Noisy Holiday
Thursday night we went to the local synagogue in Shoqeda to hear the reading of Megillat Ester (the book of Esther). This did not go so well. There were a small group of teenage boys who were setting off firecrackers in the synagogue much to the annoyance of nearly everyone else. Several old grandmothers were practically begging the men to make them stop, and one of the older ladies who was downstairs in the foyer instead of up in the women's balcony actually told off the boys when they were in earshot.
Eventually, they got chased out of the synagogue by some of the other men, and then they just stood outside and threw the firecrackers willy-nilly. They threw them at trees. They threw them into the parking lot. They threw them at one of the kids who was running away from the noise.
I hate the whole firecrackers at Purim thing. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Last year, some idiot teenager threw firecrackers at a group of us who were roller-blading around Rishon on the Thursday before Purim. Also, in a country where "bang" sounds might well be something very bad, the idea of using "bang" sounds as a diversion completely escapes my comprehension. (For the same reason I am baffled by the use of firecrackers at new years in Oakland, California where the usual reason for that "bang! bang!" sound is handguns used by gang members or police.) Fireworks I get. Pretty lights in the sky are cool. But just stupid loud noises? WHY PEOPLE?! WHY??!!
Like I said, most of the other adults were not happy with the firecrackers, but clearly not enough to stop it. The one person who could have absolutely put an end to it was the rabbi. We're talking about a village where the rabbi can make a statement and it's taken as town law. Supposedly there is a rabbinical ban against firecrackers for Purim that was laid down by one of the well-respected rabbis in the country. (I learned this earlier in the day while speaking to some very religious friends.) There is also the fact that firecrackers are dangerous, and halacha (religious law) is very clear on the importance of avoiding unnecessary danger to life and limb. Add to that the fact that the firecrackers make it more difficult or impossible for people to fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of listening to the Megilla on Purim. All of those things together mean that the rabbi had reason and ability to make them stop. Why he didn't baffles me.
I talked to the one adult who seemed to be actually in favor of the firecrackers. I told him that this was idiotic, dangerous, and should stop. He said, "We're not in America. Israel is chaotic. Deal with it." I told him that's just a bullshit excuse. And it is. I'm so sick of that fucking excuse. When Israelis decide that something is worth putting their foot down about, they do it. The power of the group to enforce their rules is quite strong. The logic behind which community behavior rules get enforced is a bit baffling, but I'm sure that the day that an innocent bystander in Shoqeda gets seriously injured by one of those fireworks, they will stop.
D is also hyper-sensitive to loud noises which means that my ability to listen to the Megilla was completely obliterated as I had to deal with his ever deteriorating ability to cope. By the time we were walking away from the synagogue, every time a firecracker went off D would shout back in anger and frustration. That of course made the kids who were setting them off laugh. Great.
M told me that a little girl, a toddler, I think, got injured when some kids were throwing firecrackers yesterday. I don't know if that was in Be'er Sheva or what. My question is, why isn't that shit making front page news so that it will stop?
Eventually, they got chased out of the synagogue by some of the other men, and then they just stood outside and threw the firecrackers willy-nilly. They threw them at trees. They threw them into the parking lot. They threw them at one of the kids who was running away from the noise.
I hate the whole firecrackers at Purim thing. Hate it, hate it, hate it. Last year, some idiot teenager threw firecrackers at a group of us who were roller-blading around Rishon on the Thursday before Purim. Also, in a country where "bang" sounds might well be something very bad, the idea of using "bang" sounds as a diversion completely escapes my comprehension. (For the same reason I am baffled by the use of firecrackers at new years in Oakland, California where the usual reason for that "bang! bang!" sound is handguns used by gang members or police.) Fireworks I get. Pretty lights in the sky are cool. But just stupid loud noises? WHY PEOPLE?! WHY??!!
Like I said, most of the other adults were not happy with the firecrackers, but clearly not enough to stop it. The one person who could have absolutely put an end to it was the rabbi. We're talking about a village where the rabbi can make a statement and it's taken as town law. Supposedly there is a rabbinical ban against firecrackers for Purim that was laid down by one of the well-respected rabbis in the country. (I learned this earlier in the day while speaking to some very religious friends.) There is also the fact that firecrackers are dangerous, and halacha (religious law) is very clear on the importance of avoiding unnecessary danger to life and limb. Add to that the fact that the firecrackers make it more difficult or impossible for people to fulfill the mitzvah (commandment) of listening to the Megilla on Purim. All of those things together mean that the rabbi had reason and ability to make them stop. Why he didn't baffles me.
I talked to the one adult who seemed to be actually in favor of the firecrackers. I told him that this was idiotic, dangerous, and should stop. He said, "We're not in America. Israel is chaotic. Deal with it." I told him that's just a bullshit excuse. And it is. I'm so sick of that fucking excuse. When Israelis decide that something is worth putting their foot down about, they do it. The power of the group to enforce their rules is quite strong. The logic behind which community behavior rules get enforced is a bit baffling, but I'm sure that the day that an innocent bystander in Shoqeda gets seriously injured by one of those fireworks, they will stop.
D is also hyper-sensitive to loud noises which means that my ability to listen to the Megilla was completely obliterated as I had to deal with his ever deteriorating ability to cope. By the time we were walking away from the synagogue, every time a firecracker went off D would shout back in anger and frustration. That of course made the kids who were setting them off laugh. Great.
M told me that a little girl, a toddler, I think, got injured when some kids were throwing firecrackers yesterday. I don't know if that was in Be'er Sheva or what. My question is, why isn't that shit making front page news so that it will stop?