The bar mitzvah will be celebrated by the devotees in a synagogue and not in the courtroom, and weddings will be held in a cheap courtroom only.

• Canopy // Photo by Getty Imagis

Alongside the pain and damage that the Corona epidemic brought with her to many families in Israel, she also taught us a modest lesson; Among other things, the restrictions imposed by the Ministry of Health on social gatherings have meant that weddings and other mass events have become limited and modest events, and what was a necessity for the epidemic is now becoming the new standard for subsequent days, at least in the ultra-Orthodox sector.

It began with Stalin-Carlin Hasidicism, which issued a few weeks ago by the Rebbe's "holy commands". According to the regulations, the expenses of all types of events, including kiddos, bar mitzvahs and weddings, should be reduced. "Kugel noodles and soft drinks" and no more, when women are also served another cake type and potato kugel; The Bar Mitzvah will now be celebrated by Carlin's followers in the synagogue or in a private home and not in the courtroom, while weddings will only be held in the hall whose cost does not exceed NIS 3,000.

Also, no wedding invitations will be printed, and only the groom, the bride, their close family members and "a limited number of close friends" will attend the wedding feast. Want music at a wedding, too? - No problem, provided you settle for a DJ or orchestra with up to two musical instruments. According to the Admor's instructions, the events of the seven blessings and the bridegroom's sabbatical will also be significantly reduced, both in terms of ownership and the number of participants allowed, and if you are a matchmaker, prepare for a sharp cut in your wages: According to the regulations, the matchmaking wages will not exceed NIS 4,000 on each side.

At the beginning of the week, a draft of a similar memorandum prepared by Gur Hasidim leaked, the largest Hasidism in Israel numbering more than 50,000, with similar regulations to reduce the cost of weddings: According to the memorandum, only six people (the parents of the bride and groom and the bride and groom) will be allowed to attend. And the bride herself) and the distribution of gifts from the groom after the match was closed, including not even "simple candies"; On the Saturday before the wedding ("Offriff") there will only be a feast in the groom's family, while the bride's father will only be able to attend the consecration; The dedication to women that Saturday will be completely abolished.

According to the regulations, there will be no clothing rental for the event (but you can buy clothes to use later) or hairstyles for girls. The weddings themselves will start early and end early and during which food will be served only to close family members, but not to friends, cousins ​​and even to in-laws; Blessings will come to the canopy and dance, but they will not attend the feast. The seven blessings will also be significantly reduced: seven blessings will be held only at the bride or groom's family and not in banquet halls, and seven blessings will be invited to invite up to 50 adults from both parties together; In large families where more than 50 family members will be arriving for family events.

The memo authors stated that the purpose of the regulations is not to hurt joy, but to lead to money savings and they estimate that implementing the regulations will lead to savings of about NIS 50,000 per party. Those who do not obey the ordinance will not be punished, but "in every city there will be a committee of gurus to amend and monitor the regulations."

The Carlin and Gur Hasidim also joined the Vizhnitz and Boyan Hasidim this week, where they presented a public outline that the cost of the wedding event should not exceed NIS 18,000.

Sarah Rosenbaum, a puppy stalwart and CEO of a million or dollar company specializing in fundraising for the ultra-Orthodox sector, explains the rationale behind the regulations: "The ultra-Orthodox community is getting married at an early age, which means that parents are the ones who pay the wedding expenses. But the norm set in public is the invitation of a large number of invitees - friends, friends, people from the neighborhood and those we have studied with before - and this creates a situation of very large weddings, and when it comes to families with children, the expense of spending the wedding evening is very high.

"During the Corona, there were couples who were supposed to marry and because of the Corona they had a small wedding, with a lesser number of people and not in large and expensive halls. After it turned out that despite the change of wedding joy was very large, the kindnesses who always care for the community's welfare constantly raised a proposal from a social enterprise of weddings In a reduced format while significantly reducing costs. "

She said implementing the new regulations would not be done by coercion but by establishing community rules, and although "it will take quite a while to assimilate them into the public, once the norm is a joyous wedding to the bride and groom, while cutting spending, it will be fixed, and I have no doubt that It will also be embedded in more communities. "

Others are a little less optimistic. "At this point, there seem to be many who accept it," Israel Cohen, an ultra-Orthodox journalist and a Wiznitz devotee, said today, "but the question is how long will it last and whether in a year's time we won't see the crazy competition again starting weddings and events Grandiose who cost each family tens of thousands of "at best".