Stories from a Yeshiva

 ´I don´t remember when I stopped thinking every day would be my last day´.

Gerry Albarelli answered an announcement for an English teacher opening at a school in Brooklyn and will end up teaching for around five years in a boys religious school. He does not reveal in the book explicitly the name of the yeshiva, but it is a Satmar boys´ school, which according to his descriptions - non-judgemental, and this is a greatest merit of the book - looks like a very dangerous and chaotic place. Teachers are surrounded by 3-4 graders and almost lynched; the teachers are beating the children with no regrets and administrative consequences. Only the English teachers are running as fast as they can after a short amount of time.

The boys are rarely speaking English and the teacher doesn´t speak Yiddish but they will find a way to communicate and learn together, in the good spirit of the religious learning. The teacher will create attractive classes, creating stories with the boys themselves distributed as characters. An idea which boosted the interest for the classes. ´They wanted to learn English if only to find out what they were doing in the stories´.

One of the big merit of the book is to elegantly share the stories, without any trace of patronizing. This is what is going to a Hasidic yeshiva in Brooklyn, a secret for many, especially girls.  The non-critical stance is very important, as it avoids the horrible stereotypes easily sliding into the stories about Hasidic life and education in general. But what is the point of writing stories which are biased, stealing from the reader the pleasure of making his or her own opinions about a book. 

Last but not least, Teacha! suggests to educators creative ways to build bridges during the educational process especially in a diverse cultural context. After all, the role of a teacher is to share knowledge and this may happen no matter how different his or her culture his or her culture is compared to that of the students.

A New Research Path in Studies about Hasidism

After reading several (meaning good dozen) of books about Hasidism, one may realize after a short while that the content is becoming repetitive. There are inevitably information about the history of the movement, outlines of the founders and famous dynasties (Satmer and Chabad especially, as they are by far the most successful; too much Chabad though in my humble opinion). Some unique information revealed in well-kept archives of various groups is what differentiates one book from the other. 

Historical Atlas of Hasidism has a completely different type of perspective. It has maps focused on various dynamics and trends, from the structure of the courts to the circulation of petitions and migrations and resettlements after WWII. 

'Hasidism has been conditioned by the spatial characteristics of the movement, not only in its social organization, but also in its spiritual life, type of religious leadership, or cultural articulation. And it is possible to capture this dimension of Hasidism with maps'. Such an approach is a welcomed changed of shift which may help seize trends and mentality patterns, as well as aspects of the material culture that previous studies neglected or were unable to understand.

Rightly, the author mentions among the limitations of the research in this field:  the predominance of intellectual history which neglects economic, social, cultural or political histories; an inadequate use of sources of non-Hasidic origin (particularly if not in Hebrew or Yiddish); a chronological focus on the early stages of the movement; esentialist and ahistorical approaches when it comes to what is and what is not Hasidism.

The focus on geography and classifications in general may lead to uncovering very interesting aspects on Hasidic life in Central and Eastern Europe but also allows regional identifications of trends and mentalities. 

Compared to the richness of information contained in the maps, the texts are not necessarily outstanding and repeat basic information about the various movements and dynasties found elsewhere. In one particular case when mentioning the 'Romanian features' - not detailed - of dynasties like Nadvorna or Vizhnitz - both named for localities that actually do not belong necessarily to the Romanian-administrative space, the author omits completely to offer well-deserved explanations of any kind.

Personally, this book helped me a lot in my future researches on Hasidism and hopefully will be able to go more into depth research.

Gur vs. Gur

Shortly before the end of the High Holidays, a rumour that was in the air for a couple of months already was confirmed: the Gur/Ger hasidic sect, the largest in Israel and probably the only big one that remain united during its 160 years of existence, is splitting.

The Simcha Torah prayers this Monday, in Jerusalem, were held separately by the adepts of the current Gur Rebbe, the Admor Rav Yaakov Aryeh Alter and those of his cousin Rav Shaul Alter. Rav Shaul Alter succeeded to gather on his side around 250 families, that joined him in prayers in a shul in the North of Jerusalem. Gur is considered to count around 11,000 families, with followers outside Israel mostly in the USA (Brooklyn), London and Canada. 

The fifth rebbe, Yisrael Alter died childless, being succeeded by his brother, Rav Pinchas Menachem  Alter. The current Admor, the 8th rebbe, was born in 1939 and is ruling the dynasty since 1996. 

The conflict betwee the two is boiling for a considerable amount of time. Some might say that in fact it started as early as 10 years ago, when the Admor decided to introduce a new way of learning that in the end leaded to the closure of the Sfas Emes yeshiva whose head was Rav Shaul Alter, a position he took over from his father. The partial confirmation of the big split that was supposed to follow took place early this year, after Rav Shaul was not invited to the wedding of the Admor's grandson in Jerusalem. 

The split is official now, and the communication on behalf of the current Gur leadership outlined diplomatically that everything was done in order to avoid the situation, but to no avail. Now, that the holidays are over, those who followed Rav Shaul Alter are expected to be expelled from the main institutions of the sect, and among others, their children from the yeshiva and the other institutional organisations. The first step towards recognition of the new group will be the state approval for the creation of new institutions, such as schools, yeshivot, but most probably this will last. Gur remains a very powerful force among the Hasidic/ultra-orthodox political entities in Israel, particularly Agudas Israel party. 

Rav Shaul Alter is expected to visit soon the USA in order to get more support, both in terms of new followers and financially. There might be many more members of the Gur keen to join the dissenters, but they will rather wait the next steps and the settlement of the institutional and financial resources in order to avoid risking their status and the incumbent benefits. 

The Gur is considered alongside Toldot Aharon, one of the closest Hasidic sects, with its own bizarre rules regulating the relationships between (married) men and women, and a strict control of the rebbe over the hasid's personal life. Inside testimonies are rare, and when it happens they have a deeply dramatic turn, as it was the case of Esty Weinstein, a former Gur who committed suicide in 2016 following the forced separation from her children, leaving behind a memoir about her struggles within the sect. 

The everyday life of a Gur couple is regulated by takanot - Ordinances on Holiness  - which recommend, among others, very limited sexual relationship (preferably only once a month, after leil tevilah - immersion of the woman in the mikve at the end of the period), minimal contact during the intercourse or requirement to the man to remain partially dressed when having intimate relationship with his wife. Such stringencies create a relatively problematic issue for matchmaking representatives of the Gur hasidim outside the sect. I remember how a couple of years ago, a friend of mine was about to marry a Gur, until she found out about the takanot and run as far as possible from the match.

What exactly the new group will bring, including in this very personal and intimate respect, remains to be known. The time and the next moves on both sides will show in the next weeks and months. 

Rather Laugh Than Cry: Stories from a Hassidic Household

With a detachement and a sense of humour only someone having to deal with an overwhelming daily challenge could have, Malka Zipora is sharing her wisdom and experience about being a Jewish Orthodox mother. Far from being a memoir, her short stories collected under Rather Laugh Than Cry. Stories from a Hassidic Household, are not only interesting for the information shared - from little cooking tips to parenting and insights about the observant life - but also for the good waves and inspiration sent to the reader.

At the very big sense of the world, the stories could be considered short fragments of a memoir, with personal accounts being the base of her writing. But even if you take them as just stories and personal accounts, it does not diminish at all the quality of the writing. 

Born in Israel to Hungarian Shoah survivor parents, Malka Ziporah lived in Australis and New York before settling to Montreal where she is raising her family. Her book was on my to-read list for a long time, first because I was very curious to check a woman author with a very traditional background. Although in the last years, more women from Hassidic families are taking the challenge of becoming writers, many of them might share mostly their religious and personal struggles. 

Malka Ziporah also has lots of struggles to cope with round the day, but her emunah and resilience place her on the other side of the stories, where life was accepted already as it is and her desire to write doesn't contradict her status of a Hassidic woman. Her faith is a source of inspiration and strength and by sharing her experiences she is opening up her usually reclused world to an universal audience. The authenticity of her voice is part of her contribution as a writer to displaying an unique sparkle worth being included to the literary experiences. 

My biggest regret was that the book finished and there are not other books by Malka Ziporah I can keep reading to remain in this world, in her world.

'One of Us'...

Telling the stories of people that left the Hasidic way of life in New York, the Netflix documentary One of Us is as heartbreaking as such stories could be. 

No parent should be left without his children because a different life choice. No child abuse should be tolerated, regardless how pious the perpetrator looks like for the community. The help organisations like Footsteps in New York offer to those who left the fold to integrate into the new life is tremendous and it is important for people to know that they are not alone. After belonging your own life to a tight community when everyone is part of the whole, finding yourself completely on your own in this big crazy world requires a lot of time and patience and knowledge about how this worl functions. But everything has a price and those finding their way 'off the derech' might not do it alone.

The documentary made by Heidi Ewing and Rachel Grady last around one hour and a half and features the changes taking place into the lives of Luzer, Ari and Etty as they decide to leave behind their closed communities. Filmed over 3 years, it covers dramatic changes taking place into the lives of the participants, such Etty's defeat in court against her ex abusive husband which leads to her being separated from her 7 children and Ari's recovery from drug abuse. 

The community can be a shield for those who are in and a terrible weapon against those who left. I personally know more than one case of a man who left the fold and man given visitation rights to his children that remained with the observant mother because it happened to be part of an important Hasidic family. But if you are a woman without a supportive family - in Etty's case even her own family testified against her - you are lost. The fact that the abuser of Ari is still in a position where he is close to children that he can eventually abuse is outrageous. Those stories are examples of what is actually wrong and sets limits of things that should not be accepted. 

I personally would have expect some wider coverage of individual stories, that may reflect the diversity of reasons and situations why people leave and what happens after. I know many success stories and people that also managed somehow to keep their parental rights and also cases when child abusers were brought to justice. The stories brought to attention are heartbreaking and interesting but especially for someone not familiar with the phenomenon, it may bring a bit of diversity and shape a completely different perspective.  

Book review: Trail of Miracles, by Smadar Herzfeld

Told in the slow pace of a Hasidic story, Trail of Miracles is the story of Gittel, born in the lands of Ukraine, daughter of a Torah scholar and daughter-in-law of the famous Maggid of Mezeritch. Written as a first person memoir, the story focuses on Gittel's account of a life in shadow, a pioneer of her own kind, married as a 12-year old who decided to follow the dream of her youth and go all by herself to Jerusalem.

The Jerusalem she discovered is a faint copy of her dreams but it is the last step of her ladder towards self-discovery and the litmus test of her ability to take over her destiny. Always living in the shadows of men, not encouraged to learn enough because not a boy, she is there all on herself, anonymous, her past left far behind but strong enough to start over and over again. Because this is life, swimming through hardship. 

The writing is beautiful, the words creating beautiful images, talking in dreams that you need to take a break from the book to decipher. Gittel is sharing her experience from the bottom of her heart and at a great extent it is not easy to see her account as familiar as it resonates with some opinions regarding the women's role in religious communities. Only the individual example can demonstrate that there is room for balancing roles. 

My only disappointment is that the story finishes too early, exactly when I was in the perfect mood to discover new stories. 

Rating: 4 stars

Disclaimer: Book offered by the publisher in exchange for an honest review