• Home
  • About
  • Feedback
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
Jewish Coffee House
  • Productions
  • Podcasts
    • Orthodox Conundrum
    • Intimate Judaism
    • The Maimonides Minute
    • Chochmat Nashim
    • Intellectual Spirituality
    • Ask the Rabbis
    • The Franciska Show
    • Let My People Eat
  • Blogs
    • The Scott Kahnversation
    • Avenue-(G)K Blog
  • Productions
  • Podcasts
    • Orthodox Conundrum
    • Intimate Judaism
    • The Maimonides Minute
    • Chochmat Nashim
    • Intellectual Spirituality
    • Ask the Rabbis
    • The Franciska Show
    • Let My People Eat
  • Blogs
    • The Scott Kahnversation
    • Avenue-(G)K Blog
 
Jewish Coffee House
  • Productions
  • Podcasts
    • Orthodox Conundrum
    • Intimate Judaism
    • The Maimonides Minute
    • Chochmat Nashim
    • Intellectual Spirituality
    • Ask the Rabbis
    • The Franciska Show
    • Let My People Eat
  • Blogs
    • The Scott Kahnversation
    • Avenue-(G)K Blog
  • Productions
  • Podcasts
    • Orthodox Conundrum
    • Intimate Judaism
    • The Maimonides Minute
    • Chochmat Nashim
    • Intellectual Spirituality
    • Ask the Rabbis
    • The Franciska Show
    • Let My People Eat
  • Blogs
    • The Scott Kahnversation
    • Avenue-(G)K Blog
JCH » Politics » Orthodox Conundrum

The High Price of Orthodox Life & the Dangers of Keeping Up with the Goldbergs, with Rabbi Avrohom Leventhal and Rachel Krich (168)

July 17, 2023 11:59 am

The high cost of living an Orthodox life is a big problem. In the United States, for example, the high cost of day school or yeshiva tuition, combined with everything from the need to purchase kosher food to buying a lulav and etrog for Sukkot, adds to a family’s annual bills significantly. When we factor in the reality that standards are getting higher – semachot, for example, are very expensive, while overnight camps often have increasingly elaborate programs that in turn make the price go up – the problem is exacerbated.

And then there’s the issue of social or peer pressure, intentional or otherwise. More people go away for Pesach, and programs compete to offer the most luxurious amenities and best entertainment possible. Conspicuous consumption, it seems, has become – among some Orthodox Jews – not a problem that we need to address, but a desired feature that we aspire to emulate. And whether we’re conscious of that fact or not, it affects everyone by raising standards and expectations. Those people who aren’t able to afford the same things as others are often either left feeling “less than,” or – even worse – end up spending more than they are able, and find themselves in real financial trouble. While the problems in every locale are somewhat different, this is an issue that affects many Orthodox communities, including some of those in Israel.

There are many consequences of these financial, social, and psychological realities. One of them is the possibility of people falling for ponzi schemes and other get-rich-quick scams, including those that are broadly legal but still unethical; another is the need for chesed and tzedakah organizations to find new and more effective ways to help people who, in the drive to keep up and live an Orthodox life, have fallen into a deep financial hole.

Two people who have a broad knowledge of these problems, and who deal with them daily, are Rachel Krich, the Executive Director of Project Ezrah, and Rabbi Avrohom Leventhal, the Executive Director of Lema’an Achai. They and Scott had a frank conversation about all of these topics and more.

Please listen to and share this podcast, and let us know what you think on the Orthodox Conundrum Discussion Group on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/groups/432020081498108).

Check out the Orthodox Conundrum Commentary on Substack and get your free subscription by going to https://scottkahn.substack.com/.

Thanks to all of our Patreon subscribers, who have access to bonus JCH podcasts, merch, and more – we appreciate your help, and hope you really enjoy the extras! Visit the JCH Patreon site at https://www.patreon.com/jewishcoffeehouse.

Visit https://www.jchpodcasts.com/ to learn all about creating your own podcast.

To donate to Lema’an Achai, go to https://www.lemaanachai.org/en/donation.php.

To donate to Project Ezrah, go to https://www.ezrah.org/donate/.

Music: “Happy Rock” by bensound.com

Share and Like
« Previous Post
Next Post »
Join Us

Bonus Content and Groovy Goodies

dedicate a  podcast

advertise with us

Join the JCH community!

Subscribe now
FOLLOW US
Twitter feed is not available at the moment.
Like Us
About
DEAR COFFEE DRINKERS AND OTHER HUMANS, Jewish Coffee House is a startup podcast network, which produces and broadcasts both audio and video content. (Also jokes.) We're starting off small, but we plan to expand... Read more
Contact Us
We want to hear from you. Send us an email at [email protected]
Or give us a call
USA and Canada: (917) 724-2241
United Kingdom: 203-769-1465
Israel: 058-527-9885
For more contact info click here
Popular

Laws of Pesach Part 8 – Hilchot Chametz uMatzah 4:7-12

Join the Maimonides Minute for the re-release of our series on the Rambam’s laws of Passover. This shiur offers additional

Podcasts
  • Orthodox Conundrum
  • Intimate Judaism
  • The Maimonides Minute
  • Chochmat Nashim
  • Intellectual Spirituality
  • Ask the Rabbis
  • The Franciska Show
  • Let My People Eat
Copyright 2018. All rights reserved, Rabbi Scott Kahn.
Accessibility   Terms of Use   Privacy Policy   Contact Us
Scroll to top
Skip to content
Open toolbar Accessibility Tools

Accessibility Tools

  • Increase TextIncrease Text
  • Decrease TextDecrease Text
  • GrayscaleGrayscale
  • High ContrastHigh Contrast
  • Negative ContrastNegative Contrast
  • Light BackgroundLight Background
  • Links UnderlineLinks Underline
  • Readable FontReadable Font
  • Reset Reset