Hasidopedia: Culture and Institutions, Vol. 1

by Jacob Gluck

A “society [for the] acquisition of books” (hevroh kinyon seforim) is responsible for purchasing, binding, maintaining, and organizing a synagogue’s books.

A music truck arrives on the scene, and as the crowd swells outside the patron’s house, police officers arrive to close off the street. Such a street closure is one of the few among street closure categories ever requested by the Haredi community, and it is readily granted by the police. While the music band in the pick-up-truck-hitched trailer blasts away, children wave fans that read “be glad and rejoice in the rejoicing of the Toroh”. A canopy is brought in and stationed in front of the house so that the Toroh scroll could be honorably escorted —while protected from the elements. In bygone years not too long ago, four people would be required to hold each of the canopy’s four poles, whereas poles of modern canopies roll on coasters.

Congregations in America are legal not-for-profit entities. Back in the Old Home they were a legal fabrication following the Hungarian schism: from that point onward a town’s community and its congregation were no longer one and the same.

Its hired rabbi was normally the supreme authority on all religious matters, but congregations would not hesitate to reject or fire rabbis who did not mesh with its members’ religious predilections.

Yet, Hasidism has revived and emphasized mikveh-going for men, under the influence of kabboloh. Indeed, one of the major distinctions between Hasidim and Lithuainians nowadays is that Hasidim go to mikveh every day56, whereas Lithuainians don’t.

Through the ‘90s, songs by MBD and Avraham Fried dominated play at moderate Hasidic weddings —along with more traditional tunes. A number of Hungarian Hasidic artists emerged starting in the late ‘90s. Michoel Schnitzler was a wedding vocalist who pioneered with composing new heartfelt songs in Yiddish; his cassettes became very popular. Isaac Honig was a more traditional singer who composed original tunes to be grafted onto lyrics drawn from the bible and classical Jewish literature. Both have produced and sold popular cassettes, and were popularly hired to perform at weddings.

Schmeltzer was at one point popular with Hasidim, but, after pushing the envelope a bit too far —dressing exotically, rapping, and generally emulating the goyyishe style— he became shunned by Hasidim, at one point, whereas the modern Orthodox would shell out a good fortune for the privilege of being entertained by this Hasidic pop superstar. A group of rabbis had banned a concert of his, and he had been expelled from New Square. But the mark he has left on the Hasidic milieu turned out to be profound and indelible. His synagogue in Airmont, now defunct, had become emblematic of a new more-liberal attitude by many in the younger generation —one of greater tolerance; a more intuitive, ecstatic and spontaneous, approach to Hasidism; and an embrace of all Jews, even those who have strayed from the path. Realizing that he had gone too far, Schmeltzer has rehabilitated himself, and is now back to being acceptable.

Eventually, people realized that the orchestra ban and other wedding reforms were never meant to be binding on everyone, but merely to provide cover for those who wished to observe them. After the new millennium, with a rapid proliferation of millionaires whose spending could not be restrained, Hasidic orchestras began forming to cater to their needs.

Examples of such cases include the Vitriol-Fisher dispute over buying out the share of a deceased real estate partner, the Bobov 45-48 dispute, and the still ongoing G&G clothing family dispute.

Hatzoloh (“rescue”) is the preeminent social benefit institution in Haredi communities. Its mission is to offer medical relief in emergent situations, and swift transport to the hospital. The institution, begun in Williamsburg in the ‘50s, was a Haredi novelty —not having existed in the Old Home, nor did the Haredi sector encounter any such existing institution in mainstream America upon immigration.

Becoming a member is deemed a privilege, even though no compensation is provided for such volunteer service.

Haverim (“friends, members”), is the Haredi embodiment of the American Automobile Association (also known as “Triple A”), except that it provides its services free of charge. It started in Monsey about 20 years ago, where it also functioned as the Shomrim, and spread to Borough Park and Williamsburg a few years later, after it had proven so successful. As with Hatzoloh and Shomrim, each neighborhood has its own chapter, with a few dozen or so members on call at all times to help drivers seeking assistance. Haverim volunteers drive their own unmarked vehicles (unlike Hatzoloh and Shomrim vehicles), and carry basic tools to fix the most common car problems, e.g. opening a locked car, refueling an empty tank, jump-starting a dead battery, referring and facilitating the towing of a disabled car, and so on.

All published books require an endorsement (haskomoh) by a revered Haedi figure in order to sell. This convention, begun many centuries ago in order to filter out books that contained heretical views (deios kozevos), is still vigorously in force. A hemishe books store does not carry, nor would a Hasidic person buy, a book that doesn’t have an endorsement.