On a sudden whim one day recently, I changed my usual jogging route in Hayarkon Park. Instead of running alongside the stream or encircling the national soccer stadium, I turned south, heading toward Rabbi Akiva Street, the main road of Bnei Brak, the impoverished Haredi neighborhood on the eastern outskirts of Tel Aviv.
Since I left Jerusalem 10 years ago, most of my personal and professional connections with the ultra-Orthodox community had actually disappeared (around one-third of Jerusalemâ??s inhabitants are Haredi, and Tel Aviv is known for being extremely secular), but here, suddenly, in front of my eyes, Sholem Aleichemâ??s shtetl had been brought back to life.
Read Full Article »