You will notice a slight difference between the famous photos from the situation room of the White House during the Osama Bin Laden operation: Hillary Clinton has been removed from one of the shots. The altered picture ran in the Ultra-Orthodox daily Der Tzitung, which does not allow pictures of women to appease Orthodox sensitivities. Once again, the striking similarities with Islamic extremists is inescapable.
Pictures of women are reportedly viewed as sexually suggestive. It appears that even Hillary Clinton in a pants suit is just too much for the readers of the Orthodox daily. It is a position reminiscent of our earlier story how Hasidic leaders prevailed on the New York City authorities to get rid of bicycle lanes to avoid having to see women on bicycles.
Last week we saw the conviction of a leading Orthodox Rabbi who appeared unable to sit next to a woman on an international flight for more than 90 minutes without committing assault.
The Jewish Week blog notes that the original photo was released with the following disclaimer:
“This official White House photograph is being made available only for publication by news organizations and/or for personal use printing by the subject(s) of the photograph. The photograph may not be manipulated in any way and may not be used in commercial or political materials, advertisements, emails, products, promotions that in any way suggests approval or endorsement of the President, the First Family, or the White House.”
It is obviously not only an offensive treatment of women but a fundamental violation of journalistic principles — neither concern is likely, however, to move the writers of this Orthodox daily.
Jonathan Turley
Raff-
Royal Canadian Mounted Rabbis?
Swarthmore Mom,
Fur hats? Are you sure you weren’t in the Yukon section of Miami? 🙂
When I recently visited Miami, there appeared to be a different sect about every ten miles including a group of men with large fur hats. This was on Ocean Drive on a Saturday.
“Are all Hasidim ultra?”
Swm,
Yes they are but there are nuances within that. The Lubavitcher Hassidim, headquartered in Crown Heights, Brooklyn are by far the most tolerant. They are proselytizers within the Jewish Community and as such are very accepting of where a person is coming from religiously. If you see a synagogue called a Chabad, it is a Lubavitcher synagogue.
The Satmar Hassidim, based in Williamsburgh, Brooklyn are far less tolerant of Jews, who don’t follow their practices. They hate the Lubavitcher. So much so that there was a police car stationed for years in front of the Lubavitcher World Headquarters on Eastern Parkway because of threats made by the Satmar. The ironic twist to this is that the large Black Community in Crown Heights believed the police presence was due to them. The Satmar discourage fellow Jews, not of their sect, from even worshipping in their Synagogues.
There are also many other smaller sects within not only Ultra Orthodoxy but also Hasidim. Too many to detail.
Ironically, modern Hasidism date back to the Baal Shem Tov in 17th century Poland. He was a religious reformer who believed that more passion and less solemnity should be the way of Jewish Observance. He was originally reviled by the then powers that be as a rebel. As Hasidism evolved it gradually surpassed mere Orthodoxy (which at that point was normative Judaism) in strictness of religious observance. We Jews are a contentious lot which has added to our strength and logevity, but has also added to our vulnerability.
Dallas has three ultra orthodox yeshivas.
Mike S, I think the public sometimes lumps them together especially if one does not live in an area where the ultra orthodox reside. Are all Hasidim ultra?