I received the following letter before the present upheaval (lightly edited):
I have a friend who learns in Yeshiva in Yerushalayim but intends to live in London after he marries.
He believes with all his heart and soul that we are still in גלות and that it’s some kind of מצווה to remain in Chutz La’aretz until the coming of Mashiach.
He claims to base his beliefs on the teaching of Rav Hirsch: he was against Rav Kalischer and the whole the חובבי ציון movement.
I asked him what משיח coming even means, he said even the Rambam didn’t know.
He’s not against Jews living here and building communities, but he really believes that HASHEM wants him to live in London until ביאת הגואל.
His other reasons include: “my Yekkishe Kehillah is in London and I daven best there”, “Medinat Yisrael is anti-frum”, “Israeli society is too intense for me”, “I can’t become a lawyer in Israel and that’s my career path”, “יראת שמים and working here is difficult”.
What do you believe is the source of such a mindset?
Well, dear readers, what do you say?