When COVID-19 first hit Israel, many of its epicenters were in Haredi, or ultra-Orthodox, communities. More than one-third of tests for the coronavirus in Bnei Brak, for instance, came back positive. Some pointed a finger to the pervasive poverty and crowded dwellings, others to the packed yeshivas and mass prayers. And many pundits found an easy culprit in certain defiant rabbis who ordered their followers to ignore the public health guidelines and go on with life as normal. Before long, matters escalated, and with a climbing case count, the media reports became vicious, and a wave of anti-Haredi sentiment swept through the country.
In an attempt to stop, or at least slow down, the spread of the virus, the government deployed soldiers to Haredi cities and neighborhoods. These uniformed men and women recited social distancing guidelines, told people to wear masks, dished out fines, and enforced strict curfews and lockdowns. But if you imagine soldiers and policemen chatting away with Haredim on street corners and sharing humorous Yiddishisms, think again. Many clashes ensued, and some of them turned violent.
In this unusual episode, we don’t tell the story of a central character with a clear plotline. Instead, we spent months collecting testimonies from everyday Haredi men and women who give us a glimpse into the sheltered world of ultra-Orthodox Judaism.
In the prologue and epilogue, “A Yiddishe Mame,” host Mishy Harman talks to two members of the IDF’s Home Front Command—a sergeant and a major. They discuss the army’s peculiar mission among the ultra-Orthodox, widespread discrimination, and—of course—Yiddish.
Act I: “Gevalt.” A lot has been said about the ultra-Orthodox community during the pandemic. But little has been heard from its members themselves. Senior producer Yochai Maital and production intern Marie Röder spent much of the lockdown on the phone, trying to connect with as many Haredim as they possibly could. The result is a unique collage of voices that takes us into the typically closed world of ultra-Orthodox society, and give us a sense of what it was like for them to contend with a double attack—that of the virus on the one hand, and that of the court of public opinion on the other.
The episode was mixed by Sela Waisblum. “Gevalt” was scored and sound-designed by Yochai Maital, together with original music composed and performed by Ari Jacob. The rest of the episode was sound-designed and scored by Joel Shupack with music from Blue Dot Sessions. The end song, “Keter Melukha” (“Royal Crown”) is by Ishay Ribo, and was written and recorded during lockdown.
Listen to the episode here, or download it from Apple Podcasts, Stitcher, or Spotify. You can hear all of Israel Story’s episodes in English here and in Hebrew here.
