While Shabbos itself is a haven of peace and quiet, the few minutes leading up to it on a Friday afternoon have caused quite a bit of noise in one Jewish area, the Jewish Chronicle reports.
A Shabbos siren has been announcing the imminent arrival of the Shabbos in Stamford Hill in North East London. In fact, it is not a siren, but rather, a selection of music and songs being played over a number of loudspeakers.
But it has caused a row in the community between those who have welcomed the sound as making the area “more like Jerusalem” – including a “save our Shabbos sirens” group on Facebook – and those who have opposed it, on the grounds that it could upset both Jews and non-Jews within earshot.
The siren was first introduced for the winter of 2006 by two men in the community – communications engineer Avram Pifko and a friend, Chaim Kahan.
Teacher Osher Baddiel, whose opposition has been highlighted on the Facebook pro-siren site, has taken up the cudgels on behalf of those opposed to the siren.
Mr Baddiel said this week: “The siren has been used only in the winter and sounded two minutes before Shabbos started. Some people said it felt like being in Jerusalem – but Stamford Hill isn’t Jerusalem.
“I and many other people felt that it was not right to do this. We have our shuls and our Yiddishkeit but we don’t need to foist ourselves and our religion in the faces of our host country like this. It is too much and many people were unhappy about it.”
Mr Baddiel, who is in his 60s and lives in Fairholt Road, approached one of those behind the siren and asked him to stop.
“He refused and told me that the rabbonim didn’t mind. So I checked with the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations who said they had told this man a number of times that they didn’t want it either,” said Mr Baddiel.
It was only when the Union put their views in writing that the sirens finally ceased wailing.
A member of the committee who supported the siren’s introduction said: “Thousands of children run every Friday to their doors and windows to hear the Shabbos music.
He explained that the siren was employed only in winter because in the summer, some people make early Shabbos “and it might upset both Jews and non-Jews if it were sounded later in the evening.
“We are working with the rabbonim and they have listened to what the community has said. We hope it will be reintroduced.”
Yaakov Conrad, registrar of the UOHC, confirmed that it had been approached about the siren but said that its Beth Din was still deliberating on the matter. In the meantime it had asked that the siren be silenced.
In Manchester’s Broughton Park neighbourhood, there has been a siren sounded before the start of Shabbat for about a year.
Last year, plans to broadcast the Muslim call to prayer from a mosque in Oxford were attacked by local residents.
(The JC.com)
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14 Responses
It’s to bad we still live in galut. It’s to bad we still live in a world where we have to live in fear of the goim and what they think.
Yidden of Stamford Hill! Live like yidden! Herald the coming of the Shabbos with music and/or sirens.
A number years ago I was shot in the shoulder while walking Shabbos afternoon in Stamford Hill. I was also acosted by a group of young teenagers who threw stones at me as well as being confronted by a group of locals while walking down the street.
I have traveled the world and have never encountered the kind of antisemitism that I experienced in Stamford Hill. May Hashem bless and protect you and give you the strength to be able to express and enjoy the holy shabbos.
I live in yerushalayim and can’t stand the music they play. At least the siren was short. The music goes on and on. It’s very bothersome.
Boruch Hashem it’s been stopped. When I walk to shul in Stamford Hill and that music, (if you can call it that-it doesn’t even sound nice!) plays, I feel very uncomfortable. What makes it worse, is that there is a big Muslim population in the area, and their eyes shoot daggers at you as you walk past, and that’s besides the Polish who are all over. Unfortunately, people have become too comfortable in this golus, and think they’re in Yerusholayim.
The very existance of Shabbos sirens in a Gentile country could only come about in a welcoming Democracy – in that light, this is a nice story.
The last paragraph says it all. If you don’t mind hearing the Muslim call to prayer being broadcast throughout your neighborhood or hearing church bells at noon daily or whenever there is a wedding or funeral then by all means have the shabbos siren as well. Otherwise peace and quiet is my preference.
I always wondered which people are benefitting from the siren. We’re not talking about people who are still at work 5 minutes before licht benchin that need to be reminded to go home. Everyone is preparing to usher in the Shabbos and are therefore aware of its imminent arrival. Additionally most people have clocks, watches & other time telling devices all over the house.
Quite these noisy, ear deafening sirens that bother everyone. Check your home clocks and set your cell phone to chime ‘Uncle Moshe’s ‘Shabbos is coming’ so that the people in your house know shabbos is almost here.
Is there any reason, or has there ever been any reason why the siren has to be so “alarmingly” and distressingly loud to herald a Yom HaMenuchah? It makes no sense!
“He explained that the siren was employed only in winter because in the summer, some people make early Shabbos ”and it might upset both Jews and non-Jews if it were sounded later in the evening.”
Right. So in the summer, when may upset the Jews as well, the siren is turned off. But in the winter when the jews won’t be disturbed, only the non-jews, the siren is fine.
It’s this self serving logic that causes people to hate the Jews.
“I search for the enemy and he is me.”
The siren is “lezeicher” the shofaros which were sounded before Shabbos in the time of the BH”M and Mishnah (I believe this is discussed in the Gemara Rosh Hashannah). But, they needed it then, because most people didn’t have internet or atomic clocks, and couldn’t tell time by the sun accurately enough.
Today we have personal, accurate timepieces, so IMHO the need for a siren is not so pressing.
Mr. B. a self hating jew who cares about some jewish songs, still living in pre www2 times of germany, we are a race with rights as all other Goyim with thier beel and decorations, the time has come to live jewish openly
#12 you couldn’t be more wrong.
Re church bells on Sundays – it’s a Christian country, so as long as they want to do this you have nothing to say about it. But you can compare the Shabbos siren to the Muslim screaming boxes.
IMO, there is no mitzva to have a zecher of the trumpets that were sounded before Shabbos in the BH”M. When they started sounding them off in NY, I cringed. What value does the siren have? Not much since we have watches and clocks and tape decks in our own homes. What downsides does the siren have? I can think of plenty. If I had my way, I’d see all the sirens ditched (including Monsey IRH”K), except in Israel.
I have a different question. Who needs the sirens, the frummer – who don’t need the ‘reminder,’ or the non-frummer – who hate the whole thing?
Talking about Monsey IRH”K (#13): Monsey has such a diverse k’lal, and many people make early Shabbos, especially in summer, that the siren is sounded only for the enclave that actually contains it. Everyone else is either in shul – and being disturbed during davening by the loud wail, or, worse yet, they’re already out of shul, and the wail is disturbing their Shabbos. How about getting a consensus of opinion from the ENTIRE k’lal before forcing your opinion on them!
This too is Obamas fault
shmuel hanavi #1, “I have traveled the world and have never encountered the kind of antisemitism that I experienced in Stamford Hill”
You’ve never been to Gateshead…