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I was unaware of the tradition that those buried outside of Israel would take 40 years to rise up after the Messiah arrives.
It is interesting that these Hassidic Jews have such vast amounts of money available just to fly their dead loved ones for burials in Israel.
I'm afraid that sometimes news articles like this one help to contribute to the myth that "there are no poor Jews." While there are certainly Hasidim who are doing well (and one encounters them at work in Manhattan's Diamond District on 47th Street, others acquire wealth through real estate, and a select few receive funding as spiritual leaders of their communities -- funds which in turn are redistributed to the community in one way or another), there are far more Hasidim who live at poverty level. When a particularly pious Jew merits burial in Israel and the family can't afford these rising travel costs brought on by the pandemic, members of the community will pool their resources to help out. They will also seek funding from Jews outside the community.
The tradition of pooling resources to help other Jews is illustrated in the first episode of the new HBO mini-series The Plot Against America (an alternate history in which the antisemitic and populist Charles Lindbergh is elected President). In this scene where we see the modern Levin family about to sit down to their Shabbos dinner, an Orthodox Jew knocks at their door collecting charity to help Jews in Europe to escape Hitler and emigrate to Palestine. (The series doesn't mention that the person performing this service is called a meshulach.)
It's the inner circles and leaders who have the funds, the general populations don't (that the gov't can see). For example if one looks at the Satmar in Kiryas Joel one would say most of them are in poverty. But most people don't know what's going on in the background out of the sights of most people. If people dug a lot deeper they would that the leader, Aaron Teitelbaum, has a personal net worth of over $5 Million. So if has that so does the numerous members of the inner circle.
True. I used to work for Satmar in Brooklyn (as I think you know). The family who owned the company I worked for was very wealthy, owning both residential and commercial real estate in Brooklyn and Manhattan in addition to the engineering firms and facilities they possess. Some of the people who were their tenants had many children, and they were stuffed into two-bedroom apartments. So, there is a disparity in the wealth, just as in most of the rest of the USA, but there also seems to be a great deal of charity within the community.
It is interesting that these Hassidic Jews have such vast amounts of money available just to fly their dead loved ones for burials in Israel.
Almost sounds like a criticism. I'm sure it wasn't intended to be so.
For this Yid, I spend ~30% of my total earnings on Jewish day school. After giving another 10% to miser/tzedaka, and with the sometimes higher costs of kosher food, that leaves this family driving 10 year old cars and doing driving vacations each year, likely sleeping in a tent or staying with friends. I like to say I'm the poorest rich guy you'll ever meet.
Many things in Jewish life are expensive. But it's a matter or priorities...
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/\
You say it best when you say "But it's a matter or priorities", you have living choices that are right for you and your family and you made those choices which is fine. When you see someone spending for a private burial flight at such a cost from those who live in such poor communities it looks bad, its their money and their right but...
You say it best when you say "But it's a matter or priorities", you have living choices that are right for you and your family and you made those choices which is fine. When you see someone spending for a private burial flight at such a cost from those who live in such poor communities it looks bad, its their money and their right but...
It's not for you to judge how people use their resources. What's important to some is obviously not as important to others.
btw, what is with the /\ symbol that you're always using? Are those your praying hands?
Rather than selecting quote you use the /\ to mean you are responding to the post above..
Ah, thanks! They still look like Christian praying hands to me, though. lol
Quote:
But people do judge its human nature just as those communities look down on those who live different from them..
Of course it's human nature. It's religion that teaches us to transcend human nature, though.
I choose to live a more modern Jewish lifestyle, and I can't say that sometimes being judged by the frum isn't hurtful to me. I nevertheless choose to accept all Jews as my brothers and sisters, even if some of them aren't always as accepting of me.
Ah, thanks! They still look like Christian praying hands to me, though. lol
Of course it's human nature. It's religion that teaches us to transcend human nature, though.
I choose to live a more modern Jewish lifestyle, and I can't say that sometimes being judged by the frum isn't hurtful to me. I nevertheless choose to accept all Jews as my brothers and sisters, even if some of them aren't always as accepting of me.
I've always felt that people feel more self-judged than are actually being judged. That's maybe a good thing, as it spurs internal growth.
I've always felt that people feel more self-judged than are actually being judged. That's maybe a good thing, as it spurs internal growth.
No, I think that there are people who deliberately judge others, perhaps to spur their own internal growth. It does nothing for those who are being judged, other than push them further away.
This is perhaps the biggest criticism that one finds regarding religion -- all religions.
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Originally Posted by Rachel NewYork
Ah, thanks! They still look like Christian praying hands to me, though. lol
That is the first time I have had someone say this, something new...
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