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Jan 13, 2015

Rav Shteinman on where French Jews should immigrate to

Supposedly, when Rav Shteinman was asked whether French Jews should be encouraged to make aliyah now to Israel, he responded that in Israel they will be ruined - government agents in Israel try to direct people away from religious institutions and to mixed and secular schools instead and ruin them, while in the USA there is no institution directing people so they would get absorbed into Torah institutions and schools and stay spiritually whole.
source: Kikar and Bechadrei

I am not one to argue on Rav Shteinman, but it did make me think about what he said..
a. who says the US is willing to take any French Jews in? The US does not have an open immigration policy. I don't know if French Jews would qualify for refugee status, but it seems like not. So, for most French Jews, the USA is probably not a realistic option, and therefore the statement is not overly helpful.

Is it true? Perhaps to some extent, though I am pretty sure those days are, for the most part, well behind us. Maybe in the 50s and 60s that was true, but now it seems to not be, with perhaps some exception.

Such a statement does remind me of Satmar. When they have worked to help distressed Jews leave their countries, especially Yemen, they have always preferred moving them to the USA rather than Israel for that very reason. It is surprising to hear Rav Shteinman say something like that.

If he really believes it, and if he said it I am sure he does, why does he not encourage his followers in Israel to move to the USA? In Israel they are exposed to these government efforts while in the USA they would not be.




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4 comments:

  1. All facts are theory based. Is assimilation in the US a problem?
    Let's look t another pattern- it certainy appears that HKB"H has been sending Jews home - from arab countries, from USSR, from Europe.....
    Hameivin Yavin

    KT
    Joel RIch
    KT

    ReplyDelete
  2. The Rav's thinking is more like Satmar's. Eventually every Jew will be coming habayita. Events are moving faster than we can imagine. The galut is coming to an end and so is the 'galut' in EY and those who can return habayita faster, is the better. The religious sector is growing stronger, B'H, and needs to show outreach to the new olim.

    ReplyDelete
  3. You mean Rav Steinman et al are locked into the 1950's when it comes to Israel and 1890's when it comes to the threat of hoskola?

    Boker Tov.

    ReplyDelete
  4. There is no way he said this. Only a fool would say/believe such a thing.

    "government agents in Israel try to direct people away from religious institutions and to mixed and secular schools instead and ruin them"

    ReplyDelete

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