These amazing photos, of 40,000 Orthodox Jewish males filling New York’s Citi Field (with another 20,000 off-site), have been making the rounds. Some writers suggested the all-male meeting was sexist and/or excessively secretive . Predictable reactions from those made anxious by such a striking visual expression of the size and vitality of a faith community often ignored by the commentariat.
The meeting focused on the perils of the internet and included a discussion of the problem of internet pornography that presumably would have been quite awkward had both men and women been present.
The photos also evoke archive photographs of ball stadiums in days when men would wear suits to sporting events. The monochrome is a bit severe, especially for off-hours, but stadiums sure do look good in suits.
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