Rabbi Mordechai "Mottke" Blau had his hands full in anticipation of the Sukkot holiday, when the Haredi community holds hundred of events. This traditional period of celebration makes demands on what the head of the Sanctity and Education Guard and his colleagues view as the biggest threats: immodest dress, the worship of popular singers, immodest behavior and merrymaking.
Weeks ago ultra-Orthodox producers and marketing representatives of major companies such as Motorola and Cellcom came to him for a "kashrut" certification for the Simhat Beit Hasho'evah celebrations to be held during this week's intermediate days of Sukkot and Simhat Torah celebrations on Saturday.
Before providing his imprimatur to any event, Blau checks every detail, personally approving each singer and band, and going into the field to check the arrangements for keeping men and women separate. "In times of joy there's a danger of losing one's head," Blau explains. "We verify that the public won't be coming to an event that has screaming, or, heaven forfend, idol worship. All reverence must be reserved for rabbis. We must make sure that at a Torah-based event, we don't get some John Lennon with a kippah."
Blau is not a musician, but at this time of year, he is a music critic whose good opinion is a highly sought-after commodity. He carefully checks all musicians scheduled at every event he supervises, examines all the playlists, and asks about the individual musicians and the instruments they intend to play. "We encourage instruments that can produce authentic, Jewish sounds, mainly clarinet and violin," Blau said, revealing his own taste or that of the rabbis in whose name he has built up his power in the Haredi community.
What about electric guitars? "Electric guitars are fine as long as the sound isn't loud and strident. The important thing is not to 'Judaize' all sorts of songs from abroad that are, well, unkosher. No rap, no jazz. If there's a singer whose style is authentically Hassidic but there are lapses here and there, we make sure to set his playlist before he comes to perform at an approved event."
Blau checks whether the performers observe the rules of modesty at all times. If there is any doubt, he asks the musician to sign a document in which he promises never to perform at any event where men and women are not separated "according to rabbinical instructions."
One popular singer-songwriter in Haredi circles who had been invited to the Beit Hasho'evah celebration at the Haredi town of Elad, Ya'akov Shwekey of the United States, was disinvited after refusing to sign Blau's document. Lipa Shmeltzer signed and was approved. Blau did not even bother sending Chaim Israel, another popular singer, the document, because his "spiritual level" apparently was inappropriate.
Who comes to Blau? In addition to the municipality authorities in ultra-Orthodox communities such as Bnei Brak and Elad, he is approached by Haredi organizations representing commercial firms. The main attraction in Bnei Brak this week is being sponsored by Motorola and Cellcom, and has been advertised massively in the Haredi press. The event in Elad tomorrow is sponsored by Coca-Cola, Osem, Strauss-Elite, Tnuva, Prigat and other companies, in addition to the local council and the Haredi supermarket chain Shefa-Shuk.
The companies recognize the enormous buying power of the local Haredi market, and take great pains to satisfy this public, with special marketing communications and customer service departments for the ultra-Orthodox, as well as efforts to obtain the most stringent kashruth certifications.
