The Toldot Aharon and a missing Mechitzah

Sukkot 5772 / 2011: No gender separation in Mea Shearim Street.

Photo: Miriam Woelke

B"H

This year, the Toldot Aharon were not allowed to set up a gender separation (Mechitzah) in Mea Shearim Street as well as in the market nearby. All the years before on Sukkot, the road had been devided by a fence wrapped in a kind of plastic folie or curtain. 

It was Israel's Supreme Court not allowing any further gender separation during Sukkot. The Toldot Aharon are upset but don't care too much about the "Zionist" court decision. The group's speaker, Rabbi Shmuel Pappenheim, stated in an interview that the Toldot Aharon do set up a Mechitzah around their own Beit Midrash and don't care whether the Supreme Court has anything to complain about that.

I had expected it but was still disappointed when I saw the proof: As in the year before, strangers where not allowed into the Ezrat Nashim (women's side) of the Toldot Aharon Synagogue during the Simchat Beit HaSho'eva celebrations. Me and a friend accompanying me already thought about dressing up as TA and just say WOS WOS all the time. :-)

Here the poster telling women who are not Toldot Aharon not to come to their Beit Midrash during Sukkot

Photo: Miriam Woelke

Let me tell you one more thing: Sukkot in Mea Shearim without the crazy Mechitzah and the modesty bridge is just not the same fun !!!

Gilad Shalid is back home

B"H

I don't think that the day can end without saying something about the release of Gilad Shalit. It was such a big issue in Israel and the media didn't stop reporting for one minute. Whoever could was watching the live reports about Gilad returning to Israel. Despite all discussions about freeing 1027 terrorists (about 450 today, the rest will follow soon), it was great and heartbreaking seeing Gilad Shalit alive. Israeli officials were already glad seeing him standing on two legs although he looked weak and pale. His father Noam said later on, that Gilad is lacking Vitamin D due to his captivity.

When we watched Gilad Shalit entering Israel, we forgot about all those murderers and terrorists celebrating in Gaza, Ramallah, East Jerusalem or Umm - al - Fachem. Israel is a small country and in certain situations we all feel like a family. Today the lost son came home but we cannot deny the feeling that the future will bring us more terrorists and further victims. The terrorists announced that they will continue their ways of terror and Hamas is ready to kidnap more Israeli soldiers and / or settlers in order to get many more of their murderous companions released.

Nevertheless, after all kinds of official talks and welcoming, this evening, Gilad Shalit landed at his home in Mitzpe Hila (northern Israel). His father, later on, gave a press conference where he stated that his son was held alone and had no one to talk to. At first, he was referred to as an enemy but, as time went by, his Hamas guards behaved towards him in a nicer way. 

Simchat Beit HaSho'eva and Hoshana Rabbah Night

B"H 

Tonight, Hoshana Rabbah is starting and we Jews have the custom of studying Torah through the entire night. I would love to do so but have to work tomorrow. However, I am going to write some blog posts and hope to get some Sukkot happiness from Jerusalem over to you. 

As I had announced on Sunday, I went to Jerusalem yesterday. To the Old City, the Kotel and Mea Shearim in the evening. Unfortunately, the Mea Shearim Simchat Beit HaSho'eva celebrations started a bit late and I couldn't enjoy too much, as my bus back to Tel Aviv was leaving. Furthermore, many chassidic groups announced that their Ezrat Nashim (women's side) would only be open to women of their own group. Due to missing space for everyone. When I went to the Neturei Karta Synagogue "Torah ve'Yira" we found out that even the NK only let in women with invitations.

The Neturei Karta Synagogue of Yoelish Kroisz.

Photo: Miriam Woelke

The hardest Mitzvah to keep

B”H 

Which one of the 613 Mitzvot is the hardest Mitzvah to keep ? 

The Vilna Gaon defines: 

The hardest Mitzvah to keep is the Mitzvah of being happy throughout all seven days of Sukkot. Who can be happy without a break when he is facing difficulties in his life ? Who then can push all problems aside and just be happy and enjoy the holiday ?

You & the World

" To the world you might be one person, but to one person you might be the world "

Killer - Express

Israel releasing 1027 Arab terrorists due to the "Shalit Deal". A bus load full of terrorists leaving jail.

Source: Arutz 7

Sukkot in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem's Old City

Photo: Miriam Woelke

Simchat Beit HaSho'eva in Jerusalem

Photo: Miriam Woelke
 

B"H 

Tomorrow (Monday) I am taking a bit off from blogging, as I am going on a trip to Jerusalem. Kotel (Western Wall), Old City, the tour with Yeshivat Ataret Cohanim and how they buy property from Arabs in order to turn it into something Jewish. 

It will be a busy day.:-))) 

Afterwards visitng a Rabbi in his Sukkah and then going with a friend to Mea Shearim where we get the real Sukkot feeling. Most chassidic Rebbes are holding their Simchat Beit HaSho'eva celebrations. The crowd is storming Mea Shearim and I have to see whether the most popular places, the Toldot Aharon as well as the Toldot Avraham Yitzchak, let in outsiders this Sukkot. Because it has been so packed in the years before, different chassidic groups stick to themselves and don't accept any outsiders during the Sukkot celebrations. 

Let us see if the traditional Mechitzah (gender separation) in Mea Shearim Street as well as in the local market also exists this year. The Mechitzah is run by the Toldot Aharon who want to show their stringency. 

I am going to make plenty of photos and put them into the blogs within the next few days. 

MOADIM LE'SIMCHA to everyone !!!

AZIZ SALHA - A Murder is being released

B”H

Bibi (Netanyahu) also releases me !

Aziz Salha – One of the participants in the lynch of the two reserve duty soldiers Vadim Nurzhitz und Yossi Avrahami. 

On 12 October 2000, the two Israeli soldiers Vadim Nurzhitz and Yossi Avrahami took the wrong turn and ended up at a Palestinian checkpoint outside Ramallah. They were arrested by Palestinian cops and taken to the local police station where they were brutally murdered by a Palestinian mob.

These days, hundreds of Palestinian terrorists with blood on their hands are being released in the “Gilad Shalit – Deal”. Among those murderers is Aziz Salha. On Tuesday, he will walk away as a free man.

 

A list with all kinds of news report about the lynch in Ramallah, including graphic pictures of the two lynched soldiers.

Axis of Terrorism: Iran, Hizbollah & Hamas

The HAMAS and its secrecy

Photo: Gaza Graffiti making fun of Gilad Shalit

B”H  

The News Site of the Lebanese terror organization Hizbollah, “Ma’an”, reports that Hamas is not willing to release any details about Gilad Shalit's location and circumstances of capture. Furthermore there are sources indicating that the Hamas wants to avoid any details released about Shalit's prisoner conditions. Everything is going to remain “top secret”. 

How is this going to work when Shalit himself could talk about his conditions and how he was able to survive ?  Unless Hamas is giving a hint here that Shalit is either dead or mentally gone and thus won't be able to provide any information. 

I cannot help myself but something stinks about the whole deal. Does Israel have any proof whether Shalit is alive or not ? The truth is that no one knows anything and only shortly before the actual exchange, the Red Cross will be allowed to meet him.

Lulav Market in Jerusalem, Part 2

B"H 

Here are the photos from PART 1:

http://shearim.blogspot.com/2011/10/lulav-market-in-jerusalem-part-1.html 

 Simchat Torah Preparations

  Kikar Shabbat - The border between Ge'ulah and Mea Shearim

Sukkah Decoration

Sukkot on Balconies

Photos: Miriam Woelke