Los Angeles- Revisited

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  • #619441
    cchocker
    Participant

    So I’m thinking about moving to LA and I’m trying to figure out if it’s feasible for a frum Jew who aspires to grow to live there. From what I’ve seen there seems to be an enfatuation in LA, not just the frum community in LA, with gashmiyus. Specifically that life is all about how geshmak and easy someone has it (the weather is so nice! and therefore it’s the greatest place in the world….?). There is a lack of stress and focus on accomplishing, achieving and doing, like there is in other big Frum areas.

    For someone who is living life to break-away from and disassociate as much as he can with a corporeal and materialistic existence I would think that living in Los Angeles would be a tremendous impediment.

    Are there benefits- from a religious point of view?

    #1223028
    Joseph
    Participant

    In chutz laaretz the most ruchniyos neighborhoods tend to be in the New York metro area.

    #1223029
    cchocker
    Participant

    I don’t necessarily agree. Yes there are plenty of places in the NY Metro area that have a lot of “frum” people and necessary Jewish institutions. However I think there is a lot of rotten behaviors and attitudes towards materialism, kavod, gaavah, etc. that I think on balance makes more wholesome out of town places more ruchniyosdik.

    According to your superficial determination of what it means to be ruchniyosdik you would conclude that Los Angeles is also quite ruchiyosdik. They have a lot of “frum” people, Jewish institutions, even a Cheder where the more striving, ruchniyosdik people (i.e. people trying to show they’re better than everyone else because they are better Jews) can send their kids.

    So no, I’m clearly not asking about a superficial judgement of ruchniyos. I am asking if there’s more than meets the eye than the seemingly negative atmosphere for someone who wants to grow as a torah Jew, come closer to Hashem in a tzniyusdik, personal way, and raise children that have good, wholesome values that are a tremendous help in serving Hashem properly.

    #1223030
    cchocker
    Participant

    I am only asking- and not immediately moving to one of the wholesome out of town communities that I have encountered- is because for professional and personal reasons I may very well have to live in Los Angeles and I’m trying to determine how much of a bedieved it is.

    #1223031
    Lilmod Ulelamaid
    Participant

    Posters: Please be careful about Loshon hara issues in this thread. According to Halacha, it is worse to slander a whole group of people than an individual.

    Try to stick to positive comments that are not comparisons of other places.

    #1223032
    Joseph
    Participant

    In chutz laaretz, the NY metro area tends to have some of the most temimusdik kehilos.

    #1223033
    Lilmod Ulelamaid
    Participant

    cchocker – I’m not sure this is the best place to ask that question. The conditions of Toeles would not be met in such a public and anonymous site so I don’t think it would be permitted for anyone to offer you negative information. If posters offer positive information, that would be helpful of course, but probably wouldn’t give you the full picture you want and need.

    #1223034
    cchocker
    Participant

    Farkert- I want a very positive argument as to why Los Angeles is good place for a frum, torah home.

    Let me offer up an example:

    Someone I asked this question to responded that he feels that bochurim from Los Angeles, and presumably bochurot just he is a Rebbi for boys, have clearer more lucid thinking which is obviously very conducive to learning. Whether or not this is worth the negatives I have identified is something to consider. I am looking for similar types of insight.

    #1223035
    cchocker
    Participant

    He also added that he thinks it is a direct result of the more laid back, relaxed lifestyle.

    #1223036
    yytz
    Participant

    The only way you can tell is by spending time there and getting to know people.

    That said, on the West coast the goyim are more open-minded and more into the idea of spiritual growth and things like that, compared to the East Coasters. So it’s conceivable that influences the Yidden as well.

    #1223037
    Joseph
    Participant

    I would hope the goyim’s “spiritual” ideas are not influencing any Yidden.

    #1223038
    Lilmod Ulelamaid
    Participant

    I don’t know anything about LA, but in general there are many benefits to living out-of-town. However, I do not know if LA qualifies as out-of-town, so I don’t know if any of those particular benefits apply (although of course there may be other benefits).

    #1223039
    Joseph
    Participant

    What benefits apply to living out of town?

    #1223040
    yytz
    Participant

    Not their ideas, but the idea that ruchniyus is important.

    Another consideration is social liberalism. In the NY area the goyim are mainly social liberals, who think traditional religions like Yiddishkeit are “bigoted” because of our views about certain things. The goyim in CA are even more socially liberal.

    This may not be a problem in frum neighborhoods so much, but I might worry about raising children in a region of the country that is even more prejudiced against traditional religions, because by osmosis the children could absorb it and have less enthusiasm for Torah-True Yiddishkeit. It’s possible to have socially liberal political positions and be a frum Yid but it’s kind of a contradiction, so I’m sure it’s not easy.

    #1223041
    iacisrmma
    Participant

    cchocker: my son spent 3 years learning in Yeshiva Ner Aryeh in Valley Village and his spiritual growth was amazing. The families he met out there were interested in making sure that their children experienced a frum atmosphere and tried hard to lower the gashmius. I would suggest trying to contact Rabbi Stuhlberger of Valley Torah High School.

    #1223042
    zahavasdad
    Participant

    California is more socially Liberal than NY.

    In NY the Chassidic population (The non-jews do not distinguish between various charedi groups and lump them all as “Chassidim”) is considered a major part of the NYC masoic

    #1223043
    eric55
    Participant

    I have a lot of family in LA, the chinuch there is excellent better than what we have in the lakewood brooklyn just look at the kids coming out of LA and moving on to yeshivas everyone of them are diamonds the top bocherem are LA boys and girls, the only reason LA is not flooding with people like lakewood is, is because it costs 3 times as much to live there. A home that costs 2k a month here cost 6k there. you would need a really good job to live there. gashmius is no different from lakewood you have very wealthy people and the regular middle class (the middle class there makes 250k per year) Bottom line its an amazing place to live amazing quality of life if you can afford it

    #1223044
    zahavasdad
    Participant

    Florida is a little cheaper than NY and its a bigger community than LA

    #1223045
    Joseph
    Participant

    If it costs 6k/month just for a basic home there, only wealthy folks can live there.

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