Last week, Orthodox Jews in a predominantly Haredim part of Borough Park hung eleven mannequins in effigy across 12th Avenue. (Haredi Jews are widely considered the most conservative form of Orthodox Judaism.) The display was part of the Purim celebrations, but some non-Jewish locals who passed through the neighborhood were confused and even offended by the effigies, according to News 12. The local news channel says a viewer tipped them off about the display, and one passerby told them, "I don't know, I think it's kind of like ridiculing."
News 12 claims passers-by told the reporter they were offended, but these interviews are for some reason not included in the segment. But the report does include video of a Hasidic Jewish man wearing a cartoonish cowboy hat explaining the significance of the effigies. "There was a man named Hamman and he wanted to kill all the Jews and at the end they hang him and all his sons instead," area Jew Barry Spira tells News 12. "That's the story of the celebration we celebrate. This is the story that happened in the past."
As for the difference between Hasidim and Haredim, Shmarya Rosenberg, who publishes the Haredi watchdog blog Failed Messiah, explains there are several "branches" of Judaism, the main three being Orthodox, Conservative and Reform. "Orthodoxy is broken up into three basic sections, Modern Orthodox, Centrist/Zionist Orthodox, and Haredi (Ultra-Orthodox)," says Rosenberg. "Haredim (the correct plural of the word) are again divided into three main groups: non-Hasidic Ahskenazi, Hasidic, and Sephardic." Asked about the effigies, he tells us :
I think this demonstrates how out of touch with their non-Jewish neighbors Haredis are. Hanging lifelike forms in effigy carries with it meaning for many people that these Haredis probably didn't even think of. An African-American may see lynchings and Jim Crow. Latin Americans might see civil war and torture. A Haredi sees eleven dead anti-Semites, and can't understand why anyone is upset.
Haredis would never have made a public display like this in 1920s Poland, and there's almost nowhere else in the world they would do it now. But America has given Haredis complete freedom to practice their version of Judaism, even when it is offensive. They don't need to think about how their behavior impacts non-Jews, and so they don't. These are the same people who would bitterly complain if large crosses were hung across 12th Avenue by their neighbors to celebrate Christmas or Easter. Haredis learned how to be victims and they have now learned how to be powerful. But they haven't yet learned how to be a good neighbor.
Of course, it wasn't all dead anti-Semites for Purim this year—check back a little later for some fun photos of the Purim celebrations in Williamsburg.
