An Iconic Abuser

When I was in elementary school back in the late fifties. I had a Rebbe that used corporal punishment. He used to actually slap boys on the back of their hands. It stung. And it turned our hands red. But he was a beloved figure. Every slap on the hand was given with great love and care and we knew it. His every action towards his students spoke of his love towards them. Eventually he stopped using corporal punishment because it was made illegal. His career in Chinuch lasted many decades. He has just recently retired. But he has left behind a legacy of literally thousands of students – including me - who remember him with great fondness and love.

Corporal punishment was a more or less accepted method of discipline back then. But as I said it has become illegal. And for good reason. It was abusive in most cases. Some children suffered severe injuries when teachers who were not as kind and as caring as that elementary school Rebbe I had would paddle a child on his bare rear end until it would bleed! There were various and sundry other methods of physical beatings that took place under the guise of discipline. Now all forms of corporal punishment have been outlawed. Good riddance.

Which brings me to an article in the Jewish Week about Rav Aharon Bina, a popular Rosh Yeshiva of Netiv Aryeh (prior to which he ran the program for the foreign students inf Yeshivat HaKotel). This 63 year old Mechanech has been around for a long time too. Over 3 decades according to the article. But his story seems to be a bit different than mine. Apparently he still uses corporal punishment. But in his case it is on students that come to him post high school for their ‘year in Israel’. Perhaps even worse than the physical pain of corporal punishment is the psychological punishment he uses on some of his students. From the article:

A significant minority of former students, employees and colleagues maintain that Rav Bina is controlling, manipulative and emotionally coercive in ways that would never be accepted in other schools. In what has become known throughout Israeli yeshivot as “Bina Stories,” he is said to regularly yell at, humiliate and insult students in public; threaten to expel them for seemingly no reason (and make good on that promise with a few every fall, sometimes without first notifying the parents); press psychologists he hires to share private information about the students he has sent them; and tell those in disfavor that they are cursed.

With this kind of behavior going on in a school by its leader it doesn’t matter how many people praise him. And I’m sure that there are many. When a Mechanech abuses even one child, all his ‘good deeds’ become worthless in my mind. People can go and do Off the Derech (OTD) with this kind of treatment.

But this means little to Rav Bina because in his mind the student he expels is already there. He is therefore not going to put up with him - and will expel him immediately so that he can influence and indoctrinate the remaining ‘good boys’ without the danger of these ‘abominable outcasts’ negatively influencing them.

Public humiliation is not a legitimate disciplinary method. It in fact has the opposite effect causing even more rebellion and even hatred of not only the Mechnech – but of what he represents and is trying to teach.

There are those who will say that the Jewish Week article is nothing more than a smear campaign by some disgruntled students of a wonderful and successful Mechanech – a man who was a positive influence in a great many students.

Hearing good things about him - I actually thought that might be the case and did not want to comment on the story – giving him the benefit of the doubt. Until I spoke to a former HaKotel student - someone I have known for a long time – dating back to his early childhood. He is now a very successful and accomplished professional in a very difficult field. He is as honest as the day is long. He is a kind and caring person who would not hurt a fly and would certainly never say a bad word about anyone if it wasn’t true. He corroborated the Jewish Week story. And he told me that R’ Bina is the only reason he will never donate a penny to any Yeshiva he was ever associated with - past or present. That inspired me to write this post.

Every student should be treated with dignity and respect even if he breaks the rules. No student deserves to be publicly humiliated. The way this article describes Rav Bina’s behavior I should think he has a lot of introspection to do about just how many young men he turned off of Yiddshkeit. That he possibly inspired may others is no saving grace in my view.

I say this with a heavy heart. I don’t like hurting people who have devoted their entire lives to Chinuch. But if - as I suspect - what this article says about Rav Bina is true he ought to be fired. And if he is not under the control of a board of directors, then his yeshiva ought to be boycotted. If I were a parent contemplating sending my son to a yeshiva in Israel, I would certainly cross Netiv Aryeh off my list.

Sifrei Torah - How Many Do We Need?

The financial crisis facing Orthodoxy today is the greatest it’s ever been in my lifetime. Almost any parent who has children in a religious day school, high school, post high school Yeshiva or seminary can tell you just how difficult it is to pay their bills these days. Very few parents pay full tuition. Most parents are being squeezed to the max for funds to pay the teachers, who are nonetheless underpaid in many cases.

Many schools are underfunded and operate on annual deficits – and are constantly borrowing on a line of credit from a bank. This was true even before the current recession where a good number of parents have lost their jobs, or have had to take pay-cuts, or even have stayed even while expenses including tuition has gone up.

This is not really news. I have discussed this problem many times in the past. But there is one thing that I have just seen at Aish.com that reminds me of a pet peeve I have had of late. And that is the current ‘craze’ of writing Sifrei Torah. Aish.com has a fundraising drive involving the writing of yet another Sefer Torah.

There is a Mitzvah for every Jew to write a Sefer Torah. Most of us cannot afford the $50,000 or so that it costs to pay a Sofer (scribe) to write one. That is usually reserved for the wealthy philanthropists among us. The way in which the rest of us participate is by being given the honor of writing a letter at the end of it during its completion in great ceremony. Sometimes this is used as a fundraiser where people can buy a letter.

All well and good. Except that I am beginning to question whether we have not gone over-board on this Mitzvah to the detriment of the community. I think we may have.

Are there not enough Sifrei Torah in the world yet? It seems that every Shul I attend - even the small ones - there are many Sifrei Torah in their Aronei Kodesh. And almost every Shul has at least one new one. Some have more than one new one. How many do we need? Those who commission the writing of one will store it in a Shul upon its completion. With such a ‘glut’ of Sifrei Torah is there not a better use for that money for those who can afford to spend $50,000 on it?

It seems like every Monday and Thursday some Shul is having yet another Hachnasas Sefer Torah to great pomp and circumstance. That usually happens when a new Sefer Torah is completed and it is being transported from the home of the owner to the Shul in which it will be kept. It is usually a fun event involving a parade and a band with lots of dancing and singing. The entire community is invited to participate. But is that worth the $50,000 dollars given to a Sofer that can be better used by a school?

In this time of financial need in the observant Jewish community spending money to add to the vast numbers of Sifrei Torah that already exist is a questionable enterprise in my view.

There seems to be such a skewed sense of priorties now-a-days about where philanthropic funds should be going. Whether it is the seeming unending flow of new Sifrei Torah being produced or the building of new Shuls whlie those that already exist with a wide variety of Hashkafos have plenty of room to accommodate everyone. It seems a little ridiculous for philanthropic dollars to be diverted from Rebbeim and teachers that are underpaid and parents that are struggling to pay their tuition.

There was a time when it was deemed a necessity to write new Sifrei Torah. Many of them were starting to deteriorate beyond the point of repair. So rabbis would suggest to their wealthier members that they perform the Mitzvah of writing a Sefer Torah and hire a Sofer to be their Shaliach. It was a great idea and it worked. But I think we have long ago filled the community need.

Now it is true that in some cases writing a Sefer Torah is done as a fundraiser. Philanthropists are sought to underwrite the costs. Sponsorships are sold and individuals are asked to buy letters to raise revenue. One might say that writing Sifrei Torah can thus be justified. Especially if schools are the beneficiaries of the funds. Perhaps.

But I would argue that even there, it might be over-kill. How many Sifrei Torah does a community need? Is there no better way to raise philanthropic dollars? And for those who simply want to write it for themselves and not as a fundraiser – I would say take that money and instead give it directly to a day school, Yeshiva high school, girl’s high school, Yeshiva Gedolah or women’s seminary. They need the money now.

Parenting in the 21st Century

I don’t usually post this kind of video on my blog. But I am making an exception because I believe this is a must view for every Orthodox Jewish parent no matter what their Hashkafa. In fact I will broaden that to include all Jewish parents. Even non Jewish parents can benefit from the wisdom here.

It is just short of 25 minutes long and I don’t think you can spend 25 minutes any better as a parent than by watching this video. Needless to say I fully agree with its content. It was sent to me by an anonymous but alert reader - for which I thank him (or her). It is produced by Yitz Brilliant.

Update

I have no idea why this video no longer exists and apologize to those who haven't seen it. It was in my view a valuable tool for parents in dealing with the digital age. I will leave up the post for those who wish to read the comments.

Throwing Money at Shadchanim

I thought the NASI program was dead. Apparently not only isn’t it dead it has the support of many Charedi Rabbanim and Poskim as reported on Matzav.com.

I have written about NASI before. Breifly, NASI is a project created to help find suitable mates for older young women. How old is ‘older’? About 22 years of age. I kid you not.

This is what has happened in the Torah world today. If a girl reaches 22 years of age, she is seen as an old maid by Shadchanim – who apparently think that their male clients thinks so too. What is to be done about them? Well obviously the answer is to throw money at the problem. Lots of it. The idea behind the NASI Project is to incentivize Shadchanim to not give up on ‘older’ young women by paying them enough to make the extra effort worth their while.

The reason often given for these 22 year old ‘old maids’ is the dating gap. This means that women are ready to date at about age 18 while men usually don’t start dating until they are about 23. That makes the female pool of women pretty large – by about a 5 to 1 ratio!

Shadchanim will always look to the ‘Fresh crop’ coming out of seminary for their prospective male clients. The older a young woman gets - the less likely she will be looked at.

This was recently illustrated in an article in the Jewish Press by a young women who by Frum standards was ‘Oiver Batul’ (senile). She was about 30 years old. When she called a Shadchan recommended to her by a friend she was told something to the effect that: ‘You are 30 and not married yet?!’ ‘Obviously you are not a beauty queen and yet you are too choosy’. ‘I don’t think I can help you’. The Shadchan told her this without ever having met her or spoken to her. She made a snap judgment based simply on age.

Of course if her fee were to be quadrupled – so the argument made by NASI goes - the Shadchan will drop what she’s doing and find that ‘old maid’ a Shiddach!

This is what is happening in the Charedi world of dating. How sad it is that they have come to this. The problem isn’t only the age gap. There are numerous problems. Not the least of which is money to support full time learning. For example Shadchanim for the ‘better Bachurim’ demand huge gaurantees of future support from potential in-laws just to allow their daughters the privilege of dating that ‘Metzia’ (great find!). That of course does not reflect the price the Shadchan charges if the Shiddach is successful. It is a problem created by a system that increasingly separates the sexes to the greatest level they can.

Then there are the ridiculous questions asked by a Shadchan of the potential parents. Like the infamous ‘What color is your tablecloth on Shabbos’ question.

And then there is the thinness issue. No woman can be thin enough to a potential Yeshiva Bachur. Even a Charedi one. Size 2 or smaller. That’s it. Of course the guy can be 20 pounds over-weight but that doesn’t matter. He’s the one with the ‘dating list’! No such thing for a young woman! I recall one fellow back in the early 90s (who is now a Rosh Yeshiva in Israel) who said he would never date anyone who didn’t have a model’s figure.

There are so many impediment placed between potential dates it’s a wonder that anyone ever gets married!

In Charedi circles there is now a pool of virtually dateless young women who are desperate to get married but with no one to turn to for help. So how is the Charedi world helping them? By cleaning out their bank accounts (or those of their parents). The justification is that these women are so desperate that they would would certainly give every penny they own to get married! Thus they prey on the ‘older’ single woman. And of course NASI gets their cut as the ‘Shadchan for the Shadchan’.

Even if I conceded that this scenario might work to get older single women out of singlehood, it is at best a band aid. The Charedi world is treating the problem superficially and not attacking the disease. Instead of allowing natural interactions between the sexes at a younger age where relationships can develop over time and lead to marriage - they are doing the exact opposite by closing every possibility of interaction between them. Apparently they are afraid that Charedi young people will not behave and form relationships before they are ready for marriage. Which of course might lead to mixed dancing.

This is one area that the modern Orthodox world has more common sense. There is a legitimate concern about situations in which there is too much casual contact between the sexes. Nonetheless there is a much better chance that 2 young people of the same age will get married if they know each other sooner. I know many successful married couples who met in high school. In some cases they were Charedi and met ‘under the radar’.This does not mean that there ought to be co-ed high schools. I am opposed to that for reasons that are beyond the scope of this essay. But I am in favor of limited social contact among responsible young adults that can - and often does lead to marriage.

Not that Modern Orthodoxy doesn’t have its own share of problems. There is an entire and fairly large community of modern Orthodox men that have commitment phobia. And never get married. That can be just as frustrating to a single MO female as it is to her Charedi counterpart. And in MO circles where there is an entire culture of singles, the pressure for unmarried sex is probably pretty great. Which is why I have heard that some single women actually use a Mikva!

There is no foolproof dating system that will take care of all issues of both communities. But n my humble opinions - the answer lies somewhere in between the extremes of Modern Orthodoxy Charedism. I’m not suggesting any particular modus operandi.

But the way things are turning out in both worlds- it shows that the system is failing for far too many good people. There has to be a happy medium whereby young people do not rely exclusively on Shadchanim and yet are not put into positions of temptation by being over-exposed to the opposite sex at an age where they are not ready to get married.

As for NASI – well it’s a sad day when the only solution seems to be throwing huge sums of money at the problem.

Anti Charedi Media Bias - Paranoia or a Reality?

In this week’s edition of Ami Magazine - editor Rabbi Yitzchok Frankfurter takes the ADL’s Abraham Foxman to task for not tackling the issue of anti Charedism in the media. As the director of the premier organization that combats anti- Semitism he feels that this an outrageous omission on Foxman’s part. Rabbi Frankfurter had written Mr. Foxman several e-mails challenging him as to why he and his organization seems to at best be indifferent to this problem. He awaits a response (other than a more or less formal ‘thank you for your concern’ type response).

I am neither a supporter nor a detractor of Abe Foxman. There have been times that I have whole heartedly agreed with him and other times that I thought he was almost paranoid in what he saw as anti-Semitic.

But I do not think this is a legitimate issue at all. It is certainly not one that Mr. Foxman should be criticized for. I for one do not see the kind of anti-Charedism in the media that Rabbi Frankfurter does. Certainly it does exist in some cases. Most recently in an article in Ha’aretz where among other things columnist Gideon Levy sees Jewish belief in the chosenness of the Jewish people as arrogant and destructive.

But more often than not what Rabbi Frankfurter sees as anti Charedi bias is nothing more than citing facts about the Charedi world – like Charedi poverty, the lack of secular education, the unwillingness to serve in the army, and the fact that Charedim in Israel by their very growth are increasingly taking larger pieces of the budget pie in the form of welfare. These things are real and not pejorative… things that many Orthodox Jews have noted and criticized too, including yours truly.

Rabbi Frankfurter is not alone in this feeling. It exists primarily in the Charedi world. (And lately in the extreme right of the religious Zionist world although they are not the subject of this essay.) Much of the criticism is based on a paranoid perception of reality. They see a world against them that does not really exist. A lot of this attitude is a carry-over from the battles of the past dating back to the 30s. a phenomenon eloquently described by Dov Krulwich in a Cross-Currents article. That era had some anti religious leaders that may have done things to undermine religion or to spite Charedim. Whatever the case then, this is not the case now.

What has generated the recent ‘anti Charedi’ attacks by the media stems from the fact that some of the most disgusting behavior comes out of their community. There is no point in denying that.

Rabbi Frankfurter and many like-minded people in the Charedi world go to great pains to separate themselves from the miscreants of Bet Shemesh and Meah Shearim – going so far as to say that they cannot be real Charedim because real Charedim would never do what they do. Some Like Yehuda Meshi Zahav have even compared these extremists to Palestinians who throw rocks at us. What difference - asks Meshi-Zahav - is there between the Jewish rock throwers in Meah Shearim and Palestinian rock throwers in the West Bank?!

But you can’t run away for the fact that these people are indeed Charedim. The “No true Scotsman’ argument does not work. There are Scotsman who do not eat haggis! You cannot define non haggis eating Scotsman out of being Scotsman.

Of course the vast majority of Charedim are disgusted by these people. Even members of their own Meah Shearim community do not support their means. But no one can deny that their motives are shared by their own more civilized members. Nor can anyone even question that even more moderate Charedim outside of Meah Shearim that condemn that behavior - still support their supposed objectives of Tznius. This was evident in the Agudah condemnation of those extremists.

The secular world does not necessarily understand the nuances between one type of Charedi and another. They see what looks like a duck - and they call it a duck. Those disgusting extremists look like any other Charedi. To many secular Jews all Orthodox Jews look like that or something close to it. And certainly think like that.

When the media is filled with images of Charedim spitting on women, or even roughing them up, or calling an 8 year old a whore, what does Rabbi Frankfurter think is going to be the reaction in the media? Furthermore condemnations that contain the word ‘but’ in them do not help matters. Nor does the constant paranoid refrain about how anti Charedi the secular media is.

Puff pieces on communities like Squaretown where the devout nature of their residents; their joy and elevated level of their observance of Mitzvos Bein Adam L’Makom does not detract from the underbelly of violence that is done in the name of God by some of its members. It is their distorted belief in what God wants of them that leads to this kind of behavior. A religious philosophy like that of the Satmar Rebbe that glorifies the haters of the State of Israel and vilifies its supporters can only fuel such activity.

The fact is that many religious Jews, myself among them have made the same observations and criticisms of the Charedi world as have secular media outlets that he criticizes have. But in my case and in the case of most of the secular pieces like that – we are not motivated by an anti Charedi bias. We just see the reality, we are disgusted and angered by it, and make our feelings known.

I do not believe for a moment that there is any intrinsic bias by the secular Israelis. At least not yet. Although if the kind of thing going on in Bet Shemesh isn’t stopped Rabbi Frankfurter’s accusations of innate bias may become a self fulfilling prophesy. The fact is that a recent survey (cited by Marty Bluke on his blog The Jewish Worker) shows that to be far from the case. The vast majority of Israelis actually believe in God, observe at least some of the Mitzvos, and are not anti religious even if they don’t observe any Mitzvos. According to this survey only 3% are anti religious!

The issues facing the Charedi community are real. Especially in Israel. The criticisms I mentioned earlier are legitimate. In fact many of those criticisms are corroborated by Charedi columnists like Jonathan Rosenblum who has written many articles about these problems – although even he seems to be somewhat paranoid from time to time.

If Rabbi Frankfurter really wants to stop what he perceives as an Anti Charedi bias he would do well to stop writing editorials like this one. And he would also do well to not try and counter negative stories with irrelevant puff pieces about a Chasidic city.

Instead he should urge the same thing I urge. And that is for the entire Charedi world to join in unequivocal condemnation of the extremism without any ‘buts’. He should not divert attention by calling media reports anti Charedi bias. He should be supporting Charedim like Rabbi Dov Lipman who has championed the cause of religious Zionists in Bet Shemesh even though he is not one of them. He should be urging all Charedi rabbinic leaders to join together with the religious Zionists in that neighborhood in protests when they are called.

And finally he should recognize that much of the problem is generated by an over-all anti secular bias based on obsolete attitudes still attributed to secular leaders. There is a reason for all that criticism and 97% of the time – it isn't anti Charedi hatred.

To Life, To Life - L’Chaim

Suicide. That is what comes to mind when I read what the torment of being different does to some people. It is my understanding that the suicide rate among homosexuals is much higher than it is among the general population.

That point, among others, is made in a Jewish Press article by an openly homosexual Jew by the name of Chaim Levin (pictured). And I salute his courage in telling it like it is. In my view it explodes the myth that Orthodox homosexuals have an agenda to change or redefine Halacha perverting it to permit acts that are explicitly forbidden in the Torah.

I’m sure there are some who try and do exactly that. Some do actually celebrate the lifestyle as simply an alternative but legitimate one. But in the vast majority of cases, Orthodox homosexuals just want to be a part of the world in which they were raised. They do not seek radical change at all. They only want to be accepted for who they are... and not made to feel like the scum of the earth.

Much of what Mr. Levin wrote corroborates my own view which I have written about many times. I don’t see how any religious Jew can find fault with it.

His article was written in response to a video that he made (and featured on this blog) that spoke directly to young homosexuals telling them that ‘It gets better’. This is an obvious reference to the pain of rejection and hopelessness that many young homosexual Jews feel when they realize just how cruel people can be towards them. Which has in some cases has led to suicide.

That video was harshly criticized by some in the Orthodox world as having an agenda to normalize homosexual behavior and make it as socially and even Halachicly acceptable as heterosexual behavior. I did not see the video that way and as Mr. Levin points out, that was never his intent.

Another very valid point he makes – again one which I have made – is that reparative therapy is not the answer for everyone. And in some cases that too can lead to suicide. I can only guess at the depression this causes in those who when motivated to change their attraction, join a reparative therapy program and if they fail are told it is their own fault. Because they just aren’t willing to put enough effort to succeed at change.

Just to reiterate my own view, which I think Mr. Levin would agree with – Those who wish to try reparative therapy ought to do so. But at the same time they should not become despondent if they don’t succeed. One thing is certain. Any organization that does this kind of work ought to have trained mental health professionals doing it and be licensed by state government.

What Mr. Levin went through illustrates why. He too was motivated to change:

This organization had endorsements from a wide range of rabbanim and I was sure that it was the answer to all my problems. The organization’s executive director told me that he believes everyone can change if they simply put in the hard work. I would have done anything to change, and this message was just the hope I was looking for. I spent two years attending every group meeting, weekend, and individual life coaching sessions they offered. My parents and I paid thousands of dollars. Every day, every session, I was working and waiting to feel a shift in my desires or experience authentic change.

That moment never came. I didn’t change, I never developed any sexual desire for women, and never stopped being attracted to men. Instead, I only felt more and more helpless because I wasn’t changing. The organization and its staff taught us that change only comes to those who truly want it and are willing to put in the work. So if I wasn’t changing, I was seen as someone who either really didn’t sincerely want it, or would not put in the necessary work. In other words, there was no one to blame but myself.

The worst part of my experience in reparative therapy came at the end. In a locked office, alone with my unlicensed “life coach,” I was told to undress, stand in front of the counselor and do things too graphic to describe in this article. I was extremely uncomfortable, but he said that I must do this for the sake of changing and that if I didn’t remove my clothing I wouldn’t be doing the work it takes to achieve change. I would do anything to change, and so I did what he asked me to do. It was probably the most traumatizing experience of my life.

There are two things that this article makes clear. Rabbinic endorsements of places like this as the only solution for help are dangerous. Here is an excerpt from a recent rabbinic statement on this issue:

We emphatically reject the notion that a homosexually inclined person cannot overcome his or her inclination and desire. Behaviors are changeable. The Torah does not forbid something which is impossible to avoid.

Yes. Behaviors are changeable. But it is extremely presumptuous to say that every homosexual can overcome their same sex attraction – implying that a loving and compassionate God would never give someone a condition that would lead to a life of despair. There is ample evidence that God did indeed give some of the greatest figures in the Torah a life full of despair. The patriarch Jacob comes to mind.

The following from that same rabbinic statement is equally troubling:

G-d is loving and merciful. Struggles, and yes, difficult struggles, along with healing and personal growth are part and parcel of this world. Impossible, life long, Torah prohibited situations with no achievable solutions are not.

Yes God is loving and merciful. But to say that lifelong prohibited situations with no achievable results are impossible is also a dangerous presumption. It can cause despair in the very people they are trying to help. Because once they have put in the maximum effort and fail – they will feel so worthless that suicide may become an attractive way out. Al Tadin Chavercha Ad Sheyagiya Limkomo. Unless one is in someone else’s shoes, one ought not make these kinds of blanket judgments.

Both Mr. Levin and I applaud the compassionate and reasoned RCA statement that neither endorses nor rejects reparative therapy. In myview reparative therapy should be an option. But in no way should it be seen as the cure for everyone. Which that rabbinical statement implies:

Abandoning people to lifelong loneliness and despair by denying all hope of overcoming and healing their same-sex attraction is heartlessly cruel. Such an attitude also violates the biblical prohibition in Vayikra (Leviticus) 19:14 “and you shall not place a stumbling block before the blind.”

I do not believe that everyone can ‘overcome’ it. And to imply that is very dangerous in my view. If anything violates the biblical prohibition of Lifnei Eveir Lo Sitain Michshol (Do not put a stumbling block before a blind person) promoting that kind of certainty does.

Grease

Last year immediately after the assassination of Osama Bin Laden, a photo was published of the President and other government officials including 2 women - one of whom was Secretary of State Hillary Clinton - watching that event unfold on a closed circuit TV. One Charedi publication thought that picture was important enough to show their readership. The problem was that they did not publish pictures of women. So they photo-shopped the two women out of the picture.

For that they were strongly criticized. I was among those critics. The gist of my problem was that it was an insult to the Secretary of State. There was absolutely no need to photo-shop a modestly dressed woman out of a picture like that. If they don’t publish pictures of women, that picture should not have been published at all.

But I also criticized the very idea of not publishing pictures of women. It is an unnecessary Chumra that had no Halachic basis and no historic precedent outside of Chasidic circles. ArtScroll publications publishes pictures of women. They have the approbation of many of the members of the Agudah Moetzes. Clearly there is no Halachic prohibition of it.

And yet the practice of photo-shopping women ‘out of the picture’ is increasing in prominence. Not only in non Chasidic Charedi publications such as the Mishpacha and Ami but lately even in religious Zionist publications – with the blessing of one of the foremost leaders of Religious Zionism, Rabbi Shlomo Aviner.

This came to light recently when a publication by a religious Zionist organization – the Meir Institute - blurred the image of Mrs. Ruti Fogel. It was in a family photo taken prior to the family’s massacre by young Palestinian terrorists. Meir Institute head Rabbi Dov Bigon has since apologized and blamed it on human error. But that does not explain why Rav Aviner thought it was indeed a good idea to blur her face out of the picture. He called it a matter of respect.

Why is it more respectful to blur a woman out of the picture than a man? Dare I say that its because they are increasingly being seen as sex objects and therefore require respectfully eliminating them from public view?

But this should not really surprise anyone. Many Religious Zionist leaders have a condition I would call ‘Charedi Envy’. They have therefore taken upon themselves many of the trappings of the Charedi world. It is not uncommon to find Religious Zionists with long beards and long Peyos. Nor is it uncommon to find them wearing their Tzitzis out and sporting giant Kipot Seruga (crocheted Yarmulkes). Some may be surprised to learn that many of these religious Zionist youth use the same exemption that Charedim use to stay out of the army as full time Yeshiva students.

Walk into Merkaz Harav - the flagship Yeshiva of Religious Zionism and you will see a mirror image of Mir. The only difference being that instead of a big black velvet Kipa, you will see a big Kipa Seruga. There students there learn with the same fervor that do the students at Mir or Brisk. The intensity of learning, the level of commitment to Torah and Mitzvos is the same as any Charedi Yeshiva. Not that there is anything wrong with any of these customs. Certainly I have no objection to intense Torah study. It’s just that it seems like a copycat syndrome to follow in exactly the same foosteps as their Charedi counterparts.

There is a name for this type of Religious Zionist. They are called Chardalim. A sort of combination of the word Charedi and Dati Leumi (Religious Zionist). I would say that these people have more in common with Charedim than they do with the rest of Religious Zionists. Ironically the two worlds never interact. And as I understand it, the typical Charedi yeshiva student has absolutely no use for the typical Chardal student doing virtually the same thing. They practically don’t even acknowledge their existence. That’s politics at its worst. But I digress.

The point is that the move to the right affects every segment of religious Jewry. And I protest it. There is no reason to go off the deep end and incorporate every Chumra possible into your life just so you can say ‘So am I’ to those on your right. It doesn’t matter if it is the non Chasidic Yeshiva adopting Chasidic customs or religious Zionists adopting Charedi ones. If all of observant Jewry were to go down this path we would end up like the Jews of Meah Shearim. Those of us who would refuse to go along would be seen as Shkotzim who cling to a past that was far too involved with the Tumas HaOlam instead of the brave new world of living our lives Al Taharas HaKodesh.

Fortunately that is not the case. At least not in America. As I say the world of sociological Centrism is on the rise. But that is not for lack of the forces right pushing very hard. I object to those forces and refuse to become a part of the world of Chumros that serve to further isolate the Jewish people from the real world.

This was not the way of our fathers. Nor our grandfathers. They lived in the real world. They had productive lives and raised generations of religious Jews. They read secular newspapers. They valued secular studies. They participated in the general culture. They worked for a living. And they took pictures of women too.

I have a picture of my very Frum aunt sitting next to her Chasidic husband at a table with other men and women. The picture was taken in the thirties. Hanging on my den wall is a picture of my great uncle, a man with a long white beard with direct Yichus (ben Achar ben) to one of the great Chasidic masters, R’Shimon M’Yaroslav - standing next to him – arm in arm is his wife!

We can all be Ehrliche Jews without chasing down every single Chumra to the right of us. When are we going to have a religious leader who instead of justifying every Chumra - will finally stand up and say, ‘Enough grease already!’

When Frumkeit Replaces Mentchlichkeit

I wasn’t going to write about it. It is just more of the same. What more can I say then simply repeating myself? But after reading Rafi’s post, I have changed my mind. In fact reading this makes my blood boil. As it did his. Which is why he didn’t write about it at first.

I am referring to an article in Ynet about Natalie Mashiach, a woman (pictured) who was assaulted by a group of Charedi men. What was she doing? Hanging posters about the national lottery in Ramat Bet Shemesh B - home of the ignorant and primitive Jew. Primitive - because they reject modern technology, and live in virtual isolation from the rest of the world. Ignorant - because they refuse to read anything that is tainted by outside influences. Including any secular media. They only read media sanctioned by their rabbis. Media that censors anything negative about their community.

One of the things that bother me about a story like this is that the Charedi world tends to do the same thing that the extremists of Bet Shemesh do with respect to the secular media. They too reject any negative story about the Frum world. The refrain is: You can’t believe anything those Reshaim write. They are anti religious. So when Ynet reports on a true story that involves so called ‘Frum Jews’ doing harm to another human being… they say: ‘Don’t’ believe it!’ ‘Ynet is a secular paper with an agenda.’

This attitude reminds me of a post written by a Charedi young man a couple of years ago who was sexually molested by a Frum member of his community. He eventually went Off the Derech (OTD) because of it. When he finally worked up the courage to tell a community Rav about his abuse by that man, he was rebuffed. Why? Because he is no longer Frum and therefore has no Ne’emanus! You are not Shomer Shabbos and you are being Motzie Shem Ra on a Shomer Shabbos Jew. He turned his back on that young man.

The inability to see reality because of Frumkeit is why things like child sex abuse are still around.

It does not help when stories like the one in Ynet are not believed for the same reason. And what does their Frumkeit make them do once they do believe the story? They may condemn it but they find excuses like saying the victim provoked them.

NONSENSE!

Here is my message to the Charedi who thinks like that: STOP BEING SO FRUM AND BE A MENTCH!

Unfortunately, I’m no longer sure that the Charedim in Israel are capable of doing that it anymore. As per Rabbi Addlerstein’s post in Cross-Currents. And I include American Olim who are Charedi. They have bought into the Israeli mindset. At least those who have lived there a while.

But I’ll say it anyway. You must do more than shake your head, say tsk tsk and then add excuses!

What can you do? Rafi has some ideas. But rather than paraphrase, I will excerpt what he said:

This is not a haredi issue, it is not a dati leumi issue, and it is not a secular issue. This is a Bet Shemesh issue. Bet Shemesh, the people of Bet Shemesh, the elected officials of Bet Shemesh and the police of Bet Shemesh all together, has to solve this problem.

This is also a national problem. While it is happening in Bet Shemesh, it is also happening in Jerusalem. It is also starting to happen in other places, such as Elad and Modiin Ilit, they are fighting in Rehovot about similar issues and it continues to spread.

Locally, all good people of Bet Shemesh need to put an end to this, and nationally it must be dealt with as well, with support and activism at the highest levels. This is not a gang of teenagers, and that 50 people can stand around and watch 6 hooligans attack a defenseless woman and not try to stop it is unacceptable.

I am sorry to say this but this is WAR. It is not a war between religious Jews and secular Jews. It is a war declared by the anti- Semites of RBS B against their religious Zionist neighbors! (Yes, that’s what they are - anti Semites who hate all Jews that believe in any form of Religious Zionism!) The means being used by their ‘army’ (the Sikrikim) is violence - both physical and mental.

It doesn’t really matter in the final analysis that most of these people wouldn’t themselves be violent. What matters is that they agree with their motives and their goals. They are on the same page with that. They would like nothing better than to take over the entire area and purge it of the ‘evil’ Religious Zionists and their negative influences.

The recent attack against a defenseless woman (who isn’t even a resident of that area but was there doing her job) is just another battle for these people. To them all non Charedi Jews are the enemy and valid targets for attack. It didn’t matter what she was doing there. The mere fact that the enemy crossed into their territory was enough for an ambush. They have a history of attacking Religious Zionists. Especially young women.

I have called for boycotts of all businesses in RBS B. I have called for demonstrations and picket lines in front of every store by the residents of neighboring RBS A. And I have called upon the Charedi Rabbanim of RBS A to lead them. They should be joined by Frum people from all over the country. Especially Charedim. And their Rabbanim and Roshei Yeshiva. Let them all come to Ramat Bet Shemesh B and make a statement! Again and again! … instead of just saying ‘tsk tsk’! I renew my call for that.

I would of course add that the police should be relentless in arresting the perpetrators and the courts relentless in seeking justice. Not one individual caught hurting a fellow human being should be given any mercy. They should be thrown into a maximum security prison for the maximum sentence to be served without parole!

The peaceful citizens of of the Sheinfeld area that borders RBS B want nothing more than to live in peace with their neighbors. Of any stripe. As they always have. Most of them are Religious Zionist idealists who made Aliyah for the sole purpose of fulfilling the Mitzvah of Yishuv Ha’aretz. And they were there long before the extremists and their enabling neighbors in RBS B from Meah Shearim.

And this is their reward?!

Women as Sex Objects

One of the most insightful people of the 20th century was Sigmund Freud. One of his theories was that all human behavior was controlled by the libido – otherwise known as the sex drive. If not directly seeking sex the libidinal energy is redirected subliminally into other productive behavior. Most of Freud’s theories which not long ago were considered gospel in the field of human behavior have been discredited. But I’m not so sure about this particular theory.

It seems to me that everything that is currently happening in Israel is – one way or another tied to sex. The constant refrain one hears of late on virtually all matters Charedi is the word Tznius – modesty. Although modesty is a Jewish value at non sexual levels too, the word Tznius as currently used – refers to the way women dress, or to what level if any they should be seen in public.

The question arises - are women considered sex objects in Judaism? I don’t think the answer is all that simple.

The fact is that Judaism honors women. It attributes to them great wisdom. The expression used in the Gemarah is Bina Yesirah. It also commands husbands to honor their wives over themselves. It is the woman that is entrusted to raise the children. They set the tone for the home. The home is where the greatest influences on the children are. The Gemarah tells us: Chachmas Nashim Bansah Baysah – the wisdom of women builds the home. I think that may be one reason that non Jewish women always say that Jewish men make the best husbands. That we Jews honor our women has not gone unnoticed among non Jews in our day.

But Judaism also recognizes the sex drive and how it operates in men. For men sexual stimuli are mostly visual. The Torah sanctions – and even encourages sexual activity in the context of marriage. Outside of marriage sexual activity is forbidden. Some of it at a biblical level and some of it at a rabbinic level. Chazal enacted precautions so as to prevent illicit sexual activity. One of the most oft cited examples of this is that men are required to avoid gazing even at a woman’s little finger if there is a sexual thought behind it.

In light of all this we can better understand the focus on Tznius and the differences in various Orthodox communities in today’s world.

In the modern world where social contact between the sexes is fairly common Halacha dictates the normal precautions to be taken in order to avoid being sexually aroused. Utilizing these precautions - men and women engage in all manner of social and communal contact in the public sphere. There is little danger that such casual contact will lead to anything other than... well - casual contact. We thus have Orthodox female lawyers, accountants, doctors, dentists, executives and politicians. All well dressed and yet modest by Halachic standards.

In the insular world of Meah Shearim and Bet Shemesh women are mostly hidden from sight. The mere glimpse of a women’s femininity will generate licentious thoughts. Many additional precautions are taken to prevent that. These precautions extend to very young girls – well under the age of 12.

There are no pictures of women at any age anywhere. Not on posters or billboards and not in any of their publications - no matter how modestly they are dressed. Women wear only loose fitting clothes. They are covered up ‘head to toe’. They are separated from men completely in public: separate seating on buses; never walking or sitting behind a woman; in some cases there are even separate sidewalks. Some Chasidim even require their wives to shave their heads.

It may be a self fulfilling prophecy to feel the need to hide women like this. A lot of what one sees as erotic is based on what one is used to seeing. In a society that virtually hides women, it is not a stretch to say that a libidinous thought may emerge in a man at the mere sight of a woman not dressed according the Meah Shearim standards.

On the other hand in societies like Hollywood where Tznius in dress practically does not exist, it takes a lot more to be sexually aroused than even the sight of a woman in a sleeveless, backless evening gown. Again - it’s all about what one is used to seeing, I think.

The irony is that the more ‘religious’ one is about separating the sexes and avoiding all contact with women - the more women are seen as sex objects. Every discussion about Tznius revolves around the idea that a man will be aroused by the sight of a woman.

As we go up the 'Frumkeit' ladder, we begin to see increasing levels of covering up and increasing levels of separation between the sexes. The more RW one is the more women are treated as sex objects.

To cite an example of this - I recall the Charedi fellow from Ramat Bet Shemesh who was stopped and interviewed about the extremists from his camp calling an 8 year old girl a whore. His angry response included a statement along the lines of "We are healthy men'. Translation: When we see a woman we see a sex object.

Unfortunately the collateral damage of all this is being acted out on the world stage by extremist Charedim in Israel. All kinds of unreasonable demands are being made upon the rest of even religious society. What the most of even the Charedi world takes for granted as well within the limits of modest behavior between men and women is seen as not only a violation of Tznius, it is seen as forcing conditions of immodesty upon them. The following excerpt from a guest post on Cross Currents illustrates this:

I spoke last week with Rav Kopshitz, the Rav of the Eida Chareidis of Beit Shemesh. I asked him what his personal opinion was of the abuse being directed by the kanayim against residents of my neighborhood. He answered “and what do you think about the abuse being directed against Chareidim?” I answered that I completely opposed it, but that I hadn’t heard of much. His reply was striking: “The police are abusing us when they take down our signs asking women not to walk on some sidewalks, because they’re trying to force us to walk immodestly in our own homes.”

Right! Women if women end up on the wrong side of the street and encounter a man – no matter how Tzanua she is - it is considered immodest by this Eida Rav and all of his ‘Chasidim’. Is there any greater proof that women are seen as sex objects in this world? They can deny it all day long by quoting the Gemaros I cited above. At the end of the day women in the public square are treated as sex objects.

To the extent that women there go along with it is merely a function of their own indoctrination. They are taught to believe that men will always see them as sex objects. That’s why many joyfully abide by - and even laud - all the restrictions placed upon them. Not being a ‘stumbling block’ to men by minimizing (some would say eliminating) their femininity and presence in public is their way of serving God. And their insular lifestyles assure that they will stay that way.

The Demise of the Solomon Schechter Day Schools

One of the truly great Jewish lay leaders in America today is Professor Marvin Schick. Very few people can lay claim to the 60 year record he has being active in Jewish education. One of his most recent contributions is the 2008 - 2009 census of Jewish day schools he did for the Avi Chai foundation.

He found that the only day schools that experienced an increase in enrollment were Orthodox. That enrolment in Orthodox day schools has increased is not a surprise to me. The enrollment at Arie Crown Hebrew Day School in Chicago has more than doubled since my own children attended it.

The fact that the crown Jewel of the Conservative Movement, the Solomon Schechter Day Schools has experienced dramatic declines was somewhat of a surprise to me. Their enrollment has declined by a whopping 35%! The Forward reports that conservative leaders are currently struggling with this development.

This is truly a sad commentary on the state of Conservative Judaism. The Solomon Schechter day schools were widely seen by Conservative leaders as the answer to perpetuating their movement. They looked at the success of the Orthodox day schools and realized that this was the real way to keep their children in the movement. Education is always the key. Until then they saw the synagogue as the center of Jewish life that would perpetuate their movement.

But at some point they began to realize that without a truly Jewish education - and being raised in a completely secular environment of the public school they were losing their flock. The Solomon Schechter day schools were to be the remedy for that.

I have always predicted the eventual demise of all heterodoxies because of their assimilationist policies. But when the Conservative leadership started pushing their day schools, I saw it as a danger to Orthodoxy. A new breed of committed Jews would be created. But… committed to what?

As the educational arm of the Conservative Movement - Solomon Schechter tolerated heresy within their midst. One can be a member in good standing in the Conservative movement even if they believe Sinai never happened! That it is all allegory. That the Torah was written by different men in different periods of history! Or that its laws were taken from the much older Hammurabi Code. That is Heresy! My fears seem to have been unfounded. The system is failing. Attendance at these schools is decreasing.

I suppose I should not be surprised. If there is little or no commitment at home to Halachic observance, and their rabbis don’t push it, why should a parent ever send their child to a religious school? Why spend the money and be subjected to their children bringing home all kinds of peculiar Jewish laws and customs into the home? If you don’t keep Kosher or Shabbos in the home, you don’t want your child coming home and asking you questions about it.

Is this development something to gloat about? I don’t think so. Personally I have mixed feelings about the demise of this system. On the one hand the fact that fewer children will be exposed to heresy is a good thing. On the other hand fewer children will have any exposure to Judaism at all is not such a good thing.

On the plus side if one is doing outreach one might think it is easier to educate a child from scratch – rather than to first disabuse him of a heretical belief. On the minus side, the children who go to a school that teaches them the basics of Judaism will more easily be able to integrate into Orthodoxy when there is successful outreach to them.

I have no doubt that a Baal Teshuva with no background has a much harder time integrating than does a Baal Teshuva who attended a Solomon Schechter school.

Does this mean that if someone asks you whether they should send their child to a Solomon Schechter school or a public school - that you should insist on the Solomon Schechter school? I cannot recommend sending a child to a school that I believe teaches heresy.

On the other hand I am always happy to see a Baal Teshuva who already knows how to Daven in Hebrew; knows what Teffilin are; knows about the Shelosh Regalim; knows about fasting on Yom Kippur; knows about Shabbos and Kashrus; is familiar with Chumash and Rashi, Mishna and Talmud... and knows pretty much all the basics because he studied them in a day school albeit a Conservative one.

I guess the bottom line is that I am happy that Orthodox Jewish education is increasing. But I’m not sure whether the decline in Conservative Jewish education is a boon or an impediment to the future of Klal Yisroel. At least with Solomon Schechter Jewish children have a connection to their heritage – even if many of them will end up being non observant. Some will observe Shabbos and Kashrus. What about the Heresy? Good question.

But the fact is that there are some who will actually be motivated to go become Orthodox and will have a relatively easy transition into it. Without Solomon Schechter there will be far fewer of those – making outreach that much harder.

The Patron Saint of the Extremists

One of the most damaging figures of the 20th century happens to be a man who is considered the Gadol HaDor of the 20th century to great multitudes of observant Jewry. That man is the Satmar Rebbe, Rabbi Yoel Teitelbaum.

I was very happy to see Rabbi Yosef Gavriel Bechhofer saying that he cannot respect the Satmar Rebbe. I have to agree.

I have long ago lost my respect for the Rebbe. But after reading Rabbi Bechhofer’s post which excerpts the Rebbe’s published words my antipathy towards him is stronger than ever

Very few people would deny the Rebbe’s genius and knowledge of Torah, nor would they deny his great leadership abilities. His Chasidim are so numerous and their growth rate so large that they threaten to become the largest single demographic in all of Orthodox Jewry - if they aren't already.

The Rebbe’s influence exceeds by far the confines of Williamsburg and Kiryas Joel - the 2 homes of the majority of Satmar Chasidim. It extends worldwide. The Satmar Rebbe is seen as the spiritual guide to multitudes of Chasidim all over the world - Chasidim that are not members of Satmar. Like the Eida HaCharedis, the Toldos Aharon Chasidim, and Neturei Karta whose members have joined ranks with Iranian President Mahmood Ahmanadinjad a man who has said he would wipe Israel of the map! The Satmar Rebbe is their patron saint!

The Satmar Rebbe’s legendary Torah knowlegde, piety, and Chesed pales in comparison to his hatred of Zionism in any form – including religious Zionism. He considers the founding and the existence of the State of Israel to be literally the work of the devil. And those who supported it to be the worst kind of Reshaim.

His attitude is not merely the stuff of legend. He wrote it in black and white in a book called Divrei Yoel. There he compared Rav Avraham Yitzchok Kook - who is considered the philosophic founding father of Religious Zionism to Haman. That’s right Haman – the original Hitler who was the Reichsfuhrer of the ancient Persian Empire. Haman - one will recall - decreed the genocide of the Jewish people of his Reich!

The language the Rebbe used to describe Rav Kook is taken directly from Megilas Esther’s description of Haman. All because Rav Kook advocated Religious Zionism. I don’t recall ever seeing such hateful language from one Jewish leader about another.

Even Rav Kook’s ideological opponent, Rav Yosef Chaim Sonnenfeld whom the Satmar Rebbe claims to defend against the Zionism of Rav Kook was able to respect him. As were practically all of the Gedolim of that era -despite their strong opposition to his philosophy. But not the Satmar Rebbe. To him, Rav Kook was an evil man comparable to the Hitler of ancient times!

This is the level of hatred manifested today by the Rebbe’s heirs. Those residents of Meah Shearim who dressed up in Holocaust prison garb in order to cast government officials as Nazis is merely a reflection of that philosophy. Make no mistake about it.

It doesn’t really matter that the Rebbe did not call for a holy war and that it is mostly all rhetoric. What matters is that every single one of his Chasidim whether card carrying or not - buy into a philosophy that can easily be used to justify extremism.

They see the government in exactly the terms seen by the Rebbe. They do not believe for a moment that wearing Holocaust prison uniforms is an exaggeration. They believe the State is being led by Rashiam as evil as Nazis. Which explains why Eida leader, Rav Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss defended them.

It is no small thing to blame what is happening in Israel now on the Satmar Rebbe. But I have no choice. It is as clear as the sun to me. The Satmar Rebbe more than anyone else is responsible for the clear hatred of religious Zionist Jews. It is the Satmar Rebbe’s philosophy that motivates the disgusting actions of the extremists and their defenders. The turf war in Bet Shemesh manifested by extremists who called the 8 year old daughter of Religious Zionists a whore - is an expression of that hatred. Tznius is only their excuse! Their true motives are those articulated by their patron saint, the Satmar Rebbe.

This does not mean to say that we must all agree with Rav Kook, far from it. I for one do not see the State of Israel as the first flowering of the final redemption. But Rav Kook was nevertheless a Gadol just the same. Had the Rebbe just said that he didn’t agree with Rav Kook and expressed his opposition to the State in any incarnation based on his interpretation of certain Gemaros, I would have respected him in an Elu V’Elu sense. But that he said such things about a Gadol of Rav Kook’s stature deserves to have a ‘back at ya’ response.

I will not stoop to calling the Satmar Rebbe the kind of names he called Rav Kook. But I believe very strongly that he should not be seen historically as any kind of leader in Judaism. Even with all the Torah knowledge and leadership ability he had. If the Rebbe’s Israeli spiritual heirs have their way and succeed in dismantling the State we may God forbid be looking at a second Holocaust!

When there is no Chesed for the likes of a Gadol like Rav Kook, then all of the vaunted Chesed the Rebbe inspired in his Chasdim toward fellow Jews is worthless!

I think Klal Yisroel ought to follow the lead of Rabbi Bechhofer and not grant any respect to him. He does not deserve that nor does he deserve any honored place in Jewish history.

Rise of the Mega-Yeshivos- the Coup de Grâce of Chasidification

Guest Post by Bray of the Fundie

The following essay was written by someone who studied in Charedi Yeshivos both in the US and Israel. He prefers to remain anonymous. I generally do not publish anonymous posts. But after apprising me of his background I have decided to allow him to use his pseudonym. This is his second contribution. It is definitely worthy and food for thought. However as always with guest posts - it reflects the views of the author and does not necessarily reflect my own. - HM

Just over a month ago I posted Part I in which I claimed a certain dispassionate journalistic detachment. I concede that from this point on I am editorializing.

I have never been really comfortable with the academic historical narrative about the origins of the Khasidic movement. Received wisdom always talks about the voids being addressed by the movement. The Rabbis grew remote and out-of-touch from the people. Common folk felt disenfranchised and hopeless etc. etc. Yet the fact that the movement captured the hearts and minds of such intellectual and spiritual giants as the Alteh Rebbe, the Hafloah, the Kotzker, the Rim, the Divrei Chaim, the Sfas Emes, the Bnei Yissoskhor, the Lubliner Kohen, the Khelkas Yoav, the Kozhiklover, Rav Meir Shapiro and Rav Menachem Ziemba to name but a few, belies the conventional wisdom that Besh"tian Khasidus was a grass roots movement meant to serve the unlettered and unwashed masses.

Nevertheless Khasidus did, in fact, address the spiritual needs and helped actualize the spiritual potential, or at least the religious yearnings, of masses of adherents and it continues to do so. Yeshivas traditionally gained cache and traction by virtue of the quality of the lamdonim who were their alumni. Few Yeshivaleit today know if Slabodka Mir and Telshe on the eve of World War II had 200, 400 or 4000 students. Nor can they say with any accuracy exactly how many branches comprised the Novardhoker Yeshiva Network.

The reason? No one really cares, the number of students enrolled is beside the point of these legendary Yeshivos historical significance. OTOH Khasidus, at least over the last century, gained historical significance mostly by dint of large numbers. With a few notable exceptions the Khasidic groups who were major players over that time were the ones that boasted thousands of Khasidim. Satmar, Lubavitch, Ger, Belz, Vishnitz all have thousands of adherents, many Moisdos and concomitant political clout and influence.

By definition elitist institutions raise the requirement bar for membership in good standing higher than mass movements do. The skill-set mix needed to have "made-it" in historical Slabodka, Mir, Brisk, Chachmei Lublin or even the Lakewood of RAK included exemplary critical and abstract thinking, diligence (hasmoda), attention to detail, attention/concentration surplus disorder, creativity and, very often, asceticism, a high pain threshold and the ability to endure poverty and privation stoically . To lead such institutions required all of the above plus a mind of genius, great administrative and rhetorical talents, pedagogical virtuosity and , quite often, the kind of "publish-or-perish" pressures one associates with secular academia (though in the case of Brisk it was more like "perish-and-then-publish").

In contradistinction to this membership in good standing in the diverse khasidic movements required a whole different skill set and, arguably, one that is easier, less demanding and more commonly found among great numbers of people. These include self-abnegation to the Leader, an obscurantist sensibility, a suspension of disbelief in the miraculous and in the Masters capacity to work same, a tendency towards group-think, the wearing of a uniform, a willingness to travel and spend quality time away from wife and family and a religious sensibility predicated more on heart than on head.

To lead such tribes was very often, nothing more than an accident of birth. Preferably, in order to maintain or build up the following, Khasidic leadership required a great and empathic heart, a passionate approach to the staples of daily Jewish life like davening, Shabbos and Yom Tov, formulating a cause or a leitmotif that proffered the khasidim a distinct sense of identity (some might call this the narcissism of small differences) and a sharp piqkhus . Even this last quality is intellectual without being academic. Most would associate piqkhus more with street smarts than with book smarts.

Today there exist two Mega-Yeshivas. Mir in Jerusalem boasts an enrollment of 6000+ while BMG in Lakewood, New Jersey may be up over 7000. The rise of these gigantic Yeshivas and the concomitant marginalization of almost all other Yeshivas for talmidim who are 23+ represents a sea change in the very institution and , in a way far more telling than uniform l'vush, their Chasidification.

Historically Torah Observant Jews in eastern Europe managed to lead lives of observance and commitment with a mere Kheder schooling. An amkha yid might not have been capable of self-study of Gemara but was a member of Khevra Mishnayos, Shas or Ein Yaakov. Kashrus and other basic halakhos were absorbed through observing parental and communal behaviors. The great Yeshivos Gedolos were reserved for a tiny intellectual elite. Jews receiving the equivalent of an eighth grade education and/or, in the case of the women, no formal schooling at all managed to stay ehrlich and live halakhically until the day they died.

But all this began changing in the inter-war period of revolutionary and nationalistic ferment and was accelerated by the War and the post-war American melting pot and the Israeli gallop towards Westernization. Now, without the inoculation against the winds of change provided by in-depth Torah study for many years ones Jewish identity and fealty to Halakha becomes suspect. And so Yeshivas adapted and evolved/devolved to the point that they have become open-admission and long term institutions.

But converting from elitist academies to mass cities of refuge against the rising tide of heresy and materialism comes at a price. Academic standards fall. Fidelity to a particular ideology replaced intellectual acuity as the currency of admission and acceptance. A student body too unwieldy to manage as individuals must be integrated through the glue of group-think. Those who think alike begin to dress alike and books of peoples inner-lives are judged by their covers. Self-delusions of scholarly grandeur persist only so long and values other than great academic achievement in determining ones self-worth begin to creep in.

I have long held these beliefs to be fairly self-evident but I was particularly struck by the encomiums I heard about the late great Mirrer Rosh HaYeshiva Rav Noson Tzvi Finkel OBM at his shloshim. His love and support for each and every student were praised. Speakers were in awe of his self-sacrifice in particularly on behalf of the spiritual growth of others. He was lauded as a great fund-raiser and institution builder. He was extolled as one who did, and in the afterlife would continue, storming the gates of heaven to advocate on behalf of his students and on behalf of all Jews. Anecdotes of scrupulous observance without compromise in the face of great pain and extraordinary challenges were heard.

I closed my eyes for a moment and wondered; "Are these hespedim for the Mirrer Rosh HaYeshiva... or for Reb Shloimeleh, the Bobover Rebbe ZYA???" Almost every praise about RNTF that I heard were those one normally associates with a Khasidic Master rather than with a Lithaninan Rosh HaYeshiva. Conspicuously absent were any mentions of Geonus, Iluyis, profundity, bekius, power of Horoah, originality in approach or novelty in khidushim. How incredibly different these hespedim were from those of the prior Mirrer Roshei Yeshiva Rav Chaim Shmuelevitz OBM and Rav Nokhum Trackaier OBM a generation earlier or even from those of Rav Berel Shvartzman OBM, who headed up a mid-size, decidedly non mega-Yeshiva a mere week before.

As gauged by that which is deemed praiseworthy an entire cultures value system had changed in my lifetime. ( See Rabenu Yonah where he explains Mishlei 27:21). IMO the mega-Yeshiva is the Coup de Grâce of Chasidification of the rest of us. All the other external trappings of the Chasidification are merely external symptoms of this inner shift in core values.

בא המבדיל והעמידן על אחת
Those who cannot tolerate Havdala cannot appreciate Qedusha

It Takes Two to Tango

There is an insightful article in the Jerusalem Post written by Ramat Bet Shemesh resident and prolific author on the subject of science and Torah, Rabbi Natan Slifkin. In essence it is a mild rebuke of the way secular Jews treat religious Jews – or perhaps more precisely Charedi Jews - in Israel.

He compares that to the way secular Jews treat religious Jews in America. And correctly finds that there is much more tolerance and respect for the sensitivities of religious Jews there. He cites some examples of that, such as the fact that sex segregated gyms in America are a fairly common occurrence (e.g. Women’s Workout World). Whereas in Israel when it was recently tried by Technion’s gym, it resulted in a massive protest that ended up with Technion reversing that policy.

Another thing he pointed out which I have noticed myself is that the manner of dress by many secular women in Israel is far less modest than it is generally in the US. He suggests that secular Israelis would do well to follow the American model of societal modesty. Even though American modesty standards are not on par with Halachic standards I agree that if secular Israeli women would just ‘upgrade’ to the American standard it might go a long way towards showing a little more tolerance and respect for the sensitivities of the religious Jew – and thereby lessen the enmity.

To be fair the two examples mentioned by Rabbi Slifkin may have different origins. Modesty standards in Israel may be the result of European influences whose standards are much lower than they are in the US. On the other hand the idea of a sex segregated gym might in fact be the result of pushback.

Be that as it may secular Jews in Israel should heed the advice of Rabbi Slifkin. Tolerance is always a good idea and something I promote here on this blog all the time. But as I have said in the past, it takes two to tango. Tolerance goes both ways.

The question is why is there so little tolerance now? It seems that there is more intolerance of Charedim than ever. Can it be as some Charedim say that there is an innate hatred of Charedim? I don’t think so. Although by now the hatred by some is so visceral it seems innate. (That goes both ways too!)

I do not believe there is an innate hatred of any Jew against any other Jew, no matter how far removed they are religiously from each other. Hatred is bred, not born. As Rabbi Slifkin said, any hatred on the part of secular Jews in Israel against Charedim is due to a fear they have of their lives being taken over by Charedim who they increasingly see as religious fanatics.

When they read about all the problems being caused in Bet Shemesh and Meah Shearim - and the reactions by many of the more mainstream Charedim who even while condemning extremists find excuses for them - and they combine that with the increased Charedi demographic - they see what they believe to be the ‘handwriting on the wall’. They fear Israel becoming a completely Charedi society. So they react by 'pushing back'. I think that is in many cases what is going on. I believe that was probably the reason that the protest against Technion was so strong.

So even though I agree with Rabbi Slifkin that seculars ought to cut Charedim more slack - as they do in the US - I think that Charedim ought to do their part to show more good will towards seculars. Instead of jumping on every perceived slight by the secular establishment as though they were dealing with Nazis.

Yes. Seculars should build tolerance for Charedim, But so too should Charedim build tolerance for seculars. It would not solve all of the societal problems between these two demographic groups, but I think it would help.

That tolerance goes both ways was recognized by one of the most venerated sages of the 20th century, the Chazon Ish. Shortly after the founding of the State the Chazon Ish wanted Charedim to be respected for their religious sensitivities. But he realized that he was living in the real world of a secular Zionist state.

That’s why both he and founding Prime Minister David Ben Gurion compromised and reached a solution called ‘The Status Quo’. After gaining concession from Ben Gurion for things like army exemptions for both male Yeshiva students and religious women - religious life in the Jewish state would remain as is. Neither segment would try and ride roughshod over the other. The level of religiosity in the State that existed at that moment in time – a sort of balance between the secular and religious world would be preserved.

But then again the Chazon Ish was a real Gadol. As was Ben Gurion a secular ‘Gadol’. I’m not so sure about some who pass for religious or secular leaders today. The word compromise is not in their dictionary. Which is why I don’t really have any confidence that Rabbi Slifkin’s suggestions will be implemented by either side any time soon. I hope I am wrong.

Stupidity or the Torah True Hashkafa?

He apologized.

Israeli Minister of the Interior Eli Yishai (pictured) is a Sephardi member of Shas, the party founded and led by Sephardi Gadol Rav Ovaida Yosef. And his attitudes on most things reflect the Charedi point of view. In what has to be one of the stupidest statements ever made by an Israeli government official he recently said that the reason there were negative results in the last Lebanon war (2006) was because the soldiers were not observant.

Really? How then does he explain the positive results of the 6 day war? Or the war for independence? Or just about every other war Israel has fought and won? Were those soldiers any more observant than those who fought in Lebanon in 2006?

But fear not. In what is one of the most laughable statements of this whole debacle Mr. Yishai actually said that the soldiers in the six day war were indeed more religious which is why they won the war. Quoting Yisahi Ha'aretz wrote:

"In the Six Day War, every Jew, and every Jew that went to battle, raised their eyes to the creator,"

Right. Moshe Dayan and Yizhak Rabin, two of the military heroes of that war both raised their eyes to God. And every pilot that flew a mission in 67 was a student in Brisk. They flew their missions Bein HaSedarim!

Is Yishai kidding?!

Yisrael Klauzner an irate father of a soldier that was killed in action during the 2006 Lebanon war called him out – saying that Yishai’s statement was not worthy of a response. Not only was his son observant but according to Klausner: Over half of the fallen soldiers were from settlements or were religious!

But here is the money quote from the Jerusalem Post:

Klauzner also called on the government not to resign the Tal Law, which affords a draft deferral for yeshiva students, arguing that they should be sent to fight in lieu of secular soldiers."If so many religious soldiers don’t go to the army and the secular soldiers who go instead of them are the ones who die I say they shouldn't go. Either they shouldn't enlist or the state should just draft the religious and they can fight and ensure a victory."

In light of Yishai’s statement, how can anyone argue with this? If you want to have victories and victory is based on the how religious the soldiers are, then by all means have an all religious army. Exempt the secular and draft only observant Jews. Datim are already there. Charedim should lose their exemptions and be drafted. Then you will have an all observant army and go on win glorious victories! That should be a no brainer to Yishai.

Of course Yishai realized how he came off and quickly apologized. He added: The families of the fallen are sacred to the people of Israel.

Yes he apologized. And well he should have! The problem is that he did not say he was wrong. If he really felt that he was wrong he would not have made that comment in the first place. I believe he just felt bad that he hurt the families of the soldiers killed in action.

And that is the underlying problem here. He didn’t just make up his original statement up out of whole cloth. This is the current Charedi mentality. This is what is emphasized in their schools and their shuls… in their speeches and their lectures. The government and all its institutions – including the army - are evil and the cause of all problems in the State!

If a war is lost and people die, it’s because the army isn’t religious. The only Hishtadlus (determined effort) that counts is the spiritual one. The physical Hashtadlus is at best secondary – if it exists at all. Physical Hishstudlus in their mind counts for nothing if those doing it aren’t religious.

How different is the Charedi mindset over that of the great Charedi Gadol of the past, Rav Chaim Shmulevitz. He praised not only the spiritual contributions of his Yeshiva Bachurim in the Mir but gave equal praise to the IDF for their physical contributions in successfully defending the country during one of their wars … instead of condemning them for not being religious enough!

Is there any wonder why there is such resentment by the secular of the Charedim? It isn’t only about the extremists. It isn’t even about the apologetics of the wider Charedi community. It is about an ingrained belief that no longer recognizes any value of contributions from the non Torah world.

That has been replaced by a hatred of the secular world generated by decades Charedi indoctrination to see only Frumkeit as having any value. If one has any doubt of that - when was the last time anyone ever heard a good word about the IDF along the lines of Rav Chaim? All we ever hear now from those quarters is how evil they are.

Alive and Well …and Kicking!

Although I have had profound differences with Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky, (as in his decision to excise the Bracha of Shelo Asani Isha from the standard liturgy) I must admit his recent essay on the subject of Charedism resonates with me. But I neither agree with his conclusion nor even wish for it.

In an essay entitled, ‘The Tragic Unraveling of Haredi Judaism’ he seems to feel with some degree of confidence that the Charedi world is in a state of decline. He blames it on many of the things I often write about right here.

While justifiably praising all the many contributions made by the Charedi world to Judaism he nonetheless says the images coming out from those quarters of late are so negative that no non Charedi adolescent could ever be inspired to follow in that path. He thus sees ‘the end of days’ for this community. He ends his essay with the following challenge:

Whether we are prepared for it or not, the modern Orthodox community (in all its many shades and forms), bears the obligation to step up and fill this void. We can no longer be content to carve out our own religious lives, and bear responsibility only for our own families and communities. We need to pick up the fallen torch, and be the models of piety, Torah study, and self-sacrifice that Jews everywhere need to see, admire, and be inspired by. This shouldn’t be a stretch for us.

As Orthodox Jews, we are already committed to all of these values. And we have the additional strengths of also being committed to the ways of peace and mutual-respect, to positive engagement with the world around us, and to seeing the good in modern society. Now more than ever, we need to be true to our Modern orthodox values, as the mantle of broader Jewish inspiration is falling to us.

I can’t really disagree with his description of Modern Orthodxy’s strengths. Nor do I disagree with his idea that we ought to be engaged in promoting those values and incorporating the many positive values of the Charedi world. But I question his prediction of demise. In fact I completely reject it. It is not going to happen. Charedi Hashkafos will survive the current crisis – if there even is one.

Yes, all the things Rabbi Kanefsky says about those negative events are true. And the images of late are indeed unattractive to say the least. But when one looks at the total picture of the literally hundreds of thousands of Charedim in the world who are committed to this lifestyle… and the fact that the vast majority of Mechanchim in the world are Charedi – even in many non Charedi schools, you would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb to believe they are going to go away anytime soon. Or ever for that matter. They are the wave of the future – as I have said here many times.

The average non Charedi may not be attracted to this Hashkafa as much as they used to be because of all the negativity. But Charedim don’t need non Charedim to grow. They are growing exponentially just fine without them. This is true both in America and in Israel. The images that he legitimately says are a turn off to the rest of the world are unfortunately not interpreted all that negatively ‘in house’.

Many if not most Charedim have put a positive spin on all these negative things - rationalizing them away as not so bad …or even Mutar …or saying they are anomalies and not indicative of the true ways of the Charedi world …or marginalizing the extremists – defining them out of Charedism …or refusing to read or believe any negative reporting by the ‘Frum hating’ secular media. Once you have put the negativity in its ‘proper’ perspective, then you are left with quite a few pluses like the ones Rabbi Kanefsky concedes are real. That is what they focus on and with legitimate pride.

The only real danger is internal. In the unlikely event that they would fail it would be because they will self destruct via the heavy financial burden placed upon them by their lifestyles of Torah only. And even then it would be more likely to occur in Israel. In America, there are enough Charedim that do eventually prepare for making a decent living – those I call moderate Charedim, which I believe comprises a majority of them. Perhaps even the vast majority.

But even that scenario is unlikely. What may instead happen is a reassessment of their priorities. Or there just may be more ‘defections’ into moderate Charedism – even by Israelis as more and more of them are forced by poverty to seek a way to make a decent living. But they will all retain the Charedi values of Torah only as opposed to Torah U’mada or Torah Im Derech Eretz. At least in theory if not in practice.

To paraphrase Mark Twain - reports about the death of Charedism are entirely premature. It is alive and well. Nor do I even wish it would die. As does Rabbi Kanefsky - I respect and admire what they have accomplished and wish them continued success in those areas.

As I said the wave of the future is Charedism. But a moderate version of it. One that already exists and is combining socially with the right wing of Modern Orthodoxy. That is the true wave of the future.

My only hope is that Modern Orthodoxy will not be swallowed up by the much larger Charedi segment who for the most part controls the religious education of their own children and in many cases the education of right wing Modern Orthodox children.

I hope that the best of modern Orthodox values will not only be retained by that community but that they will be able to pass it on to the next generation and even influence Charedim currently to incorporate some of those values into their own world.

The New Israel

They made the desert bloom. That was the way Israel was seen in the eyes of the world. At least to those who were paying any attention back in the pre 67 era. Indeed Israel was seen as an idealistic society consisting of some very smart people who were able to do fantastic things. That image has not only continued, it has spread into all other areas of human achievement. Israel has a pretty hefty percentage of Nobel Prize winners in a variety of fields.

No less virtuous is the fact that Israel has been a shining light of democracy in a sea of despots and dictators some of whom felt little compunction about savagely slaughtering thousands of their own citizens to retain power.

Nor is it a small achievement that Israel - a tiny little country living on a sliver of land defends herself so successfully from her enemies. Enemies whose populations outnumber her by a factor of 40 to 1 - and who would like to see her wiped off the map! Something they have tried to do many times throughout Israel’s existence - whether through war or through terror.

I have always been proud of all these facts. Unless one is an anti Semite, one cannot help but admire what Israel has done over the last 60 or so years.

As a religious Jew, I can also state with pride the achievement of the Torah world in that relatively short time. There are more Yeshivos than ever. And religious Jews are growing in number and creating many communities of largely observant Jewry. Where there are Shuls and Yeshivos and virtually all restaurants are Kosher. How nice it is to walk down a street in a city that has no traffic on Shabbos. Where stores are closed, people are dressed for Shabbos. Little kids playing in the middle of the street… the very air is infused with the aura of Shabbos.

And then there is the great pride I take in the Hesder movement. These Yeshiva students are among the most dedicated soldiers in the Israel Defense Forces. And they have been doing it since the very beginning of the State. And recently even Charedim were being welcomed there with a program designed to meet their special needs.

But I fear that all this is currently going up in smoke. And women’s issues are at the center of the storm.

An article in the New York Times well illustrates my frustration. What has happened is that religious extremism that increasingly manifests itself places like Bet Shemesh and Meah Shearim is changing the way Israel is perceived. It used to be the case that the so called rock throwers were rare and limited to one small section of Jerusalem. These people were the haters of the State and sought its demise - but did little to make that happen other than spew negative rhetoric. Meah Shearim was seen as a quaint little area, of little consequence.

That has changed. They have grown exponentially and can no longer be contained in one small area of Jerusalem. They are spreading out to other areas and now demand that those areas and border areas adhere to their stringencies in the area of female modesty. That has caused pushback.

The tripwire has been a series of events all dealing with issues of female modesty. Such as strong arming women who sat on the wrong side of a bus and culminating in the events of Bet Shemesh where extremists started spitting on women and calling 8 year old girls whores.

Here is one instance of pushback. Segregating the sexes on Mehadrin buses which used to be a given - is by law no longer enforceable. The negative perceptions of one community against the other have increased. There seems to be much more enmity now between secular Jews and Charedi Jews… and even between Dati Jews and Charedi Jews.

There used to be an uneasy ‘live and let live’ attitude with perhaps an undercurrent of resentment but benign neglect. On the secular side having to do with Charedim not serving in the army, their low numbers in the work force, and the resultant poverty requiring government financial support. On the Charedi side seeing all seculars as anti Torah out to destroy them. But that’s all it was - a sort of quiet resentment.

No more. People on all sides are upset and are acting on it. What used to be a status quo balance of secular freedom and religious needs is turning into a culture war.

The backlash is effecting institutions like the IDF in ways that have never been seen in its sixty year history. To the best of my knowledge there was never an issue about Kol Isha - men listening to female singers in the IDF. I do not recall a single incidence of religious soldiers walking out of a concert because of Kol Isha until this year! Suddenly – as though this was the first time it ever happened soldiers walked out of such a performance.

That caused a reaction by the IDF hierarchy. They ruled that soldiers must attend official IDF ceremonies and may not leave if a there is a female singer. That in turn caused some Religious Zionist rabbis to resign from whatever position they had with the IDF. While I disagree with that ruling – I don’t think it is an unreasonable request to allow religious soldiers to be exempt from events that include female singers - I have to wonder, why is all this happening now? In its over 60 year history, was there never an instance where a woman sang to a group of religious soldiers until now?!

But that is not where the extremism stops. Chumra is now being treated like Halacha. And not just by extremists. The Charedi world is insisting that Israeli society honor it in the same way. It is one thing to for religious Jews to insist on their rights to follow Halacha. But it is an entirely different matter when religious Jews start insisting on Chumros as Halacha and then demanding that as public policy. That is not only causing an internal cultural war, it makes us look primitive in the eyes of the world.

Case in point is the opening comments in that New York Times article:

In the three months since the Israeli Health Ministry awarded a prize to a pediatrics professor for her book on hereditary diseases common to Jews, her experience at the awards ceremony has become a rallying cry.

The professor, Channa Maayan, knew that the acting health minister, who is ultra-Orthodox, and other religious people would be in attendance. So she wore a long-sleeve top and a long skirt. But that was hardly enough.

Not only did Dr. Maayan and her husband have to sit separately, as men and women were segregated at the event, but she was instructed that a male colleague would have to accept the award for her because women were not permitted on stage.

There is no Halacha that that requires women to sit in a separately in an audience. Nor is their any Halacha that forbids hearing or seeing a woman speak. It is only a Chumra – one that is increasingly being adopted in virtually all Charedi circles, even in the United States.

This was in fact was one of my pet peeves about the annual banquet of my daughters’ Beis Yaakov high school. The female principal was not allowed to address the audience. How ridiculous is that! And if an award was presented to a woman she was not allowed to go up on the stage and accept it or offer a public thank you. Her husband would have to do it. That too is ridiculous.

Is there any wonder Hillary Clinton compares Israel to Iran when Chumra is set up as the minimum standard? By insisting on Chumros as Halacha, the world now looks at even Halacha as primitive! Instead of the world seeing the desert bloom or looking at the number of Nobel Prize winners, they now see a new Israel being taken over by Iran-like extremists. And who are the extremists in the eyes of the world? There is no nuance. The extremists are all of us who observe Halacha. This is an image that Israel cannot afford.