If there is one thing that I cannot figure out, it's how we got here.
How did the Jews get to a point where it mattered what sort of table cloth you used on Shabbos?
How did the Jews get to a point where not having a job was a GOOD thing?
How did the Jews get to a point where the dress size of a girl was an important factor vis' a vi' marriage?
How did the Jews get to a point where a girl had to travel out of town so that she could go out on a date because the boy didn't want to travel?
In thirty years when Jewish historians look back on the dark days of Post World War II Jewish history, they will marvel at the blueprint that the Jewish People laid out for the destruction of a culture and wonder aloud why no one was there to stem the tide of disaster. They will ask the question how such a supposed smart people, could be so stupid. They will ask why such successful business people were not able to apply the same principals and logic that made them so successful to their own lives and those of their children.They will ask why no one did anything about the impending disaster of poverty and loss of community and will only be able to draw one conclusion.
The people were gutless.
Most were like puppies who followed the master. Others knew better, but were afraid to say anything so as not to ruin Shidduchim for their children and still others dared to do something, but were censored in front of the masses by the master because their bark was actually as bad as their bite and the master and his minions (or minyans) ran afraid....
Rosh Ha'yeshivas have taken the place of the community Rabbi and in doing so, have elevated themselves, on their own, to arbiter and soothsayer. They want control of our children's lives because only they know the difference between right and wrong. How in the world can we allow our children to be manipulated by Rosh Ha'yeshivas and do or say nothing? What does that say about us? Them?
I, for one, will not pay for my children once they are married. My sister always says" I won't let my children starve" Oooppps...you can bet I will. My children have a 20 year head start. They have known forever that they are on their own as soon as they decide to marry and that is the way it should be.
I listen to everyone talk about how we need to love our children and THAT is the most important thing. BS! We need to teach our children to be independent. THAT is the most important thing. We have enabled our kids to lead us by the nose wherever they want to go and then send us with the bill...Well not in my lifetime-never gonna happen.
How did we get here?
We are basically one generation removed from the holocaust and now our children believe that they not only should be living on our dime, but they actually believe they're entitled to it. My cousins son in law told me HE makes 3400 a month. Here is his math...His wife makes 1200, my cousin gives him 1200, his parents give him 200 (thanks for carrying the load) and the government food stamp program gives him 800. He asked why he shouldn't be learning with that kind of income? I don't blame him. I pity him, but don't blame him. I blame us. I blame the Jewish people who have bought into this self destructive behavior.I blame the parents who have given their children away to yeshivas. I blame the yeshivas who endorse this attitude and won't be there to take responsibility when this all blows up and we have homeless yeshiva boys and their wives and 6 children heaven forbid.
I feel bad for the children who get suckered into this lifestyle because they are young and naive and so many of them truly mean well. The children are caught in a life brought upon them by gutless cowards who know better, but are not willing to give away the power that they have.
How much longer can this go on??
1 comment:
You give the answer in your post. There are three factors that have led to this point:
1) The Holocaust - survivors tend to dote on their children far more than others might because, having lost so much, they treat what they have with extra care. In the absence of much of the real stress that should come with growing up (because of the sheltering), many of the second generation survivors simply have no idea how hard life once was and the challenges they have to go through. They've never been exposed to them because all their lives they were handed everything they wanted by their parents. As a result, they don't value anything. It's all coming to them. Having not learned it, they can't teach it to their kids either and the cycle continues.
2) Money - Although there are many poor Jews in the world today, there are also many wealthy ones. These wealthy ones often confuse class with money. Having lots of the latter does not lead to having any of the former. Look at the "old money" in the gentile world, their discretion and style and you'll see what I mean. A Rockefeller will walk into a room in a dignified fashion wearing a $2000 suit but never feel a need to point it out. A Goldstein will walk into the room in a $200 suit and tell everyone it was $400 regular but he yockled the "dumb goy" at the store down and doesn't it look as good as that suit Rockefeller has on?
With money and delusions of class comes snobbery. That is a big chunk of what is affecting the Jewish world today. The rich are determined to show everyone how rich they are, and the middle class-niks are determined to drive themselves into bankruptcy to keep up with them.
3) Jews hate being lumped together with other Jews. Maybe it's a racial memory from the time when we had twelve functioning tribes but Jews hate being unified into one community. Anything which one group can settle on to set themselves apart from and superior to another group is considered a good idea.
That's how we got to the mess today.
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