Hassidic Gathering 8

A celebratory gathering in the Mile-End area of the Plateau in Montreal. This event was for the welcoming of the son of a Rabbi from New York. The crowd was huddled together with anticipation, banners and flags. The whole street was a buzz of excitement. I was fortunate to have been invited by a friend who lives near by to witness and record the event.

 

As I was watching this crowd, my mind traveled to the days of my own forefathers who were Jews living in Eastern Europe and although one hundred plus years ago, they looked and dressed very similarly to the Hassidim living here in Montreal today. But the feeling that stood out the most for me was the fact that although, as a Jew, we share a common heritage, I felt very disconnected and remote from these people. I could hear their chatter and even could understand the Yiddish they were speaking. Yet I found them as curious and as distant from me as any one of the individuals of other cultures in the neighborhood who stood by watching the festivities.

Done