False Impressions

B"H

A sarcastic response to the Academic World


Every time anew, it drives me so mad seeing all these professors sitting around me. They all feel so terribly important because they are writing a book. Writing a book seems to make even a university professor more arrogant.

In case you sit at the Jerusalem National University Library without writing a book, you are considered a "nothing".
A nobody wasting his time with serious religious studies.
"What, you don't write a book ? How can you dare to come here ? What, you are not an academic but "only" someone religious who wants to learn something ?"
Yuck.

No, I don't belong to the world of academics although I do have a BA.

I am sorry but I "only" have a Yeshiva history and once seriously took into consideration to join the Chassidut Satmar.
No, this is not a sarcastic joke but reality.
Or it used to be reality.

And now I am writing for my blogs and different Jewish organizations. But I am still not an academic no matter how many readers I reach. You have to be an academic even if only ten people read your book.

Furthermore I am considered as a kind of nuts. Some professor are aware of the fact that I am actively dealing with Haredim. Not just reading books and watch some Youtube but really talking to Haredim.
The professors cannot believe it and sometimes tell me that I am totally wasting my time. All the required material is already available on the book shelfs, and therefore I don't need to go to Mea Shearim and all these "wasting one's time places".

So, I am wasting my time because I am dealing with Haredim.
And those Haredim are also considered weird by the professors and their students.

Haredim, no matter if male or female, have not an university education and without that, one is seen as less intelligent.
Less intelligent is a nice expression for "stupid".
"Who are you at all Haredi ? I can get into your society and find out all about you. And you are that dumb that you wouldn't even notice that I am coming to ask you questions in order to publish all your secrets afterwards".

This is how many university students and their professors think.

"What, you used to be one of them and are still befriended with them ?" - At least a thousand times I have heard this question.
The professors are stunned and don't know how to respond.
What ? Someone religious with a brain ? How can that be ?
Yes, I used to be a part of haredi society or, at least, considered myself as such.

However, becoming a true member of a chassidic group is very different. And I am not talking about Chabad or Breslov now.
I am talking about Satmar, Vishnitz, Belz or even Toldot Aharon. Uuuhhh, Toldot Aharon, wow.

Fact is that I can be friends with all kinds of Haredim as much as I like. Never ever will I be part of their group or society if I am not a real group member. I can be invited for Shabbat and talk to them all the time but I am not a part and not a member.
This issue most university students and professors don't get.

They think that after talking to a Chassid for an hour makes them a professional and puts them onto a level of a group member.
But we outsiders will never be a member of anything unless we totally join a chassidic group.

And then we won't write on the Internet anymore and we won't be a professor anymore. But we might write a book. A religious book, of course.

But we won't be academic because Haredim are not supposed to have a brain.