Adi Neuman, who is becoming more and more fun to keep reading, describes his Shavuos In Yeshiva (tm). All in all, sounds like fun, and pretty standard, but for this point:
A half-hour later, you arrive at Damascus Gate, one of the most dangerous places in the world on any normal day, but now completely absent of Hamas & Co. Instead, hundreds of Modern Orthodox yeshiva students are dancing in great big circles, singing their lungs out.Maybe Shavuos came out a bit too close to the Israel day parade, I dunno...
You weave your way with the mass of people through a truly unified Old City, with children waving Israeli flags and singing "Am Israel Chai" as you pass. Finally you arrive at the Kotel, where tens of thousands of people are assembling in groups for morning services.
You're not sure what showing up in the Old City has to do with Shavuot? See Deuteronomy 16:11.
Posted by: Ben at June 2, 2004 04:51 PMsuch a Golus Jew observation, its un-freken-believable...
I'm just as guilty though...
ARGH
Posted by: Sad at June 3, 2004 11:57 PMHmm, a truly unified Old City -- except with the notable absence of the majority of its inhabitants, the Muslims and Christian, who are rightfully frightened to go out of their houses when all the yeshiva students gather. This strikes me not a symbol of unity but of complete obliviousness to the other. Now, don't get me wrong, I don't see anything wrong with yeshiva bochurs dancing together at the Damascus Gate -- what I object to is the complete erasure of the existence of the other people who live in the Old City.
Posted by: Rebecca at June 4, 2004 12:01 AM