I’m Belz ama….

amother

Alyssum

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:49 pm

They always sang in E"Y?

amother

Peachpuff

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:50 pm

OP I hope you dont mind me hijacking your AMA. Guess I have very belz pride.

One nice things we women have is a " Chevra " every month. We get divided into groups of 10-15 women in same age gap. We then get together about once a month, a diff women in group hosts it each time. We play a game and chat and eat yummy goodies.
Dunno if all over the world they upkeep to it, but here in Monsey my Chevra rocks.
It keeps us together. Have a chevra text chat. Buy gifts for each others simchas....

amother

Magenta

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:50 pm

amother Alyssum wrote:

Belz in the past used to be very farfrumt and kanuish.
Today's days the Belze Rebbe is very forward thinking.

Belz operates hidabroot, a TV station geared to make balei teshuva, and have many programs for them.
The Ruvs latest initiative is kiruv kerovim. Making special program for Belz dropouts.

The Ruv created tzohar which is a program for Belz people that focuses on teaching about emunah and other topics partaining to Jewish living.
The men and women switch off every other year to attend a 2 day seminar by tzohar to delve into topics of Emunah and yiddishkeit.

Going to E"Y for Rosh Hashana is very popular by the men. The women move in together to make a nice yom tov for their kids. It's pretty much a given, so it isn't taken particularly hard. It goes back to Belze Toshvim going for yom tov for all of Tishrei until gimmel lech in the shtetel.

The Ruv had an only son after getting a bracha from the Satmar Rebbe the Divrei Yoel. His son has many children and there is a wedding of a grandchild nearly every year in Sivan.

Belz has many interesting minhagim for Pesach. Like not eating cucumbers because the seeds look like wheat kernels.
Belz is very makpid on zman tefillah.

The Belz Shul in E"Y is a grand replica of the Belzer Shul built by the first Rebbe the Sar Shulem with ruach hakodesh.

Belz yungerleit wear white long socks Yom Tov and black long socks on Shabbos.

There is an inyan in Belz to use the word "intershte" instead of "letzte" as last can refer to the end of a person's life.

One of the previous Belze Rabbanim passed a girls school and heard them singing, and then banned singing in the girls schools. The last Belz school to keep this was Belz Boro Park. All the other Belz schools did not keep it up. By now Belz Boro Park has stopped that as well. Ironically, Skver (their previous Rebbetzin was a Belz einikel) still keeps it up in some way in their schools.

Belze Shtultz is real. Most of the student body is Belz and marry into Belze homes.

Doos is Machane fill mit shtick!
Ich shtoltzier tzi zein a belzenik!
Uhu! Uhu! Uhu uhu uhu!

Sing along with me lol

Another correction: Belz doesn't use a few fruit/vegetables besides cucumber on paisech like carrots, cooked apples.
The last 2 we are not so makpid, going according to wife's family. Cucumbers we are very makpid. There was a story with a previous Belze Ruv, someone brought him cucumber for Yom tov and he didn't want to eat it, saying we have the minhag not to eat what put parents didn't use.
After Yom tov this chossid came running ot the Ruv, the cucumbers were soaked in vinegar- it was chometz Gumir..

amother

Aqua

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:51 pm

I went to belz school (bp) while Mrs Mandelowitz was principal they didnt officially sing. that rule left with her, and Mrs Friedman (who's the hs principal now) does a LOT of singing with the girls since she herself loves music.

amother

Peachpuff

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:51 pm

amother Fuchsia wrote:

How long ago did you graduate? I'm almost certain that at a certain point, Belz Monsey did not sing in school.

Think 11 yrs?
Could be before my days.....

amother

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:52 pm

amother Fuchsia wrote:

So you're saying it is true. She mentioned communities in the US.
I think in Montreal they didn't sing either at a certain point.

only while the pupa ruv (kind of the Montreal ruv) was living, that was over a decade ago (maybe even 2)

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:52 pm

amother Magenta wrote:

I think the story was with carrorts & the maid watered the carrots with beer so they should grow nicer.

amother

DarkYellow

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:52 pm

amother Aqua wrote:

Hey what age are you?

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:53 pm

amother Peachpuff wrote:

Think 11 yrs?
Could be before my days.....

Was before your days.

amother

Magenta

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:55 pm

amother Peachpuff wrote:

The Ruv is very strong about this, it's going on all over the world! As soon as you get married (my daughter actually before she got married already) are placed in a group.
It's there to strengthen us ladies, have a close knit group of friends that can rely on one another. We become like family, join each other simches, etc

Another very special aspect of Belz, every Simcha, tish, event gets streamed live (if it's on motse in EY, we in the USA get the repeat). So even if we cannot be there physically we are part of it, you have to be in the hall when the Ruv dances...

amother

Peachpuff

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:55 pm

The cucumber, carrot, apple not eating on Pesach is a belz thing but many Belz ppl do eat it.
I grew up not eating it but My Husbands family does so now I eat it.

amother

Bone

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:55 pm

I know many of the belz women in Lakewood and I am so so impressed by them. Such an amazing community.

amother

Magenta

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:57 pm

amother Alyssum wrote:

They always sang in E"Y?

As far as I know yes, and in Antwerp we for sure always sang! We had 2 schoolsongs, songs about belza yuhrtsaiten, events, daven with song
BTW, Belze school was the first (or one of the first) belze school in existence!

amother

Cognac

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:57 pm

Why are you not allowed to drive?

Why do the boys and men have super long payos?

amother

Peachpuff

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:58 pm

amother Magenta wrote:

Its even called " maaros Hakodesh"
(My satmer neighbors cringe saying how can a live stream be Holy.)

I agree it keeps us together and connected and by a Rebbish Chasuna the Men and boys get dressed in shtreimel bekitshe and shabbesdig. They dance along....

Goody2shoes

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:59 pm

Belz is one chassidish community that is pro internet, or not so against it. Whichever sounds better.
I remember some years the shtick was to hock against girls going for degrees, Belz was for it.

amother

Fuchsia

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 7:59 pm

amother Cognac wrote:

Why are you not allowed to drive?

Why do the boys and men have super long payos?

Many Belz women in Lakewood drive. I don't know why it's not acceptable in Monsey or BP.

amother

Peachpuff

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 8:00 pm

amother Cognac wrote:

Why are you not allowed to drive?

Why do the boys and men have super long payos?

The Belze Rav is actually not against women driving. The Rav strongly believes though not to go against what majority chassiduss do.

amother

Cognac

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 8:01 pm

amother Fuchsia wrote:

Many Belz women in Lakewood drive. I don't know why it's not acceptable in Monsey or BP.

If they drive, the children are not accepted in schools. Especially, in lakewood. I have relatives there

amother

Alyssum

Wed, Oct 18 2023, 8:01 pm

amother Chambray wrote:

Belz is one chassidish community that is pro internet, or not so against it. Whichever sounds better.
I remember some years the shtick was to hock against graduated going for degrees, Belz was for it.

Belz BP was very tzirik geshtanen with office jobs though.
Like 3 girls in my class didn't get teaching/ preschool positions.
I remember being shocked at one of them for taking an office job lol.
(Mrs Mandelowitz a"h times obviously.)

The girls that got degrees needed to do it secretly.