Be Holy, היו קדושים

Our Jewish youth today have to strive to be holy.  Having lived in Medinat Yisrael in a very frum community, made up of a mix of charedim, Dati Leumi and chilonim, I think our youth could use a wakeup call. Their parents, I believe, are beyond hope. The public socialization among our religious youth is appalling. I'm not talking about Facebook or Internet socialization. That of course, is out of control.  Boys and girls as young as ten have started to socialize in public not only in the evenings but also in the daytime. Their parents know about it, yet, they condone this type of behavior.

What can other parents do to stop it?  At this time, my observations lead me to Modern Orthodox (Dati Leumi) youths involved in this sort of thing. There is still hope among our charedi youths, I truly hope.  The standards of modesty are much higher in yeshiva/charedi circles. Both Israelis and olim youths are doing it, in EY and outside. In some schools, including Chardal (Charedi-Dati Leumi) type schools, middle-school girls bring their cell phones to school and call their boyfriends during school hours. It is worse for high-school girls. 

We have a serious, serious problem. Rabbi Duvi benSoussan delivered a shiur on Parashas Emor, addressing a male group about the importance of being holy, and doing a mitzvah L'shem Shamayim (for the sake of Heaven). I think it's about time to talk straight to the youth groups.  Jewish parents, unfortunately, have lost their grips on their children.

Be Holy, by Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi

For the sake of Heaven