Magic Jewball

This answer is long so I won’t dilly-dally, let’s get right to it.

MsZula (from Missoula - get it? MsZula? Hee) writes:

Late last week I was in Manhattan seeing attire on folks that was new to me. I assume, because of side curl (sorry don’t know official name for this) and yarmulkes, that they are Orthodox? I googled this and didn’t find much. The men were all wearing a silk like coat and the women and girls were all in black skirts and hats.

TIA from the girl that needs to get out more often.

I write about Hassidim from time to time and I just throw the word around like everyone knows what I’m talking about. And then I see questions like this and I realize I’m a dumbass for thinking that. Or a New Yorker. Or both.

But who are the Hassidim and why do I immediately know that’s who MsZula is talking about? I’m going to start with a Hassidic story. Once there was a poor peasant boy (all Hassidic stories take place in Eastern Europe) who lived far from any town. One year on Yom Kippur, the day of atonement which is the most sacred day on the Jewish calendar, his father took him to synagogue. But the boy knew no prayers and couldn’t read the siddur, the prayer book. All day (Yom Kippur prayers last all day), the boy felt a spiritual need to pray to God but did not have any way to express it. In his pocket he carried a whistle that he used to gather the sheep he tended and as the final, most important Yom Kippur prayers started, he reached for it and whistled loudly. Naturally, everyone was shocked. But the Baal Shem Tov, who was the founder of Hassidism, was there and told everyone that the boy’s prayer had been the purest and the one which opened the gates of Heaven for everyone else’s prayers.

That’s the essence of Hassidism, that knowledge isn’t the important thing, heartfelt love of God is the road to a good and meaningful life. The Baal Shem Tov lived in Eastern Europe in the 18th century and passed down his teachings to the leaders of the various Hassidic sects we know today. Hassidism comes from the Hebrew word hasidut, or piety. Hassid is singular, Hassidim is plural.

So why do they dress so funny? The Hassidic sects are known for their insularity and devotion to their Rebbes, or the leaders of the sects. Those in the United States came over from Europe at various times, mostly around the time of Holocaust, and reestablished their communities here. Many went to Israel and did the same thing there. The sects are known mostly by the name of the town in Europe from which they came. The Lubovitch (a.k.a. Chabad), for example, which is the largest sect, come from Lyubavichi in Russia. The Satmar, who are the people at B&H Photo, came from Satu Mare, Romania. The Skver come from Skvira, Ukraine and now live in a place they call New Square. Seriously! Other famous ones are the Belz, Bobov, Breslov, Ger, Puppa, and Vizhnitz. We had matzah made by the Puppa (pronounced poo-pah) on Passover. This led to many “every party has a puppa” jokes, but I digress.

The Hassidim sought to preserve the culture and values they knew in Europe. Because of this, much of their clothing stems from the period of time Hassidism was founded. Some also have distinctive meanings that correspond with Jewish values of modesty and Hassidic values of communion with God. The shtreimel, or furry hat, was probably the fashion of the day in 18th century Russia and Poland. The long, silken coat is to cover the body. A special sash some wear is to separate the upper and lower parts of the body, that’s for personal modesty. Some wear slipper-type shoes so that they don’t have to defile their hands by touching their shoes during the day. Additionally, the clothing styles of different Hassidic sects differ.

Re: the sidecurls, those are called payes (pronounced pay-ess - in Sephardic Hebrew, payot - pay-oat), which are worn due to the Biblical command not to shave the face. (In case you were wondering, the prohibition is against using a blade, which is how many Jews justify shaving; they use an electric razor).

Hassidic women, and many Orthodox women in general, dress to unimpress. That is, modesty is the most important thing. Skirts below the knee, often to the ankle, and tops that cover the elbows and sometimes wrists, are the standard. Married women cover their hair. Hassidic women, like the men, tend to dress in dark colors. Becca once went to a Hassidic synagogue in Baltimore by mistake in a bright floral dress. Awkward!

Let’s get to your specific questions.

They almost looked like the Amish version of the Jewish religion
Hassidim are like the Amish in that they keep to old traditions in order to preserve their religion and culture. Hassidim do use electricity but don’t have TV’s or computers.

From what I could tell they were speaking English; but with an accent. Are they most likely all immigrants?
As mentioned in a previous Jew & A, Hassidim mostly speak Yiddish, the language of the shtetls (small Jewish towns) from which their ancestors came. They were most likely born here in America and speak English with a Yiddish accent.

Are they the most strict of this faith. Are most Jewish people in Israel this strict?
Hassidim are part of a larger, very traditional group, called Heredim (literally “those who tremble [before God]”). They don’t belong to sects specifically but are very conservative religiously. I would say they are the most strict of the faith. There are Hassidim in Israel. There are also regular old Orthodox (that is, observers of traditional Jewish law living in the secular world) in Israel. But most of Israel is secular, actually.

Are the women considered equal?
This is a tough question to answer. I’m going to give you my personal feelings on the topic. In Judaism in general, men and women have different roles and different spheres. They are different and thus hard to compare. By today’s standards, people often think the women’s roles are lesser but I would argue that it wasn’t designed that way. In Hassidism and right-wing Orthodoxy, women’s roles are pretty proscribed. But “equal” has many meanings and I would say, by the strict definition of your question, in Hassidism, as in all Judaism, all people are created in the image of God and are therefore equal. But in the way I think you mean the question, like, can a woman do everything a man can do, no. But men can’t do things women can either. Everyone has a role, it just depends on which role you give value to. For good or bad, our society tends to give more value to the roles traditionally performed by Hassidic men.

Thanks for asking!

So much for that “one per day” thing. Life is beginning to get out of hand here at Becca Central. I wish I had a blog so I could tell you about it.

Paige asks:

How do you plan your vacation when one is kosher? What if you want to vacation on a remote resort, but there is no description of a kosher restaurant available? Or is there more of an abundance of kosher resorts and vacation spots in a region that has more residents and visitors keeping kosher?

P.S. I’ve really learned a lot on this site and my husband and I enjoy discussing your blog. Thanks for the insight! Hope my question isn’t silly!

Thanks! And no question is silly, silly! I hope you had fun in Atlantis. Isn’t that the place no one can find? Hey everyone, it’s in the Bahamas!

Onto the (Kosher) meat of your question. To start with, like all laws that come from the Torah (5 books of Moses/Pentateuch, etc.), the laws of Kashrut (Kosher as a noun) have been totally expounded upon, reinterpreted, and vary from region to region. So being Kosher means different things to different people. Among the most strictly Kosher people, little food you can find in a place like the Bahamas would work. Maybe salad. They tend to bring their own food and in fact, this is what we did when I was a child. I vividly remember being in London and having my parents ask the hotel if we could store our Kosher bag of fun in their fridge. Nowadays, many hotel rooms have fridges so it’s easier. We also traveled through the South eating pecan bars and milkshakes from McDonald’s. In the morning, my Dad would run to the nearest grocery store and bring cereal and milk back to the motel. Good times!

If you are one step below that in your strictness, you can find things to eat that haven’t been cooked, like tuna salad sandwiches, cheese, or things like that. Some people will eat at vegetarian restaurants. If you are even more liberal than that you will eat dairy food or fish that’s cooked, but not meat. Some people just don’t eat pig or shellfish and call it a day. The point is, you can almost always find something, no matter what your level. I lived for a week in Greece on Greek salad and donuts. Not together.

Also, there are actually kosher restaurants in the most surprising places. India has them. Mexico. Maybe not Atlantis, but you get me. And there are indeed Kosher resorts, Kosher cruises, and even Kosher Club Med. And yet I chose donuts… I am sure this surprises no one who knows me.

So that’s it. Just like any way of eating, keeping Kosher isn’t hard when you plan, and although sometimes it may keep you from doing a vacation you might have wanted, I don’t know anyone for whom this has happened. Most people vacation anywhere they like and just plan ahead. Or lose some weight, that’s not a bad outcome either.

Thanks for writing!

So I’ve gotten several Jew & A questions over the last week, excellent! You see, I love it when people tell me what to write about, it works out much better. I hope to get to one per day this week. We’ll see. If you are waiting for yours, I am going in the order in which they were received. Yes, I learned that from the phone tree.

Now then, I wasn’t sure about this one. It could be 3 or 4 different questions based on where you put commas. Hmmm.

william(yeah not so jewish) writes:

Adin Steinsaltz, the most enlightened man woman or beast on the planet, has a take on reincarnation, definitely a path for the tribe…what’s your take and when you’re running ….Who are you?

Ow, that broke my brain. I don’t really know much about Adin Steinsaltz, honestly. I know he is a famous Rabbi (still alive!) who translated the Talmud, which is the series of arguments about and commentaries on the Torah that form most of Jewish law, into English. I know this because that’s what I used on the side to get myself through Talmud class in High School. ZOMG, that made things so much easier. Come on, only Mel Gibson speaks Aramaic!

I gather he’s also somewhat into kabbalah and mysticism. Does he believe in reincarnation? I’ll take your word for that, William not so Jewish. Now, here’s where it gets tricky. Is the question, what’s my take on reincarnation? On Adin Steinsaltz? On the path for the tribe? And is it, who am I when I’m running? Or, what’s my take when I’m running and by the way, who am I?

This is where my brain explodes.

I don’t know much about Kabbalah, as the world I grew up in didn’t emphasize it except to mention Yosef Caro and the Zohar for a couple of minutes. I do think Madonna/Esther and the folks who run that center in LA exploit it for their own ends. That doesn’t seem very mystical.

For those who are curious about the whole red-string part of Judaism, it’s about the mystical, hidden meanings in the Torah and other Jewish writings. It’s controversial with many Jews eschewing it completely and others going whole-hog. So to speak.

The point is, on this one, I can give you my opinion but I’m not really an expert.

For me personally, I don’t believe in reincarnation. I think each soul is utterly unique and there’s never been one like it before or since. And I don’t even believe in your loved ones looking down from Heaven. I don’t know if there’s an afterlife but tend to doubt it and I believe when you’re dead, you’re dead and that’s it. Is that the Jewish view? Not really, it’s a lot more “world to come” based. But you asked for my take.

If your question is, “who am I?” then the answer is in the FAQ but it just points you to the sidebar. As I’ve indicated lots of times over the course of the blog, I try to keep my private life out of the blog and the blog out of my private life. I’ve been semi-successful with that.

If it’s “Who am I” in the metaphysical sense, I dropped out of philosophy after two classes. You may have noticed, my brain is fragile and prone to confusion at difficult concepts.

If the question is, when I’m running who am I, then that is easy. When I’m running I am a jet engine which takes off with a flourish, has lots of turbulence but also some smooth sailing, and in the end, everyone’s just glad to be in one piece and at the destination.

By the way, I know several Jewish Williams. Thanks for writing!

Even though I only need to apologize to IrishCardinal on this one, I’m going to apologize to everyone. Because I swear it won’t take me this long to answer your Jew & A question. It’s just that I knew very little about this topic and so I had to research it. And by that I mean ask a couple of people I know. We’re very scientific in our approach here. Anyway, finally the question. I mean, finally, the answer. Because I’ve had the question a while now.

IrishCardinal asks:

Is there still Yiddish theater, newspapers, etc in NYC? Is Yiddish a single language, or are the dialects from country to country different enough that a Russian Jew couldn’t understand a Hungarian Jew if both were speaking Yiddish? Or is it more like a person from Brooklyn speaking American-English with a person from West Memphis–close enough but a few words you aren’t so sure about?

First off, some education for the rest of you not as involved with languages as I know Irish is. Yiddish (or Jewish - Yid means Jew in Yiddish) is a language which is a combination of German, Hebrew, Russian, and several other things, spoken primarily by the Jews of Eastern Europe over the last few centuries of diaspora living. Anyone who has eaten Jewish food (gefilte means filled or stuffed) or practiced modern Judaism (aufruf, to be called to the Torah before your wedding, comes from “call up” in German - I know this because I saw it on an unemployment poster in Berlin) knows some Yiddish.

When the large influx of Jews from that area started coming to America in the late 19th century, Yiddish was hugely prevalent in New York with many newspapers (in 1915 there were 5 dailies here) and a thriving cultural scene. These days, not so much. More on that in a minute. But these days, Yiddish is mostly kept alive by force of will and lots of effort. The only community here which regularly speaks Yiddish is the Hassidic one. I’ve often sat on the train or in a shop on the Lower East Side overhearing a conversation between folks speaking in Yiddish. These sects came over together from Europe and still speak that language to this day. Unlike the secular folks who wanted to shed the vestiges of the old country ASAP, the Hassidim didn’t really assimilate and thus, Hassidic kids probably aren’t snickering at their parents’ accents as my Grandma did. Well, I assume, I can’t really ask her.

Yiddish Theater was large and active in New York at the turn of the century and probably through the 30’s. It had many stars, including the one you’ve all seen playing Yente the Matchmaker in Fiddler on the Roof, Molly Picon. My source tells me there is still one Yiddish Theater in New York, the Foksbiene. Hassidim don’t go to the theater, which is too bad.

As for newspapers, I was really interested in this question myself, because one of my favorite books for ages has been A Bintel Brief which is a selection from the advice column of the Forverts, or Jewish Daily Forward, a paper that exists to this day. But way back when, it had a no-nonsense advice column for new immigrants confusedly trying to navigate Die Goldene Medina, the golden land, i.e., here. Anyway, the situations ranged from the mundane (”my boss docks two cents from my wages when I’m late”) to the religious (”I’m a free-thinker but I have a sweet voice - am I permitted to take a job as a Cantor?”) to the poignant (”My husband said he’d send for me in Russia when he had enough money saved but he never did and now I came on my own with my poor children and found he had married someone else.”). And they are all translated from Yiddish and preserved the flavor and phrasing of the original, (”Well, dear editor, I ran from that situation as if from a fire!”).

I knew The Forward was still around but it turns out they only put a weekend edition out in Yiddish, the rest is English. There are several other papers which also put out a once-a-week edition, including one by the Satmar, a large Hassidic sect.

As for dialects, this was harder to get an answer on. As far as I know, there were differences in the Yiddish spoken by the Jews of different areas of Europe coming to New York in the big immigration wave, but not enough to keep them from understanding each other. Plus, most of the immigrants came from areas of Eastern Europe which had the dialect closest to each other (as opposed to German and then Western European communities). And like everything else, when they all got mixed here, things became more standardized. I’m not sure whether the different Hassidic sects, which are the folks mostly using Yiddish today, have different dialects from each other. Since none of them will really talk to me, that answer will have to wait, unless any of my readers know. But they all seem to be able to argue with each other just fine, so there must be some understanding there.

For further research, the biggest archive and library of Yiddish is the YIVO Institute, which started out in Vilna (then Poland, now Vilnius, Lithiuania) in 1925 but is alive and kicking.

So now you all know why we refer to kipah (yarmulke)-wearing Jews as Yids With Lids. And as always, thanks for writing!

Ever since I did my rugelach bake sale for charity, several people have asked me if I would do the same thing with Hamantaschen, those filled triangular cookies of awesomeness. And so, I have decided to do it! Here is my post from last year describing the process of cookie-creating, should you not be 100% sure what I’m talking about. Hamantaschen are named for the villain of the Purim story, Haman (he wanted to kill the Jews, so trendy!) and Purim is this Friday. Another important thing to do on Purim is to give gifts to those in need so check out how well that works out!

This time we have two exciting charities to choose from as well as two flavors of Hamantaschen. You can see all the details and the method to acquire these tasty treats on my new Bake Sale page. The picture is not of my own cookies, but you get the idea. So get your orders in and we’ll celebrate giving to good causes with tasty treats.

Edited to add: for those who didn’t order last time, it is a medium-sized (4 cup) Gladware container.

Edited again to add: last day to order is Saturday 3/22.

Eurythmics - Sweet Dreams (Are Made Of This)