Meah Shearim
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Meah Shearim (sometimes Mea Shearim), is one of the oldest neighborhoods of extramural Jerusalem. It was established in 1874 by a company with originally 100 shareholders in order to provide decent housing to the growing "Old Settlement" of the old Jewish Quarter. The original inhabitants were members of the Perushim community, whose parents and grandparents, disciples of the Vilna Gaon, had arrived in Palestine in the early part of the century.
The name was taken from Genesis 26:12[1], as a prayer and blessing that the community would thrive and expand: Isaac sowed in that land, and in that year he reaped "מאה שערים - a hundredfold"; God had blessed him.
The neighborhood has conserved its traditional pious character, with its orthodox population of Haredi Jews and the customs of old Hungarian Jewish centers. They follow all aspects of Jewish law from the Bible, Talmud and from the Shulchan Aruch (a guide to Jewish Law).
The area is populated exclusively by Orthodox Jews and is the most strictly Orthodox neighborhood in the world. Because of this, it has slowly become a major tourist attraction. To counter the flow of scantily-clad female tourists and large groups of outsiders, the neighborhood Rabbis had special posters in Hebrew and English put up, which are found at every entrance to the neighborhood. They request that tourist groups stay away and that visitors dress modestly, which includes, for women, a long skirt, no tight-fitting clothing and clothing that covers the shoulders and the arms at least as far as the elbows.
City buses 1, 10 and 15 drive through Meah Shearim Street, a very small street which is the main artery through the neighborhood.
Residents of Meah Shearim demand that visitors observe several rules:
- Jewish women and girls (young girls as well) are required to wear a skirt that goes beyond the knees and clothing that covers the shoulders and goes at least until the elbows.
- Tourists are asked not to travel in groups (especially not groups of women).
- Residents should not be photographed and certainly not filmed without asking for permission.
- During the Jewish Sabbath, Shabbos (from sunset Friday until it is completely dark on Saturday night, i.e., 25 hours long), refrain from violating the Shabbat in these areas. That means: no mobile phones, no cigarettes, no (photo or video) cameras, and somewhat more respectable dress.
- Avoid wearing Christian symbols, such as crosses or religious shirts. Due to the fact that most residents are anti-Zionist, many of them very strongly so, wearing pro-Israel shirts and the like may also lead to uncomfortable looks.
- Optionally, men might choose to wear a small (preferably colored) yarmulke.
Chassidic groups with a large number of followers in Meah Shearim include Breslov, Slonim(-Weiss) and Toldos Aharon. It is also the stronghold of the extremely anti-Zionist Neturei Karta movement. The "Edah HaChareidis", which provides kashrus certification (hechsher), and acts as a Jewish legal court, is also situated within Meah Shearim.
[edit] References
- Halper, Jeff : Beetween Redemption and Revival: The Jewish Yishuv of Jerusalem in the Nineteenth Century (Westview Press, 1991)ISBN 0-8133-7855-9 (hardcover)
