Q&A: It Bothers Me a Little
It Bothers Me a Little
Question
I grew up in the Haredi community, and so did my wife.
Our children were born into that community; this is our family and our tribe. We made a good living, we had a respected standing in the community, and everything seemed fine.
At a certain point, about a generation ago, my wife and I decided that it was better to leave Haredi society for a community of people who serve God with integrity, and in our view that is not Haredi society.
We got up and acted: we took our children, packed our belongings, left behind status and livelihood, and moved to a community of people who serve God with integrity.
Many years have passed. Thank God, we got settled in the new community. The children thrived, blossomed, and succeeded, both spiritually and materially, far more than we had imagined. Our livelihood recovered, our standing recovered, and we truly succeeded beyond all expectations.
What bothers us is that in the new community there is no distinction at all between the different ethnic traditions.
Of course I do not mean on the negative side, God forbid, of discrimination, but on the positive side of preservation—on the side that flows more naturally and more easily with culture and so on. What can be done about this?
This is a value that exists in Haredi society (and I mean the positive side of the matter), and unfortunately it does not exist in this community of people who serve God with integrity. There is no positive public echo for such a call.
Does the Rabbi, as someone with similar personal experience, have any advice on this matter?
Answer
I have no advice, and I also do not see any problem here. Why is there any need to preserve the customs of the different ethnic communities? You now have a new community, and this is its custom.