The masses are gone

Making my way through the masses at the Kotel (Western Wall) were enough for me.

Photo: Miriam Woelke

B"H

Sukkot and all the other high holidays are over and we are back to normal in Israel. I was planning to go to the Simchat Beit Ha'Shoeva celebrations in Mea Shearim but, in the end, decided not to because the neighbourhood was simply overcrowded. Thousands of visitors made their way through the narrow alleyways of Mea Shearim and those who finally got to a Tish needed to squeeze themselves in. Furthermore, many Rebbe's were holding their celebrations in their Sukkah (such as Kretchnif / Jerusalem or Dushinsky) and you can imagine how hard must have been the access for any female. 

Instead of getting lost in the crowd, I rather went for a Shabbat meal to friends at the Batei Hungarin. This was last Erev Shabbat and there weren't too many visitors at that time. What I saw were hundreds of chassidic families walking through Mea Shearim and this was a much nicer atmosphere than staggering through the crowds and, as a woman, being rejected my many Synagogues during Sukkot (e.g. the Toldot Aharon shut down their Ezrat Nashim for females not belonging to the group). 

Where to go in Jerusalem during Sukkot ?

Mea Shearim Street

Photo: Miriam Woelke

B"H

The Jewish world is celebrating its Sukkot and thousands of visitors have been streaming to Jerusalem. In the days of the First and Second Temple it was a great Mitzvah going up to the Temple Mount, to the Beit HaMikdash, and sacrificing the Korban Chagigah. Even the non - Jewish world went up to the Temple during Sukkot and brought sacrifices. Today, the Mitzvah for the Jews still remains and thousands are visiting the Old City these days. Furthermore, there are about 6000 Christans from abroad visiting the capital but mainly for missionary reasons. In fact, the entire "Jerusalem Parade" taking place this Thursday is a missionary event organized by the vicious Christian Embassy located in Jerusalem. No wonder that Mea Shearim keeps on putting out warnings all the time.

What is there to do for Jews in Jerusalem during the holiday of Sukkot ?
First of all, the BIRKAT HA'COHANIM taking place during Shacharit tomorrow morning. Nevertheless, the Jewish Quarter will be totally packed and in case you are hungry or thirsty, make sure to eat before showing up and buy your drinks in the New City because the Jewish Quarter will be a rip - off for many purses. 

As a matter of fact, most visitors are going to stream into the Old City where plenty of events are taking place. Among others, the free trips organized by Yeshivat ATERET COHANIM. The Yeshiva students will take you through the Arab and Christian Quarter of the Old City in order to show you where Ateret Cohanim bought houses from Arabs and turned the property into Jewish homes. Today there are quite a few religious Jews living in the middle of the Arab and Christian Quarter. Protected by private security companies as well as the Israeli Border Police. 

Those trips are in HEBREW only !





Sukkot is a holiday where Israelis love to make nature trips. Thus the Dead Sea, the beaches at the Mediterranean and nature parks are going to be crowded. Shopping Malls offer many attractions to the kids and the entire country is enjoying the Chag. 

Religious Jews are drawn to Mea Shearim where almost every night, the huge Simchat Beit Ha'Shoeva celebrations are taking place. Many Synagogues are closed to the wider public, as the members take up all the space during Sukkot. However, there are still places where everyone can go. Squeezed in but, at least, something.   
I thought about going up north for a few days but because everything is just packed with people, I decided to stay at home in Jerusalem. I will rather go to the Old City and Mea Shearim, take pictures and make a few videos instead of squeezing myself into the endless crowds for 24 hours a day.:-)

Link:

Trip with "Ateret Cohanim"

MOADIM le'SIMCHA - A great Sukkot to all of you !

THE JEWS - "People of the Book"

In front of a Jewish religious bookstore in Mea Shearim / Jerusalem.

Photo: Miriam Woelke

Chag Sameach !!!

Seen in Jerusalem

Copyright / Photo: Miriam Woelke

Sukkot Forecast

B"H

Sukkot is starting tonight and I just bought my Lulav and Etrog. Everything is ready for the Chag. Being in Jerusalem on Sukkot is just great and in order to transfer the tremendous Jerusalem Yom Tov atmosphere to the Diaspora Jewry, I am going to put lots of pictures and videos into this blog. From the BIRKAT HA'COHANIM to Mea Shearim. 

Apropos Mea Shearim, this year there won't be a gender separation in Mea Shearim Street but many chassidic groups won't let any outsiders participating in the Simchat Beit Ha'Shoeva celebrations. The reason is very simple: Mea Shearim will be flooded with Jewish visitors over the Chag and if all Synagogues let in everybody, there wouldn't be space for the chassidic group members anymore. 

Here, for instance, is the announcement of Toldot Aharon not to let outsiders participating in the Simchat Beit Ha'Shoeva:

Seen in Mea Shearim

Photo: Miriam Woelke

Last Thursday night, I participated in a Hachnasat Sefer Torah at the Chabad House in Rehavia (Jerusalem). The local Shaliach there is Rabbi Israel Goldberg. It was a great celebrations and I am going to put lots of pictures as well as a few videos into the blog in the course of this week. 

Hachnasat Sefer Torah in Chabad - Rehavia

Photo: Miriam Woelke

One of the ARBA MINIM markets in Jerusalem. I am going to publish more photos as well as a video !

And, of course, the Simchat Beit Ha'Shoeva celebrations in Mea Shearim will be a huge subject. 

Photo: Miriam Woelke

I haven't seen it in years. I think the last time may have been back in 1996 or 1997. The weather forecast for Sukkot includes RAIN. It already started raining last night and despite the heat of 33 degrees Celsius, winter is slowly crawling in.:-)

The Talmud states that rain on Sukkot is a bad sign but there is also a Machloket. I just hope that the weather is finally cooling down and we actually do need plenty of rain. 

Have a great Chag, Chag Sameach and Git Yom Tev !!!

Photos: "Mea Shearim after Rosh Hashana"

B"H

So, how was my Rosh Hashana ? Awful, as I had caught a flue virus. It all started a day before Rosh Hashana. Suddenly I felt a pain in my throat and then fever and a cough came along. Now I am still coughing and sneezing all the time but my condition is improving. At least, the fever seems to be gone.

I was staying at home and hardly did anything but rest. Now am trying to concentrate on Yom Kippur and to overcome my demand for medication and tissues.:-)

I had something to do in Mea Shearim this morning and took a few photos on the way. Here is the result:

Kapparot Announcement

It seems as if the Sukkah building is starting earlier every year. I remember that more than 13 years ago, most Jerusalemites (incl. Haredim) started building their Sukkah on Mozzae'i Yom Kippur. This year, however, plenty of Sukkot are almost finished. Not only in Mea Shearim but also in secular parts of town.

Sukkah in Yoel Street (Mea Shearim)

Kikar Supnik and Dushinsky building a gigantic Sukkah

Balcony Sukkah in Mea Shearim Street / Jerusalem

Chassidut Gur (Ger) seemed to have had a wild Rosh Hashana Se'udah and apparently dumped all the trash on the pavement across their Beit Midrash in Ge'ulah.

The Sukkah of Chassidut Gur in Sefat Emet Street

Photos: Miriam Woelke

Rosh Hashana in Jerusalem

B"H

This morning, I walked around in Mea Shearim and Ge'ulah, did some shopping but was also looking for a bit of Rosh Hashana atmosphere. What I found was mainly a Sukkot atmosphere, as many shops have already started offering Sukkah decoration.

A Rosh Hashana taste from Jerusalem

Rosh Hashana Chocolate at Cafe AROMA

Seen in Ge'ulah

Sukkah decoration in Mea Shearim

In Mea Shearim

Photos: Miriam Woelke

Business as usual at the OR HA'CHAIM bookstore in Mea Shearim

B"H

Do you still remember the dispute between the Or Ha'Chaim bookstore in Mea Shearim and some local Sikarikim ? The bookstore underwent a ban and its door was smashed. 

Since the beginning of opening the branch, Or Ha'Chaim started quite successfully. They sell Hebrew and English Sifrei Koidesh and I also went buying books a couple of times. Most of the other bookstores in the area either don't sell English books at all or they only offer a limited variety. Or Ha'Chaim, on the other hand, has anything and it should be a great source for any English speaking Yeshiva student. 

Among other things, the Sikarikim once complained about the missing Zniut inside the store as well as the English books. Most of the Sikarikim don't know any English and thus suspected the English Sifrei Koidesh to be too Zioini (Zionist). Afterwards I heard that Or Ha'Chaim eventually made an agreement and when I went to the store today, I was curious to find any changes. 

The truth is that the store itself is still the same and no one seems to complain anymore. Lots of books in English and Hebrew. Artscroll Siddurim, Machzorim, Selichot, whatever you want. Furthermore anything else such as Gerald Schroeder, Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan z"l, Rabbi Me'ir Kahane z"l, women's issues, history books, Halacha, Torah, Talmud, Rabbi's biographies and Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik which I bought today. What you don't find at Or Ha'Chaim and what I don't miss anyway, books by and about Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. The hippie Rabbi looking for more and more female "secretaries" is not my cup of tea at all. I once heard that when Reb Shlomo came out of a Mea Shearim bookstore (not Or Ha'Chaim) some locals spit on him. I am not saying that this was right but I am simply not a Carlebacher !

As usual, English Sifrei Koidesh are much more expensive than Hebrew books and normally I do buy everything in Hebrew. However, it is nice having some great books in English too, but purchasing those books is an investment. 

When I went to the till, I noticed that there is a kind of gender separation while waiting to pay. This didn't bother me at all and I stood in line together with another woman. When I go there, I want to buy good books and I don't care where I have to stand. Not as long as I am getting the books I want. 

Today, the store was busy and I even spotted out some Toldot Aharon or Toldot Avraham Yitzchak Chassidim as customers. 

Mea Shearim Street towards the "Or Ha'Chaim" bookstore.

  

Or Ha'Chaim from the inside

Copyright / Photos: Miriam Woelke

Links: 

Sikarikim destroyed windows of bookstore OR HA'CHAIM in Mea Shearim

Or Ha'chaim bookstore made an agreement

Mea Shearim against the InterCHET

Kikar Davidka / Jerusalem

Photo: Miriam Woelke

B"H

It had been a year since I last visited some of my Mea Shearim friends. Too long and, in a way, I was glad to be back at the Batei Ungarin last night. The "Batei Ungarin - Hungarian Houses" are one of the backyards in this ultra - Orthodox neighbourhood in Jerusalem. It was great seeing all the Streimeles after living in Tel Aviv for a longer period of time. Schabbes atmosphere and probably hundreds of kids playing outside until their fathers were returning from "Kabbalat Shabbat" at the Synagogues. Then Kiddush is being made and the food comes out.

My friends (whose chassidic group I rather don't mention) were happy to see me back and so was I. The backyard mostly consists of Satmar, Neturei Karta, Toldot Aharon, Toldot Aharon Yitzchak and similar inhabitants. My friends had most of their children and grandchildren over for Shabbat and it was crowded. Men and women sitting separately in two different rooms. This procedure is always being carried out as soon as there are strangers in the house. When the family is alone, they all sit together without any gender separation. 

And, as expected, one of the subjects last night was the Internet. In fact, my friends call it the "InterCHET". CHET in Hebrew means SIN or ONE MISSED THE GOAL (meaning he acted against the Torah or Halacha). I was told that Mea Shearim is having another gathering against the Internet use. 

Of course, we had this huge discussion and almost the entire family spoke against the WWW. I said that not everything on the net is bad and one of the daughters actually works in an office with secular Jews. She has Internet access and we both stressed that there are many good things about the Internet. 

However, this didn't help and my friends simply didn't see any use for such an invention. Men would just get negative ideas and no one needed the Internet in the past. Why now and for what ?

Each of us stuck to his position and Mea Shearim will keep on fighting all those iPhones, Androids and WWW connections in order to protect its youth.

Pessach Preparations in Jerusalem

B"H

I spent a few hours in Jerusalem this morning. Shopping and taking pictures showing some Pessach atmosphere. An atmosphere, we don't really have in Tel Aviv.

Pessach shopping at the Machane Yehudah Market.

Nut cookies which are only being sold before and during Pessach. Kidniyot for Ashkenazi Jews but Sephardi Jews eat them. I love them and wish they would be sold throughout the year.

Those coconut cookies are free of Kidniyot. I personally cannot stand them because they are dry and have a soapy taste.

Mazzot variety at the Machane Yehudah Market

Many families only eat handmade Mazzot at the Seder night. The reason is that those Mazzot are quite expensive and not everybody can afford them. On the other days, most Jews eat machine - made Mazzot.

 Selling of the Chametz (Mechirat Chametz) in Machzike'i HaDa'at.

Every Jew should have a Seder and sufficient food. A haredi charity organization is offering help.

Kikar Shabbat this morning. 

Copyright / Photos: Miriam Woelke

Picture of the Day

Seen at the Mea Shearim - Ge'ulah junction. Both neighbourhoods are entirely haredi. The "deleted" direction in the middle says TEL AVIV.:-)

Photo: Miriam Woelke

Pessach Preparations in Mea Shearim

Last Friday: Snow in Mea Shearim

All photos HERE !

Tonight in Mea Shearim ...

Mass demonstration against the ongoing secular media propaganda towards haredi society

I don't see it as appropriate letting children participate in the demonstration. And especially not in the form of victims with stars from the Third Reich !

More Photos HERE !

“Your father married a Schickse ?”

B”H  

About 15 years ago, I got to know a young woman from a European German speaking country who was visiting Israel. I met her, more or less, by accident and she told me that her father was Jewish but her mother wasn’t. As everyone notices, the young woman was not Jewish, as her mother wasn’t. 

As a matter of fact, A. came to Israel in order to go to a Beit Din and convert. She had participated in an Orthodox conversion course in her country of origin and wanted to finish her process in Israel. I, on the other hand, was in my outreach mood and asked her if she wants to come to friends of mine in Mea Shearim. Chassidim she can communicate with, as their Yiddish was more German sounding than Yiddish. A. was happy getting such an opportunity. “Wow, a Shabbat meal in Mea Shearim. That’s something !” 

A. had a good job in her country of origin and was an academic. However, she was handicapped because she had a crippled hand. It is very hard to explain but I knew in advance that Mea Shearim would stare at her hand. Nevertheless, I took A. to the promised Shabbat meal and hoped that everything goes fine. Our host family was happy to see her but their eyes caught the crippled hand. No one said anything but people usually do stare. 

A. told our hostess about her upcoming Beit Din and that her father was Jewish but had married a Gentile woman. “Your father married a Schickse ?” The hostess was shocked. At the same moment she looked at the crippled hand and I immediately guessed what went on in the mind of the hostess. Apparently A. had the same guess and when we left she announced that she would never go there again. Not to Mea Shearim and not to any further ultra – Orthodox family. On our way back I was busy trying to explain and calm down emotions but, in the end, I didn’t succeed. A. passed the Beit Din, went back to her country of origin and I have never seen her since. 

What really bothered me personally was that A., due to the remark about her mother, accused all Israelis of being rude and not only Mea Shearim. “She would never make Aliyah but rather stay in her own country”. I always see it like “Some people fit into Israel and others don’t. No matter what”. A. neither fit nor made any attempt to change his status. She came, passed and went back to her country where she feels at home. She doesn’t see Israel as her place and I don’t think that this is only because of her being handicapped. Israel is just not her world but, hopefully, her approach may have changed in the course of time.

Not everyone is a "Taliban" Woman

B”H

The Israeli – haredi ” Site “Kikar Shabbat” is pointing out that our secular press is jumping onto the so - called Jewish “Taliban” Women in a way that no journalist seems to care about honesty and research anymore. Every one of them is running after headlines and wants to sell his article for as much money as he can. 

Usually the secular press tells us that the "Taliban" women are stupid, totally nuts and complete weirdoes. If not insane. But be careful: Mea Shearim has plenty of women wearing a shawl or extremely modest clothes but have nothing to do with the "Taliban" movement itself. I, for example, know such women from the Toldot Aharon, the Toldot Avraham Yitzchak, the Mishkenot Ha'Roim or the original Yerushalmim.

A young women from Mea Shearim / Jerusalem who has nothing to do with the "Taliban" Movement.

The young woman on the photo looks like a friend of mine dressing the same way. The first time we met was about three years ago through friends of mine in Mea Shearim. It turned out that A. (as I am calling her here) comes from South America, converted to Judaism and now lives with her husband and son in Mea Shearim. The couple joined one of the old Yerushalmi groups. Not an extreme group but a moderate split - off.  With friends and A., I went to the house of the Toldot Aharon Rebbitzen and, from time to time, we meet A. when she is returning to her home from the Synagogue on Shabbat.

For a long time, I have been planning an interview with A. because I am curious how a young woman from the outside is able to undergo such a change. Not a conversion but joining such a chassidic group and especially dressing in such a modest way. I need to add that A.'s group doesn't demand that kind of dress at all but A. does it because she wants to dress this way.  However, A. has left a great impression on us. She seems to be so happy with her life and lifestyle. It amazes us and because we can hardly believe it, we are curious how she is able to do manage all that.

So far, I haven't had the guts asking A. for an interview. Once I phoned her and asked her another question and the answer included the sentence that she has to ask her husband first. This was it: Ask her husband first. What if she, again, has to ask her husband first ? I guess I know his answer, as I spoke to him on the phone once where he left an extremely religious impression on me. Nevertheless, I will find an opportunity asking A. and hope she agrees. I would never mention her real name nor the chassidic group the small family joined but just ask how she deals with the daily Mea Shearim life.

The Cops returned to Mea Shearim

B"H

Egged buses returned passing Rehov Mea Shearim and in order to prevent further bus stonings, the police sent a few of its detectives in order to watch the locals. 

See the cops in the background.

I am just wondering what kind of people our police employs. I wouldn't even accept these guys for a job in construction work. No wonder our country is falling apart. Aren't there any more educated looking detectives than those on the photo ?

Also watch video on http://www.kikarhashabat.co.il/%D7%9E%D7%94%D7%95%D7%9E%D7%94-%D7%91%D7%A9%D7%9B%D7%95%D7%A0%D7%94-%D7%A8%D7%95%D7%A6%D7%97%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%A0%D7%90%D7%A6%D7%99%D7%9D-%D7%AA%D7%A1%D7%AA%D7%9C.html

Toldot Aharon, GEVALT - Israeli TV Documentaries

I assume that Shmuel Pappenheim was born in Jerusalem but his grandparents originally came from Munich / Germany. Once I met one of his female family members and was told that the family comes from Germany. I started asking myself why German Jews got involved with the Toldot Aharon after the Second World War. Hopefully I will meet Shmuel Pappenheim's relative again and will find time to ask her. 

For those of you who would like to watch more on the Toldot Aharon 

The Edah HaCharedit demonstrating at the house of Yoelish Kroisz

B"H

Everyone ready for a great laugh ? Then watch the video in this article. Last night, the Edah HaCharedit was demonstrating in front of the house of the local Mea Shearim Neturei Karta leader Yoelish Kroisz. Reason: Kroisz supports the Jewish "Taliban" women who the Israeli press calls "Women with the Shawls". 

I think it is very funny seeing Mrs Kroisz throwing water at the demonstrators. And, by the way, who is Yoelish calling on his cellphone ? The Zionist police ?

The entrance to his Beit Midrash shows some security guys without Kipot and some are hiding their faces. Police or a private security service ?