Male Hasidim Don Veils On Pilgramage To Rabbi's Grave

"In any cloth shop, ask for a thin lycra cloth 70 cm wide (blue, brown or black ) costing about 20 NIS," reads one instruction. "It needs to be about 1.5 meters long ... which is necessary so it will sit well and not flow in the wind." Even if people laugh at someone wearing the scarf on his face, those covering their eyes "will be rewarded a thousand fold."

This year in Uman: Hasids don 'veils' en route to Rabbi Nachman's tomb
Pre-Rosh Hashanah wave of pilgrims to the grave of Rabbi Nachman in Uman peaked as around 9,000 boarded 50 flights from Ben-Gurion Airport.
By Zohar Blumenkrantz and Yair Ettinger • Ha'aretz

The pre-Rosh Hashanah wave of pilgrims to the town of Uman in Ukraine peaked on Monday as around 9,000 boarded 50 flights from Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Another 5,500 pilgrims from the Bratslav Hasidic sect will travel to Ukraine on Tuesday on 28 flights to visit the grave of Rabbi Nachman. Overall, some 18,000 Hasidim will travel to the rabbi's grave over three days.

On the eve of his death 200 years ago, Rabbi Nachman couldn't have imagined that his request that his followers not abandon his grave would bring 18,000 of them one year to Uman.

"We smile all the way to Uman," was written in a leaflet distributed in the town of Bnei Brak near Tel Aviv. It was meant to encourage believers to cover their eyes with scarves against "forbidden sights."

"Support for flights without movies" is the name of a small group that several years ago encouraged Haredi travelers not to take regular flights unless they had cardboard that could cover the movie screens on the airplane seats in front of them.

This year the idea caught on that immodest sights may also be a threat outside the airplane - in the airport terminal, for example. So pilgrims are being encouraged to bring scarves along.

"In any cloth shop, ask for a thin lycra cloth 70 cm wide (blue, brown or black ) costing about 20 NIS," reads one instruction. "It needs to be about 1.5 meters long ... which is necessary so it will sit well and not flow in the wind."

The leaflet notes that even if people laugh at someone wearing the scarf on his face, those covering their eyes "will be rewarded a thousand fold."

In a telephone interview from Uman, one pilgrim named Avinoam added: "It may sound ridiculous to you, but it has been more successful than expected. I recommend that you try it."

A busy travel week

Many Israelis are taking advantage of the long weekend and are traveling for vacations abroad today. According to data from the Airports Authority, some 48,000 passengers are expected to travel on 302 flights.

On Wednesday, another 41,000 passengers are expected to travel on 258 flights.

El Al's deputy director of trade and air connections, Eli Cohen, said on Monday that "the high demand of the summer is expected to last during the holidays. We expect that demand this year will increase by 12 percent compared with last year.

"We are enjoying high demand to flights for North America, South Africa, and for the direct flights to Sao Paolo. There is also high demand for packages to Asia, Bangkok, Beijing, Mumbai and Hong Kong," he said.

Update 6:30 am CDT – Here's the Yediot Achranot report:

The Evil Eye
Akiva Novick • Yedioth Ahronoth (p. B8)
Translation: Didi Remez • Coteret.com

The trip to the grave of Rabbi Nahman of Breslau in the Ukrainian city of Uman has long since become a phenomenon that embraces almost every possible sector. A fair number of celebrities, such as Eli Yatzpan, Alon Abutbul, Eyal Golan, Dudu Aharon and Etti Ankari have visited it, some of them more than once.

This year, some unusual sights were afforded by the trip. Dozens of men were seen yesterday at Ben-Gurion Airport wearing veils on their heads. The hassids covered their heads, leaving only a narrow slit for the eyes, and put their hats on over the veil. Other hassids used the eye covers handed out on El Al flights to men to avoid immodest sights—women in inappropriate attire, or women in general.

These hassids went through the security check and the entire boarding process with their faces covered and their eyes cast on the floor. Some were helped by less strict friends, who guided them between the ads and the women guards, while others made their way to the plane in a half-blind run.

Only when they were on the plane to Kiev did the covers come off. On the flight itself they organized in prayer quorums, of course, and only put their eye covers back on when the food carts arrived with their female attendants.

The phenomenon resumed at the Kiev airport, to the surprise of the Ukrainian women guards. In the last few months signs were hung in Haredi neighborhoods warning of immodest advertisements in the Kiev airport.

At the grave site, everything is much simpler. It is an almost total male autonomy, but sometimes there are “land mines” in the form of immodest pictures in the apartments that the hassids rent from the locals.

One Israeli in Uman explained that the veil phenomenon was part of a rabbinical campaign of the last few days. He said that posters had been put up detailing the desired length of the veil and praise for those who are able to avoid the sight of women in the course of the entire trip. The posters also promise a large reward to anyone who is mocked for this.
 
[…]

Comments

[A. Nuran]

Huh?

[phil]

I had the questionable pleasure last year to arrive in Kiev airport just as all these flights were coming in. A bigger bunch of wierdos giving off a terrible picture of judaism to onlookers, you couldn't hope to see.

Apart from anything else, this completely obscene practice of encouraging men - and it is only men - to spend rosh hashana apart from their families is completely antithetical to normative Judaism.

[harold]

The real story is if this will "stick" after the pilgrimage. If it does will it be adopted by the other chassidic sects?

I have never been to Uman so the question is if the immodest sights are more prevalent on the way to Uman as opposed to where they currently live.

Maybe a pair of real dark sunglasses would do.

[Barry]

Obstruct your vision with a thin lycra cloth at the airport and you may find yourself boarding a flight to Oman instead of Uman.

Horse blinders or blinkers may be more useful.

[Nanach]

I hear it's a huge week for prostitutes in Uman.

[Monsey Hocker]

Maybe if they would take the time to oogle a pair of tits or two they would stop raping their own sons.

[Garnel Ironheart]

I always thought that anyone who would leave Eretz Yisrael and go to the Ukraine for Rosh HaShanah was either an idiot or crazy. Now we have confirmation that they're both.

[Shtreimel Shmuley]

Der Rebbe gazooked that Yidden should always keep one eye open when walking down the street and another eye covered with a patch. That way, if G-d forbid one sees an immodist shiksa on the way to shul, he can quickly close his one eye or look the other way until it passes. You can take the patch off the other eye when you are inside and it is safe to look at a Chumash.

[David]

Its curious that they would claim to be so "religious" and yet they are so morally weak that they are unable to withstand any sights outside the contraints of their insular world view.

[David]

Can someone post a garbage report? I hear that they usually trash the place every time they visit.

And what's with them being allowed to use brown or black veils? Colors other than black? Shocking.

[David]

Errr... I meant brown or blue veils.

[effie]

They put that crap over their heads when the El Al stewardesses come down the aisle with the food and drink carts. Obviously, they are have deep rooted fears of women.

They look like idiots with those cloths over their faces and I think it is hilarious. I hope it catches on.

The next riot, counter protesters should throw photos of scantily clad women at them. It seems to work.

[rebeljew]

"The posters also promise a large reward to anyone who is mocked for this."

No one need mock them today. Kvar kadmucha Rabanan. (Our Rabbis have already preceded you.)
Mes. Sotah 22b (About the middle of the daf)
Divrei Hamatchil "Makat HaParushim"

[David]

They look like idiots with those cloths over their faces and I think it is hilarious. I hope it catches on.

El Al should refuse to take them on board. It must be very confronting for their normal passengers.

Besides, I'm surprised its not considered a security issue. Its even a safety issue. What will happen in the event of an emergency evacuation of the plane? They won't be able to see properly to get off the aircraft.

[Menachem Mendel lll]

If they promise that I will also be
"rewarded a thousand fold" I'll wear a speedo if that will make em' happy.

SHOW ME THE MONEY.
-Jerry Maguire

[Monsey Hocker]

Effie, they are really missing out. Some of those EL AL stewardesses are absolute MILFs.

[Menachem Mendel lll]

Can someone please explain how 18,000 hasidim have the cash on hand to pay for round trip tickets to Uman Ukraine plus food and accommodations yet many claim they are broke, do not work and need hand outs.

[ah-pee-chorus]

anyone who doubted evolution can now see the evolution of judaism in front of their own eyes, provided they're not veil-covered. a new species has clearly emerged known as haredim , which has little resemblance to that which was judaism for many centuries, and the new species continues to (d)evolve on an almost daily basis.

[effie]

Am I the only one who is disgusted that so many would return to a place where on the same holiday 34,000 Jews were massacred?

[Teddy]

I guess so Effie. It is a good custom to send the worst Jews available to that sort of places to teach them a lesson.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Effie, the same crowd going on this looney trip is utterly ignorant of WWII history.

They like yelling 'nazi' at anyone who disagrees with them, but they know absolutely nothing about nazism or the Holocaust.

[danny]

When I think of multitudes of religious pilgrims going to visit a grave site, the image is pure "avoda zara". Worshipping dead people is not "yiddishkite".

[danny]

Let me add... hanging a dark cloth in front of your face makes you look like an emasculated pussy. (please pardon my crude language, but I can't hold my tongue on this)

You look like the wimpiest of the meek. And not in a good way.

Man Up and be proud of your face. Stick your manly chin out there into the world and take on what it throws at you. Look at those hot shiksas directly in the eye and know that your finely-honed sense of self control will prevent you from instantly ejaculating.

[FM Fan]

The trips to Uman are highly subsidized. Many people pay little or nothing for the trip. Catered meals are offered in Uman for free (or close to it.)

[alternative childcare]

makes it easier for them to solicit hookers without being recognized

[ah-pee-chorus]

why are they hiding? i thought they were proud breast-lover chassidim. NA NA NACHMAN!

[harold]

The trips to Uman are highly subsidized. Many people pay little or nothing for the trip. Catered meals are offered in Uman for free (or close to it.)

Now you tell us! Mr. Rosenberg missed out on his SMR vacation for lack of funds. This would have been a hoot to have him attend hidden under a veil. A wolf in sheep's clothing, so to speak. We could have had a real belly laugh on this one.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Didn't uber-meshugener Michael Jackson wear something like this?

[harold]

Didn't uber-meshugener Michael Jackson wear something like this?

I think he wore a full body shmatta. I think it was his kids that wore the head covering.

[Catcher50]

Maybe MJ was just ahead of the curve in his study of Kaballah...

[WoolSilkCotton]

Harold, thanks for the photo.

I can only imagine what that limo driver in the photo is thinking.

[ah-pee-chorus]

i intend to market a hat with the veil already sewn in. it'll be called the shtreimechitza.

[Catcher50]

WSC...As long as my paycheck doesn't bounce...

[harold]

I can only imagine what that limo driver in the photo is thinking

I think he is saying. "Ma’am, I think there is still time to catch your plane to Uman"

[Yosef ben Matitya]

they always appeared to me as dirty, idiotic and repulsive, they still look filthy, idiotic -square this time- & repugnant!

[Catcher50]

OK, in prep for next Purim, Shmarya should put together a caption contest. I vote to have these two photos side by side as the first contest.

[Judah]

Now that they are covering their own eyes to avoid temptation, can they please let their women stop wearing sheitels, gunny sacks and burqas in that awful heat?

[Yochanan Lavie]

Apologies to Aerosmith:

Chorus:
(That, that) Jew looks like a maidel (4x)

Cruised into a mikvah at Uman
Reb Nachman was great, but was human
He's a long lost Rebbe outta sight
Bubbeleh you're wrong, but you know it's all right
That's right

(That, that)
(That, that)
In the mikvah we're having the time
Of our lives until somebody say
Forgive me if I seem out of line
Then he whipped out his siddur
And tried to daven and pray

Chorus

So never judge a sefer by it's cover
Or whom you're going to have a veil smother
FM put me wise to the chasid in disguise
He had the body of a bochur
L-rd imagine my surprise

Chorus

Bubbie let me follow you down
Let me stay all week there
Bubbie let me follow you down
Daven, daven, daven all night
Bubbie let me follow you down
Don't refund my airfare
Bubbie let me follow you down
Daven, daven, daven, daven

(Guitar solo)

Oy was he a faigel?
He like it, like it, like it, like that,
Oy he was a maidel.

(That, that) Jew looks like a maidel 8x

Jew, Jew, Jew, Jew looks like a maidel 4x

(That that) na-na-na-Nachman na-na-na-Nachman y'all

(That, that)
(That, that)
[Repeat and fade]

[ruthie]

ooooookkkkkkkkkk
now this is too much!

this is not yiddishkeit....
this is stupid!

[Monsey Hocker]

Danny you laugh but believe me, 85% (100%?) of these guys would nut in about 4.2 seconds in the presence of a half decent looking shikse, add tramp stamp and pierced navel and they're done before they get their lange gatchkes off. They redefine premature ejaculation. Couldn't handle a real woman if their peyis depended on it. Maybe that's why mikvas are the number one hook up spot for chassidim.

[danny]

YL rocks balls out!

[Bantam]

I can only imagine what that limo driver in the photo is thinking

I think he is saying. "Ma’am, I think there is still time to catch your plane to Uman"

harold, thanks for the good laugh.