ANSWER: For centuries Orthodox Jews have sacrificed their lives so that
their children would receive the upbringing their parents wanted them to
have. Perhaps to outsiders of the orthodox community, this sounds unheard
of and strange, but to us, this is the heart of our lives. Why would Jews
in Russia jeapordize their lives and their childrens' by teaching them
Judaism in the underground, instead of sending them to "normal, Communist
schools"? Why did parents in the States in the '20s and '30s send their
children to Yeshivas like Ner Yisroel in Baltimore or Mir in Russia,
instead of leaving them in the security of New York? Why did the
Lubavitcher Rebbe send emissaries to far-flung communities, amid hardships
and sufferings, instead of letting them bask in "comfortable, secure
conditions?" The answer to all the above is the same, Florence. Our
personal security has no worth if we are not transmitting our values to our
children. It may appear to you that this is (I quote you) "a strange
perversion of values". I do not agree. Values become so, if they are truly
valued and adhered to, even amidst hardship. By the way, who is to say that
the way to Beth El is more dangerous than the way to Moddiim? There are
terrorists hanging out on the Brooklyn Bridge and in Oklahoma too. We
believe that "every bullet has its target." May Hashem guard His nation,
wherever we may be or live, and may we have the merit to perpetuate G-d's
name in every place we live.
Maayan, Israel