B"H
I admit that I am not into any Rap at all and that I have never heard about a black American Rapper called Shyne before. The secular Israeli press is making a big fuss about him because he became a Baal Teshuva. In the morning he is studying Gemara at a Jerusalem Belz Yeshiva and in the evening he continues to rap. Today the Israeli daily "Yediot Acharonot" publishes a huge article showing Shyne in Belzer clothes. He even wears the black socks and shoes without laces. Totally Belz and only the colour of his skin shows that he is different.
Yediot's English website Ynet, however, shows Shyne in old Yerushalmi Yishuv clothes, and I assume that Shyne is undergoing some typical Baalei Teshuva transformations. I know many male Baalei Teshuva from abroad who constantly change his haredi dressing including their Rebbe. Usually they start with Breslov but then move to an extreme group of the Edah HaCharedit. After some time they are fed up, try Belz or a bit Boyan, come back to Breslov and then start all over again. In fact, there are haredi Baalei Teshuva from aborad with an whole collection of different hats. Sometimes the collection even includes a litvishe hat.
Honestly this behavour is driving me nuts. Why can't people make up their mind and try chassidic directions without instantly changing their clothes. I can learn in Belz, Boyan, litvish or even in Toldot Aharon without changing my entire life including my clothes right away. Obviously those Baalei Teshuva freaking out need the new clothes for their own feeling of being accepted. Being part of the group although they are not and without having studied Shabbat Halachot.
If it doesn't work out, they switch to somewhere else and buy new clothes.
Rapper Shyne is another example and we will see how many hats he is going to collect.
Shyne wearing old Yerushalmi clothes.
He claims his grandmother was an Ethiopian Jew so changed his name to be Jewish sounding. Father pres of Belize to where he was deported from he US--then he ends up in Israel and thinks a "costume" makes him Haredi? Look at his new video (June 2011) he is so phoney!
ReplyDeletehttp://www.islanddefjam.com/artist/news_single.aspx?nid=8988&artistID=7426
B"H
ReplyDeleteHis grandmother on his father's or mother's side ? Furthermore, Ethiopean Jews in Israel are not accepted by the Ashkenazi community until they undergo an Orthodox conversion.
Years ago, when the Ethiopian Jews moved to Israel in masses, they refused such a conversion and it was the Sephardi Chief Rabbi in those days, Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, who stated that they are Jewish. However, until today, Ashkenazim don't recognize Ethiopians as Jews.
Many Ethiopians came to Israel with their Gentile spouses. There has been so much interemarriage that many children are not Jewish at all.
I don't know whether Shyne actually underwent an Orthodox conversion.