Jews getting high

If Zionism can’t save Orthodox Judaism, what has the world come to?

The Orthodox Jewish community was jolted into action when some of its elders and rabbis walked into a party off Broadway recently where young Orthodox men and women were drinking booze, doing drugs and mingling romantically.

The late-night gathering July 28 and 29 highlights a 10-year trend in which young Orthodox Jews, in their teens and early 20s, have begun dabbling in drugs, many in the Jewish community said. Leaving tighter supervision in Brooklyn and elsewhere, the youngsters find relative freedom — and trouble — while spending summer in the Catskills.

That night’s get-together in Monticello was also worrisome to elders of this religious community because their children were dressed casually, drinking to the point of intoxication, and kissing — all of which violate their religious laws.

I propose a six-week emergency visit to Hebron for these wayward kids. Perhaps seeing Israeli apartheid up-close will bring some sense.

Text and images ©2024 Antony Loewenstein. All rights reserved.

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