Shabbat rocks

One of the first things I immediately noticed when arriving was how the streets were almost deserted. There were very few cars, few people walking in the streets, and almost all places were closed. It was almost like a ghost town.

In a way, I was very impressed. Keeping the Shabbat (day of rest) is very important to the Jewish people. Many take that day off to worship God, then they spend the rest of the days with their families. Most do not go to work but keep their focus on their faith.

What would it be like if Canadian Christians did the same on Sunday? If the malls closed down, the theatres closed down, and the telemarketers didn't call? Taking the seventh day to not rest is in our Bible. Why don't many of us follow it as closely? What would it look like if we did?

The orthodox Jews are very observant of the Sabbath, and for that I commend them.


However, religious zeal can and sometimes does give way to violence.

As I walked through Jerusalem, some people told me to keep away from the Orthodox areas. Cars driving through their neighbourhoods on the Sabbath have had rocks thrown at them. If you walk through an Orthodox neighborhood wearing shorts or with one's shoulders uncovered (women and girls) the risk of being chased and stoned is very real.

Most Israelis (Jews and non-Jews) are very outgoing and are quick to stop by and help give directions, and if you say "shalom" you can be sure that they will reply in kind. Most Orthodox people I have said hello to would ignore me and keep walking. I see some of them looking at the ground when passing beside a person who is not Orthodox, Jewish or no. I don't know the reason for that but it does come across as unfriendly. Then again, I have only been in the city for 2 days and am looking at it through the eyes of a tourist.


I got to the hostel in the evening. As I was sitting in the lounge, I heard loud yelling and we watched a crowd of 50-60 Orthodox Jewish men and boys walk by, yelling loudly and angrily. They stopped by our hostel, kind of glared at us and yelled, then moved on. As some of the Israelis there explained, every Saturday some Orthodox Jews get together and march through the city, stopping by every non-closed business to yell. The police usually follow the march to make sure there is no violence. In the past windows have been smashed and property has been vandalized.

I decided I had to check this out and left the hostel to follow the group and see what was going to happen. This was just too interesting to pass up. I grabbed my camera and ran out the front door to follow. Those who know me well enough probably wouldn't find that too surprising. I took a few pictures but then was warned by some Israelis to stop since many Orthodox Jews see the taking of picures on the Shabbat as very offensive and people snapping photos of their marches have sometimes been attacked. So I put my camera away. The loud and angry march continued. I followed along for a while, then left.


I am impressed by the Orthodox Jewish devotion to their faith and their very strong and uncompromising stance against secularism. I wish more Christians had as much guts as they do.
However, I found the anger and threatening demeanor to be disturbing. Many Israeli Jews I have spoken to do not take them seriously and are almost embarrassed by their behaviour. I am sure that most Orthodox Jewish men do not go around yelling at people and hurling rocks at people who are not 'covered up' but those who do seem to give the rest a bad reputation in the eyes of some.

 
 
 
 

Pictures of the rally. As you can tell, I kept my distance this time.