Merle, reading this, and then having the opportunity to hear you read it has been very powerful and moving. I can't help but being struck by the fact that the country that was founded as a safe haven for Jews, a country where we're supposed to finally feel "at home", is where you were terrorized by other Jews for practicing your Judiaism. I am also so saddened to know that these young boys are being taught that it's ok to behave this way, even encouraged to do so. They are being taught this by rabbis and teachers who devote their lives to studying Torah and Talmud, and that this message of bullying and harassment is what they take from the study of these texts. That the government supports the schools that teach this is a shonda. Having gotten that off my chest, I'm wondering if there are any people in the Haredi community these boys come from who are unhappy about this kind of behavior and if there is any hope for connecting to these people in a similar way that Israelis and Palestinians have come together in dialog.
Merle, reading this, and then having the opportunity to hear you read it has been very powerful and moving. I can't help but being struck by the fact that the country that was founded as a safe haven for Jews, a country where we're supposed to finally feel "at home", is where you were terrorized by other Jews for practicing your Judiaism. I am also so saddened to know that these young boys are being taught that it's ok to behave this way, even encouraged to do so. They are being taught this by rabbis and teachers who devote their lives to studying Torah and Talmud, and that this message of bullying and harassment is what they take from the study of these texts. That the government supports the schools that teach this is a shonda. Having gotten that off my chest, I'm wondering if there are any people in the Haredi community these boys come from who are unhappy about this kind of behavior and if there is any hope for connecting to these people in a similar way that Israelis and Palestinians have come together in dialog.