Q:
Is it wrong to move out-of-town to a very weak frum community in order to join a Kollel and do kiruv work in the community?
A:
Let me explain something to you. If you do it for a short time, all right; maybe. But you must know that you are sacrificing your own family. I know from experience. If your family will remain out of town in a negative environment, who knows what can happen, chas vi’shalom. When you live in a frum neighborhood, your family is transformed. Your daughters go to the very best schools, like Yeshiva of Brooklyn, where people who have TVs are not allowed to send their daughters there. They don’t talk about TV in those good places. The Beis Yankiv seminaries and places like that. Those are the best places for your children. You don’t have to travel to Manchester or to Gateshead or to Eretz Yisroel. You have it right here. In the frum neighborhoods, you have the best institutions. Yeshivas and Girls’ schools. There are beautiful Yeshivas here! And therefore, if you are worried about your family, if you care about your family, then you must make sure that your family is raised in a good neighborhood.
What to do about being mikareiv the Jews who are way out there? That’s a question. But chayecha kodmin! There’s no question that your life comes first. It’s so important and you cannot know the risks you are taking when you go away from a frum neighborhood. You settle among half-Jews. Jews, who even if they are shomrei mitzvos, but they are weak in their emunah. They have gentile names. They all have TVs. It’s a terrible environment. They’re all sinking into the swamp. The swamp of assimilation. The Modern Orthodox are going lost. Boruch Hashem, the very frum Jews are increasing and multiplying. They’re having big families. Kein yirbu. That’s our geulah. Big numbers is what we need. The Modern Orthodox have very few children and they’re going lost, unfortunately.
And so, you’d better think it over because in the long run there will be a very big difference in what your family will look like if you choose to live in a frum neighborhood instead of moving out to the swamp of assimilation.
TAPE #E-238
