ZSK

@Burnt Steak – That may be the best comment on this thread yet.

English class in 12th grade, 1st class of the day. Another kid and I had literally just finished ripping on the Arab world for the violence of the 2nd Intifada – I had been in Israel over the summer with NCSY Summer Kollel (this was the summer when the Sbarro bombing happened) – when the principal called an assembly to announce what had happened and dismiss school early.

Yup, 100%, as well differentiation between most letter pairs that Ashkenazim pronounce the same.

It’s appalling that people here would intentionally avoid drinking Shmittah wine and eating produce from Israel just because you aren’t familiar with the Halachot. Consider it a learning opportunity.

It absolutely depends on the person, their education, etc.

I went to a local secular college so as to avoid putting my parents in debt going to YU (then again YU didn’t offer my major, so it was just as well). I came out just as religious as when I went in, probably more so even. I lived at home and balanced work, a part-time to full-time job, a short evening seder and hobbies/free time. I also made it to shul 3x a day, 7 days a week. But this was some 15-20 years ago, when the current wave lunacy on college campuses was just beginning and could be called out for what it was.

In the current environment, I certainly would not send my kids to any college in the US, and not because of “pritzus” and it being “assur to fraternize with non-Jews”. The indoctrination and dumbing down of education is worse in my opinion and by themselves a reason to avoid it.

As a side point, those who will go OTD in college were likely already halfway there and looking for a way out.

@Joseph – I don’t buy that for a moment. You’ve never heard Chassidim or the Yeshiva world condescendingly refer to the Kippah Srugah wearing community as “Mizrachi”? Come on. I don’t believe you’re that sheltered. A vast majority of members of my in-laws’ community vaguely northwest of Manhattan that is made up of transplants from Lakewood and Brooklyn love to refer to that community by the term. I hear it every time I visit.

@Neville – You mean how the Charedi world uses it. Mizrachi in the world I live in (regular Israel outside Anglo enclaves) refers to something pretty specific: Sephardic culture – music, food, poetry, literature, etc., but also directly in reference to Moroccan Jews. FWIW, I’ve also never heard anyone religious Sephardic refer to themselves as Mizrachi. On the other hand, I have heard the Hebrew term “השתכנז” used to describe Sephardim who act like Ashkenazim.

@Lakewhut – The proper term for those communities is “Edot HaMizrach”, although “Sephardic” seems to be the adopted term in the modern era, at least in the Anglosphere. They still use the proper term in Israel. Joseph is trying to cover up his biases again.