In Israel we often have advertisements of rabbis seeking donations for their yeshiva schools, sometimes promising divine blessing.

Last week a YouTube ad popped up suddenly with a rabbi who was different.

He was shrieking from the depths of his soul – giving voice to the cry for help on behalf of ultra-Orthodox girls who have run away from home or been kicked out. It felt so genuine that I had to know more. Is this Rabbi Fanger just an incredibly good actor and fundraiser? Or is he opening a window onto a sad, desperate corner of Israeli society?

This came along after my curiosity had already been piqued by walking through a new ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of apartments in Upper Tiberias, not far from my village.  Each time I see their children waiting at bus stops for rides to their schools, I am amazed at what a different world they live in.

The...

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