Walking out of the Beis Medrash on any given day is a
dangerous undertaking. I am talking about shmiras
einayim -- guarding your eyes from immodesty. You could
be forgiven for thinking that my Yeshiva is in downtown Tel
Aviv. Unfortunately, I am referring to the Jewish Quarter of
the Old City of Jerusalem -- the Rova Hayehudi. Due to the
diverse nature of visitors to the Rova, one may find oneself
challenged beyond the norm with issues of tzniyus and
pritzus.
The Old City of Jerusalem is probably the most popular
tourist destination in the country. In all the excitement of
the ancient ruins and museums, it is easy to forget that
there are those who actually live in the Rova. Residents of
the Rova have to contend with many tourist-related issues,
including the prevalence of pritzus.
Meah Shearim residents expect and demand that passersby
adhere to a certain dress code. There is a sign near the
parking lot entrance to the Rova requiring all visitors to
dress modestly. However, it seems as though the power of
enforcement is lost when it comes to the daily crowds. Most
recently, posters requesting visitors to dress modestly were
torn down shortly after they were posted in the St. James
Street entrance to the Jewish Quarter.
Who are the residents of the Rova? The religious
landscape of the Rova is mixed, ranging from Dati-Leumi
Mizrachi to Chareidim of all shades. As an interesting side
issue, as is often the case in many communities, people of
the same hashkofa background will tend to live in self-
defined areas, so that if you live in one street, people will
automatically label you as a person who identifies with the
particular outlook of the majority of the people who live on
that street.
Not so in the Rova. It became clear when speaking with a
number of residents that all residential sections of the Rova
contain a mixed bag of hashkofos. Often, Sefardim,
Ashkenazim, chassidim and secular Israelis share a
common courtyard. The number of secular Jews living in the
Rova is dwindling. This means that ostensibly, there is a
significant majority of residents who are shomrei Torah
umitzvos in the Rova. The fact that there is no minimum
dress code for visitors can be frustrating for those who are
constantly trying to increase the level of kedushah in
their lives.
One could erroneously conclude that the problem of immodesty
has made living in the Rova intolerable. However, it would
seem from talking with those who choose to live inside the
walls of the Holy City that there are many ways around the
difficulty, without having to enforce a dress code.
R' Shalom Cohen, a resident of the Rova and regarded as a
gadol among the Sefardim, was once asked if all the
immodesty in the Old City bothered him. His answer: "What
pritzus?" In other words, he was too busy being
involved in leading a pure Torah life to even notice the
pritzus. `Immodesty in the Rova' was a foreign concept
to him.
While all of us aspire to that level, residents of the Rova
have found their own ways to deal with this issue.
A resident of the Rova who is learning at one of the many
local yeshivos quite easily circumvents the problem. "As soon
as you leave the yeshiva, it's `eyes to the ground.' If you
look up, you're dead."
To give you an idea of the size of the Rova, it takes merely
three-and-a-half minutes to walk at a brisk pace from the
easternmost boundary to the extreme Western boundary in a
reasonably straight line. Given that, it is interesting to
note that the tourists tend to remain within a small, limited
section. It would be fair to say that the thoroughfares of
the Cardo, the Churva Square and the souvenir store areas
contain the main concentration of tourists. That being the
case, "You learn the back routes, alleys and pathways. You
can get around the Rova without meeting a tourist, if you
know where to go."
A long-time resident of the Rova mentioned that many of the
housing blocks are removed from the tourist areas. "I can sit
in the serenity of my courtyard on Yom Yerusholayim and not
even know that the Jewish Quarter is bursting with thousands
of visitors from all over the country." Another resident was
pleased to note that "if you don't know to look for it, my
apartment is located in a street that's almost impossible to
find."
The shemiras einayim issues are not only a concern for
the adults. The question inevitably arises about shielding
one's children from the immodesty. At the very least, how can
parents explain these issues to their children without
compromising the effort invested in raising them with Torah
values?
One particular rabbi who lives in the Rova was not afraid to
voice his opinion on the matter. "If you have children and
are thinking of living here, talk to me first. There are
definite issues with tzniyus that every parent ought
to be aware of before making the decision to move in." On the
other hand, there are those who have small children and moved
from other frum neighborhoods into the Rova and never
regretted it.
"This place is so kodosh," said one parent, "that if
you have the opportunity to move in, you should. All the
difficulties are part of the cheshbon. In our case, we
decided that it all added up in favor of relocating here."
Nevertheless, if you choose to live here, you have to be
aware that you are moving to the very hub of the Jewish
world. You are going to be faced with an endless stream of
tour groups and thousands of individuals who pass through
those ancient gates every day.
Having said that, I would just note that the Rova has more to
offer the religious sightseer than almost any other
destination. The Rova contains many great yeshivos,
historical ruins of deep religious significance and
marvelously unique exhibitions which certainly enrich one's
emuna and yiras Shomayim.
[Ed. And what about all the opportunities of Kiruv, if you
are so inclined? You need not invite Rabbi Shuster's
`pickups' into your home if it doesn't suit you, but just by
being your own modest self, or even by just praying sincerely
at the Kosel, you can be a goodwill ambassador for the
chareidi way of life.]
