Sun 1 Nov
Mea Shearim is an Ultra-Orthodox district of Jerusalem, built in the late 19th century as one of the first settlements outside the walls of the Old City. It was originally populated by immigrants from Bulgaria and Rumania, and is said to have something of the atmosphere of an East European shtetl of that period; some of the groups there use Yiddish rather than Hebrew as the language of everyday life.
We were advised to walk through the area in small groups so as not to cause offence, and having seen the notice plastered on the wall on the street corner: "Please - stop this", I was reluctant to be too obvious with my camera, so the pictures are all from the iPhone, and a bit snatched.
There are something like 70 different religious groupings or sects in Mea Shearim, and they all clamour for attention with wordy wall-posters. Unfortunately I can't read Hebrew, so I've no idea what they're about. When you see a poster in English you know it's addressed to you - the outsider.
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