Visit to Mea Shearim - Ultra-Orthodox neighborhood

Welcome to Mea Shearim, an Ultra Orthodox Jewish Neighborhood, situated northwest of the Old City of Jerusalem. You need to enlarge this top picture (click on it), to read the sign - it says please don't walk through their neighborhood with immodest clothes on. We (the girls) all had long skirts on.

This is a large community of Haredim, which means Ultra-Orthodox Jews, the ones that are the strictest and most traditional in Judaism.  There are different types (Ashkenazi, Lithuanian, Sephardic: some believe in being involved politically, some believe you should not vote, most do not join the military even though ordinarily it is required for all in Israel to do 2-3 years of service). Most of the Haredim go to Yeshiva (school) their whole lives, studying Torah, and live off government assistance and charity.

 Two men coming out of a Yeshiva (school)

 Today is the afternoon before shabbat (Sabbath). The children are buying bread...oh,  my, you should have smelled the bread baking and food cooking, all the preparations for Shabbat, because you are not allowed to cook after sundown. We were all very hungry when we were done our tour.

Two Jewish boys I snapped a pic of as we passed each other on the street.  Note the payot or sidecurls of these boys - they Haredim grow these locks because of Leviticus 19:27.  You can look it up and read it and see if you think it means to grow long curly sideburns.