The Jewish street – Ask the Rabbi
Q. The media talk about a “Palestinian street”. Is there a “Jewish street”?
Painter Ludwig Knaus’ depiction of the Yiddishe Gass (“In the Shtetl”, 1896)
A. Decidedly. The “Yiddishe Gass” is where Jews meet one another. Sometimes it is to do business, sometimes to walk to shule together.
The crucial thing is that this is where much of the community’s affairs are discussed, shaped and decided upon (for the women the equivalent used to be the kosher butcher’s).
The Jewish Street pre-dates opinion polls and may well outlast them. If you want to know what is happening in a community, listen in to the Yiddishe Gass conversations.
But if the denizens think you are a stranger, they might wonder what you’re doing there and the gossip could come to a sudden stop.
