Did I ever get an earful today! I can’t reveal my source but I can tell you it is someone that I trust that lives and works in a large metropolitan area with a substantial Orthodox population. Unfortunately it more than reinforces my view that there is a Jihad against Modern Orthodoxy. And this is no exaggeration. In his city there is a concerted effort to discredit all dissenters. The pressure from the Right is so strong that there is a literal fear of expressing any dissent at all. Non-Right wing rabbinic leadership is so intimidated in that community that they either agree or they simply just don’t say anything.
Orthodox organizations deemed to be on the “wrong side” of an issue are entirely boycotted, as are their rabbinic leaders. And these are leaders who are not arrogant hot heads with a chip on their shoulders, but Yirei U’Shlamim. In one case a Rav asks Shaylos of a recognized Posek when embarking on communal affairs. But he asks the “wrong Posek”. It is not a Charedi Posek. That puts him on the wrong side of the tracks and makes him a legitimate target.
And the boycott extends beyond the city. The intimidation is so strong that prominent, internationally known Ultra Orthodox speakers, who have accepted speaking engagements over the years, now must turn down invitations to return or back out after accepting because of the pressure from the Right. This was all done behind the scenes. The Orthodox public, unaware is all the poorer for it.
The Right Wing has literally declared a war against Modern Orthodoxy. Most of it is behind the scenes but occasionally it is out in the open, as was the case with the ban on Rabbi Slifkin’s books. And they are relentless.
But do they really have the high moral ground? Consider the following two incidents:
When my daughter, Sari went to Seminary in Israel it was common practice to exchange dollars for Shekels on the black market. And many Charedim did this professionally, even though it was technically illegal. (I don’t think it is illegal anymore.) My daughter just didn’t think it was right, so before she left for her years in Seminary she asked Rav Aaron Soloveichik a Shaila. His Psak was that it was absolutely Assur to do that. So for her two years in seminary she did all of her money exchanges in the bank.... which was a big pain and gave her a smaller return.
Contrast that with the following. I spoke to a Frum accountant today who told me the following story. In the course of his work he noticed that a lot of his Charedi clients cheated on their taxes. He didn’t think that was right either, so he went to the Charedi Posek in his community and tried to get him to make a Macha’ah. He was told by this Posek that he would not do that and that there are Heterim for cheating on your taxes. And this is a highly recognized and respected Charedi Posek in the Frum world.
Is this the high moral ground they are fighting for?
