Encountering Haredi communities

Our second week in Jerusalem began with a day-long tour of "Encountering Haredi (ultra-orthodox) Jews", sponsored by the Hartman Institute.  We went by bus to a settlement just outside the green line near Bethlehem called Beitar Illit, a fast growing settlement of 7,000 families (with 10-12 children each) that could possibly grow to 100,000 people in the next 10 years.  Our group met with the mayor of this vibrant Haredi town that lives in good relationship with the Palestinian villages that flank it.  The town consistently wins awards for its cleanliness.  A good number of its citizens go to the army (although many Haredi spend their days learning in yeshivas) and have productive jobs within Israeli society.  The Education Minister of the town described many levels of education for both men and women.  He, himself, lives in Jerusalem where he runs a program for street kids, specializing in dealing with drug problems.  For us, this was a day to break down stereotypes as our image of the "haredi/ultra-orthodox" was replaced by a new image of the "haredi hadash/new Haredi."

 We also met the founder of ZAKA, an important organization that tends to the needs of the living and the dead after terror attacks.  ZAKA was founded by Judah Meshi Zahav (see picture), a haredi hadash/new haredi who grew up as an old style haredi from the most extreme group, Neturei Karta.  His impulse to help in the most dire of circumstances has given rise to an organization that now has a place within the army's reserve assignments and is valued on an international level.

 

Another new haredi in our album is Dudu Zilbershlag, founder of a chain of soup kitchens who lives out his father's request that he use all of his energy to build community on every level.  Through answering questions, he helped unravel some of the mysteries of the haredi community.

We also visited the great synagogue of the Belz hassidim, a 9 story building that features a synagogue that seats 5,000 and the largest ark in the world.  It has a huge Study Hall, many chapels, classrooms, mikvahs, meeting rooms, celebration halls, and more.  The current Rebbe of the Belz community was born in Israel, in 1948.  This Israeli Rebbe, exactly as old as the State, has produced a community that has increasingly good relationships with the government of Israel and its programs.

The day was long (and hot -- almost 38c) and complicated and we spent time thinking of all the tough, but important issues facing Israel -- and all the breaking down of stereotypes we had encountered.