Haredi population joining the Student Protest

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Real estate prices have been skyrocketing and, in case you are looking for an apartment to rent in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem or other places, your search will be endless. In particular, when you are looking for an affordable place to live. A reasonable place and not a dump.

Almost a week ago, university students started their protest and built a tent village in the middle of Tel Aviv’s posh Rothschild Boulevard. Setting up tents as a protest has a long tradition in Israeli society and this has been taking places many times. Sometimes without much success but, at least, people did something. 

The students at Rothschild Boulevard get thousands of visitors every day and the goal is to make the government decide to agree building thousands of new affordable apartments immediately. Not only luxury apartments for the rich, as it has been taking place in the past years. 

Now haredi society is joining the protest and some members will set up tents in the haredi town of El’ad today. Further tent villages are being set up all over Israel. Today also in Afula. Some students set up their tents in Jerusalem’s Sacher Park (across the Ministry of Finance). Yesterday a second tent village was set up near the capital’s Old City, at Kikar Zahal. The police tried to send the students away and thus avoid a tent village near the Old City. When I read this I thought of security reasons, as the place is near East Jerusalem. But you know what the cop’s reason was. It is so ridiculous: The tent protest would bother tourists !

 The tent protest near Jerusalem's Old City.

 Photo: Kikar Shabbat

Can you believe that ? What do I care about tourists ? Our country has huge problems and we live here ? What do I care if a tourists sees nice sights in Israel ? We already have too many tourists in Tel Aviv drinking, making a mess, screaming in the streets at night. Even Tel Aviv inhabitants complain about the masses of tourists and many of the visitors behaving like animals. So, what do I care what a tourist thinks ? 

The tent protest in Rothschild Boulevard / Tel Aviv

 Photos: Miriam Woelke  

Photos from the Student Protest against skyrocketing Rents in Tel Aviv

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Slowly Israel's population has had enough of skyrocketing prices: Food, electricity, water or rent - anything is becoming so expensive that more and more people are unable to make a normal living. A few weeks ago, a Haredi from Bnei Brak started a group on Facebook boycotting the famous cottage cheese. What no one expected: The group had thousands of followers and was becoming influencial. In the end, Israeli cottage cheese producers were forced to reduce the price. At least for the time being.

Some days ago, Tel Aviv's students started a tent demonstration on posh Rothschild Boulevard. Today I went to take photos and found approx. 100 tents in front of Tel Aviv's famous theatre "HaBimah".
Costs of living are extremely high in Israel. Especially when you have a lower income. Then you start thinking twice of what you can afford. Landlords in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and further places have become incredibly greedy. They see that there is a demand and, as long as people are paying, nothing is going to change. 

The students started the tent demonstration and receive plenty of positive responses from the local population. Nearby restaurants donate food, the press is around 24 hours a day, famous Israeli pop singers perform and everything has been looking like a huge barbecue party rather than a demonstration. 

I have witnessed plenty of such tent demonstrations. The biggest were the protests from the poor for the poor. The "Black Panthers - HaPanterim" in the seventies and eight years ago, Vicky Knafo and Israel Twito (Israel Twito died a few years ago) started further demonstrations. Especially Twito was known for his demonstrations at Tel Aviv's posh place "Kikar HaMedinah" which he renamed into "Kikar HaLechem - Bread Square". The Twito as well as the Knafo demonstration have a long history and, in the end, Vicky Knafo was more interested in becoming famous and collecting all the rights and wealth for herself rather than working together with the other members of her protest. Eventually the demonstration in front of the Knesset gave up and Knafo went back to her home in Mitzpe Ramon. 

This is what Israel's press is waiting for. So far, the protesting students are still in a good mood and everything looks like a summer camp adventure. However, lets see when the first disputes begin because too many organizations want to take over and gain control. 

Nevertheless, here are a few impressions from today:

 Rothschild Boulevard: The street to the left and right and the center looks like a park. 

The information desk

Thousands of visitors have been coming and going.

Suddenly everyone works together: Religious and secular.

The media

Copyright / Photos: Miriam Woelke

What do the protestors want: The government has to build new housing affordable housing for students and interfere into the rent policies of greedy landlords. No one is expecting miracles and we all know that prices will continue to rise.

Secular Jews and Gentiles using a religious Jewish Library

"Sifriat HaRAMBAM - Rambam Library" at "Beit Ariella", Tel Aviv.

Photo: Miriam Woelke

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For far more than ten years, the "Jewish National Library" in Jerusalem used to be my "second home". If I could, I would have moved right in. First of all, I love books and, secondly, I am addicted to religious books and have a Beit Midrash - like collection. Talmud editions, Torah, commentaries, Rambam, Arizal, Ramchal, anything you want. 

The negative side of using the "National Library" in Jerusalem is seeing many secular Jews (e.g. professors from the HebrewU) using religious books. Not for positive purposes but to proof that Judaism is an ancient invention. What really went on my nerves are all those Gentiles creeping around. Christian theology students from Germany, for instance, who keep on looking for a proof that the Jew J. is the Meshiach and that the Jews are wrong. When I was at the "National Library" last week, I overheard a conversation between two German Christians who were eager writing about anti - Zionism by using books from Israeli professors. Without going into real sources or talking to any anti - Zionist Rabbi. And we all know what the result will be: False reports about a certain branch in Judaism told by German non - Jews !

Since I have moved to Tel Aviv, I am using the local library at the "Beit Ariella" building. In particular, the "Rambam Hall". There you find the opposite: Mainly Jews (plenty of them are religious) using the books. Of course, there are secular Jews entering as well but you don't have any eager professors running around (as in Jerusalem) and showing off with their latest publications. In "Beit Ariella", people sit quietly and actually work instead of running around like a peacock. 

The "Rambam Hall" is run by two national religious librarians and they pay attention who is entering. Now they even put a sign next to the entrance door (see photo on top):

People entering the "Rambam Hall" should wear modest clothes !

This is a wise decision, as too many women enter religious libraries who are hardly dressed. 

Pieced of advice: Those of you who live in Tel Aviv and are interested in Halacha - The "Rambam Hall" has the greatest halachic collection I have ever seen !

Arabs against Jews in Zfat (Northern Israel)

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At the moment, it seems rather quiet in Zfat (Safed) / northern Israel but the tensions are still around. Not only since the letter of those Rabbis who ban renting out property to Arabs, the subject of "Arabs moving into Jewish neighbourhoods" has been on top of the agenda. 

For instance, I can tell you about an incident happening in Tiberias just two days ago where Arabs went into a place, took out a knife and demanded Jewish girls. The owner of the place had a security camera and was about to call the police when the Arabs run away. FORCE - this is how to respond to Israeli Arabs and then they run as fast as they can !

A few times I have written about the tensions in the small town of Zfat who once used to be a completely Jewish place. Just look at all the great Kabbalists from the Middle Ages. Arabs have absolutely nothing to do in Zfat !

Links:

Riots in Zfat

More about the Riots

However, last week I made some photos in the area of the "famous" academy which claims that more Jews are studying there than Arabs. I am not so convinced because when you look at who is coming out and going in, you will be confronted with an Arab majority.

Above and below: The Jewish Academy in Zfat is, unfortunately, attracting too many Arabs from the northern area. Especially from the Arab villages nearby.

Just around the corner, in HA'ARI Street, we find a huge Chabad Yeshiva. The Yeshiva is located right across the dormitories of the Academy. Dormitories where mostly Arabs live and they turn on their loud Arab music. Especially on Erev Shabbat and obviously in order to disturb the religious neighbours. The Yeshiva students went over in order to complain but the Arabs just showed them the finger.

 Photos: Miriam Woelke

Doctor Toldot Aharon ?

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Various people have told me to think about writing a Doctorat in order to gain an academic title about chassidic groups or the haredi world. I would write so much anyway and if I put all kinds of information and social subjects together, I could strive for a PhD or whatever it is called.


A long time ago I decided not to do so. I don't want a secular Jewish professor telling me what and how to write anything about Chassidut or haredi society. How does he know the subject and even if, an academic always considers everything from an academic point of view.


I am not a chassidic academic and don't intend to be one. What I do is trying to live this lifestyle and not researching it. A researcher works like "Give me the information so that I can sell it to the public. Provide me with the information now ! Tell me what clothes you wear and when you shave your hair (chassidic women) because I want to make money and become famous. Tell me everything and then F… Off !"


More than two years ago, I had a huge fight on the phone with a Israeli woman who had made her Doctorat in Sociology. Her name is Sima Zalcberg and she had investigated Chassidut Toldot Aharon.


I phoned her up after reading her script at a public library and asked her if she is still in touch with the Toldot Aharon families she interviewed or whether she just dumped them after finishing her PhD. How could she call the Toldot Aharon members "objects" in her manuscript ? I told her that people are people and not "objects". First she yelled at me and accused me a few times of being a Toldot Aharon member or spy. Then she admitted that, after her Doctorat, she stayed away and now she is busy with something else.


Sima Zalcberg got most of her information by not telling the full truth to the TA members and, this way, she smuggled herself into some families. Especially when she spoke to the Rebbitzen and told her that she is considering becoming religious but, at the same moment, hid from her that she is writing her PhD. about the Toldot Aharon women.


This is just a brief example of why I don't want have anything to do with academics. For them, haredi society is simply a study object and a way of becoming famous and making money. Researches and academics are not interested in chassidic lifestyle or ideologies but rather in gossip in order to impress secular Jews in some lectures. The secular are easy to impress when you list this and that group and tell them the name of the Rebbe. But what do researchers actually know ? Have they ever been part of religious or haredi society ?


In my opinion, one can only write about the subject when he or she is or has been a society member. If someone studied with Chassidim for some years. When he is breathing Chassidut and lives it. Someone has to experience it in a honest way and not with all kinds of academic thoughts and the "I want to be famous" idea in the head.


Although I have lived in haredi society and left after some years, I am still trying to find my way and some of my chassidic friends don't give up bringing me back onto the "path". I still haven't made up my mind but try to learn something from the issuesI write about. My chassidic friends are my friends and not my objects. They told me many personal things and I know their families. Private matters I would never ever write about.


As a matter of fact, I would never call myself a specialist because I am not and this is not my goal at anyway. My goal is rather to improve my religious ways and not to pull information out of people in order to publish everything behind their backs.


No one from the outside will ever be a specialist on Chassidut or chassidic society but only the Chassidim themselves !