Stories from Mea Shearim

Rabbis from Chassidut Chernobyl

B"H

Last Friday night, I took the visiting New Jersey Shearim reader to Mea Shearim. For a Shabbat meal in a backyard (uuuhhh) and to the chassidic Tish of the Toldot Aharon Rebbe David Kahn.

However, first we went to friends of mine in Batei Ungarin for a Shabbat dinner. Male and female sit in separate rooms and my friends do invite people to their Shabbat table(s). Everyone used to come but after a while, they started accepting seminary girls and Yeshiva guys only. After a huge fight discussion with a bunch of national religious girls about haredi society and anti - Zionism, I am not even sure if the family accepts any further national religious guests or only those from haredi seminaries.

However, last Erev Shabbat, there were only haredi girls either speaking in Yiddish and English or English and Hebrew. At least on the women's side, our host prefers guests with either a haredi background or haredi seminary studies. In this respect, I completely understand her because I wouldn't want to suffer from inappropriate remarks (on Halacha or further religious / haredi issues) from outsiders either.

After some of the guests told different stories or even jokes, our host told us a rather strange story. A sad story and most participants at the table already knew it.

It is a true story happening in London a few years ago.

Two women were sitting next to each other on a bus in London. According to their conversation, they were obviously Jewish. Behind them sat a haredi woman listening to those two women friends in front of her. One of the two women told her friend that soon, she is getting married to a Gentile. Well, he wouldn't be Jewish but he is a good guy.

Her friend asked her where is she going to ?

"Well, it is strange, the woman planning to marry a Gentile said, but I keep on having the same dream over and over again. In the dream, my mother (who is already dead) appears to me and demands that we should meet at a certain place. First I thought it is just a dream but the dream is repeating itself every night. So, I finally decided to go to the place where my mother wants to see me and this is where I am going".

The haredi woman listening to the story got curious and followed the woman having the dream after getting off the bus. The woman got off the bus and ran towards the destination where her mother told her to come. She was in a hurry and crossed a street. A truck came and ran her over. The woman was dead.

This is the story !

Now you may ask if the woman had to die because she wanted to marry a Gentile. The explanation is that her mother didn't want her to marry a Gentile. The heavenly court had to make a decision and when the woman on the bus said to her friend that she is willing to marry him because he is a good guy, the verdict was made. The woman rather had to die but not marry a Gentile. If the woman had announced that she may change her mind or has done so already, she may have not being run over by a car and her life would have been saved.

A breathtaking story I have to say !

Before the meal, I was having a deep conversation with two daughters of the host. I know them for many years and I expected them to give me another "coming back to the right haredi way" story but, instead, we talked about my writings. Why I do this and what I am getting from it. How different people are, even if in their haredi views, and about the craziness of many Chozrei be'She'elah (frummies leaving religion in order to become secular). It all depends how you express yourself, as I said before. Mea Shearim or the haredi world as a whole is listening but you have to know how to present your point of view. And this you only learn by being in haredi society.

What I had never expected but did happen: I got an invitation for the wedding of one of the granddaughters. She is getting married to a Chernobyl Chassid and I am very much looking forward to the Simcha next week. Hopefully I learn more about Chernobyl and the Twersky family, as I haven't dealt with them too much yet. Chernobyl, the entire Twersky family including Rachmastrivka is very complicated.

Later on, at the Toldot Aharon Tish, one of the female group members came up to me and we started a brief conversation. About the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv mentality. Unfortunately, as soon as I told the woman that I do write on the Internet, she disappeared. Maybe mentioning the Internet was a mistake but I try to be honest and refrain from making a show or lie, as other people do. Nevertheless, what I realized (again) is that the only way of getting around is the Rebbitzen. I have to explain her what I am doing and if she agrees, I may get a green light and could write more about the life of a TA woman or customs. What very much interests me is a woman who joined the Toldot Aharon. How her life changed and how she is adjusting.

So, I am going to the next Tish and hopefully, I get a chance talking to the Rebbitzen. I have spoken to her quite a few times and we know each other by sight. This may help.