in the US. We are used to hearing about how the Charedim in Israel don't work and live off government handouts. However, we don't hear that much about the situation in the US. I was recently in the US and spent some time with my Charedi nieces and nephews and I was surprised to hear that they are all living off government handouts. They were talking about food stamps, welfare payments, medicaid, section 8 housing, they are living off of all of these and are not at all embarrassed about it. I think if you actually add it up the US government is providing more money then teh Israeli government per family.
When I was growing up welfare, food stamps, etc. was something that other ethnic groups received but not religious Jews and anyone who did receive it was too embarrassed to talk about it. My mother was dumbfounded to her that her grandchildren are welfare queens.
You might ask what is wrong with taking government money if you are eligible? The answer is that these programs are supposed to be a safety net for poor people not a lifestyle choice. It is not meant for people who decide that they want to sit in kollel and not work. This is creating a culture of dependency on the government which is a bad thing long term.
The way they see it, Hashem made the government implement these programs so that kollel families would be able to live comfortably.
ReplyDelete@AJWQ - It is even worse than you imagine. In the USA the State and Federal governments give billions of dollars to fund religious institutions including Orthodox Judaism. The religious are breaking down the separation of Church and State. Trump promises even more money to the religious. Many religious will not eat pig, but are like the chazir at the feeding trough of government money.
ReplyDeleteMany religious Jews/Charedim/Chassidim rationalize all this: We are the chosen people and preserve the Torah the raison d'être for the Universe. They think they are entitled to the money that many others have worked hard for.
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