From Hityashvut Hacharedit – Updates:
A true and deeply telling story recently took place in an elementary school Yeshiva (cheder) in the United States:
Shortly after the outbreak of the war in Israel, a Rebbi wanted to strengthen his students’ emunah. He told the young boys that world events clearly show we are getting closer to the days of Moshiach, and that very soon, we will all merit to return and live in Eretz Yisrael.
One child slowly raised his hand, and with a genuinely sad and worried voice, asked: “Rebbi, does that mean we will all have to move into apartment buildings and high-rises?”
The story doesn’t end there. At the subsequent parent-teacher conferences, the boy’s father approached the Rebbi and said in all seriousness: “Please, you must be very careful when you speak about the Geulah. We don’t want to scare the children…”
If this wasn’t so tragic, it would be funny. But the reality is stark: many religious Jews in the Diaspora, who are accustomed to spacious homes, private yards, and breathing room for their large, beautiful families, are simply not built for the dense, high-rise lifestyle of Israel’s current urban centers. Because a suitable solution with yards and property isn’t actively being sought out for them, the thought of Aliyah becomes a source of anxiety rather than joy. The Galus becomes a golden cage.
This is a major reason why our mission must succeed. By establishing spacious, community-minded Hityashvut (settlements), we aren’t just solving a local housing crisis—we are paving the practical runway to bring our brothers home from the Golah.
