Sira, Thursday Night, 2AM

"Hi! Uhh.. cheers!" Man, am I rusty! Awkward glance. "cheers.."

They're two ladies, one mid 20's, the other early 30's, dressed in a suspicious black-on-black - black tops beneath black vests, black stockings, (white-patterned belt), both in skirts.

"So.. I've got to ask you... out of curiosity.. are you two religious? or maybe ex-religious?"

Younger one nods, older one says, "wait. Do I look religious?" She's giving me quite a severe look. Her friend lights up a cigarette.

"Well, I mean - it could go either way, but I've been getting the feeling.. see, I can sort of recognize - I also come from a semi-traditional backg-", "so do I look possibly religious, or definitely religious?"

"possibly, I guess." (You're too polite! Sure, that's who you are, but while you're here - why not play the game? Be an asshole. You're in a sex-crazed den, for god's sake! There's a couple sucking each other's tonsils out right behind you..) "Too bad". "Why's that?" "I wanted to look completely religious. And yes, we're actually Hozrot Betshuva*".

"Ok..," what the hell are these two doing in this alcohol-soaked dive?? "why is it so important for you to look definitely religious?" "Because it affects me. It projects outwards". "But why? Maybe it projects something towards others, on the outside, but if you've made this sort of choice, shouldn't you be more at peace on the inside? I should think it would matter a lot less than it does to you.."

"What happens on the outside affects what happens on the inside," she says. Her friend is heading towards the dance floor, and pulls her along. As she gets sucked into that black-hole, she blurts out what sounds to me like "we've found a higher truth." And they're gone.

For the next half hour I'm there, guys are hitting on them - separately and together.

Fascination and revulsion. Another night in Jerusalem.




* "Born again" Jews.