Rabbi Grylak’s response to a reader who explained why he’s reluctant to make aliyah drew a large and lively response. Following is a sampling of the letters we received.
The conversation continues
I followed with great interest the back and forth regarding the virtues of “Waiting in Passaic,” both as a recent oleh and as a child of parents who came on aliyah almost 50 years ago, only to have me go back and spend the majority of those years in America.
Part of the reason I spent those years in chutz l’Aretz was due to factors pointed out by “Waiting.” Having come to Israel at age 14, my parents and I wanted me to have a high school education (I went back to America for two years for that), I was frustrated integrating into Israeli society on various levels, and so on. My siblings who stayed in Israel fully integrated into the chareidi world, except for one sister who is also still “waiting in Passaic.”
In his response, Rabbi Grylak pointed to some significant factors, ending with an important call for American Jews to come and help change Israeli attitudes for the better. There are, however, some crucial additional points that ought to be stressed:
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