Page 66 - issue
P. 66
Journey to Ma’ale Amos
dren: afraid of their Western influences you. It might be a reflection on you and Hashem, looks back and wonders how
and values. “And here we thought, ‘Look your success with your chinuch or due she would have turned out if her family
what we gave up – family, what we were to something else. It’s an imperfect had remained in America. She appreci-
used to, community status, etc.’” says world, but people try to create and pre- ates the lower emphasis on gashmius
Shoshana. “We come here and find that serve and live in a utopia that doesn’t and the spiritual depth and frumkeit
we are second class citizens. We have to really exist. It’s ironic, because a few with which she has been inculcated by
learn the values.” years later, the children of those same going through the chareidi system.
people reach that age group and are
These feelings and experiences were going through the same thing. You just In the Weinbergs’ case, not only were
generated mostly from the schools to say, ‘Welcome to the club.’” there challenges in their own move
which the Weinbergs sent their older (including the challenges with the
children rather than from Ma’ale Amos High school was a roller coaster chal- schools, which affected Aryeh and
itself. In the yishuv, they found more lenge for the Weinberg children. There Shoshana very much) but Shoshana’s
acceptance because many of the resi- were lots of ups and downs as they sort- mother, Paula Weinstein, back in
dents were ba’alei teshuva, people who ed their way through the system in a Baltimore, had a particularly difficult
were growing religiously. But since the number of different schools. One daugh- time with the separation from her
yishuv wanted to maintain high religious ter attended high school and simultane- beloved children and grandchildren.
standards for the children, if someone ously completed her GED through a Being a Holocaust survivor, she worried
didn’t fit in completely, they felt like they correspondence course. Shoshana about the financial and security situation
didn’t belong. “Some yishuv parents emphasizes, “We experienced excep- of her daughter’s family. She also
view children who wander away reli- tional hashgacha pratis repeatedly, opposed their choice of a very small,
giously very warily lest they influence when new high schools and seminaries remote, chareidi community. However,
their own children,” says Shoshana. “No opened up exactly when our children after several visits, meeting the friendly
matter who you are in the community, if needed something that didn’t exist people, enjoying the exceptionally fresh
you have issues with your children not before.” Their youngest daughter Meira, air, and seeing the current miracle of
staying in line, people are upset with who did not have difficulties, baruch construction of new housing units which
62 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
dren: afraid of their Western influences you. It might be a reflection on you and Hashem, looks back and wonders how
and values. “And here we thought, ‘Look your success with your chinuch or due she would have turned out if her family
what we gave up – family, what we were to something else. It’s an imperfect had remained in America. She appreci-
used to, community status, etc.’” says world, but people try to create and pre- ates the lower emphasis on gashmius
Shoshana. “We come here and find that serve and live in a utopia that doesn’t and the spiritual depth and frumkeit
we are second class citizens. We have to really exist. It’s ironic, because a few with which she has been inculcated by
learn the values.” years later, the children of those same going through the chareidi system.
people reach that age group and are
These feelings and experiences were going through the same thing. You just In the Weinbergs’ case, not only were
generated mostly from the schools to say, ‘Welcome to the club.’” there challenges in their own move
which the Weinbergs sent their older (including the challenges with the
children rather than from Ma’ale Amos High school was a roller coaster chal- schools, which affected Aryeh and
itself. In the yishuv, they found more lenge for the Weinberg children. There Shoshana very much) but Shoshana’s
acceptance because many of the resi- were lots of ups and downs as they sort- mother, Paula Weinstein, back in
dents were ba’alei teshuva, people who ed their way through the system in a Baltimore, had a particularly difficult
were growing religiously. But since the number of different schools. One daugh- time with the separation from her
yishuv wanted to maintain high religious ter attended high school and simultane- beloved children and grandchildren.
standards for the children, if someone ously completed her GED through a Being a Holocaust survivor, she worried
didn’t fit in completely, they felt like they correspondence course. Shoshana about the financial and security situation
didn’t belong. “Some yishuv parents emphasizes, “We experienced excep- of her daughter’s family. She also
view children who wander away reli- tional hashgacha pratis repeatedly, opposed their choice of a very small,
giously very warily lest they influence when new high schools and seminaries remote, chareidi community. However,
their own children,” says Shoshana. “No opened up exactly when our children after several visits, meeting the friendly
matter who you are in the community, if needed something that didn’t exist people, enjoying the exceptionally fresh
you have issues with your children not before.” Their youngest daughter Meira, air, and seeing the current miracle of
staying in line, people are upset with who did not have difficulties, baruch construction of new housing units which
62 u www.wherewhatwhen.com u
