Has the World of Lakewood Gone Awry?

BMG students attending R' Feldman's lecture (Lakewood Alerts)

If there was ever an example of how certain segments of Orthodoxy are  ‘Krum’ (going down a crooked path despite their Mitzvah observance) this is surely it.

No, I have not lost my mind and joined the chorus of the Charedi world that talks this way about Modern Orthodoxy (...even my own Centrist version of it). What I am talking about is the Charedi world itself.

I do not say this lightly. Unlike many of my fellow Modern Orthodox Jews, I do not harbor any malice against my Charedi brothers. On the contrary, despite some of the serious issues I have with this community, I nevertheless honor and even envy their commitment to Torah study and a lifestyle that consists of much sacrifice toward that endeavor. Their dedication to mitzvah observance often involves the strictest forms of adherence in all ritual matters, often at great expense. Even in matters of Bein Adam L’chaveiro - they live up to their reputation of kindness and generosity of both time and money to help others. Most of the Charedim I know are like that.

So why do I think Charedim are on a crooked path? Ironically, it was about opposition to an event that I actually support and is, in fact, getting broad support among various Charedi rabbinic leaders (both in Israel and here).  As well as the vast majority of Charedi publications (e.g., Mishpacha). They are urging everyone to vote in the WZO (World Zionist Organization) election so that observant Jewry will have more power and influence in Israeli government decisions. Not to mention a bigger piece of the financial pie that is distributed to the WZO’s member political parties. I agree with that goal. My only quibble is that the observant vote should vote Mizrachi (the Religious Zionist party) for reasons beyond the scope of this post.

Even though we all seem to be on the same page about this, it just ain’t so. The fact is that the BMG (Lakewood) Roshei Yeshiva are adamantly opposed to it. How opposed? On March 19th, Rav Aharon Feldman addressed BMG, urging anyone with the slightest inclination of participating in that election - not to do so. His opposition is so strong that he declared the Charedi establishments and publications that advocated for it be boycotted!

To be fair, R’ Feldman is consistent. His rejection of Zionism is ideological. He does not grant any religious validity to the state, seeing it as just another secular government that Jews have to deal with the way they would any other country. Only that this one is worse in the sense that it is - and always has been anti-religious.

His point being that participating in a Zionist election for purposes of gaining political and even badly needed financial support is tantamount to recognizing the validity of ‘the evil, anti-religious Zionist government.’

R’ Feldman, who heads Ner Yisroel - a more centrist Charedi Yeshiva - is nevertheless almost Satmar-like in his rejection of Israel’s legitimacy. He differs from them in that he considers it acceptable to participate in their government, just as it would be to participate in any other foreign government - for purposes of representing the needs of his constituents.

This, in and of itself, is not why I have raised the Krum argument. I was made aware of a letter (apparently from a member of that community) published at VIN that made a scathing attack against that event - for what I thought was a good reason.

As Charedi publications go, VIN is the only one with the courage to speak truth to power. Something that previously led to Charedi leadership calling for advertisers to boycott them. (I believe it has since been rescinded.) Now, they did it again by publishing the aforementioned letter. As you can imagine, it got pulled almost as soon as it was posted. It can no longer be accessed at VIN. But the issues raised have not gone away. To put it the way they did in their headline:

    Lakewood Is In Crisis, But Our Leadership Is Busy Yelling About Shtusim

First, the writer noted that R’ Feldman was basically preaching to the choir. No one there was going to vote in the WZO election (sadly). And yet, they stopped all their Torah study to hear a lecture about that.

Secondly, if they are going to interrupt Torah study, there are plenty of crises happening in that community that deserve this kind of attention and are not being sufficiently addressed. If at all.

What are the crises they talked about? The following is from their now-deleted post:

• How many suicides have we buried in Lakewood over the past year?
• How many overdoses have left families shattered beyond repair?
• How many divorces have torn apart homes, leaving children wandering between worlds?
• How many yesomim have been added to our streets in the past year?
• And what about the thousands—yes, thousands—of children and teenagers lost to us?
• The ones smoking on Shabbos, scrolling through TikTok, slipping through our fingers while we waste time on irrelevancies.

Mental illness is rampant and ignored. Families are struggling to put food on their tables. There are streets in Lakewood that are a battleground of pikuach nefashos—life-and-death stakes playing out just beyond the walls of BMG.

And yet, this is what demands our attention? This is why we stop limud haTorah? An election that no one in the room was voting in anyway?

Indeed. If what VIN posted is anywhere near true, then the path upon which the premier Charedi Yeshiva of the world is traveling down is the wrong one. BMG has truly lost its way. The only way to describe what just happened there is to accuse them of what they accuse those the slightest bit to their left of. Despite their otherwise altruistic lives, they have now become Krum.

YU's Recognition of an LGBTQ Student Group

At first glance, this seems like a real shocker. On the other hand, I’m not entirely surprised. The following has been widely reported in the mainstream Jewish media, including The Forward:

Yeshiva University agreed to recognize an LGBTQ+ student group Thursday, settling a lawsuit that once seemed destined for the Supreme Court and delivering a landmark victory to queer Jews at the school and in the Orthodox community beyond.

The agreement with the YU Pride Alliance established a new club for LGBTQ+ students called “Hareni” — a Hebrew word that roughly translates to “I hereby.” The club will be eligible for school funding and will be treated like any other official student organization at the flagship Orthodox university, according to a joint statement from the parties.

While the exact terms of the settlement were not made public, an attorney representing the Pride Alliance said the agreement allows the group to use the term “LGBTQ” in promotional material and appoint its own advisor.

I am reserving judgment on this new development until I hear what the YU Roshei Yeshiva have to say about it. What I will say is that this is a complicated issue with many implications. YU may not have had a realistic choice in the matter. 

I suppose one option would have been to close the school rather than have an Orthodox institution place its imprimatur on a club that takes pride in behavior the Torah considers a capital crime. On the other hand shutting down the only institution of its kind would be a tragedy of immense proportions. I need to hear what people like Rav Herschel Schachter have to say before I comment further.

Bearing that in mind, I will speculate and perhaps be able to provide some sort of rationale that allows YU to recognize this club without it being an endorsement of the sexual behavior that makes such recognition so problematic. Meaning that if they do not act in the aforementioned way they can live their lives as they wish and even be proud of who they are. One’s self-pride need not trumpet which sex they are attracted to. That is nobody’s business but their own.

However, gay activists have made an issue of taking public pride precisely in that aspect of their lives. This means that if a person is gay, they now feel they must tell the world as a matter of self-pride. Hiding it suggests a sense of shame, and they do not want to live their lives in shame. Hence, the advent of the Gay Pride movement in all of its incarnations. Whether through an annual pride parade or a gay club with people who have shared inclinations.

In the not-too-distant past, if you were gay, you kept that in the closet for fear of being ridiculed, harassed, or worse. If someone was discovered to be gay, they could lose their job. If in the military, they would receive a general (not honorable) discharge without the benefits accrued to veterans. Gay people were often beaten by vigilantes who believed they were doing God’s work. As a result, many gay people were embarrassed by their natural inclinations… embarrassed that they were attracted only to members of their own sex.

But ever since 1973 when progressives in the APA removed homosexuality from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-II) there has been a sea change in how gay people see themselves. Instead of hiding in the closet, they now seek full acceptance as mentally healthy individuals but with different sexual preferences.

Now that gay people are out of the closet, we are obligated to treat them with compassion and dignity. We may not ridicule them or harm them in any way, God forbid. As I have said what seems like over a gazillion times - being gay is not a sin. They should be fully accepted.

How accepted? They can even become a Rebbe in a right wing yeshiva. I recall one such Rebbe who a few years ago came out of the closet and still holds his position. How does he deal with it? I don’t know. But what I do know is that he declared that he does not engage in the sinful behavior associated with being gay. There is no reason not to believe him.

That should be our assumption about every observant gay person we meet. We need not - nor should we - delve into their private behavior. We must be Dan L’kaf Zechus (judge them favorably) and assume they are as fully observant as any other observant Jew. Gay or straight.

This brings me back to a possible rationale for YU’s decision to recognize this gay club. If the club does not promote a sinful lifestyle and simply provides a space for individuals with shared experiences, then there is nothing inherently wrong with that.

The only issue I see is one of perception. The idea that an Orthodox Yeshiva recognizes a gay club may imply that it endorses everything associated with being gay..

This is why I am reserving judgment until I hear from someone I consider to be one of the Gedolei HaDor, YU Rosh Yeshiva, Rav Herschel Schachter. Until then, I remain conflicted.

Ending the Violence with Deportations

If anyone wants to know the difference between the street gangs of New York and the religious zealots of Israel, I would answer - there is no difference. 

They are both interested in getting their way through violence and will attack whoever stands in the way. That New York street gangs have selfish motives while the religious zealots in Israel have religious motives doesn’t make much of a difference. The point is that both of these vile groups will stop at nothing to get their way.

In the case of religious zealots, they will even attack religious Jews whose values are entirely Charedi. That doesn’t matter to them, since those Charedi Jews do not accept the fullest extent of extremism that these zealots adhere to. This is the reason the following widely reported, sickening event could have happened:

A shocking incident unfolded in Beit Shemesh as a group of Charedi extremists launched a violent attack on Mayor Shmuel Greenberg, his family, and his vehicle. Sources tell YWN that the assailants targeted the mayor due to his efforts to support various Charedi groups in establishing schools and securing funding for programs that include secular studies such as math and history - moves that have apparently sparked outrage among the extremists.

The assault took place as Mayor Greenberg was leaving a family chasunah. According to a statement from the Beit Shemesh Mayor’s Office, the situation quickly escalated into chaos.

“Mayor Shmuel Greenberg was attacked by extremists as he was leaving a family celebration. His vehicle was smashed and vandalized, but the mayor and his family were rescued from the scene. The mayor’s son required medical treatment,” the statement read. “Mayor Greenberg trusts that the Israel Police will bring the lawbreakers to justice.”

The mayor’s vehicle was reportedly destroyed in the attack, and while the mayor and most of his family were safely extracted, medical attention was needed for his son.

Police in riot gear had to rescue the mayor from the out-of-control group of hundreds of violent extremists. He was forced to wear a helmet as he was rescued.

Mayor Greenberg is a member of Degel HaTorah, the political party that represents the Lithuanian Yeshiva world. This, of course, means that he is a card-carrying Charedi who actually supports the right of yeshivas to teach Torah only, without so much as a minute of the day spent on Limudei Chol (secular studies). Something the Charedi world is fighting for and willing to sacrifice for. A position with which I strongly disagree for reasons beyond the scope of this post. But it is also a position that these Charedi zealots obviously support.

Mayor Greenberg’s ‘sin’ was in his efforts to ‘support various Charedi groups in establishing schools and securing funding for programs that include secular studies’. That was a bridge too far for these zealots - a ‘sin’ worth violently protesting.

The reactions are worth noting. Arutz Sheva reported the following:

President Isaac Herzog declared: “I would like to encourage and say to you: ‘Fear not, nor be dismayed.’ You have undergone a terrible and horrible assault by thugs while performing your duty—violence that should never happen under any circumstances.”

The mayor thanked the president for his support and added: “We will continue with all our might and will not be deterred.”

The Charedi Degel HaTorah movement strongly condemned the assault, calling it “a brutal, unprecedented attack and a terrible desecration of God's name. We support Rabbi Greenberg for his activities on behalf of the city’s residents and emphasize that we will continue to assist him in his public endeavors.”

UTJ MK Yaakov Asher added: “The dangerous violence perpetrated last night by unscrupulous elements against the mayor and his family is grave and deserves the strongest condemnation. I commend the mayor for his work on behalf of the residents of Beit Shemesh and call for disputes to be conducted in the spirit of peace and dialogue. Violence and thuggery are not the way of the Torah and have no place in our camp.”

All good and well. Except for one minor little question. What will prevent these thugs from doing it again?

The answer? Nothing. They will do it again and again in pursuit of their hard core views of right and wrong.

This is not the first time I have discussed this problem. I have suggested some pretty harsh measures that the government needs to use to deter them from ever doing it again. Many times! But I don’t think any of them were ever implemented. I believe this is due to the protectionist attitude of the Charedi leadership, which tends to minimize the legal consequences. It’s almost like a “get out of jail free” card. Charedi government officials will run interference for them with law enforcement and judicial officials. That results in little to no consequences to them. They will plead for mercy on ‘humanitarian’ grounds – such as not separating a father from his family. So, at most, they will get a slap on the wrist and go home.

This cycle of violent protests followed by a ‘get out of jail free’ card has to stop. They need to pay the maximum penalty provided by law for their actions. No exceptions. No mercy.

We are long past the time for mercy. If they ever deserved it in the first place. The cruelty by which this attack was perpetrated does not argue for mercy. As the Medrash Tanchuma, on Parashas Metzora tells us:

'He who is compassionate to the cruel will ultimately become cruel to the compassionate.'

At present, they know based on past experiences that they will not face any serious repercussions. It’s time for that to change. The Charedi leadership or their representatives in government ought to be in court when these people are sentenced and argue for the maximum penalty. Which – hopefully - is serious jail time.

If it were up to me, I would take a page from the Trump administration and deport them all. Get them out of Israel! ...where they won’t be able to hurt anyone again. They can then choose to live anywhere else they please (that will have them). Iran might be a viable option for them since they will surely find kindred spirits to their religious zealotry there. Especially since they probably feel the same way about the State of Israel as the Ayatollah does.

The Elusive Achdus of Charedim and Religious Zionists

I can’t begin to count how many times I have expressed my longing for Achdus - the unity of the Jewish people. While I deeply value the life and welfare of every Jew, I also recognize that the divide between observant and non-observant Jews is often too vast to share a strong common bond. This is not to say unity is impossible or that it cannot be achieved on some level. I believe it can and must be. It should certainly be a priority to reach out to our secular brethren who are open to it.

However, the kind of Achdus I had always envisioned was among observant Jewry. This includes the entire spectrum—from the most left-wing Modern Orthodox Jews, such as graduates of YCT (Yeshivat Chovevei Torah), to the most religiously right-wing Jews of Satmar.

I have always felt that there is far more that unites us than divides us. The fact that we all observe the Mitzvos of the Torah, as we understand them, creates a shared way of life. We all observe Shabbos, keep kosher, attend synagogue, fast on Yom Kippur, eat matzah, and hold a Seder on Pesach. We all celebrate the Jewish holidays.

This commonality, I had always believed, should be the glue that binds us together. But as it turns out, much as it should—it does not. We Jews are more divided than ever. For a variety of reasons. Some legitimate and some not. Nowhere is this more evident than in our attitudes toward the Jewish state. (On that issue, I can find more common ground with non-Jews than we do with some of my fellow Jews!)

These thoughts came to mind as I read Rabbi Marc Angel’s thoughtful article on Jewish anti-Zionists, with which I completely agree. Here are some pertinent excerpts:

The emergence of the modern State of Israel is one of the wonders of world history. After nearly 2,000 years of dispersion, the Jewish people have reclaimed their historic homeland.

Israel has created a vibrant democracy. With a tiny population of around 10 million people (20% of whom are not Jewish), it has become a world leader in science, technology, medicine, and agriculture. It has developed a remarkable military to defend its citizens from intractable enemies. It is ranked among the happiest and most creative countries in the world.

Yet, amazingly, some Jews have not shared in the profound gratitude for the Jewish return to Zion. Not only have they failed to embrace Zionism, but they have been vocal and active opponents of the State of Israel.

Some Jewish anti-Zionists are found among Haredi Jews. Others are among far-left Jews who buy into the anti-Zionist preachings of the radical left. Yet others are highly idealistic Jews who focus on Israel’s real or perceived faults and do not want to be associated with them.

Although the Jewish critics of Israel are diverse, they seem to have one thing in common: They insist that the Jewish state be inhumanly perfect.

The future of Israel and the Jewish people will be secured by those who share the dream of a Jewish homeland that strives to be a “light unto the nations.” The goal is to make Israel as great as humanly possible.

For Jewish critics to demand the impossible is not only unrealistic; it is dangerous and self-destructive.

Yes, indeed. Another way to express this idea is’ through a phrase I have been hearing a lot lately: The ‘perfect’ is the enemy of the ‘good’.

The problem is that the closer one moves toward ideological extremes, the more likely they are to insist on perfection - as they define it. Which is a prescription for division.

The two largest observant communities in Israel today are the Charedim and Religious Zionists. Aside from their differing views on the Jewish state and the degree of emphasis placed on Torah study, their values are largely the same. And yet, ever since Israel’s war with Hamas, the divide between them has grown. The lack of significant Charedi participation in the IDF, while Religious Zionists bear the largest per capita share of that burden, has created a chasm that now seems unbridgeable.

Religious Zionist families are angry. And I don’t blame them. They are the ones making sacrifices It is their blood being shed on the battlefield—not Charedi blood.

Achdus? I no longer see how it is possible. And that saddens me deeply.

I know people from both camps. They are some of the finest individuals I have ever met. People with the highest ideals. People with deeply rooted Jewish values. People who are meticulous in their observance of Mitzvos. People who place enormous value on Torah study. They should be natural allies and kindred spirits. Surely, there should be Achdus among them.

But there is not. And it appears there never will be.

And there is only one reason for that: The rabbinic leadership of the Charedi world refuses to acknowledge the pain they have caused by preventing any of their young men from serving in the army.  And at the same time demanding the Yeshivas they attend be fully funded by the government and permanent exemptions from army service by their students. Even though there are some Charedim that do enlist anyway, it is  relatively rare and falls far short of the need.

And so, even with all that the two communities have in common - the chasm widens.

The Religious Nazis of Islam Must Be Destroyed

‘We shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender.’

So said Winston Churchill. When Churchill uttered these words upon the evacuation of Dunkirk, he captured the spirit of resilience and determination that is integral to great leadership. This statement is just one of many that cemented Churchill’s legacy at a time when the world was on fire. He was resolute in ensuring that the forces of good prevailed over the forces of evil. Whatever it took. That is how a great leader acts: with determination, resolved to do what is necessary to achieve his nation’s objectives. For England during World War II, those objectives were existential.

I believe that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu views Israel’s war against Islamic Jihadists in the same way and is just as determined to achieve his objectives as Churchill was.

I realize that many of Netanyahu’s critics are shaking their heads right now, unsure whether to laugh or cry at such a comparison. Some might even call it an "odious" comparison. "Netanyahu is no Churchill," they would deridingly say. And they would argue that the situations are not at all comparable.

I would not be so quick, however,  to dismiss the parallels. The aims of Nazi Germany and the religious extremists of Islam - such as Iran and their proxies, beginning with Hamas - are all genocidal. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind. Both sought, and continue to seek, the destruction of the Jewish people.

With the US bombing the Houthis, and warning Iran not to back them, there was no better time for Israel to do the following than right now. Last night, Netanyahu resumed bombing Gaza after nearly a two-month ceasefire. 

Why? Because Israel had the audacity to demand that Hamas release the remaining innocent hostages they kidnapped almost 18 months ago in exchange for Palestinians in Israeli prisons. Some of whom were convicted of terrorism or murder. Hamas refused and instead demanded that Israel proceed to the next phase of the agreement, which meant the IDF leaving Gaza altogether. 

It sickens me that the world sees this as some sort of fair negotiation between two equal parties, as though releasing innocent kidnapped hostages for convicted murderers from prison is a fair exchange. Israel should not be negotiating with Hamas. They should be obliterating them from the face of the earth. Right along with the rest of the Islamist extremists in the world.

Hundreds of people were killed by those Israeli airstrikes, all of them terrorist targets, according to Israel. Good riddance. If there were any innocent civilians among them, they have only their own leaders to blame. Israel cannot be faulted for these casualties when Hamas ensures they happen for their own propaganda purposes. Hamas will of course claim them all as innocent civilian casualties. It’s high time for the media to acknowledge that reality instead of simply repeating what Hamas tells them. 

This morning, I heard one news report stating that Hamas will now kill all the remaining hostages in retaliation for Israel’s air strike. If that, God forbid, happens, then the ‘hell’ both the President and Prime Minister promised should break loose in Gaza and commence immediately.

This time, there should be no impediment to Israel’s actions. The Trump administration has already said they will support whatever Israel decides to do. No more crying about ‘too many civilians’ being killed. If Palestinians want the killing to stop, they should appeal to Hamas to release the hostages instead of helping them - in some cases keeping them hidden in their own homes.

I am so tired of seeing Palestinians in Gaza portrayed as victims while Israel is to blame. From the UN, the progressive left in Congress, the European Union, the UN, and by students brainwashed by antisemitic teachers.. let them all squawk. I could not care less. And if Palestinians in Judea and Samaria don’t like it, they can join their brothers in Gaza for all I care. Israel does not need Hamas sympathizers within its jurisdiction.

So what might ‘hell’ look like? Flattening what remains of Gaza comes to mind. First forcibly transferring all civilians out of Gaza and then destroying every remaining building. Homes, hospitals, schools, mosques, you name it. Nothing should remain standing.

Then, once that mission is complete, the IDF should set up a perimeter and not allow anyone back in until Gaza is restored by benevolent Arab countries. (Or even Trump’s development of Gaza as a playground for the rich for all I care.)  Gaza refugees can resettle anywhere they, if their Muslim brothers in the larger Arab countries don’t abandon them. In any case it is not Israel’s problem.

Will the world scream bloody murder? Of course they will. Every liberal Democrat in Congress will demand severing ties with Israel. The ICJ will issue more arrest warrants against Netanyahu (whom they’ve already labeled a war criminal),  and of course the UN will condemn Israel. Again. (What else is new.) But as long as Trump is president and Republicans control both houses of congress, none of that matters.

Unless the hostages come home -  and soon - I see no better alternative. When an entire people wants you dead, it is not cruelty to strike them first. Expelling them from Gaza would then be an act of mercy. If Palestinians in Judea and Samaria don’t like it, they can join them. It is from their ranks that terrorists emerge. It is their leaders who reward their families for committing terrorist acts. The vast majority of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank support Hamas and its genocidal aims of erasing Israel and restoring Palestine from ‘the river to the sea’. Palestinian civilians cheered Hamas’s savagery on October 7^th. Some of them helped house hostages. They want to see us dead no less than their leaders do. I have no pity for them whatsoever. That the rest of the world is fooled by their feigned innocence is not my problem.

I used to believe you could make peace with these people. No more. You cannot make peace with religious extremists who commit savage acts or with the people who support them. Simple as that.

What about the truly innocent Palestinians who do not agree with Hamas and would love to make peace with Israel? There are not enough of them to matter. And Hamas better not find out about them, or they are dead.

If Israel has learned anything from this, it is that military might  - and the resolve to use it - is the only thing that works. And that diplomacy with Islamist Nazis will only beget tragedy. 

Can the Democratic Party Survive?

House Minority Leader, Hakeem Jeffries

Who’d a thunk it. CNN reports the following:

The Democratic Party’s favorability rating among Americans stands at a record low, according to a new CNN poll conducted by SSRS, fueled in part by dimming views from its own frustrated supporters.

Among the American public overall, the Democratic Party’s favorability rating stands at just 29%—a record low in CNN’s polling dating back to 1992 and a drop of 20 points since January 2021.

Although I am not surprised that they have lost some support, I am surprised it’s that low. The influences dominating American culture are clearly in the liberal camp. The more liberal someone is, the more likely they are to be a Democrat.

People in the entertainment industry lead the pack in terms of liberal influence. Popular celebrities have an outsized platform to pontificate their liberal point of view. Most of the time, they identify as Democrats. That should not come as a surprise to anyone who followed the last election. A variety of different celebrities from all segments of the entertainment industry came out in full force supporting the Democratic ticket. They were all over the place at the DNC convention. There were no celebrities at the RNC convention.

For young people, it is the recording industry that influences them the most. So when Drake, Eminem, Beyoncé, or Taylor Swift supports the Democratic ticket and ridicules Republicans, you better believe that has a tremendous influence on their fans.

The same thing is true for late-night talk show hosts. Whether it’s Jimmy Kimmel or Stephen Colbert, their liberal political perspective is all over their comedy monologues. To say nothing of SNL - by far the most liberal of all. All of them surely voted Democrat and not so subtly influenced their fans to do the same.

Then there is the news media, both print and electronic. Although they pretend to be even-handed, all of the mainstream versions of them are in the liberal/Democratic camp.

With all that influence, how did Democrats arrive at such a dismal favorability rating? Democratic pundits will say they were not liberal enough. Or that they don’t stand up to the Republicans in Congress enough. Or that they have no leadership. All of which may very well be true. Especially their lack of leadership. I don’t see any Democrat standing out as a possible candidate for president in the next election.

But I don’t think that’s it.

I believe the decline in the popularity of the Democratic Party is far more fundamental. It is a reaction to what has come to be known as the culture war. A decision has been made by the American people about what side of the culture war they want to be on. And it is not the side that the Democratic Party has chosen. No matter how much the above-mentioned liberal influences have tried to convince the American people to hop on board with them.

The last election tells the story. The American people voted for a man who was labeled a subversive criminal by his opposition. A man they were told would end democracy as we know it. A man with a reputation for vindictiveness against his political enemies.  A man who got Roe v Wade overturned.  A man they said would overturn decades of civil rights granted to minorities. A man who promised to pardon all people found guilty of insurrection on January 6^th (and kept his promise!)

A man who refused to include the racism of our Founding Fathers into our educational system. A man who rejected the race-based favoritism that DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion) programs represent. A man who favored the rights of religious people instead of prioritizing the rights of LGBTQ people. A man that would end gender affirming hormone treatment of minors without parental consent.

A man who saw treating illegal immigrants with kid gloves as harmful to the country. A man who rejected the disruptive tactics of pro-Hamas protesters on college campuses and actually did something about it. A man who is widely supported by law enforcement. An institution that has been given a bum rap by much of the liberal/Democratic establishment in recent years.

Liberal pundits (like CNN) will retort that it wasn’t the Democratic position on the culture war that lost them their popularity. That it is the electorate’s belief that Trump and the Republican party would improve the economy that got them elected. While that is a large part of the reason the majority of the electorate voted for them, that is not why support for Democrats has sunken to such low numbers  - well after the election. Even as Trump has disappointed much of his electorate with respect to their economic expectations.

Nope.

I really think that Trump’s slogan of Making America Great Again actually resonated with them - even as they might despise the actual MAGA logo itself. They looked back to a time before the culture war was being won by the liberal/left where the values they cherished were discarded. Values that did indeed make this country great. I believe that the majority of the American electorate wants most of those values to be restored.

I, for one, am glad to see this happen. If Democrats want a chance to regain the White House in the next presidential election, they need to do some soul-searching about which side of the culture war they want to be on. If they are smart, they will side with the people who voted Republican in the last election. Not the celebrities and mainstream media personalities whose liberal values are hardwired into their brains. 

My 2 cents.

Trump's Response to Antisemitism and Terrorism

Useful idiots: Jewish Voices for Peace (CNN)

When Jews protest the arrest of Mahmoud Khalil, a pro-Hamas agitator, it raises the question of whether calling for the genocide of Jews is considered antisemitic behavior - or instead, merely an exercise in free speech. That is, in fact, what those three presidents of top universities were trying to argue. Only now, they have Jews backing them up.

This is what the world of the left has wrought upon the Jewish people - a left that has taken over academia. Powerful anti-Jewish academic voices (under the guise of being anti-Zionist, not anti-Jewish) now hold far more influence over students and administrators than the majority of their colleagues, who have been silenced for fear of being accused of stifling free speech. And now, Jewish Voices for Peace - a group of misguided young Jews - are saying the same thing.

What makes this so insidious is that the left can claim there is no antisemitism on their side of the political aisle since so many Jews are joining them. This is why, whenever the subject comes up, they point to extremists on the right as the real danger. "How," they will rhetorically ask, "can anti-Israel protests be antisemitic if Jews are doing the protesting?"

Adding to this faulty premise is the absurd suggestion that what these Jewish anti-Israel activists are doing is actually the most Jewish thing they can do in the sense that they are standing up for the most Jewish of all values - Tikkun Olam. Which in this case means justice for Palestine.

And when the Trump administration tries to do something about it, they are the ones called out for being anti-democratic. This is how they characterize the arrest of protesters who are simply exercising their free speech rights on behalf of a student who was arrested for doing the same.

The problem with Jewish Voices for Peace is that they have no idea what being Jewish is all about. Their complete ignorance is due to the lack of any serious Jewish education, which was instead replaced by indoctrination from equally ignorant Jews in academia or from heterodox rabbis who have perverted the profane to call it holy. 

These are people who consider males engaging in homosexual sex a mitzvah if it makes them happy. People who consider Chilul Shabbos (Sabbath desecration) to be perfectly fine. People who eat ham sandwiches and pork chops regularly. People whose lives do not differ from their non-Jewish neighbors in the slightest. In short, there is nothing Jewish about them other than the fact that their males were circumcised - if that.

Jewish Voices for Peace were protesting the deportation of a man who supports Hamas, an organization that not only believes in the genocide of the Jewish people - if that’s what it takes to get back ‘their’ land from the river to the sea - but has actively tried to accomplish it from the moment they were created. Hamas considered it perfectly legitimate to achieve this goal by executing the worst atrocity to happen to the Jewish people since the Holocaust. With the promise to keep doing it until they achieve their aims. 

They continue to hold innocent hostages taken at the time keeping them under draconian conditions (aided and abetted by Palestinian civilians) using them as bargaining chips. They murdered many hostages over the course of the 16 months since the attack. The latest being two babies, choking them to death with their bare hands, as well as murdering their mother.

Mahmoud Khalil is a green card holder who supports this vilest of Palestinian groups. Jewish Voices for Peace feel he should be left alone to spew his hatred. Khalil is soft-spoken and seemed quite harmless during his arrest, adding fuel to the protesters' cry that this is nothing more than government suppression of free speech.

By identifying as Jews, Jewish Voices for Peace are implying that they speak in the name of Judaism. They want to send the message that Judaism is all about allowing people to say whatever they want about Jews - even if that includes leaving genocide open as an option to achieve their goals. Identifying themselves as Jews is nothing short of misleading the world about what Judaism actually stands for.

That is why ignorance of one’s own Judaism can be as great a danger to the welfare of our people as actual antisemitism. It places a Jewish imprimatur on the vilest of hate speech in the name of free speech - speech that can and has motivated violent attacks against us.

Frankly, I am happy to see that Khalil was arrested, and that another pro Hamas Palestinian who violated her student visa was arrested too. Hopefully they will soon be outa here! I am equally pleased that some of these Jewish protesters were arrested. And overall - I am incredibly pleased with how the Trump administration is handling antisemitism.

And while I’m at it, I could not be happier that the president decided to attack the Houthi rebels in Yemen, telling them that ‘They ain’t seen nothing yet!’ if they retaliate. They have already promised that they will. I can’t wait to see what happens next. The president also warned Iran to stop supporting the Houthis and to stop spreading terror, or they won’t like what happens to them next. It wouldn’t surprise me if that means a joint plan with Israel to attack and entirely destroy Iran’s nuclear program.

I’m glad we have a president with the courage to do the right thing. It’s about time. Now, if only his domestic policies on the economy made any sense. That would be the cherry on top. They don’t except to the overpaid union members who are the reasons their jobs were exported to foreign nations in the first place. Like Canada where it’s cheaper to make the goods once made here and are now imported from there.

Sadly, tariffs will raise the price of foreign goods. Making them more expensive than overpaying union workers to make them here. Either way prices will go up. And probably never come down. And the consumer will pay the bill.

Oh well. Can’t have everything.

We Want Moshiach... NOW!

Moshiach

Everyone Davens... and we Bait... and we Vart for Moshiach. He will only come when we Fahrtrugen ourselves. Everyone Davens... and we Bait... and we Vart for Moshiach. He will yet come... he Varts for for me and you.

So said my 4th grade Rebbe, Rav Moshe Mordechai (Oliver) Mayonayovitch in Yiddish (which he translated from the original Russo-Hungarian Pig Latin...  and then translated by me above from Yiddish into English.)  

I was reminded of these prophetic words when rummaging through the piles and piles of sacred materials in the crawl-space under my house, I happened upon an old video he gave my brother for his Bar Mitzvah. Which he promptly gave to me. Rav Mayonayovitch was a professional dancer who trained at Julliard before he became Frum. 

Longing not to forget what he learned at Julliard - he volunteered to do a dance video for the Agudah convention that took place on Rosh Chodesh Teves of 1958. He recruited his his 2nd cousin, Stanley Ketchupinsky (who, sadly, is still not yet Frum at age 136) to join him. 

After my Rebbe became Frum, he hung up his dancing shoes and became quite hardy - gaining a little weight. But he never lost his touch. Which can be seen in the video.

Unfortunately, my Rebbe and his second cousin did not receive any accolades or laurels for all the hard work they put into that video for that convention. Which is shocking considering all the talent that can be readily see in the video. The only explanation I can think of for that is that the video was played during the bathroom break in the middle of the keynote speech by then Vice-President Richard Nixon. So it never got the viewing it so richly deserved.

Obviously anyone that is even half asleep while watching it can see that this video is a magnificent display of the Torah true talent that my Rebbe and his not yet Frum 2nd cousin had. They deserve better. So I am presenting it here on this special day of joy - the day when exactly 65 years ago I had an acute attack of appendicitis and had an emergency tonsillectomy. 

Anyway here it is. Judge for yourselves,

Urging Charedim to Vote Mizrachi - Not Eretz HaKodesh

*I have been getting a lot of emails from Eretz HaKodesh urging religious Jews to vote for  them. They are the Charedi party in the current WZO (World Zionist Organization) elections. This is the second time they have encouraged participation in these elections, which, as I believe, take place every five years. Any Jew, anywhere in the world, can join and vote for the member party of their choice.

The WZO was founded by Theodor Herzl over 100 years ago to create a Jewish state and to promote the Zionist idea. It raises and distributes money to its constituent parties, which they can each use toward that goal as they see fit.

As I understand it, the funds are distributed based on the percentage of votes each party receives. This means that the party with the most votes gets the largest share of the funding.

One might find it surprising that the anti-Zionist Charedim have joined the pro-Zionist WZO. However, when it comes to the badly needed funds required to sustain their institutions and way of life, they do what they have to do - while simultaneously rejecting secular Zionism as anti-religious and illegitimate. 

Religious Zionism is considered an illegitimate handmaiden to secular Zionism. In essence, they argue that one cannot be both religious and a Zionist. 

Some rabbinic leaders opposed joining the WZO for this very reason. However, if I understand correctly, most Charedi rabbinic leaders support participation, especially this year, when government funding for their schools was cut due to the refusal of Charedim in Israel to comply with the draft.

They might even claim to be the real ‘Zionists’ in the sense that they firmly believe the Land of Israel (also called Zion) belongs to the Jewish people. Why, they might argue, shouldn’t Charedim get a slice of the Zionist pie?

Given the massive need, the Charedi world has decided that it would be foolish to pass up the money they would get via the WZO. This explains why they are making a strong push to get people to vote for Eretz HaKodesh. The last time this happened, Charedim shocked the Reform members by securing a far greater share of the vote than anyone expected. This, in turn, prompted the Reform movement to mobilize their own voters, fearing that they would lose their influence in the WZO altogether if they failed to rally their base.

I, for one, am happy to see more funding go to religious Jews. However, I did not vote for Eretz HaKodesh. I voted for the OIC Mizrachi - the Orthodox Religious Zionist party.

Even though I am a strong supporter of Israel and its governing body (regardless of the ruling party), I am not a religious Zionist. Nor am I Charedi. I tend to evaluate the issues and support the individuals who best represent my values and priorities.

I would urge all religious Jews who are motivated to vote in the WZO elections NOT to vote for Eretz HaKodesh, but rather to vote for OIC Mizrachi (Religious Zionists) for one very simple but critical reason.

It was religious Zionist Jews who provided their sons and daughters to the IDF in order to protect all Israeli Jews during more than a year of war in Gaza. (In greater percentage then even secular Israelis.)  It was their sons and daughters who shed blood. It was from their ranks that IDF soldiers were killed, maimed, or in other ways permanently damaged (both physically and psychologically) in order to defend the Jewish people of Israel. Including the protection of Charedim, who did not serve and instead spent the year studying Torah, as they always have.

I understand, appreciate, and truly respect their ethos regarding Torah study. know how desperately they need the money. Now more than ever. But this is a situation of their own making. If anyone deserves a larger share of the WZO’s resources, it is the people that made the greatest sacrifice. The people whose sons and daughters put their lives on the line for their country.

If you want to understand just how much they have contributed, visit a hospital where seriously wounded IDF soldiers are being treated. If that doesn’t motivate you to vote for OIC Mizrachi, I don’t know what will.

As I said, I am not a religious Zionist. I do not agree with everything they do. But I do have a conscience. They are the ones risking life and limb for the Jewish people. The Charedim are not.

Every religious Jew who does not vote for the Religious Zionist party and instead votes for Eretz HaKodesh diverts WZO funds away from the people that deserve it the most.

If you are Charedi, I ask you to search your soul and do the right thing.

If your community isn’t going to fight, the least you can do is support the part of the religious community that does. It’s the right thing to do.

*An earlier version of this post incorrectly stated that it was Agudah that sent me emails about voting for Eretz HaKodesh. I received an email from one of their officials informing me that this was not correct. They did not urge anyone to vote in the WZO elections and that in fact one of their Moetzes members came out publicly against it, and that some of the other Moetzes members privately agreed with him. 

Upon further review, it was Eretz HaKodesh themselves that sent me those emails. I regret the error and apologize. I have corrected the post accordingly.

Gay Students and Yeshiva University

Unrecognized gay club - should be banned from the YU campus (Commentator)

What happened to Tani Glazer was inexcusable. But so too was what precipitated it. Tani is a student at Yeshiva University who happens to be gay. There is nothing wrong with that. However, there is something wrong with an Orthodox Jewish school recognizing an organization dedicated to promoting gay pride. Which is what the YU Pride Alliance (YUPA) represents.

Tani sits on the board of YUPA, which YU correctly does not recognize as an official student club. In fact, unless they were operating without approval, I am surprised YUPA is even allowed to hold meetings on YU’s campus - let alone recruitment meetings encouraging students to join their club.

That being said, there is no excuse for what happened to Tani, as reported by his friend in YU’s student publication, the YU Commentator:

“As I was packing up to go and walking towards the exit,” Glaser mentioned in his statement to YU security after the incident, “he took another picture of me… so I said, ‘Excuse me, hi,’ then he immediately shoved me as hard as he could into the table and people around me and yelled, ‘You (gay expletive deleted),’ and continued to yell at me for being an ‘abomination,’ ‘filth,’ ‘not belonging here,’ etc., and didn’t back off.”

(Later, in a separate incident) Glaser was assaulted and subjected to hateful and vitriolic messages in front of tens of passive and subdued YU students.

Apparently, what triggered this horrible response was the following:

(His) performance in one of the YU bands, during which he donned an unmistakable green-and-gold dinosaur onesie. He also happens to be queer.

Queer. To be honest, I have never really understood how the Q in LGBTQ differs from the G. Aren’t they the same?

I guess not. I tried to look it up online and found no clear answer. As far as I can tell, the difference seems to be in how a gay person presents themselves in public. This leads me to assume that ‘queer’ may refer to someone who expresses their identity in a more colorful or flamboyant way. Perhaps like the ‘unmistakable green-and-gold dinosaur onesie’ Tani was wearing.

I understand the reaction that religious students might have to people who are openly gay. They were reacting to a public display of a lifestyle that includes behavior the Torah considers a capital offense. The last thing a religious student wants to see is his school tolerating anything remotely related to that. It would be akin to tolerating a club that openly defies Shabbos observance or another serious Torah prohibition.

I have no issue with the public repudiation of such clubs or individuals seeking to legitimize them. However, I do have a serious problem with bullying and publicly humiliating people. This is not the way to rid the school of illegitimate organizations.

The correct approach is to petition and protest to the administration, urging them to ban such organizations from campus. If they continue to operate in defiance of school policy, law enforcement should be called upon to remove them. If violations persist, charges of trespassing should be pursued.

I say this not to hurt gay people. Far from it. I accept them for who they are. I cannot count how many times I have expressed this. They must be treated with dignity and human kindness. At the same time, a Torah institution cannot allow an organization on campus that promotes pride in a lifestyle that almost certainly includes serious violations of Torah law. And certainly, such organizations should not be allowed to recruit members on campus. That would be an outrage!

By the same token, in no way should YU tolerate bullying of gay students. That, too, is a serious violation of Torah law.