“Outside a bookstore in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak on the outskirts of Tel Aviv, Yom Tov Cohen contently watched as his four-year-old son flicked through one. “It is great, the kids love reading these books and at the same time they learn. It is not easy teaching your children the Bible,” said Cohen, […]
“No longer are they the inward-looking anti-Zionists who only cared that the government provide them with money for their separate schools, welfare and exemptions from military service. These days, many of the Haredim – the word means “those who tremble” in awe of God” – have joined with right-wing religious Zionists to become a powerful […]
“I am outraged by the fact that the haredim in Israel are forced “back into the closet”. They are asked to sit quietly, in the dark, while studying the Talmud as not to disturb secular Israelis with their unwanted presence. They are being informed that they must not shop at stores that desecrate the Shabbat, […]
“Following haredi pressure, Ben-Gurion Airport keeps arriving passengers in planes which land in Israel with a body in their cargo areas, until corpse is removed. Airlines demand a different solution, saying ‘torture of passengers must end’. A number of airlines demanded last week that the Israel Airports Authority (IAA) stop the “impurity of Kohanim” procedure. […]
“An Ultra Orthodox Jewish man, who attempted to block traffic at a central Jerusalem road, is pushed away by an Israeli police officer during a protest against a public parking lot that is open on the Jewish Sabbath August 22, 2009. ” DayLife.com
“There is a difference between the desecration of the Sabbath on an individual basis and the cancellation of the Sabbath,” said Rabbi Shimon Weiss, a leader of the Eda Haredit movement, which has promised weekly protests until Mayor Nir Barkat reverses his decision. “The opening of the parking lot will bring about the opening of […]
“Some 20 hotels that host vacationing ultra-Orthodox guests sign document detailing modesty code to be kept in order to make sure stringent guests comfortable. Among other things, hotels commit to unplug televisions, disallow looking into pool from rooms, instating modest dress code for female employees. Imposition of code not supported by rabbis responsible for granting […]
Photo: An Israeli police officer pushes an ultra-Orthodox Jewish protester as they scuffle during a demonstration outside city hall near the religious neighborhood of Mea Shearim, Saturday, June 6, 2009. DayLife.com
Yerushalayim haB’nuyah: Analysis of T’hillim 122 By Rabbi Yitzchak Etshalom
“The folklore that accompanies Israel’s national Memorial and Independence Days, includes the perpetual question: What’s the ultra-Orthodox’s opinion? Will they stand for the moment of silence? Do they respect the memory of the fallen? Do they celebrate Independence Day? Do they rejoice in it? The ritual question, which finds its expression through the images of […]
Photo:DayLife.com
“Every year we hear the same discussions why many Haredim in the ultra - orthodox neighbourhood of Mea Shearim and other neighbourhoods of Jerusalem ignore the Independence Day. For those Haredim it is just another ordinary week day. Especially Chabad, Satmar and the Neturei Karta see the day as “The Day of the Bones” and […]
Q Why are Holocaust Remembrance Day commemorations enshrined on the calendar of some Jews but ignored or marginalized by others?
“As Rabbi Jacob Schacter (Tradition 41:2) and Prof. Arye Edrei have documented, the religious community has also struggled with commemorating Holocaust Remembrance Day and more generally, memorializing the Holocaust. One emotionally charged question, regarding the appropriate […]
“An Ultra-Orthodox Jewish youth carries a sack of potatoes for distribution to the needy, for the upcoming Jewish holiday of Passover, in the Mea Shearim neighbourhood of Jerusalem April 5, 2009. Passover commemorates the flight of Jews from Ancient Egypt as described in Exodus. According to the account, the Jews did not have time to […]
