“This is how they behaved in the shtetlach in Europe.” She nodded sorrowfully. “My father, he should rest in peace, told me they used to put nails on the floor of the mikvah to get back at rival groups. And before the Holocaust, when the shluchim came from Eretz Hakodesh to talk to the people about moving to Palestine, they would throw stones at them until they ran away. Even when the Nazis took over, some of these rabbonim were still telling the people to stay put, while they themselves ran away! They saved themselves, but did their Hasidim—the ones lucky enough to survive the camps, or the ones in America, remember any of this? No. They flocked back to their leaders here in America, stumbling after them in blindness, throwing piles of money at them, enough to build new yeshivas and batei medrash, not to mention luxurious houses for them to live in like kings. Even after what happened in Europe, their Hasidim still hang on their every word, letting them decide who their children will marry, which surgeons will do their operations, even how they should invest their money, as if they were still the wisest of holy prophets.” She grimaced. “Yes, so wise they were,” she murmured, tilting her head, her eyes narrowing.

“I didn’t know you felt this way,” Yaakov whispered.

“I don’t like to talk about it. We are not Hasidim. Neither was your family. We, too, had rabbonim. We followed them when they told us what hechsher to use, but on other things, we made up our own minds. I’m only telling you this so you’ll understand: don’t get into a fight with them! You can’t win. The best thing to do is nothing. Find another counselor for Shaindele and send her back to school.”

“And Halpern?”

“You leave him to me. As for the Hasidim, tell them if they don’t bother you, you won’t bother them. That you’ll keep your mouth shut about Grub.”

“I’m sorry, Bubbee. I know you are right, but I just can’t do that,” Leah said softly, looking at Yaakov, who looked back at her helplessly.

Fruma Esther studied the two of them. Two lovely young people, she thought, so good and upright and pious. They were exactly the kind of people this community always pretended they were trying to raise with all their Torah institutions and all their shiurim and all their charities. But if Yaakov and Leah tried to change the world, make it a better place, they and their family would be utterly crushed, maybe even physically harmed. She was so afraid for them.

“I see I cannot talk any sense into either of you,” she said sadly, getting up.