Jerusalem/Haredi

Haredi or Chareidi Jerusalem refers to the parts of Jerusalem which are overwhelmingly populated by Haredi (or 'ultra-Orthodox') Jews. More than a third of Jerusalem's population (200,000 people), and more than 60% of Jewish youth in Jerusalem, are Haredi.

Haredi neighborhoods make up much most of the northwest of the city. With a few exceptions, neighborhoods north and west of the light rail line are Haredi, while neighborhoods south and east are not. Many of these neighborhoods used to have a mixed Haredi-secular population, but as the Haredi population has grown they have become more homogeneous. However, the large Ramot neighborhood in the northwest of the city still has a mixed population. Also, there are two significant Haredi-populated neighborhoods outside the area covered in this article - Bayit Vegan near Mount Herzl, and Neve Yaakov in the far northeast of the city. Tourists are unlikely to be interested in these outlying neighborhoods, though.

Get in
The center of Haredi Jerusalem is (or Kikar Shabbos according to their Yiddish-influenced pronunciation), a road intersection about 700 meters north of the secular-Jewish downtown. From the Jaffa Center light rail stop, walk north on Strauss street (which is the northern continuation of King George street). After about 10 minutes you will reach Kikar HaShabbat, a cramped five-way intersection. On the right is Meah Shearim street leading into Meah Shearim (described below); on the left is Malchei Yisrael street (also described below). Numerous bus routes also go here, including route 1 which passes here on its way from the Central Bus Station to the Western Wall.

During the Sabbath (Shabbos in local pronunciation), from Friday at sunset until Saturday at nightfall, it is impossible to drive to or through Haredi neighborhoods, as most streets are closed to traffic.

Get around
The Haredi sector in Israel has a very high rate of usage of public transportation. Within Jerusalem, it is particularly easy to get a bus between any two Haredi areas, as long as you know which route to take. See Egged's city bus map for directions.

Respect
Haredi society is very conservative, and often considers itself to be under siege by the permissive modern world. To be considerate of them, you should follow the following rules while visiting their neighborhoods:


 * Women and girls must wear clothing that covers the shoulders, knees, and everything in between (except hands and forearms). Necklines should be closed. Men and boys must wear clothing that cover the shoulders and legs. In Me'ah Shearim, tourists and Israeli women in miniskirts and shorts, as well as men in shorts have been attacked by residents throwing stones at them.
 * Tourists are asked not to travel in large groups.
 * Do not photograph or film residents without asking for permission, particularly on the Sabbath. (But taking photographs of random street scenes is fine in most neighborhoods, except in some parts of Me'ah Shearim.) There are religious reasons for this: residents do not want to be part of Sabbath violation, and some of them may consider human photographs forbidden as images that could be used for idolatry. But beyond that, like any other people, they don't want to be seen as a spectacle.
 * Do not publicly violate the Sabbath. That means: no mobile phones, cigarettes, or cameras, and perhaps somewhat more respectable dress. These items should not only not be used on Friday night and Saturday, but they should also not be visibly carried around. If they must be taken along, carry them in a bag, and don't forget to turn off your mobile phone.
 * Avoid wearing Christian symbols, such as crosses or religious shirts. Also, since many residents are anti-Zionist, some of them very strongly so, wearing pro-Israel shirts and the like may lead to uncomfortable looks.

Buses
See Bus travel in Israel.

Visit Rebbes' tishen
Chassidim are a subset of Haredim with a distinct culture. There are many different Chassidic movements, each one led by a different Rebbe, who reigns like a spiritual king over the movement. On many Friday nights (and other special occasions), there is a Chassidic celebration known as a tish. Hundreds or even thousands of Chassidim come to celebrate Shabbos, the Jewish Sabbath, with their Rebbe. This live encounter with Chassidic culture may be much more interesting or uplifting than visiting museums.

Non-Chassidic guests are always welcome; there are usually some less religious people around the tish as well. Dress respectably, preferably in neat pants and a nice shirt (and a jacket, if you want), and wear a yarmulke (kippah, head covering). If you do not speak Hebrew, it might be useful to go together with someone who does speak Hebrew, since few chassidim speak English; most speak only Hebrew and Yiddish. Only men and boys participate in the tish, but often there is a women's gallery where women can observe the action.

Below a list of some Chassidic groups with tishen (plural of tish) in Jerusalem. Schedules may vary, and in particular may be an hour later in the summer.

Buy

 * Judaica, such as a Chanukiah (Chanukah candalebra).
 * Jewish books, on all subjects, in all languages.

Connect
Due to the rabbinical ban on usage of the internet, there are no internet cafes anywhere in Haredi Jerusalem. Despite the rabbinical ban, many people do have a computer with internet access; however, this is a very delicate subject in the Haredi world. For internet cafes, you will need to go to secular-Israeli Jerusalem.

There are a lot of public pay phones in Haredi Jerusalem. Most can only be used with Bezeq cards. Pay phones are cheap in Israel.