Currently doing the rounds on social media: a series of striking photos from a Hasidic wedding in Mea Shearim, Jerusalem.
The photos have provoked mixed reactions from commenters. Many were perturbed by the segregation of the sexes (there are no pictures from the women’s side of the mechitzah) and the images of small children smoking (not uncommon in some Haredi communities on Purim, though Purim is still a few weeks away). But the joy and vitality also captivated readers, particularly the smiles of the bride and groom.
It’s not the first time photos from an ultra-Orthodox wedding have gone viral on Daily Mail. (See here and here.) Why are these images so compelling? Do they exoticize Hasidic culture? Romanticize it? Disparage it? Tell us what you think.
Images: Getty.