Hazal Yellow Pages
Filed under: education, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, News, Politics, Religion
The email life brings interesting tidbits to one’s mailbox. This one came the other day, from the Masorti (Conservative) movement in Israel.
Depicting a page from the Yellow Pages, it says Workers at the top of the page and the acronym Hazal, which stands for Hachameinu Zichronom l’vracha, or Our Sages May Their Memory Be Blessed, and refers to all sages from the Mishnaic, Talmudic eras and other rabbinic commentators. The listings, are of many great Jewish sages, and their ‘day jobs’, which they all held. Under Tailors, there’s Abba Ben Zimna and Rabbi Yehuda; Rashi, Rabbi Hanina, Shamai and Rambam have their own ‘ads,’ as vineyard owner, shoemaker, builder and doctor, respectively. There’s Resh Lakish, the orchard guard, Rav Ada, the land surveyor, Rabbi Yossi, the maker of fish nets, and many others.
The concept behind this clever ad? Well, as the tagline reads: “Hazal Yellow Pages. If only today’s rabbis walked in the footsteps of the truly great ones.”
The ad is in response to the current yeshiva student stipend issue, the latest battle between Israel’s secular population and the powerful ultra Orthodox community, whose politicians Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is struggling to keep in his coalition. The ultra Orthodox community is small but growing rapidly, and shuns secular studies and service in the army and often does work, with the men continuing to study into their adulthood despite large families.
As a result, many Israelis greatly resent the Haredi or ultra Orthodox community, but Netanyahu has been looking for a way to pay a stipend to yeshiva students after the High Court barred a budget line that gave money to them. He needs the ultra Orthodox parties in his coalition in order to work his way through the Palestinian peace process, and this is one way to win their approval.
As for the rest of the Israeli population, it’s hard not to resent a community that lives off the state, without serving in the army or working for their own bread and butter. After all, our ancient sages were learned men who also worked for a living.
A midnight encounter in Jerusalem
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, General, Israeliness, Life, Music
I was driving home from work last night at around midnight, and had just popped Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers’ Greatest Hits into the CD player.
As I approached a red light in the heavily haredi Jerusalem neighborhood of Romema, two teens standing on the median strip knocked on my window and asked me for a ride down to the next intersection about a half mile away. I said sure, and they hopped in the back seat
About 15, they were both dressed to the max, in black suits and fedoras, looking like little Jimmy Cagneys but with their peyot and tzitzit hanging out.
Just as they got settled in, and the light turned green, the music kicked into overdrive with guitar power chords, and Tom Petty’s snarly voice spitting out, “Well, she was an American Girl, raised on promises…”
I looked in the rear view mirror and saw that the two youths, who had been conversing when they entered the car, had grown silent with their eyes unblinking and their mouths sort of gaping open. I’m sure they weren’t used to hearing music in English, let alone the devil’s music of rock & roll.
I’d like to say that by the time we reached the next intersection, the three of us were singing along to the “Oh yeah, all right, take it easy baby, make it last all night” chorus. But the boys remained as stiff an mannequins, and jumped out at the light with quick “thanks yous” and “Shavua Tovs.”
They’ll probably think twice before the next time they knock on a window and ask someone for a ride.
In honor of this story, here’s a cool clip of Mr. Petty, along with Roger McGuinn and Heartbreaker Benmont Tench receiving a tour of Jerusalem’s Old City in 1986.
Religious ruptures
Filed under: Art, General, History and Culture, Israeliness, Life, Religion
Ultra Orthodox demonstrators rioting against the opening of a parking lot on Shabbat. (Photo credit: Menahem Kahana/AFP/Getty Images)
The riots were reportedly peaceful, but as one coworker of mine commented, “How peaceful is it to head to a riot after shul on Shabbat?”
Can’t argue with that. I personally like to head home for some whisky and olives on Shabbat afternoon.
According to a survey taken by Hiddush, an NGO promoting religious freedom and equality in Israel (and headed by Rabbi/lawyer Uri Regev, who used to head the Reform movement in Israel), 76 percent of Jewish Israelis – and 93% of secular Israelis – believe haredi rabbis are spearheading religion-inspired conflicts in an effort to advance partisan haredi interests, and only 24% of the 500 polled believe that recent riots are inspired by love of Israel and the wellbeing of society.
This isn’t the first time that an Intel factory in Israel is working on Shabbat, but it is a newly revamped Jerusalem Intel plant that is manufacturing a certain kind of chip, which requires non-stop production. Given that Jerusalem is a city lacking jobs and industry, the presence of Intel is a boon, and one that clearly, no one wants to lose. At the same time, it’s not too pleasant dealing with religious hatred on a regular basis.
And so, against this background, I happened to end up at the Haredim photography exhibit in Beit Avi Chai, originally shown at the Eretz Israel Museum, with photos by Menahem Kahana of Haredim in all walks and situations of life, from synagogue rituals and family gatherings to celebrations, funerals and yes, demonstrations, from over the last ten years.
The curator is Alex Levac, winner of the Israel Prize for photography. Worth seeing and thinking about.
Rioting in Jerusalem? All is normal
Filed under: A New Reality, coexistence, General, History and Culture, Life, Religion
Jerusalem police take away a protestor near the Old City on Saturday. (AP)
The fight between the haredim of Jerusalem and its secular residents (and secular mayor Nir Barkat) is over whether a parking lot near the Old City can be opened on Shabbat to accomodate the throngs of visiting tourists, both local and international.
A compromise involving using a private parking lot instead of a municipal lot was offered, and supposedly accepted, but someone forgot to tell the haredim. There have been clashes the last few Saturdays between haredi protestors and the police, with the protestors demanding that the private parking lot be closed on Shabbat, stating it’s a violation of the status quo in the city – the delicate fine line in the power struggle between the secular and observant Jews of Jerusalem.
However, according to Matt Rees, one of my favorite authors and a good friend, the action on the street is actually a good thing.
Writing in the Global Post, Rees states that if the big item on Israelis’ agenda is an open parking lot on Shabbat, then maybe things aren’t so bad here.
Ultra-orthodox Jews have been rioting the last few weeks against a parking lot the municipality wants to leave open during the Jewish Sabbath, leading to dozens of arrests and quite a few moderate to serious injuries. Secular activists have held protests in favor of free garaging for those who defy God by driving on Saturday.
All of which is a sign of good times in Israel.
Here’s why: It shows that Israelis think there’s nothing worse to worry about.
When I first came to Jerusalem in 1996, the ultra-Orthodox, or “Haredim” as they’re known here (it means “those who quake,” as in quaking before the wrathful God of the Jewish Bible) used to riot over a major thoroughfare that ran through one of their neighborhoods. They wanted Bar-Ilan Street closed between sundown Friday and the onset of Saturday night.
And then, Rees continued, the Intifada started. Since then it’s been one Intifada after the other, with terror, suicide bombings and security fences to be built. Who had time to protest?
But in comparison to the intifada, these are easy times for Israel. Long may the Sabbath be a time for rioting.
One of the proverbs I learned when first coming to Israel was one that said – it’s a good thing there’s an Israeli-Arab conflict. Otherwise, we Jews would be at each other’s throat. These days, it seems like we have the worst of both worlds.
Foto Friday – Menachem Kahana lifts the haredi veil
Filed under: Art, Foto Friday, General, History and Culture, Holidays, Religion
The haredi world is one that secular Israelis find alternately fascinating and disturbing, filled with rituals and mystery. Photographer Menahem Kahana, who works for French news agency AFP, has been documenting the ultra-Orthodox community for years.
In a new exhibit, now on at Tel Aviv’s Eretz Israel Museum, Kahana presents a body of work begun in 1995, when he happened upon a spring where some young haredi men were swimming.
Over the years, as he continued his documentation, the community opened up to him: synagogues, celebrations, and rituals both usual, such as weddings…
… and unusual, such as the pidyon ha-ben in which first-born sons are redeemed by their families from service to the High Priests of the Temple…
…and the peter hamor, which which first born donkeys are as well.
And everyday life, too.
Click on this link to learn more about Kahana’s work.
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