An American student in Jerusalem asked me recently what was the biggest surprise about living in Israel. I told him that the crazy Israeli personality wasn't the biggest surprise because I knew about Israelis from many odd encounters in New York. And like a fool I came here because a zionist rabbi who dresses yeshivish told me that Israelis have no derech eretz but they'll give you the shirt off their back. That is generally false. They are shockingly selfish. Most of them won't give you the shirt off of your back. I have so many scary stories of israelis being incredibly selfish.
The biggest shock was the hatred that each group has for every other group here. An American has never seen anything like it, unless perhaps he lived in the South in 1937, but I'll bet that wasn't even as bad. It's particularly jolting because the aliyah pushers tell you to 'return home.' They'll tell you that you are coming back to family. I'll tell you this, any family with this level of hostility falls apart. These aren't spats. It's hatred on such a level that you can understand the phrase 'baseless hatred.'
Israeli newspapers never have anything nice to say about Charedim. Every article is condemnation. And it's boring because they level the same complaints each time. Many Charedim talk the same way about the not yet religious.
I work with Modern Orthodox guys who regularly complain about Charedim. They are silly complaints. It's lies really. For example, you'll hear how their neighborhoods are dirty. I've got news for you, the whole country is dirty. There's junk all over the place.
In America I associated with many groups. I visited YU, Lakewood, Williamsburg, Monroe. People here don't do that. If you go to a yeshivish event, everyone has short coats. If you go to a long coat event, everyone wears long coats. If you go to a Dati Leumi event, nobody wears white shirts.
At Rabb Miller's shiurim in Brooklyn there were chassidim, litvish, heimish. Many types. You don't find that here.
I own a few blue shirts. I can't wear them anymore because in my Charedi neighborhood they look at me in shock when I wear a blue shirt, as if I'm tearing down the whole Torah.
But in the Dati Leumi world I get stared at for the white shirt.
And then there's Tel Aviv. You look out of place if you wear a yarmulka, certainly a black one. And it's tense. It's not friendly. You are the enemy because you 'refuse to serve' their military god.
If you are a person who appreciates various derachim you'll struggle here. People live in silos and listen to the echo all day long.
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