Pesach (Passover) at the Zoo

The Biblical Zoo is a mere ten minute ride on the #33 bus from my parents' apartment.  I thought - nice way to spend an aftenoon of Kol Hamoed Pesach.  These are the Days of the Festival, or the Intermediate Days of the week of Pesach.  Fewer restrictions apply than during the Chag, first and last days, and the country is largely on vacation.  I didn't know, however, that half of Jerusalem would be at the zoo.  

The bus was packed.  It got so slow approaching the zoo that I got off a stop early.  Once I arrived I quickly realized that I was going to enjoy people gazing as much as animal gazing.  There were the haredi men with the black robes and cylindrical fur hats - the shtreimel. There were haredi women with head covering, children with long peyos - side curls.  There were secular folks.  There were Palestinian Arab families.

Here's more than you probably ever wanted to know about shtreimels:

A shtreimel (Yiddish: שטרײַמל, pl. שטרײַמלעך shtreimlech) is a fur hat worn by many marriedharedi Jewish men, particularly (although not exclusively) members of Hasidic groups, onShabbat and Jewish holidays and other festive occasions.[1] In Jerusalem, the shtreimel is also worn by 'Yerushalmi' Jews (non-Hasidim who belong to the original Ashkenazicommunity of Jerusalem, also known as Perushim). The shtreimel is generally worn only after marriage, except in many Yerushalmi communities, where boys wear it from their bar mitzvah. In the dynasties of Chabad-Lubavitch and Karlin-Stolin, the shtreimel was reserved for the Rebbe only.

And it was easy being discreet, as most shots were just a slight veering off from the animal world.  

To my dear friends - Moadim L'Simcha - Joyous Days of the Festival to you!