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| Boro Park on Sukkos (Ha'aretz) |
I see it here all the time. In fact I have been accused of it myself. There is definitely prejudice against the Charedi world. Not just by the antisemites of the world. Who have been in the forefront of the news lately because of the spate of violent attacks against us. But by our own people. And by ‘our own’ I mean Orthodox Jews.
In her Ha’aretz article Danielle Ziri asks the following question: Is the Gap Between Secular and Orthodox Jews Feeding anti-Semitic Violence?
I think the answer might be that it is. She asked this question in the context of a January 5th march in New York protesting antisemitic violence. It was attended many Jews from across all denominations – and non Jews as well. But There were not too many Orthodox Jews in attendance:
Leading up to the massive show of solidarity, questions had arisen in the Orthodox community on whether to attend the event. Some Orthodox Jews say they felt excluded from the organizational efforts, some felt out of place in the crowd of Jews from other denominations, and others believe the march should have gone through the Orthodox neighborhoods directly affected by the uptick in anti-Semitic incidents.
“Especially in American Jewry, there is ignorance when it comes to Haredim” – Orthodox Jews – said Eli Steinberg, a member of the community and a resident of Lakewood, New Jersey. “There are a lot of years of history that have gotten us to this point, but there is a perception of Haredim as a subclass, and that’s dangerous.”
He told Haaretz: “It’s not something that anybody today created, but I think it’s something that there are people today who exploit. There definitely have been people in the Jewish community who have been aiming to exploit this division and make it deeper.”
The mainstream Jewish community, he added, lacks an “understanding of Haredim and Haredi life as something human .... I just wish that people who aren’t Haredi would understand and learn about us as people.”
Prejudice against the Charedi world exists among the non Orthodox Jews. But it cannot be ignored that many of us are guilty of it. Those of us that are observant but not Charedi might tend to have the same kinds of prejudices that non Orthodox Jews have.
Why is that? I can only speculate. But here are some thoughts.
With respect to men - the outward appearances of the Chasidic Charedim differs greatly from that of Orthodox Jews that are not Chasidic. The same might be said of the non Chasidic Charedim albeit to a far lesser extent. Non Charedi Orthodox Jews on the other hand look far more like our secular brothers. We tend to wear the same kind of clothing. The only real difference is that Orthodox Jews tend to wear a Kipa whereas non Orthodox Jews don’t. (The outward appearance of women differs as well. In some ways greatly. And in other ways not so much. All for reasons that are a bit complex and beyond the scope of this post.)
But it isn’t just appearances. There are also Hashkafic differences that might generate prejudice. The most obvious example of which is the diverse views about the importance of a secular education. Charedim tend to not value it as much as non Charedim. In some cases the place so little value on it that they don’t even bother teaching it to their children. Non Charedim on the other hand – tend to value secular studies as much as non Orthtodox Jews.
Add it all up and it is not that difficult to see why there might be nearly the same amount of prejudice against Charedim by non Charedi Jews as there is by secular Jews.
That might be one reason I have been accused of being anti Charedi. Because my appearance and the values I support are the same as those of the secular Jewish world.
I of course completely reject that. I do not have even an iota of prejudice against my Charedi brothers. And have made this clear many times. As I have said, what unites us is far greater than what divides us – not matter what we look like or what our Hashkafos are. Torah and Mitzvos make for a far greater bond than anything else.
But that seems to be lost on many of my non Charedi Orthodox brothers. I believe that’s because they focus on the differences rather than the similarities.
What is true for non Charedi Orthodox Jews is certainly true for secular Jews. The differences there are so stark, that they might view Charedim like aliens from another planet. Or like characters from Fiddler on the Roof which have no bearing on how everyone else in the world.
Add to that the images of Chasdic looking Jews in the news that have been arrested or convicted of a variety of crimes ranging from sexual abuse to defrauding the government – and it is a wonder that the prejudice isn’t even greater than it is.
But, prejudice it is. It is grossly unfair to judge an entire community by the sins of a few. It is also unfair to see differences in appearance as a reason for bias. As is difference in Hashkafa.
That said, it is fair to promote our own way of life as the best way to serve God. If it is done in a constructive way and not as means of rejecting people just because they have different views. Because as a very wise man from the UK has said, there is dignity in difference. And we ought to respect those differences even if we disagree with them.
And what is true for the wide variety of Orthodox Jews is true as well for secular Jews. While we do not have observance in common, we are all member of the same faith. People chosen by God to be his treasured people. People with a common history and heritage. People whose ancestors have suffered the slings and arrows of violent antisemitism. We all need to stand together as a people – proud and strong - united by those common bonds instead looking what separates us.