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The next photo is the PROMPT. Remember, all photos are property of the photographer, donated for use in Friday Fictioneers only. They shouldn’t be used for any other purpose without express permission. It is proper etiquette to give the contributor credit.
PHOTO PROMPT © Rochelle Wisoff-Fields
POKE THE FROG TO JOIN
Thanks to Keith Hillman for his Froggie adaptations.
Genre: Fiction
Word Count: 100
STATE OF ISRAEL
A cool breeze ruffled Shlomit’s hair. How different from her previous life when head-coverings symbolized her devotion to Adoshem and Avi.
Avi Weinstein, zealous for Torah. His parents’ only son. The perfect husband.
After her seventh miscarriage, he beat her.
Even now her footsteps pounded out his accusations along the cobblestone Jerusalem street. “Murderer! Mother of death.”
Three years ago Avi died, leaving no heirs.
Shlomit fled the Hasidim and their restricting laws.
Beside her Elan squeezed her hand. No side-curls. Colorful clothes. Her devoted Jewish husband.
Avi’s hateful words faded. Elan patted her swollen tummy. “Beautiful mother of life.”
***
While I didn’t see the women flashing their the Haredim, I did witness the demonstration of these men and boys storming the streets of Jerusalem yelling, “Shabbos!” firsthand.
And here’s the link to another video about the state of Israel. It’s kind of long so it’s up to you to watch or not watch. 😉 Like anyone else, I have my opinions but I’ll not share them here. I do wish we could all celebrate each other’s differences.
Rochelle Wisoff-Fields-Addicted to Purple 
There are so many different ways to be human, That is sometimes our greatness and sometimes a source of grief. Well-captured, Rochelle.
By the way, the frog icon doesn’t work when I click it
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Dear Neil,
It’s a pity we can’t all learn some tolerance. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
PS Thank you for letting me know about the frog. It should co-operate now. 😉
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INTERESTING ROCHELLE, CHINA
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Thank you, China.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Extremism is extremism, and unacceptable to most of us regardless of religion, politics, or anything else
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Dear C.E.
No argument. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
Apologies for the frog malfunction. It’s up and working now.
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If only all differences were worthy of approbation, rather than opprobrium.
Well displayed snapshot. 🙂
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Dear Archon,
My point exactly. 🙂 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Don’t tolerate the intolerable. Extremism ruins everything, inherently the extreme can’t let anyone else be. Sad.
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Dear Tanille,
I was rather horrified and angered by the demonstration. And what did they hope to accomplish? If it was ridicule they certainly achieved it. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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At least it gave you writing fodder 😀
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There is always that, isn’t there? 😉
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Nice story. Nice that Avi is no more and Shlomit is happily married and expecting. So typical Avi!
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Dear Abhijit,
Yes, Avi’s death was her ticket to freedom. I’m happy for Shlomit, too. (Of course she’s a figment of my imagination. 😉 ) Thank you for your kind words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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A lovely story, Rochelle and well written as always. It’s probably for the best her first husband didn’t have a child to help raise. He might have passed on the meanness of his nature. Some people seem to have a mean streak they give in to. It was great she found what some would call her soul mate. —- Suzanne
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Dear Suzanne,
Avi did Shlomit a favor, didn’t he? Thank you for your kind words. So affirming and appreciated.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lends a whole new perspective to the phrase ‘holier than thou’. I once worked closely with a Jewish girl, and while she was quite laid back about her faith, her mother was not. I saw the tensions that erupted on a regular basis within that family. I was happy for your main character. Well done.
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Dear Sandra,
While my mother who was raised Orthodox wasn’t observant, she was less than pleased with my choice of a gentile husband. And there have been tensions with my own children over religion…I’ve been less than pleased with some of their choices. I think those differences have been settled. At any rate, I’m not a fan of extremism. 😉 In any event, I’m glad you liked the outcome of my story. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Good story. I’m glad Shlomit found her freedom and happiness. I agree with what most of the others said – extremism is extremism, no matter religion, political believe, etc.
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Dear Trent,
Sadly, there are extremists in all walks of life…particularly religious walks of life. Why is it they all seem to be misogynistic as well? Sigh. At any rate, thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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No matter which religion it seems that the more zeaolous you are the more you suppress women… it seems to be the same in Christianity, Islam, Hinduism etc.
It is always good when you can break loose from the shackles of religion and tradition.
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Dear Björn,
What’s with that suppress the women thing? If we’re supposed to be merely submissive property then why did the Creator give us talents and intelligence? Are we not supposed to use those? Thank you from the top of my uncovered head.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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The idea that she could not provide Avi with a child seems appropriate – he would not have made a good father. There is some sort of justice in that.
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Dear Iain,
And why was it her fault? My guess is there was something wrong with him that he couldn’t father a child. (Besides the obvious 😉 ) Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Every religion, and non-religious people have their extremists. I long for a world that accepts everyone for who they are. I have traveled the world and find that the majority of people all want the same things. Good snapshot of life and well written.
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Dear Jan,
If we focused on our similarities more than our differences the world would be a better place. Thanks, m’luv.
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The liker button won’t let me click it, today. Great reality writing today. And, you’re correct. It is indeed sad that we can’t ALL celebrate as one instead of divided.
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Dear Bear,
Can you imagine the things we could learn from each other if we’d just let down the walls? Do you think there is such a place, Toto? Thank you. I hope you’re moved and snug in your new place.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I started moving the important things at 0300 this morning. Woke up and couldn’t get back to sleep ( I blame the door incident). Spent a good part of today just scrubbing and cleaning the new place. It was “clean”-ish, but not nearly as clean as I like it to be. Went back to scrubby and bucket on knees to mop. I find I can really get the dirt in the corners that way. I think I saw Toto fly past around 0430 between trips. hehe!
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🤣🤣🤣
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I would like to think there was some divine intervention in her life. Surly no God would tolerate his wicked ways.
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Dear Keith,
I have a tendency to feel the same way. Thank you for reading and commenting.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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It is a story that could be real, and I would suspect has been real for some, perhaps to the detail. Thank you for sharing it, in compassion and spare yet deep critic of extremism and the cruelty it normalizes; along with the possibility of hope and rebirth.
I left my story with the froggy before I read yours (I read others’ only after I write mine … a ‘thing’ of mine). Naturally I knew immediately where you took the photo. Thank you for that.
XOXO
Na’ama
https://naamayehuda.com/2019/10/16/lost-halos/
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Na’ama Y’karah,
Your comment on this particular story means more to me than the others combined. I don’t want to step on toes, but at the same time, the more I learn about the Haredim, the less impressed I am. Have you read Unorthodox by Deborah Feldman? Again, thank you for your kind and affirming words.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I am glad my comment was meaningful. It IS a tricky place to be: to respect tradition and yet not have much respect to all the elements of what is included in that tradition … It share some of your concerns and feelings about many of the practices, and in general about the radicalization of faith into shaming compliance and built-in hierarchies.
I’ve no issue with faith, or religion, or ritual, or boundaries within communities. It is the rigidity-in-the-name-of-purported-piety that I have a big problem with …
I hadn’t read that book but have heard of it. I think a lot of it will be recognizable as the realities of life in people I know.
Hugs
Na’ama
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Smashing story, Rochelle. You had Avi say “Mother of death” to Shlomit; that’s such a clever insult because it sums up years of verbal harassment and psychological abuse. I’m really glad Shlomit was able to relax enough to trust Elan and find fulfilment with him.
Shalom
Penny
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Dear Penny,
Your comments make me smile. It’s so affirming to know what I intended in the writing came across to an astute reader. Thank you so much for taking the time to comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I agree that we should learn about and celebrate each other’s differences. The problem is we can’t even celebrate our similarities. I watched the video. It featured four different types of Jewish “tribes.” They couldn’t find common ground is a shared ancestry or country. It’s like America. We’re supposed to be the “melting pot,” but there’s always some reason, skin color, ethnic background, politics, religion, taste in entertainment… that we find to disagree. Humanity seems to always look for reasons to hate instead of love.
Another excellent, thought-provoking, emotion-stirring post, Rochelle.
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Dear Nobbin,
I felt the same consternation and despair as I watched the documentary. There’s an old saying that if you have two Jews you have three opinions. If we’re honest, this pretty much covers the Human Race, doesn’t it? Thank you for your affirming comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Love heals a multitude of sins.
What would this world be like if every woman had a loving husband, and every man had a loving wife? There would be so much love, the world would heal.
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Dear Phyllis,
Do you suppose there is such a place, Toto? Love covers a multitude of sins…too bad there isn’t more love in the world. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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God provides the love.
He heals the wounds of the world through His Love. He’s the only one who can do that for us.
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You made me think, which is good, thank you Rochelle
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Thank you for such a lovely comment, Mike.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I won’t pretend my experiences are anything close to as severe as someone like Shlomit’s, but I do know something of the relief and pleasure in being able make decisions as feels right to you.
My uncovered hair in the wind moment was walking down a street in a sleeveless dress that showed my shoulders and realising nobody cared. I’ll treasure that particular moment my whole life, I think.
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Dear MKZ,
No doubt there’s more to your own story. Thank you for reading and commenting on mine.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I love the way you turned this around. Ignorance can lead to hatred and abuse, and often, it does just that.
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Dear Linda,
We live in a diverse world fraught with ignorance and bigotry, don’t we? Sometimes the hatred comes from members of our own family. Thank you for your affirmation.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Anyone who beats his wife should probably not be a father either. Divine intervention? Unlikely, but it’s one explanation we wouldn’t find in the lab.
Tracey
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Dear Tracey,
I believe it could very well be divine intervention. Avi would’ve made a terrible father and probably raised his sons in his own image. Thank you for reading and taking the time to comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Stellar story. I loved everything about it.
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😀 Thank you, Josh!
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Lovely story. Loved the alliterative tone too..mother of death…mother of life.
First cruelty, then happiness. It takes all kinds to people this Earth, right?
You are fabulous, but then that’s so cliched, Rochelle. .
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Dear Neel,
Aw shucks, you make me blush. It does take all kinds of people…what a pity we’ve never learned this. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, your story shows that barren often is a state of mind. I appreciate your telling the story of it.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Dear Jade,
Men tend to assume that barrenness is the woman’s issue which is not always the case. Thank you for reading and leaving a lovely comment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Rochelle, you are very welcome, and again I appreciate you shedding light on shadowy places.
Shalom,
Lisa
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Dear Rochelle,
As per, you have taken a subject and brought it to life. I have so much trouble with extremists of any sort, but more so with the religious ones. Well done!
Shalom and lotsa love,
Dale
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Dear Dale,
This is an ongoing conversation for us, isn’t it? No arguments. Thank you for being there to vent to and leaving a nice comment besides.
Shalom and lotsa hugs,
Rochelle
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If only people could live and let live.
I think there was some “intervention” involved with the first pregnancies – she was never meant to have her child with Avi.
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Dear Ali,
The Avis of this world tend to create sons in their own images. So in the mind of this writer it was indeed intervention. I agree about live and let live. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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So love it!
When there is no pressure, life is naturally conceived and birthed!👌👌👌
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Dear Sabina,
It’s so true. I tried so hard to conceive our second child. When I finally let go…well he’s 40 years old and has a younger brother, too…the surprise baby. 😉 Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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😂😂😂👍👍👍
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Her first husband tainted all his potential offspring himself, she was well rid of him.
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Dear Liz,
I couldn’t agree more. (Oh the control we have as writers) Thank you. 😉
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I felt the sense of continued life.
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Thank you, James. Good to know. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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felt the continuation and change –
and the video with the bras – too funny – but you would think the women would have upped their game a bit and wore their better bra options (kidding, but a couple of them looked tattered)
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Dear Yvette,
I doubt that the ladies knew of the demonstration ahead of time. 😉 Thank you. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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well that makes sense – 🙂 and thanks for the reply
hope the rest of October goes well 🙂
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Thanks you for the link – what a fascinating insight into the Israeli state and something I’d been largely ignorant about. Of course, I knew that there were Orthodox and secular citizens but didn’t realise how divisive the issue is. I can see it’s a difficult issue to reconcile for all sides. There could be no compromise on some of the specific issues concerned, gay marriage was on of the ones mentioned. But a mix of groups – Orthodox, secular, Arab – as one of the speakers said, is something the state and its people must come to terms with or split itself apart.
As always, you humanised a complex issue so clearly. Beautifully done. Rochelle.
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Dear Lynn,
That video is an eye opener for sure. Thank you re my story. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Beautifully described story of Schlomit’s journey to freedom and joy. A very difficult one though. Thank you for including the video. It was informative and interesting. Have a lovely weekend! =)
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Dear Brenda,
The weekend is almost over as I’m getting around to replying to comments. 😉 Thank you for your sweet comments.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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I know how that is. How did the weekend get a way from us?! =)
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Such a hard miserable life full of pain . Thankfully much better now. Gripping as always, Rochelle
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Dear Laurie,
There are many stories out there like Shlomit’s, which of course is fictitious 😉 Which isn’t to say there aren’t people, women included, who are content with their restrictive lifestyle. It isn’t one I’d want either. Thank you.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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An emotional roller coaster in only 100 words! So glad it ends on a happy note.
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Thank you, Mags. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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You’re very welcome, Rochelle.
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A heartfelt story of oppressive beliefs and a joyful outcome, I admire your unflinching gaze Rochelle on these practices.
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Dear Francine,
I don’t believe God wants us to be oppressive and legalistic. Browbeating doesn’t lead to faith IMHO. Thank you so much for you comment. I hope you get your Word Press woes ironed out.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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got it sorted defaults got mixed up a bit
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Thank you for reminding me what it’s like to be a woman. Sometimes I forget. We should never forget.
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My pleasure. No we should never forget. And thank you, Dawn for a lovely comment/compliment.
Shalom,
Rochelle
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Such a sad tail of an abusive husband. Why didn’t he call the police for the abuse? I would never have put up with it even one time. Poor woman. I’m glad she outlived the monster Avi and found a loving husband who fathered a Holy Child instead. Wow!
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Dear Dawn,
In the very closed and self-entitled Hasidic community (particularly in Israel) calling the police wouldn’t have done Shlomit any good. The other men would’ve covered and protected Avi. I’m personally happy to see her (fictitious though she is 😉 ) get away from the monster. However, there are true stories such as this one. Thank you for taking the time to read and comment. 😀
Shalom,
Rochelle
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