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Tuesday, March 16, 2021

Why American Ḥaredim have responded so differently from other Jews to the pandemic.

 

What Happened in Lakewood

Why American Ḥaredim have responded so differently from other Jews to the pandemic.

Ḥaredi Jews in New York on October 19, 2020. John Lamparski/NurPhoto via Getty Images.




“It is not difficult to build a sanctuary,” wrote the great 19th-century German rabbi Samson Raphael Hirsch. “It requires a moment of inspiration and a mood of generosity. But it is much more difficult to generate an enduring enthusiasm to be retained for years—or even a lifetime. Without such support, the structure itself would remain cold and lifeless. Enthusiasm for the Sanctuary must never subside. The Sanctuary and its goals must never be considered out of date.”

Hirsch, the pioneer of synthesizing modern secular culture with Orthodox Judaism, was writing about the annual half-shekel donation for the upkeep of the Jerusalem Temple, deriving from this commandment—observed only symbolically in the Temple’s absence—a vital lesson about the role of the synagogue.

In writing the story of how the COVID-19 pandemic has changed Jewish communal life in in the U.S., Jack Wertheimer acknowledges that in his research he did not attend to the dramatically different effects it had on American Ḥaredim. But an examination of the latter can be instructive in making sense of the broader situation of American Jewry. In providing such an examination, based on my own experiences, I also hope to correct misconceptions about ḥaredi life during the pandemic, and to explain why Ḥaredim insisted on keeping their houses of worship open while others were closed. But first it’s necessary to say something about the ḥaredi conception of the synagogue, which is different from that of other American Jews.

The word synagogue derives from the Greek, which is, as Wertheimer notes, a direct translation of the Hebrew beyt knesset, meaning “house of assembly.” These terms describe how most Jews see its purpose: as a place of gathering. Over the years, ancillary functions have been added to its core use as a place of prayer, which has become a major part of what synagogues do. In this way, the synagogue has become a place of gathering at least as much for its own sake as it is a place to gather for worship. The closures of synagogues, or their replacement with virtual simulacra, thus becomes a social issue as much as a religious one.

Interestingly enough, Ḥaredim do not refer to a house of worship as a synagogue or beyt knesset. Instead they call it either a beyt midrash—a house of study—or a shul—the Yiddish term that derives from the German word for school. As it is outside of ḥaredi communities, prayer is the building’s primary function, but unlike other American synagogues, its secondary use is not for social life, but for study.

That this is so is due to the distinctive ḥaredi understanding of religious obligation as well as the structure of American ḥaredi society. Ḥaredim believe that the continual lifelong pursuit of the study of Torah—considered, like prayer, a form of service to God—defines these buildings and congregations. In ḥaredi shuls, only worship and study are acceptable activities. The Shulḥan Arukh, the standard code of Jewish law, contains an entire section dedicated to regulations about what is and is not permitted in the synagogue. While it is typical for other denominations’ synagogues to use their main sanctuary for affairs of a secular nature, such as hosting political or educational figures or community events, this is much less common among Ḥaredim. And while ḥaredi shuls often provide social services, such as meals for the needy, these activities are just as often left to other communal organizations.

Indeed, the ubiquitous presence of such organizations speaks to the close-knit nature of ḥaredi society, which allows shuls to have a more focused purpose. Because ḥaredi life is so deeply communal, there are charities, neighborhood-watch groups, schools, and a great many other institutions that serve purposes that in other communities are assigned to the synagogue. Similarly, Ḥaredim don’t need the synagogue to create opportunities to socialize with other Jewish families. They tend to live in their own neighborhoods, frequently attend weddings and engagement parties, and have constant opportunities for social interaction with coreligionists. Thus the purpose of the ḥaredi shul is not to create a community; it instead emerges as a place of study and prayer within a preexisting, fully alive Jewish community. Yet even as the function of the ḥaredi shul is narrower, its presence in the life of a typical ḥaredi male, who attends shul at least three times each day, and sometimes more, is greater.

Film screenings, cooking and yoga classes, and programs “to discuss questions of racial justice, equity, and the preservation of democratic norms” might find a place in a synagogue, but they are anathema to a ḥaredi shul. If a ḥaredi Jew attends a cooking class, or a yoga class, it would likely be with other Ḥaredim, just not in a synagogue. And although members often pay dues, the ability to collect dues factors into considerations in a very minimal way. Precisely because shul attendance is seen as a fundamental need, those with means often see the support of their shuls as a necessary investment, and their voluntary contributions go far to cover expenses.

For many synagogues, the migration out of physical buildings and into a virtual world driven by the COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted just how unnecessary the physical facilities are. If synagogues are merely social centers or locations for the Jewish aspects of life, why not replace them with online spaces? If anything, experiencing Jewish religious behavior in the home might lead to a firmer Jewish identity for those who would otherwise only engage in a synagogue, as some of Wertheimer’s interlocutors indeed suggested.

Suppose there is another pandemic, with a virus even more contagious that COVID-19, that requires a truly drastic response. Would we be able to get the needed buy-in from the ḥaredi community, which has rediscovered its deep need for its shuls when they were shuttered, while becoming far more skeptical of expert advice? That’s what keeps me up at night.

 

https://mosaicmagazine.com/response/religion-holidays/2021/03/what-happened-in-lakewood/?newlyregistered=true

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Interviewed Friday by Channel 12, hosts Eyal Berkovic & Ofira Asayag ask Avigdor Liberman if he'd consider a coalition with Haredim if it means ousting Bibi

What's more important, Asayag asked, “Boot Bibi or don't sit with Haredim?”

Answer: “Haredim together with Bibi in one wheelbarrow to the nearest landfill”

The comment drew torrents of criticism, accusations of anti-Semitism & Haredim sharing photos of corpses wheelbarrowed in the Holocaust

The video clip of that line went viral on social media

Squeezed again by Asayag that he can't push both Bibi & Haredim out of govt simultaneously, he'll “hug Arye Deri like in the good old days” to boot Bibi, Liberman made clear his fight's vs Haredim — his most profitable foils if his goal's to draw secular people to the ballot box — not Bibi

“Listen, the govt IS the Haredim, not Bibi. Bibi's a hostage”

“He's for political-legal survival. He’ll give anything,” he said, cynically listing Ra’am leader Mansour Abbas, even Hamas terrorist leader Khaled Mashaal as likely coalition partners of Bibi's Likud

Challenged again, this time by Berkovic, that polls nonetheless suggest Liberman needs either Likud or Haredim for a coalition, Liberman finally offers a path

“In secular majority cities, 1 million people failed to show at the ballot box” in previous elections. If 30% of them come, it’s 10 seats for a decisive win”

“So you call on secular people to vote?” Berkovic asks

“We must call for all seculars to vote,” Liberman replies

“We call on everyone to vote,” said Asayag

Many condemn Liberman’s landfill line, from Likud & Yamina, on the right, to Labor & Meretz on the left. But UTJ-Agudah went much, much further

It pivots its whole campaign on a dime, turns Liberman & wheelbarrow to campaign posters, videos, newspaper ads, tweets, photo ops & speaks little else. Just as Liberman found a perfect nemesis in them, they found one in him

Anonymous said...

part 2

Sunday, Agudah MKs gathered round a wheelbarrow for photo-ops, labeling Liberman mentally ill, anti-Semitic & demanding he be prosecuted for incitement

Liberman “knows garbage dumps,” Agudah chief Gafni said, “he smells like it all the time. He is it”

Agudah MK Eichler adds: “It's not just simple bigotry of a crazy, but a life-threatening call to arms. Police & prosecutors must investigate his serious incitement vs Haredi Jews”

A new campaign video asks, “Unsure who to elect?” It plays Liberman’s landfill &: “Only a strong UTJ-Agudah will leave this thing” — unclear if “thing” means the comment or the man — “in tv studios”

In new video #2 a wheelbarrow &: “Yvet [Avigdor’s Russian name] wheelbarrowed studio to studio” — spend the upcoming not in power, but in the opposition with much time for interviews

UTJ-Agudah prepared a complaint vs Liberman to the Central Elections Committee & promises a racism bill to prosecute his future comments

Why's UTJ-Agudah so consumed by Liberman, however objectionable he is?

It's straightforward: UTJ-Agudah's not threatened by Liberman. It seeks rescue via him

Agudah worries over vote prospects due to intense frustration of many of its own voters during the pandemic. Many Haredim feel unfairly singled out for failure to social distance & that their reps don't defend them

A campaign video hits the anger head-on, MK after MK admit: “we're not perfect, we accept criticism”

Days to the election (sent by G-d himself?), Liberman lets chastised MKs make amends

Rhetoric reaches fever pitch

As per Liberman Haredim, abetted by Bibi, are dead-set to destroy secular Israel

On Shabbat, Liberman Tweeted: “The coalition of Bibi-Smotrich-Deri-Gafni-Abbas is fundamentalist, wants to turn Israel into Iran to end Israel as Zionist, liberal. Gafni, et al, should read Herzl’s ‘The Jewish State,’ emphasis chapter ‘Theocracy’”

It's Haredim, he insists, inciting hatred, as UTJ-Agudah MK Pindrus huffs women in IDF's conversion program remain “shiksas,” pejorative Yiddish for non-Jews

“’Shiksa’ soldiers, ‘Nazi’ cops, Russian ‘goyim’, ‘sucker’ secularists,” he Tweets, citing oft-heard slurs from Haredim. “Vs wild incitement by Haredim, one party tells the truth, doesn’t ingratiate — time we put an end to Shas-UTJ-Agudah rule”

As Haredim tell it, Liberman seeks to destroy Haredi life

A startling newspaper ad by UTJ-Agudah shows Liberman’s face, a wheelbarrow & dire warning: “Either he wheelbarrows us all to the landfill or all run vote UTJ-Agudah. Beat incitement at the ballot box!”

At core, Liberman & Haredim face the same problem. They're close to victory; yet each remain maddeningly far from it for 2 long years

Each is threatened from within — Liberman, from secular Yesh Atid. Agudah's frustrated Haredi voters stream to religious Zionist parties. Each badly needed a nemesis, a threat to constituents’ way of life, to rally ranks & draw the apathetic to the polls

With wheelbarrows, cries of “anti-Semitism” & “fundamentalism,” they find in each other the antidote to their trouble

Vos zogt UOJ? said...

https://7efa5cd2-b9a5-42d8-9a2d-a1ac1ee1065a.filesusr.com/ugd/e5498d_606ed0d75fb64d48bb71b3c7c38dceb1.pdf

Paul Mendlowitz said...

I'm not familiar with that case.

Messy Zahav said...

Seeking to deny numerous accusations against him of rape & other sexual abuse, the co-founder & chairman of ZAKA emergency response group arrived uninvited at the police 'serious crimes' headquarters yesterday & was turned away

Officers at the federal Lahav 433 serious crime unit, who Sunday opened an investigation of Yehuda Meshi-Zahav going back decades, refused to speak to him, as he has yet to be summoned for questioning

Meshi-Zahav was accused Thursday of sex assault, rape & abuse by 6 people in Haaretz, which said there are likely many more cases

Allegations vs Meshi-Zahav were by both men & women, some of whom were minors at the time

Meshi-Zahav lawyer Ephraim Dimri said yesterday his client, to prove his own innocence, “initiated the unusual move to present for questioning at Lahav 433. He has nothing to hide”

A source in the self-described Vaad Hatzniut “modesty patrol” told Ynet allegations against Meshi-Zahav were well known in Jerusalem Haredi neighborhood Mea Shearim

“What's published is just the tip of the iceberg,” the source said, calling Meshi-Zahav “the Haredi Jeffrey Epstein”

Informal modesty patrols operate in Haredi towns to enforce — at times violently — strict reading of Jewish modesty-propriety

The modesty source said for Meshi-Zahav, enforcement failed & “the plan was to simply castrate him”

“Patrol members broke into an apt where he did what he did & caught him red-handed — but Meshi-Zahav managed to escape. He was so close to being beaten to a pulp where circumcision is performed,” the source said

Prime Minister Netanyahu spoke yesterday regarding the scandal, telling Army Radio it's “terrible, I hope it's not true. It's unacceptable”

Police are examining accusations of sex assault by Meshi-Zahav & need a viable case in the statute of limitations. Police are focusing on complainants from the past decade, as cases beyond that are “cold cases,” Channel 12 reports

Meshi-Zahav is prominent in the Haredi community, ZAKA a major part of Israel’s emergency response services at home & abroad

Haaretz said Meshi-Zahav took advantage of his status, power, money, even the org he heads to sexually assault on multiple occasions

One victim said he forcibly undressed & raped her after offering aid. She said when Meshi-Zahav forced himself on her, he threatened, “Talk & a ZAKA jeep will run you over”

Another said Meshi-Zahav repeatedly abused him as a teen, realizing years later he was the man’s “escort, prostitute in the full sense,” he told Haaretz

The report said several other women testified he masturbated & touched them sexually

Meshi-Zahav denies the allegations as “baseless & irrevocably damage his good name"

Of the 6 accusers, the earliest is from 1983 & the latest in 2011. Haaretz adds many residents of several Jerusalem neighborhoods knew of Meshi-Zahav’s actions, but didn't notify authorities or say anything

Earlier, Meshi-Zahav was declared winner of the Israel Prize lifetime achievement award for contributions to society. Education Minister Gallant announced the prize went to Meshi-Zahav for his decades of ZAKA work. In 2003, he lit a torch at Israel’s Yom HaAtzmaut independence celebration

Friday, Meshi-Zahav announced stepping down from ZAKA & giving up the prestigious Israel Prize

Meshi-Zahav made headlines in Jan. when his parents died of COVID within days of another & days after his convicted molester-fraudster brother died

He's a vocal critic of some Haredi leaders during the pandemic, as some prominent figures downplay the virus

Anonymous said...

Channel 13 reports an anonymous complainant penned a letter to then-interim police chief Motti Cohen 18 months ago, alerting him to Meshi-Zahav’s dangerous past, as police were getting ready to take part in a major event celebrating 30 years since the founding of ZAKA.

“For years, we've been seeking to bring to the public agenda Meshi-Zahav’s sexual abuse of women… We know police officers are invited to events with him & he flaps peacock feathers, when behind them is a dangerous man with unparalleled power, yet to be investigated for harming women,” the letter read.

The letter led to an investigation - not of Meshi-Zahav - rather of the complainants for 'slandering' a public figure. Suspects were even questioned under caution, but the probe never moved forward.

The site also said Meshi-Zahav has a long history of close contact with senior police officials & even paid to present at training courses on ZAKA work.

Meshi-Zahav’s behavior was known for years in the Haredi community, but a code of silence was maintained.

Shana Aaronson, director-general of Magen, told Army Radio Sunday her org 1st heard about Meshi-Zahav a few years ago, but “no one was prepared to speak up. Just a few months ago, we began to get specific testimonies.”

Publicity Hundt said...

Police suspect ZAKA officials helped cover up suspicions against org co-founder Meshi-Zahav, reports Channel 13.

ZAKA officials are expected to be questioned in the coming days.

The report also says Meshi-Zahav was the subject of a sex crimes investigation already in the late 1980s. It says 2 women complained against him, but later retracted.

“I never committed illegal acts,” Meshi-Zahav's quoted telling confidants. “There were consensual relations with different women, nothing coerced or against the law.”

The ZAKA founder’s lawyer, Ephraim Dimri, tells Channel 13 his client's prepared to cooperate in the investigation against him.

“He has nothing to hide. He hasn’t seen testimony. Everything we see's in the media. If he's confronted with whatever testimony, he'll respond.”

Senior law enforcement officials call Meshi-Zahav’s appearance at police HQ a “publicity stunt.”

Media reports say police managed to contact one Meshi-Zahav victim in the statute of limitations. The woman confided to reporters on condition of anonymity that ZAKA's founder raped her years ago, but she declined a police request to file a complaint.

Police have yet to receive a complaint vs Meshi-Zahav that can be used in court.

Some victims are afraid to come forward given Meshi-Zahav’s prominent stature in the Haredi community & long-held ties to law enforcement.

According to Kan public broadcasting, one victim who shared his story in the media recently was bombarded by threats from Meshi-Zahav henchmen of repercussions if he continues talking

Flatbush Wannabe leader said...

Marjorie Taylor Greene, the 1st-term US congresswoman who expressed belief in QAnon conspiracies & blamed California wildfires on Rothschild-funded space lasers, visited a number of Orthodox Jewish neighborhoods in Brooklyn & Long Island yesterday.

The visit came by invitation of Nachman (Neil) Mostofsky, director of a politically right-wing Modern Orthodox org, brother of Aaron Mostofsky, arrested by the FBI for the Jan 6 storming of the US Capitol while dressed in fur pelts, both sons of molester advocate extraordinaire Steve (Shlomo) Mostofsky, Past President of National Council of Young Israel. Both Mostofsky sons attended the rally, though Nachman didn't participate in storming. They're among a number of Orthodox Jews who headed to the rally on buses organized in Orthodox WhatsApp groups.

Greene, a Georgia Republican who made headlines promoting anti-Semitic QAnon during her campaign, is a controversial presence since taking office. In response to her comments, the House voted to strip Greene of committee assignments just weeks later.

Greene said her past comments “don't represent me.”

Mostofsky took Greene to a Brooklyn yeshiva, matzah bakery, kosher supermarket & restaurant. A photo circulating on social media shows Greene sitting at a kosher restaurant

Mostofsky, undeterred by Greene’s incendiary comments, called the visit an opportunity to show Greene “authentic Judaism.”

“Knowing the congresswoman now, she's nothing but a friend & ally of our community,” he crowed to the Forward. “From govt interference to education, we share Judeo-Christian values.”

Flatbush Wannabe leader said...

https://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/fbem/DocumentDisplayServlet?documentId=J_PLUS_WX7iokl_PLUS_1KarbxbquFpQ==&system=prod

NEIL MOSTOFSKY, Index No.: 507341/2020

Plaintiff, FACTUAL AFFIDAVIT

- against -

GOURMET GLATT LLC d/b/a GOURMET GLATT
MARKET and JOHN DOE, FICTITIOUS NAME,
Defendants

NEIL MOSTOFSKY, duly affirmed, deposes & says to be true under penalties of perjury as follows:

1. I am the Plaintiff in the within action, and as such am fully familiar with the facts and circumstances surrounding this matter.

2. I submit the following factual affidavit in support of the within application to enter a default judgement against defendant GOURMET GLATT.

3. Nov 21, 2019, in the vicinity of 1071 East 36th St, Brooklyn, NY, defendant JOHN DOE, an unidentified employee of defendant GOURMET GLATT carelessly, negligently, recklessly & intentionally struck me with his person while in the course of his employment with
GOURMET GLATT.

4. This contact was due solely to the acts of the defendants, and through no acts
whatsoever of my own.

5. As a result of aforesaid I suffered serious injuries including fractured teeth &
a laceration with permanent scarring to my face, all of which require extensive medical
treatment.

6. I have been informed the time of defendant GOURMET GLATT to answer, appear or otherwise move with respect to the complaint has expired.

WHEREFORE, it is respectfully requested that a Judgement be entered on behalf of plaintiff
NEIL MOSTOFSKY, as against defendant GOURMET GLATT.

Subscribed & sworn to before me this 6th day of Nov, 2020

EZRA HOLCZER
Notary Public, State of NY
Qualified in Kings County

Leib Tropper said...

Geshmake guy!:

The founder of ZAKA emergency services, accused of multiple cases of sex abuse, will defend himself by claiming all sexual relations were consensual, Channel 12 reports today.

Yehuda Meshi-Zahav previously denied the claims outright.

More victims came forward since the bombshell investigation was released, as well as reports Meshi-Zahav’s crimes were widely known in the Haredi community.

Channel 12, citing unnamed associates of Meshi-Zahav, said he'll at most say relations were in exchange for money, gifts or other benefits.

Meshi-Zahav hopes to evade conviction for more serious offenses, including rape, with that defense, the report said. It's unclear how the defense applies to offenses against minors.

Multiple reports today said the first official police complaint vs Meshi-Zahav is expected to be filed Wednesday. The complainant was a minor at the time.

Anonymous said...

Israeli businessman Patrick Aloni is suspected of scamming an American company out of $24 million.

Aloni promised disposable rubber gloves to MSC Industry Supply Co. at a discounted price, a commodity in high demand during the pandemic, according to Channel 12.

As per the Israel Police Tel Aviv District fraud division, Aloni pledged 200,000 cartons of nitrile gloves from a Vietnam factory to MSC. Aloni directed MSC to transfer the full transaction sum to the bank account of a Canadian company in Sept 2020.

After MSC transferred Aloni $24 million, the company realized they fell victim to a scam. They contacted the Weizman Yaar Business Intelligence Office, which launched an investigation.

Weizman Yaar’s investigation discovered the factory in Vietnam knew nothing about Aloni, or the CPI company he claimed to own. They also discovered no purchase of gloves was made for Aloni or MSC & custom numbers Aloni provided were fictitious.

The company forwarded Weizman Yaar’s findings to Israeli police, which opened its own investigation. Shortly after, Aloni tried to leave the country & was arrested at Ben Gurion Airport.

Aloni originally tried to prevent the publication of his name, but the court revoked the gag order at the request of Channel 12.

According to his arrest warrant, Aloni's suspected of receiving goods fraudulently under aggravated circumstances, tax offenses & money laundering. During a search of Aloni’s home, police uncovered a safe containing $100,000s.

His defense attorneys, Amos Algali & Michael Weizmann, claim the accusations are product of a “business dispute” with “false allegations,” according to Ynet.

MSC's expected to file a civil lawsuit in addition.

Hershel Schlechter said...

Darn, missed this one! A James Bond actor is more sexy (& lucrative?) than the Kushners:

Actor Yaphet Kotto, who rose to fame in the 1970s fighting James Bond in “Live & Let Die” + extraterrestrial stowaway in “Alien,” died, his agent told AFP. He was 81.

Wife Sinahon Thessa described her husband as a “legend who played villain in some movies but for me & a lot of people a hero,” she said.

Kotto debuted as actor in an all-Black stage performance of “Othello” in 1960 Harlem.

Kotto drew plaudits as the first Black Bond villain — dictator Dr. Kananga — in 1973 “Live & Let Die,” + Emmy nomination for playing real-life Ugandan strongman Idi Amin in “Raid on Entebbe,” of the 1976 IDF operation to rescue Israelis on a plane hijacked by Palestinian terrorists.

He took on villainous xenomorph as ship engineer in Ridley Scott’s 1979 claustrophobic horror “Alien” & fought alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1987 dystopian thriller “Running Man.”

At the height of fame, he turned down being Capt Picard in “Star Trek: The Next Generation” — which he later regretted.

Kotto later played Lt Giardello in gritty police procedural “Homicide: Life on the Street.”

He returned to “Alien” in 2014, voicing his character in the horror franchise video game “Alien: Isolation.”

Married thrice & father to 6 kids, Kotto claims to be related to Queen Elizabeth II — naming his 1997 biography “The Royalty” as tribute to his royal pedigree.

Kotto was born in 1939 New York to a Cameroonian immigrant father & a US Army nurse.

Rabbi Joel Braude, left, makes a toast during the wedding ceremony for Yaphet Kotto, right, and his bride Tessie Sinahon in Baltimore

As per ManishTana website, run by Black Chabad turned Open Orthodox rabbi Shais Rishon, Kotto’s father Avraham Kotto (a Black man born Njoki Manga), immigrated to the US in the 1920s an observant Jew who spoke Hebrew. Kotto said his ancestors were African Jews who originated in Israel & migrated thru Egypt to Cameroon. (Bunch of baloney unless the bnei Canaan who ran away from Aleksander Mukdon were "Jewish") His mother, Gladys Marie, an army officer, converted to Judaism before marrying his father.

In a 1994 interview with the AP, Kotto described growing up in NY & anti-Semitism he experienced as a religious Jew wearing a yarmulke.

“It was rough. Going to shul, putting a yarmulke on. Baptists in the Bronx meant I was in heavy fistfights on Fridays.”

In a 2019 interview with InsideHook, Kotto spoke how Judaism's a guiding force in his life.

His father, who he said was crown prince of Cameroon, “instilled Judaism in me.”

“I open every book from the back page,” referring to Hebrew writing from right to left.

Everything Judaism's for, from an African point of view, he left those things in me,” Kotto said. “If it weren’t for him, I'd probably be gone to hatred, violence, drugs or alcohol. I escaped all those because of Judaism.”

Kotto said in the past, when visiting a new city, he'd always look for a synagogue “but the rabbis want to get to know you & want you to move to wherever you are. So now I don’t look for a synagogue when I go out of town.”

Had he not been an actor, Kotto speculated, he'd probably be a rabbi.

“I’ve always had faith,” he said & emphasized his belief in the afterworld, which “is very much like this world. You can’t tell which one is different.”