Supposedly, when Rav Shteinman was asked whether French Jews should be encouraged to make aliyah now to Israel, he responded that in Israel they will be ruined - government agents in Israel try to direct people away from religious institutions and to mixed and secular schools instead and ruin them, while in the USA there is no institution directing people so they would get absorbed into Torah institutions and schools and stay spiritually whole.
source: Kikar and Bechadrei

I am not one to argue on Rav Shteinman, but it did make me think about what he said..
a. who says the US is willing to take any French Jews in? The US does not have an open immigration policy. I don't know if French Jews would qualify for refugee status, but it seems like not. So, for most French Jews, the USA is probably not a realistic option, and therefore the statement is not overly helpful.

Is it true? Perhaps to some extent, though I am pretty sure those days are, for the most part, well behind us. Maybe in the 50s and 60s that was true, but now it seems to not be, with perhaps some exception.

Such a statement does remind me of Satmar. When they have worked to help distressed Jews leave their countries, especially Yemen, they have always preferred moving them to the USA rather than Israel for that very reason. It is surprising to hear Rav Shteinman say something like that.

If he really believes it, and if he said it I am sure he does, why does he not encourage his followers in Israel to move to the USA? In Israel they are exposed to these government efforts while in the USA they would not be.




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