What we need...

A few commentors on this blog have discussed sending Lubavitch children to Adass Yisroel - Melbourne's charedi school. Is this what we really want for our children? Surely if we consider ourselves chassidim of Lubavitch we want a truly Lubavitch chassidic education for our kids.

Maybe some will ask why not send our kids to Adass...it is a frum school run by frum yidden. Surely they will get their Chabad influence at home - just like the Gerrer, Satmar, Bobov and misnagdisher will get the flavour of their groups at home.
Fortunately Chabad is different from other chassidic groups in that it demands more than just an attachment to a Rebbe (or Rosh Yeshiva for our "Litvisher" friends). Chabad is a "lifestyle". It permeates our entire life and effects how we live our lives. Almost every Addas yungerman has a goyishe name when at work outside the community. Almost every Lubavitcher is proudly known by their Jewish name. Other chassidic groups will "intermarry" - a Bobov girl marries a Satmar boy etc. Most of our children wouldn't dream of marrying someone who was not a Lubavitcher - this is because both men and women are chassidim of the Rebbe and want to live a Chabad chassidic lifestyle (whatever they interpret that to mean).

What I am saying is that Chabad is unique in that the Rebbe made a lot of demands on his chassidim which, at times, are difficult to live up to. We become better people by stretching ourselves and trying to reach new spiritual heights. If Melbourne had a real Chabad chassidic education our children would realise this and be proud to be chassidim of the Rebbe.

From comments on previous posts in this blog it appears that many people feel this way. The challenge is to get past all the noise made by certain leaders of the community and to get a groundswell going to change the community. How to achieve this bepoel I do not know....