chalk and cheese

(Reb Don Segal standing at top)

Yisrael Segal is a prominent Israeli journalist and broadcaster. To say that he dislikes Charedim is an undertstatement. He's part of the Ashkenazi elite that would rather there be no frum Jews in Israel. He's also the brother of Reb Don Segal, the former Mashgiach of Ponovezh, and now known as the Mashgiach sans Yeshivah. Yisrael was born to a Frum family - although his mother today would be considered MO - but left the fold. He's spoken many times how he was shunned by his family after Frei'ing out, and how his brother has never spoken to him since. He also speaks here of his father's Levayah, and how then and and at the Shivah he was ignored by them. I guess he yearns for his family's love and acceptance after all. Don't we all.

Recently Yisrael was in a major car accident where he came inches from death. In this article he speaks of the fact that frum volunteers of Zaka (the Israeli recovery team made famous from cleaning up and responding to all those Terrorist Bus bombings and attacks) and the Chevrah Kadisha were at the scene - presumably expecting him to die - and frum Hatzolah responders as well. That's all he sees, not people who tried to save his life, but frum people, people he hates. He's all better now and was recently interviewed in the Israeli and spoke of his troubles with his family etc. In a way we're all like that; I sure am. We see ourselves as members of a group, and all others as outsiders, although we may have alot in common and are members of a greater group. We like our group and maybe tolerate the others, with tolerate being the key word here. So I guess we're not so different after all, us and the Yisrael Segals of the world.