Mea Shearim

Israel Images ,Israel Pictures and Israel Photos of Mea Shearim Community or Mea Shearim neighborhoods was established in 1874 by a company with originally 100 shareholders in order to provide decent housing to the growing Old Settlement of the old Jewish Quarter and it is one of the oldest neighborhoods of extramural Jerusalem. The first inhabitants were members of the Perushim community, whose parents and grandparents, disciples of the Vilna Gaon, had arrived in Palestine in the early part of the century.The neighborhood has conserved its traditional pious character, with its orthodox population of Haredi Jews and the customs of old Hungarian Jewish centers. They follow all aspects of Jewish law from the Bible.The place is populated exclusively by Orthodox Jews and is the most strictly Orthodox neighborhood in the world. Because of this, it has slowly become a major tourist attraction. To counter the flow of scantily-clad female tourists and large groups of outsiders, the neighborhood Rabbis had special posters in Hebrew and English put up, which are found at every entrance to the neighborhood. They request that tourist groups stay away and that visitors dress modestly, which includes, for women, a long skirt, no tight-fitting clothing and clothing that covers the shoulders and the arms at least as far as the elbows.The visit in the neighborhood is a life time expirce. All Photos By Rafael Ben-Ari/Chameleons Eye.