Barack Obama – Friend of the Jewish People

‘You must know what you know and know what you don’t know.’ This was an oft stated principle drilled into me and all of his other students throughout the illustrious career of one of HTC’s great Roshei Yeshiva, Harav Zelig Starr, ZTL. His point was that in order to learn Torah – or anything else in life – one must be clear about the knowledge one has, clearly realize there are things he may not know, have the modesty to admit it, and only then will one begin to be successful in their learning.

This very principle was cited by one of the most brilliant writers in the Orthodox world, Rabbi Avi Shafran in an article written for Ami Magazine and republished both in the Chicago Tribune and on Cross-Currents. As I repeatedly state, although we have some areas of disagreement – more often than not I agree with his take on things. This article is one of those many times of agreement.

It bothers him – as it does me- that our President is being unfairly treated and that many of us mischaracterize his views and policies toward Israel and the Jewish people. He acknowledges that it is not only Frum Jews that have this animosity and even suggests some legitimate - and not so legitimate - reasons for it. But he considers it over the top and undeserved. Just as I do. He lists many positive things about the President that are important to the Jewish world to underscore this point.

When in the past I dared to say anything at all positive about the President I was attacked as being very naïve - at the very least - by people that usually agree with me on most other things. They would then list a litany of his Aveiros with respect to Israel in order to show just how terrible this man is. I have said it in the past - the negative attitude often expressed about him borders on the irrational.

And although Rabbi Shafran only hints at it, I will say it outright. I believe there is an element of at least latent racism in some of those people. To deny the fact that racism exists in the Jewish community is to deny reality. Let’s face it. There are some Orthodox Jews who are racist. That is not being Motzi Laz (lying). It is simply acknowledging a sad fact about some of our people that needs the disinfectant of exposure in order to irradicate it from our midst.

Among those who have responded to Rabbi Shafran are two people who I know do not have a racist bone in their bodies.

One is another brilliant Orthodox writer, Jonathan Rosenblum, who writes a rebuttal in Cross Currents and the other is an acquaintance of mine who is also quite brilliant - Yoel Lorberbaum. He wrote a rebuttal in much harsher tones than Jonathan did- chastising Rabbi Shafran for praising a President who is so clearly unfriendly to Israel. And he cites many examples to make his case. There was a rebuttal article by Rabbi Shafran and then a rebuttal to that by Mr. Lorberbaum.

While all concerned make more or less legitimate cases for their perspectives on the President, I can’t help feeling that there is an undue animosity towards the President by Rabbi Shafran’s critics. It is overkill. And it is troubling.

For the record I happen to agree with many of those who are opposed to President Obama’s policies with respect to Israel. Both of Rabbi Shafran’s opponents make valid points. But so too does Rabbi Shafran. However, I think that none of us necessarily disagree on what the best policy for Israel should be. But one must respect the view of others who disagree with us.

One of the facts of life is that differing views result in policies that can anger opponents. Even if all seek the same goals.

Let us illustrate this with President Clinton. I believe he was a true friend of the Jewish people and the Jewish State. But many view him as an enemy because of the Camp David Accords between Ehud Barak and Yassir Arafat. At best they see his efforts as a self aggrandizing attempt to do nothing more than assure his place in history. I don’t believe that for a minute. I believe he truly wanted to see peace between Israel and her neighbors.

President Clinton almost had a peace deal between Israel and the Arabs. With the benfit of 20/20 hindsight it is now quite easy to see that he was wrong. Thank God Arafat rejected it. But was it wrong of Clinton to believe that a peace treaty could produce peace and tranquilty – prosperity and ultimately friendly relationships with all the Arab nations -that he went all out to try and acheive it?

That he was wrongin his approach does not mean he did not seek the best deal he could for Israel. Clinton believed he was doing the right thing then and so did then Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak– a man whose ruling coalition was elected by a majority of the Israeli people - primarily for that purpose. That President Clinton was so clearly wrong is beside the point. He was a true friend of Israel – no less than Presidents Roanld Reagan or George W. Bush.

In my view President Obama is a good and decent man who genuinely wants to see peace in Israel. He does not have an anti-Semitic bone in his body – despite his former pastor’s
vehement anti Israel stance. One that he forcefully rejected.

That his tactics have radically departed from those of his predeccesors in tryining to achieve peace does not make him anti Israel. He’s trying something different. He wants to ingratiate himself with the Arabs so that he will have more influence with them. He has gone out of his way to do that realizing that he will be perceived as becoming less pro Israel and more pro Palestinian. And far too many of us see that as as being anti Israel. But just as Bill Clinton was not anti Israel - neither is Barack Obama

I believe the President is extremely naïve about Israel and the Arabs. I don’t think he realizes just how much hatred exists against the Jewish people by the general population of Palestinians - even those who aren’t fundamentalist. And that if they could have their way – they would eliminate Israel off the face of the earth. That’s what over 100 years of anti Israel, anti Jewish indoctrination will do to a people.

The President unfortunatly buys into the typical liberal mindset that if you just give them a state and alleviate the poverty of the masses - all will be well. He places almost no importance on the religious mindset of the Arab Muslim that believes that Israel has no validity and that the Jews have no legitimate claim to the land. He thinks that if he repeats comments about Israel’s legitimacy often enough - they will believe it. But they won’t. Religious beliefs cannot be overcome by political rhetoric.

As naïve as the President seems to be about this, I firmly believe he is as sincere as any conservative Republican about wanting peace and security for the Jewish people of Israel as well as the Palestinians. He is just mistaken as to how to go about it. But please let us not attribute nefarious motives to him with all kinds of questionable ‘proofs’.

I believe in large part that was Rabbi Shafran’s point. If we are going to be opposed to the President’s policies we have to be fair and do it for the right reasons - and certainly not unfairly bash him. Emes and Tzedek demand nothing less of us. Anything less is a disservice to both the President and to us.

As Rabbi Shafran stated from the outset, he is a life-long Republican who voted for John McCain. As did I. The irony of a right wing Orthodox Jew who is a staunch Republican writing favorable words about a Democratic President should not be lost on anyone.

Intimidating Tactics

A few days ago at the height of the storm (No... not the blizzard that New Yorkers are still suffering from but the storm against me on Matzav - where I was practically crucified by the commenters) I received a phone call from a man who identified himself as a member of a rabbinic Vaad. He had very poor command of the English language, a thick Chasidic accent and his comments to me were heavily laden with Yiddish phrases in Satmar-like Chasidic pronunciation.

Whatever my criticism of the right wing Yeshiva world is, they are light years ahead of Chasidim like this fellow in secular education and acculturation. The man was practically illiterate in the language of the country in which he was probably born - just like the vast majority of the Chasidim in his world who learn English as a second language. I don’t know it for certain but I strongly suspect he was a mainstream Satmar Chasid.

Also (and I have no way of ascertaining this) I am virtually certain that comment number 50 on the Matzav hit piece was written by the very same person. The language was almost identical. Here is an unedited excerpt:

I am very well versed with the kol koreh agaist vus iz neais.
I am a rav and I was part of a meeting which took place dec of 09 with gedoilai rabonim and roshai yeshivas .we were discussing klal things and the issue of vus is neias came up again ,( it had been discussed previous MEETINGS , THAT THIS web site has been doing this for along time ) .
The problem is that this web site has a heimishe name and attracts frum shomer shabos audience .but it post articles which have contents of loshen horah ,rechiles againt individuals and against the rabim (even thouth its comes from other news paper sources) .
Also they post articles which contain stam smutz of pedophilia and stam divrei zenis (,example if ever a jew was accused of such it went into great detail of exactly what happened, not withholding the name and all the details of such even though most of the times the cases was thrown out).
The rabonuim heard how the web site destroys erlicha yidishe homes ,business, mosdos , buy posting news ,op ed irresponsibly.
Also the comments below the articles are full of the above loshon horah, rechiles, zenis .allso comments against the emuna and laughing against mitzvahs, minhagim and so forth.

Being personally involved in the process of getting Vos Iz Neias (VIN) banned he claimed it is legitimate and not - as has been reported - the result of Rabbinic leaders being misled. Those that signed it meant every word written in the ban.

He then went about praising the Satmar activist who convinced Yeshivish – non Chasidic rabbinic leaders to sign on to the VIN ban. He claimed that this activist is a person who has dedicated his life to the serving Klal Yisroel – and has gotten things done! He gave me one example where his political clout resulted in a quick response from a politician. He had gotten an advertiser to remove an offensive and sexually explicit ad from a billboard on a road heavily traveled by Orthodox Jews.

His complaint about VIN was that they not only undermined Satmar’s political clout but that they also allowed the kind of disgusting stories he mentioned in the above Matzav comment - in all their ‘glorious’ detail. How dare VIN allow such things on a website read by the sheltered masses?! And the comments were even worse. ‘Shouldn’t such a website be banned?’ he rhetorically asked.

The man has no clue. He is still of the mindset that all dirty laundry needs to be kept private. That issues of sex abuse must absolutely be swept under the rug. In another words this Satmar type Rav is still a card carrying member of ‘the bury you head in the sand’ society -as are the rest of those Rabbanim on that Vaad. This is precisely the attitude that was illustrated in the book ‘Hush’ that ended up in tragic consequences.

During the course of the conversation he said that he heard my Talkline interview, that I was wrong, and that I should apologize. He hinted that the Vaad is considering placing a ban on my website because of my Talkline comments. I respectfully declined and shortly thereafter we finished our conversation and hung up.

Is this what Jewish leadership has come to? Mafia style intimidation tactics? Is this how rabbinic leaders operate in Satmar to get what they want? Is this how they approached those non Chasidic Yeshiva rabbinic leaders – with some sort of intimidation if they didn’t sign on?

I can’t answer that question. I can only speak of my own experience. It was not pleasant.

I have been told by informed sources that the ban on VIN is being reconsidered by some of the signers. Or that it will at least be in some way modified to better reflect reality. I have also been told that these same rabbis are strongly considering no longer signing onto anything an outsider brings them even if he has the best of reputations and intentions. That they will be severely limiting in what they will in the future be signing. I hope that’s true. But to be honest, I’ve heard it before.

While I understand the limitations of time placed on these Rabbanim who spend so much of their time serving Klal Yisroel, the fact is that those limitations are causing them to inadvertently but increasingly undermine their own authority and effectiveness. With each successive event of this kind their leadership status gets questioned by more and more of their own people.

Are we at a point where only the hard core followers will trust them anymore? Where the majority of Charedi Jewry who are moderate no longer listens to anything they say? That bans against concerts and websites are completely ignored?

I think so. At least if one judges by the success of a Lipa Schmeltzer who has not really modified his singing style from that which generated the ban. Or from the numbers of people who still frequent VIN despite the unusually condemning language! My own hit counts have actually increased because of my public defense of VIN and the criticism that was generated by it. I doubt the increase was only by modern Orthodox Jews.

I say the following with the greatest amount of respect. I say it precisely because I do believe these people are leaders despite their repeated mistakes– and that their voices should be heard.

In my view all future requests for bans should be rejected. If for example they perceive a problem with a website they should speak out. They should explain objections and the Halachic and Hashkafic issues. But in no way should they ever put their names to anything like this ever again if they want to maintain whatever credibility they have left. Perhaps by doing so they will be able to rebuild their stature as effective rabbinic leaders to even greater numbers of people.

The Truth of History

A question was asked of me by someone who identifies as Mordechai. It was in response to something I said in passing about ArtScroll. I accused them of being revisionists. What follows is his unedited verbatim response to me:

Harry, while I agree with many of the things you say, your broadside of Artscroll was uncalled for. To accuse them of historical revisionism is very inflammatory, implying that they knowingly lie! Artscroll has done yeoman's work in bringing our brethren back to Torah, and enabling Jews to discover their heritage. Yes, they are a chareidi company. So what? What you have done is character assassination and unless you can immediately back up your comments, you will have been guilty of motzie shem ra.

I have written about ArtScroll before. But it bears repeating. I believe that it is important to have a clear understanding of ArtScroll’s publishing philosophy and their attitude about the truth of history.

I agree that ArtScroll has provided a valuable service to the English speaking public. I have said so many times. I have the entire Artscroll Shas and a great many other of their publications - including their ‘Hebrew only’ publication of Rav Schwab's 'Me'ain Beis HaShoeva' on the Parshas HaShavua. I even have some of their biographical and historical books.

I agree that they put much time, effort, and money into everything they publish. But despite their major and huge achievement - it comes at a very steep price.

The truth is they do lie.

They do not of course publish deliberate lies. I do not God forbid accuse them of this. They lie by process of omission. They do not publish anything that is in any way unflattering (in their view) in the biographies of great religious historical figures.

Lying by omission is a serious error in my view and gives the reader a distorted picture of history. ArtScroll freely admit doing this. Of course they don't call it lying. ArtScroll founder and publisher, Rabbi Nosson Scherman, was asked about it in an interview a few years ago.

He said it is because ArtScroll isn't interested in giving a full historical account of a person's life. They are only interested in reporting that part of a person’s life that portrays him (or her) in ways that will inspire the reader.

How, he asks asks, does saying something (Charedim consider) negative do that? Besides - exposing something (they consider) negative might hurt the surviving family. He said there is absolutely no benefit in knowing unflattering truths of history anyway... What is gained by it?

This is why Rav Nosson Kaminetsky's Making of a Gadol got banned. He told the truth. Some of it was not flattering (in the view of Charedim). They apparently hold that you're not allowed to say the things he said about Gedolim of the past even if they are true.

Obviously most of us with a decent secular education who seek Emes - myself included - insist in knowing the truth of history. We feel very differently than Rabbi Scherman and the Charedi world does.

First - we don't consider many of the things they say are flaws – as flaws. For example a Gadol having a university degree or having read classic secular literature is a plus. Not a flaw.

And even those things which might be negative have a value in being reported. It shows that those Gedolim were indeed human beings and not living gods. In some cases it also shows how they overcame personal challenges to become the great Torah figures they were.

The book of Genesis is full of exactly that about our patriarchs - the Avos. Is ArtScroll holier than the Torah? Are the Gedolim they write about holier than the Avos? How does being born in complete perfection -holy from the womb - inspire people who are not born holy? As are the rest of us?

This is the problem with ArtScroll. And it is a dangerous problem because of their wide spread distribution in all segments of Jewry – especially in the entirety of the Orthodox world. ArtScroll is blowing away most of the competition. Wide distribution assures that it will become the accepted version of history to great numbers of people. Especially in Charedi circles where many avoid reading material that does not have rabbinic approbation.

Omitting important historical facts because you don’t like them is revisionist and dangerous. It unfairly indoctrinates the reader to a specific Hashkafa in subtle ways that are imperceptible to him. For example if their Hashkafa frowns on reading secular literature, they may omit the fact that a Gadol did so in his biography thus perpetuating a myth that their Gedolim have always been opposed to it.

What is taught and what is learned - is a lie. One that may ultimately come back to haunt them - if their readers ever become aware of the missing pieces of truth.

Nudity in Art – is it Tznius?

It is truly amazing how far we have fallen in our day. Especially when it comes to matter of Tznius. I am not speaking of how un-tznius some people might be in their manner of dress. While that is true in some cases the reverse is even more than true in right wing circles. I need not go again into detail about the obsession with separate seating at weddings or other gatherings that exists today. I’ve written about that so many times - my fingers are sore.

I am talking about the trend to eliminate pictures of women in right wing publications. It was not that long ago that pictures of women did not even rate a second thought. They were simply matter of fact additions to stories and news reports about various people.

But what has happened in our day in the world of the right - is that images of the most Tznius of women are now taboo for publication. Even if they are wearing a Burka! Even a picture of a female hand is off limits! If there is a story about a woman in the news it will probably contain a picture of her husband instead of her.

In my view - this is yet another illustration of the influence of Chasidim in our world today. The right wing Yeshiva world has quickly followed suit in fear of being out Frummed by the Chasidim. Women are no longer seen in any Charedi publication – Chasidish or not. Nor can they be seated on a Dais at a Charedi banquet. If an award is given to a couple – the husband accepts it on behalf of both of them. The wife will typically receive a bouquet of flowers behind a Mechitza completely out of the view of the men. And in all Charedi circles - women are never allowed to publicly address men – anywhere! Not even Divrei Torah.

I’m sorry. This is Tznius gone berserk! It is one thing to dress modestly in public. Halacha demands that. But the extremes that we now go to are beyond ridiculous and end up making a mockery of normalcy. Women need not disappear off the face of the earth just to maintain Chasidic standards of modesty. Women can – and even should - be seen and heard when their words or presence is appropriate – just like men.

A woman’s form was not always considered taboo. In fact even semi naked images of women were not always considered taboo as was recently illustrated quite clearly on the Seforim blog. There you will find a scan of the well known ‘coat of arms’ of the priestly Rappaport family -although it is not the one usually seen.

You will note that the images on both sides of that shield are of women that are naked from the waist up. We are not talking about some sort of pornographic parody of that coat of arms. We are talking about an actual coat of arms image - circa 1594.

As we move forward in time that reproduced image has been morphed into various different incarnations to ‘cover-up’ the female nudity. But isn’t it interesting that when it came to art even great historical figures who were certainly religious thought nothing of putting such artwork even on familial symbols?

Compare that to today’s obsession with putting even the most Tznius photo of a woman in a Charedi publication.

The move to the right began centuries ago it seems. And the historical revisionism of an ArtScroll took place then too. The thinking was very ArtScroll like: We can't go around besmirching the Rappaport family with images like this despite their truth. So the cover-up began both literally and figuratively.

I guess what goes around comes around. In moving to the right - we are merely repeating history - in part by deleting it.

The Blessings of Talkback

One of the more rational arguments against reading or making comments (he calls them talkbacks) on news websites or blogs was made by Rabbi Shlomo Aviner (pictured) in a Ynet article. I in fact agree with much of what he said. But not entirely.

Rabbi Aviner is a prominent religious Zionist Rabbinic leader with whom I have disagreed on some issues. Sometimes strongly. Nonetheless I find him most often to be one of the more sane and rational individuals of his stature - even when I disagree with him.

One can readily see why I like this man. He does not Paskin in matters like this. He merely advises. And that is something I wish all those who have come out with bans for anything and everything would have done. It would have in my view eliminated much of the controversy that now surrounds them – and those who have publicly questioned any of those bans.

In this case I see his point about what commenting on websites can lead to. He is right. It does. I see it every day. Here is what he said in response to whether one should read the comments to even a ‘Kosher’ article:

The rabbi's response: "No, due to major fears that it would lead to 'lashon hara' (gossip, slander), humiliation and valueless time consumption".

"Talkbacks can bring many blessings, but for the most part we see that they have many negative sides which means it isn't worth it in the long run,"

In his opinion, the ability to respond to articles and publications and to hold debates should have promoted "clarification and reformation of ideas and opinions" which is why "it could have been a wonderful thing", but instead it is used for diatribes and gossip under assumed identities which the Torah sees as "cursed be he that smiteth his neighbor secretly ".

"I can't tell the person who asked me the question to look at the talkbacks in a critical light, read only the positive ones, it doesn't work that way. A person can get swept away by the talkbacks…

How can anyone argue with this? His point about anonymity giving license to all manner insult and debasement is exactly right. I have in the past contemplated only approving comments when real identities are given.

I would have done so long ago but I do understand the need for anonymity in some cases. Since I have no way of really knowing whose reason for using an alias are legitimate or just an excuse to be as disgusting as possible to another human being, I have no choice but to allow anonymous comments. I only ask that a suitable alias be used.

Here is where I part company with Rav Aviner. If one moderates comments one can eliminate the truly vile ones. I do this every day. But I refuse to publish only fluff or those comments that agree with me. That would be counter productive. As Rav Aviner points out, in theory counter arguments could be a valuable tool in finding the truth. He even calls it a blessing!

That’s why I encourage those who disagree with me to do so – and explain why. We can debate an issue. Either one of us will sway the other with their arguments; or we will come to a meeting of the minds; or we will maintain our original positions. The point is that all sides get a fair hearing. At least that is my goal.

But that is not all my commenting policy is about. I encourage those who feel strongly about any issue I deal with to be passionate in either support or disagreement with me. If one feels strongly about an issue. One should be able to have a place to vent!

Emes Ve-Emunah is that place. My only requirement is that it not be insulting or denigrating to those with whom they disagree.

I will admit that the line between insult and passion is sometimes hard to draw. And I sometimes err in that regard. But hopefully more often than not the comments fulfill my desire to keep the discussion civil and on a higher plane – whether it is in debating an issue or just plain venting about it.

I realize that there are many who read this blog and its comments and would strongly disagree with me. They in fact repeatedly say so. But I think a fair reading of the comments will result in the realization that most of the time it is passion rather than insult that is happening. And without passion there is no venting.

I guess the bottom line for me is that if there are blogs that freely allow major denigration of others, Rav Aviner’s advice is a good policy to follow. But if a blog or news website moderates their comments properly it is not only safe to read them - it is actually a positive thing to do.

Turning Kids On to Judaism

I have just returned from another amazing and inspirational weekend at the annual conclave of NCSY of the Midwest.

It never fails to inspire me. And once again I was duly inspired. The Havdalah ceremony - that has become a cliché to those ‘in the know’ was nonetheless the most inspirational moment of the event. As it always is.

That’s because young teenagers from public school were all involved in the moment. You could see that spark of Judaism in their faces. Both the boys and the girls. The swaying, singing and dancing was as sincere and ‘Frum’ as one can get! If only those of us who are born into religious families could have the kind of inspiration these young people had. Truly a sight to behold.

The wonderful work done by NCSY is something that goes mostly unnoticed by the right wing world. To the extent that it is noticed at all it is either given mild approval by some while others actually condemn it. That’s right. There are people who condemn NCSY.

How is that possible – one might ask? Well if one were to walk into the hotel where this was taking place without knowing what was going on, one would see a lot of interaction between boys wearing Kipot and girls. One would also see modes of dress that would not be considered appropriate for religious Jews.

When one considers the great lengths the right wing goes to in separation of the sexes, such a sight might bring derision if not outright condemnation of what takes place there. I have even heard that there are some Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshiva that forbid any Frum advisor from participating at such an event. Certainly not anyone from their Yeshivos.

If they had their way - it would mean no role models for those public school youngsters.

In fact Rabbi A. Y. Weinberg who developed the Midwest region of NCSY into a powerhouse of outreach once told me that his father – an esteemed Rosh Yeshiva - refused to set foot into his son’s organization because of the mixed setting.

There was an advisor there this weekend who related a similar story from one of his Rebbeim. He was told it is Assur to become involved with NCSY unless one was married!

How sad it is that there is such a myopic views of NCSY among some Rabbanim of the right. If it were up to them, NCSY as it currently operates would probably cease to exist. And who knows how many Jews would lose the opportunity to experience what those kids did at the conclave last Motzoei Shabbos. They might be lost forever. By their attitudes these Rabbanim would deny many of these kids an experience of a lifetime! One that has proven time and again to be the spark that sets many of them off to examine what Judaism is truly all about.

What about all the socializing between the boys and girls that takes place? Is that OK for the purposes of Kiruv? How can we allow a scenario with such high potential for Aveiros to be the breeding ground for observance? The answer is really simple for me at least. No one tells them to do Aveiros. And every attempt at keeping the socializing to a bare minimum takes place. And to tell a public school teenage girl that her skirt is too short after she has made the attempt to show up and see what it’s all about is a sure way never to see her again.

Lest anyone think NCSY operates without any Halachic input – I should clearly state that they not only have a Posek to whom every conceivable Shaila is aksed - but that the Posek is a very Charedi one. He would cease and desist from any involvement with the organization if they were doing anything wrong. He knows every detail of what goes on there and heartily approves.

How do I know? Because I have spoken to him about it. He says that those who criticize NCSY would be surprised at how many Frum people who are members of their own Charedi community have themselves become Frum because of this organization. Some of those families now have children sitting in Kollel both here and in Israel. Entire worlds can be built from just one person. The literally hundreds if not thousands or Frum families that NCSY is directly responsible for - are building many, many worlds! How dare anyone criticize what they do!

One should not think that this organization produces cookie cutter Jews either. The entire spectrum of observant Judaism has NCSY ‘graduates’ in it. That is the beauty of NCSY. They do not sell a ‘brand’ of Judaism. They simply sell observance. One can then find their own niche. And NCSY will help them find it. It may be modern Orthodox, Charedi, or even Chasidic.

I met two twin brothers at this event. They are currently attending Chicagoland Jewish High School. This is a school that is affiliated with the Conservative Movement. But you would never know that by how they look or how they act. They are fully committed to Orthodoxy and it shows. Surly we can attribute their growth – at least in major part - to NCSY.

They searched for Emes and found it there. And it is there that they have become the poster children for what NCSY can accomplish. If not for NCSY who knows what path they would have taken in their search for Emes. Multiply that many times over for teenagers from every kind of Jewish background – or lack thereof - and you will understand what NCSY does – and has been doing successfully for decades.

I know this may sound like a paid ad for NCSY. It is not. No one told me to write anything. And I am certainly not being paid. But whenever I experience what I did over the last weekend – I am motivated to express my thoughts. That is what Emes and my Emunah has led me to do today.

The Chicago Cubs and Torah Leadership

Guest Post by Rabbi Mordechai Finkel

Steve Bartman is an innocent man. He did nothing wrong and that was later conceded by Moises Alou the man who was most affected by what happened on that fateful day. Any fan who sees a foul ball coming at him will instinctively reach out and try to catch it. Rabbi Finkel's post is not meant to castigate him but rather to compare the Chicago Cubs that year to today's rabbinic leadership. While I wish he had used another example - the reaction of the public at the time is pretty much the way Rabbi Finkel describes it. With that in mind I present his guest post. - HM

How many Cubs fans will ever forget being at the cusp of clinching the National League Championship in 2003? They were leading the Giants 3-0 with only five outs to go in the game. A simple pop fly along the left field line became the turning point in the game. One Cubs fan, Steve Bartman, swooped in and tried to catch the ball instead of Moises Alou. By the time the Cubs managed to get the next two outs the score was 8-3.

While the Cubs players had solid reputations, excellent credentials, and the necessary team spirit, that is not what people remember them for. People remember this team as people who failed in the clutch. At the very time where their leadership and dominance was supposed to shine they choked, and gave the game away after a fan interfered with a catchable foul ball. Legendary broadcaster, the late Ron Santo, said it best, “I guess it’s true when they say that the Cubs are loveable losers!”

It is true that the present day Roshei Yeshiva are respected by most of the students in their respective yeshivos, but to be a Torah leader they must be able to shine in the clutch, when the game is on the line.

It’s easy to be a Rosh Yeshiva when the question posed to you is, “What Bracha to make on Corn Flakes?” If a Rosh Yeshiva fails to lead by defending and enabling Jewish criminals instead of the aggrieved party – often reflecting a situation when a person’s Yiddishkeit is on the line - it’s time we as a community reassesses whether such a Rosh Yeshiva can be considered a Torah leader.

Allowing the outside influences on to the field of play to interfere with professionals is a sign of a monumental collapse. Money and power should have absolutely no bearing whatsoever in the decision of Torah law. By abrogating their responsibilities of leadership and allowing pride or other considerations to sway their judgment Torah leadership is essentially saying, "We are Roshei Yeshiva but true leaders we aren't".

An Apology for a ‘Gift’ that Keeps on Giving

A few weeks ago my wife and I were involved in a court case that appeared on the People’s Court television program. We went before judge Millian suing a dry cleaner for damages to a Shaitel in the amount of $3000. Our intentions were good. We thought by going on the show and both sides being paid for appearing - it would be a win/win for both of us. Any judgement that would come our way would come out of the fee paid to the defendants for their appearance.

We did not lie about our damages. The wig in question was indeed ruined by them. The receipt for it was legitimate. But to our great dismay the judge somehow determined that we were lying and that the receipt we presented to the judge was in reality the receipt for its replacement.

We were surprised at the verdict and the accusation but we thought – that’s TV and made no attempt to show our innocence outside the courtroom.

What we did not realize at the time is the massive Chilul HaShem that the case as presented causes the Jewish people. And we strongly regret the part we played in it. We erred in several respects. We should never have taken this case to TV. How much we pay for wigs is not something we should be advertising on TV as it misrepresents our values to the world. We further regret our reactions after the verdict to the reporter. We should have done more to explain our innocence. Instead we look as guilty as the judge made us sound - thus further exacerbating the Chilul HaShem. After watching our performance I am embarrassed and fully understand the reaction of many of my peers.

It was indeed a Chilul HaShem and that rises far above our protestations of innocence. I realize the damage we have inadvertently done to the Jewish people. And we are profoundly sorry. I can’t change what happened or the terrible fallout. But I hope our contrition in this matter in some way leads to a better understanding of what happened and leads to a modicum of forgiveness for so seriously embarrassing the Jewish people.

Heidi and Mendy Hershkowitz

What a wonderful apology. There’s only one problem with it. It isn’t true. It never happened. How do I know? Because I just made it up.

Had they written anything remotely close to it I might have a different attitude towards them. But they have not even issued the slightest apology for their part in one of the biggest Chilul HaShems in recent history.

Rabbi Yaakov Menken has decided to take me to task for not being Dan L’Kaf Zechus to the Herhshkowitzes. He feels that based on Rabbi Yair Hoffman’s research we must be Dan L’Kaf Zechus. And that I owe them an apology for my strident attacks against them. He then cites my offer to apologize if they were proven innocent. He awaits my apology, he says.

Well they haven’t been proven innocent. I still await that proof. The only thing that has been proven is the plausibility of an alternative scenario that would support their innocence. But that is not enough in my view to ameliorate the Chilul HaShem they caused – inadvertently or otherwise. The video as presented demands greater evidence of their innocence than a mere plausible explanation.

The harm caused by that video is immeasurable. It has already been seen by millions of people and has the potential of being seen by millions more. It will no doubt be used by every Neo-Nazi group as proof of their claims about us. It portrays the worst stereotypical image of Jewish people as crooks who are out to cheat non Jews whenever they can. And Rabbi Mencken wants me to apologize?!

I will admit that I was a bit harsh in my initial speculation about what this couple was thinking. But whether that is true about them or not - it is not a stretch to believe it about some of our people. At least one Posek has privately told countless numbers of religious Jews that it is Halachicly permissible to steal from Goyim – despite the clear Issur in the Shulchan Aruch against it!

If this couple would have publicly expressed their contrition about this event in a letter like the one I wrote, I might feel more charitable toward them and perhaps give them the benefit of the doubt. But as of yet – nothing!

If I were Rabbi Menken I would rethink my position on this matter because right now he seems more concerned about my apology to the Herhskowitzes than he does about the Chilul HaShem they caused. And because it is on YouTube – it is a Chilul HaShem that keeps on giving!

Talkline Tonight with Zev Brenner

Check out Zev Brenner's interview of yours truly tonight (in the New York area onWMCA 570 AM) . I am scheduled to be on at midnight CST (1:00AM EST). The subject is the Vos Iz Neias ban. You can listen to the program at Talkline's website.

How Did We Get Here?

The banning Vos Iz Neias (VIN) leaves open some huge questions. Why did it happen? How is it possible that people who are considered Gedolei HaDor by so many Orthodox Jews can be fooled so easily and so often?

Let me be clear. These Rabbanim are great human beings. They are Moser Nefesh for Yiddishkeit. I know this for a fact in certain cases. No one should take that away from them. That they err is that they are human.

Nonetheless they are often vilified because of their mistakes. This is unfair. I can’t emphasize this enough. Those rabbis did not reach the pinnacle of their profession by being mediocre, uncaring, or by chance. They mostly earned it. Although in some cases Yichus helped push them into the limelight, that is not what kept them there. It was dedication and hard work.

I have in the past written about what makes someone a Gadol. It is a complex issue that remains in flux and I don’t want to reiterate it here. The point is when someone does reach this level of recognition by his peers and his constituents he should be considered a leader even if one disagrees with him.

But what is it that makes such a leaders o vulnerable to mistakes like this? I can’t definitively answer that - but here are some of my thoughts.

I believe that there are a couple of factors that created the problem and continue to impact upon each other to exacerbate it. The two factors at play are the influence of Chasidism and the move to the right. I believe that virtually every event that has had a negative impact on us over the last few years is related to this.

I want to make clear that I do not disparage Chasidus or Chasidim in any way. They are large and legitimate segment of observant Jewry with enviable assets. Their attention to the details of Mitzvos is unassailable. Their concept of serving God in joy and their Gemilas Chasodim - acts of kindness to fellow Jews of all stripes - is legendary.

My quibble with Chasidus is philosophical and theological. But that should not be mistaken for a lack of respecting them. As it pertains to observant Judaism - Chasidim are my brothers just like members of the left are my brothers and I love them with my full heart.

That said - here’s what I think happened.

In about the middle of the last century there was a mass influx into America and other western cultures of Holocaust survivors – mostly Chasidic Jews. They brought with them all the trappings and practices of Chasidus from in Europe. Unlike Europe where Chasidim and Yeshivishe Lithuanian Jews were for the most part geographically separated(there were exceptions) - in melting pot America there was an integration of the two worlds. Nonetheless Chasidim retained their own culture and way of life. Their customs – many of which are Chumros were very prominent and obvious to the Lithuanian Roshei Yeshiva whose communities never had those Chumros.

I believe that the Lithuanian Yeshiva world saw those Chumros and feared being accused of not being Frum enough. So they incorporated some of them into their own world. The following anecdote will demonstrate.

In about 1960 Telshe Yeshiva ‘s branch in Chicago opened up. They immediately established fundraising banquets. Those banquets had mixed seating – men and women at the same tables. This was nothing new for them since weddings were mixed in Lithuania too. In fact in late 40s – early 50s there is photographic evidence of the Lithuanian Gedolei HaDor of that era – men like R’ Moshe Feinstein and R’ Yaakov Kaminetsky sitting proudly with their wives at weddings.

Chasidm would never contenance any such scenario. So when Rav Zvi Hirsch Meisels (the Veitznier Rebbe) opened up a day school in about 1962 his banquets men and women were separately seated. Not to be outdone Telshe started having separate seating at their banquets. The thinking was explained to me back then by one of the Telzer Talmidim. Telshe was not about to be ‘shown up’ as not being as frum as Chasidim.

I believe this mentality has taken hold and is what drove - and still drives - many of the Chumros adopted by the Yeshiva wolrd. The homogenization of Chasdim and the Lithuanian Yeshiva world is in part the cause of the move to the right. That has also caused another Chasidic idea to creep into the yeshiva world. Roshei Yeshiva are now looked at in ways similar to a Chasidic Rebbe. Certainly those that are considered Gedolei HaDor.

And since appearance is so important to the Chasdic world appearance has become more important in the Yeshiva world. The more religious one looks, the more one is given respect and trust. If one looks Frum he must be Frum. A man with a long beard who wears a frock (Kapote or Bekeshe) will almost always be trusted. After all why would anyone want to look so different religiously if they weren’t truly religious. Thus - psychologically- they are granted a credibility they haven’t really earned simply because of their appearance.

Now it’s true that this is not automatic. There have always been evil people disguised as righteous people - wearing ‘the look’. But without any information to the contrary, I believe such people are generally given more credence by the right wing then those of us who look more modern. And if any such person is perceived in any way to be a community leader among his own – that pretty much gives him a free pass to make just about any claim he wants and not be questioned.

All of this is subliminal. It is an unconscious process of Chumraization based in part on a Chasidic infux into an America that does not have cultural boundaries. That is changing somewhat. Chasidim now have their own schools and live in places like Kiryas Joel that is virtually 100% Satmar. But the cat is out of the bag. Their presence in such close proximity in the mid to late 20th century has taken its toll. Intermingling with the Lithuanian world strongly influenced the Lithuanians to the right.

How does that impact on what happened with VIN? When a Chasidic Jew who is a respected member of that world with a claim comes before a religious leader of even Lithuanian heritage – he is going to be believed. There will be little if any skepticism about his veracity. And the ‘move to the right’ zeitgeist adds to the urgency of any claim.

Today when everyone is constantly looking over their right shoulder - when a religious looking Jew makes an accusation, it is pounced upon – God forbid any of his claims are allowed to continue even for a moment!

I think much of the same type thinking is in part the reason that Sholom Rubashkin has become such a ‘cause celeb’ in right wing circles. He is a Jew with a long beard and a big black Yarmulke. He is a kindred spirit – one of our own.

It’s probably true that they would have done the same for a modern Orthodox Jew. But I truly believe that the fact that he looks so Frum gives them an extra sense of outrage and urgency.

These are some of my thoughts. Is it so? I don’t know but from my perspective on history – it sure seems like a decent theory.

Fool Me Once…

There is a popular saying that goes something like this: Fool me once – Shame on you! Fool me twice… Shame on me!

Another sad chapter has just been written in the book of Orthodox Jewry.

Yesterday, out of the blue a ban against a website was published in a Yiddish language newspaper. The ban was immediately put on the internet and it spread like wildfire. It was not against some website that disparages rabbinic leadership or promotes heretical thinking. It was against one of the finest Charedi oriented news websites on the internet: Vos Iz Neias (VIN)

I am a frequent visitor there and occasionally use it as a source for some of my posts. It has been around for quite some time – long before I even knew what a blog was. I find their approach to news reporting to be fair and balanced (I know that phrase has become a cliché but it fits). I also find their occasional editorials to be the same – whether I agreed or disagreed.

Yesterday the most vicious attack imaginable was made against this website in a document signed by a virtual who’s who of Charedi rabbinic leadership. When I first read it, I was in a state of shock. The accusations made by this document had absolutely nothing to do with anything I ever saw at VIN. While I do not read every article or every comment, I do read it enough to know that the kinds of things they were accused of just did not happen there. Here – in part is a translation of the Hebrew from Hirhurim:

Satan has found a way, that a site exists on the Internet known as “Vos Is Naiz”, as if it were founded only to spread news of the Jewish world; yet it contains a hidden ambush — as with the news, it includes stories and events of the corrupt, abominable, and lowly; full of contamination, filth, foul language; slander, gossip, and degrading of Torah scholars; it also prints libels and slander regarding Torah individuals and organizations. Similarly the comments written there are filled with adultery and slander, and increase fights in Israel, putting everyone’s dirty laundry in public. It also writes against officers and politicians under whose favor we live, to ruin their reputation; the disgrace of G-d’s name is immense and mighty.

We are pained the the owner of this website operates in the darkness, and violates “Cursed is he who strikes his friend secretly”; we are pained that we don’t know who this individual is that we could warn him, push him away, or chase him to decimation; as our holy Torah deems appropriate for those who cause the public to fall to sin; it is obvious that the obligation rests on anyone who knows to come to a rabbinic court and make this known, just as the Torah states, “should he not testify, he shall bear his terrible sin.”

We have thus come to make clear our opinion, that of the holy Torah as we see it:

IT IS A SERIOUS PROHIBITION TO GIVE ANY ADVERTISEMENT OR OTHERWISE WORK WITH THESE PEOPLE, AS THIS ENABLES THE WICKED AND ASSISTS EVILDOERS, THUS REINFORCING THEIR FILTHY ACTIONS; SO TOO, DO NOT BUY FROM ANY ADVERTISERS THERE.
There is no other way to put it. This is a vile document. The accusations are clearly lies. Vicious ones! One would think that anyone who speaks for Torah in any capacity would never affix his signature to such a document without a complete and thorough investigation of the facts. Especially those who are considered by many to be the Gedolei HaDor. And yet if one examines the names that signed on to this piece of garbage one will see some of the biggest names in the Charedi world. Here is a partial list (taken from Hirhurim):

R. Yaakov Perlow, Novominsker Rebbe
R. Shmuel Kamenetsky, Rosh Yeshiva of Philadelphia Yeshiva
R. Malkiel Kotler, Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood
R. Aharon Schechter, Rosh Yeshiva of Chaim Berlin
R. Matisyahu Solomon, Mashgiach of Lakewood
R. David Shustal, Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood
R. Yerucham Olshin, Rosh Yeshiva of Lakewood

I have been in touch with a few sources who are familiar with the background to this story and have found out the following.

These rabbis were duped by an Askan (a ‘religious’ community activist) of questionable repute. He approached some or all of them with his accusations about VIN. They trusted him and OK’d the use of their names on a document banning VIN. That was the sum and substance of what happened.

Why did this Askan do it? Because one of his communal oxen was gored. He is a member of Satmar who had many favors done for them by a particular politician. VIN had published a series of negative articles about him and this Askan was afraid of doing him damage and thus losing Satmar's political clout.

That agenda driven evil-doers like this exist is a sad fact of reality. But that great rabbis (…and they are great rabbis!) can be so easily and so often manipulated is both shocking and eye opening.

Not that even greater rabbis haven’t been duped before. They have. Rav Nosson Kaminetsky was vilified to Rav Elyashiv by such people. As was Rabbi Natan Slifkin.

That was shocking at the time. But that it keeps happening is what so strongly troubles me. One may recall that a couple of years ago a charity concert to be given by popular Jewish singer Lipa Schmeltzer was banned and then canceled because of the very same type of thing. An Askan with an agenda duped some of these very same Rabbonim. When Rav Shmuel Kaminetsky later found out he was duped – to his great credit – he publicly admitted it and apologized.

But now once again his name appears on a ban that he was duped into approving. I have nothing but the greatest respect for the rabbinic leaders whose names appear on the ban (the ones that I recognize). But I have no choice but to question their decision here. They have unwittingly participated in besmirching an innocent man – the owner of the VIN website! They of course did not do so on purpose. They never would. That cannot be denied. But by their actions - an innocent man was hurt!

What makes this even worse is it takes away from their credibility as rabbinic leaders. Even though I occasionally disagree with their pronouncements based on my own understanding of an issue (usually coupled by reliance on the views of other rabbinic leaders) I nevertheless considered their views to be the result of what they call Daas Torah. To me that means that they do their due diligence in finding out the truth about matters upon which they comment and use their vast knowledge of Torah to respond properly.

I now question that. I don’t question their Torah knowledge or sincerity. I’m sure that Torah drives every single action they do and every statement they make. But I no longer believe that due diligence is always done. And that casts doubt on every single decision they make.

If this were the first time something like this happened, I would give them the benefit of the doubt. Anyone - no matter how great - can be fooled once. But… it keeps happening! And look at the names included here!

Church and State in Israel

I don’t know who Dov Halbertal is but I really like him. Or at least what he said and how he thinks. Mr. Halbertal has written an op-ed in Ha’aretz that could have been written by me – almost verbatim. He argues that the State of Israel should consider separating politics from religion and adopt the first amendment to the American Constitution:

Congress (in this case the Knesset) shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

Among the reasons he gave for separation of ‘church and state’ are the following:

I don't believe anyone has to pay for my beliefs. It's not ethical that the secular public finances yeshiva students and the high birth rate among the ultra-Orthodox. There is nothing more infuriating to secular Israelis than to be spit in the face after they've given the ultra-Orthodox a generous sum of money. The ultra-Orthodox oppose the values of a secular society - Zionism, creativity, army conscription, sexual equality and more. However, they have no qualms about demanding and receiving money from this society, thereby intensifying public animosity toward them.

Let's be honest with ourselves. There is no reason the secular public should finance those who show contempt for its values. The solution I propose will benefit religion more than the state. I don't want to be part of a society that uses coercion. I don't want to be part of a society in which there is incitement to racism, and I don't want to be part of an ungrateful religious society.

Mr. Halbertal is not the first one to suggest this and will probably not be the last. What makes this somewhat unique is his self identification as ultra Orthodox (or Charedi). One might ask how a Charedi Jew could possibly counter the wishes of the religious leadership in Israel. The answer is something I have been saying for some time now. This man is a moderate. He is the kind of Charedi Jew that represents the majority of Charedim in the world.

I have often said that this type of Charedi is the wave of the future. But I was mainly thinking about the United States. In Israel where extremist ideologies are more common, I did not think there were significant numbers of Charedim who would qualify as moderate. And even if there were - they would never express their views in such a public way. Least of all in a newspaper like Ha’artez that many have called anti religious - more times than I can count.

The repercussions of expressing such views are dealt with pretty swiftly by the extremist Charedi establishment. The swift condemnation of a Charedi Knesset member from the Shas party for similar public comments demonstrates just how quickly and how severely people with dissenting views are marginalized. If one wants to remain a member in good standing of the Charedi world one does not air such views in public.

But Mr. Halbertal was not deterred. He has spoken the truth as he sees it. And I agree with him. The question is how quick will be the condemning response to his op-ed.

I certainly understand the right wing Charedi attitude about such things. They need the money more now than ever. And the power they have managed to achieve in recent years assures that they will get maximum financial support for their way of life. If I had that kind of power I would be just as quick to condemn anything that would undermine it. They consider financial aid from the government to be a lifeline for their very existence. They therefore consider undermining government financial aid tantamount to undermining Judaism itself. So I don’t blame them for their quick and harsh response - should it come.

For the record, I don’t think there is going to be a separation of church and state in Israel any time soon – if ever. The stakes are too high and Charedi leadership is too strong for that to happen. And they getting stronger all the time.

But at least voices of sanity are beginning to emerge from that quarter. The more the merrier. You never know...

A Challenge to Chabad

There is a ‘coincidental’ article on another Lubavitch website (there are so many it’s hard to keep track of all of them). It touts the success of Chabad’s Ohelei Torah’s program of ‘Chavruta’ study in Yeshiva University.

They claim it is successful from both the perspective of Chabad and YU.

In addition to the troubling aspects of this program that I rasied in yesterday’s post this one has some additional ones. They may seem like minor points but I don’t think they are so minor if you consider what I believe to be their goal: the spreading Chabad Chasidus to every segment of Jewish people.

First - there is the use of the Sephardic pronunciation of the Hebrew word Chavruta (study partner) instead of the Ashkenazic pronunciation Chavrusa which is their normal dialect. Many modern Orthodox Jews like those in YU are religious Zionists and prefer the Sephardic dialect since it is the one used in Israel.

Second - their mention of the famous friendship between Rav Soloveitchk and the Lubavitcher Rebbe that was displayed and filmed in its full glory when the Rav visited the Rebbe upon the 30th anniversary celebration of the Rebbe’s assumption of leadership in Chabad.

I believe that this project is designed to woo over to Chabad those who are vulnerable to their beckoning call because of their open minded Hashkafos.

Remember – this is a Chabad website that is ostensibly is speaking to other members of Chabad, Why mention Rav Soloveitchik? And why use the Sephardic pronunciation of the Hebrew words in their text? It is seems obvious to me that it is aimed at their YU Kiruv targets. They know those sites will be checked out.

From the article:

According to Meir Dubrawsky, who serves as the student coordinator for the Ohelei Torah side of the initiative, the sessions reflect the unifying power of Torah study across the Jewish world. “When we come together to learn,” Dubrawsky says, “we reinforce the bonds of unity between what are today two major forces in the Jewish community.”

OK. Let’s take them at their word. I left a comment at that site that in effect invited them to reciprocate.

If they truly believe that this is a collaboration… and a unifying experience between two major forces in the Jewish community - let them ask Yeshiva University to send a group of their rabbinic students to the Beis HaMedrash of Ohelei Torah to study the Hashkafos of Torah U’Mada. Or other legitimate but non Lubavitch Hashkafos like Hirschean Torah Im Derech Eretz. There are many texts available with which to do this. In depth. On a weekly basis.

They can start with f Dr. Lamm’s book on Torah U’Madda. They can also study from the works of Rav Soloveitchik whom they praise. Let them study ‘Halakhic Man’ and’ Lonely Man of Faith’. Let the Ohelei Torah boys learn about something other than Chabad Chasidus. Every week. “B’Chavruta”. Perhaps the Chabad students will even be motivated to pursue further study on their own.

This is my challenge to them. If they are truly serious about unity they will do this. If not, then one can only conclude that this is just a cynical attempt to spread Chabad Chasidus to the masses. And by masses I don’t just mean the unaffiliated secular Jew. I mean all Jews - including religious ones - anyone that will let them in.

I doubt they will publish my comment. As of this writing they haven’t. But even if they do, will they accept the challenge? Are there snowballs in hell?

Modern Orthodox Jews and Lubavitch

There is something unsettling about a relatively new phenomenon taking place in Yeshiva University. According to a Chabad website, students from Oholei Torah - a Crown Heights yeshiva - are doing outreach at Yeshiva University. And they have been doing it for over four years.

Let me be clear. I have no problem with Chabad doing outreach to anyone they choose. I have said many times that this is their biggest strength. They reach out to Jews in places where there is absolutely no Jewish public presence of any kind. No Shuls. No restaurants, No Yeshivos, No day schools. Nothing.

They set up shop and try and change things there and are usually very successful in doing so. They succeed at a very high level in attracting Jews to observant Judaism in general and to the Lubavitch brand of Judaism in particular.

The unsettling thing is the fact that they feel the need to do this at YU. They apparently see YU students as Kiruv projects.

This phenomenon corroborates my view that Lubavitch’s Kiruv efforts are geared more towards making Lubavitchers than it is in making Jews observant. Although observance of Mitzvos is obviously their primary goal - that apparently is not enough in their worldview. It is all about teaching the world what they believe to be the only authentic version of Judaism – Chabad Judaism.

Why else would they go to the lengths they do at YU? It can’t just be to have better public relations with these young men. There are far less demanding ways of doing that than setting up Chavrusos in the YU Beis HaMedrash and learning Chabad Chasidus with them on a weekly basis. And then inviting them to Crown Heights for Farbrengins. Farbrengins are happy time, party like get-togethers where alcohol is served and Chabad Chasidus is promulgated- usually punctuated with lots of sayings from the Lubavitcher Rebbe.

I am not a Chasid. But I have no problem with Chasidus as a chosen lifestyle. Nor do I see anything wrong with taking pride in one’s Chasidic heritage. Or with Chasidim trying to inform the world of why they are so in love with their particular brand of Chasidus. But this is something more. I think the real goal here is gaining ‘converts’ to Chabad. They want to increase their ranks by all means available to them. YU is just another target in that respect.

Before anyone accuses me of being paranoid let me say the following. It would be one thing if there was some kind of reciprocity going on here. If the Yeshiva University students could do the reverse and teach the Chabad boys the beauty of their own Hashkafos - and more importantly convince them to study Torah U’Mada by attending a few Hashkafa type classes at YU - I would support it. After all - why not have a cross fertilization of ideas? But I don’t believe that is what’s happening. If it is, I would love to be corrected.

Based on my knowledge of Chabad, they are not about to change their Hashkafos. It is antithesis of Chabad Chasidius to veer even one iota from it. There is not a chance in the world that they will ever let themselves be influenced by a Hashkafa of Torah U’Mada. It is a one way street. Again I would love to be corrected. Are there any Ohalei Torah students taking any Hashkafa classes at YU?

The students at YU on the other hand are not as cemented to their Hashkafos as Lubavicthers are. The very nature of the TuM Hashkafa is to be open minded about other Hashkafos. If there will be anyone sold on any Hashkafa it will YU students being sold on Chabad. Not Chabad on TuM.

I am therefore opposed to this new form of Chabad outreach. That’s because in reality it is not an exchange of ideas at all. It is instead ‘the selling of Chabad’ to vulnerable modern Orthodox students.

What makes this even worse is that one of my sources knowledgeable about Chabad has informed me that this particular Yeshiva is a Meshichist one. If that’s true, I don’t know how officials at YU can even allow this to take place.

Racism in Orthodoxy

Are Orthodox Jews in America Racist? For me the very question is insulting. We are a nation guided by a Torah given by God. The mere suggestion that an observant Jew could be racist is abhorrent in the eyes of God and should be abhorrent to every Jew.

One of the many things the Torah teaches us is that man is created in the image of God. We are required to treat every human being with dignity and respect. A human being’s race never enters into the picture. All of humankind is equal in the eyes of God. We, His chosen people are required to see and treat them the way one would expect people created in God’s image should be treated.

That we are chosen and required to live holy lives does not detract from our mission to be a light unto the nations and our requirement to treat all of humankind with equal dignity and respect. In fact I would suggest that our very holiness as a people increases our obligation to do so. The more religious we are, the more tolerant and loving of our fellow man we should be.

Unfortunately the reality is quite the opposite. I am not going to discuss the reasons for that here. I’ve already done that. Many times.

But it seems there is almost a direct correlation between racist attitudes and how religious one is – that is if you consider Charedim to be more religious than modern Orthodox Jews. Which is certainly how they think of themselves. This does not mean to say that racism exists only in Charedi circles. It exists everywhere – modern Orthodoxy included. But if what happened in Lakewood last Tuesday is any indication, the racism among Charedim seems to be the greatest. I have yet to hear of anything comparable in modern Orthodox circles. From APP.com:

The four boys, all about 15 years old, are accused of crowding behind their black female school bus driver after she objected to their conversation, during which they used racial slurs about the KKK's violence against blacks, Lt. Paul Daly of the Lakewood police said.

"They stood behind her instead of being seated," Daly said Thursday. "She felt intimidated."

They boys were arrested on the bus and released later into the custody of their parents.

One might argue that these boys did not learn this attitude from their parents or teachers. But considering how sheltered they are they had no other place to learn it.

Beyond the racist attitudes these boys expressed, what would motivate them to gang up and intimidate a black female bus driver? How deep IS that racism? To think it - is bad enough. To make threatening remarks to a fellow human being is not the act of a Jew. It is not the act of any decent human being.

It is the act of a ignorant mind. A mind that misunderstands our status as God’s chosen people. A mind that is as racist as any white supremacist! Just substitute the word Jew for the word white and their attitudes are the same. That these boys may not have ever actually harmed this bus driver whereas a white supremacist quite often would - is only a function of degree, not of kind.

But who is really at fault here? Is it these young teens or their parents and teachers? While I do not absolve those young teens of personal responsibility, their prejudices were not spontaneously generated. They learned it somewhere. It certainly wasn’t from TV, movies or from ‘Gansta’ rap. They are sheltered from those things. They have only one source of information: Themsleves. Parents, teachers or both. It is they who deserve our attention even more that those kids.

Of course - the response by school officials was to ‘hit all the right notes’. From the article:

During the meeting Thursday night, officials for the unidentified private school that the boys attend assured the township Board of Education that appropriate disciplinary action will be taken if the allegations are proved to be true…

But what do these same ‘officials’ teach their students in the first place about black people? My guess is that they teach them nothing formally. But they do transmit racist attitudes in other ways, via jokes, terminology like ‘Shvartza’ when referring to them (usually said in a derisive tone). They also exhibit generally condescending attitudes about non Jews in general and black people in particular. And how is that attitude manifested? Ask the 49 year old bus driver, Sharon Peters.

The idea that these kids will be disciplined is not mostly what is required here. They should certainly be disciplined. But that does not really address the real problem: the soft racism that permeates these circles.

That racist attitudes are transmitted in such informal - even subliminal - ways rather than in direct ways is where the problem really lies in my view. And it makes correcting it that much harder. How does one un-teach the kind of soft racism that has been ingrained since early childhood and constantly reinforced by parents, teachers, and peers? Especially in environments like Lakewood where barriers to the outside world are built so high and so thick? This is where the problem lies and where it needs to be tackled.

Unfortunately parents of these boys are not exactly thinking along those lines. Instead of realizing what actually happened, the Aveiros and the Chilul HaShem their boys made, and actually doing something to prevent it from ever happening again – they are thinking of taking legal action! How typical!

Sholom Rubashkin - Captive or a Convicted Criminal?

Most people who read this blog know how condemning I have been of Mr. Rubashkin for his misdeeds. Most people are also aware that I felt the sentence he received for his crime was way out of proportion to his crime. The Jewish Star reports that there is going to be a rally in the 5 Towns area of New York City next Wednesday. It will be for the purpose of raising money to pay for an appeal of his sentence to a higher court. I support the appeal.

I'm not going to go into the details of why I feel this way. Been there and done that. So even though in the current economic climate money for important Jewish institutions is tighter than ever - justice demands that we not ignore an injustice.

But I must take issue with the characterization of this being a case of Pidyon Shvuyim. Pidyon Shvuyim is the Halacha requiring the Jewish people to rescue fellow Jews from captivity by those who seek to do the Jewish people harm - or demand money in exchange for a captive’s return.

Mr. Rubashkin was not unfairly captured Nor is he being held for ransom. That is the furthest thing from the truth. He was arrested for breaking the law and convicted of a crime. He was sentenced under the guidelines provided by law of the land.

We live in a land that has been eminently fair to the Jewish people since its very inception. Yes, there have been times where our government fell short. Most notably during the Holocaust where many people feel our government could have done more to save Jews.

Nonetheless - on the whole our welfare in this country of laws is unprecedented in the history of the Jewish people. We live under laws that apply equally to all Americans. And although there is an occasional miscarriage of justice - to declare an incarcerated Jewish criminal to be a case of Pidyon Shevuyim hardly enhances my sympathy for the cause. In fact it does the opposite.

It therefore actually surprises me that Rav Hershel Shachter has written a letter of support that contains the following statement:

“It is a mitzva to contribute to and engage in Pidyon Shvuyim on his behalf so that he can afford the legal fees to appeal his trial and sentence.”

Im not surprised that he supports the effort and agree with him about that. But I do not understand his characterization of it as Pidyon Shvuyim. For me - it is an insult to the American system of justice to call this Pidyon Shvuyim! And I protest it!

But as I said I would never protest the actual purpose of this fundraiser. There is almost universal agreement by Jews of all stripes and even many important non Jews that Mr. Rubashkin’s sentence was too harsh. The man deserves a lighter sentence than he got. We are therefore obligated to go the whole nine yards in our attempt to make that happen.

However there is another thing that bothers me here. There seems to be an appeal to modern Orthodox Jews. From the Jewish Star:

The rally also reflects an effort by the organization to appeal to the more modern spectrum of Orthodox Jewry. Five-thousand pamphlets about the case were mailed out to households in the area.

I of course have no problem with that. But wouldn’t it have been nice to see both Rabbi Perlow and Rav Shachter speak from the same podium on the same night, instead of just having him write a letter of support? If Charedim are looking for Achdus on this issue they have a strange way of trying to achieve it!

Guilty!

What a sad story.

There is a lengthy article by Allison Hoffman in Tablet Magazine about my childhood friend Milton Balkany. It depicts the rise - but mostly the fall of a very talented man whom I once admired. My admiration for him began when he decided to become a Baal Teshuva and in 7th grade and enrolled in my day school Yeshivath Beth Yehudah in Detroit.

Those who read this blog regularly will know that my esteem for the Baal Teshuva knows no bounds. It is the difference between finding truth and choosing to live one’s life according to that truth - and being raised as a religious Jew knowing no other way to live. Milton knew another way to live and yet chose the difficult life of Torah observance. He continued to pursued a life of Torah and Mitzvos - choosing Chinuch as a career and ultimately becoming the principal of a Beis Yaakov in Boro Park. I stand in awe of people like this.

Milton was not your typical Baal Teshuva. He was a ‘personality’ and aspired to the greater things. But he also liked the ‘good life’. He was always impeccably dressed and had a certain air about himself that stood out. Not that he was in any way conceited. Not at all.

He was a kind and caring individual. That’s what made him unique. There is nothing wrong with enjoying the finer things in life if one can afford them. Milton always found ways to afford at least some of them - especially when it came to clothes.

But the way he carried himself was not the only thing that was unusual about him. He was a man of contradiction. While he chose the Charedi Hashkafa and lifestyle, he did not meet his wife via the traditional Charedi method of Shadchanim. He met his wife in a most atypical way for a Charedi couple. It was right out of Hollywood. They met on an airplane. But that isn’t all. What made this even more unusual was that the woman he met and eventually married was the daughter of a prominent Lubavitcher Chasid, Aaron Rubashkin.

The Rubashkin family had no interest in their children marrying out of Lubavitch. But I guess the young couple ‘fell in love’ and those differences fell by the wayside. But in a strange agreement with his wife, Milton promised to allow her to raise their children as Lubavitchers. And as adults that’s what most of them are. Milton, is not a Lubavitcher at all. He retained the Charedi Hashkafos he first adopted and nourished throughout his Yeshiva experience in Torah Vodaath. Ultimately he became principal of the very non-Lubavtich Beis Yaakov.

What a strange relationship he must have had with his children and even with his wife. They were Lubavitchers while he was part of a community that was almost anti Lubavitch! Did they never discuss Hashkafa? But I digress.

Milton always sought efficient ways to fund his school. I guess he thought that making some powerful and influential friends would provide opportunities for him. That led him to become involved in political fundraising. Indeed he made some pretty powerful friends in the Republican Party.

A few years ago in his desperation for funding a school that his son was involved with - and funding his family - he did something illegal. He misused money from a government grant. When he was caught he claimed ignorance, paid back the money, and was given a slap on the wrist by the government. No jail time.

That was then. Fast forward to today. Once again desperate for funds he tried something new. Milton sought out hedge fund operator, Steven A. Cohen (pictured above with Milton), who was under investigation by the government for insider trading, He asked for a $4 million dollar ‘donation’ in exchange for his guarantee of silence about insider trading by a government informant that he was counseling.

That was a lie. There was no such evidence. Milton never spoke to anyone. Unbeknownst to Milton conversations between him and the hedge fund’s lawyer were recorded by the government after they were informed about the extortion attempt. Money changed hands and Milton was arrested.

Why did he do it? He certainly did it to save his struggling Beis Yaakov. They were barely functioning having declared bankruptcy in 2005. They had recently downsized to a smaller facility. Back in December of 2009 teachers had not been paid since the beginning of that school year. But that wasn’t the only reason. Milton Balkany was broke. He owes over $200,000 in tax liens against his house. That's hard to take for someone who enjoys the finer things in life.

Aside from relying on famed attorney Benjamim Braffman to help him out of this jam Milton apparently relied on Segulos too. He was seen holding some sort of ceramic Mezuzah during the trial. A Lubavicther Meshichist by the name of Chesed Halberstam who was once a personal aide to the Lubavitcher Rebbe was in court everyday of the trial. Everyday he handed Milton a Chumash once belonging to the Rebbe.

But none of this helped him. Not the Segulos. And not his famed attorney . The verdict came quickly. Guilty on all four counts: Extortion. Blackmail. Fraud. And making false statements to a government agent.

There is an interesting footnote here. His children were all at the trial. The Tablet article describes them a bit. Most of his adult children are indeed Lubavitchers - as raised.

But not all of them. By the way they were dressed in court some of his younger daughters seem to have strayed from both their Lubavitch upbringing as well as their father’s Charedi path. One married son even seemed to be OTD. But as the article shows they all seemed to inherit their father’s penchant for expensive clothing. It would be an interesting case study to see how all that happened. But again, I digress.

I know many people will be happy to see Milton go to jail. He is a crook who has made a tremendous Chilul HaShem. But I can’t help feeling bad for my childhood friend – someone I looked up to from practically the moment I met him. And as we parted ways after 8th grade, I followed his successes from afar with admiration.

I no longer admire him. But I still feel bad for him. It’s hard not to feel bad for someone you know and who you have experienced as a decent human being. I just hope the judge won’t throw the book at him. At age 64, a possible maximum sentence of 20 years in prison is a life sentence. Will that serve justice?

Pinny’s Story

There has been some speculation about the veracity of the story told in the book ‘Hush’. The claim is that since it was written anonymously – it simply cannot be trusted as true. This is unfortunately what denial is all about.

Why is there so much denial?

Sex abuse of minors is such a horrible thought – especially in a community where sex is barely mentioned in any context - that it simply cannot be believed. And if the accused is a respected member of the community, the victims are themselves seen as abusers because they are besmirching the reputation of the most upstanding people in their community.

In the story told in ‘Hush’ the victim was abused by one such individual. The very kind of person who feigns being repulsed by ‘Goyishe’ culture because it is so heavily laden with sexual content ...the kind of content that this community goes to great lengths to hide from their children.

The victim of - or witness to - abuse who makes these accusations is harangued, shunned – even ostracized – as is the rest of their family. They are in fact being ‘raped’ all over again. Only this time it is by the very people who they are supposed to look up to… people who are supposed to protect them. Rabbis, Rebbeim, Moros, teachers, principals, Mashgichim, Roshei Yeshiva... all seem to be conspiring against the victim. Even parents might unwittingly contribute to the victim-hood of the abused by insisting that the victim be silent. All people with good intentions believing they are protecting good people and their families from scurrilous lies!

So is the story told in ‘Hush’ fact or fiction? It is my firm belief that all the basic elements of that story are fact. But if one needs more proof that victims suffer as much – or even more - post abuse than they may have from the abuse itself - here is a victim’s story.

It is the story of Pinny Taub. He is a Chasid from Williamsburg - the center of Satmar Chasidus in New York (and probably the world). He told his story at the JBAC sponsored event in Chicago last October on sex abuse. It is divided into two segments, the one above and the one below. It is well every minute of your time.

If this does not move you, you aren’t human. If this doesn’t convince you that we need to be far more vigilant that we currently are than nothing will. To turn a popular phrase: One video (in this case 2 videos) is worth a thousand words.

Hush

One of the more riveting books I have ever read is the one I just completed. ‘Hush’ written anonymously by ‘Eishes Chayil’ should be mandatory reading for every religious Jew that cares about their children. But most importantly it should be read by the Charedi and Chasidic world. The more insular the community the more important it is to read this book.

It is a scathing indictment of the insularity that is so important to them. Because it is that insularity that has – and probably still is – causing them the most harm. And yet I doubt that most people in their world would agree with that statement.

One might think that a book on sexual abuse in the Chasidic world would be written by an expatriate Chasid who went OTD with an agenda to destroy it. But one would be wrong. This book was written by a young Chasidic woman whose love of that world permeates almost every page of it. She paints a glowing picture of Chasidic life in a light-hearted and humorous way. The first few chapters hardly gives away the coming storm caused by the sexual abuse she one day witnessed as a 9 year old child.

In many ways this book opened my eyes to how this community deals with God, their own community, and the outside world. It corroborates much of my own understanding about them. Their insularity is so complete that a young woman generally has no clue about the act of procreation until she is ready to get married.

Gittel, the main character of this story, did not find out about sexual intercourse until she started taking Kallah classes! I’m sure that isn’t true in every case but my guess is that this is typical in the Chasidic world – especially for women. The more insular – the more true it is.

The attitude towards non Jews is also explored in this book. A secondary character by the name of Kathy - a religious Christian- is given a very sympathetic portrayal as a caring human being that knows better how to deal with sex abuse than do the Chasidim or their leaders. And Kathy’s views about God are far more mature than those that seem to be taught to Gittel.

The mischaracterization, mistrust, and hatred of the ‘Goy’ is prominently featured in the story. Not that they are ever mean to them. They generally treat non Jews with respect in intrapersonal relations. But privately the attitude is exactly as I have described it in the past. The fear and hatred of the ‘Goy’ and their ‘Goyishe ways’ is transmitted from generation to generation by those who experienced the worst of gentile behavior in Europe via pogroms and eventually the Holocaust.

The ‘Kathys’ of the world that are so common in America in our day - do not get any exposure among Chasidim because of that insularity. It is only because of their circumstances that a strong personal relationship developed between Kathy and Gittel. That gives Gittel a truer picture of non Jews. (Not that the relationship is condoned by her parents.)

If there is one thing that Chasidim focus on the most, it is Shiduchim. Getting married is their number one concern it seems and everything they do revolves around that. So when sex abuse appears - it is buried. No one wants to deal with it because the mere mention of it taints them and everyone connected with the abuse. Chasidim in particular go to great lengths to hide any incidence of abuse.

It is almost as if being in the same room with someone who even knows about it taints them. The fear of not getting married drives almost everything they do. Reputation is – everything! The slightest taint drives people away from that family. The difficult world of Shiduchim becomes an almost impossible world for them.

If sex abuse is discovered it is usually met by denial: ‘It can’t be true.’ Not him.’ ‘He’s too perfect.’

The abuser in this story is exactly that - the perfect Jew from a great family doing what God mandates of him better than just about anyone! For those who don’t know he is a sexual predator – which is virtually everyone – he is admired.

Even in the rare instance that an accusation is believed because of a trustworthy witness, the fear of how this will taint the family of the witness overtakes every other consideration. ‘Don’t go to the authorities’. ‘No one will believe you.’ ‘Instead you will be painted as a villain yourself for besmirching a fellow Jew - and such an honorable one at that.’ You will bring shame onto the whole community and be ostracized right along with the rest of your family’. So… Shah! Zei Shtill – Hush up!

What this results in is further abuse by an abuser who operates with impunity. He attacks his victims in private where no one can see. And when he is finished he goes about his business the same way he always does. In this story – as an exemplar of Chasidic Judaism.

The fallout of this attitude is deadly, not only for the victim but for those who know about it and are forbidden to say anything.

What is interesting to note is that because of her insularity and innocence, Gittel did not even fully understand what she was witnessing – even years later into her late teens. She did not ever even hear the phrase ‘sex abuse’ or know exactly what rape was.

This is the word that insularity creates. It breeds ignorance to such an extent that victims are shockingly unprepared to deal with it when it happens. They may not even fully understand that what is being done to them is sexual abuse. And witnsses may not fuilly understand what they are witnessing. These subjects are so taboo that the remotest mention of it is hushed up!

The attitude is: ‘These things do not happen in our world.’ It’s Shmutz.’ ‘It only happens by the Goyim because of their vacuous and hedonistic lifestyles.’ ‘It never happens here.’ ‘Why talk about it?’ ‘Talking about it will only bring shame to our family and community and ruin our Shiduchim.’ ‘That is exactly why we build our walls so high.’ ‘So that these things don’t get in.’

But they do get in. There are plenty of victims from that world including those who know and are stifled from saying anything about it. Least of all to the ‘Goyishe authorities’.

Again - no one should misunderstand. This book is not an indictment of Chasidism. In fact I would say the opposite is true. It is a portrait of people who serve God joyously. With children flourishing in warm and loving environments with good families and good values. It’s all good. Accept for that one little thing. And that ‘thing’ can kill and ruin lives. Lives that could be spared if silence was not so golden.

The young Chasidic woman who authored this biographical story is a hero for daring to tell her story. She gives the reader a glimpse into the world of Chasidim with all its warmth - and all its warts.

I understand that ‘Hush’ has just been nominated for an award by the American Library Association. Well deserved if it wins. I hope it does.