Out of town is NOT Outer Space--an Introduction

You would think that with all the years I have spent in New York I would have developed a thicker skin when it comes to the out of town/New York divide. Nope, I haven't. And I'd venture a guess that most other out of towners haven't either. What is inexplicable to me is why New Yorkers seem to have this ingrained attitude about out of town.

Granted, many will treat Lakewood, New Jersey as an exception to the usual out of town attitude--some but not all. It is, after all, a Torah/yeshiva center. That being the case one would assume that ANY yeshiva center out of town would also be treated with at least a modicum of respect and acceptance. There are Baltimore, and Cleveland and Chicago and Los Angeles and many other communities with yeshivot that anchor them. Yet they are clearly "out of town." And what about the cities where there are frum communities that are not anchored by a major yeshiva?

Some of my upcoming postings are going to be about "out of town-ism." Anyone who believes that there is not a strange attitude in New York about out of town is fooling themselves--it exists--ask any out of towner. What I want to know is "why"?

If you are from New York, then please let me know why out of town is so difficult. If you are from out of town, what has been your experience when dealing with New York? Is Klal Yisroel really so large an entity that we can afford to have this type of divide?