Israel – Gerrer Hasidim Declare War On Computers.

Israel – Where else but on the Internet could the articles raise such a fuss? “There are no kosher movies,” “No more computers,” read some of the headlines on Heder Shaket, the online forum where Gerrer Hasidim conduct discussions, some of them daring, under a blanket of abbreviations and internal code. As usual in the virtual world, for a long time truth and rumor about what was permitted blended together, but an official declaration of war has finally been issued – a war against the increasing computerization of the ultra-Orthodox world.

Every Gerrer Hasid with a computer can expect a house call in the near future, meant to persuade him to get rid of the treyf device. Those with an Internet connection – the height of spiritual contamination, which only a few members of the community have rabbinical permission to use, and that for work purposes only – will receive special attention.

While the battle over televisions was a successful one, computers are common in ultra-Orthodox homes. They are used mainly for word processing or to watch “kosher” films (Haredi-produced family fare, often educational). But many of them are connected to the Internet. Efforts to create a kosher Internet with restricted access have not borne fruit. Haredim from all sectors of the community participate in the dozens of Haredi forums that exist. Some of the “heavy users” are from Ger, Israel’s largest Haredi sect, with thousands of families. [Haaratz]