B"H
As I have mentioned quite a few times before, it has become a real fashion among secular Israeli Jews as well as "wannabe religious" to publish books about the haredi world. For instance, the more extreme a chassidic groups is, the better. "Extreme" stands for selling the book and making profits. This is what those people / publishers intend and not to inform you about the background of a group in a very detailed professionel way. They rather go through Wikipedia or get some photos together and this is about it.
The Neturei Karta or the Toldot Aharon seem to sell and various secular Israelis are after them in order to find out their hidden secrets.:-) Writing about the Toldot Aharon secret Takanot (internal laws) would make you rich and famous.
No, it won't. Maybe some secular Jews buy the book but it won't get you any fame.
What people don't realize is that they don't have to run to extreme groups but only to a seemingly simple chassidic group. If you want to be so famous try writing about GUR.
Sounds too easy ?
You bet, because writing about Gur is not just an easy game but work. Collecting information you will never receive.
Of course, the Gerrer Chassidim may give you some propaganda material but how about finding out about the connection between Gur and the HaModiah ? Who is really running the Gur show ? Yaakov Litzmann or the present Gerrer Rebbe ?
All those hidden little details about Gur and not only copying the books written by Yitzchak Alfassi. Make your way into Gur and dig in deeply. Not too deep, as the modesty police (Mishmeret HaZniut) may get alarmed.
When I recently spoke to some Gerrer Chassidim about Sarah Einfeld, they told me that she is not Jewish anymore because she admitted to have eaten on Yom Kippur. So, why bother with her ? The Gerrer Rebbe doesn't make any mistakes when it comes to ignore Sarah.
So, if you are searching for fame, don't just interview Sarah Einfeld, as she doesn't even know the Gerrer Takanot applying to the guys. Instead try finding some Gerrer MALE Chassidim and interview them.
I wish you all the best and an interesting experience with the Gerrer power to finish you off !
Your comments on secular writers publishing books on the orthodox religious sects is not accurate.
ReplyDeleteThey do not get their research merely from Wikepedia, and write a book based on that.
Secondly writers in Israel would find your comments on money and fame hilarious. That is the last thing any of them receive in this country.
Thirdly the reason they write about the more extreme groups is simple. They are of more interest to people then a sect not many people have heard of. If you are going to write a book , you want to make it interesting and readable for the general public.Writing obscure pieces on little known people and events is only of interest to maybe that group alone. You come across as angry and aggressive about something that is a fact of life.Yes people like to write books to attract a large audience. There is nothing wrong with that.
B"H
ReplyDeleteIf I write a book, I want to be as accurate as possible. And if it is about religion, it will take me years to work myself through. Just have a look at Jerusalem's National Library / Olam Gershom Sholem and you will realize how much work is waiting.
Going through history, talking to people, doing massive research.
If I make a mistake, do you have any idea what is waiting for me ?
Writing a book is not about giving out my cellphone number and ask people to order it. It is about much more. Books about chassidic society is about people and their backgrounds and not a special offer.
The general public do not want huge detailed books on religion, they want something they can read and enjoy. You are talking about books that are used for research, or merely by a few students studying religion in university. A book can be still written well and be accurate without spending a life time researching the subject. If that was so nobody would bother writing about any thing! That is why the books you hate so much are read even by the religious communities, the type you recommend are obscure tomes in archives only of interest to a few people.
ReplyDeleteB"H
ReplyDeleteYou are right up to a certain point. I had the experience that those books which are not too detailed are read by secular researchers. For instance, I see plenty of professors from the Hebrew University Jerusalem sitting at the National Library dealing with Kabbalah but they have no clue about the religious detail.
There is one guy writing a book about Rabbi Amram Blau (a former Neturei Karta head who was much much more charismatic than Yoelish Kroisz ever will be). However, this guy is upset because many Rabbis wouldn't want to talk to him. So, you can surely imagine how the book will look when he feels rejected.
If you really want to write a good book today, you have to sit for years and research. Otherwise your book won't be taken seriously and may be considered as junk.
There will be always people, as you said, who prefer reading something "light". However, I noticed that more and more people are actually interested in deeper knowledge. When you go to chassidic Tishes and speak to the secular, they actually are very much interested in a detailed history of a certain group.
Here I am talking about Jewish readers and not about a vast Gentile readership.