9 Responses

1. I think the higher-end estimates themselves are underestimates.

2. 4 million!? Wow!

3. Then, it is unanimous: The Million Man Atzeres did not have a million men. But what does it matter? I certainly don’t think it matters whether the turnout was 300,000 or 800,000.

4. This is all about some in the media trying to discredit the Atzeres. The Hebrew expression they used is just that, an expression more than anything. Whether it was half million or 900k, it makes no difference. It’s quite impressive nonetheless.

5. Anyone that was there knows that it was at least closed to the amount of people that were at R’ Ovadia’s Z’l leviya.

   Except for Rav Moshe’s leviya, I’ve never seen the Secular papers give an estimate that was honest and even at Rav Moshe’s levayi they used the figure to complain about how much the frum were blocking traffic.

   As others have stated, they always try to underestimate the size of our gatherings by half if they can.

   Did you see that some are quoting “from 250,000 to 400,000” (see Reuters). Anyone that’s ever been at a leviya of a Gadol is quite aware that there is an obvious recognizable difference in sizes of 250,000 and 400,000 people.

   In truth, however, the size was not the main objective. The main objective has already been accomplished. Those that understand, understand. Those that don’t, don’t.

6. I understand that Rav Schteinmen needed an accurate number in order to include the bracha that is ONLY made when over 600,00 male yidden are present.

   It was done by contacting the cell phone companies and finding out how many phones were pinging (active) off the cell phone towers in the area.

   The number was over 700,000, by excluding the women and the police, the p’sack was given that there were, in fact, over 600,000 men present.

7. I was not able to get anywhere close to the bridge because when I turned onto Brandeis from Yirmiyahu I ran into a wall of people (many women were there trying to get to Yaffo as I was) and I was not able to go any further but just stayed there. Keep in mind this is about a kilometer from the front of the atzeres! The fog kept helicopters out of the air and there were no aerial photos but this atzeres was monumentally huge, WAY bigger than the estimates.

8. Did the writer of the headline of this article intend to remind me of the following subspecies of joke:

   What color was George Washington’s white horse?

   Who is buried in Grant’s tomb?

9. To get an accurate count via cell phone pings, one must take into account factors that are specific to the heilige chareidishe velt.
   We know that the words of the gedolei yisroel are dear to the hearts of the chareidishe community who tremble at their words.
   The Gedolim have forbidden smart phones. All charedim have therefore kosher phones.
   Smartphones which are hidden in the choshuve pockets are treif and mevutal for the count. Pings from treif smartphones are batul so do not form a part of the final tally. Therefore 600,000 is a true number of kosher phones rather than chas veshalom half that figure should treif phones be counted R”L.