Batman Joins 5000 Rabbis in Giant Chabad Photo

When 5,000 Chabad rabbis gathered in Brooklyn last month for their annual international conference, they posed for the traditional group photo, sitting in multi-level bleachers constructed just for the occasion.

The same photo is taken every year, but unlike the unvarying black clothing that they wear, the advance of technology makes a difference. This year the rabbis were pranked by Meir Kalmanson, whose funny videos about high-fiving in New York and dancing behind people in Jerusalem we have been sharing with you. Kalmanson, who goes by the name Meir Kay, made a video about the construction of the bleachers and the anticipation of attendees for the big snap. 

We thought it would have been a great idea to have someone dressed in a Waldo costume infiltrate the group and turn it into a Where's Waldo? moment, but Kalmanson had a better idea. What better comic book character to insert himself into the photo but Batman? Dressed in a Batman costume, the prankster joined the thousands of similarly clad rabbis. The funny photo was picked up by the Daily Mail in the UK and elsewhere. 

Another intruding technological influence was the selfie, enabled by many of the rabbis pulling out their smartphones, unable to resist the rare opportunity for a closeup with a sea of black clad rabbis in the background.

Enjoy!

A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO

Italian Secular Jewish Photographer Casts Ultra-Orthodox Women in a New Light

The world of ultra-Orthodox women can seem to be a mysterious one, when seen from the outside looking in. For documentary photographer Federica Valabrega, a secular Jew herself, her interest in this world led to a photo project which would ultimately challenge her own assumptions about these women.

Valabrega, originally from Rome, Italy, moved to Brooklyn in 2009 to photograph the women in a project that she calls Bat Melech (Daughter of the King). She was surprised to find that "Jewish women are not just at home making soup and cooking matzo balls and changing diapers. I met women who work at Goldman Sachs. I met women who have their own business."

She also traveled to Israel and France, and plans to visit Morocco and Tunisia to include photographs of religious communities in those countries.

The project will be on display in Italy and Israel later this year. She is also working on a book to accompany the exhibit.

(A SPECIAL NOTE FOR NEW EMAIL SUBSCRIBERS:  THE VIDEO IS NOT VIEWABLE DIRECTLY FROM THE EMAIL THAT YOU GET EACH DAY.  YOU MUST CLICK ON THE TITLE AT THE TOP OF THE EMAIL TO REACH THE JEWISH HUMOR CENTRAL WEBSITE, FROM WHICH YOU CLICK ON THE PLAY BUTTON IN THE VIDEO IMAGE TO START THE VIDEO.)