Reply To: The Cost of Being Orthodox

The Forward is available free online. The only things I subscribe to are the RJJ Journal, the NY Times, the Jewish Press, the Yated, and the Hamodia.

Most Anglos who make aliyah end up depleting their savings within 15-20 years of living in Israel, according to an article I read a while back.

I’m pragmatic and realistic. Living a relatively Modern Orthodox lifestyle unfortunately is not cheap, and the social expectations that accompany life in our communities don’t shtim well with lower salaries.

People say that the internet, pedophilia, and feminism are the 3 most issues impacting the community. I’d say that economics is definitely the most important matter of them all; in a capitalistic society, economics are of crucial importance, and given the expenses that living a Torah lifestyle here requires, there is a need for creative solutions to these problems, especially without compromising hiddurim and halakhic standards.

I’ll ignore comments on the politics of NYC versus out of town communities; while many Orthodox Jews vote Republican, the level of antisemitism and prejudice in backwater places is startling. Most people in places like Texas are probably antisemitic, as they’ve probably not even seen, let alone dealt with, too many Jews in their lives. I love the fact that in NYC, I can walk down Madison Avenue and see lots of people in sheitels, kippot, and black hats, and never feel at risk because of wearing a kippa. I spent a shabbat in Austin and felt a lot safer wearing a baseball hat over my kippa. Perhaps I have a negative/dim view of human nature, but I try to look at things realistically.