Those who should not move to Israel

Those who should not move to Israel

(my opinion not that of Rav Hirsch; although I believe my words are compatible with the views of Rav Hirsch)

People who should not move to Israel

1. Jews who are not Torah observant because they'll bring sin to the land.

2. Yeshivish or Chassidic people because the country wants to draft them into the military, which is an anti-religious tyranny. As Rav Moshe Sternbuch phrased it, "its fundamental purpose is drawing young people away from religion and educating and accustoming them to 'unburden' them from the yoke of Torah." Additionally, they are coming to a society that holds them in contempt and discriminates against them in employment and other matters. 

Any Haredi who lives in a decent Western country that honors religious freedoms and allows them to earn a living should hesitate to move to Israel. It's not easy living on the edge of society, feeling despised, getting glares, being screamed at just for following a certain path in life. It can wear on you big time. I have a Chassidic friend who was in a taxi where the radio played a woman who was singing in a seductive manner. He asked the driver if he’d change the channel. The driver cursed him and kicked him out of the cab all the while demanding that he be paid for the part of the journey that they already traveled. I was with this friend again yesterday. He asked a non-Haredi Israeli for directions. The person said, “Don’t bother me.” The friend asked again because we were in a construction area at night, and there was nobody else to ask. The person screamed a profanity at him in Hebrew. This isn’t to say that there are not some pleasant people here or that everyone who is abrasive isn’t also capable of some kindness. But the unpleasant encounters are frequent and oftentimes extreme to a degree that you are not going to find in Illinois more than once or twice in your life.

On top of that, Haredi schools don't participate in Ulpan-Hebrew language learning programs, so any Haredi with children above the age of five certainly should not come. The kids sit in school bored all day losing their minds and their self-confidence.

Much of Haredi leadership and publishing comes out of Israel today, and idealistic Haredim want to be near it. It's an understandable yearning. Some (far too many) come to study here and fantasize about living here, not realizing that being in school for a year in a Haredi or American Haredi enclave while being supported by their parents in Far Rockaway is a far cry from living in this lunatic asylum. I might have fun on a week long trip in the Amazon jungle, but that doesn't mean I should try to become a tribesman there.

3. Middle of the road-Hirschian, American yeshivish, or right-wing YU people. There are two reasons for this. The first is that they will be forced to move more to the right because there's no middle of the road in Israel, and this might not sit well with them religiously. It can get very lonely. Those who move to the left often fall apart religiously because yeridah is unhealthy. The children see the decline and that affects them enormously. The second is the draft.

4. So that leaves us with the Modern Orthodox. But many of those should not immigrate to Israel. Which ones? 

A) Those with health issues as the health care system in Israel is far inferior to that of Western countries. I know of people who died because they weren't brought to the hospital on time, as the nearest one was an hour from their apartment. 

B) Those who don't have financial backing. An apartment here costs $700,000. A pair of polyester pants that will fall apart in four months costs $70. In America you can buy pants that will last ten years for $25. Not having financial backing includes not having a profession that will transfer to Israel. And if you are not fluent in Hebrew, that will be a problem for most professions. 

C) People over thirty should not come -- unless they are coming with two million dollars in retirement money -- because it is very difficult to acquire proficiency in Hebrew after thirty. Even retirees who come should be prepared to live in relative isolation in a country whose language they do not speak. Don't believe the sales pitch that you are coming home to family, to your brothers and sisters. What you are coming to is a relatively unfriendly society that is rife with internecine battles. I have lived for years on the same floor with Israeli neighbors who never spoke to me, never invited me into their homes even once even as I tried to be friendly with them. When you try to be friendly, they look at you as if there is something wrong with you.

D) People who don't know Hebrew and are not adept at learning languages should not come. Anyone who tells you that Hebrew is not necessary because Israelis speak English is deceiving you.

Most Israelis do not speak English. Most customer service people I have dealt with do not speak English. Most government employees do not speak English. The same with most store clerks, secretaries in the doctor's office, taxi drivers. They don't speak English! This is not Norway, Belgium, or Switzerland. And official documents, contracts, bank statements, scary letters from the government, and even websites are in Hebrew. Sometimes, they'll be in Russian too. Do not expect to see English. It's the same with phone lines. They are not in English.

E) People with children above seven. The transition is painful for them. Leaving their friends is painful. You can put some real confusion in their minds, and this can lead to confusion about religion, Heaven forbid. The streets are full of teenage olim who left the religion. I have heard them staggering down the street drunk, yelling in clear English. Learning a new language isn't easy for anybody above five. 

F) People with children who have health or emotional issues. Support for such issues is far inferior in Israel. There's also lots of bullying here and such children are the primary target. The bullying can be persistent and even perverse, and the parents generally do nothing about it.

G) People who are either polite or sensitive by nature. People here tend to be abrasive. Cashiers throw the receipt at you and slam your new light bulb on the counter.  There's no, "I'll be with you in a minute maam." A sensitive person can feel most uncomfortable in this place. At the least, he will not be able to be himself. The same applies to friendly people. Some of the Chassidim can be very pleasant, but the Modern Orthodox person isn't likely going to be dealing with them. You can say the same for honest, orderly, and punctual people. Now if any of these Modern Orthodox people are hard-core Zionists they might be able to put up with the Israeli style even if it conflicts with their nature. But be careful with that. It's one thing to dream about living in Israel, but you might find that your Zionism doesn't run as deep as you think once you get here and see what the place is actually like.

H) People with family in Chutz. It puts tremendous strain on a family when family members are living in two parts of the world. If you have an elderly relative, it can be downright cruel to leave him or her behind. Same with a child who needs support in his or her marriage or life in general.

I) People who don't have family in Israel. The standard sales line is "come home." Home means family, but Israelis do not treat each other like family. They are not friendly, and they easily become enemies. All you have to do is utter one word that doesn't fit with their political opinions and they cease speaking to you ever again. In general in the frum world, most people are busy with family. They have no time for you. This is even worse in Israel. And it doesn't help that people don't have big houses with guest rooms. For example, to find a place to stay in Jerusalem is nearly impossible. I accomplished this only once because I rented an apartment. 

J) Baalei teshuvah. You are going through enough changes. Most aliyah salesmen are frum from birth (frum because of parents) and moving to Israel doesn’t represent as radical a change in life as it does for you. As you know, just entering frum society is like moving to Mars. Moving to Israel is like moving to another galaxy that is rife with Klingons. BTs shouldn’t even be thinking about moving to Israel, even the rabid Zionists. 

K) People with secular interests that are important to them. If you have a strong interest in classical music, art, sports (other than soccer), the ocean – you won’t be able to do much of this in Israel. There is ocean, but it's hard to get to, and the separate beaches are few and tiny. You'll see 1,000 meters of mixed beach and 50 meters of separate, everyone packed in there like clams. There’s little culture. They don’t have libraries. Museums are difficult to get to and don’t compare to those in America or Europe. You are thinking that a country full of Jews should have all kinds of intellectual activity. Well, if you want to design a new kind of gun or bomb you might find some people to talk to. Much of the intellect here is redirected to military pursuits. You won’t find a baseball field. You’ll find people who study the martial arts of course but mostly as a combative tool rather than a philosophy. 

So who is left? Not that many people actually. You have some uber-Zionistic aggressive Modern Orthodox types that can manage here. They are Israeli already. Many are barely Orthodox, sort of Sabbath observant, not tzniyus, don't respect gadolim. Their god was the state before they came, so moving here doesn't change them significantly; although they become worse. I have seen and interacted with lots of these people around town, on the trains and buses, in stories, even at shiva visits. And if the parents are barely religious, the children are even less. You look at the so-called religious sons and try to figure out if they are wearing tzitzis or if they are able to put down their smart phones. They become so Israeli, and macho. Let’s put it this way, it’s to the left of the most modern part of Teaneck. I'm not hating on them. Bless them, may they grow and prosper. I'm just warning you that the division here of Haredi and Dati Leumi/Modern is extreme. 

Unfortunately, many of the uber-Zionists run around pressuring innocent Jews who aren't a match for Israel to move to here. They'll tell you it's a chiyuv when it isn't. They'll tell you that you are missing out on the mitzvah when it's likely that you'll lose far more mitzvos than you'll gain by moving here. They'll tell you that you are staying in chutz only for luxuries when there's a thousand valid reasons not to move to Israel, and you likely aren't living in luxury in chutz at all with the $50,000 in tuition bills. They are manipulating your idealism and playing on your guilt.

Many of these aliyah pushers are rabbis who get jobs leading American communities and teaching in American schools. They are more religious on the surface than their followers so you get fooled by them. Their source of income is American money, which according to some poskim means that they do not get credit for yishuv ha'aretz. They deal with Americans. They aren't really living in Israel. Many of them come in their thirties or later and didn't have to deal with the military, although their children do, and in their rabid zionistic zeal they pretend that they have not put their kids through hell. In my opinion, rabbis like this are some of the most disreputable and hypocritical hazards that we have today.  They ruin lives and don't really care. They are oftentimes narcissists. I can think of ten names right off the bat. They are problematic people who see themselves as wonderful people because they live in Israel. And that's true of many here. The Torah gets replaced by a single mitzvah, that isn't even a chiyuv. The sentiment is that living in Israel alone makes you a tzadick, when in actuality it can bring you down. The satan is so clever.

Part of their trickery is to tell you that criticism of anything in Israel is the sin of the spies (actually the scouts as Rabbi Soloveitchik calls them), as if the Torah doesn’t allow you to use facts and logic when making life decisions when it involves the secular state of Israel. Meanwhile, the Baba Sali came here and left three times because of his displeasure with the state of affairs here. He only stayed in the end at the advice of the Lubavitcher Rebbe who thought it would be an opportunity for him to work with Sephardic youth. So obviously, he had criticisms of the place as have many gadolim including the Brisker Rav, the Chazon Ish, and the Steipler.

Hashem commanded the Jews of the Midbar to enter Eretz Yisroel. He didn’t command us. This entire religion is built around what Hashem commands and what He does not. There’s a world of difference between us and them. One shouldn't make up his own mitzvos based on shallow readings of Tanach. We also don't bring korbonos anymore. Not everything applies at all times. 

Beyond that, they were not coming to mingle with the Canaanites. They were coming to displace them. But people who come to Israel today aren’t coming to chase the Israelis from the land. Rather, they will live under Israeli rule. And Hashem didn’t make any promises that they’d succeed. Generally, we should run from bad environments as even the best people are vulnerable.

The Netziv says that while Avraham’s ability to prophesize was actually more advanced than that of Sarah, his ruach hakodesh was not as strong because he was affected by his involvement with the people of his city during his kiruv work while she lived protected in the tent. So Avraham, who was the pinnacle of a person who overcame his environment, was affected by his environment. 

How about us? We have to examine all the factors before making big moves for our families. Don’t allow aliyah salesmen to confuse you with their manipulation of the Torah. Moving to Israel isn’t this wonderful action if only you can find a way to earn a living. It may be a terrible action even if you can find a way. Research. Weigh out all the factors. Don’t believe a word that Nefesh b’Nefesh tells you because they are terribly deceptive. They paint a picture of paradise in Israel and grossly exaggerate any assistance that they'll provide because in reality they provide close to zero assistance. Before you to move to Israel, Nefesh b'Nefesh pop ups are all over your computer screen. After you move, they disappear. All we got was the assignment of a buddy family that never made the time to meet with us. So we asked for another one and they also were never available to meet with us. Zionists tend to be selfish people. But that's another article. 

This is not to say that life in Israel is a living hell for the people there, but rather than it can be a living hell for people who move here. If you already live in a nice, affluent, democratic society, don't take it for granted. And don't believe all the nonsense about the world not being safe for Jews while Israel is. People get killed by terrorists here every week. It is not safe at all in Israel. And it is doubly unsafe for soldiers as the IDF really doesn't seem to care who gets killed, and it sends soldiers into harm's way without blinking. 

So be rational. Don't be a fool who buys the Chords Bridge. Proceed with caution. 

It is ridiculous to tell a young man, who does a good job, or has prepared or trained himself to do a good job [here in the U.S., that he must instead go to ארץ ישראל]. "Good job" means to spread Torah, or to lead an exemplary life which serves as an example to others through personal contact - there are many ways to convert and educate Jews. I am not giving up on American Jews. If I feel that in my town, or in my village, I will accomplish a lot, and when I come to Eretz Yisrael so I or my influence will be reduced to zero, my place is here, not there. Some who went to Eretz Yisrael achieved the same objectives they would have in the Diaspora. But only some! I know of many who fail. They don't admit it. It's nice on their part not to admit it. (Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik, The Rav Thinking Aloud, pp. 242-3).