Emes Ve-Emunah

Rabbi Chai Posner, Associate Rabbi of Cong. Beth Tfiloh in Baltimore

One of the obvious defining characteristics of being a Centrist in Orthodox Judaism is that you have legitimate Hashkafos both to your right and to your left. That there are Hashkafos to my right is very clear. Charedim are very much to my right Hashkaficly. But what about my left? I once thought there were legitimate Hashkafos there. But Open Orthodoxy (OO) seems to have hijacked the left. I and many others have questioned their legitimacy as Orthodox.

Orthodoxy in Judaism is by definition Halachic, Which means that one is required to follow Halacha as we understand it today via the Shulchan Aruch and its commentaries. Of equal importance is Orthodoxy’s theology. Requiring a belief in the fundamentals of our faith. Which includes the belief in the Divine authorship of the Torah - and that the events at Sinai actually happened.

Open Orthodoxy’s flagship institution,Yeshiva Chovevei Torah (YCT) had been challenged along those line because one of its brightest products had questioned it. Mostly by buying into the arguments made by the modern scholarship of the bible which has concluded that the Torah must have been written by different people at different times in history. Thus making the events at Sinai at best allegorical never to have actually happened.

YCT head, Rabbi Asher Lopatin was quick to publicly assert that YCT believes in those fundamental principles and teaches their students accordingly. And yet the questions remained because some of their rabbinical students expressed similar doubt and had not been dismissed from their Semicha program. So questions remained about Open Orthodoxy’s tolerance of questionable theology. Which of course leaves a possible void to my left - making Centrism a misnomer. You can’t be in the center if there is no one to your left.

I am not happy about this. Orthodoxy needs a left. There are too many sincere Jews that are fully observant and do not feel at home in any other Hashkafa. Even though I do not agree with many of their innovations, I refused to see observant Jews to my left as anything but Orthodox. But if there is a possibility that their fundamental beliefs are unacceptable, observance alone doesn’t help. The underlying belief must first be there.

Until the advent of Open Orthodoxy, I used to see Rabbi Avi Weiss as the quintessential leader of the left. A place where that type of observant Jew could find a home. So that things like Women’s Teffilah Groups that are frowned upon by rabbinic leaders of both the right and center can still take place without being ‘expelled’ from Orthodoxy. For whatever reason some people need things like that. And they ought to have a place in Orthodoxy to go for them lest they find a home elsewhere.

But that option seems to be gone – replaced by an Open Orthodoxy that has gone way too far in some of these practices – coming perilously close to violating Halacha. Perhaps even crossing that line in some instances. But none of that comes close to tolerating a theology that discards a fundamental principle of our faith.

That has made me very sad. Observant Jews on the left are now finding OO their home. Thus possibly placing themselves outside the orbit of Orthodoxy albeit in some cases unintentionally. I don’t want to lose those Jews. I want to reach out to them and keep them within the fold. I want to consider them to be Orthodox even if they are far to my left. As I always have. Disagreement does not have to mean rejection.

I was heartened by a recent article by YCT Musmach, Rabbi Chai Posner in the Times of Israel. It included a statement about these issues made by a group of YCT Musmachim (ordainees). In my view this establishes the existence of a viable left wing. Here in part is what they said:

We, the undersigned musmachim of Yeshivat Chovevei Torah… felt it necessary to clarify our stance on two critical issues: Torah miSinai (the divine authorship of the Torah) and Partnership Minyanim. We should add that we believe that many in the YCT community share our values and the positions we express below.

We are committed to the principles of faith as understood by the Rishonim and Achronim (medieval and modern authorities), and as accepted by the Orthodox community. We believe the Torah is Divine. We believe that the Written and Oral Torah were given by God to Moses and that that is the same Torah that we have in our midst. This is a sine qua non of Orthodoxy. Nothing different has ever been taught or suggested by our rabbeim (rabbis/teachers).

The Torah connects us to previous generations, to our ancestors who experienced the Revelation at Mount Sinai. This ultimate transformational moment is inextricably linked to our practice of Halacha (Jewish Law) and engaging with God’s Will in this world. It is the foundation of our values and morals, our rituals and traditions. It touches our very souls when we hear the words of theRibbono shel Olam (Creator of the world) speaking to us through the Torah.

The question of Partnership Minyanim is more complex... We wish to affirm and uplift the motivation of men and women who are searching for an increased connection with our Creator. Their desire to enhance their relationship with God resonates with us deeply.

However, we do not and would not attend a Partnership Minyan, nor would we sanction them we follow the serious concerns that were voiced by HaRav Gedalia Dov Schwartz shlita and HaRav Yehuda Herzl Henkin shlita on this matter, and we, together with many of our colleagues, musmachim of YCT, RIETS, and other rabbinical schools, are deeply uncomfortable with Partnership Minyanim and their place within the Orthodox community. We do not believe that a consensus of poskim (halachic authorities) currently exists to allow a departure from existing norms.

This is good news. If this is indeed the majority view of YCT Musmachim it gives me hope that a viable left wing in Orthodoxy is still here.

I will close with a personal observation I made a few years ago about one YCT ordained rabbi. He was the Mesader Kedushin (officiating rabbi) at the wedding of the daughter of some friends of mine.

I recall his demeanor and the respect he had for every detail of Halacha regarding those nuptials. From the Kabbolas Panim; through the Chupah; through the Yichud (which takes place immediately after the Chupah).

One of the 2 witnesses was a prominent Rosh Yeshiva and Posek whose Hashkafos are virtually identical to Rav Ahron Soloveichik. He stood there under the Chupah and watched as a woman read the Kesubah. (I should add that she read it much more clearly and smoothly than many male Orthodox rabbis I’ve heard do it.) This was obviously not something this Rosh Yeshiva would have done. But it would have been something he would have protested immediately if it violated Halacha in any way.

Just before the Yichud took place, there was a Halachic problem this Rosh Yeshiva noticed. When he told the Mesader Kidushin about it, he did not question it. He instead asked what could be done to rectify it. And followed the recommendation of that Rosh Yeshiva even though it was inconvenient and created a bit of a delay.

I remember thinking that if all YCT graduates were like this, I would have no problem accepting them. There would be far less controversy about them. Well it seems there are more. Perhaps a lot more.

Is learning Gemarah all there is?

A thought provoking post on Rabbi Yosef Bechhofer’s blog, YGB, asks the following question: What do we expect kids to walk out of Yeshiva to know? The question is posed by a relative of his on another blog called Divrei Chaim. It is asked of both boys and girls.

I would expand on that a bit. What is actually taught? Do schools teach everything we as parents would like our children to learn? What should a core curriculum of a Yeshiva high school look like? And how much of it should we expect the graduates of that school to retain?

Divrei Chaim provides a number of answers he feels are of critical importance in which he feels most children fall short. Implying that the schools fall short in their mission to teach it to them. They either do not teach certain subjects at all, or don’t teach them well enough for the students to retain.

I agree with his thinking. Although not entirely with what he says is lacking. Especially in one area. Back to that later.

As it pertains to Yeshiva high schools for boys, most do a decent job when it comes to Gemarah. At least for the top tier students in any given class. Unfortunately much of the bottom tier probably tunes out and ends up becoming uninspired adults at best. If they do not go OTD.

They will go through life as perfunctory Mitzvah observers without giving thought as to why they do them. That can be fixed by expanding the curriculum to reflect more of what goes on in girls’ high schools. There are a variety of Jewish subjects studied by girls that are practically ignored by boys. Like Tancah, Chumash with Meforshim (commentaries like Rashi and the Ramban), Jewish History, and Machsava (Jewish thought/Hashkafa/philosophy). Most Yeshiva high schools ignore those subjects. They should not. Especially that last one. They do so at their own peril. And ours.

Understanding basic principles of belief is probably the first thing any Yeshiva student should learn. Even before he opens up his first Blatt (page) of Gemarah. Girls do a bit better in that department through their Machshava classes. But boys get nothing! In our day where belief is so frequently and easily challenged, the teachers themselves need to better educated on this subject so they can answer all of these new challenges. Without understanding our core beliefs, one can easily become dislodged from observance? What’s the point of following Halacha if belief in God and His Torah (where Halacha originates) is so easily challenged? And teachers can’t give answers?

This is one reason why there are so many young people that fall away from observing Halacha – seeing no point to it in the modern world. They end up uninspired with no understanding or even knowledge about the fundematals of belief.

Focusing on only one subject ( i.e. Gemarah in Yeshiva high schools) can so easily be undermined when challenges from the outside world found so easily online hit them in the face. That is where I would focus the attention of educators now if I were in a position to do so. I would require ever potential Mechanech to be trained to answer those questions in order to be certified!

What about the other subjects Divrei Chaim believes are necessary? Like at a minimum - Chumash and Rashi for girls? In my view there is no bare minimum for girls. Just as there is no maximum. Girls should be taught the way Mishlei tells us to. Chaonch L’Naar Al Pi Darko - teach your children according to their own path.

If a girl doesn’t know every Rashi in the Chumash it should really matter. What she does have to know is Halacha. That should be the 2^ndmost important focus of Mechnchim. For everyone. Boys and girls.

What about Gemarah? That too should be based on each individual. Both for boys and for girls. If a girl wants to learn Gemarah, she should be entitled to… and learn it to the best of her own personal ability. That should be the case for boys too. Pushing them into a curriculum of Gemarah only leaves a lot of boys out in the cold. They too should study the Torah that they are capable of studying and not pushed into something they are not.

Not everyone has a ’Gemarah Kop’ - an aptitude for studying Gemarah. This is not necessarily a function of intelligence, although it can be. It is a function of a person’s psychological makeup too. Some people like chocolate ice cream and some don’t. Those that don’t should try another flavor. Everyone is different. The requirement to learn Torah is fulfilled – not only by learning Gemarah – but by a variety of other Torah subjects as well.

The one thing lacking from Divrei Chaim’s list, is Limudei Chol. In my view that is a vital part of living in the modern era. I’m not talking about preparing young people by giving them the tools to succeed later on in college. True an education there will enable one to make a better living. That is certainly of primary importance. But I’m talking about something else.

I know it’s a cliché, but one needs to be ‘well rounded’ in areas outside of Torah as well if we are going to represent ourselves to the world as knowledgeable people. We can’t expect to be respected if all we know is a Blatt (page of) Gemarah. If we don’t for example know who the founding fathers of this country are… or we don’t know the basic principles of democracy or the constitution; or know some world history; or basic science; or we don’t know how to read, write, or in some cases even speak English well… we won’t be respected and will then be unable to fulfill out mandate of being a light unto the nations.

This of course does not mean we ignore or minimize our knowledge of Gemarah. That is foundational. All of us need to know it at some level. But we can’t be focusing ONLY on that. If we cannot show the world that we are an enlightened people, then our Torah will not be as meaningful to them.

So yes, Limudei Chol should be a vital part of our children's education... along with the aspects of Limudei Kodesh mentioned above; and what we should expect our children to know when they come out of Yeshiva. Anything less short changes them, us, Klal Yisroal, and the world.

Eida head, Rav Yitzchok Tuvia Weiss (YWN)

People who know me, know of my antipathy for the views of the Satmar Rebbe with respect to his antipathy for the State of Israel – the embodiment of Zionism. He was so opposed to it, that in a written statement published in his Sefer, Shu’t Divrei Yoel, he compared the spiritual leader of Religious Zionism, Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaCohen Kook, to the Hitler of ancient times… calling him an Ish Tzar V’Oyev!

The Satmar Rebbe’s spiritual heirs in this respect go well beyond the borders of the Satmar community itself. Neturei Karta (who claims the Satmar Rebbe as their guide on this issue) has actually joined Israel’s enemies - embracing Islamic leaders that have called for Israel’s annihilation! That current leaders of Satmar disavow Neturei Karta, does not diminish the fact that they use him to justify their behavior!

The Eida HaCharedis while not as extreme as Neturei Karta, nonetheless subscribes to the Satmar Rebbe’s view of Israel. As such they do not take any money from the government for their any of their institutions, including their schools.

Which is to their credit. It is consistent with their views about the illegitimacy of Israel. To take money from a government that one condemns would be the height of hypocrisy. Whatever one says about them, you cannot call them hypocrites. At least as far as taking government money is concerned.

This is unlike other Charedi leaders whose criticism of Zionism and the nation founded on it - has been just as harsh. They have referred to the Zionist founders as Reshaim - evil and Godless atheists who are out to destroy all vestiges of the Torah! They do not consider the current leadership much better. And yet they go to great lengths to get as much money out of them for their institutions as they can. Including serving in the Keneset and joining the ruling coalition. One Charedi member is actually a cabinet minister!

That said, Charedim in Israel are a mixed bag. Some leaders have actually expressed appreciation what the state does for them. Both for the IDF and for the financial assistance they have received. Others have nothing but hatred in their hearts and resent anyone – even Charedi leaders – that have a good word to say about them.

Be that as it may, one can certainly admire that segment of Charedim that refuse to take any money from the government based on principle. Especialy when there is so little money generated in those communities of for the needs of their schools. They have the same expenses as any other school. Teachers and administrators need to be paid a living wage. Purchasing and maintaining buildings that house these institutions cost money.

Obviously they get money from outside their community. Fortunately for them, there are a few very wealthy philanthropists that share their views and want to see those views perpetuated. So they help support their schools.

However their exponential growth certainly outpaces their resources. This is already true. How will their schools be funded? Well it seems they found a way. They seem to have abandoned their principled practice of not taking money from the government. From YWN:

The Chachmas Lev school for girls was established seventeen years ago after parents pulled their girls out of Bnos Rochel, learning the latter was accepting state funds. There is now a storm in the Eida community after it was learned Chachmas Lev has also accepting state funds all these years from the ‘Treif Zionist government’.

To be fair, this was not an Eida change of heart. This was a couple of schools doing so on their own… going rogue. As such they are being investigated by the Eida, whose leadership has asked to meet with the school’s principle who claims he did not know about it. So in theory they are maintaining their principles if not in practice by all of their schools.

It is obvious that the burden of keeping their schools open is becoming increasingly more difficult. So desperate are they to stay afloat that some of their schools are willing to sacrifice their principles to do it.

How this will play out remains to be seen. Will the immovable object (hatred of Zionism) be moved by the irresistible force (the rapidly increasing population generating an increasing need for money – they do not have)?

I know what the Satmar Rebbe would have said. On the other hand reality may hit them in the face (…or more correctly, in the pocket book) and they may have to make a choice between ideals and their very existence. We’ll see.

But what I think it does show is the willingness of the Israeli government to help support schools that preach their very destruction! They know what these schools preach and teach their students. And they still gave them funding. Which completely undermines the narrative of the right that accuses Zionism of trying to destroy Torah. If the Zionist government truly wishes to destroy Torah, giving money to Eida Schools is a funny way of doing it.

Charedim protest the arrest of a Charedi draft dodger a while ago (Ynet)

About ten or so years ago, a young Avreich (Kollel member) in a major Yeshiva in Israel told me that there are significant numbers of students registered in his yeshiva that are not studying Torah at all. They do not show up in Seder (the scheduled study period). At best - they just hang out all day and ‘shmooz’ (have idle conversations). At worst – who knows what they do. He called it ‘a real problem’!

What the actual percentages were then (or what they are now for that matter) is not known. Nor am I sure they can be. Resistance by the Charedi leadership to any kind of government investigation would be strong. It would be seen as a witch hunt. The blow-back would probably destroy the ruling government coalition.

But I believed him then, and I believe him more now. There are probably a lot more Charedi students like that than many people think. A significant number although probably a relatively small minority of the total.

Some of these young men go further and are what I call Charedi-Lite – leading a somewhat secular lifestyle.

Ynet reports that the IDF revoked the exemptions of 4000 Charedi students that currently lead a secular lifestyle:

Search on social media found photos of many ultra-Orthodox men in immodest clothing at the beach, partying on the weekend, or socializing with women; some have already been drafted.

I’m not sure how many of these Charedi students are actually OTD - although I’m sure some are. My guess is that most are like the fellow who described himself this way:

"How do I define myself? I hate black hatters (slang for ultra-Orthodox Jews - ed.), yet I'm religious! I don't observe the separation of the sexes as I've had a girlfriend for four years - but I keep kosher and I of course keep the Shabbat."

The Yeshivos that register these students have not done much to discourage them. Gone are the days when a Rav Shach would threaten his students that if they don’t ‘learn’ – off to the IDF they will go. Now these students are registered, don’t show up, and some Yeshivos don’t care.

Let me hasten to add that there are Yeshivos that do care. And when they discover such people, they expel them. But some don’t. The boys that are expelled just find another yeshiva and register there. And they stay registered.

Why don’t those Yeshivos care? Well, here is one possible reason. Yeshivos are given a fixed government stipend from the Religious Ministry for every student they have registered. So there is not much incentive to seek out the ‘cheaters’.

Which to my mind should separate the ethical Yeshivos from the non ethical ones. If I were the religious ministry and I found Yeshivos allowing their numbers to be padded - I’d remove all stipends. Because that is nothing but pure fraud. How many are there like that? I don’t know but the 4000 students that lost their deferment were probably not all from just one Yeshiva.

Dodging the draft is not the exclusive province of the Charedi world. There are plenty of non Charedi – and even secular draft dodgers. But when those who are supposed to exemplify the ethics of the Torah do it, that is a Chilul Hashem – as it for the Yeshivos to allow it in order to pad their finances.

Which brings me back to my oft stated support for drafting Charedim into the army. In my view all Charedi students ought to be subject to the same draft laws – and exemptions that every other Israeli is subject to. My reasons for that are very basic. Chiloni and Dati blood should not be seen as cheaper than Charedi blood. No individual segment of Israeli society should be exempted from the possibility of a mother mourning the loss of a child who died protecting his country. The same sacrifice should be required by all.

That said, there are times when portions of any segment should be exempted. As it applies to the Yeshiva world, I would exempt the elite among them that have the potential to become leaders in the Torah world. Or at least limit the exemptions to those those that are truly studying Torah the way they are supposed to. Which I believe would mean a lot more than 4000 would lose their exemptions.

Charedim would certainly boycott any such suggestion… as they have in the past. They have in fact succeeded in overturning legislation like that . Which virtually reverts them all to their status of being fully exempt from the draft.

But as we now see, the government is not going to be so easily fooled. That is a good thing. How the Charedi leadership will react to the current crop of those whose exemptions were revoked is yet to be seen. My hope is that their reaction will be the same as Rav Shach. That if you don’t learn – off to the IDF you go! And that they will not fight it.

The fact is that Charedi participation in the IDF has been steadily increasing. Ether by those Charedim who have been honest about whether they belong in a Beis Hamedrash full time, or Charedi dropouts who want to do something with their lives and not just hangout!

Now those numbers are increasing and these Charedim will find a home. One that will accommodate Charedi sensibilities. The programs that have been created for them seem to be working – despite the few reports where there have been abuses.

There seems to be a critical mass of Charedim now serving in the military. With that fact in place, I don’t see how any Yeshiva that has even the slightest claim to be ethical would object. I believe that there will be a lot more than 4000 Charedi draft dodgers found in the future… without a peep from their leaders.

Lakewood Mayor, Menashe Miller - We should follow his example

The truth is that I know very little about the village of Lakewood, New Jersey. Other than the fact that it is the home to Beth Medrash Govoha (BMG), the largest Yeshiva in America. Perhaps even the world. It has grown from its origins in the 1940s as a handful of elite students recruited by its founder Rav Aharon Kotler to over 6,000 students today. And it is still growing. Exponentially with each generation it seems.

I am not here to discuss the legitimate question about whether this kind of growth was ever the intent of its founder… or whether it is even a good idea. Although many argue that Rav Kotler never intended for that kind of growth – preferring it to remain a Yeshiva for the most elite of Talmidei Chachamim, I will leave that for another day. I am here to discuss the sociological fallout of the community that has grown around it.

When a population grows at the rate Lakewood’s Orthodox community has, it has an impact on its non Orthodox and non Jewish residents. Many of whom have been living there for decades. By virtue of its growth, the entire character of that village has changed. It has been transformed from being a quiet little summer vacation hamlet to a town its majority residents call ‘Lakewood - Ir HaTorah’ (City of Torah). Orthodox Jews have become so dominant in that town, that its democratically elected mayor is an Orthodox Jew.

I do not see anything inherently wrong with that. People can live wherever they choose. If a community has an attraction for a specific demographic, why should it not be able to grow in that direction? So God bless the Jews who have chosen to make Lakewood their home.

This does not mean that the large Orthodox Jewish community which Lakewood has become no longer needs to be sensitive to its non Jewish or non Orthodox neighbors. On the contrary. I think it obligates them to be more sensitive to their needs than ever. One cannot just move into town and take over at the expense of the minority.

I often read stories where this seems to be a problem in communities that have had a rapid increase of Orthodox Jewish residents and have become the majority. There is a backlash of resentment by some of the non Jewish residents at the direction a town has taken. They claim their issues have been ignored because of their town’s new makeup. Frankly, I don’t know enough about the specifics of those claims to say whether they are legitimate or not. On the other hand, I have heard that the Mayor of Lakewood is very sensitive to his town’s minority non Jewish and non Orthodox population. Thus making a Kiddush Hashem.

It appears that not every Orthodox Jew or organization in Lakewood is following the Mayor’s example. Which can make the Kiddush HaShem at the hands of the Mayor be overshadowed by a possible Chilul HaShem. I am referring to an article in JTA that accuses Orthodox residents of Lakewood seeking to expand their borders by means of a ‘blockbusting’ tactic:

A New Jersey township is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate haredi Orthodox community leaders for alleged “blockbusting,” or trying to pressure large numbers of longtime homeowners into selling their property to Orthodox Jews.
The incident is the latest example of tensions between a large and growing haredi Orthodox community in the Lakewood area and its non-Orthodox and non-Jewish neighbors.

For months, numerous residents in communities near Lakewood, in southern New Jersey, have accused real estate agents representing haredi Orthodox clients of aggressively pressing non-Orthodox homeowners to put their property on the market. Members of the Orthodox community have denied the claim.

On Tuesday, the Jackson Township Council said it was alarmed by videos circulating in which Orthodox leaders at the haredi Agudath Israel of America’s November convention encouraged Orthodox Jews to buy property in communities near Lakewood, the Asbury Park Press reported.

“Those videos very strongly indicated what I think many of us had feared or have attempted to prove, and that is there seems to be a cohesive attempt to blockbust our neighborhoods, to look at Jackson as a place to be taken over,” Rob Nixon, the council president, told the newspaper.

I don’t know exactly what kind of tactics are being used. But surely urging people to knock on doors asking them to sell their homes is a bit more aggressive than looking for homes that are already for sale.

I’m skeptical about the ethics of doing that kind of thing. Just because the need is there by virtue of rapid growth does not make such tactics ethical.

In my view, if this aggressive tactic is being countered to the extent that the Federal government has been asked to get involved - then I think it should stop. Might (via a large and now powerful religious group) does not make right. It might instead be making a Chilul HaShem.

It is never good when Orthodox Jews are seen to be disadvantaging its minority population. At the very least, the optics are terrible even if those tactics would not be technically unethical. Orthodox Jews are seen as bullies using heavy handed tactics to get their way at the expense of others, not caring where their chips may fall.

The pressure to expand Lakewood’s boundaries must be enormous. I understand the need. But before one acts on those needs, one must consider the consequences. It is just not worth getting what you want in ways that foster the enmity and hatred of your neighbors.

What about the sorely needed housing by the ever growing Orthodox population? For one thing, those looking for homes should seek only those that are already for sale. For the rest, perhaps they should look to cities that do not have this kind of congestion. I know a few places outside of the East coast that have a very nice and friendly Orthodox atmosphere with existing Orthodox infrastructures that would welcome new residents. And they will not have to resort to blockbusting tactics to find good homes.

It truly disappoints me when I hear the kind of accusations made by some people that think I bash Charedim. I do not. I am a Truth teller. Not a basher. And the truth often contains both good and bad. But those who think I bash Charedim ignore the good I point out and focus only on the bad.

Case in point. In my critique yesterday of the way some would be residents of Lakewood seek out housing, I pointed out that the Charedi Mayor of Lakewood is an example we should all follow. He has a reputation about doing his job in ways that are a Kiddush Hashem.

That was totally ignored. Instead the focus was on the legitimate concern I have about Orthodox Jews going into adjacent towns and asking homeowners if they want to sell their homes. That – I thought - might be seen as blockbusting. Which is how it was apparently seen by the secular residents. Enough so to get the Federal Government involved.

For mentioning this publicly reported fact - and urging caution in how people that are identified by many as the most religious among us - I was accused as having an anti Charedi agenda. How dare I make such comments about a place like Lakewood – Ir HaTorah (as it is commonly known in the Charedi world).

Indeed, the vast majority of people living in Lakewood are very religious. They are fine and decent people that we should admire in many ways by the sacrifices they make. They do not rely on Kulos (lenient views in Halacha). The are usually take the more stringent path and are Choshesh for the Daas HaMachmir, fearing the Poskim that are Mekil (lenient) may be wrong as claimed by more Machmir Posek. They feel the will of God will have a better chance of being served that way. That is why they use only Chalav Yisroel products and eat wheat products that are only Yoshan.

They are also some of the most generous people among us. Both with their time and their money. Despite the low incomes of Avreichim there, they are far more likely to fulfill their tithing requirements (Maaser Kesafim) and give fully 10% of their income away to charity than the rest of us! Acts of Chesed for fellow Jews can be seen almost daily… as David Rosenthal put it:

I can tell you where I am from in Manalapan, NJ there is no Hareidi enclave. One of the things that led me to change from a secular lifestyle to a religious one, is that unfettered kindness in that community. I can tell you, when my car broke down on Route 9, only Chareidim stopped to see how I was....not one secular person stopped.

So it is easy to see why some people took umbrage at my criticism. But at the same time the problem I mentioned is still there. It doesn’t go away just because they don’t see it as a problem. I understand the temptation to say ‘It isn’t true’ or ‘What’s the big deal?’ Nothing wrong with knocking on a few doors in search of a house!’ ‘This accusation is nothing more than a canard from antisemitic neighbors.’

Perhaps. But the fact remains when people from a town that was transformed from a little vacation hamlet into a Charedi enclave so big that its original residents were overwhelmed by them – they might fear that this will happen in their own town! It should not be surprising if secular residents try and prevent that. Being even a little aggressive in seeking a home in a non religious neighborhood can spur that kind of backlash - based on what they saw happening to Lakewood.

This is not bashing. It is pointing out that a community’s self interest should not be pursued in a vacuum oblivious to the concerns of secular neighbors. We have to be sensitive to their concerns. And not just take advice about ‘spreading out’ without considering that. It is this kind of insensitivity which outside observers might see as an illegitimate sense of entitlement - which gives rise to a negative article in the media.

Let me be clear. I do not believe that there is anything nefarious going on here. I believe that anyone that has done things like this is probably doing so innocently. Trying to find housing in nearby towns – in the hopes that Lakewood’s borders will expand in their direction is not a nefarious motive. It might however appear that way to others. I am not the only one that feels this way. Here is what Rabbi Avrohom Gordimer said in a Cross-Currentscomment:

When one tries to squeeze tens of thousands of additional people (growing exponentially by the day) into a small town, which literally cannot contain them, and this population starts bursting en masse into other nearby townships – where Orthodox Jews are probably less than welcome – it is a recipe for trouble and major conflict.

As I said in my post yesterday, the right way to do that – and not raise fears among the residents of that neighborhood into which they want to move - is to look for homes that are already for sale. Then no one should have any legitimate complaints. If they complain under those circumstances, then it might be seen as antisemitism.

I am gratified to know that a lot of Charedim actually agree with me about this despite some very insulting conclusions about my motives from other Charedim. I can’t tell you the number of private e-mails I received saying I was right to be concerned.

The fact is that there is a bit of self centeredness among those rushing to buy homes in Lakewood. Which is detrimental to the actual welfare of the residents themselves affecting their quality of life. This is not Charedi bashing. This is a legitimate concern expressed – NOT by me but by one of my critics - Lakewood resident Rabbi Avrohom Birnbaum. Here are some excerpts from an article he wrote on Matzav:

(A)s thinking people and ehrliche Yidden, we must constantly look at ourselves, make a cheshbon hanefesh, and reassess old norms to see if they still apply…

Over the last ten years, the housing boom in Lakewood has exploded. New developments, both large and small, and new neighborhoods are springing up everywhere. Even in older neighborhoods, the demographic is changing. Houses are being torn down and multifamily dwellings are taking their place.

The growth is such that it has been difficult for the infrastructure of the town to keep up. Both the physical infrastructure and the spiritual infrastructure have not been able to keep up. The result? A drastic downturn in the quality of life for all residents…

While developments have sprung up like mushrooms after a rainfall, the streets have not developed at nearly the same pace. Walking in Lakewood on so many streets that do not have sidewalks and crossing the streets in Lakewood have become a sakanah. The congested roads make it downright dangerous. Aside from the danger, driving in Lakewood is also extremely taxing on the nerves…

Communal institutions, such as shuls, halls and stores, don’t have adequate parking, and taxpaying citizens are forced to live with this worsening quality of life.

Is anyone Charedi or living in Lakewood going to take issue with Rabbi Birnbaum and say his agenda is to bash Charedim? My guess is that they will not. Why not? Surely they will say it is because he is Charedi and lives in Lakewood. So he can’t be bashing Charedim. He is merely recognizing a problem he feels needs to be dealt with.

Well, that is exactly the same thing I did. One need not be part of a community to recognize a problem in it. In fact, not living in that community gives you a perspective that those in it can’t have – being too close to the trees to see the forest. I will close by quoting the wise words of the Rambam in his Shemoneh Perakim (8 Chapters): Accept the truth from who ever utters it.

Four of the defendants (Ynet)

Everything I’ve ever heard about the Belzer Rebbe has been inspiring to me. I am not a Chasid, nor do I agree with the philosophy of Chasidus. But I still admire Chasdic Rebbes like the Belzer Rebbe. I recall that when Israel was attacked by Hamas rockets in 2014, The Belzer rebbe told students in the Belzer Yeshivos - not to take summer vacations but instead continue learning Torah for the Zechus (merit) of the soldiers fighting in Gaza. I recall The Belzer rebbe being one of the first to visit soldiers injured in that war.

The Rebbe is one of the biggest champions of Baalei Teshuva in the Torah world - having personally mentored many of them. Not to become Belzer Chasidm, but just to become observant... And at their own pace. Without any pressure. Once they become observant they are fully included and treated as though they were born observant. Unlike the way some observant Jews treat Baalei Teshuva as second class citizens.

This is not to say that I agree with everything he has said or done. But he certainly deserves universal recognition and praise for the things he’s done for Klal Yisroel.

Which makes a report in the different news sources so sad. For the Belzer Rebbe, his Chasidim and for all religious Jewry. I truly regret trauma that the Belzer Rebbe and all of his Chasidim no doubt must be going through. Three different news sources, Ynet, Times of Israel, and the Forwardhave reported that six Belzer Mechanchim that teach at a Belz Talmud Torah in Tel Aviv have been being indicted for child abuse. 22 victims were allegedly abused.

The descriptions of that abuse as described are hard to read. And if true, students there can’t be blamed for referring to that school as Bergen-Belsen, the infamous Nazi Concentration Camp. From Ynet:

According to the indictments, the offenses were allegedly committed over the course of 11 years from 2000 to 2011 against 22 complainants aged 3-10, who were taught by the defendants. During that time, the defendants committed daily physical and emotional violence against the students, which was characterized by cruelty, humiliation, and intimidation.

I am not going to publish the details of that abuse as described in those news reports. They are just too sickening.

5 of the 6 defendants are accused of physical and emotional cruelty. They have denied those charges and tried to explain them away in their individual contexts - calling some of those instances of cruelty - jokes! Well, it’s hardly a joke to the victims. They will no doubt be traumatized for a long time. These are the kind of ‘jokes’ that can easily lead a child to go OTD or worse, God forbid.

The sixth defendant, Avraham Mordechai Rosenfeld, is truly the sickest of them all. If even half of what he is accused of is true, it makes him a real piece of human garbage. And exceedingly worthy of being called by the nickname of Rosenazi!

He is accused of raping these boys and committing the some of the most disgusting and vile acts of physical, emotional and spiritual damage one can imagine. To say that he is a sociopath is an understatement. If convicted, he should be put away for life! (If I understand correctly sociopaths cannot be rehabilitated.)

How he and his co-defendants were able go on like this for 11 years is a question that needs to be answered. I don’t know where the buck stops in that Cheder. But someone dropped the ball there. And I am being kind.

I don’t understand how that kind of cruelty could be hidden from administrators for so long. Surely they must have known about their school’s nickname of Bergen-Belsen. What possible motive can they have for ignoring it?

If it was to protect the reputation of that school… well that just follows a pattern of behavior that used to be the case in all schools – including non Jewish ones - and is now recognized as belonging to the ‘dark ages’. Perhaps this school still operates on the premise that protecting the school is more important than protecting the individual victims. If that’s the case, that school needs to close. What’s left of its reputation is not worth protecting in any case.

In any case, I can’t imagine the emotional pain these victims – or better survivors - must be going through. They deserve justice. The ultimate ‘buck’ in Belz stops with the Rebbe. It is my sincere hope that the Belzer Rebbe’s reputation for caring about the welfare of every single Jew – regardless of how religious he is or not – is extended to these victims who are the children of his own Chasidim.

Now I’m sure that the Rebbe had absolutely no knowledge of what was going on at that school. But as the leader of the entire Belz Chasidus, I would think he feels responsible nonetheless… and makes sure that those boys get what they need to heal. And if I’m right about him, I’m sure he will.

Muslim women in traditional Muslim garb

I do a 20 mile bike ride every day. I do it for 2 reasons. One is to maintain my good health (for which I am ever grateful to God) and the other is because I love doing it. I am an avid bicycle rider.

As I make my way to the bike path near my house I pass a variety of people that live in my very mixed ethnic neighborhood. Which includes a lot of Muslims. It never ceases to amaze me when I pass a woman wearing a Burka. Especially if it includes the Niqab, a veil that covers up the entire face except for a slit at eye level so that she can see where she is going.

I always wonder how these women take ID photos. Do they remove the veil for the picture? Because if they don’t that photo would be useless as a means of identification. But even if they do remove it for the picture, when an ID photo is requested for a variety of security or other reasons, do those women remove the veil for a moment so their face can be matched to the photo? I never had the Chutzpah to ask them this question directly. But I have seen many Muslim women with veils covering their faces while driving. Obliviously they must have drivers licences which contain a photo ID.

Be that as it may, the constitution guarantees freedom of religion to all. And since the veil is a religious requirement, these women should have the right to insist upon wearing it at all times – considering it to me immodest for a woman to reveal her face.

How far do we go with this freedom? Do we sacrifice security in order to protect that constitutional right? Or is there enough of a public compelling interest to deny this religious right to a Muslim? I don’t know. But my guess is that Muslim women would insist on that right since this excessive from of modesty is one of the ways in which they believe they are serving God. They will claim that government has no right to deny that to them.

This raises the question of how far do we as Jews go with Tznius (modesty). I limit the term to manner of dress as it applies to women – since that is the area that has been the subject of so much controversy in recent years. Using this definition, if the idea of covering up the female body is the essence of Tznius, should we not make sure that as much of the female body is covered up as possible? Including the face?

Besides, should we allow Muslims to ‘outdo’ us in this matter? Are Muslims more religious and more willing to sacrifice their personal comfort in serving God than even than the most religious of Jews? After all, even the most religious women in Meah Shearim do not cover up their faces. Are Muslim women more religious than the women of Meah Shearim?

The obvious answer is that they are not more religious. Tznius is defined by communal standards as much as anything else. In Judaism we also have tradition to rely on.(There’s that ‘nasty’ word again according to those who wish to do away with it). We need not be 'Frummer' than our mothers and grandmothers, none of whom covered their faces. No matter what segment of Judaism they were from: Chasidic or Yeshivish and certainly not Modern Orthodox.

Does that mean the Judaism is less modest than Islam? No. We simply do not see the face as an immodest part of the body. So that if a Jewish woman tries to emulate the Muslim form of modesty, it is a negation of our own faith and an insult to our fore-mothers. Those few religious women that have chosen to follow the Muslim version of Tznius are contradicting tradition no less than Open Orthdoxy contradicts it with some of the things they do.

It isn’t only dress that is the issue. It is in the way women have in general been pushed out of the public square and segregated from men in more right wing circles. Which those to their immediate left look to emulate so that they will not be outdone and seen as less Frum.

But society does not stand still. It evolves and societal standards of Tznius evolve right along with it.So what was not considered modest in ancient times will be considered quite modest in our time.

In ancient times women were rarely seen in the street. On those rare occasion where they were, it was quite a provocative sight. Men were not used to it. And that may have generated improper impulses in them. So separating the sexes was a natural form of protecting ourselves from that. When a man is not used to seeing a woman at all there is a different response to her than is the case where women are seen in public all the time. As is the case today.

This fact of human nature affected how we deal with Tznius today. Men and women in America today are in constant contact with each other, in the street, in the store, at work or at leisure. Men do not therefore react to women they see now they way they did in ancient times. Certainly not in western culture.

But there are some among us that believe that ancient standards should still apply. They wish to separate the sexes the same way they did then. Or even worse. To that end they have increased the stringencies in manner of dress. Making them far more extreme than necessary. It isn't only manner of dress. Men and women are separated as much as possible in functions like weddings and banquets. Pictures of women are banned in their publications.

Rabbi Marc Angel

This even though these very same men have absolutely no problem working with women in the workplace; or shopping in the same store with them. There are pictures of women in all manner of dress and undress all over the place in the public square in America. But when it comes to a picture of even the most modestly dressed women in one of their magazines, the feeling is that it is too enticing for male readers lest it become a Michshol for them.

One might ask, ‘But still, why not go all the way with Tznius?’ I would go even farther and ask then why not even copy Muslim women? What’s the downside to extra Tznius? I think Rabbi Mark Angel put it best in a recent republication of a 2011 article of his entitled, Modesty---or a Desecration of Torah?

Who pays the price for such a warped worldview? Girls and women! Because of men's supposed weaknesses, females are made to wear ridiculous clothes so as to hide themselves from view. Because men and women are deemed to be unable to relate to each other except in a sexually improper way, barriers are made to separate men and women so that they have as few opportunities as possible to speak with each other as fellow human beings. Women are victims of this philosophy--but so are men. It reduces all humans to sexual objects, unable to conduct themselves with properiety, decency and morality. It creates an artificial society that can only be sustained by building ever-more and ever-higher barriers between the genders.

This philosophy is grotesque and abhorrent. Seeing pictures of Jewish girls wearing Muslim clothes draped over their heads and faces is painful. It is a negation of the Torah values which have characterized the Jewish people since antiquity.

We need to recognize that this extreme garb did not just suddenly spring up. It is a result of the ever-increasing stringencies introduced by hareidi Orthodoxy, and increasingly accepted among the rest of Orthodoxy.

If we do not stand up against these tendencies to isolate the genders, then don't be surprised if these tendencies continue to become entrenched within Orthodoxy. Don't be surprised if more of our girls and women start dressing like Muslim females.

Jonathan Rosenblum (Honest Reporting)

I believe that it’s safe to say that Charedi columnist, Jonathan Rosenbulm is one of the most articulate and well informed spokesman the Charedi world has. He is intelligent and well read on many subjects. He was educated at two of the finest universities in the world, the University of Chicago and Yale. It is also safe to say that he is a clear thinker, that brings much knowledge and experience to bear in his commentaries on both the world at large and his own Charedi world.

Jonathan was not born into the Charedi world. In fact he was not even born into the Orthodox world. He attended a public high school in Highland Park, Illinois and was not Shomer Shabbos. He is what is commonly known as a Baal Teshuva... becoming observant well after high school.

I recall hearing him speak about his trek to observant Judaism about 15 years ago. He began via the Modern Orthodox world, where he was welcomed with open arms. Eventually he found his way to the Charedi world. And spent many years in a Charedi Kollel after that. Now he is an accomplished Charedi author and columnist that is widely respected in both worlds

I mention all this to point out the fact that no one can accuse him of having lived a sheltered life. No one can say about him that he is not knowledgeable about a wide variety of subjects - both religious and secular. Which makes him pretty qualified to comment on those subjects in their various manifestations.

Which brings me to yet another article of his in Mishpacha Magazine where he expresses views that take courage to articulate in the world in which he lives. Views that have had the benefit of his intelligence and the wide range of knowledge mentioned above. Which makes them hard to dispute.

His point is that nostalgia is overrated both in the secular and in the religious world. In the secular world the idea of ‘making America great again’ expresses a desire to have an America that once was. Meaning for example that manufacturing jobs should return to the US instead of exporting them to foreign countries where labor is cheap.

By forcing American companies to hire American workers with some sort of tax on products produced in foreign countries it removes the advantage of cheap labor there. Thus it would disincentivize them from setting up shop there and incentivize them to set up shop here – creating jobs for American workers.

The ‘dirty little secret’ about such initiatives is that a it would substantially increase the cost of making those products which would be passed on to the consumer. Which would decrease demand; causing a decrease supply. Thus workers would be laid off anyway. Not to mention the fact that it would spike inflation, making any increase in income offset by lower buying power of that income.

The same thing is true about raising the minimum wage. That will increase the cost of products or services by companies paying that wage which would be passed on to the consumer.

The same thing is true about creating government jobs like rebuilding our infrastructure (needed though it may be). That would increase the budget without any offsetting revenue. Unless taxes are raised. Which will stifle consumer spending.

And yet both the Republican and Democratic candidates want to do exactly that. There is no way to create manufacturing jobs; raise the minimum wage; or create public works jobs without passing on the costs to the consumer. That is not a prescription for a successful economy.

Jonathan makes the same point with respect to nostalgia in the Charedi world. He essentially makes the argument I have made many times. And implies that Charedi rabbinic leaders are victims of that mentality comparing their level of leadership to the biblical Yiftach. A leader whose short comings are spelled out in the Gemarah. (Yet a leader of his generation no less, says the Gemarah).

Today’s leaders cannot just seek to imitate the past. Today’s world does not in any way resemble the world of the Chazan Ish. We live in a different time, says Jonathan. The Charedi world in Israel of that time consisted of a few hundred families. They were overwhelmed by a national philosophy that promoted a ‘new Jew’. One that was everything the Charedi world was against. So they had to isolate themselves from what they saw a threat to their very existence.

David Ben Gurion granted a draft deferral for Charedi Jews. He saw it as a concession without any future consequence – believing that this small segment of Jewry would soon be extinct.

Ben Gurion was obviously very wrong. Charedim are now 10%of the population and growing exponentially. It is far from clear, says Johnathan that this community can sustain itself in ‘splendid isolation’ – even if it were permitted to do so! Certainly with modern technology permeating those walls so easily.

The Chazon Ish’s task to rebuild the Charedi world destroyed by the Holocaust has been achieved many times over. ‘The Charedi community cannot be destroyed, at least not from the outside.’ Nor is there an ‘ideological enemy seeking to free itself from the shackles of Jewish tradition, as there once was.’

Then there is the fact of diversity among Charedim. Today’s nearly one million souls is not just that of the ‘1950s writ large’ says Jonathan. The Charedim of the Chazon Ish’s day were highly ideological and highly motivated… dedicated to uphold the Charedi banner. Not so in today’s highly diverse Charedi world. Unlike the Chazon Ish’s time - today’s Charedi world has a variety of different talents; spiritual levels, and intellectual capacities.

Says Jonathan - the Charedi leadership that commands so much respect and awe from their constituents need to rise to the occasion and not try and relive the past. Nostalgia is not a strategy. They need to meet the challenges of today if they want their core values to be maintained.

I could not agree more. It takes a lot for courage for a Charedi insider to criticize his leaders. Leaders that are viewed as the truest expositors of Torah (to the exclusion of all others) by their constituents. But this is what Jonathan has done here. And for that he deserves the support of all Orthodox Jewry. Let me be among the first to do so.

Yeshivat Chovevei Torah President, Rabbi Asher Lopatin

It is a riddle, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. These words spoken by Winston Churchill about Russia is how I feel about Yeshivat Chovevei Torah (YCT). My issues with this Yeshiva and it’s Hashkafa of Open Orthodoxy (OO) remain troubling.

YCT head, Rabbi Asher Lopatin has not really done anything to change that. There is a fascinating interview with him on Dovid Lichtenstein’s radio show, Headlines. On the one hand I was gratified to hear him reaffirm YCT’s belief in the fundamental principles of Judaism. The belief that the events at Sinai actually happened is not negotiable, he said.

He clearly rejected the position of YCT ordainee, Rabbi Zev Farber challenging his belief that lack of evidence about the people and events in the Torah means that they didn’t really exist. And asked the same question of Rabbi Farber that I would: Just because there has been no evidence found of the exodus from Egypt, does not mean it did not happen. Rabbi Lopatin also clearly stated that Rabbi Farber plays no role in his Yeshiva whatsoever.

For me, lack of belief in the fundamentals of Judaism is the ‘deal breaker’ in terms of considering OO legitimate. While there are still troubling aspects of this movement, I would not yet be ready to exclude the from the tent.

(The biggest problem of OO being their support for ordaining women as rabbis. I am strongly opposed to that for a variety of reasons I have mentioned before but are beyond the scope of this post. But I don’t think that disqualifies them as Orthodox, which for me means that you maintain our traditional belief system and are Shomer Mitzvos.)

But right after Rabbi Lopatin affirmed his (and YCT’s) commitment to belief in the fundamentals, he was challenged by a quote from YCT’s Talmud Chair, Rabbi Y’soscher Katz. Who in an April 3, 2015 Facebook post said* that the Exodus (Yitzias Mitzraim) is fictional as are the individuals mentioned in the Torah. The Torah narrative is a record of a conversation between God and fictionalized characters. The lack of any scientific and archaeological evidence makes it impossible to believe in the historicity of the entire Torah.

This is a man that is an integral part of the YCT faculty and yet he denies that Moshe, and everyone else in the Torah ever existed. Rabbi Lopatin dances around the answer in the most unsatisfying way, talking about ‘interprtation and midrashim’ and trying to re-define what fiction actually means. If something is fictional it doesn’t mean it isn’t true, he said. Really? (How Clintonesque!)

He tried to spin Rabbi Katz’s words into meaning that since there is no evidence, let us instead dwell on the substance and truth of God’s message. Well, of course the message is the most important part of the Torah. But he did not really explain how Rabbi Katz can actually make such a definitive statement and at the same time say believe that you believe the narrative is factual and actually did happen.

It’s true that the Torah is not a historical document. But the parts of the Torah that speak about events and people cannot be seen as fictional. Tolerating and even praising (as Rabbi Lopatin did) a faculty member as important as the Talmud Chair of a Yeshiva who says that the Torah is a work of fiction flies in the face of his earlier claim that the Torah narrative is NOT fictional and it is not what YCT teaches. You can’t have it both ways, R’ Asher.

So as much as I would like to see legitimacy granted to YCT - I don’t see how such an ambiguity can allow for it.

Rabbi Lopatin’s explanation about supporting gay marriage was a little more palatable. He said that the Torah’s admonition in Sefer Bereishis (2:18) of ‘Lo Tov Hayos HaAdam Levado’ (It is not good for man to live alone) means that companionship is very important and it is better to live with someone else than to live alone. If not a member of the opposite sex, then a member of the same sex.

But he clearly stated that Mishkav Zechor (male to male anal sex) is forbidden by Torah law. And that was not what he was endorsing. He was endorsing companionship. He also clearly stated that marriage in the Halachic sense is impossible. That there is no Chupa and Kiddushin for same sex marriage.

What he meant then is a secular marriage. I disagree with him - again - for reasons I have discussed in the past but are beyond the scope of this post . But his explanation shows he does not advocate violating a clear Torah prohibition. All he is doing is accepting people for who they are and letting them live the way they choose – as life companions… while clearly as a matter of Halacha - rejecting the forbidden sexual component.

Rabbi Loptin was again challenged by others associated with YCT who actually dealt with Mishkav Zechor saying that it is permitted in our day. Again, in my view Rabbi Lopatin tried to spin those statements in ways that are compatible with Halacha. But his explanation was completely unsatisfactory stretching it into the realm of fiction.

So at the end of the day, I remain skeptical about YCT and its Hashkafa of OO. There is just too much confusion about what they consider acceptable belief and behavior. At the same time I am also convinced that Rabbi Lopatin is completely sincere and believes in his defenses of all those controversies. And sees no incompatibility with Orthodoxy. But based on this interview, he is still going to have a hard time convincing the rest of Orthodoxy of that.

*Update
It has been established that Dovid Lichtenstein was mistaken about what Rabbi Y'Soscher Katz actually said on his Facebook page (in 2015) with respect to the Torah narrative being fictional... or that he was included among those who say that Mishkav Zechor is permitted. He does not say that. (That part has been eliminated from the post).

It was not the Torah narrative Rabbi Katz was referring to. It was the four sons of the Haggadah he was referring to. I sincerely apologize for misrepresenting Rabbi Katz's views. But that does not explain Rabbi Lopatin's strange defense of what he was told was said. Leaving me in the same state of confusion about YCT and OO.

I should add that the impression left by Dovid Lichtenstein's broadcast (and podcast) leaves listeners with false and even libelous information about Rabbi Katz. I hope it is corrected.

I know Yechiel Eckstein. We are friends. Yechiel completed Shas together with me and about 20 others doing Daf Yomi in Rabbi Yosef Bechhofer's Shiur (10th cycle).

He started doing Daf Yomi in the Chicago Community Kollel (Lakewood) and was expelled when he one day blurted out that he founded the IFCJ and was partnering with Evangelical Christians. The Roshei Kollel asked a Shaila about whether they should allow him back into the Shiur. They were told they could. But the Avreichim at the Kollel boycotted him - walking out of the Shachris Minyan there which he attended every day after the Shiur. Which caused him tremendous hurt and embarrassment.

He searched for another Daf Yomi Shiur and found us. Rabbi Bechhofer asked R' Dovid Cohen if he should accept him. He was told that he could. He was a marvelous and quite brilliant participant in that Shiur.

(After completing Shas, Yechiel sent Rabbi Bechhofer a profoundly grateful letter. Which Rabbi Bechhofer read to our Shiur soon after we began the new 11th cycle. It was an amazing expression of Hakoras HaTov!)

To say that Rabbi Eckstein is controversial is an understatement. But I happen to believe that he is getting a bad rap from most of the Orthodox world. And that they are mostly mistaken about him. Although I can surely see why they would be suspect of what he does.

Yechiel is the director of the International Fellowship of Christians and Jews. In that role he has raised tens if not hundreds of millions of dollars – almost all from Christian sources. While I do believe that he has crossed some lines in doing so (lines similar to those crossed by Open Orthodoxy and its flagship institution, Yeshivat Chovevei Torah) I do not think he is guilty of what he has been accused of: supporting Christian missionary work to the Jewish people.

But his close personal relationship with many Evangelical preachers, his attendance at some of their rallies and some of the things he’s said has made him seem like one of them. A Jewish rabbi (with Semicha from Yeshiva University no less) who is now an apostate. Who in reality wants to convert us to Christianity.

He is not like that at all. He is a sincere and devout Jew that in my view has made some serious errors. But he has not God forbid secretly converted to Christianity with a mission to convert us. That is the furthest thing from the truth. His complimentary words about Jesus are not much different than Rabbi Shlomo Riskin referring to Jesus as ‘Rabbi Jesus’.

Nonetheless, with this negative image in mind, he has been boycotted by just about the entire rabbinic leadership in America and Israel. They believe that he does in fact does contribute to their missionary work, whether intentional or not. The most respected Charedi rabbinic leader of his time, Rav Yosef Sholom Elyashiv, ZTL, forbade any Orthodox institution from accepting money from the Fellowship. He said that accepting money from the Fellowship was tantamount to supporting missionary work! This was followed by many other religious leaders from a wide cross section of Orthodoxy who jumped on Rav Elyashiv’s bandwagon. All saying the same thing.

This did not stop Yechiel. He has a good heart and does not discriminate. Where he sees poverty, he tries to help. It is no secret that the Charedi world in Israel is among the poorest segments of the Israeli population. He has therefore attempted to give them money. A lot of it. But it was refused because of what I believe was a mistaken belief about him.

I personally think that Christian money that is given without any strings attached should be accepted and put to good purpose. It's a shame that this community won’t take advantage of it.

It is true that Yechiel has an ego problem. He has actually admitted to that in a recent article in JTA. He wants recognition for what he has done. And he has been refused that recognition. But I think recognizing him and where that money came from is a small price to pay for the millions of dollars the Torah world would get.

It is a sad commentary on the character of those who would take Fellowship money in spite of the ban as long as they don’t have to publicize where they got it. Here are a few examples, taken from an authorized biography by Zev Chafetz.

Nefesh B’Nefesh the widely touted organization that generously finances Jews of all religious stripes make Aliyah was co-founded by Yechiel. It was financed entirely by the Fellowship in its inaugural year. But in all their publicity about it, they did not mention Yechiel or the Fellowship at all. Despite the fact that it was completely financed by them.

Rabbi Dovid Grossman, of Migdal Ha’Emek happily conducted tours for Christian donors who came to see their money in action. With Yechiel’s help, the institution flourished. But when he announced he was going to run for Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem he dropped Yechiel’s support and publicly promised to stop taking Fellowship money.

In 2012 when the Sephardi part Shas (founded and led by Rav Ovadia Yosef who denounced Yechiel and his ‘tainted’ money) was excluded from the governing coalition, Yechiel started receiving messages welcoming him to come visit.

In 2006, Charedi Kenesset member Meir Porush approached Yecheil to help fund a seniors’ home in the Charedi town of Emmanuel. Yecheil agreed to give him $30,000. When that was made public, Rabbi Porush was embarrassed into admitting where he got the money and claimed it was a big mistake, not having realized where Yechiel got his money. He then severed any connection he had to Yechiel.

Three years later, Rabbi Porush asked for another meeting with Yechiel. There he asked him for money for an Ashkeanzi girls school in Emmanuel. Rabbi Porush was reminded of his earlier condemnation of Yechiel and his Fellowship calling them Christian missionaries. He denied it. Yechiel than sent him a copy of the newspaper article in which he attacked their work in Israel. Needless to say, Rabbi Porush did not get the money.

As indicated at the start of this post, I do think Yechiel has crossed some lines. But at the same time, I believe his money is Kosher. And so too, must those who approached him privately for funds after attacking him publicly. They would never have done that if they truly believed they were supporting missionary work. I think the ban should be lifted.

2013 Yoatzot Halacha graduates

It seems that my support for Yoatzot Halacha is becoming more mainstream. Which is a good thing. A Yoetzet (Yoatzot is plural of Yoetzet) Is a female Halachic adviser on issues pertaining to Hilchos Niddah – otherwise known as Taharas HaMishpacha. These women must go through intensive study of those Halachos, are tested, and if they pass, they are given the title: Yoetzet.

In the not too distant past it was vehemently rejected by right wing Yeshiva and Chasidic world. They saw this innovation as a step toward ordaining women as rabbis. Furthermore they feared that as educated as these women were, they were still not in the category of Poskim. Who have spent decades studying Torah before they even thought about getting an ordination. And in most cases doing Shimush – apprenticing with a qualified elder Posek before Paskening Shailos on their own.

But these fears were clearly put to rest by the Rabbi Yehuda Herzl Henkin, the Posek - who together with his wife and Nishmat founder, Rabbanit Chana Henkin - founded and designed the pioneering Yoetzet program in Israel. Rabbi Henkin clearly defined the role of the Yoetzet as a knowledgeable advisor but not a Posek. She would not Paskin difficult Shailos but refer them to a qualified Posek.

Nevertheless, the right wing has fought this phenomenon. They rejected Rabbi Henkin’s explanation and remained opposed to it.

I have not heard to much opposition to Yoatzot of late. Not because the Yoatzot phenomenon has fizzled out. Quite the contrary. It has expanded. Perhaps that's because the right wing has much bigger fish to fry. On the other hand they have never been reticent to continue condemning things they believe are wrong no matter how big or how small. With the growing number of Yoetzet in America, one would have expected to hear further statements condemning it. To the best of my knowledge, none have been forthcoming.

Perhaps they finally recognize the need and value of a group of women educated in Hilchos Niddah be available to women that might otherwise have been embarrassed to ask a male rabbi… or embarrassed even for her husband to ask him. That this has always been the way things had been done, doesn’t mean that they can’t be improved. There is little doubt in my mind that a lot of Shailos don’t get asked because of embarrassment. Which is why I have always given my full throated endorsement to them.

I am happy to say that in November of 2013, the current Av Beis Din of the CRC (Chicago Rabbinical Council), Rabbi Yona Reiss participated in the first US Yoetzet Halacha graduation ceremony. (As did, Rabbi Dr. Meir Soloveichik, Rav Ahron Soloveichik’s grandson.)

Lest someone think that the CRC Beis Din is some sort of Modern Orthodox entity that is looked down upon by the right, I can assure you that this is not the case. It is highly respected by the right.

The former Av Beis Din (and current Rosh Beis Din) of the CRC, Rav Gedalia Dov Schwartz has been called the Zaken Ha’Ir of Chicago by Agudah Moetzes member, Rabbi Avrohom Chaim Levin. Who spoke those words while addressing a Yadin Yadin ceremony - where rabbis get that advanced Semicha qualifying them as Dayanim - religious court judges.

One of the 3 current CRC Dayanim is Rav Ephraim Friedman, one of the finest products the Chicago Community Kollel ever produced. He has a reputation for having very high standards of ethics and Ehrlichkeit. His 'boss' is Rabbi Yona Reiss.

It should also be noted that Chicago has Nili, a program created by Rabbi Rueven Brand, Rosh Kollel of the YU Kollel Torah MiTzion. This is an organization where a group of highly knowledgeable women educated in Hilchos Niddah (and who volunteer their time) can be called via a hotline with commonly asked questions.For political reasons they are not called Yoatzot. But for practical purposes they function in the same way.

They also host lectures at various locations throughout the city that discuss a variety of related topics. These lectures are well attended by women from the entire Orthodox Spectrum. The more right wing Chicago Mikva Association women’s education bureau – headed by the wife of a Lakewood trained prominent Rav here - recently hosted a lecture by one of these women. Who delivered the same lecture she did for Nili just a few days before. The topic: Being Smart: Top 10 Ways to Prevent Becoming a Niddah Unnecessarily

None of this means that the right has now officially endorsed Yoatzot. I do not believe they have. But it is quite the tacit endorsement. Which at the end of the day, is all that really matters.Women from all walks of religious life can now feel free to discuss these sensitive topics - with a woman.

Picture from the Forward for illustrative purposes only

One of the most disturbing and divisive tactics in Israel used by the Charedi politicians and activists in Israel, is the way they express opposition to innovations they believe contradicts their values.

This is not to say that they don’t have every right to express opposition to things like the designation a portion of the Kotel for egalitarian prayer; Women of the Wall; allowing Mikvas to be used for non Orthodox conversions; drafting Yeshiva students into the army; or installing a core secular studies curriculum into their schools.

Of course they have that right. It is the apocalyptic way in which they express that opposition that is troubling. And extremely divisive. It’s true that a some of that opposition is based on Halacha and requires opposition. But not the way it it is currently being done. In some cases compromise is in order, Not opposition. Like the designation of a portion of the Kotel for egalitarian use. But they still have the right to oppose it in a democratic society.

Here is how Rabbi Betzalel Cohen put it:

Ultra-Orthodox public expressions, he told the Forward, are always “melodramatic, and apocalyptic. It’s a cultural style – and it’s used as much [within] the ultra-Orthodox community as it is against those who are opposed to it.”

Like Rabbi Cohen, I would have agreed to the compromise on the Kotel for the sake of “unity.” And I too would have made it clear that the egalitarian purpose of it is not in accordance with Halacha. But that is a lot different than the kind of opposition to these things one generally encounters. Which is extremely divisive.

I do not want to alienate Jews that belong to heterodox movements. I would to reach out to them as my brothers and sisters. This is apparently of no concern to Charedi politicians and Asakanim. Their desire to show their opposition as stridently as they can overrides the damage they do to the fabric of Klal Yisroel. Damage that chases Jews away from observance rather than bringing them closer to it.

That type of opposition spreads to some of their lay constituents, who feel free to make life as hard as they can for Jews that do not agree with all of the Charedi values. Which exacerbates and increases the rift that exists between the Orthodox and non Orthodox world.

There is a right way and a wrong way to handle opposition. What happened to Leah Bieler and her daughter is a case in point. Leah is a Conservative Jew. Her daughter recently attempted to join the Women of the Wall for prayer. And they were treated like dirt by a guard monitoring the entrance to the Kotel Plaza. From an op-ed in Forward, here is her description of what happened:

Next to our metal detector, there was a man with a velvet kippah going through each woman’s bag with a fine-toothed comb. He removed books and paged through them, and I couldn’t for the life of me imagine what exactly he was looking for.

Slowly, we inched our way forward, secure in the knowledge that we had nothing even remotely interesting in our bags. Motrin? Pool passes? Lactaid pills?

I went through first, and the guard removed everything from my backpack, with special attention to the bag containing my tallit. It felt vaguely intimidating, and I could imagine his thoughts as he searched in vain for something to prove that I was unwelcome. After a couple of minutes I was waved through, and I waited for my daughter on the other side.

Because her tallit comes with her to school each day, the bag is full. Inside are a couple of prayer books and a bunch of papers, photocopies of various Torah readings and Haftorah readings she has recently learned, wrinkled and with frayed edges. Our intrepid guard opened each prayer book, thumbed through each page. Since it was clear nothing could possibly have been hidden inside, it seemed he was doing all this as a political statement, a form of protest theater.

He pulled the papers from the bag. “You have to leave these here.”

“Why?” My daughter was annoyed, not at all frightened.

“They have Torah readings on them.” The Orthodox rabbi of the Kotel had forbidden women from bringing a Torah scroll to the women’s side. But these sheets would be of no use whatsoever.

“Those aren’t today’s Torah readings!”

“You can collect them when you leave.”

It’s true that this may not have been the most earth shattering experience. (Although there have been some violent reactions by Charedi protesters in the past - this was not one of them.) But neither was it a warm and welcoming one. These two women should not have been treated any differently than anyone else passing through the entrance to the Kotel. That guard did not have to agree with these women. But neither was it his duty to alienate them. Which he most certainly did.

That said. I cannot let Ms. Beiler off scott free either. Here is what else she said:

A woman who wears a tallit has no right to our sacred heritage, his fingers said. She can’t possibly be using a prayer book for its intended purpose. She must be bringing it for some subversive reason.

Her attitude of entitlement to do things that are against the rules is based on false notions of what Judaism is about. Her daughter wanted to join Women of the Wall – who continually violate the rules set by the Kotel rabbi, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinowitz, in conjunction with the government. By using sarcasm, Ms. Beiler shows a degree of contempt for the sensitivity of the traditionally Orthodox women who regularly pray there and object to departures from centuries of tradition. She and her daughter may have been annoyed at what happened to them. Rightly so. But did they ever consider that the Charedi women that go to the Kotel and pray in traditional ways are distracted and annoyed at their unorthodox way of doing the things?

Alienation works both ways.

But since I am on the Orthodox side of this issue, I am going to address Orthodox behavior. We ought to not be objecting to things we oppose in ways that alienate other Jews. Especially among non Orthodox Jews that have religious leanings.

Let us remember that at the end of the day all these women want to do is pray at the holiest site in Judaism. Their motives may have been influenced by movements foreign to Judaism. But they don’t realize that - having been raised to think that what they are doing is just fine. If we treat them with respect, we will have a far better chance to reach out to them and perhaps someday welcome them as fully observant members of our community. It would not be the first time a sincere Conservative Jew found authenticity in Orthodoxy. But if things continue as they are, it may be the last.

Rabbi Shaya Karlinksy - one of my many critics that I respect

I’ve had a rough week. A lot of people I respect (and some that I don’t) have been bashing me all week – in private and in public. In e-mails,on Facebook, and on other blogs. Some have bashed me for not checking my facts well enough – relying too much on one source. Some have bashed me for always bashing Charedim. Some bashed me for always criticizing Open Orthodoxy or YCT. Some have bashed me for criticizing those both to my left and my right instead of writing more positive stuff about my own ‘middle’. And some have accused me of being something I am not: Charedi or left wing Modern Orthodox - depending on which side of that aisle they are complaining from.

Among others, those who offered such criticism are: Rabbi Micha Berger, head of the Aishdas Society (Arervim/Avodah), Rabbi Dr. Daniel Eidensohn, editor of Yad Yisroel, Yad Moshe, and the blog Daas Torah, Rabbi Shaya Karlinsky, head of Yeshivat Darche Noam/Shapell's, Rabbi Y’Soscher Katz, Talmud Chair of YCT, and Evanston Jew (ej) one of the more erudite and knowledgeable people commenting on my blog. (Interestingly, ej is about the furthest thing from being Charedi as anyone can be. And yet he is their biggest defender.)

This was surely a blow to my ego. The only solace I can take from this (if any) is the fact that they cannot all be right.

The irony of my critics is that even though they come from people with a wide variety of Hashkafos, some of them seem to be saying the same thing. That my entire purpose is to trash everyone to my right or to my left… leaving my Hashkafa to stand alone in triumph… and that I do so being fast and loose with the facts – since I don’t do any due diligence.

This has once again caused me to reflect on what I do here. Are they right? Is my blog all about bashing? I suppose some do see it that way. I do a lot of criticism here. But is criticizing the same as bashing them? Do I have some kind of subconscious hatred of those unlike me that includes a desire to destroy them?

That seems to be what some are saying… that I am a ‘nice guy’ or that I might put it in gentle terms, but at the end of the day I am a basher or worse, a hater.

That is such a superficial way of looking at what I do here, I am surprised that so many intelligent people feel that way.

Let me be clear (again - since I have said this many times). I do not bash. Criticsim is not bashing. My criticsm of wrong doing is to make a statement to the world that bad behavior on the part of any visibly religious Jew is wrong and to be condemned. Or to better the lives of Orthodox Jews by making a few changes that would not affect their Hashkafos. Or to define what are and are not acceptable Hashkafos and considered within the bounds of Orthodoxy (based on my understanding of what that is).

One may ask, who am I to determine what is good or bad; right or wrong? The answer is that I am someone with an opinion. One that is based on sincerely held beliefs. That doesn’t mean - nor do I expect that everyone has to agree with me. But it should mean that what I do is out of my sincere beliefs – and in no way meant to destroy or hate.

It is meant to build up. One can dispute my right to criticize those outside of my Hashkafic sphere. But I strongly disagree. My Hashkafa is only one segment of the larger group to which I belong: Orthodox Jewry. Any individual or group that claims to be Orthodox in an way - IS part of my group. Orthodox Jewry is judged on the whole. Not on its individual segments. My attempts at betterment for one segment is an attempt at bettering part of the whole. It is not and never was an attempt to discredit the right or the left... unless they veer into extremism.

If a Jew sins in a public way, it is one of us that has sinned. It doesn’t matter if he or she is Charedi or MO. It is his identity as an observant Jew that matters.

Why are there more stories like that about Charedim than MO? Because those are the stories most reported in the media. Is it possible that there are an equal number of MO Jews sinning in public, but that the media focuses on Charedim? It’s possible. But I can only talk about what I know. And what I know is what I read in a variety of Jewish and secular media outlets – both print and electronic.

Why don’t I do more positive pieces (which I have done but admittedly are rare)? It’s because there aren’t too many of them reported in the media. This blog is driven by what is reported in the media – both Jewish and secular.

I do occasionally make mistakes and comment on reports later shown to be untrue. I acknowledge that I don’t do the kind of research that would reduce the number of posts I’ve written in error. I have said many times before, that I simply do not have the time to do enough research to prevent those errors. I write a new post every day. If I were to spend more time doing that kind of research, I would be doing nothing else but spending time on this blog. I do have a life beyond that.

I enjoy what I do here, but once it becomes a burden (one for which I do not get paid) I will stop doing it. I should add that I do research most of the stories I write about. I try to read more than one source before I criticize anything. I will also admit that occasionally I will rely only on only one source. Especially when it is something like a recorded interview. I know that is not enough. But that is the best I can do in my situation as I just described it.

Despite this ‘handicap’, I believe the vast majority of my criticism is based on the truth of the underlying facts of the story as reported. In those instances where I am shown to be in error, I always correct them and apologize. If the majority – or even a significant minority of my critiques end up being based on error, I would have to re-think this entire enterprise. As it stands now, however, that is far from the case.

Why don’t I dwell more on why I live my Hashkafa instead of complaining how others live theirs? Well, I have done that. Once I have done it, I don’t see the need to do it again. (Those that have not read those posts can glean from those critical posts what I believe; and what I am complaining about; and why.) And it’s not that I ‘complain’ how others live their lives. I complain about why they don’t do the things that can better their lives WITHOUT giving up their basic Hashakafos. Others can disagree and tell me to leave them alone. I can't do that. If I see a way out for them, I am going to suggest it.

As for my critiques of the left, there too it is not to bash them but to keep them acceptable to the mainstream of Orthodoxy.

I don’t really think I will convince my critics. They will continue to say that I am a basher. A lightweight with very little substance to my arguments. And that the explanation of my motives doesn’t answer their accusations. But I just felt the need to defend myself here… if not to their satisfaction, then to my own.

My father (2nd from right) at a wedding in Toledo (Toledo Blade)

I cannot imagine what my father went through during the Holocaust. Which always comes to mind on Tisha B’Av. A couple of years ago I described the harrowing story of how my father lost his first wife, a brother, two twin baby girls and his oldest son. It can be read here– It is a riveting story - although I doubt that I did it justice. Here is the rest of the story.

The bunker that saved my father, his 2 sons, a brother, and about 40 other Jews during the Holocaust was in the basement of a home belonging to a a righteous gentile. His name was Ivan Bur. It was sealed with a heavy cement cover. Which Ivan opened up every day to bring them food.

One day the sound of gunfire on the outside was heard in the bunker. The people there had somehow heard that the Russian army was on the move towards Drohobycz which was the Ukranian town where the bunker was located. The Russians had finally arrived… and what they were hearing were the sounds of battle. But they couldn’t be sure. And they dared not try and find out since if they were wrong they would be discovered.

Meanwhile Ivan had stopped bringing them any food. They suspected that something was up. Maybe Ivan was killed. If so, how would they survive? When the gunfire subsided, they decided to take a chance and leave the bunker. Without any food, it wasn’t really much of a choice. But the only exit was covered with a cement cover that was impossible to open form the inside.

My father was the ultimate improviser. He grabbed a beam from one of the beds and managed to pry open the cover. They all went outside to see what their fate would be. To their great relief, the Russians had liberated the town. When the Russian soldiers saw these Jews weak and debilitated, they helped them. They fed and clothed them and nursed them back to their health.

My father, his brother Yosef and his wife, and my two older brothers survived the Holocaust in that bunker. They were now free. But the war was not over yet. The Russians desperate for manpower drafted anyone in sight. Including my father. He was sent to the battle front. Putting his life at great risk once again.

My brothers were still too young (they were about 12 or13 years of age) to be drafted and were sent to a cousin living in Drohobycz which was trying to resurrect itself into the organized Jewish community it once was before the war.

The rabbinic leaders of that city were looking for Shochet, which my father had become just prior to the war. When they found out about my father, they somehow managed to get him to sneak out of his Russian army unit once a week so that he could Shecht for the town. This went on for a while until one time he was caught by his commanding officer. Who was ready to court-martial him for going AWOL during the war, a capital offence. My father told him his story of how he had lost his wife, a brother, and 3 of his children. This kind soul had mercy on my father and told to just go back to his unit.

At that moment my father made a snap decision. After losing so many members of his family – and with two you teenagers to care for he did not want to end up as casualty of war on the battlefront - a highly likely prospect.

Instead of heading back to his unit, he headed back to Drohobycz. And immediately went to the rabbinic leaders he had Shected for and asked for their advice. They told him to grow a beard and change into Chasidic garb, and hide in plain sight.

The disguise was so successful that when that commanding officer came into town one day, he passed right by my father and did not say a word. There my father remained until after the war.

When the war finally ended, he had partnered up with another Shochet in Krakow to open up a restaurant business where they would Shecht their own steer. They both thought that they would go back to the life they had before the Holocaust. It was at about that time that my father was introduced to my mother. They were married shortly thereafter.

His time trying to rebuild his life in Poland came to an abrupt end when the Poles started to have pogroms against the Jews that came back after being liberated. That’s when my parents and 2 brothers decided they had enough of Europe. They approached the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) who gave them passage to Paris and promised to eventually get them to New York, where my father’s maternal uncle, Binny Mendel Maryles lived. He had been living there since the 1920s working as a Shochet. My brothers has gone ahead of my parents on an education visa to attend Torah VoDaath. But not before I was born in November of 1946.

Meanwhile the JDC procrastinated. My parents were anxious to leave Europe. Even though my father had been offered a job as a Shochet in Paris - he did not want to remain in Europe at any price. He finally prevailed upon the JDC to come up with passage to New York.

He was on a visitor’s visa. After 6 months he had to leave the country. He first went to Toronto and then to Cuba. (I have no clue why he went there). From there he saw an ad in a Yiddish paper about the need for a Chazan for a Shul in Toledo.

He contacted the Mora D’Asra (Orthodox rabbi) of Toledo, R’ Nechemia Katz, and was hired immediately. Soon after he arrived he was also hired as one of the 2 Shochtim there. My oldest brother Jack remained in New York during all that time and ended up studying music at Columbia. My brother Barry, who moved to Toledo with us was drafted into the army during the Korean war but served his stint in Germany. In the meantime Jack got a job as a Chazan in Chicago. Barry followed and so did we eventually in 1962. And I’ve been here ever since.

I don’t know how anyone can live through what my father did and remain sane. I know that he was affected by it for the rest of his life. And yet he survived – remarried and lived a to enjoy a wonderful life in America having much Nachas from his children and grandchildren. In 1974 my parents made Aliyah and had enjoyed the best years of their lives for the next 18 years until his passing in 1992.

This picture speaks for itself (Atlanta Black Star)

Black lives do matter. I repeat that now despite what has happened to this movement. It now actually ‘boasts’ a manifesto. Nothing wrong with that. Movements are entitled to explain what they are really all about. They are entitled to include many ideals which they support that ties in with their mission. Which clearly in this case is about making sure this country lives up to its ideals of equality for all its citizens. Even though America has elected its first black President (twice), it is still something that we have not quite lived up to.

That has unfortunately manifested itself recently in many cases where black people have been killed primarily because they were black. Not that they were specifically targeted as black people. But because black people are often seen as dangerous criminals whereas in similar situations whites are given the benefit of the doubt.

There is an inherent and grossly unfair bias in society whether we admit it or not. It is a fear not only among whites. Black people have it too as black activist Jesse Jackson once admitted when he was confronted by it. He was being followed at night and feared for his life until he saw it was a white man following him. At the time he admitted feeling a sense of relief.

I cannot imagine what it’s like being a black man in this country... being suspected of being a criminal just because of my skin color. It seems to be a common experience among blacks that they are stopped more often than whites for minor traffic offences. And are treated roughly by police as suspects in bigger crimes. Black comedians have called this phenomenon ‘Driving While Black’. They are joking. But there is truth in humor.

So when black people were killed by police in various cities, black citizens rightly protested that black people were being killed unnecessarily at the hands of police. This was corroborated in many cases by videos that showed exactly what happened. Hard to deny it when you see it. There is little doubt in my mind that bias was involved in those police shootings – some more than others. Not that the police were overtly racist. They probably weren’t. But there was still an innate prejudice about the likelihood of a black man being criminal more than a white man.

Which is why in theory I supported the Black Lives Matter movement. And why I rejected those that wanted to challenge them by saying ‘all lives matter’. Well, of course all lives matter. But by saying that – it ignores the specific issue at hand. Which is that there is prejudice against black people in our world today. Which results in unnecessary tragedy. Especially when the police armed with deadly weapons are involved.

But my support stops at that door. It does not include support of their new manifesto which has absolutely nothing to do with the issue that people of conscience should support: the racial prejudice that still exists in this country. For some reason, this movement decided to go outside the bounds of its mission and deal with Israel. From Tablet Magazine:

(T)he platform (of the 40,000 word manifesto)… contained a vicious bigoted slur against the Jewish state, which the document’s foreign policy section accused of perpetrating “genocide” against Palestinians. (The platform also labeled Israel an “apartheid state” and joined with the BDS movement in calling for the total academic, cultural, and economic boycott of the country—a demand made for no other state.)

How to shoot yourself in the foot! This statement has been condemned across the board even by leftists groups that have been highly critical of Israel itself. Genocide?! Really?!

This is nothing more than pure antisemitism at its worst. One can be critical of Israel. One can be critical of its leaders and policies. One cane even say that they believe there is prejudice in Israel against Palestinians – similar to the prejudice against blacks in this country.

While I would dispute that for reasons beyond the scope of this post, it is certainly not antisemitic to see things that way. But to go from there to genocide is to expose a deep seated hatred for Jews. The kind of hatred one finds on some university campuses these days by leftist professors that have managed to spew their venom under the guise of intellectualism and academic freedom. Pretending that they are not antisemitic since they use the word ‘Zionists’ instead of ‘Jews’ (Although they sometimes give themselves away by actually using the word ‘Jews’.)

I have no clue who exactly was responsible for this manifesto. But I am happy to see that it has been entirely rejected by at least one prominent black group. From the St. Louis Post Dispatch:

The Ecumenical Leadership Council of Missouri, representing hundreds of predominantly African-American churches throughout the state, rejects without hesitation any notion or assertion that Israel operates as an apartheid country. We embrace our Jewish brethren in America and respect Israel as a Jewish state. Jewish-Americans have worked with African-Americans during the civil rights era when others refused us service at the counter — and worse.

I believe that this is the feeling of all mainstream black organizations. Since the cause of black lives matter is a just one, I would hate to be opposed to it because of the antisemitic forces that wrote its manifesto. It is therefore my sincere hope that this movement excises this disgusting part of its platform and rejects any language that refers to Israel in such hateful terms. I would further hope that the people that are responsible for that language be publicly repudiated and expelled from the movement. Because allowing them to remain will hurt their just cause immeasurably.

Families stroll in Stamford Hill, North London (file photo) Getty (Independent)

As an Orthodox Jew, it is my firm belief that to be Jewish is to serve God through His Torah. That means being observant of Halacha. Which is based on the Torah as interpreted by the sages and religious Jewish thinkers and scholars throughout each generation. That is how Orthodox Judaism is practiced today.

This is not an option for us. It is a requirement. And - one - reason I support reaching out to non observant Jews. I am also very supportive of ‘in-reach’. Reaching ‘out’ to religious Jews that are vulnerable to the draw of a secular lifestyle. And yet I am troubled by an announcement out of London, by the Charedi community of Stamford Hill that deals with a special type of in-reach. From The Independent:

Ultra-Orthodox Jews are raising £1m to prevent “pure and holy” children from leaving the strict faith community and living with “irreligious parents” in an “evil culture”, The Independent has learned. The fundraising drive has been established to fund the legal fees of divorcing parents involved in child custody battles with ex-partners who want to join mainstream society.

The problem I have is that this initiative does not seem to factor in the overall well being of the child. It is strictly about making sure that in any custody battle where one parent is religious and the other is not, that the religious parent will get custody. So that even if the religious parent is the abusive one, they will still fight to get him or her custody. Which if true, I would be in extreme opposition to.

One might ask, if keeping the child religious is the main concern, then why allow any non observant parents any access, let alone any form of custody?

The answer that we must first be concerned about the physical and emotional well being before we think about the spiritual well being. But even if the child's spiritual well being were the main concern, it doesn’t always work out that way. If a child is in an abusive relationship with a parent, what are the chances that they will stay religious anyway? In what way is placing a child with an abusive parent justified just because they are the observant one? How can an abusive parent even be considered observant in the first place?

It is also no secret that this community considers the ‘outside world’ to be evil. Any exposure to it is considered to be detrimental to the child’s Neshama (spiritual well being). Which can easily mean that they actually do consider an observant abusive parent to be better than a non abusive unobservant parent. Furthermore I have to ask if they even consider an observant parent to be unfit if they choose an observant - but non Charedi Hashkafa? As this article points out:

The Independent earlier this year found more than a 1,000 children in Charedi communities are attending illegal schools where secular knowledge is banned and they learn only religious texts, meaning they leave school with no qualifications and often unable to speak any English…

In a 2013 ruling, a judge told the court: “The mother and father come from the… Charedi community of ultra-Orthodox Jews. A major reason for the marriage breakdown was that the mother no longer wished to follow the strict tenets of that community. She remains an orthodox Jew but wished for a way of living for herself and the children which allowed greater diversity of educational, personal and economic opportunity. Her wish has come at a price. Her own parents and siblings are no longer in contact with her.

If that was in fact the case, I have to wonder if this group will advocate for the Charedi parent – even if he or she is the abusive one.

It is also very troubling the way this community reacted to a woman filing for divorce that revealed being beaten and raped by her husband throughout her marriage:

She said that once she did speak out and seek custody of her child, community members spread rumours she had been sexually promiscuous. “A member of the community threw eggs at me for disclosing the violence and allegedly bringing shame upon the community,” she said.

It’s not that they denied her claims, it seems. It’s that she exposed them to the world. Which appears to be a bigger sin in their eyes than the beatings she suffered throughout their marriage.

It is for these reasons that I am skeptical about the stated mission of this group. It sounds righteous to be advocating that custody of children should given to religious parents. All things being equal, I too would advocate for that. But in no way should that be our only concern. If I were to support such a group, it would have to first assure me that the physical and emotional well being of the child was as important to them as the spiritual well being.

We should never say that the parent’s religiosity is all that matters. Because even if your goal is spiritual well being of the child, leaving them with an ‘observant’ but abusive parent is quite likely a ticket right out of observance anyway.

The Big Bang of Creation

I am always reluctant to discuss these issues because it brings all the skeptics out of the woodwork to challenge what I wrote. And as I have said numerous times, I am not interested in allowing that kind of debate on my blog. The underlying assumption here is that God exists and that His Torah is true. Everything else flows from that. Those who wish to challenge belief can do so elsewhere. There are plenty of skeptic blogs on line for those that wish to have that debate.

I know it’s not fair. I know I will be accused of only allowing one side of the argument. Guilty as charged. But this blog is not a democracy. It is a dictatorship. One of my goals is to promote belief (as the name of this blog suggests) not skepticism. I will therefore delete any comments I find along those lines.

I had some thoughts on the subject recently that I want to share - based in part on my studies of philosophy with Dr. Eliezer Berkovits way back when I was a student at HTC in the late 60s.

I am always amazed at the claim by atheists and skeptics that there is no need for a Creator. How did the universe and nature get here? Well, they say it was always there. What about the highly unlikely eventuality of world full of complex creatures with complex organs? The odds of that happening randomly are beyond astronomical!

They will answer that no matter how unlikely it was - and despite the fact that the chance that this universe in all its myriad complexities would happen is but one of an almost infinite number of possibilities... it was still possible and it did. What about God putting it all here? Not necessary, they say. God cannot be detected in the material world and therefore should not be presumed to exist. How did the universe – all matter and energy - get here? They will just say it was always here. The universe as it exists today can be explained by using random natural selection. Thus they believe that they have obviated the need to believe in God.

The idea of matter being infinite (always having existed) is just as impossible to understand as the idea of an infinite Creator that is beyond scientific detection in the physical world.

Besides, they will then challenge that idea of a Creator by asking 'Who created God?' - ad infinitum. Thus believing they have refuted the 'first cause' premise. They somehow do not understand the concept of 'First cause'. By definition, the 'creation buck' stops there! The Creator needs no creator because He has always existed. Difficult if not impossible to understand but no less so than saying the universe has always existed.

For me there is no intellectual satisfaction in believing in the idea that matter has always existed over believing that it did not, but was 'put there' by a Creator.

How we got from the 'Big Bang' of creation that happened about 15 billion years ago to the point where we have a variety of biological species - then becomes a matter of detail that does not contradict God's 'hand' in it. This is where evolution and science comes in.

There is no contradiction between scientific theories of evolution and the existence of God who created the universe. Scientific inquiry and study can perhaps determine 'what' happened - and when it happened along evolutionary time. But it cannot determine 'how' it happened.

To say it was random natural selection no matter how unlikely - is just a guess based on the desire to eliminate any metaphysical explanations.

Intelligent design is far more likely scenario and for me - a far more acceptable notion. It does not contradict science or Torah. Just because we can't conclusively prove the existence of a Spiritual Being doesn't mean He doesn't exist.

Rabbi ZechariaWallerstein

It takes a certain level of naiveté and hubris to think you are serving God by angrily belittling people. Especially if they are survivors of sexual abuse. It is well known that these survivors have emotional issues that in many cases will affect them for the rest of their lives. It is also a well established fact that many are prone to severe clinical depression that often leads them to drug and alcohol abuse - and even attempts at suicide. Sadly in all too many cases, they succeed.

None of this is news. It has all been discussed here before. Why bring it up again?

A few days ago a speech by Rabbi Zecharia Wallerstein, founder and director of Ohr Naava, was uploaded to YouTube. Part of that speech was an angry rant - telling survivors of abuse to ‘get over it’ and stop behaving like victims all of their lives. I have to believe that it was less than encouraging for a survivor suffering from depression to hear. Their state of mind is often very fragile. It often doesn’t take much for some people in this emotional state of mind to be pushed over the edge, precipitating an attempt at suicide.

Obviously Rabbi Wallerstein cannot be held responsible for the sex abuse and the depression that followed. But to say that his insensitive words made so angrily in public did not or could not negatively impact someone like that is to not understand the severity of their pain and risk contributing to their demise!.

I am sure that this was not his intention. I believe he thought he was trying to help. He was telling survivors to get past their pain and make something of their lives. His anger was directed at the fact the survivors are their own worst enemies by dwelling it on their pain instead of ‘picking up the pieces’ and ‘moving on’. Easy for him to say. I doubt that he or any of his close family members were ever victims of sexual abuse.

His speech was in response to a video on YouTube by Heshy Deutch. He is an expatriate Chasid.

Heshy spoke from the heart. He spoke about doing more than just admitting how bad things are. He spoke about doing something. Changing things enough so that sex abuse will be entirely eradicated… never to show its ugly face in our world again.

We have a long way to go.

Rabbi Wallerstien’s response to Heshy’s video was shocking. He completely ignored the message and said what many other naïve people like him have said in the past. Yelling at times that they should just stop Kvetching and get on with their lives.

He compared abuse survivors to Holocaust survivors. Separating them from the observant from the non observant. Those that stayed observant even after suffering unimaginable pain he termed survivors. In short they stopped pointing fingers and moved on with their lives. Those that did not remain observant he termed victims that – instead of moving on - chose to dwell on their pain and constantly talk about their Nazi oppressors. He then said that sex abuse victims should follow the example of the observant Holocaust survivors. Telling them to stop ‘pointing fingers’ and move on with their lives. (I think that summarizes what he said.)

How dare he make such a comparison?!

First, although he pays lip service to the fact they we have no right to judge any Holocaust victim - whether they remained religious or not, he went about doing the exact opposite. As though there were no successful non observant Holocaust victims that have moved on with their lives and have done well.

Of course there are. Despite the pain they must still feel deep down, there are plenty of very successful Holocaust survivors who did not emerge from those horros as observant Jews. They have rebuilt their lives; had families; and have done quite well. Survivors that have not done well are comprised of both observant and non observant Jews.

Secondly, Rabbi Wallerstein does not seem to understand the difference between survivors of abuse and survivors of the Holocaust. I am not talking about magnitude. As a child of the Holocaust, I am well aware of the magnitude of what happened then. Trying to compare just about any tragedy to the Holocaust is a fool’s errand. There is no comparison to what those survivors went through. I am talking about making an analogy between Holocaust survivors and survivors of abuse. This is where Rabbi Wallerstein went seriously wrong in my view.

Rabbi Wallerstein was rebutted eloquently in a Facebook response by Sima Yarmush. She is an observant survivor of sex abuse and a grandchild of observant Holocaust survivors. Rather than trying to paraphrase her words I urge people to read her relatively short post in its entirety. Here is an excerpt:

The analogy of the holocaust is a chutzpa for obvious reasons. Among other reasons, the Jews were being persecuted by anti-Semites intent on annihilating them for no other reason than being Jewish – simple hatred. The atrocities of the holocaust are acknowledged by all.

I, and other survivors of abuse, on the other hand, are victimized by people who are meant to love us and then, our perpetrators are protected, again, by people who we are taught to trust.

We, as a community, have a problem. Until we acknowledge that we are victims of abuse, we can’t be survivors. You are stopping us from being survivors.

a. As a granddaughter of a survivor of Auschwitz, I’ve witnessed my Bubby cry and grapple with the trauma of being a victim. It is a daily struggle for her; however, throughout, she remains a survivor, upholding the Torah, without diminishing idea that she was, and remains, a victim of the Nazi’s atrocities.

b. Being a survivor does not mean that you can’t discuss the perpetrators, point your finger at them, and hold them accountable. Look at Elie Weisel.

c. We can, and will continue, to point fingers at those who have committed the crimes and atrocities, while saying “never again.”

Update
Rabbi Wallerstein has issued the following short video response to the criticism he has received for this speech.

Street scene in New Square

New Square. That is a city of extremes. Extremes that according to most religious authorities are not required to the life of an observant Jew in service to God. As Agudah spokesmean Rabbi Avi Shafran put it:

The Skverers of New Square — with 7,700 people occupying less than half a square mile — are extreme, even among highly observant Jews…

I don’t think anyone would dispute that the way Skverer Chasidim lives their religious lives is extreme. I do not say this pejoratively. I say it only as a factual matter. As information about a segment of Orthodox Jewry that believes what it does – that the rules it follows are the best of ways to serve God. Rules that their supreme leader, Rabbi David Twersky increasingly spells out for them.

Those who wish to follow those rules should be allowed to do so, without interference from anyone. As long as they do not harm anyone internally or externally in any way. If this lifestyle makes them happy, no one has a right to stop them.

Is theirs the right way for a Jew to live? Obvioulsy, as a Centrist, I believe Centrist Orthodoxy is the best expression of doing God’s will. At the same time I think there are other good ways of doing that. Ways that do not reflect my Hashkafa - but are not extreme.

For example most mainstream Charedim do not live extreme lives. They may have stringencies and customs that they observe which a Centrist like me may not. But those stringencies are generally not anything one would characterize as extreme. Like using only Chalav Yisroel products, not having a TV in the house, not attending movies, avoiding the internet, or men wearing black velvet Kipot under their black hats. These are of course stringencies and customs accepted by New Square too. But they have a lot more rules which are extreme.

What are some of those extremes that separate mainstream Orthodox Jews from the Jews of New Square? An article in Lohud lists a number of rules that must be agreed to in writing. Which if violated - subject their children to expulsion from their schools. They include the following:

(M)others are banned from driving, and they must shave their heads and wear only clothing that extends at least 5 or 6 inches below the knee… fathers (are) require(d)to pray regularly with a quorum and refrain from cutting their beards. Mothers are prohibited from using smartphones — even for business purposes. (Men are permitted for business purposes but only with a special permit.) Mothers and fathers must cease using WhatsApp, a popular smartphone messaging application... Radios, televisions, Internet connections and newspapers are also banned… men and women (are required to) walk on opposite sides of the street to preserve modesty…

(As has been stated here many times, their educational system does not include any significant level of secular studies. How that impacts them and others is beyond the scope of this post. The point I’m trying to make is as I said. If this is how they choose to live they have that right.)

Why do they choose to live that way? Here is how Yenti Holczler, a 50 year old grandmother, put it:

"We are human beings. We also have families and we live the way life was given to us…""Our way of doing things is trying to do it spiritually, the way the Torah brings it for us."

I get that people believe that this way of life brings them closest to God. This is what they are taught by their parents and teachers - practically from birth. Isolated as they are from contact with the outside world (a world that includes other legitimate forms of Orthodoxy) they know no other way of doing things.

But still, I have to wonder, do Skeverer Chasidm do all of this if with a full heart, or do they do it because this is how they were raised and know no other way? It’s really hard to know. But there are some clues that may tell the story:

Just as some Skverers defy the ban on WhatsApp, plenty skirt the rules forbidding smartphone use. Enough people in New Square buy two mobile devices — a kosher one for calls within the community, another to keep up with the outside world — that authorities believed it necessary to post a sign on the synagogue wall this fall warning parents that they will be investigated.

Once they are exposed to the outside world via the internet, I have to wonder whether they start challenging living their lives in such a controlled environment. They may love their lifestyles, but do they love them enough to not question it? ‘How ya gonna keep them down on the farm, after they’ve seen Paris?’

Well, here’s one way:

There are a dizzying number of committees — or vaads — in New Square charged with enforcing school, modesty and technology rules. The rabbinical court, or beis din, is the community's ultimate judicial authority. The rebbe sits above them all and is surrounded by a few trusted advisers, including his eldest sons.

And yet, I’m not sure that in this age of instant communication so easily accessible and so easy to hide, that enforcement committees like the above mentioned ones will be enough. On the other hand, because they are so isolated and different than even other Orthodox Jews, they may feel they have no other option. It’s either that or opting out of an observant lifestyle completely. An almost impossible alternative since it usually means a lot of guilt and severing your relationship with your family. Sometimes even from your own children as was the case with Shulem Deen.

This makes me wonder just how many in that community feign loving it and how many actually do. My guess is that there are many that fall in between both extremes. But those that are unhappy will never admit it publicly for fear of the sanctions they would get if they are exposed.

These are some of my thoughts. As I said, I completely disagree with their lifestyle, but will defend their rights to live it as they choose as long as their way of life does not harm them or others. My only question is, how many would walk away from it given the chance to do so without the terrible consequences that would surely result?

The View to My Left

What Should a Yeshiva Education Entail?

Israel’s Support for Eida Schools

Charedi-Lite and the Draft

Need Does Not Justify Questionable Tactics

Accept Truth - No Matter the Source

Victims (Survivors) of Abuse Come First

Excessive Modesty

Another 'Home Run' for Jonathan Rosenblum

The YCT-OO Conundrum

The Bridge Builder

The Tacit Approval of Yoatzot Halacha

The Wrong Stuff

In My Defense…

The Rest of the Story

When Antisemitism Infects a Just Cause

Who Should Get Custody?

Science and Creation – Not a Contradiction

Belittling Survivors of Sex Abuse

Extreme Orthodoxy