Why Belgium?


One question which the film does not address, though there could be a subtext for those who know the Haredi world: If Yochai were to marry the Belgian woman he is potentially being matched with, why does everyone assume that he would move to Belgium rather than having her relocate to Israel, which on the surface would seem to be a more logical choice? Could it be that in the Haredi community women generally support their husbands, either through work or family wealth, rather than the other way around? Men often become perpetual students, whose education is designed to keep them from obtaining work-related skills. As I recall (correct me if I am wrong), the only person in the film shown as having a job (other than the rabbi) is Shira, who teaches kindergarten.

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Interesting question. I would stipulate that the Belgian girl's family agreed to the marriage with the stipulation of him moving there, so her family could be close to the kids and so forth. As the film shows, heredi marriage is a "deal between families" for the most part.

In regard to your other question- These families are quite old fashioned and traditional. It's the men who work and generally the woman don't, they stay home to care for the huge broods of children. The majority of heredi men balance a job as well as their studies and religious obligations. But poverty is a big issue with such large families and many heredi are actually on social welfare benefits and such. It would be somewhat rare for a heredi woman to be "the sole bread winner" in the family or for the couple to live off her family's wealth.

I don't think the film really wanted to explore the male characters working status and such, so this was just glossed over for brevity's sake.

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I just filled in some blanks on this issue.

It is said that the widow he's marrying, who lives in Belgium, has two children. He has a newborn.

So, do you uproot a woman from her extended family? Take her kids and her parents' grandchildren out of their schools (if indeed they are already in school) and away from their little friends? Or take your newborn who has not yet established a life in Israel with you?

It just seemed to make sense in those terms....

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Actually as of 2015, only 56% of Haredi men in Israel are employed, compared with 70% of Haredi women.

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