Sunday, February 19, 2006

QUOTES FROM UNCHOSEN THE HIDDEN LIVES OF HASIDIC REBELS

UNCHOSEN
THE HIDDEN LIVES OF HASIDIC REBELS
BY HELLA WINSTON
(AGENT : ROB MCQUILKIN,EDITOR AT BEACON PRESS AMY CALDWELL

QUOTES:

“YIDDISH IS A LANGUAGE OF THE DIASPORA. IT IS THE LIGUISTIC MARKER OF A COMMUNITY IN EXILE AND, AS SUCH, IS NOT SOMETHING TO BE CELEBRATED OR EVEN PRESERVED. AS LONG AS JEWS SPOKE YIDDISH, HE TOLD ME, THEY WERE PERPETUATING THEIR OWN GHETTOIZATION.”

“THEIR PROFOUND LACK OF FAMILIARITY WITH THE WAYS OF THE OUTSIDE CULTURE IS STRIKING, THEY DO NOT READ NEWSPAPERS OR SECULAR BOOKS, USE THE INTERNET OR ATTEND COLLEGE. WOMEN ARE CONSIDERED NOT TO HAVE THE “PROPER MIND” FOR STUDY. TELEVISION HAS NO PART IN THE HASIDIC HOME.”

“IT IS HARD TO BE A JEW, AND WE ALL MUST MAKE SACRIFICES TO LIVE AS GOD’S CHOSEN.”

“IRONICALLY, WOMEN’S EXEMPTION FROM RELIGIOUS STUDY GENERALL RESULTS IN THEIR BEING MUCH MORE COMPETENT THAN THEIR MALE COUNTERPARTS TO INTERACT WITH THE OUTSIDE WORLD, WHEEN SUCH INTERACTION IS NECESSARY. “

“THESE WOMEN ARE VERY SECRETIVE, THEY ARE NOT ABLE TO BE HONEST, ESPECIALLY IN A GROUP. AND THERE IS A VERY HIGH RATE OF SUICIDE.
APPARENTLY, THERE IS A PROHIBITION IN THE TALMUD AGAINST TEACHING RELIGIOUS SUBJECTS TO WOMEN BECAUSE THEY ARE “DULL” AND BECAUSE THEY ASK TOO MANY STUPID QUESTIONS. “

“THERE ARE 80,000 TO 100,000 LUBAVITCHERS LIVING OUTSIDE THE U.S. “

“MOST YOUNG LUBAVITCH BOYS STOP STUDYING ENGLISH AND MATH AROUND THE FOURTH GRADE. SOME YESHIVAS WOULD GIVE OR SELL STUDENTS A TRANSCRIPT FILLED WITH CLASSES THEY HAD NOT TAKEN, LIKE PHYSICS AND HISTORY. “




“THE SIXTH LUBAVUTCHER REBBE TAUGHT HIS FOLLOWERS THAT THE HOLOCAUST WAS GOD’S PUNISHMENT FOR JEWISH ASSIMILATION IN EUROPE “


“AMONG THE HASIDIM RELIGIOUS SCHOLARSHIP CONFERS MORE PRESTIGE THAN EVEN WEALTH. “

“NOT UNCOMMON FOR MANY HASIDIM TO BE ON PUBLIC ASSISTANCE AND SOME OBTAIN A SECOND SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER .THEY ARE DEPENDENT ON THEIR COMMUNITY SUPPORT AND GOVERNMENT ASSISTANCE.IN 1984 THERE WAS AN OFFICIAL DESIGNATION OF THE HASIDIM AS A “DISADVANTAGED MINORITY” ENABLING THEM TO BENEFIT FROM THE SAME PROGRAMS THAT WERE AVAILABLE TO OTHER RACIAL AND ETHNIC MINORITIES.”

‘HASIDIC WOMEN HAVE TURNED THEIR BRAINS OFF COMPLETELY FOCUSING INSTEAD ON COOKING AND CLEANING AND DIAPERING AND SHOPPING. THEY DO NOT KNOW HOW TO THINK. “



“‘TOLERANCE IS, BY DEFINITION, NOT ONE OF THEIR VIRTUES.”

“LIKE THE MAN WHO DEALT WITH HIS INABILITY TO PAY HIS MORTGAGE BY CHANGING HIS NAME, PUTTING HIS HOUSE IN THE NEW NAME, AND THEN OBTAINING A DEATH CERTIFICATE FOR HIS OLD SELF. HE WAS REBORN A FEW DAYS LATER WITH A NEW SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER, BUT WITHOUT HIS OLD FINANCIAL PROBLEMS.SOME PEOPLE WHO ARE PRESSED FINANCIALLY WILL LEGALLY DESIGNATE THEIR BASEMENTS OR OTHER PARTS OF THEIR HOUSES AS SHTIEBLECH OR SMALL SYNAGOGUES, AND RECEIVE TAX BREAKS BECAUSE THEIR HOMES ARE HOUSES OF WORSHIP.”

“THEY DO NOT HAVE A PHYSICAL NEED FOR ANY DEEP EMOTIONAL ATTACHMENTS AND EXPERIENCES.”

“FOR CLOSE TO FIFTY YEARS, SCHOLARS HAVE BEEN PREDICTING THE DEMISE OF THESE COMMUNITIES, FORECASTING THEIR INEVITABLE INABILITY TO RESIST THE PULL OF THE VAST AMERICAN MAINSTREAM. SO FAR, THEY HAVE BEEN PROVEN WRONG.”

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