Don’t expect to see a bearded lady at the April 8 performance of the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey Circus in New York. But there should be plenty of other beards in the stands.

In an effort to accommodate the religious sensibilities of many ultra-Orthodox circus fans, on the third day of Passover the “Greatest Show on Earth” will feature only male performers. The show, organized with the help of the charitable organization Chol Hamoed Events, will also feature performances by several stars of the Orthodox music scene and include other concessions to the audience at Madison Square Garden.

Chol Hamoed Events is run by Refael Wallerstein, who said he created the organization to raise funds for the boys’ yeshiva Ohr Yitzchak. He added that Chol Hamoed has run Orthodox-geared events at amusement parks and other such locations, and has similar plans for the future.

Wallerstein said that in coordinating the event, he worked with several rabbis to make the content appropriate for an ultra-Orthodox audience. Everything, he said, is done “Al pi Halacha” — according to rabbinic law. For example, Wallerstein said, “The high-wire man is not allowed to cross himself,” because doing so would “expose the children to avoda zara,” or idol worship.

This is the first time that Chol Hamoed Events has worked with Ringling Bros., though some circuses have in the past put on special performances that included female performers in long skirts as a concession to Orthodox audiences.

Wallerstein emphasized that the circus performance should not be mistaken for a “religious event” and refused to identify the rabbis who had assisted him in organizing it. But, he said, the unnamed rabbis were adamant that religious services not take place during the circus because the purpose of the event “is only to have fun.”

This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.

We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.

This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.

With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.

The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.

Don't just read the Forward - invest in it. Make a matched gift today.

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$120 $180 $360 OTHER AMOUNT