Not Kedai for most people--Moving to the secular state of israel (SSOI)

  You know a man is something special when Charles Barkley gets choked up talking about him. In 1991 an orphanage worker in Romania told Ernie Johnson's wife, "Don't take this boy, he's no good." Ernie said, "Then bring him home." Their son Michael had muscular dystrophy and lived on a ventilator. For years Ernie bathed him, shaved him, and told him he loved him every single day. Michael passed away in 2021 at 33. That is what kind of man Ernie Johnson is. That is what true love looks like. Ladies and gentlemen, that is a gentleman. Ernest Thorwald Johnson Jr, August 7, 1956, Milwaukee, Wisconsin , U.S. https://x.com/ohnohedidnt24/status/2115566430879961564/video/1

I grew up in New York. There, you see no soldiers. You see monuments to World War veterans who fought and died across the ocean. Any references to the Revolutionary War are quaint and the Civil War wasn't fought in New York. But in Israel, it's war, war, war.  Recent wars, ongoing wars. And terrorism too. Soldiers everywhere. You see plaques like this that talk about arms caches in synagogues.   Maybe that thrills you, but it makes me feel sick. Don't move here unless it thrills you, and if it does study some mussar.  And side note, how about not rebelling against the nations as the Gemara instructs? If they had to hide weapons in basements to oppose the ruling power then they rebelled against the nations in an attempt to force the end of exile. 

Ben Gurion. First thing you see is some kind of promotional poster about soldiers. Then you see more soldiers, and guns. At other airports you see excitement about the city, its history and activities, its new projects. You see none of that at Ben Gurion, just flags and flags and flags and pictures of soldiers. Israel really does come across as a military dictatorship. On the approach in we get instructions that Israeli authorities require everyone to be seated 1/2 hour before landing, no exceptions. Already they start with the military dictates. No other country does this. It is obvious that this is a security measure, fear I would suppose of terrorists commandeering a plane and crashing it into something, as if that ever happens here. Is this the geula that Professor Hershel Schachter speaks of? It amazes me that Professor Schachter, who flies to Israel several times a year, goes through the New York airports, which are quite impressive in scale, accommodations, and technology (at le...

 We are boarding now for the flight to Tel Aviv and are required to go through a second round of screening. This includes a wand scan over the body, several checks of the passport, and some kind of chemical test on the bags. Already my tension is back up to 7. You know that the Newark Airport personnel are only following directives given by Israeli security. And of course they separated us from our bags and wallet. American and European security are sensitive to the fact that you want to keep an eye on them. Israelis go out of their way to make you uncomfortable. Is this what Hershel Schachter means when he says the golus is over? Wouldn't there be no screening if the golus were over? Will this deranged man and the 1000s like him continue to talk out of their asses, if you'll pardon my language?

 I'm at Newark airport now. The friendliness had diminished, mostly. The guys coming onto the plane to clean it don't say hello. The other passengers at the airport don't look at you, except maybe the ones from out of town. But some of the staff is helpful. Some are bossy, like the Asian lady at the TSA who barked, "Show me your checkin." That same lady in Korea would have said, "Please sir, may I ask to see your checkin ticket?" In Ohio she'd say, "Sir may I see your checkin ticket." But it's all way better than Israel where the security people stare you down like they want to kill you and then stab you with sarcastic remarks. But there's excitement in the air. It's a bigger airport with flights all over the world. You are near Manhattan  with all the celebrities and corporate headquarters, Broadway, Wall St, the Met. All that stuff. It's a tradeoff. I prefer friendly, and my life choices should reflect that, not just manda...

 read this tweet: Jesse Eisinger -20% of Israel’s workers supply 93% of all income-tax revenue -50% of Israelis pay no income tax at all. -The ultra-Orthodox go to schools that don’t teach math, science, English or civics. -Their pop doubles every 25 years My response: The usual Haredi bashing from a Zionist. And such a manipulation of facts. Haredim are 20% of Israel, not 80%. So if 20% supply the tax revenue then you have an imbalanced economy even among the Chilonim. Who are the 50% who pay no tax? Most are not Charedim. But you dished out your data to create a false impression that it's all their fault. And that is called Hasbara and hate speech. Zionists hate. That's what they do. They imagine enemies. Haredim are next in line after the Arabs. Do you still want to move to Israel? Will you now pay attention to how they treat the Arabs? Here’s more. Israelis taught the world to hate Arabs and Muslims. Now they are doing the same with Haredim.

  I sit here with a heavy heart because I am headed back to Israel. Certainly, I considered never returning. Maybe some day I will enjoy an Exodus finally. Maybe Hashem will have mercy on me and get me out of that place. The heart will get heavier when I get on that plane but now I'm still cheered up by being in Ohio where even the security people at the airport are pleasant. I don't know if in my entire life I have ever encountered nicer people than the  Ohioans I have met over the last three days. A few minutes ago I was walking along and a little kid said something to me. I figured he needed help with something. I said, "Yes, how can I help you?" He mumbled, "I was just saying hello." They teach the kids to be friendly. I said, "Oh hello."  I just bought a bottle of water and was called Sir at least five times.  This is reflected in how the society operates. Road signage is very clear as are instructions at banks, stores. The two go together. Co...