Recently, some articles have come out reporting that some Haredi or "ultra-Orthodox" Jews in Mea Shearim, the most religious area of Jerusalem, have started selling glasses that blur their owner's vision. The goal, apparently, is to help men who might be tempted by women dressed immodestly on the street from looking and seeing what they shouldn't.
Since the report was released, website after website, and blog after blog, has picked up this story. Almost all with a certain mocking tone. Many with angry undertones and overtones. Many sarcastic.
The super-crazy-frummy-religious-folk are frequently the target of media skepticism and attacks. But what separates this parade of attacks is that usually the hatred and anger is hidden behind a guise of worrying about others' welfare. For example, the very real issue of sex scandals rocking the United States ultra-Orthodox community, and the gangs of Jews policing modesty in that same community of Mea Shearim, are topics frequently discussed and criticized in popular culture. Usually, these stories are capitalized on to attack the wider religious Jewish community.
But now, people who, no matter how ridiculous their methods, have chosen a path that hurts no one (except perhaps themselves), are being attacked. Mocked. Virtually spit on.
Why? Not for any good reason. They're not hurting anyone. G-d knows, it was probably one dude's idea in a shop that some journalist heard about. But even if it's more widespread than that, who cares?
Even more importantly, why do we find it so amusing? Why is the fact that men are so aware of their fallibility that they have gone out of their way to respect women suddenly seen as a bad thing?
Here in New York City, women are constantly subjected to cat calls, whistles and much much worse by men who have no such qualms.
And now, in Jerusalem there are a group of men who have chosen to disable themselves so that they would never do that to a woman.
Instead of some thoughtful introspection about our society, the blogosphere has chosen a different path: attacking those who are different. Attacking a group of people who can't stand up for themselves because they don't have a PR team and a bunch of people calling journalists to complain.
But what we all need to focus on here is not what we may be confused by, but what within ourselves is allowing us to allow such unfiltered hate to seep through. Instead of looking at the differences between people with respect and warmth, or at least indifferent tolerance, these people are being pushed around. Sometimes when I read these articles, I have an image of people throughout history pushing Jews around and pointing out their silly side curls and beards, and I wonder if there's any difference.
So, all you promoters of tolerance, you left-leaning, love-loving, heart-bleeding, folks, can you answer this? Why is it OK to hate these people because they lead a different life than yours? And what is it that you find quite so objectionable and worthy of hate, mocking and anger?
Until anyone can answer these questions without resorting to dirty attacks of an entire people, I can only assume that hatred against ultra-Orthodox Jews has become mainstream.
Elad Nehorai is a writer living in Crown Heights, Brooklyn. Five years ago, he became a religious Jew in the Chabad Hasidic community and has since written about his experience extensively, most recently in his blog Pop Chassid. You can find him on Twitter as @PopChassid and Facebook.
This article was originally published in Pop Chassid.
Follow Elad Nehorai on Twitter: www.twitter.com/PopChassid
Jason Strauss: 'Truth and Just Peace': Constructing a New Kavvanah for Tisha B'Av
Rabbi Jason Miller: Patrilineal 'Dissent': Solving the Jewish Status Problem
Elad Nehorai: Don't Call Me an Orthodox Jew
Personally, I could care less what people do privately to maintain their own religious standards. But when you are doing something on the street that may materially and practically risk MY safety, that is different. I would far rather be subjected to a stare than physically touched (albeit by accident) by someone whose vision is so blurry that they do not even see me.
And this is in addition to the fact that wearing glasses that obscures ones vision has been shown to, over time, directly result in a degradation of vision--I believe, and hope, that these men want to avoid being distracted by women because they are engaged in the serious study of Torah, Talmud, and Halakha, a pursuit of which I am greatly supportive which impresses me enormously. It would be a tragedy if they could not read the sacred letters any more.
This is one of the funniest things I've ever read, considering that this claim is being made in a column on HuffPo defending the group of people. Like most of the mainstream, I don't 'hate' the heredim, but instead find their obsession with enforcing 'modesty' both hysterical to the point of ludicrousness and a dangerous assault on the liberty of all women.
Here is what I was taught growing up. .. Should give this to anyone who have a problem with all that they see or hear.
Guru Granth Sahib, p 922.
O my eyes, the Lord has infused His Light into you; do not look upon any other than the Lord.
Do not look upon any other than the Lord; the Lord alone is worthy of beholding.
This whole world which you see is the image of the Lord; only the image of the Lord is seen.
By Guru's Grace, I understand, and I see only the One Lord; there is no one except the Lord.
Says Nanak, these eyes were blind; but meeting the True Guru, they became all-seeing. ||36||
O my ears, you were created only to hear the Truth.
To hear the Truth, you were created and attached to the body; listen to the True Bani.
Hearing it, the mind and body are rejuvenated, and the tongue is absorbed in power of God.
The True Lord is unseen and wondrous; His state cannot be described.
Says Nanak, listen to the Powerful Name and become holy; you were created only to hear the Truth. ||37||
Waheguru Ji Ka Khalsa,
Waheguru ji Ki FATEH!
So what you are sdaying is the Ultra Othodox have NO self control? Sorry fail. Self control and self reflection is at the heart of religion!
Who do you think is the intended audience for newspapers that do things like airbrush Secretary of State Clinton out of Situation Room pictures before publishing them in the paper? There are plenty of newspapers in Israel not just willing and able to present the position of the "group of people" you are so concerned about, but instead chomping at the bit to presnet that perspective.
You seem to be confused. Aside from some good-natured jokes about people who the product at issue imply are unable to control their instincts that they have to place blinders on themselves, this issue has gotten little to no traction. You may not be fully briefed in the ways of the modern world, but on the internet jokes are a sign of acceptance, not of "hate."
If people really hated (and some do) they would be upfront about that hatred through the relatively anonomous forum of the internet (and some do). The glasses fall into the category of a "funny" story for nearly everyone -- nothing more.
"And what is it that you find quite so objectionable and worthy of hate, mocking and anger?
The issue of self-blinding is not bringing a response of hate, or anger. That you do not know that, speaks to your own persecution complex, and it's not anyone else's fault. As for 'mocking,' so what? Mocking is what the internet is about -- for better or for worse -- and if anything, the mocking of the glasses demonstrated not a widespread hatred of Orthodox Jews, but instead a pretty broad acceptance that Orthodox Jews are just people like everyone else, equally capable of weird decisions, and equal targets for good-natured mocking based on those decisions.
"And now, in Jerusalem there are a group of men who have chosen to disable themselves so that they would never do that to a woman."
You want to know why this is mocked? Because there are many moral men (not necessarily religious men) who don't need blurry glasses to prevent them from "cat calls, whistles and much much worse" towards woman.
You want "promoters of tolerance, you left-leaning, love-loving, heart-bleeding, folks" to not mock men who apparently don't possess the same self control that most men use on a daily basis? You tell liberals to look within themselves?
Why don't ultra-Orthodox men start taking some personal responsibility for themselves. They blame their reaction to women on "immodest" dress, uncovered hair, provocative ankles, whatever. They use glasses to blur their vision rather than engaging in some thoughtful introspection themselves.
It's not hatred towards the ultra-Orthodox. It is the same disgust I feel towards religious men of any faith who blame women for their own short comings and inability to control themselves like normal human beings.
A friend of mine (a former Orthodox Jew from Brooklyn) was telling me how he hated that the Orthodox women were "repressed" by having to wear long dresses, long sleeves, etc. So I asked him "Well, don't we as a society impose our morals all the time? I mean, it's not like I could just walk outside right now, take off my pants and underwear and walk around."
The point is that people have different morals. If you don't like someone with morals that are more conservative than yours, fine, so be it. But, remember that they are probably looking at you like your the guy walking around without his underpants.
Until now, most of the ‘solutions’ promoted and followed by male haredim have women giving up their freedom and their comfort, requiring them to cover their bodies and hide themselves, to stay out of the public realm, to avoid stepping on the public stage, in order to keep the men away from temptation.
In this context, the glasses, in fact, represent a refreshing change of approach. They limit and hamper the freedom of the men hunted by their instincts, not the women. They make clear that if the sight of women bother them, it is their responsibility to limit their sight, not force women to get out of their line of vision.