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homes, which means that they attend one in the row in
which they live. Some men prefer to pray in other rows,
but this is not common.
Following Yemeni tradition, the major 'Mizvoth'
-
ritual duties - are performed by all of the adult men in
turn: these include the duties of 'Shaliah Tzibur' -
prayer leader; reading of the Law etc., Other 'Mizvoth'
are performed by young boys in turn. This circulation of
roles requires and fosters a considerable degree of
solidarity between the members of a 'Minyan'; and itvis,,
very much a solidarity of equals! Of course this sort of
relationship does not preclude the existence of ranking
within the 'flinyan'. Older men, particularly those who
are more learned in religious matters and Jewish law,
have greater prestige. A 'Cohen', if there is one, has
greater privilege and prestige. And finally, in each
'Minyan' there is a 'Nass', who is responsible for the
allocation of ritual duties and for remembering the turn
of
each one.
Leadership Roles in 'Zellafon'
The following leadership positions are of importance:
village committee men; religious leader; army commandant;
labour organizer; and various informal and unofficial
positions.
I shall deal with each of these in turn.
'Zellafon, $ like all other moshavim, has a local
committee known as the 'Vaad Mekomi'. This committee is