The Face of Today's Leadership

Rav Moshe Feinstein, ZTL (Wikipedia)

In an online conversation I had with one of my very wise astute readers  about - what amounts to the failure of Charedi leadership in our day he said the following: 

The terrible and tragic problem of our time for rational-minded Orthodox Jews, Is not that there are some “Orthodox” Jews that do bad things. 

That will always be the case. 

Religious or not,  there will be non-observant wife beaters and Orthodox wife beaters. Non-observant white collar criminals and Orthodox white collar criminals etc. 

The problem is that the Orthodox world and especially the Hareidi world consistently fails to take OWNERSHIP of individual or communal failings. 

By that I mean, acknowledging PUBLICALLY when happens/when mistakes are made, and aggressively PUBLICALLY condemning and better still, directing actions to avoid in future. 

When the Hareidi world fails to do this time and time again: 

The secular media take ownership and turn the incident/event/issue into something even worse

Non-observant Jews feel even more alienation or worse hatred to Orthodox Judaism

Rational Orthodox Jews see the horrendous chillul hashem by terrible actions by “Orthodox Jews” that is not immediately admonished by the “leading Rabbonim” and throw their hands up in disbelief at best… 

This is an fact the very issue I addressed yesterday in reaction to a violent attack against Bet Shemesh mayor, Aliza Bloch. As I said, words are cheap. What is needed is action. If Charedi leadership does not rise to that occasion nothing will change.

Those comments were followed by another email where he made the following points:

And while (this reality) reality is nothing new – it IS NEW in the sense that it is COMPOUNDED BY: 

*A huge growth in the Orthodox community. (Good) At the same time, a natural outgrowth of this good – is a parallel increase in numbers of some doing bad things. (Not good)

*A social media and media animal that is far more aggressive today than ever before. Gone are days where can just ignore and believe story will pass

*The scale and magnitude of bad deeds has grown worse

*The Hareidi community has grown even MORE insular

*Hostility and worse between Hareidi and secular has grown even WORSE

My response (with a bit more elaboration) to him is worth sharing. 

The following thought occurred to me about his first point. Compared to the shrinkage of other communities, population growth due to a high birth rate does not lend any credence to the idea that their ideology is truer than the ideology of shrinking population. External growth might lend credence to that argument. But not internal growth. 

Why is that? 

When one is indoctrinated from birth to believe in the truth of their ideology to the exclusion of all others, all that proves is that the parents are good at indoctrinating their children. Which in their case are in far greater number than the general public - which generally do not have anywhere near that many children. If internal growth proves the truth of religious doctrine, that Muslims would win that argument. 

This of course has nothing to do with the actual truth of Judaism. It is only to say that our  increasing numbers are no proof of that.

But that’s really a side issue, albeit an important one. The issue in question here is the failure of leadership as per yesterday’s post. And his points do indeed compound the issue. 

The reality is that these are problems that will be difficult to overcome. They have long ago been entrenched into Charedi culture. However, I truly believe that if the Charedi leadership had the courage to address them without fearing any of the possible negative consequences to themselves, it would go a long way to change things for the better.

I have said the following in the past. But it bears repeating. The biggest impediment to successful change for the better is what Jonathan Rosenblum once wrote about an unidentified member of the Agudah Moetzes. 

Upon presenting his controversial view on a matter significant to the Charedi public - that 'Gadol' told him that he agreed - but couldn't say so publicly because he would be accused of being a ‘Fake Gadol’!

Was that simply cowardice motivated by a fear of losing prestige? I don’t know but it sure seems that way. Be that as it may that is not leadership. 

The Gemara in Sanhedrin (97a) says the following: B'Dor Shel Ben Dovid Bah - Pnei Hador K'Pnei HaKelev. In pre-messianic times, the face (leaderhip) of the generation will be like the face of a dog.

What this means is demonstrated by the following. To the world - when a dog runs ahead of its master, it seems like he is leading him. But in reality he is always looking back at his master to see where he is going and is really just following him. 

This is where today’s Charedi leadership seems to be in many cases. Many of today’s leaders stick their fingers up into the air to see which way the wind is blowing. The ‘wind’ being what people, or perhaps more importantly, their colleagues will think of them. And thus make pronouncements based on that.

Leadership does not always mean doubling down on what other leaders have said. It means telling the truth as they see it regardless of what others think. That is the kind of courage R’ Moshe Feinstein had in his Teshuva (Halachic ruling) about using Chalav Stam - milk processed by the American dairies.. He held that one is permitted to drink such milk because of the strict government laws that prohibit dairies from using anything but cow’s milk in their product

Rav Moshe was severely criticized by a Gadol of similar  stature, the Satmar Rebbe (R’Yoel Teitelbaum). He strictly forbade drinking Chalav Stam. His view  was that only Chalav Yisroel - milk processed by observant Jews was permitted. But R’ Moshe stuck to his guns. He never backed off. 

That is the mark of a Gadol. Contrast that with what is happening today. If this issue would have come up now, very few if any rabbinic leader would have dared to use the arguments made by R’ Moshe to permit drinking Chalav Stam - for fear of being called a fake Gadol. Pnei Hador K'Pnei HaKelev.

Words Are Cheap!

Bet Shemesh Mayor, Aliza Bloch (Jerusalem Post)

I’m sick and tired of being sick and tired. The truth is that I am more than ‘sick and tired’. I am about as angry as I have ever been about a group of people that sets themselves apart from the rest of the Jewish people. Even religious ones. And even other Charedi ones.

It’s not that they don’t have the right to live as they choose. They can live like isolationist cavemen if that’s what they want. It’s that they resort to violence in pursuit of that goal that makes me so angry. Violence against anyone they perceive as getting in their way. 

They see themselves as the most righteous among righteous. A state of being they go to great lengths to live by. Anyone that gets in their way is the enemy of what is right and just in their eyes.  And therefore must be stopped by whatever means are available to them. It doesn’t matter to them whether their ‘enemy’ is observant or not. The cliché of  ‘My way or the highway’ has never been more apt than it is in their case. 

What did they do this time? The Jerusalem Post reports the following: 

Israel Police were forced to rescue Beit Shemesh Mayor Aliza Bloch on Tuesday night after ultra-Orthodox protestors besieged her, rioting and smashing the windows of her car, according to an Israel Police spokesperson. 

The protestors gathered in Ramat Beit Shemesh to violently protest Bloch's arrival for a tour of a new ultra-Orthodox school building that is set to open in the coming school year.

The protestors threw objects at the building and set fires near the school compound as well as throwing stones at police officers who were on the scene, injuring one. 

Mayor Bloch might as well have been a Palestinian terrorist as far as they were concerned. 

This attack shocked me. Even though I have become quite used to reading stories like this, this one seemed to be particularly violent. Especially since it was directed against an observant Jew. I am so disgusted by this… I have no words.

 Mayor Bloch - ever the gracious Mentch... 

…released a video saying that she knew her attackers represented only a small group among the ultra-Orthodox community and that she wouldn't let them scare her from continuing her work as mayor. 

I would not be so kind to that community, had that happened to me. I am also not all that surprised that this attack was condemned across the board - including by Charedim: 

Interior Minister Moshe Arbel (Shas) on Wednesday morning. "Violence is a sick evil that must be uprooted. I expect law enforcement to act immediately to protect local elected officials from anyone who raises a hand to them." 

He is of course  right about the obligations of law enforcement. The problem is that nothing of any consequence is ever done about it when it happens. These extremist Charedim keep getting away with it. Even in those rare circumstances when they are arrested, they are ‘rescued’ by Charedi politicians wh use their political clout to get them out of jail. Which allows them to do it again whenever they feel like it with relative impunity.

This is what makes me so angry. It isn’t just about the actual attackers. It’s about the environment that produces them. And the Charedi publications that extol their religiosity. I recall a few years ago where one of those Charedi magazines featured a fawning cover story about one of their religious leaders. It extolled the personal piety he exuded and the influence he had on the piety of his Chasidim. There wasn’t a word about their violent extremists. Not even after many attacks similar to the ones suffered by Mayor Bloch. As far as readers of that magazine know, they do not exist. Only their religious virtues were discussed in the most fawning manner.

My guess is that the same thing will happen here. None of the Charedi publications will even mention this story.- Probably considering it Lashon Hara about the overall community that they believe does not deserve it. Instead they will continue to feature leaders of communities like that on their covers – along with positive articles about them and their Chasidim. In the uliklley event that they might do so this time (I doubt it) it will be accompanied by apologetics that the attackers did not represent their Rebbe or the the rest of their community who are equally appalled by it. Thus leaving their ‘pristine’ legacy intact.

If past is prologue,  nothing of significance will happen this time either. Thus perpetuating this evil of instead of ending it.

The time is long overdue for a leader of note in the Charedi world to stand up and state the obvious. Which is that a culture that produces this kind of extremism is an expression of false piety. And to stop extolling the virtues of religiosity they ascribe to these Rebbes and their Chasidim. They need to instead call them out for creating a culture that leads some of them towards violent attacks!  

Putting these extremist in jail for a long time is not enough. (Although it would be a good start.) It’s time to for religious leaders of all stripes to unite in common cause to stop this scourge with more than mere words. That entire community must be ostracized unless and until they change their culture.  

It is also time for Charedi publications to stop fawning all over these communities and instead place their terrorists on their cover - and label them as such. And to question – as I do – a culture that is responsible for this kind of behavior. Because as far as I am concerned it is this culture of extremes passing as the norm that is as much responsible for this behavior as is the extremist scum that actually do it.

They will not of course do that. They will stick with their apologetics if they even mention it at all. And so will this kind of thing be perpetuated and probably get worse. And by ‘worse’ who know what kind of violence will happen next.

Ayelet Hashar Saidof -Too Stupid for Words

Mothers on the Front rally last week (Jewish Press)

Sometimes the ‘devil’ is right. In what can easily be summed up as an Israeli hate group (…yes, hate has a home in Israel), ‘Mothers on the Front’ is absolutely correct in their demand that there ought to be equality for all Israelis -  including Charedim. 

That might sound like something all Charedim would be grateful to hear from a secular group like that. But equality in all things means that Charedim should not only be given the same rights as everyone else, they should be required to fulfil national obligations equally as well. With equality of rights comes equality of obligations. Without the latter the former should not apply. 

The one area where Charedim refuse to be treated equally is in military service.  Even as volunteers in non combat national service. I agree with Rabbi Aaron Rakeffet who recently stated this is an anti Halachic position (for reasons that are beyond the scope of this post.) 

I have consistently maintained (and still do) that those studying Torah full time get the unfair advantage of safety over the rest of Israelis. While it’s true that there are secular and religious Zionist Israelis that might get exemptions, they are exceptions. Charedim on the other hand are all exempted. And thus spared the dangers of combat which is what military service is mostly about. 

How do they defend all those exemptions to a mother who lost a son in battle? Or to a soldier that has been permanently injured? Or to his family?

To argue that power of learning Torah protects Israelis from harm as much as military combat will not bring back the lives of soldiers killed in action or heal the permanent injuries sustained  in battle.  

No matter how important Torah study is the net result is that Charedim get to learn in safe and comfortable conditions while others are tasked with dangerous job of protecting them – some of whom get killed or seriously injured in the process.  

Arguing the importance of Torah study will not give any comfort to  a grieving mother, father, wife, or child who lost a loved one in combat. That Charedi leadership  doubles down on equating Torah study to military combat  and tried to pass a bill stating this is the height of Chutzpah in my view.

Charedi leadership ‘explains’ their reasons for refusing to serve in the IDF (Israeli Defense Force) is because of the spiritual damage caused by a secular military leadership that ‘purposely’ wants to disabuse religious Jews of their observances and beliefs. That may have once been true in some cases, but now that there are military units that specifically cater to Charedi needs that argument no longer holds water. Although there may be an occasional; ‘glitch’ in the way that mandate is fulfilled, the IDF is fully committed to serving the needs of Charedi recruits and in most cases attempt correct those glitches.

Besides - many religious Jews have served honorably in the regular IDF and were not spiritually damaged at all.  Hesder Yeshiva students, for example, are comprised of  Religious Zionist students and are among the most dedicated soldiers in all the IDF and serve with honor, often in groups that volunteer for dangerous assignments. They obviously do not suffer any spiritual damage. And instead come out of that experience with even stronger beliefs and commitment to observance. Many becoming the Religious Zionist version of Charedi – called Chardal. There is no reason to believe that a Charedi recruit that serves in a Charedi unit will fare any worse.

So I am with this ‘hate group’. (Why I call them a hate group will soon become obvious.) Their demands are legitimate. As the Jewish Press reports: 

240 mothers, members of the “Mothers on the Front” group whose offspring include “present, past and future male and female soldiers” on Tuesday submitted a petition to the High Court of Justice asking the judges to instruct the government, the defense minister and the military to end their violation of the law and immediately enforce the conscription of Haredi yeshiva students, and, as they argue, bring to end the “longstanding discrimination between blood and blood.”

Attorney Dafna Holtz Lachner, representing the petitioners, stated: “Before us is the essence of the constitutional crisis in its entirety – a provision of the law which expressly states everyone must be recruited, without discrimination between blood and blood… 

It’s too bad that a legitimate goal like theirs is tainted by the kind of hatred reflected by the following comment: 

Attorney Ayelet Hashar Saidof, who founded Mothers on the Front, recently spoke at a rally on Kaplan Street in Tel Aviv and compared Haredi Jews to rats and other disease-spreading vermin. 

That comment undermines her very valid complaint. There is no way that anyone can take her seriously. Adding fuel to that fire is the following event: 

Last week, Saidof led a rowdy rally in Bnei Brak during which a woman was pictured exposing herself before a group of shocked Haredi men.  

I don’t know what she thinks that kind of hateful rhetoric and disgusting behavior will accomplish. In my view that completely destroys any credibility she would otherwise have had. Some people who ought to know better are just too stupid for words.

Hate Has a Home in Israel

Haaretz publisher, Amos Schocken (Israel Hayom)

‘Charedim are carriers of a most serious disease that could destroy Judaism and make it something monstrous. A disease of condescending, arrogant, and racist exclusivity.’

I wonder how many of us feel that way? To be honest, I think there are a lot of - even Orthodox Jews that feel that way. That is a most hateful way to see a fellow Jew. No matter how much we disagree with each other. And yet, that sentiment was expressed almost verbatim about Orthodox Jews by Haaretz  publisher Amos Schocken.  

Extremist hatred is not the sole province the secular left. One can see it expressed quite often by extremists on the religious right. As it recently was by a Charedi family against some female Israeli soldiers traveling on a bus with them.

If there is one thing that really pulls my chain, it is the kind extremism that generates that kind of hate. It doesn’t matter what side of the political or religious aisle it comes from. In my view, if anything can destroy the Jewish people it is that. Reconciliation between the two sides seems as unlikely as Louis Farrakhan becoming Rosh Yeshiva of Ponevezh.

I do not believe dialogue between these two extremes of Jewry is possible. Hate definitely has a home in Israel.

On the other hand it occurred to me that the views expressed by these two extremes are not all that uncommon among the mainstream. Many of my Orthodox Jewish friends on the left have expressed views similar to Schocken. Calling Charedi Jews parasites is not that rare. It is inconceivable to me that religious Jews can have the same views about other religious Jews as does a rabid hater of the Torah like Schocken. But it seems that many do.

It's not that I disagree with them so much on the issues. In fact more often that not, I do agree with them. But I do not allow my strong disagreement to result in hatred. Does anyone think, for example, that I hate Satmar Jews because of my constant heavy criticism of their educational system? That would be the furthest thing from the truth! I hate the fact that they are left ignorant of basic subjects - which the rest of the Orthodox Jewish world learns in third  grade. I don't hate them. I hate ignorance! And feel sympathy for their ignorant state. And angry that they are denied that knowledge institutionally. 

The same holds true for secular and heterodox Jews. I do not God forbid hate them either. I feel sympathy for their ignorance of the Torah and angry that their education has not included any significant education of that. Which is the vary essence of  Judaism..

We all have issues that concern us about our ideological opponents. Some of which have serious negative repercussions. But hatred will not change anything. And if it keeps increasing the Jewish people will destroy themselves. 

I do not believe there is any hope for people like Schocken and the Charedi family on that bus. Sadly their hatred has crossed the line to the point of no return. They have substituted hate for values.

But what about the rest of us? Are we so polarized that there is no hope for us either? Do we sit in our little corner and continue to hate people whose values are so different from ours?  Or are we going reject the Schockens of the world, stop hating, and start talking to each other?  

To be sure, there is nothing wrong and everything right with having ideals and sticking to them. On the contrary, that is often a courageous thing to do. But that does not mean vilifying those we disagree with. No matter how far they are from the way you think.

Dialogue need not be solely to convince ideological opponents about the absolute truth of one’s ideology. Although that is wonderful - if rather rare - when it happens it should primarily be for the purpose of trying to understand where the other guy is coming from and to respect them even when you strongly disagree. This is true for bot religious and secular Jews.  

Unfortunately as noted here many times, this is  not the direction we seem to be headed in. Instead of understanding and respect - hatred is increasing. And I’m not sure I see a way out. God help us all.

Is Brotherhood Among Jews an Unreachable Goal?

Image from Mishpacha for illustration purposes

I admit it. I am a fan of Jonathan Rosenblum. I can’t help it. Jonathan is probably the most intelligent, educated, and articulate spokesmen that the Charedi community has. I can’t think of a single Orthodox writer that comes anywhere close to him in all of those areas. 

That means I am probably not as objective as I would like to be about his columns. (Although I do try to be. In fact I don’t always agree with him.)  

Once again I think he nails it. In what I think is a key statement in a recent Mishpacha column about the divisiveness in Israel, he says the following: 

The questions we as a community ought to be asking ourselves are: Where did we fail? And what can we do now? Have we, for instance, ever tried to explain to the secular public that we do not seek to impose a theocracy as a political goal, and are content to wait for that day when Hashem will fill the entire world with knowledge of Him? Iran is not our model.

Or have we rather cut ourselves off to such a degree from the larger Israeli society that it never occurred to us that there is a need to explain anything, or, conversely, to listen to their concerns? What besides a self-willed isolation could have possessed United Torah Jewry representatives to introduce, suddenly, in the middle of the heated debate about limiting the High Court’s ability to apply a “reasonableness” test to government actions, a Basic Law equating Torah study with military service? What can explain such complete tone-deafness? Did no one realize that such a proposal at that moment could only add fuel to the fire and provide opponents of judicial reform with new talking points?

As Jonathan notes judicial reform is pretty much a dead issue. The recent passage by the Knesset of a law eliminating the use of the ‘reasonableness’ standard from the Supreme Court (to strike down a law it doesn’t like)  is about as far as they are going to go.

But the battle rages on. The division has never been greater. The issue is not about democracy. It is about demographics. The fear by secular, Dati (MO), and traditional Israelis is that Israel will turn into a country where the increase of Charedi representation in the Knesset will result in imposing extremist religious legislation upon the entire population. Which is of course the furthest thing from the truth. That will not happen. Not in an era where everyone is as divided as they are now. Not in a country where the vast majority of the nation, (including even most Charedim that do not subscribe to the extremism of far religious right) - does not want it. 

But that fear did not come out of thin air. The Charedi community shares the blame for that erroneous assumption. Perhaps even the lion’s share. In what is a near identical observation to my own, Jonathan says the following: 

Last week, a video went around of a chareidi family on a train shouting insults at a group of women soldiers. “Shiksa” was but one of the epithets used, but it captures what is most disturbing about the video — the feeling of the kids hurling insults at their fellow Jews that they bear no connection to those female soldiers. That is obviously an attitude they have imbibed in their homes: They were traveling with their parents.

Now, I’m well aware that the behavior of those kids in the video is generally confined to a very small percentage of the community. But the underlying attitude is more widespread. And it is wrong on multiple grounds. First, as a matter of Torah hashkafah, we are bound, for better or worse, to all our fellow Jews. We received Torah together as one, and we have an obligation, as both individuals and as a people, to reflect that Torah to the world.

IN ADDITION, an attitude of complete alienation from other Jews is dangerous: K’mayim panim l’panim. If we feel alienated from them, so will they feel alienated from us, and as such, they will be far more closed to Torah and far more capable of acting against us both physically and politically. 

Couldn’t have said it better myself. And probably already did. Another area in which I am in complete agreement is in his criticism of the isolationist policies and practices of the Charedi world: 

Isolation was once the chosen path of the Torah community. And that made eminently good sense when we were a tiny, embattled minority. But we are no longer a small community. Nor is our very existence under threat. At this point in time, if we want our voices to be heard, we have to be at the table.  

Again, I could not agree more. The question is whether there is the will by Charedi leadership to change that isolationist paradigm? I fear that the answer to that is mostly no. Which was demonstrated by the recent stupid proposed legislation by Charedi Knesset members equating Torah study to military service. 

This is not about the importance of Torah study. No  one that call themselves Orthodox would deny the importance of Torah study. It’s about the Chutzpah of presenting a law that will equate those who risk their lives with those who sit in the safety and comfort of the Beis Hamedrash thereby exempting them from that risk. I can’t think of too many things that would increase the hatred of Charedi Jews than that.

Jonathan and I would surely disagree about requiring the military service of Charedim. If there is going to be compulsory military service, everyone ought to be in the same boat. Charedim included.

Leaving that aside - as much as Jonathan would like to see a sea  change from isolationism to integration and dialogue (as would I), I just don’t see it happening. Those that are attempting to do so - are a relatively small minority and are basically spitting in the wind. 

On the other hand, Jonathan is a widely read author and columnist whose reach is exponentially greater than mine. He has some influence. Will that be enough to make a dent? I doubt it.

Looks Can Tragically Be Deceiving

Rabbi Yosef Paryzer and Jake Segal (Jerusalem Post)

Al Tistakel B’Kankan Elah Mah Sheyesh Bo (Avos 4:20). The English equivalent of which is ‘Don’t judge a book by its cover.’ (Not a translation.) This sage advice seems to be completely disregarded these days. We all seem to judge people by appearances. 

Depending on which of the 2 images you look at in the Jerusalem Post - one will see either Yosef Paryzer, a popular Charedi teacher of young men in an anglo oriented Yeshiva, or ‘Jake Segal’ a cool dude looking for some ‘action’. And by ‘action’ I mean of a sexual nature. From the Jerusalem Post:  

(Jake’) was arrested on Tuesday night by Israel Police in Jerusalem after using a false identity and fraudulent pretexts to date and sleep with women.

While Segal presented himself as mostly secular and single and made promises of long-term relationships, marriage, and starting a family, he was in fact a married father and a rabbi working at a Jerusalem yeshiva.

Several victims shared chilling testimonies on social media

The police said they had collected the testimony of five victims, but a warning message shared by victims on social media said he had been in simultaneous serious relationships with at least nine women over the course of at least seven years.

Sadly, sexual predation has become so common that in spite of its devastating (sometimes lifelong) consequences, it his hardly newsworthy anymore. What makes this particular story newsworthy is that Jake Segal and Rabbi Yosef Paryzer are one and the same person.  Having learned about his arrest and the nature of the accusations, his Yeshiva fired him.  Bottom line message for all of us is ‘what you see is not always what you get’.

Malka Leifer in custody (JTA) 

Unfortunately much of the Charedi world - which prides itself on listening to the sages - has not gotten this message. Appearances do seem to determine how people are treated. As was the case with Malka Leifer, the former principal of a Charedi girls high school in Australia. Mrs. Leifer, a Ger Chasidista looks about as Charedi as one can get. What often seems to be the case is that the ‘Frummer’ one looks, the more likely they are to be believed and defended against even the most heinous crimes. Sometimes even after they have been convicted - their belief in that innocence is maintained. As is the case with the notorious Charedi rapist, Nechemya Weberman. 

The same was true with Leifer. After having been accused of sexual abuse in Australia, she managed to escaped to Israel before she could stand trial. When Australian authorities attempted to extradite her, she turned to Rabbi Yaakov Litzman a powerful (at the time) member of the Israeli Knesset and fellow Ger Chasid - for help.

One might have assumed that when there are multiple accusations of sex abuse, that he would not hamper that effort. Certainly not by fraudulent means.  But one would have assumed wrong. He actually attempted to use his influence as Heath Minister at the time to get government psychiatrists to falsely verify that she was mentally incompetent and could not stand trial. All while in truth she was living a normal Chasidic life with her husband. 

Ultimately that failed and she was extradited.  And as we now know she was found guilty of 18 counts of sexual abuse and rape of her former students. And sentenced to 15years in prison. (If I recall correctly Litzman eventually ‘paid’ for his crime in a plea deal that forced him to resign from his Knesset seat but with no jail time.) 

I should add that it wasn't only Litzman. There were also fundraising efforts undertaken for her defense.

Why did Litzman and company do this? They probably looked at Mrs. Liefer and said, ‘She’s one of us’. She could therefore never have done what she was accused of doing. Her accusers were not to be believed. Litzman and company looked at the ‘book cover’ and not what was inside it.

Here was this ‘fine Charedi woman’ a wife and mother that wore her religiosity all over her body. Every strand of hair always meticulously covered. Now being victimized by her former students for  - who knows what reason! Probably for some sort of  vendetta. 

With that assumed innocence, sending her to an Australian court (Arkaos Akum) was out of the question.. It didn’t matter that there would be no religious court that would address the grievances of her victims. ‘Look at Malka!’ ‘She’s innocent!’. How can someone that looks like that be guilty of what she was accused? To Litzman and company all that mattered was her image.

I am fairly certain that had Leifer been a secular women, Litzman wouldn’t have committed a crime on her behalf and surely there would have been no fundraising efforts.

Malka Leifer is a sick woman who let her desires overcome any sense of right and wrong ultimately satisfying those desires at the expense of innocent human beings: her own students that trusted her. There is can be no mercy for someone like that. Rabbi Yakov Horowitz put it best in a mass email: 

Here is an article about Leifer's sentencing, but I respectfully encourage you to do a Google search for her victims' impact statements. 

They are just heartbreaking. 

For many years now, I've been saying that the only people who really get life sentences in child abuse cases are the survivors. 

"Malka Leifer Should Not Get Your Kindness," is an article I wrote in The Times of Israel in 2019 about this saga overall, and in particular, the nauseating fundraising efforts undertaken for her defense. 

Could not agree more. But in my book, what Litzman and company did was worse. They trusted the exterior that they saw. An  ‘exceedingly Frum’ woman being ‘unfairly’ accused. And they were going to do whatever they could to protect her. 

There is no excuse for the trauma they added to Leifer's victims.  Litzman and company did precisely what the sages warned against: Al Tistakel B’Kankan Elah Mah SheYesh Bo.

A Common Sense Approach to Issues of Modesty

I have long been an advocate of common sense. It is an essential part of my Centrist identity. And yet it seems to be a rare commodity these days. Ideology has kind of kicked common sense to the curb. This seems to be particularly true with religious versus feminist ideology each taken to extremes.

Accommodating the special needs of religious Jews whose standards of modesty go beyond the letter of the law should not be a problem as long as it doesn’t inconvenience others. But often ideology gets in the way of that. Which boils over into hatred.  It doesn’t matter what the ideology is. When one ideology is honored at the expense of another, that is unjust. And that is the cause of much of the heated divisiveness that exists in in Israel today.  

Two very different reactions illustrate this sad reality. (One of which on the secular side I recently discussed.) The subject is gender separation. If you are an observant Jew, gender separation is a modesty issue. If you are a secular Jew, gender separation is sexist and an unnecessary inconvenience. 

Is it possible to accommodate both perspectives? I think the answer is yes - if we take  common sense into consideration. There are times when gender can be separated and times when they should not be. But when ideology is the only guide, then one side will always win at the expense of the other.  

This brings me to an opinion piece in the Times of Israel  by Shoshanna Keats Jaskoll. Who said the following: 

“Some will gain and no one will lose.” So said Idit Silman, Israel’s minister of environmental protection, of the plan to add extra hours for gender segregated times before and after public hours at the natural pools in two nature reserves.

Unfortunately, adding gender segregated spaces means we all lose.

How can I, a religious woman, who theoretically should be glad for the opportunity to swim among only women, feel this way?

Because separate is almost never equal

We all lose? This implies opposition to gender separated facilities. I sympathize with her concerns. But not her implied solution. An example of what she is talking about is the following:

… members of the (Bnei Brak) city council decided to see whether the women’s days at the beach were “kosher” enough. After investigating (with binoculars), they determined that the separate beach was not acceptable after all, and canceled the buses that went from the city to the beach. They did not forbid the beach, but, practically speaking, they removed it as an option. Now women who want to go to the separate beach must take two buses or wait with hordes of other women for an infrequent bus to a more distant separate beach.

Her implied opposition to separate gender facilities because they are unequally applied to women is an injustice to the very people she wants to help. These women will have no place to go swimming if there are no gender separated beaches anywhere.  

This is where common sense comes in. Fairness demands that religious sensitivities be accommodated in ways that do not treat women as second class citizens. Which they often are. Instead of always inconveniencing women for purposes of modesty, men ought to share the burden of inconvenience. Let the men take two crowded busses to remote locations. 

Women should not always be the ones to pay that price. If one gender must be inconvenienced for purposes of modesty it ought to be shared by both sexes. The burden cannot always be heaped upon women.

As Shoshana noted beaches are not the only area where gender segregation is always at the expense of women. This is where the strict letter of the law be applied instead of forcing the stringencies of one group upon the other.  So that such things as men and women using sidewalks on different sides of a street ought never to allowed on a public thoroughfare. Even in their own neighborhoods. In private areas - if that's want, they can implement it there.

Public transportation should never be sex segregated. Even in neighborhoods where this is a preferable stringency. If on the whole they choose to do so, they can self segregate as a practical matter. But if someone gets on the bus that does not wish to do that, they ought to have the right to sit where they choose. The letter of the law will still be followed.

By the same token, if a secular Jew is asked to change seats with someone whose modesty standards go beyond the letter of the law,  if it doesn't inconvenience that passenger to change seats they ought to do so as a common courtesy.

I don't know. To me this is all common sense.

Seeking Learners Only. Earners Need Not Apply

Learners - prime marriage material

An article in VIN about the so-called Shidduch crisis got me to thinking again about how messed up the current system of dating is in the non Chasidic Yeshiva world. Even though it was ‘set up’ with the best of intentions  to facilitate long term intensive Torah study, we all know where best of intentions sometimes leads. In the world of Charedi Shiduchim it is the hell of an increasing pool of single women unable to find husbands. The older they get the ‘slimmer’ the ‘pickins’.  Eventually seeming to disappear completely.  

There have been a lot of ideas floating around by well intentioned Charedi rabbinic leaders to solve this ‘crisis’. But to the best of my knowledge, there has not been the slightest dent in it. A lot of young women over the age of 23 are finding more diffiicult than ever to find their mate.

I am not going to rehash any of the ‘solutions’ that have been suggested, Either they have not been fully implanted or they aren’t working. I am not even going to suggest my own solutions since they are non starters in Charedi  circles.

But as Rabbi Yitschak Rudomin points out the one thing that seems to be ignored as a possible solution is the idea of young women not looking strictly for someone that will be learning in a Kollel. Aand instead to look for someone that works for a living. The fact is that there are many fine young men educated in Charedi Yeshivos that choose to work for a living while maintaining their ‘Charedi credentials’: 

(There are) young yeshiva educated men who have decided to leave the world of full-time learning in yeshiva and have chosen to start a life in the working world. Sometimes they are called “earner-learners” who are kovea ittim meaning they “fix a set time” to learn Torah but they dedicate the bulk of their time to working… 

(Some) have taken the step to go to college, such as to Touro College that has separate classes for yeshiva educated males and females… (with a goal of) becoming accountants, computer programmers, or obtain degrees in business management, marketing or some area of finance… 

But as Rabbi Rudomin makes very clear: 

These working boys are generally not the initial prime candidates for many of the American Litvish yeshiva world’s girls who have spent their lives in great Bais Yaakov-type schools...  and then to top it off have spent a year in post-high school seminaries in Jerusalem where they are intensively educated to seek Kollel full time learning boys to marry. 

I’m not sure that expanding the pool of eligible young men to include young men that chose to work rather than learn in a Kollel will completely solve the problem. But it sure can’t hurt. The problem is that his suggestion that dating ‘earners’ as well a ‘learners’  is also a non starter. That’s because Charedi young women have been ‘intensively educated to seek Kollel full time learning boys to marry’. 

The question is why? How did the Charedi world get to a point where young women are taught to seek only ‘learners’ and reject out of hand ‘earners’? 

We are not talking about marrying irreligious young men. Or even young men that are religious but uneducated. We are talking about young men that have gone through the same Yeshiva education that the learners have but have decided that in their own case God will be best be served by working for a living while setting aside regular times for Torah study. 

Why are these fine young Charedi men rejected? 

The answer is these young women have been taught to reject them. They have been indoctrinated by their teachers throughout all of their school years that ‘earners’ may be fine people but are not prime marriage material. That learners are prime. Thus becoming the only viable candidate for marriage, No point in dating someone that doesn’t measure up.  The whole thrust of their education is to find someone like that and to support them with the best jobs they can get. They do not place any significant value on earners.

This is what just about every single girl in Beis Yaakov has been indoctrinated to believe from when they were old enough to understand the concept of marriage.

How did this kind of indoctrination become the standard of the Charedi world? 

My guess is that the natural tendency of young women  to seek someone that can support them has been changed. After the Holocaust the Torah world wanted to rebuild the Yeshiva world - restoring it in America to its pre Holocaust glory in Europe. 

That required restructuring American pre Holocaust Orthodox communal paradigm of religious working men  to include young men learning in Kollel. Those young men needed to get married. So Beis Yaakov started teaching all their young women that this was the ideal marriage partner in the hope that at least some of them would seek to marry learners. That has succeeded to the point of no return.

Now, over 70 year post Holocaust no young woman worthy of the being called Charedi would ever settle for an earner. They want to do what has been drilled into them constantly from as far back as elementary school. They may say about an earner that he is a fine boy but not for them. End of conversation.

So as great an idea as is Rabbi Rudomin’s solution is it will never happen. I think Mashiach will come first. 

And the crisis continues…

Belz and Secular Studies

Image of Chasdic children for illustration purposes (VIN)

Is the tide finally turning? From VIN: 

In a dramatic development in the charedi educational system, the Belz chasidim are close to integrating core curriculum studies in their system and receiving 100% funding from the government. Two Belz institutions will initially come under the supervision of the Bnei Yosef network of Shas and will receive the full funding. The agreement is expected to expand to all of Belz’s educational institutions, numbering some 9000 students. 

This is no small event. The fight against introducing  secular studies into Charedi schools has been so fierce, that before he died, Rav Gershon Edlestein was reported saying that any Rebbe (religious studies teacher) that teaches even Limudei Kodesh in a school that offers such a core curriculum – loses their portion in the world to come. When a Gadol of such major stature says something like that, it is not taken lightly. It registers. No Charedi Rebbe worthy of that description would ever dare to teach in such a school.

Frankly, I do not understand Rav Edelestein’s extreme statement. I know he was opposed to offering any secular subjects in Charedi schools. But to go so far as he did, seems to be way over the top It is beyond my comprehension. Especially of one considers the gentle nature of R’ Edelstein and the care and concern he had for every single Jew regardless of how observant they were. 

Was he exaggerating to make the point? I don’t know. But as an Ish Emes -  man of truth, that is highly unlikely. I assume he was just following in Rav Shach’s path who ostracized Maarava, a Charedi school that offered a core secular studies curriculum.

It is therefore plainly obvious how opposed Rav Edelestein was to  Belz’s decision. If I recall correctly, when they had first announced they were going to do that (about a year ago?) they were threatened with expulsion from membership in the Charedi UTJ party. Belz reversed course because of that. 

But I guess they changed course again, realizing that the government offering of full funding to their  schools was offer an offer they could not refuse. 

A lot of skeptics might say that this isn’t about the better education those 9000 students would get. That this is all about the money. I have no way of knowing whether that was the full motive behind it. Even though the following seems to indicate it is indeed all about the money: 

The Belz initiative is a blow for Degel Hatorah, which had threatened to split with Agudah before the previous election over the possible inclusion of core curriculum studies. At the time Netanyahu intervened prior to the election and promised Belz funding even if they didn’t include core curriculum studies, but this promise wasn’t fulfilled in the current budget and therefore Belz moved ahead with the curricular studies. 

Perhaps, But at the same time I cannot believe that the Belzer Rebbe would do anything that would compromise the spiritual well being of his Chasidim, no matter what the financial advantages of doing that might be. I have to believe that he actually thinks this would be beneficial to his Chasidim.

 This is not just a  few outlier Charedi schools going against the grain as is the case with Maarava and a few other schools like it. This is a major well known segment of the Charedi world. One that might be seen as an example for others to follow. At least in the Chasdic world. 

How ironic it would be if Chasidim in Israel started offering a secular curriculum the way the vast majority of the non Chasidic schools in the US do. While extremist Chasidic schools like those of Satmar continue to refuse with a Yehoreg Ve’al Yaavor (willing to die for the cause) fervor!

I need not repeat the clear advantages gained by those who are offered a secular curriculum on the one hand - and on the other hand, the disadvantages to those who aren’t.. Been there and done that Ad Nauseam.   

All I will say is that I hope this catches on. The demographics of the Charddi world in Israel seem to indicate that an increasing proportion of the Israeli public will be Charedim. Perhaps at an exponential rate over the next few generations. 

Israel will need the kind of professionals that only advanced educationn can provide. Which means that Charedim will increasingly be needed to become a part of that. Now that we have one very large segment of the Charedi population becoming more eligible than ever to become those professionals, there is hope for a more materially productive the future.  

As of right now, unfortunately, it seems that the rest of the Charedi world in Israel is anything BUT on board with it. But who could have ever predicted that a major Chasdic sect like Belz would be the first to do it - if at all?! Who knows. May there is hope for the future after all.

A Two Pronged Approach in Pursuit of Justice

Scene of a terrorist attack near Chevon (JTA)

Justice, justice you shall pursue.  This is the will of God as expressed by Moshe in last week’s Parsha (Devorim 16:20).  

JTA reports that 2 Jews were murdered in the West Bank by a Palestinian terrorist last week: 

Shay Nigreker, 60, and his son Aviad Nir, 28, had traveled to the Palestinian town from their home in Ashdod to do errands when they were shot to death while at a gas station. The town was the site of riots by Jewish settlers in February after two Jewish brothers were shot to death there.

 This morning another Jew was murdered: 

An Israeli woman was killed and her driver injured in a shooting attack outside Hebron. 

I have long urged my fellow coreligionists to stay away from dangerous neighborhoods. Placing oneself in a Makom Sakana (dangerous place) is against Halacha. It doesn’t matter whether we are talking about Chicago’s West side of Israel’s West Bank.   

Unfortunately this kind of common sense advice is ignored in Israel by Jews who view settling all parts of Eretz Yisroel as an obligation to be acted upon regardless of the consequences. As I have said many times, the Mitzvah of settling all parts of Israel does not override the requirement to avoid dangerous places. One may not put themselves in harm’s way for that purpose. 

Settlers and their supporters counter with what has become a virtual mantra: Jews might as well stay away from Tel Aviv then, since the Arabs want that land too. But as I constantly say, as true as that may be, there is not a doubt in my mind that Judea and Sumeria (the West Bank) is by far more prone to terrorist murders of innocent Jews than is Tel Aviv. Anyone that denies that is either lying or deluded. 

They will also say that there are major differences between Chicago’s West Side and Israel’s West Bank. There is no Mitzvah to live in the former while there s clearly a Mitzvah to live in the latter. That too is true. But that Mitzvah is to be avoided in matters of Pikuach Nefeseh. Which is why the majority of Charedi religious leaders do not agree with living in those areas.  Preserving one’s life overrides that Mitzvah. 

Had those 3 poor souls stayed away form those areas, they would still be alive. I say this not to hurt bereaved family members who may read these words (unlikely though that may be). It is simply to point out that sad reality as a means of warning others.

That being said, innocent Jewish blood has been spilled by vicious Palestinian murderers who do not value life. It doesn’t matter that they have serious grievances. Murdering innocent people is not the way to address those greivances. Pursuing justice demands that the killers be found and suffer the consequences of their actions. I don’t think anyone would disagree with that. 

Problem is, finding these killers may be a near impossibility. So what can be done to best end these murders?

In my view Israel needs to take a much harder line on Palestinian terrorism. Jewish blood should not come cheap. This does not mean exacerbating the problem with settler pogroms. Like the one that happened in Huwara recently. That too is unjust and will only make matters worse. 

Israel does however need more military operations like the recent one in Jenin. Israeli intelligence is among the best in the world. They know who those terrorists are and where they are hiding.

Their military ought to go into every nook and cranny of every suspected hotbed of Palestinian terrorism and smash it to bits, and shoot to kill anyone that gets in their way.

What about world opinion? Any fair minded nation will understand what Israel is doing. They will understand that Israel is not there to kill innocent people. They will be there to stop terrorist strongholds from killing innocent Jews. Any nation that says otherwise is either stupid or blinded by an ancient antisemitism inherited from their forefathers.

What about politicians like Omar, Tlaib, Ocasio-Cortez, and Sanders? They can twist what Israel does into a narrative that suits their anti Israel bias - all they want. But no one can blame a sovereign nation form doing whatever it takes to protect its citizens. 

What about the legitimate issue of Palestinian suffering? There is a simple (albeit thus far -  unreachable) solution to that. All that needs to happen is for them to stop trying to kill Jews. How that will be assured? The devil is in the details and of course way beyond my pay scale. But clearly Israel would not harm a single Palestinian soul if it were not for the constant attacks against its people by Jihadist terrorists. Where giving up their lives in the belief that it is highest form of service to God. Until that kind of thinking is eliminated from the narrative  of Palestinian leadership, nothing will change. 

If they would stop trying to kill Jews, they could actually have their state. Until then Israel needs to continue and even increases its hard line measures if it wishes to stop or at least reduce the kind of murder that happened in the West Bank  over the least few days. 

Israelis staying out of dangerous places and increasing Israel’s crackdown against Palestinian terrorism are not mutually exclusive measures. In my view, both are necceray if Israel is to continue to be a just society that places the highest of  value on the life of its citizens

Shomrim: Asset or Liability

Jacob Daskal (Ynet)

I have always had mixed feelings about Shomrim. But I am increasingly seeing them as more problematic than helpful. 

Shomrim was founded by Jacob Daskal to protect vulnerable and elderly  Jews against violent attacks by antisemites and assorted other criminals.  The many people that have benefitted from this group will surely sing its praises which are richly deserved in their case. As Shtetl (a Charedi publication I never heard of until I was sent a link to it) reports: 

The group shares examples on its website of times it has helped the NYPD apprehend people suspected of robbery, vandalism, and other crimes, raised awareness of antisemitic incidents, recovered lost and stolen items, helped respond to weather emergencies, and dispensed safety tips to people in the neighborhood. 

My guess is that this group was formed with Rabbi Meir Kahane’s JDL (Jewish Defense League) in mind. JDL was originally formed for the same reason and was quite effective in that role. But they had similar problems and later ‘expanded’ their role to include violent protests that put innocent lives at risk. Even though what they were protesting was a legitimate target, their methods of protest made them more violent than the thugs they used to protect vulnerable Jews from. As noted in Shtetl: 

...critics of Shomrim point to a more problematic track record of reported vigilantism, corruption, and covering up abuse cases within the Haredi community. 

They might think their methods are legitimate since it is for purposes of protecting innocent elderly Jews. But vigilantism, corruption, and covering up Charedi abuse can never be  excused.

When innocent people get hurt because of their lack of resources, inadequate investigation skills, and overzealous policies - they in essence become the very people they are protecting their co-religionists from. The only difference being that Shomrim’s victims tend to be black. 

I am not accusing Shomrim of being racist. Although I’m sure some of them might be. I’m just saying that innocent black people are often their targets based on the frequency of attacks against elderly Jews by thugs and criminals that happen to be black.

That law enforcement looks the other way does not help matters. This gives Shmorim a veneer of respectability. And even praise by a public appreciative of the extra protection they provide. That ends up giving Shomrim a lot more power than they are entitled to by law.

It is with all that in mind that I am disgusted but not surprised by their reaction to Jacob Daskal’s admission of guilt to sexually abusing a 15 year old girl as part of a plea deal:

The reaction from community leaders was mostly silence. The chair of the Boro Park Shomrim, Rabbi Berish Freilich, suggested he was uncertain whether a crime happened at all. “It’s an isolated incident, if it was whatever it was…

Freilich…only grudgingly accepted that there might be any validity to the claims against Daskal: “I guess if the police and the prosecutors have tried it, maybe there was something there,” he said. The coordinators of Boro Park Shomrim, Motty Brauner and Motty Katz, did not respond to requests for comment, and Shomrim did not issue any public statements about the guilty plea, outside of Freilich’s comments to Shtetl.   

Unfortunately the more extreme elements of the Charedi community say (and perhaps  even believe) that sex abuse among their segment of Orthodoxy is impossible. Even after convictions of the most heinous of sex criminals.  As the following excerpt from Shtetl demonstrates:

In 1995, when a rabbi and his assistant were charged with sexually abusing a 15-year-old girl, Freilich told the New York Times he thought the girl “drummed up a charge.”

"It is impossible that an Orthodox Hasidic person would even speak to a female, much less touch her,” Freilich said at the time.  

I know that Shmorim has helped a lot of people. But an organization that excuses, tries minimize, or soften a sex crime committed by one of their own  should not be allowed to operate. The damage that does to survivors, and the aid and comfort it gives to sex abusers overrides the benefits to the community they might otherwise provide.

This doesn’t mean that there cannot be civilian safety patrols that keep an eye on their communities and report incidences of crime to the police. And even jump in to stop a violent attack in progress by all means at their disposal. But it cannot be an organization that thinks they can do whatever they want with impunity and defends or minimizes the crimes of sex abusers. That is not only unjust. It is a Chilul HaShem!

The Truth About Daniel

Daniel Amram (YWN)

Very few things upset me more than when a Chilul Hashem is made. Especially by people who literally wear their religion – not only on their sleeve but all over their body. I am not going to rehash an incident I witnessed that fit that description. Other than to say that as a Kipa wearing Jew on a plane it embarrassed the heck out of me when it happened.

It is with the images of what I witnessed that day in mind that I have get a bit apprehensive when I see large families waiting to board a flight we are both about to take. A fear that usually ends up being unwarranted. 

So when the following story appeared recently in the Jewish media, I have to admit that at first I viewed this story with a jaundiced eye. The description by a secular Israeli  reporter fit what I have personally experienced. From JTA: 

An Israeli reporter (Neria Kraus) is claiming that she was the victim of discrimination by haredi Orthodox men on a recent United Airlines flight to Newark — and that the Israeli flight attendant had sided with the men over her.

“I was told the flight might touch down in Egypt and it would be my fault,” Kraus wrote as she posted a video of her arguing with passengers and crew. “What a humiliating event for me as a woman.” Kraus refused to move and the flight departed on time.  

My initial gut reaction was to believe her. The excessive piety of a fellow passenger has once again caused a Chilul HaShem. But upon further investigation and  reflection, there are elements of her story that do not ring true. Like the reaction of the flight crew to her accusations. Which indicated to them that it was she who was the provocateur, not the passenger she accused of humiliating her.  

There is a another version of what happened that seems a lot more credible. From the Jewish Press:

...Neria Kraus said yesterday that Haredim wanted her to change seats on the flight because she is a woman. She photographed this person who has a family and is a very well-known person in Brooklyn.

“Her tweet reached over a million views, including his friends who were stunned and contacted me throughout the day, ‘There’s no way, this man (Daniel Amram) hosts mixed families on Saturdays at his place,’ ‘He travels lots of times and sits next to women, there’s no way he’ll have a problem with it,’ 

“So, we made sure to reach him, although he didn’t want to bring it out at all, but after much persuasion, ladies and gentlemen, here he is, telling a completely different story: It turns out that his son was with a friend, and they asked nicely if it was possible for her to move one chair over so that the friend could sit next to his son. In response, she started shouting, which made the flight attendant come to warn her that if there’s a mess here, they will cancel the flight. 

(A video of his explanation can be viewed here.)

Daniel is hardly the prototype Charedi Jew whose excessive piety might move him to make a request like that.  

One might be tempted to explain or excuse her accusations as a misunderstanding on her part. One that is based on biases she had because of stories like the one I witnessed.  Although preconceived notions about motives are no excuse, it would at least be somewhat understandable for her to jump to an erroneous conclusion. And then apologize when she realized her mistake.

It is hard for me to believe that is this case here. It seems much more like Kraus is a Charedi hater using an innocent request by a fellow passenger to her advantage - as means to bash Charedim some more. I am not buying her act. No matter how much she keeps insisting that her version of events is the true version.

But even if her version was the correct one, and a Charedi Jew asked her to move based on his excessive piety - her reaction was way beyond the pale. She might have had a right to be upset. But to react the ways she did, one might have thought she had just been sexually molested! And of course that is not what happened. Even someone upset at being asked to move, should not be offended when asked to do so if the seat she is being switched to is similar to the one she’s giving up. She could have simply said no - and that would have been the end of it.

The Neria Kraus's of the world really disgust me. She is a provocateur whose apparent goal is to make Charedim look worse than the Taliban.  She had to know that the fellow she accused of humiliating her that way did nothing of the sort. 

I know that there is currently unprecedented divisions among Israelis along political and religious lines. The differences have never been so stark. I suppose it must have been very tempting for an activist reporter like Kraus to take advantage of a situation believing she could twist the facts into a false narrative that would support her anti religious views. But she was badly mistaken. The United Airlines flight staff did not buy her act either.

Kraus has nonetheless doubled down on her version of events. For which she ought to be fired and barred from ever working as a journalist again! 

A Freak Accident and a Couple of Weddings

So here’s what happened. My wife had a freak accident yesterday. Long story short her leg got wedged between the front wheel of her car and the paved parking space behind our house.  

That required a visit to the ER. X-rays were taken and it appears that she sustained a small fracture. Thankfully - no surgery will be required.  Just a lot of pain. Which has since subsided a bit. We were advised to follow up with a fracture specialist and podiatrist since he ankle was involved.

My wife scheduled for a CT scan later today. While all this was happening, my great niece got married last night – and we attended that wedding. 

Tonight my grandson is getting married. We need to be there early for pictures. The CT scan is scheduled for about 3 hours before that. We are also involved in preparations for the Sheva Brachos on Friday night. We are also hosting my daughter and her family who came in from South Bend for the wedding .

You are all now  up to date with what’s going on in our lives

Needless to say, it’s been pretty hectic around here the last 36 hours or so - and will continue to be till after Shabbos. All of these things are converging upon us all at once, it seems. 

So for the second day, there will be no new post. And there may not be one tomorrow, either.

At this time I would like to express appreciation to my readers and commentators for your indulgence, your patience, and your understanding as my wife and I go through this unexpected ordeal and our Simcha later tonight.

No New Post Today

Due to circumstances beyond my control there will be no new post today. (Don't worry. Everyone is fine.)

The Making of a Real Gadol Requires Courage

Rav Dov Landau (VIN)

I am not in the habit of using DUS IZ NEIS (DIN) as a source for my commentary. Although I often agree with the writer’s perspective, I find his anti Charedi bias to be so over the top that it undermines his often legitimate message. He is therefore vilified by his Charedi critics who completely ignore anything he says.

That being said, I am going to make an exception this time because of a comment made by one of his readers to a recent post criticizing a Charedi religious leader. It reads -unedited - as follows: 

what do you care if yidden who are following the GRA and the mesorah of the olama hayeshivos want to pass that on to the next generation? even if your not part of the litvishe camp, you have to respect their mesorah etc. l'maase in the litvish world learning is above everything else. that is the way it is and was since the GRA and Rav Chaim Volozhener...that is why a 24 year old yungerman learning in bmg will get more kovod then the biggest zakein billionaire gvir, because Torah is more precious then all gold and silver! 90% of beys yaakov girls want to marry a learning boy, take it or leave it.
now in terms of army service and sherut leumi for girls, this battle was already fought and won in the 1950's. maran hachazon ish paskened it was yaharoig v'al yavaor. the steipler's sister's prepared knives to kill themselves in case the army would come kidnap them! ( see bmechistzasam by reb shlomo lorincz for all the details available in english at your local bookshop). 

More about the issue he was referring to later. But I believe that this comment is not an exception to how the more right wing element of the Charedi world thinks. I believe this kind of comment is typical. Which is why there is no grass roots movement to change a system that increasingly harms its own people. While at the same time believing that it enhances it. 

I do not believe mainstream moderate Charedim share that view. The majority of Charedim (especially in the US where most Charedim are essentially moderate) have chosen to – not only work for a living, but in many cases seek a higher education to better support their families. But will still say that studying Torah full time is the highest calling that every Jew should at first try to undertake. They will 'explain' that their working for a living is B’Dieved - a secondary choice. And wish they could still be learning Torah L’Shma full time. 

I do not believe them.  Not that they are intentionally lying. They might actually believe this. But as noted the vast majority do eventually find jobs. And in many cases get the education required to get good ones. It cannot be that a lifestyle that is considered the ideal is honored mostly in the breach by the majority. Deep down they must know that supporting their families and being Koveah Itim (setting aside a regular times for Torah study) instead of learning Torah full time for the rest of their lives is the right thing to do. (Others may disagree. But that is my opinion.)

What that DIN commentator was referring to was a story in VIN as reported on in DUS IZ NEIS. Which is the epitome of what’s wrong with the Charedi engine that perpetuates a lifestyle that at the  end of the day is harmful to them for a variety of reasons. What it shows is that any movement in the direction of common sense solutions that will enhance their material and ultimately their spiritual welfare is doomed to failure once it is challenged by the conventional Charedi wisdom of the past. Wisdom that was right for it’s time, but has resulted in a way of life for all of them. I doubt was ever intended by the Gedolim that expressed it. From VIN: 

Rabbi Dov Landau has joined with Rabbi Meir Kessler, the rabbi of Modiin Illit, in warning against Charedi women being employed as civilian members of the IDF. 

In a letter published in the Yated Neeman newspaper on Friday, Rabbi Landau compared working for the IDF with the prohibition issued by the Chazon Ish against drafting women into the army. 

In a letter published in the Yated Neeman newspaper on Friday, Rabbi Landau compared working for the IDF with the prohibition issued by the Chazon Ish against drafting women into the army. 

Rabbi Landau added that “These matters are serious and harm the foundations of Judaism. They are included in the ruling of the Chazon Ish against women enlisting for national service and there is no room to claim that some cases are excluded from this..” 

One might say that this is exactly what their ‘Daas Torah’ believes - and has believed from the very beginning of the state. And that R’ Landau, a Charedi leader, is merely restating a position that has always been that of the Charedi leadership. That is certainly what I would have thought. 

But it isn’t. Charedi ‘Daas Torah’ actually responded to the changed of conditions of our times.  A response to what may even be an actual existential threat to a community beginning to collapse under its own weight: 

The project was initially sponsored by (the Lithuanian led Charedi) Degel Hatorah representatives and has been kept under wraps for fear of opposition to the initiative. IDF sources said that the seminars and the charedi society have had an active role in the project. 

How sad it is when a good idea has to be kept secret for fear of repercussions from some of  their own leaders. And worse -  ends up being condemned and trashed when exposed. 

What does this say about Charedi leadership when good projects they actually support can be so easily torpedoed because of pronouncements of past Gedloim. Pronouncements based on conditions that no longer apply. 

It’s obvious they are not blind to the reality that motivated them to pursue that policy in the first place. Where is their courage to stand their original more enlightened ground? Why must they now cower, and condemn what they once endorsed - if clandestinely?

I think the answer to that is that they are victims of their own successful rhetoric. Perpetuated for decades. A rhetoric that is bought hook line and sinker by the very large segment of right wing Charedim like the abovementioned commentator. As Jonathan Rosenblum wrote a few years ago about member of the Agudah Motetzes that agreed with one of his criticisms. That Moetzes member refused to speak out publicly about it for fear that he would be called a ‘Fake Gadol’ . 

Need I say more? If you ask me, his very excuse is what might actually make him a ‘Fake Gadol’ . Because it makes him a follower rather than a leader.