Thursday, November 22, 2007

It being rich eternal ?

B"H

A friend of mine made an interesting point when he said that many young wealthy Americans come to Israel, go to a Yeshiva, get married and live of the money of their parents.

Many of those move to the Jerusalem neighbourhood of Har Nof (an outskirt neighbourhood). Har Nof is totally haredi where at least half of the population are Anglos. The houses are new, the streets are clean and quite a few famous rabbis live there, such as Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef.

Har Nof always seems to me like a ghetto without too much green. You won't see too many trees or plants. It is rather boring and the way into the city center is far. Especially on Shabbat.
Less wealthy people do not necessarily live in Har Nof although it is not a posh neighbourhood. However, someone should have some money.

Many American youngsters move to Jerusalem and are only able to study in Yeshivot because their parents "at home" support them financially. They might have finished Yeshiva High School or college but now they study in a Yeshiva but not everybody is able to become a rabbi. Furthermore, the demand for rabbis is limited, as almost half of Jerusalem are rabbis.

How are such kids from rich families are going to support their families other than receiving support from their parents ? No profession, no job, no own money. This might work for a few years. At least as long as money keeps on coming in from the States. However, many young married Yeshiva students find themselves in a position of falling out of the system. The usual result is that they are moving back to the States.

Before making Aliyah and planning a Yeshiva life or just coming here to study, get married and simply build a life here, people should face Israeli reality Everything is expensive and if you do not work but only study in a Kollel, etc., life will be hard. Of course, Israelis do the same but they are used to this way of life and due to mentality reasons, get along very well. Unfortunately, new religious immigrants give up quickly and prefer to move back to the States.

Yeshiva study is great but what you should also take into consideration is getting a job. Money from the parents does not last forever and by working you might get adjusted to Israeli daily life instead of being in an Anglo ghetto.

Reality shows the same, as countless new high tech companies especially like to employ the haredi Anglo population. And many companies offer part - time jobs or shifts which still allow Yeshiva studies next your job.

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