who are members of the Chatam Sofer group. And their daughter got married to someone who joined the Toldot Aharon. And what about you ? Are you a member here or a visitor ?

The last question I asked twice and all I got was that the woman nodded. She neither said yes or not and I could only assume that she was a member.
In the meantime, quite a few women had gathered around us.

However, somehow I had the feeling that the woman was not a group member which later turned out to be wrong.
She: And what are you doing in your life ? You work ?
Me: Yes, I sometimes teach Judaism but I mostly write chassidic articles (and other subjects) for my sites and different communities.

I told her the truth about what I am doing because I cannot stand anymore not telling anyone at Toldot Aharon. I already had told the truth at all the other chassidic group and don't keep it as a secret that I write.

Me: At the moment, I am gathering material in order to write about the "Kastner Case".
She: When you write about Kastner this means you write about the Holocaust ?
Me: Not necessarily. In fact, I hardly write about the Holocaust, and now only due to Kastner.
She: What do you think about Kastner ?
Me: There are very different opinions and I am only able to quote from others, as I wasn't there. Among others, about the Satmarer Rebbe on the train.
She: Do you know people who were involved ?
Me: I am planning to interview a Holocaust survivor from Hungary.
She: Considering that you are an outsider, you know a lot about all these chassidic matters.
She: What do you think about the Toldot Aharon ?
Me: Usually I am going to many different Tishes in the area and also to Belz. I have been to Bnei Brak as well and saw the Nadvorna Tish. And by the way, I got a great picture of the Nadvorna Rebbe together with the Toldot Aharon Rebbe sitting together at one table in Saalbach / Austria where they were on vacation.
She: Where did you get the picture from ?
Me: From the Internet.

Then we had a short break and suddenly a woman went up to the woman I spoke to. I knew the second woman because I have spoken to her quite a few times. I turned around and sat down one row after the two women who now started their conversation.

While I turned around, I heard the second woman saying:

"Gut Shabbes, Rebbitzen !"

I almost fainted and I realized that the woman I had spoken to for twenty minutes was the Toldot Aharon Rebbitzen. And I had even asked her if she was a member here. Hopefully she and her husband, the Rebbe, didn't have a great laugh afterwards at home.

Several other women walked up to the Rebbitzen and got blessings or advice. When the Tish was almost over and I left, the Rebbitzen turned around and said to me" "Gut Shabbes".

Just a few weeks ago, Rabbi Mordechai Machlis had told a similar story at a Shabbat meal. He once went to the Chassidut Gur in order to see the Gerrer Rebbe. However, another guy was always walking up and down and the Rabbi couldn't really see the Rebbe. Later outside, a Gerrer Chassid asked if he had seen the Rebbe and Rabbi Machlis answered that this other guy was disturbing his few. "You fool, the Chassid said, this guy was the Rebbe and not just a guy".

When I heard the story, I thought that this could never ever happen to me. However, I was totally wrong and at Toldot Aharon I spoke very openly with a woman who later turned out to be the Rebbitzen.
I have to admit that the Rebbitzen is not easy to interview. Maybe because she is shy or she because she doesn't know the stranger. Maybe she is curious and wants to know who is coming to the Tish.
She is very nice, modest and humbled. So humbled that one just doesn't know that she is the Rebbitzen.


Remark:
The Toldot Aharon Rebbitzen comes from Chassidut Sidichov in New York. When she told me that she is from Germany I would have never guessed who she is. Maybe someone knows if she was born in a German DP – Camp or left Germany before the war started. Then she probably got to New York.