[VIDEO IN EXTENDED ARTICLE]

The video giving Israelis a glimpse as the chareidi tzibur during bein hazmanim is done in a negative light, explaining “for the chareidim the word ‘vacation’ is prohibited so the Chachamim came up with the term bein hazmanim, denoting the time period between Tisha B’Av and Rosh Chodesh Elul”. The video continues explaining that this is the only time of year chareidim can vacation for during Sukkos one must sit in a sukka and Pesach time one is busy preparing and cleaning for the yomtov. While many of the statements are accurate and indeed correct, the presentation is not done in a favorable fashion.

Some highlights:

· Talmidei yeshiva explain that while they wish to swim in the stream, if they see females are present they will not, thereby fulfilling a mitzvah and standing firm in the face of temptation.

· Shmulik Fiyer of Petach Tikvah explains there is a tremendous “shteigen”, citing the dedication to limud and that this week he and his friends are vacationing for one requires a break before returning to limudim.

· When a family sets up a mechitzah around its encampment this too is reason for comment. Mordechai explains the concept of shmiras enayim and to distance from the surrounding area to protect themselves and children.

· A call to Zaka regarding dozens of youths who must be extricated as quickly as possible. The narrator explains “they drown in pools and dry out and get stranded in wadis and hiking”, showing the inability of the chareidim to prepare and conduct themselves as they should. An Israel Nature Authority official who is a medic and serves on the Golan Heights search & rescue team, Peretz Giladi explains “It is not nice to say but they do not serve in the IDF and they do not know how to hike, drink water and prepare for these outings”. He explains this leads to problems as they are schlepping too much and do not hydrate as they should.

· Golan Heights search & rescue commander Tzvika Fogel explains there were four people, three people, two bottles of water, and no wonder a chopper was needed to rescue them.

· Mordechai explains if one takes a 5-year-old child of a soccer player, that is all he knows and when you take a small child from Meah Shearim and place him in the desert, all he knows is how to shout Shema Yisrael.

· Yonatan Nachshoni of Bnei Brak explains his group is accustomed to seeing people dressed modestly and as a result, the children are willing to forgo kayaks due to the lack of modesty and they are to be praised for this.

· The narrator now asks what chareidi women can do since there are so many modesty concerns. Yehudit Unger of Seminar Yerushalayim explains acceptable modesty standards for her and her.

· And the video concludes questioning how the men just sit around while the women do all the work and prepare the barbeque. The response, “Our women are queens and all of her fun and simcha is seeing the husband happy, who in turn returns this happiness to his wife. I can tell you if you were not here she would be sitting her treated as royalty. Yehuda adds “I am explaining to you this is the way it is. If you ate with us once, you would never go to a restaurant in your life”.

· Tomorrow they all return to their seder olam — The women to their closed button-down blouses and men to beis medrash. The [rescue] helicopters to their hangers.

(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)