Tensions Within the Hillula

Through our discussion of Weingrod’s ethnographic analysis of the hillula, certain aspects of tensions amongst participants are present. These tensions vary in many ways, consisting mainly of gender conflicts and conflicts of ethnicity. Within the performance of the hillula, the tension between these groups can be seen and heard through the various practices and rituals that they perform that pertain to the underlying characteristics of normative and traditional Judaism.
In normative Jewish culture, women are not permitted to play a large role in the religious aspects of worship. They are separated from men and often are not even included in religious ceremonies. However, in the hillula, women play a central role. They are crowded around the front of the tomb, they sing and dance and worship together, often side by side and even touching men, and they play a large role in the veneration of the saint.
Ethnically, the majority of people who go to the tomb for hillula are either Moroccan or Tunisian. In this case, the saint that’s being worshipped was Tunisian, which leads to a stricter, more somber performance of veneration from his countrymen. However, the Moroccans in attendance are extremely free spirited. They sing and dance and even place food and drink on the tomb. This relaxed attitude towards the veneration of the saint is not always accepted and appreciated by the Tunisian pilgrims.
Finally, the difference between those who take a normative approach to the veneration of saints compared to the traditionalists is seen in the hillula. In one instance, a group of people was singing and dancing when a young woman approached them and scolded them for their actions. The group, made up of older individuals who grew up with the traditional practices of the hillula, believed that the pilgrimage was supposed to be a time of happiness, celebration, and dance. The older traditionalist pilgrims denied the younger woman, who had a normative, almost politically correct view towards the hillula.
The tensions found throughout the hillula whether they be of gender, ethnicity, or their view of the celebration form the community of the hillula that appeases to all types of worshippers in a sort of natural community that we see in cultures and places around the world today.