Mea Shearim

I had a tour of Mea Shearim last week and it’s been on my mind a lot since then. Mea Shearim is the first settlement built around Jerusalem; it is also one of the most religious communities around. Walking though it I couldn’t help being stuck by mixed emotions. It’s a beautiful place, bustling, frenetic and warm. People walk around with kids hanging on to their mother’s arms, every dialect of Hebrew, English and other languages can be heard spoken in the crowded streets. The smell of fresh baked breads and sweets waft in the air. And yet I can’t help but feeling incredibly sad. I feel as though I’ve been transported back in time, I feel like these people have cut themselves off from the world, without thinking about what exists outside of their little community. At the same time you can’t help but realize the people living in this community see every type of person imaginable, they’re exposed to all walks of life. It can’t be helped its such an amazing community that anyone who comes to Jerusalem wants to see it. In a weird way the people growing up in Mea Shearim see more people then anyone else in the world. It’s so strange, the people who live in this community are happy, it’s plainly obvious. But that’s not reality, is it? Now here’s the thing, these people live largely happy lives, they’re happy where they are and though some grow up and leave, many of them choose to stay right where they are. It’s a community where everyone knows one another, where people help each other. When you walk down the road people look each other in the eye, they stop frequently engaging each other in conversation, haggling over the price of little items. But once again, is this reality? How can anyone be sure of what reality is? Perhaps what I consider the real world is totally false, maybe these people have it right and I have it completely wrong. And what if I am wrong? What if the way I live my life is totally false? I know a man who lives in Mea Shearim, he’s seen the world and this in the place he has chosen. He has a great family, and loves his life, he’s been all around the world and this is the place he’s chosen, where will I choose? What’s my version of reality?