Inside Israel's Closed Off Ultra-Orthodox Communities | Foreign Correspondent

Apr 14, 2022 • In the modern State of Israel, the ultra-Orthodox – or Haredi – communities live a world apart.

Rejecting the secular, they live according to ancient religious principles. Many Haredi men spend their days in religious schools studying the Jewish bible.

“People here focus on the essentials: on the Torah. Material things are irrelevant here,” says Yossef, a member of a Haredi community on the edge of Tel Aviv.

“On Shabbat, cars stand still, everyone observes Shabbat. The women show restraint outdoors.”

Yossef’s wife, Esther, supports her husband.

“Man was created to study day and night. As a woman, I support that and benefit from it as well.”

The Israeli government subsidises this lifestyle, exempting community members from compulsory military service.

It has lead to resentment among secular Jews, tensions which have deepened during COVID.

“This is a state within a state,” says one Israeli MP. “Many Haredi movements want to integrate into Israeli society…the only problem is that some Haredi leaders strongly hinder this integration.”

Presented by Eric Campbell, this Arte documentary explores how pressures from outside are forcing many Haredim to integrate more with the modern world.

Moshe is one who’s pushing the boundaries. He’s set up a tech company which adheres to religious rules, including providing separate workspaces for men and women.

“In the business world, the sexes share a space and many Haredim don't deal well with that. So, we founded this place, so the Haredim feel comfortable in the high-tech world.”

Chira dreams of becoming a professional singer, but as a Haredi woman she’s not allowed to perform for men. She’s decided she wants to be a performer, but only for other women.

“I will never be able to sing on a stage where everyone can see me. But a new female audience is emerging. They organise parties, celebrations for young girls, festivals for women.”

Moshe feels his community’s traditions can help drive innovation.

“Some think if you preserve tradition, you stay stuck in the past, but the future is innovation… The talent for innovation comes precisely from reflection…This legacy enables us to look forward and invent new things.”

This is a fascinating and rare insight into a normally-closed world on the cusp of change.

About Foreign Correspondent:
Foreign Correspondent is the prime-time international public affairs program on Australia's national broadcaster, ABC-TV. We produce half-hour duration in-depth reports for broadcast across the ABC's television channels and digital platforms. Since 1992, our teams have journeyed to more than 170 countries to report on war, natural calamity and social and political upheaval – through the eyes of the people at the heart of it all.

Leaving the Ultra-orthodox – Jews Seeking a New Life in Germany | DW Documentary

Feb 16, 2021 • Increasing numbers of Jews have been leaving ultra-orthodox communities in recent years. Surprisingly, Germany has become a popular refuge for them. Rabbi Akiva Weingarten has been helping them.

More than 1.3 million Jews live in ultra-orthodox communities worldwide. It’s a kind of parallel universe — in which only God’s laws count. Every aspect of everyday life is clearly regulated: The women are responsible for the home and for looking after the children while the men devote their lives to religious study. But some ten percent of ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel go on to quit their communities - and that figure is growing. The majority are young adults and, surprisingly, many come to Germany. Akiva Weingarten was one of them. He grew up in an ultra-orthodox Satmar community in New York State but made a radical break in 2014. He left his wife and children and started a new life in Berlin - without a credit card, a bank account or a job, or any relatives to fall back on. He is now surrounded by a free community of former ultra-orthodox Jews - who turn to the rabbi for practical and religious advice. Moshe Barnett and David Lamberger have only been flat mates in Dresden for a few months now. They are not just seeking a new life, but a new relationship with God.

Leaving the Ultra-Orthodox – Jews Seeking a New Life in Germany | DW Documentary

ncreasing numbers of Jews have been leaving ultra-orthodox communities in recent years. Surprisingly, Germany has become a popular refuge for them. Rabbi Akiva Weingarten has been helping them.

More than 1.3 million Jews live in ultra-orthodox communities worldwide. It’s a kind of parallel universe — in which only God’s laws count. Every aspect of everyday life is clearly regulated: The women are responsible for the home and for looking after the children while the men devote their lives to religious study. But some ten percent of ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel go on to quit their communities - and that figure is growing. The majority are young adults and, surprisingly, many come to Germany. Akiva Weingarten was one of them. He grew up in an ultra-orthodox Satmar community in New York State but made a radical break in 2014. He left his wife and children and started a new life in Berlin - without a credit card, a bank account or a job, or any relatives to fall back on. He is now surrounded by a free community of former ultra-orthodox Jews - who turn to the rabbi for practical and religious advice. Moshe Barnett and David Lamberger have only been flat mates in Dresden for a few months now. They are not just seeking a new life, but a new relationship with God.

Leaving the Ultra-Orthodox — Jews Seeking a New Life in Germany | DW Documentary

Increasing numbers of Jews have been leaving ultra-orthodox communities in recent years. Surprisingly, Germany has become a popular refuge for them. Rabbi Akiva Weingarten has been helping them.

More than 1.3 million Jews live in ultra-orthodox communities worldwide. It’s a kind of parallel universe — in which only God’s laws count. Every aspect of everyday life is clearly regulated: The women are responsible for the home and for looking after the children while the men devote their lives to religious study. But some ten percent of ultra-orthodox Jews in Israel go on to quit their communities - and that figure is growing. The majority are young adults and, surprisingly, many come to Germany. Akiva Weingarten was one of them. He grew up in an ultra-orthodox Satmar community in New York State but made a radical break in 2014. He left his wife and children and started a new life in Berlin - without a credit card, a bank account or a job, or any relatives to fall back on. He is now surrounded by a free community of former ultra-orthodox Jews - who turn to the rabbi for practical and religious advice. Moshe Barnett and David Lamberger have only been flat mates in Dresden for a few months now. They are not just seeking a new life, but a new relationship with God.

Ultra-Orthodox Jews Protest against Plan to Draft Them into Israel Defense Forces

Israeli police used water cannon on ultra-Orthodox Jewish protesters on Thursday in the southern city of Ashdod, following demonstrations against plans to enlist them in the military. Police also claimed that highways were being blocked across the country as part of the protest. In Ashdod, demonstrators hurled stones at police, injuring two. While in Jerusalem around 400 ultra-Orthodox Jews tried to block the entrance to the city. The trouble follows a Supreme Court ruling this week ordering funding halted to ultra-Orthodox seminaries whose students dodge the draft.

Wehrpflicht: Israel zwingt Ultraorthodoxe an die Waffe

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Die Musterungsbescheide sind schon unterwegs: Israel setzt eine radikale Neuerung in der Wehrpflicht durch. Künftig müssen auch streng orthodoxe Juden den Dienst an der Waffe leisten. Rund 15.000 junge Männer sind zunächst betroffen, die Regierung spricht von einem "Richtungswechsel".

Jerusalem - Israel verabschiedet sich von einer jahrzehntealten Tradition: Der israelische Verteidigungsminister Ehud Barak hat die Einberufung auch streng religiöser junger Männer zum Wehrdienst angeordnet. Barak sagte am Montag vor einem Parlamentsausschuss in Jerusalem, Ultraorthodoxe im Alter von 16 bis 19 Jahren sollten Musterungsbescheide erhalten, genau wie andere Jugendliche auch. Er nannte die Neuregelung einen "Richtungswechsel".

Die israelische Zeitung "Haaretz" schrieb am Montag, es handele sich um etwa 15.000 Personen. Sie sollten zunächst als erster Schritt in den regulären Musterungsprozess integriert werden. Dieser dauert in Israel für gewöhnlich etwa ein Jahr. Ein Armeesprecher bestätigte, es seien bereits einige tausend Musterungsbescheide abgeschickt worden. Bereits im Juli hatte es in Israel massive Proteste für eine allgemeine Wehrpflicht gegeben. » | jok/dpa | Montag, 15. Oktober 2012

Anti-Zionist Slogans Daubed at Israel Holocaust Museum
REUTERS.COM: Vandals spray-painted anti-Zionist slogans at Israel's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial and police said on Monday they suspect radical ultra-Orthodox Jews opposed to Israel's existence were responsible.

"Hitler, thank you for the Holocaust," one slogan read.

Some of the graffiti, all written in Hebrew and daubed overnight on outside walls, accused Israel's founders of secretly encouraging the slaughter of six million Jews by the Nazis during World War Two to hasten the creation, in 1948, of the Jewish state.

"The Zionists wanted the Holocaust," said another slogan.

Many ultra-Orthodox Jews regard modern-day Israel as an abomination, believing the establishment of the Jewish state must await the coming of the Messiah. » | Writing by Allyn Fisher-Ilan, Editing by Jeffrey Heller | JERUSALEM | Monday, June 11, 2012

Israel: Ultraorthodoxe wehren sich gegen Wehrdienst

SPIEGEL ONLINE: Ultraorthodoxe müssen nicht zum Wehrdienst: So war es in Israel über Jahrzehnte geregelt. Jetzt hat sich das höchste Gericht des Landes gegen die Freistellung der Tiefreligiösen ausgesprochen und fordert eine Gesetzesänderung. Prompt regt sich Widerstand.

Mehr als 30 Jahre lang hat Yehuda Ressler für diesen Augenblick gekämpft. Jetzt ist der pensionierte Rechtsanwalt "überglücklich, ja ekstatisch": Israels höchster Gerichtshof gab ihm in der Klage 6298/07 Recht, die Ressler 1981 eingereicht hatte. Sie sollte die Freistellung ultraorthodoxer Juden vom Militärdienst beenden. Sechs von neun Richtern kamen jetzt zu dem Ergebnis, dass das Gesetz tatsächlich gegen den Grundsatz der Gleichstellung verstößt - und fordern Änderungen.

"Ein himmelschreiendes historisches Unrecht kommt damit seinem Ende näher", sagt Ressler. Viele Israelis fühlen wie er. Das Urteil des Gerichts befasst sich mit einer der heikelsten und ältesten Streitfragen der israelischen Innenpolitik: Eigentlich muss jeder jüdische Israeli drei, jede jüdische Israelin zwei Jahre Wehrdienst leisten, danach zusätzlich bis zu 30 Tage Reservedienst bis zum 45. Lebensjahr. Doch seit der Staatsgründung 1948 gibt es eine große Ausnahme: Der erste Premier David Ben-Gurion enthob alle ultraorthodoxen Thoraschüler der Wehrpflicht.

"Diese Ungleichheit! Meine Enkel müssen bald in die Armee, und ultraorthodoxe Eltern schlafen weiter in Ruhe, weil ihre Kinder nicht dienen müssen und von meinen geschützt werden!", sagt Ressler. » | Von Gil Yaron, Tel Aviv | Donnerstag, 23. Februar 2012

Tausende Israelis demonstrieren gegen Ultra-Orthodoxe
Mehrere tausend Israelis haben in der Stadt Beit Schemesch gegen religiösen Fanatismus ultra-orthodoxer Juden demonstriert. Auch Staatschef Schimon Peres hatte seine Landsleute aufgefordert, sich an der Demonstration zu beteiligen.

Advance of the Zealots: The Growing Influence of the Ultra-Orthodox in Israel

SPIEGEL ONLINE INTERNATIONAL: Veiled women, radical rabbis and gender segregation: Israel is facing a rise in the influence of ultra-Orthodox Jews. Their efforts to impose a strictly conservative worldview have led to growing tensions with the country's secular society. A resolution to the conflict is vital for Israel's future.

Outside is the Judean Wilderness, the Dead Sea shimmers in the distance. Naomi Machfud is sitting inside the self-built house, dreaming about making the world disappear. She wants to cover up her face with a veil, she says, her mouth, her nose and her eyes. A black veil, without even a vision slit, one that swallows every glance and submerges the world in darkness. The veil is the pinnacle of zniut, or modesty, the closest a person can get to God. But, she says with a sigh, "unfortunately I'm not that far yet."

But Machfud, a 30-year-old woman with six children, has already created an insulating layer of material between herself and the outside world. She is wearing a wool robe, an apron, a blouse, three floor-length corduroy skirts, a black skirt and trousers. She has a piece of black wool material wrapped loosely around her head. Underneath it is a tight, black veil, and underneath that is a pale pink veil. Not a single hair is visible. She is wearing a pair of earrings, but she takes them off when she leaves the house.

Machfud is a Jewish woman married to a Jewish man. They live in a settlement in the West Bank, but she dresses as if she lived in Afghanistan. In Israel, the veiled women are referred to as the "Taliban," while they refer to themselves as women of the shawl. Machfud claims that there are thousands of women like her, but it is more likely that they number in the hundreds. They are usually seen in Jerusalem's ultra-orthodox Me'ah She'arim neighborhood, black, shapeless figures, holding the hands of their daughters, who look like miniature versions of their mothers.

One could call these women crazy. Or one could see them as the product of a religious community that is becoming more and more extremist. Gender Separation in Public » | Juliane von Mittelstaedt | Friday, January 13, 2012

Sexism and the State of Israel
THE INDEPENDENT: Driven by a theology that refuses to grant women equal rights, ultraorthodox Jews have begun to flex their misogynist muscles. But, says Catrina Stewart, a fightback has begun

As dusk falls in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem's most pious neighbourhood, black-clad and hatted Jewish men hurry home along the narrow streets lined by medieval-style houses where lights burn dimly in darkened windows.

Less than half a mile away, young Israelis mix in bustling bars in central Jerusalem, anathema to this religious ultraorthodox community that has tried its hardest to hide itself away from the temptations of secular life, and ensure a rigorous separation between men and women.

Ironically, though, it is the ultraorthodox community's efforts to impose its religious values on ordinary Israelis, particularly women, that many fear is undermining Israel's democracy, and which now poses the greatest threat to this community's survival.

When Tanya Rosenblit, a 28-year-old woman from Ashdod, boarded a Jerusalem-bound bus late last year, she caused a stir by refusing to heed the demands of a religious male passenger to move to the back of the bus. Many of the ultraorthodox – known as Haredim – believe that modesty forbids women to sit at the front of the bus with the men, and it is common to see segregated buses with women seated to the rear, often crowded in while seats remain free at the front.

Ms Rosenblit became a minor celebrity in Israel, but her stance was not without consequences, earning her death threats for daring to challenge the religious community.

"The Haredim has always received special treatment in this country and people thought it was okay," she says. "But something has changed... in the sense that they feel they are going to control this country. That's disturbing." » | Catrina Stewart | Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Ultra-Orthodox Pressure Takes Women Off Ads for Jerusalem Organ Donor Campaign

HAARETZ: The advertising agency handling the bus ads asked ADI for permission to replace the ads on buses in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak with ones showing men only.

The recent removal of images of women from bus ads in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak encouraging Israelis to sign organ donor cards has sparked protest, with some people threatening to revoke their agreement to donate organs after their death.

Last week, ADI, the National Transplant Center, launched a campaign urging Israelis who do not have organ donor cards to take advantage of a provision in the Organ Transplant Law of 2008 that affords priority on the transplant waiting list to candidates who sign up by December 31, 2011.
Last week, Canaan Pirsum Bitnuah, the advertising agency handling the bus ads, which feature the faces of men and women, asked ADI for permission to replace the ads on buses in Jerusalem and Bnei Brak with ones showing men only.

"The photos showed only the women's faces; there were no exposed shoulders or anything at all provocative. But we were warned that if we didn't change the images, the buses might be burned," ADI spokeswoman Dvora Sherer said. » | Dan Even | Tuesday, November 08, 2011

The Ultra-Orthodox Bomb
YNET NEWS: Op-ed: In light of demographic trends, Israel en route to becoming Iran-style state

Former Mossad Chief Efraim Halevy knows a thing or two about the dangers lurking for Israel. In a recent lecture he claimed that the danger of ultra-Orthodox radicalization is greater than the Iranian threat.

Halevy’s words prompted protests, of course. Members of Shas and United Torah Judaism accused him of resorting to grave incitement. They are certain, or pretend to be certain, that the ultra-Orthodox improve the status of Jews before God, and that the more people study Torah, the greater the people of Israel’s security would be.

We should note time and again that the overwhelming majority of Orthodox rabbis in the Diaspora objected to Zionism because they believed the Jews should remain in the Diaspora until God shall salvage them. After the Holocaust, they claimed that it constituted a punishment for shunning our Torah.

Haredi leaders in Israel did not change this basic view, even if they do not voice it much: The salvation of the Jews is at the hands of God in the heavens and does not depend on the skill of our pilots in the skies. » | Yaron London | Tuesday, November 08, 2011

Ultra-Orthodox Jews Campaign for Dismantling of Israel

Jewish Hardliners Crack Down on Fun in Israel
THE INDEPENDENT: It is the time of the year when school is out for Israel's ultraorthodox students. But this year, a Jewish morality police is patrolling in force to make sure they do not have too much fun.

Leading rabbis and heads of religious colleges, or the yeshivas, have warned students to continue their studies of the Torah, dress appropriately and avoid "the great danger, spiritually and concretely, of hitchhiking". The ultraorthodox, who make up roughly 10 per cent of all Israelis, live a closeted life. They voluntarily choose not to own a television or radio, and are barred from using the internet.

But Rabbi Mordechai Blau, leader of the group, Guardians of Sanctity and Education, feared that some temptations would simply prove too much, and deployed an army of snoopers to photograph members of the ultra-orthodox community, also known as Haredi, at a mixed-sex pop concert.

Revellers who ignored warnings to shun ultra-orthodox popstars from Brooklyn, New York, now face being slung out of their yeshivas, or having their children barred from attending the religious schools of their choice. >>> Catrina Stewat in Jerusalem | Monday, August 09, 2010

Der Rabbi, der Israel abschaffen will
ZEIT ONLINE: Neturei Karta ist eine Gruppe ultraorthodoxer Juden, die gegen den Staat Israel kämpft. Ihr Leiter will Berater der palästinensischen Regierung werden.

Rabbi Meir Hirsh sitzt in seiner Wohnung in Me’a Sche’arim und wartet. Es ist das Viertel der ultraorthodoxen Juden in Jerusalem. Weiße Häuser, Balkone aus geschwungenen Eisenstangen, alles ein wenig schmuddelig. Putz bröckelt, auf manchen Hausmauern sind Graffiti zu sehen: eine palästinensische Flagge, ein Hakenkreuz. Ultraorthodoxe Juden eilen schnellen Schrittes durch die engen Gassen. Eine Treppe aus weißem Stein führt zur Wohnung von Rabbi Meir Hirsh. Er möchte Berater der palästinensischen Regierung werden.

"Ein Jude ist kein Zionist" steht auf seinem Klingelschild. Meir Hirsh trägt einen schwarzen Mantel, einen luftigen, langen weißroten Bart, die Judenlocken locken sich nicht. Auf dem Kopf sitzt ein Hut, auf der Nase eine dicke Hornbrille. Der Rabbi wartet auf einen Anruf, eine E-Mail, auf einen Brief von Palästinenserpräsident Mahmud Abbas. Mit ihm ist er in regem Kontakt, er will Berater der palästinensischen Regierung werden.

Seit drei Monaten leitet Rabbi Meir Hirsh die Organisation Neturei Karta, eine Gruppierung von ultraorthodoxen Juden, die gegen Israel kämpft. Die Errichtung des Staates Israels von Menschenhand spreche gegen die Thora. Hier steht geschrieben, dass erst nach Ankunft des Messias ein jüdischer Staat entsteht, durch göttliche Fügung. Bis dahin sei es Juden erlaubt hier zu leben, aber nur unter der Führung eines anderen Volkes. >>> Von Viktoria Kleber | Freitag, 30. Juli 2010

Frauen hinten, Männer vorne: In Jerusalem wächst der Protest gegen ultraorthodoxe Juden und ihre Privilegien
NZZ am SONNTAG: Säkular gesinnte Israeli begehren gegen ultraorthodoxe Juden und ihre Privilegien auf. In Jerusalem wird gegen die Regel protestiert, nach der Frauen und Männer getrennt in Bussen zu sitzen haben.

Der Buschauffeur blickt irritiert auf. Es ist nicht üblich auf der Linie 56, dass eine Frau vorne einsteigt. Auf seiner Strecke ins Jerusalemer Quartier Ramat Schlomo, in dem ausschliesslich ultraorthodoxe Juden wohnen, steigen die weiblichen Passagiere immer hinten ein und knipsen ihre Zehnerkarten selbst mit einer am Haltegriff angeketteten Lochzange ab. Im vorderen Teil des Busses sind ausschliesslich schwarze Hüte, schwarze Anzüge und Schläfenlocken zu sehen – die traditionelle Tracht der Haredim-Männer, der Frommsten aller Frommen. «Nach hinten», zischen sie auch sogleich, schauen schnell weg oder halten sich die Hand vor die Augen, um nicht mit Weiblichkeit konfrontiert zu werden. >>> Silke Mertins, Jerusalem | Sonntag, 21. März 2010

Set Apart for God and Torah
Photo of Haredi Jewis courtesy of the BBC
BBC: The BBC's Erica Chernofsky in Jerusalem gets a rare insight into the lives of members of Israel's Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community.

Sitting on a park bench in the late afternoon, Michal Greenwald watches her children run around the playground with dozens of other kids as she takes a few minutes rest from her hectic day.

A full-time property lawyer, Mrs Greenwald is the sole breadwinner and also takes care of her four young children and tends to the housework. Her husband, Shmuel, spends his days studying in a religious seminary for men. She says she cannot imagine life any other way.

''Girls are raised this way from a young age, and such are the lives of Haredim in Israel,'' she says of the Ultra-Orthodox Jews who choose to live separately from mainstream Israeli society.

It is difficult to walk the streets of Jerusalem without running into Haredim, but their community can seem isolated and closed.

The men are distinct in their long black wool coats and trousers, stark white button-down shirts and black hats, even in the heat of the Middle Eastern summer. Set Apart for God and Torah >>> | August 19, 2008

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