So, what is it about Tel Aviv ?

B"H

Every country has its city where people can just escape to. In Israel the place is called "Tel Aviv".
You want to leave home after becoming an adult and build up a life or you just need to escape because you are fed up with something - go to Tel Aviv, as everyone does. Especially young people move to Tel Aviv. The city has the reputation of "a city that never sleeps", and moreover, it has the most jobs to offer. Jobs, higher salaries and a high quality of life. These positive things stand against the extremely high prices. Everything is so expensive and once you start enjoying life, there goes your income.

Tel Aviv is the city of the secular although there are religious Jews. However, if you want something really religious, really haredi, you go to Bnei Brak located right next to Tel Aviv. And, as I spoke about "escaping", many religious Jews, in particular Haredim, like to escape as well. Escaping from society where everyone is watching you. A Haredi in Jerusalem, Kiryat Sefer or Beitar is constantly being watched. Of course, he can go home, shut his door and then nobody sees him. But it is not the "just not want to be seen"; it is looking for freedom.

Many Haredim, especially the male, tell me that they would love to escape to Tel Aviv for a day or two. Just go and enjoy life. Be free in a city where no one is watching you; where you can be yourself. At least for a few hours.
Such an escape has nothing to do with escaping from religion or G - d. In most cases it doesn't mean to exploit freedom and eat trefe (non - kosher food) etc. What it means is having your own personal freedom without having to justify certain actions. Furthermore, it is always good to leave for a while and see something else.

Of course, there are those Haredim from Jerusalem or Bnei Brak who, once a week, go to Tel Aviv in order to go to bars. Some of them even dress up as secular Jews. Religious life can be so intense that you start feeling to miss something. Sometimes just only nature or other people.

I know all those feelings myself, as in Tel Aviv I can be whoever I want. Actually I could do the same in Jerusalem but there, people have the mentality to stare at you. If you don't think the "Jerusalem way", you are a kind of out. Not only concerning religion.

There are times when the religious very much go on my nerves. Particularly those who claim to be religious and, in reality, they are not. They don't even know that they are the opposite of religious. Everyone seems to be so holy and just the opposite is the case. It just makes me either throw up or run away. Religious institutions where you have to behave in a specific way and if you don't, you are out. No, not out because of misbehaving but out because of not sharing the same opinions in every aspect of life.

This Friday, I am going back to Tel Aviv for a longer period of time. I felt that this is the place where I want to live; not only because of more freedom. I simply feel the desire of changing something in my life. Finding new friends and having a different environment. If I miss Jerusalem, I can still go back for a day or Shabbat. However, I told this to a few Haredim I know (not the fakes) and they immediately envied me. "I would love to go somewhere else and just be myself for a while", they said.

I think that just being alone for a day is an important factor in religious life. You can enjoy yourself so much in order to return to society in a more relaxed way. Or at least, you got new strength to pretend a lifestyle you don't even want. But you grew up this way and there is nothing else you can do about.

Or maybe there is …