Secular Jews disturbing Mea Shearim Schabbes

B"H

The haredi news site "Kikar Shabbat" is telling us about an incident happening in ultra - Orthodox Mea Shearim / Jerusalem last Shabbat. Several secular Jews entered the neighbourhood and started a demonstration for the "Freedom of Jerusalem".

I can just imagine the type of secular Jews starting such a fuss. Knowing nothing about Judaism, voting for MERETZ - the extreme left and supporting a Palestinian state. Some may put this type of fanatic self - hating Jews into the "Erev Rav" category.

I don't know for how long some Haredim have been demonstrating in front of the Karta parking lot near Jaffa Gate / Jerusalem. The parking lot as well as the nearby Mamilla shopping mall should remain closed on Shabbat. Now some extreme secular Jews turned the demonstrations around and marched to Mea Shearim. But not only demonstrating. Obviously many of the demonstrators didn't dress too modestly in order to provoke the haredi population. Although the Mea Shearim inhabitants got the police in, the demonstrators were not banned from the area.

Its a kind of funny imagining all those seculars entering Mea Shearim on a Schabbes. I assume that the local kids had something to stare at. Maybe their mothers pushed them inside the house due to a bunch of immodest people.

I don't think that too many locals were bothering around with the small demonstration, as the Shabbat has its own rules and life. You sit inside, make Kiddush, eat, talk to the family, relatives or friends and don't care about what is going on outside except for the next Shiur or afternoon nap.

Shabbat Shalom

Tel Aviv Beach Promenade

Photo: Miriam Woelke

B"H

A maybe "unholy" picture in between. The Tel Aviv beach and you can see how many Israelis are going to spend this Shabbat HaGadol). Sunshine, 24 degrees Celsius = beach time. 

Secularism does bother me but let me tell you: There is something far worse.

This morning I overheard the following conversation between two tourists:

First Tourist: "Are you Jewish ?"

Second Tourist (girl from California): "Well, my father is Jewish, my mother is not".

First Tourist: "Do you feel more Jewish or more Christian ?"

Second Tourist: "In Israel I would have to convert in order to be Jewish. I do feel a kind of Jewish but I really wanna be in Jerusalem for Good Friday".

What I am trying to say is that many secular Jews only marry Jews. One of the worst things, however, is intermarriage. Look how your children are going to be when they want to be with other Christian in Jerusalem worshipping idols on Good Friday. 

Is it this why G - d brought us out of Egypt ? In order to run into another Egypt with a Gentile spouse ?

"Shabbat Shalom - Gut Schabbes !"

Israel's extreme Left against the Eruv

B"H

Extreme left - wing activists have intentionally damaged the Eruv around the Maccabim - Re'ut settlement near Modi'in / Kiryat Sefer. 

I could hardly believe what I just read on the Israeli haredi news site "Kikar Shabbat":

How sick must one's mind be hating religious Jews so much that a person climbs up a ladder in order to damage an Eruv and cause halachic harm to the religious population on Shabbat. How sick must this secular mind be and I dare to claim that such kind of Jews would even help Hitler's death machinery today.

There have always been Jewish traitors and the kabbalistic question coming up is whether they are real Jews or just an offspring of the Erev Rav.

Secular Jews touring Haredi Neighbourhoods

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Israel's secular press is, as we all know, not too friendly towards the haredi population. Publishing a real negative juicy article about a Haredi molesting a child, abusing his family, about Mother Taliban and her Baalei Teshuva Breslov freaks (Elior Chen) and even the Mea Shearim abusive mother from Toldot Aharon is more than popular. Today it is Eli Yishai, tomorrow it is Chabad or Satmar. This, however, attracts plenty of readers and not only the Israeli press has dicovered such headlines. Now the German press is following suit. The Germans who killed hundreds of thousands of Chassidim in the Holocaust still hate frum Jews. Haredi Jews who wear these "funny" clothes and these strange "fur hats". Just recently the German magazine "Der Spiegel" published a hate article about the religious Jews in Zfat and their resistance against the Arabs who run after Jewish girls and try renting apartments in town.

Because of the constant negative press, the haredi world should do some public relation and don't let secular leftist Jews destroy their reputation. J have had the experience that actually many seculars are interested in the haredi world and would love to know more. But where do you learn details about haredi, in particular chassidic, history or customs ? In fact, there are some peoples offering tours. Calling themselves lecturers or researchers and showing off with "knowing" the haredi world in detail. Mostly those "experienced" people only read books and Wikipedia but have never been an active part of haredi society itself. Personally, I think it is more than important to have been part of society in order to teach about it. Simply because the lecturer needs the feeling. You need to feel Chassidut, haredi atmosphere and life. You have to breathe it. Otherwise it doesn't work telling people about a world you have never been part of. An astronaut would tell the greatest stories about being in space but what would I say about space ? Maybe just sound like an enyclopedia but missing the whole point and enthusiasm.

Now Chabad is supporting a new initiative for showing seculars around haredi neighbourhoods. Taking them to Tishes and so on. I think the idea is great, as a Haredi showing people around always works better. Nevertheless, when I hear "Chabad is showing around", I immediately think of CHABAD. Chabad ideology and here comes my stigma: Most Chabadnikim only know about Chabad but nothing about other chassidic groups. Although, lately, I did meet some Chabadnikim who even knew about Munkatch or Koznitz.
The article also mentions haredi families providing Shabbat hospitality for secular tour groups. I just wonder what kind of families do this. For tour groups ?
I have never come across this in Mea Shearim and only know families who invite a certain kind of people. Mostly other Frummies, Yeshiva people or their friends and neighbours.

Years ago, there was a family in Mea Shearim inviting tour groups even for this reason: To show the secular world that Mea Shearim is not a fundamentalist abyss. I know the guy who did this and in Mea Shearim he is very well known for his kindness and hospitality. He was born into Breslov but now is a Toldot Avraham Yitzchak Chassid. A few months ago I spoke to him and he told me that he had to stop the "hospitality business" due to his neighbours. First a few secular Israelis came to his house in the Mea Shearim market. Then people started bringing their friends and then whole tour buses rolled in on Erev Shabbat. The groups didn't care about Shabbat and parked their bus nearby in HaNevi'im Street. This behaviour drove the Chassid's neighbours wild and they demonstrated in front of his house. This way, the seculars destroyed the opportunity of getting to know Mea Shearim.

The truth is that even when someone offers tours, the seculars will always be limited in getting to know the haredi world. Showing up in tours is always a disadvantage and usually you have more success by going alone.

Scapegoats

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I couldn't believe my eyes this morning when I read an article on YNET stating that the secular Israeli press sends out hatred about haredi society. Especially YNET which is actually one of the most secular papers but still more moderate than Haaretz.
Most articles in the secular press are full of hatred and extremely cynical when it comes to the Jewish Orthodox world. Not only Haredim are being constantly attacked but the national religious as well; let alone the religious settler movement. The latter have been tremendously under attack since Ex - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided to disengage Gush Katif. Then the real media hunt after the settlers began.

Today (and then) we know (knew) that this kind of spreading hatred is destructive to our Israeli Jewish society. There is no need for the most secular person in the Tel Aviv area hating his Jewish fellow in the Shomron (Samaria) or elsewhere. The secular media caused a huge Chilul HaShem (desecration of G - d's name) without any limits. The result was that the Gentile foreign press started doing the same. For them, religious Jews are nothing more than ancient garbage and finally they could jump on those Jews by referring to Israeli Jewish sources.

On the other hand, not only many secular are prejudiced towards Haredim - also the Haredim themselves don't cut back their own prejudices towards the non - religious Jewish world.

Today, our great challenge seems to be to reunite these two separate worlds and maybe we shouldn't wait doing so until the Meshiach finally shows up.

However, this morning, I was facing another scene of "hatred" or let's rather call it "misunderstanding":

I was still at the bakery and having a cup of coffee when a young American black hat Yeshiva guy walks in. He bought something and while paying, he emphasized that he is a student in order to get a cheaper price.

Our manager asked him what student he is and the black hat said: "Yeshiva". The manager, on the other hand, made it clear that he wanted to see a student card and additionally asked if he (the black hat) had served in the Israeli army. The black hat said NO but, at the same moment, was offended and felt discriminated.
Obviously the Yeshiva had indoctrinated him that there are strange secular Israelis who always claim that the "lazy" Haredim don't go to the army and are parasites anyway.

Our manager insisted on seeing a student card and the black hat was about to start a discrimination discussion but gave up due to his poor knowledge of Hebrew.

I said to the manager that now the guy is walking out and telling all Haredim how disgusting and bad the secular are. He didn't get the message that the whole fuss was about a student card and not about the army. Nevertheless, the black hat just heard and interpreted what his prejudiced world expected him to do.

Instead of listening carefully and showing up more open minded, many of us just don't acknowledge the other side anymore.