Strange Tales of Hassidic Jews

he is quite funny. I got the impression his initial numerology pitch is what they teach you on page one of "Kabbalah for Tards".

but, not all are so isolationist, the lubavichers especially, although the reason they arent is basically just so they can get more diverse and scattered fallen jews into the fold.

on another note, that day in June must have been Lag B'omer. it's a day for being out in the fields havin fun, traditionally bows and arrows, but i cant remember why quite.

when israeli politicos visit NYC they protest at their hotels!

I was working in Park Slope a couple months ago and a this Lubavicher, who tried to convince to put on t'fillin ("you don't have to be religious to wear t'fillin!"), gave me the Lubavicher newsletter "for Jews everywhere". There was an article based on an extended metaphor of life as a journey and religion being "what you pack" but the set-up took forever and read like a ridiculously broad parody of stereotypical Jewish neurosis--"when you're packing for a trip, it's hard to know what to bring? Should I bring this suit or that suit? Do I need boot and shoes? Will I be attending formal and informal events? WHAT IF IT RAINS?!" etc

yup. they're also the hasidics that people are most likely to encounter in williamsburg (b/c that's where they live -- there and upstate in kiryas joel, NY). they are pretty much the mortal enemies of the lubavichers (who live in crown heights). dunno whether the satmars proselytize as much as the lubavichers, or if they don't proselytize at all.

because of the influence of chabad/lubavich now i think that other groups have started their own programs.

my rabbi/teacher during high school grew up in a non-lubavich hasidic group. at around 18 he fell in with the lubavichers. his mother cried as if he'd converted to christianity.

anyway, i used to work at a firm where one of the attorneys is an orthodox rabbi (in westchester county). i became pretty friendly w/ the rabbi, and he used to have some pretty not-nice things to say about the hasidim. i think that they embarrassed him.

er

"Trembling Before G-d", yes, I saw it (I forgot that Zorn did the soundtrack!). I didn't walk away from it enlightened or anything, as it plays out as you'd expect (i.e. "my family doesn't understand me, I can't change my faith or my sexual orientation, G-d understands") but it's quite poignant nonethless.

(hmmm, my comment doesn't read like an endorsement, but it is)

I remember reading somewhere that there are more Lubavitchers than Hassidim in London, mainly around stamford hill.

But it is only transmitted maternally, so it must be mitochondrial!

I haven't even read this thread fully yet but GAH

Half of my customers at my store are hasidic or orthodox mostly from Kiryas Joel and/or WIlliamsburg (The rest from Monsey, Lakewood, NJ, and Borough Park)

I have gotten to the point where I can make out a little bit of Yiddish too.

On this, Rabbi Nachman of Bratzlav spun his parable:

Once upon a time, the king said to his beloved chief minister:

- When I look at the stars, I see astrologically that everyone who eats of this year's crop will go mad. So advise me, my friend, what should we eat this year?

The chief minister replied:

- My advice is, Your Majesty, that you give an order that enough of last year's crop be readied for us and so we shall not eat at all from this year's.

The king asked again:

- What is the advantage of your decree? What profit will there be for us if we are the only ones who are sane and everyone else is mad? They will all say that we are the ones who are insane not them. And if you are thinking to prepare enough from last year's crop for the others, our barns do not hold sufficient stocks for that.

- And so, what would your advice be, Your Majesty? - asked the chief minister.

The king replied:

- My advice is that we have no choice but to eat from the year's new crop and to become insane together with the whole world. But I would like the two of us to be different from other people and at least to know that we are mad, while the others will not know.

The chief minister asked:

- May Your Majesty teach me how we are to do that?

The king:

- For that, too, I have an answer. Let us engrave on our foreheads a mark and sign of insanity. Whenever I look at you and you look at me, we will know that we are mad.

New Square, NY is a hasidic village north of NYC. Out of the 1412 votes cast in the 2000 Senate elections, 1400 went to Hillary Clinton.

http://www.detnews.com/2001/politics/0105/04/a05-220310.htm

http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/judaism/worship/images/synplan.gif

The rabbi stands at the bimah, and the Torah is located inside of the ark. In my experience, where in the illustration it says women's seats are usually seated men as well. The woman form a second ring around the men, usually behind a lattice screen, or they can also be on the next floor level, seated above the men and looking down. I've never seen an actual mirror though.