My daughter works at a medical office in a heavily Hassidic area. Her daily experiences reveal disturbing trends within a community that most Americans associate with solid values. By and large, we Jews are known for our emphasis on education. This reputation is fairly accurate but, amongst many Hassidim, “education” is only important in the religious realm. When it comes to secular knowledge, and practical skills, ignorance often rules.
I was sitting at the front desk of the doctor’s office when Hassidic gentleman of about 30 walked in. I recognized him and I’m acquainted with his family; he was born in the U.S. and has lived here his entire life. I gave him a form to fill out that would provide us with vital demographic information. He had no idea how to fill it out because he could not read it, nor could he write even a simple sentence in English. He was fluent only in Yiddish. I was forced to call his wife and have her dictate to me whatever information was needed. When I finished speaking with her, I asked him to sign his name at the bottom and he painstakingly copied each letter from his printed name. This was his “signature”.
Many Hassidic couples appear to have litters of kids. Some as many as many as 18, all with the same woman. These families invariably depend on welfare to survive. Like so many NAM’s, they breed like there is no tomorrow. I’ve heard from both my daughter and my son that it is very common for Hassidic children to be ignorant of basic safety rules of the road; they walk out into traffic without even looking. Perhaps this is to offset their high birthrate – a “late-term abortion” if you will. This may provide entertainment for many anti-Semitic drivers – a kind of real-life “Carmageddon” – but I seriously shudder to think of the implications.
