Imshin sets me straight on the so called “Toter Hassidim”: the followers of Rabbi Nachman of Breslov. Nachman was a near-Messianic 18th century Jewish rov. When he died, his followers refused to appoint a successor, believing that there could be none more holy than he.
They like to dance:
Imshin’s view is as follows:
David T, you keep quoting “na nach nachma” as if it is a widespread Jewish religious practice. The Breslavs may make a lot of noise and spray Israel with loads of graffitti, but they are actually quite a small sect, mainly of secular Jews who found religion (”born again Jews” as it were). I understand they’re generally regarded as meshuganehs by the rest of the dossim. You have to love them dancing around in the streets though. Guaranteed to get a smile even out of the grumpiest of people.
I agree. They seem mostly harmless. I wouldn’t want to be on a plane with them, however.
Ultra-Orthodox passengers on an El Al flight to Kiev caused a serious commotion Sunday morning after, according to their testimony, a movie was screened on board the plane.The Haredi men, en route to Uman, Ukraine to visit the gravesite of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav, said that the airline had promised not to show a film during the flight.When the screens began to unfold in preparation for the screening, the ultra-Orthodox men began going wild. “It was a pretty frightening sight,” a passenger on the plane described the events. According to witnesses, the men began shouting and physically trying to prevent the movie screens from unfolding.
This is why I fly British Airways
