Emes Ve-Emunah

Is Ivanka the President's top adviser? (VIN)

In my wildest dreams, I never thought an Orthodox Jew would be a top adviser to the leader of the free world. And yet that is exactly what seems to be happening. Not only is Ivanka Trump advising her father, the President, he is actually listening to her. And she seems to be getting positive reviews for it even from the mainstream media. And for all the right reasons.

It seems that the measured tones of the speech delivered by Mr. Trump Tuesday night was in large part due to his daughter’s behind the scenes influence. She apparently convinced him to tone down the rhetoric and speak only about the substance of programs, his vision for the future, and his goals to fulfill the promises he made that got him elected. It appears that she also convinced her father to address the recent antisemitic attacks. Which was the first thing he did that night. And to speak about her signature issues that deal with the gender wage gap and affordable child care. (Which she spoke about at the RNC convention last summer.)

It almost seems possible that at some point in her life she could seek the Presidency herself, and get elected. I mean if her father could do it…

I think she would increase the support her father got with a more broad based appeal! She has very few if any negatives about her in the public eye as far as I can tell. Wouldn’t it be something if Ivanka Trump was not only the first Jew, but the first the first Orthodox Jew... and the first woman to be elected President of the United States? Out of the question? Ridiculous? Not possible? Stranger things have happened. As recently as November 8^th of last year. But I am getting way ahead of myself. It is just an interesting mind game as of now.

Right now we have her father to deal with. And as much as there has been wrong with his Presidency so far (which is what the mainstream media is obsessed with) I thought we ought to take a look at what’s been right with it (which is what the mainstream media is practically ignoring). The first and perhaps the only positive comments I can think of made about Trump from the media is about his speech to congress Tuesday night. They all gave him a positive review. Even a majority of Democrats polled gave him positive reviews. Although immediately followed by saying it was just a show and that he would revert to his old and real self very quickly.

I am happy to report that the President has not tweeted once since that speech. Except for two words: Thank you! My guess is that his daughter Ivanka had something to do with that too. (Maybe she reads my blog… who knows? J )

One of my predictions (and the prediction of many experts) before the election was that if Trump was elected, the stock market would collapse – followed by an economic collapse that would make the last recession look like an economic boom! Indeed the night of the election the futures market took an 800 point drop – indicating that the next day the stock market exchanges would follow suit. I am happy to report that the opposite has happened. Not only did the market not crash, market indicators like the Dow Jones are reaching record highs almost every day ever since the election. Yesterday it went up by over 300 points! Those of us that have IRAs invested in the market cannot be but thrilled about that.

Some analysts are calling it the ‘Trump effect’. Investors apparently see an administration whose pro business approach is unlike any in recent memory. Promised tax cuts and deregulation being key components. Whether this ‘Bull Market’ will continue remains to be seen. But in the short term, reluctant investors of the past seem to be jumping on the band wagon. That increases demand which increases the value of the stocks they choose to buy.

Another positive aspect of the Trump Presidency so far is the impact it has on the United Nations. Instead of sympathizing with Israel’s enemies by focusing on settlements, Nikky Haley our new ambassador to the UN, has declared that the US will no longer tolerate their one sided approach. This was made abundantly clear in her recent address to that ‘august’ body. She pointed out their hypocrisy of viscious attacks against Israel while practically ignoring other far more serious issues. Like the carnage taking place in Syria and terror sponsoring States like Iran. Ambassador Haley firmly declared that the US will no longer tolerate it.

The Trump administration has hinted that they may stop funding the UN. Which would destroy them because – if I understand correctly - the US is the largest single contributor. For starters – the administration has just threatened to resign from the UN Human Rights Council. Nothing talks like money.

In what seems to be a 180 degree turn away from blaming Israel for everything, Nickolay Mladenov, the UN’s special coordinator for the Middle East peace process actually blamed the Palestinians for a change. From the Times of Israel:

Nickolay Mladenov, condemned a Palestinian rocket attack Wednesday night. In a statement Thursday, Mladenov said, “Such provocations seek only to undermine peace… “This is the third such incident in the past 30 days after a period of almost four months of quiet,” he said, and called on all sides to employ restraint in order to avoid escalations “that jeopardize the lives of Palestinians and Israelis.”

In the past any such condemnations were made in the context of a far greater condemnation of Israel. Clearly laying the blame for all that’s wrong in the Middle East on them. This was exactly the case with UN Resolution 2334 which condemned Israeli settlements as the biggest obstacle to peace… a resolution the former administration abstained from voting on - allowing it to pass. The first time the US did that in the misguided belief it would somehow advance the peace process. How foolish of them!

It’s early. 40 days into a Presidency is hardly enough time to seriously evaluate it. And... there are those other issues dogging them. Not the least of which is the investigation of whether any of Trump’s cabinet members or other appointees had anything to do with Russian interference in our elections. Or the contentious issues with respect to illegal immigrants and refugees from countries with connections to terrorism. Or in the administration’s attitude about environmental issues. Just to mention a few.

But as far as the issues I mentioned are concerned, I could not be happier with the way they have progressed so far.

Vandalized Jewish cemetery in Philadelphia (Reuters via the Jerusalem Post)

I wish it were that easy. In a poignant plea for understanding between peoples, Salaam Bhatti asks the question asked by the immortal Rodney King, ‘Can’t we all just get along?’

I think we can. Even though there are unfortunately many people that consider all Muslims to be actual or closet terrorists, I could not disagree more. It has been demonstrated many times that when politics are taken out of the equation Muslims and Jews can get along just fine. We have many mutual interests in this country. Such as fighting for our constitutional rights to practice our respective religions. In fact, in February of 2015, Agudah filed an appeal with the Supreme Court on behalf of Samantha Elauf, a Muslim woman denied a job by Abercrombie and Fitch because she wore a black head scarf.

There are ample examples of tolerance and acceptance between us. The most recent display of that came last month when a Jewish cemetery was vandalized in St. Louis. The Muslim community took it upon themselves to raise money for the Jewish community to help pay for its restoration. How wonderful, I thought. If only this could be the start of a new era of love and understanding between our peoples all over the world. If one looks at Islam and Judaism objectively, our 2 religions have much in common. More than Judaism and Christianity do.

Imagine if that were the case in Israel. We could have peace between Palestinians and Israelis in a New York minute! A 2 state solution already exists and was accepted by a previous Israeli government.

Unfortunately what happens in America, stays in America. Except for the occasional Muslim terrorist inspired by ISIS et al, I believe the vast majority of Muslims in this country are tolerant of us. They may side with their Palestinian brothers with respect to how they view the situation there. But they do not hate us because of our religion. They do not hate us as people.

This is not the case with Palestinians on the West Bank. Although most of them won’t kill us, neither do they want to be friends with us. While there are many that would be happy making peace in a 2 state solution, unfortunately the ruling class there, the fanatical terrorist Hamas, will have no part of it.

The Palestinian authority is not the popular party there. Hamas is. But even if they weren’t, they are the ones in control when Israel is taken out of the picture. This is what happened in Gaza after Israel removed itself. Hamas believes in a one state solution: a Palestinian one. They have sworn to continue their armed struggle to take back all of Israel. Including Tel Aviv. And have proven their resolve to do so many times by sending rockets indiscriminately into populated areas in Israel. Doing so as recently as this week! Not to mention sending over terrorists from Gaza to kill Jews through secret tunnels leading from Gaza into Israel.

This is the problem with what Bhatti wishes for. I wish for it too. But it just is not going to happen. The hatred of Jews is in the mother’s milk of the religious Hamas supporting Muslim in that part of the world. How many times have I heard from a Muslim mother on the West bank that her greatest joy would be to have her son become a martyr by blowing himself up in a crowd of Jews in Israel?!

Not convinced that most Muslim Palestinians feel this way? Like I said, most of them won’t do it. But when terrorists killed in Jihadist attacks against Israel become folk heroes to Palestinians… when their pictures are plastered all over the West Bank on posters as heroes... when streets are named after them, it does not take rocket science to figure out what is in their hearts with respect to the Jewish State or its people.

As some of my Rebbeim – religious teachers used to say about things they thought were futile: It’s a Bracha L’Vatalah- a wasted blessing.

So I say to my fellow Muslim citizens in this wonderful country, I appreciate very much what you have done for us in St. Louis. I value the warmth and friendship you have shown. I appreciate the goals you seek. They are my goals too. But until such time your brothers in Israel stop indoctrinating hatred for Jews among its people… until such time that Jihadist terrorists that kill Jews stop being glorified by Palestinians… there can be no Palestinian State on the West Bank. No matter how much we wish it to be so.

Because as things stand now, if Israel were to grant them that, Hamas would surely use it to their advantage in pursuing their goal of ethnically cleansing ALL Jews from 'the greater Palestine of their religious dreams'. Until proven otherwise, it should be obvious to anyone with a brain that the West Bank will turn into a larger, more dangerous Gaza. And only a fool would allow that to happen.

The people voted. And we have a President: Donald J. Trump. Those who voted for him knew exactly what they were getting. A man they saw the ultimate change agent. A man that publicly said what they were thinking. To say that kind of thinking is politically incorrect is an understatement. In fact much of his rhetoric has spiked bigotry, racism, and antisemitism to raise their ugly heads. Trump didn’t create it. But he surely embolded the bigots, racists and antisemites of the world to come out of thew woodwork and say and/or do their thing. I don’t think any fair minded person could deny that.

Just to take one example of this - even the most ardent Trump supporter has to know that referring to illegal Mexican immigrants as murderers, drug dealers, and rapists is going to spike anti immigrant talk. Now I’m sure that Trump didn’t mean that all illegal aliens were like that. He actually ‘explained’ that he did not mean all of them.

But his comments were nevertheless warmly accepted by his followers as the heretofore unspoken truth they were all thinking but were never going to say publicly. And now, finally someone was running for office who was willing to say what they were thinking. Obviously - and unfortunately - many Americans harbor this bias wrong though they may be. But these are the people that elected him. Because they felt that for the first time their concerns (which included a lot more that illegal immigration) were being addressed

I don’t believe that Trump is any of the things he is being accused of by so many of his political opponents and some media pundits. He is not a racist, bigot or antisemite. But many of those who voted against him have bought into that.

What about some of the more outrageous polices he promised to implement? … which is another reason many people voted for him? I don’t think they are going to happen.

The US embassy is not going to be moved to Jerusalem. US policy opposing settlements in the West Bank seems to more or less staying in place. NATO is not going away. There will be no dismantling the nuclear deal with Iran. There will be no wholesale deportation of illegal immigrants. Just criminals. And if Obamacare is replaced, it will likely be with slightly different version of the same Obamacare.

There is one thing however that has not changed and not for the better. His communications style. And some of the outrageous things he communicates. I had a glimmer of hope that last Tuesday’s speech to congress was the start of his being more Presidential . But that hope has been dashed once again by his return to tweeting. In what at first glance seems to be an outrageous claim - he accused his predecessor of wiretapping his phones during the campaign.

If that were true, then Obama would be no different than Nixon. I know a lot of Americans can’t stand Obama, but do they really believe that a lame duck President that had nothing personal to gain would participate in a Watergate style crime just before he was about leave office? Not to mention the fact that the candidate he supported was predicted by all to win the election?

And yet… there is former Republican Attorney General, Michael Mukasey. (See video below) He actually believes that there may very well have been a wiretap of Trump during the campaign. Not by the former President, but by his Attorney General seeking to find out if there was something going on between the Trump campaign and the Russians.

I don’t find that all that far fetched either…considering all those accusations about Trump and his staff about that. Mukasey bases this on inadvertent comments last October made by House Democrat Adam Schiff’s about gathering counter intelligence. He says it is quite plausible the FISA court may have granted the Attorney General permission to wiretap Trump for those reasons.

(What about those accusations? Is it even reasonable to say Russia supported the man that all the polls were predicting was surely going to lose the election? Mukasey also argues that the Russians would have been foolish to do that. Would they not have been wiser to figure out a way to appease the presumptive winner?)

Whether Mukasey is right or wrong is debatable. What is true is that Trump is the most unqualified man to be President in American history. And with the exception of last Tuesday, remains an embarrassment.

You don’t tweet something that might be as big as Watergate! You have a major press conference with your Attorney General at your side that speaks of evidence and special prosecutors. He did not do that! Instead, he tweeted!

I am dismayed. I say this in spite of the fact that I support much of the President's agenda. Which includes having a much friendlier approach to Israel and its sitting Prime Minister; his favorable disposition to school choice; his promise to rebuild and repair America’s infrastructure; his promise to strengthen the military; his promise to more carefully scrutinize immigrants from terrorist supporting countries like Iran; the fact that there are more observant Jews advising a President than any other time in American history; the fact that I take pride in the fact that his oldest daughter and her husband are observant Jews and perhaps his closest advisers; and the fact so many Americans continue to support him as shown by pro Trump demonstrations all across the country, yesterday.

Yes, all those things are important to me. But I wish we had a President that does not act in ways that constantly embarrasses us. Or that uses twitter as his primary means of communication. That is no way to lead a country. And no way to present yourself as the leader of the free world.

Rabbi Henoch Plotnik (Mishpacha)

Rabbi Henoch Plotnik is one of my heroes. He is a Rebbe in Yeshivas Meor HaTorah, a Yeshiva high school in Chicago which caters to the Charedi community. He is also a former member of the Chicago Community Kollel (Lakewood). And he is someone that does not have his head buried in the sand. Often standing up against the conventional wisdom of his own community to say or do the right thing. This was apparent not long ago when he was one of the signatories to a proclamation by a group of mostly Charedi rabbis that urged reporting suspicions of sexual abuse directly to the police.

Rabbi Plotnik has risen to the occasion again. In a recent Mishpacha article, he wrote about a problem his own community is facing and tried to address it. From that article:

Thousands upon thousands of meetings, discussions, and frustrating conversations have been taking place over youths who are living a hollow Judaism. Way too many of our young men and women have been forthcoming enough to admit that they are truly not “feeling it,” but simply “doing it.”

Those of us who choose to stick our heads in the sand and ignore this phenomenon, claiming that it is an over-exaggeration, that we are manufacturing a new “crisis,” are not being honest or fair. Dare ask some of our finest youngsters, and the answers can be frightening. This is not, in fact, a new crisis as much as it is the root cause of most existing crises.

I have heard of many polls taken of yeshivah and Bais Yaakov students asking how they feel about Yiddishkeit, and whether they would choose to be born a Jew if given that choice. The kids responding to these questions are, by and large, good kids. They want to give their parents nachas, and they behave like yeshivah or Bais Yaakov students. Nevertheless, the responses to these questions point to a sad reality: Too many people’s Yiddishkeit is dead inside.

Apparently this issue is a far greater problem among Charedim than most from that community are willing to admit. This is not to say that modern Orthodox Jews don’t have similar problems. They clearly do. But it should be equally clear that modern Orthodox Jews are not alone. Far from it – as a man who is in the ‘trenches’ clearly and fearlessly declares.

Rabbi Plotnik suggests some very good ideas in how do deal with this problem. Surely it is important to instill a feeling for your beliefs that accompanies the dry teaching of Gemara and Halacha. One has to love his Judaism if one is expected to live it. I can’t think of a greater torture than living a lifestyle that brings no inner joy to one’s life. A lifestyle lived only in fear of the consequences of sin. I’m not sure how long a young person will be committed to that kind of life before he decides he doesn’t believe in it at all.

The question is, however, why do they not get these feelings from the home? Are the parents in such homes just going through the motions themselves? Or is it that the unique personality of each human being is not geared to the same uniform outcome expected in a community that values only one enterprise worthy of high praise – Torah study. True there is more distraction today than at any other time in history. Even in those circles that try to insulate themselves from it. But those distractions do not affect everyone the same way. Nor are they the cause of this problem.

I’m not in favor of banning things but at the same time, there is no doubt that these distractions are part of the problem in any circle. Even one that tries to avoid it. Let us be clear about who we are talking about. We are not talking about juvenile delinquents with yarmulkes from dysfunctional families. We are talking about basically good kids that want to please their parents.

How can we instill the joy of Judaism as a remedy for this problem if even good kids with no overt behavior issues see it in their homes and yet are not inspired by it? If we can’t inspire them the way Rabbi Plotnik suggests, it is quite possible that many of these kids will not end up the way their parents hoped they would no matter what a teacher does. Maybe it’s because they don’t feel they fit into the mold their parents or their society expects of them.

This brings me to another article in Jewish Content Network that deals with another community whose kids are at risk. The Chasidic world of Boro Park:

Chasidish young men who don’t fit the conventional mold find themselves at a crossroads, trying to find a place where they belong. All too often they take to the streets, roaming aimlessly throughout the day and night and hanging out on street corners. At best, they become restless because of their lack of productivity, but many find themselves falling prey to substances and activities that can have devastating consequences.

While the problems discussed in this article are more serious and not identical to the one Rabbi Plotnik discusses, I think that the potential for this outcome is clearly there. If trying to instill positive feelings about one's Judaism doesn't work, perhaps the remedy suggested in this article can be applied to Rabbi Plotink’s young people before it gets to the point where these Chasidic young people are. The program is called 1225. Of the many things it offers those kids, I believe the most significant is the following:

1225 also offers healthy recreational outlets and valuable opportunities for self improvement. GED classes and EMT training provide visitors to the drop in center with a chance to supplement their often meager secular education and provide them with life skills that can translate into greater job opportunities and enhanced productivity.

This is not the first time I've said something like this. But in light of these articles it bears repeating. It is my considered opinion that Charedi world needs to restructure their educational system from one that places the value of Torah study so high that it ends up denigrating all other endeavors by default. (Even explicitly in some cases).

Just to be abundantly clear, Rabbi Plotnik’s Yeshiva has an excellent secular studies program. I do not address this to his Yeshiva or to him personally. Nevertheless there is this growing attitude in the Charedi world in general.

How did it get to be this way? I believe that Rav Aharon Kotler’s goal to establish the primacy of Torah study in America was responsible for it. When he arrived on these shores he saw Torah study taking a distant second place to secular study and involvement with the culture. He rightly believed that if we didn’t reverse that trend, high quality Torah study would cease to exist. Without which a Torah community cannot ultimately survive. So he successfully changed the existing paradigm by instilling in his students the primacy of Torah study over everything else. He had to do it. It was a matter of survival to him.

To say that he succeeded is an understatement. But I believe his goal has been surpassed and replaced with something that threatens to undermine all of Rav Akaron Kotler’s achievements. Instead of retaining the value of secular studies in its proper position second to Torah study, its value has been eroded to point of being practically worthless. It was an incremental - almost imperceptible devaluation over time. But that’s where we are. I find it hard to believe that Rav Aharon Kotler meant for that to happen.

If this problem is to be solved, then in my view there has to be a reassessment by the Charedi world in how it treats secular subjects; how it treats working people; and the kind of husbands women are taught to seek for marriage. Until that happens, I would not be surprised if the problem only gets worse… and Rav Aharon Kotler’s dream of a Torah society has a serious setback.

Rabbi Aryeh Zev Ginzberg

In what is otherwise a beautiful plea for civilized discourse that should reflect the pleasant ways of the Torah, I must take issue with an attitude Rabbi Aryeh Zev Ginzberg expressed. It is an attitude which I believe to be endemic to much (but not all) of the Charedi world. Ironically it was in the context of a criticism with which I agree. That of the lines being crossed by the extreme fringes of the Orthodox left. One of those lines is religious interaction with members of other faiths. That has been clearly rejected by all Poskim, Not the least of which was Rav Solovietchik.

One of the Rav’s more prominent students - Open Orthodox founder, Rabbi Avi Weiss - has openly and admittedly departed from the ways of his Rebbe and is now proactively involved in doing exactly that. One such endeavor was inviting a neighboring Church’s Gospel singers into his Shul to sing Gospel music. (Right in front of the Aron Kodesh I believe!)

I am just as appalled by this as is Rabbi Ginzberg. I have nothing against Gospel singers. I am just opposed to inviting them into a Shul to sing Gospel music. But Rabbi Ginzberg didn’t stop there. Here is the offending paragraph:

While we have to live with them side by side until the final geulah comes, do we have to invite them into our shuls? In front of our Aron Kodesh? What pain the image has brought to Myron and countless other Yidden like him. Is this דרכיה דרכי נועם? And for what purpose? To pacify some goyim? Whether it made any difference to even one non-Jew can be debated, but that it caused such division and pain to so many Yidden and caused such a split in our community needs no debate. Where is the נועם, the pleasantness of their actions, in all that they do? that refe

I am dismayed, but not surprised. The derogatory way in which he refers to non Jews is unfortunately the way many Jews in that community are indoctrinated. They see the ‘Goy’ as the antithesis of the Jew. I have heard this type of pejorative expressed in a variety of ways. I can’t even count the number of times I’ve heard a rebuke of a student’s behavior calling it ‘Goyish’! as though what a Goy does is automatically bad. As though all their values are the anathema to Torah values.

This is how too many Charedi educators – especially those on the extreme right - feel about Non Jews. I will never forget the ‘Hashkafa’ recording of one Chasidic Rav who urged that – while we must get along with ‘Goyim’, we must nevertheless HATE them! (Yes he actually said that.) The message being that they are innately evil unless proven otherwise.

This is clearly wrong. Even if one interprets that famous Rashi of ‘Halacha He, Esav Sonei L’Yaakov’ as Esav AND his descendants generally hating all Jews throughout time. This does not mean we must hate them back. And yet this is the attitude that permeates the thinking too many people in the Charedi world.

Of course Rabbi Ginzberg did not say any of that. But he didn’t have to. His disdain for Goyim is all too evident in that paragraph. And I cannot protest it enough.

Aside from being immoral to hate people for the ‘sins of their forefathers’ in Europe, it fosters a climate among some of us that justifies cheating and stealing from them because they are evil and hate us anyway. And that is an outrageous attitude that has led to serious violations of the law, violations of Halacha, trampling of ethics, and has resulted in one Chilul HaShem after another

I understand his objections having Gospel singers in a Shul. I agree with him about that. But disparaging non Jews – even in the indirect way that he did is uncalled for and wrong.

One might want to excuse him somewhat because of the example he used that was clearly an instance of Jew hatred in the extreme. Unfortunately all European Jewry experienced that kind of hatred during the Holocaust. His point was that even a Holocaust survivor that was no longer religious was still Jewish enough to treat Christians properly. And that what Rabbi Weiss did in his Shul was an insult to all such people… and should therefore be an insult to those of us that are religious.

What a specific Catholic Church did to that Holocaust survivor’s family back then was awful. Abhorrent in the extreme! One cannot blame that survivor for his feelings today. But to use him as an example of why we should hate the Catholics or Christians of any denomination in our day completely ignores what has happened 70 years since.

I am not going to go into details. But it should be clear to anyone paying the slightest bit of attention that the Catholic Church as done a complete 180 about us and the vast majority of churches, their priests and ministers would never do to any refugee, Jewish or otherwise, what their some of their European predecessors did to that survivor. Especially in America.

You would have to be blind, deaf, and dumb not to see that change. It doesn’t matter whether the non Jew in question is a political liberal or conservative. We are the most beloved religious group in America according to the most respected polling organization in the world, Pew research. I am 100% certain that those Gospel singers are among them.

The damage done by teaching young people this ‘anti Goy’ attitude is incalculable. In my humble opinion, Rabbi Ginzberg needs to make a public apology for projecting this attitude in his essay. Which is online and can be read by anybody. What’s more the Charedi world needs to rethink how it sees the non Jewish world; not base their attitude on the past; and teach their children accordingly.

It’s time to recognize the truth and stop basing our opinions on the past. It’s time to realize that American values are NOT all evil. While there is much in American culture that is inconsistent with our values, there is much more that is consistent with them. Especially among those non Jewish Americans that are more inclined to a religious perspective. Because their values are similar to ours and based on a bible that is in part shared with us.

Instead of projecting disdain, we ought to be projecting gratitude, appreciating how they feel about us, and welcoming their friendship. And certainly not be saying the kinds of things Rabbi Ginzberg did.

Jewish Voice for Peace - Do we need more of these? (Forward)

Peter Beinart is a tragic figure. This is a man, (an observant Jew I’m told) whose conscience has moved him to make unpopular choices. Especially with those of us that support the State of Israel. First let me answer the question asked in the title of his Forward artilce: No I would not prevent him from entering Israel just because he supports boycotting settlements in the West Bank

Many people have condemned Mr. Beinart for that. And for expressing more sympathy for the plight of Palestinians than for the Israeli victims of the terror stemming from their midst. While I am in profound disagreement with him, I do not attribute nefarious motives to him. When he speaks of his love of the country where Jewish history began, I believe him. And I completely understand his sympathy for the plight of the Palestinian people. I’ve acknowledged their adverse circumstances on the West Bank more than once.

So, no…. Peter Beinart is not evil. But he is grossly misguided in my view. Not because of his sympathy for Palestinians. But for refusing to understand why their dire circumstance exist.

Now, I’m quite sure that he realizes that Israel has to defend itself and do whatever it can to protect its citizens. But I am equally sure that he does not agree with the way they are doing it – expecting them to not only treat Palestinians with more dignity but to immediately withdraw from the West Bank and actually give them a State of their own.

I’m sure he believes that once they have a state, the terror will subside. And in any case Israel will still be able to protect their citizens from within their old pre 67 borders. He is not alone in this assessment. This was probably the same kind of assessment made by the previous administration and why they did not veto a UN resolution condemning ‘the occupation’.

I believe he is grossly in error about that. If recent history has taught us anything, it has taught us that the danger to Israel has substantially increased since they gave up Gaza. It should be more than obvious that giving up the West Bank would have similar but more severe consequences.

What also troubles me about his views is that his compassion for the Palestinian people has caused him to espouse their narrative as the ultimate truth of the region. So much so that he urges people to visit the West Bank and see Israel through their eyes. While he did say that people should first learn to love Israel before they do that - it is not too much of a stretch to believe that once you immerse yourself in the other side you might tend to reject what you first believed about Israel and begin to buy into more of the Palestinian argument than even Mr. Beinart would be comfortable with.

I understand why he feels it is necessary to see the plight of the Palestinians themselves by visiting them and seeing it firsthand. It is always a good idea to see the view from the other side before deciding which side has the most merit. But that will never happen if one of those sides will stop at nothing to vilify the other.

It would not be the first time a Jew - seeing first hand how terrible their conditions are and then abandoning Israel entirely as an Apartheid State that ought to be destroyed.

The Muslim world in the Middle East has not been averse to passing off fiction as truth when it comes to the Jewish people. Antisemitic books filled with lies like Protocols of the Elders of Zion and Mein Kampf are top sellers there. Popular entertainment figures have publicly advanced false notions about Jews requiring gentile blood as a key ingredient for Matzos on Pesach. In short the propaganda there doesn’t stop with the Israel occupation, it includes good old fashioned antisemitism.

Mr. Beinart also overlooks the terrorist attacks coming from the Islamists among Palestinians as a result of their extremist religious views combined with the above mentioned indoctrination. To Islamists - Jews are the devil. That he doesn’t factor any of that into why Israel does what it does is probably because he is blinded by his compassion for the underdog. One can debate the tactics used by Israel to protect its citizens. However, one cannot debate the need.

If one were to follow the logic he employs in ‘seeing things from the other side’ in a case where antisemitism is so rampant, would it not have been logical to feel the same way about seeing the Jewish people from the Nazi Germany’s point of view in the 30s? Are there not two sides?

Would he have encouraged them to visit the Berlin and listen to speeches made by Hitler about what the Jews have really done to their country? Would he have encouraged them to read real histories of Jews in Germany, histories that explode the myth that Jews have contributed to it? Would he have encouraged them to consume as much German poetry, literature, journalism and film as possible? Shouldn’t they too have seen how Jews looks from the other side?

Obviously he would not. He would be appalled at the suggestion and insulted in the extreme, I’m sure - citing major differences. And I wouldn’t blame him. I don’t mean to suggest that he would ever do that. I’m sure he is a kind and decent man. But is what he is asking young people to do by going to the West Bank and absorbing all their antisemitic propaganda all that different?

Once again, I know he means well. He is a humanitarian that opposes the occupation of the Palestinians on West Bank because he truly feels their pain. But I think he might be wise to try and see the Israeli side as well and articulate their view alongside the Palestinian view. And consider the consequences of his suggestions. Do we really need to make more antisemites in the world? Especially Jewish ones?

It may not be the end of their world. But can we see it from here?

What a downfall for a movement in America that was once boasted the largest membership of Jews in the country. It is no secret that their numbers are plummeting. Nor is it a secret that the rate of intermarriage is at an all time high. A lot of Jews whose parents were members of Conservative synagogues have lost all semblance of their Judaism. Even to the point where - they not only marry out… but could not care less about their own Jewishness.

If they are idealistic they might have joined the ranks of secular humanists and see the religion of their parents as irrelevant. Or even an impediment to progressive thinking. Or they might just see Judaism as a cultural identity with no inherent obligations – other than humanistic ones. Culture is not binding. They either embrace it or reject it. And they surely have no problem marrying a person of another faith. Why should that bother them? They probably consider it racist for a Jew to be forced to marry only another Jew.

There are a variety of attempts to save their movement from extinction. Which seems to be the direction they are going.

One of them was the silly notion of re-branding themselves to make themselves more relevant and appealing to young people. As though you can sell Judaism as a different brand than what it was heretofore. That is an insult to the very nature of Judaism. The ‘brand’ of Judaism is constant and not subject to a makeover. It is what it is. If one want to ‘sell’ it – one has to sell what it is and not some sort of makeover.

Some have suggested creating a close knit Kehilla - by getting their members to live in the same neighborhoods. The way we Orthodox Jews do. We do it so that we can walk to Shul on Shabbos. They don’t have that limitation. Their rabbis have been permitted them to drive to Shul on Shabbos. They can and do live wherever they want without regard to having any Jewish neighbors at all. So… good luck with that suggestion.

The Conservative movement is also trying to get a foothold in Israel. They see its majority secular Jews as a rich target for membership – since their rabbis do not emphasize observance of Halacha at all. Most Conservative rabbis hardly ever talk about observing Halacha in their sermons or in their personal interactions with members… unless they are asked. What they seem to care about most is membership, dues, and attendance.

Another thing that seems to be gaining some traction is to - not only accept mixed marriages into the synagogue, but to actually perform them. The movement has not gone that far yet, having expelled one of its rabbis, Seymour Rosenbloom, who started doing them. But according to Rabbi Rosenbloom, there are a lot of Conservative rabbis like him in the closet about that. It won’t be long before they come out of the closet and start clamoring for it. They could eventually vote to permit it.

Another thing they have done recently is to formally allow non Jews to become members of their synagogues.

This really takes the cake. How desperate they must be to enlarge their numbers if they are inviting non Jews to be members. They are of course couching this in lofty terms:

We celebrate the diversity among and within our kehillot and encourage the engagement of all those who seek a spiritual and communal home in an authentic and dynamic Jewish setting. We call on all of our kehillot to open their doors wide to all who want to enter.”

Diversity? Is that what they are calling it? I call it ‘padding the pews’. Their synagogue membership has dwindled to such an extent that many of them now have long names. Long - because two or more of them have merged for lack of sufficient membership by either of them. If they don’t pad their membership rolls - we will see less Conservative synagogues with even longer names in the not too distant future.

I have no problem with teaching the world about the beauty of Judaism. Part of our mandate is to be an Ohr LaGoyim – a light unto the nations. But you don’t do that by inviting non Jews to become members of your Shul. This is little more than a naked attempt to stop the hemorrhaging by any means necessary.

The sad thing is that the one thing that could have done to save the movement is being more serious about observance – even if only to their own standards. And the only way to have done that was through education. If they had established a religious school system the way the Orthodox Jewish community has, they would still be as strong as they were in their hey day. Maybe even stronger. If you don’t teach your kids how to be Jewish – or what it really means to be Jewish, why would you expect them to stick around? Their attempts to do so by establishing the Solomon Schechter School system have come very late in the game and have not been all that successful.

According to Rabbi Jack Wertheimer, one of their brightest leaders, most of the rabbis in these synagogues never insisted their members follow Halacha and have tolerated their lack of observance without comment. Their sermons were filled with messages of Tikun Olam in areas like civil rights. A worthy cause to be sure, but hardly exclusive to Jews. Or about supporting Israel financially.

(Which they were pretty good at in the past. Not so sure now. Their attempts at getting official recognition by the Israeli government is running into many roadblocks. This surely has dampened their enthusiasm for the Jewish state. Not to mention the differences as mostly politically liberal Jews they have with Israel’s current right wing government. But I digress.)

I take no joy in these observations. Conservative Jews are a source of successful outreach by Orthodox organizations that seek to return as many Jews as they can to their heritage. The parents of many of the young people in organizations like NCSY are members of Conservative synagogues. Rabbis in some of those Shuls have actually encourgaed their young people to join. Conservative Judaism’s Camp Ramah has many Orthodox alumni. If the Conservative Movement dies, that potential will be gone and a lot more Jews will be lost to Judaism. And that is not something to be happy about.

The New Yorker caricature of Philip Roth by Tom Bachtell

There has been a spike in antisemitic incidents in the last few weeks. Over one hundred bomb threat at Jewish institutions (mostly JCCs) have been called in... and there has been vandalism in at least 2 Jewish cemeteries. What, one may ask, has precipitated this? And should we be worried?

I will answer the 2^nd question first. No, I don’t think we need to be worried, although we should always be vigilant, keep our eyes and ears wide open. We are not on the precipice of a new Holocaust. Not even close. As Chicago Jewish News editor, Joseph Aaron is fond of saying, Jews have never had it so good. At least not since the 2^nd temple era of 2000 years ago.

I need not go into the details of why I feel that way. I have done so many times and it is why I feel so patriotic. Besides it should be obvious anyway since Jews have been the most favored religious group in America for years now. So what gives with this uptick and why am I not afraid?

Here’s why. In the case of those bomb threats, people that want to cause us harm don’t usually warn us first. If they want to blow us up in a crowded place, they will certainly want to inflict as many casualties as possible. Warning us about bomb would undermine that goal. That not a single bomb was ever found in all of those incidents underscores this fact. The terror here is psychological. The desire is to instill fear, disruption, and panic. That is their goal here. Which has thus far been pretty successful. The more media attention this gets the more this coward (or cowards) will be motivated to keep on making these ‘bomb threat’ phone calls.

Who is doing this and why - is unclear. There is no telling if they are right wing fringe fanatics or Islamist terrorists. It is unknown whether these calls originate from somewhere in this country or a foreign country. What is known is that those doing it are technologically sophisticated enough to disguise their voices and their locations. Which makes apprehending them extremely difficult if not impossible.

The cemetery vandalism looks like it was perpetrated by your typical garden variety antisemitic thug.These are the kinds of people who might be spray painting swastikas on the doors and walls of synagogues or Jewish homes. In all of these cases, these are cowards that fear getting caught more than they want to inflict damage. Be that as it may, I am gratified that law enforcement – both the local police and the FBI - are involved in pursuing the perpetrators of these hate crimes.

So what’s the reason this is happening now? There has been a lot of finger pointing at President Trump. And for good reason. While I am absolutely certain that neither he nor is any of his staff are antisemitic, I am nonetheless convinced that some of his rhetoric can be interpreted as such. The President is one of the most enigmatic people I have ever seen. Not only do I believe he is not an antisemite, he is not a racist, anti woman, anti immigrant, or even anti Muslim. But if one listens to some of the things coming out of his mouth, you would think he is all of those things.

The antisemites of the world actually believe they have a friend in Trump. As do white supremacists and all the other above-mentioned ‘antis’. So indeed it may very well be the case that the President is at least indirectly responsible for this wave of antisemitism. His rhetoric on these subjects brings out the worst elements among us.

Why has is he using such terrible rhetoric? In large part I actually think it is because he is about the most inarticulate man who ever served any public office. Although celebrated writer, Philip Roth is not someone whose left wing views I would normally agree with, I do mostly agree with him here. This is what he said in The New Yorker:

“I found much that was alarming about being a citizen during the tenures of Richard Nixon and George W. Bush. But, whatever I may have seen as their limitations of character or intellect, neither was anything like as humanly impoverished as Trump is: ignorant of government, of history, of science, of philosophy, of art, incapable of expressing or recognizing subtlety or nuance, destitute of all decency, and wielding a vocabulary of seventy-seven words that is better called Jerkish than English.”

Perhaps that is a little over the top. But I also think that to a certain extent it’s mostly all true. Especially the vocabulary part. He simply does not know how to articulate his views in more than 140 characters. Unless he is given a script from which to read as was the case when he addressed both houses of congress. Which is why he is so fond of tweeting.

It also did not help his cause with us when he did not mention the Jewish people as the primary targets and victims in the Holocaust in his public statement on Holocaust Remembrance Day. And yet I think he actually believes he was just trying to be inclusive about all the victims with that omission, misguided as he clearly was. It just it fed the racist, antisemitic, fringe crowd. Which apparently he is in denial about.

The bottom line with respect to the increased number of antisemitic incidents is the following. I do not believe for a moment, that more Americans have become antisemites because of him. But by virtue of his inarticulate rhetoric he has moved the already existing ones to be more vocal and emboldened them to commit the hate crimes mentioned above. Hopefully law enforcement can take care of the problem. God forbid we see anything worse happening.

I know a lot of people think Trump is the devil. But I actually feel sorry for him. His critics are merciless. He believes his policies are good for America. And I don’t think he realizes just how bad his tweets make him look.

His larger than life ego makes him believe that he’s the smartest man on earth. And his thin skin makes him a vindictive individual to anyone that criticizes him. His intolerance for criticism is so bad that he will resort to just about anything to refute it, no matter how ridiculous. And yet I believe he actually wants to help people.

Honestly, I cringe every time I think about Trump being our President. I wish it could have been otherwise. But unless he is somehow impeached and removed from office (a highly unlikely scenario despite predictions and/or attempts by some on the left) we are stuck with him for the next 4 years. We just need to make the best of it… and hope that his actual policies – many of which I support - end up being good for the country after all.

The Fargrepster Rebbe in his younger years

Eureka, I found it. It’s the real thing. And just in time for Purim. The solution to the Shidduch crisis. Yes, boys and girls. All you need to do is follow these simple instructions and you will find the man or woman of your dreams.

This Segula has been endorsed by the famous charity, Kupat Ha’ir. And if anyone knows about Segulos, they do. It is based on the Segula of the 18^th century Fargrepster Rebbe, Rav G. Gordon of Liadi, Poland… also known as the Baal Mofes of Sicily. Ever since the Rebbe concocted it, this Segula is known to have saved hundreds of young men and women from a fate worse than death.

If you follow this simple formula, you will be married before you know it. In fact you won’t even know it after it happens. That’s how fast this Segula works. It’s faster than the speed of light.

It involves 5 simple steps.

1) Melt a pound of chicken fat in a pan.

2) Pour into your back pocket

3) Sit down and relax on either a rock or any hard place

4) Think about the holy Rebbe for exactly 18 minutes (interruption of this thought not recommended)

5) Very Important - send my new Kollel a cashier’s check for $320 (the Gematria of Shoteh)

Trust me. This Segula really works. (Testimonials upon request)

You must be very meticulous in following each of these steps very carefelly. Because if you don’t, you will not only not get married, you will turn into a chicken! Not as a Gilgul (reincarnation) in your next life. But immediately. Yes, that’s right a chicken. (Yikes!)

Checks should be made out to Kollel Shtus V’Hevel and mailed to PO Box 7734 in the Cayman Islands. And if you hurry, you will receive at no extra cost an 8x10 glossy of me holding – you guessed it - a chicken. (Suitable for framing).

Thank you and good luck!

IDF solider hung in effigy a year ago in Meah Shearim (TOI)

Disturbing. Disgusting. Sickening. Despicable. These are but a few adjectives that came to mind when I once again read about what happened last Friday in Meah Shearim. The Times of Israel has reported that a dummy dressed in an IDF uniform was hanged in effigy. Once again.

This is nothing new. The Israeli Defense Forces has always been seen by much of the Charedi world as a den of iniquity to be avoided at all cost. An enterprise they saw as designed with the purpose of transforming every Israeli going through it into the kind of Jew that is antithetical to the traditional observant Jew. Whose values are Torah values. Charedim saw Israel’s founding fathers as a group of Godless Jews whose purpose was to socially engineer a change from the image of the ghetto Jew into the fighting Jew.

Passivity is how they perceived the Jew in Jewish history. Which culminated in the Holocaust. They saw Jews passively being led to the slaughter until 6 million of them perished. Many of the Zionist founders therefore placed little value on the Torah other than of historical value.

A social engineering experiment is how the Charedi world saw (and in some cases still see) the IDF. It didn’t help that women were drafted. Nor did it help that a casual attitude about sex dominated so much of the IDF culture. While I think this phenomenon is overstated, I do believe it exists.

They did recognize that it was also a defense force (as the name indicates) trained to protect all of the Jewish people living in Israel. Nonetheless it was shunned with a disdain usually reserved for our worst enemies because of the above-mentioned issues.

I understand the opposition on that level. But I do not understand focusing only on the negative while practically ignoring the positive. I hasten to add, however, that there are many Charedi leaders that do recognize IDF’s primary function and have publicly said so. But there are plenty that see only evil.

However, no matter how much they look at the army that way they do not generally make an issue of it. Unless their young are threatened with being inducted into it as was the case a few years ago under the last governing coalition. Then they had massive rallies in opposition. They objected on two counts. First because of the primacy of Torah study they believed that every young Charedi should continue to be exempt from Army service. Especially since that was granted to them during the early years of Israel’s existence. And second they feared all the above mentioned consequences in any case. While I was in profound disagreement with them, I understood their perspective.

(As far as I am concerned every Shul, Yeshiva, or Beis HaMedrash – Charedi or otherwise - should be saying the prayer to protect the IDF. This practice was instituted in Yeshivas Brisk by Rav Ahron Soloveichik. But that is a subject of another discussion.)

In recent years, things have changed considerably in the IDF with respect to the Charedi world. The army now has Charedi units that try to accommodate – not only basic religious observance, but even the special needs of Charedim. The IDF considers them to be a vital component of the army. That takes care of their 2^nd concern but not their first.

The first has been taken care of recently too by the new governing coalition. They have bascilly restored the status quo ante where Charedim were pretty much left alone. Although they do have to register for the draft.

Most Charedim under the leadership of Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman are now satisfied with this new arrangement. Young Charedi Jews are advised to register for the draft and then continue in their full time Torah study. Unfortunately there is still a Charedi faction under the leadership of Rav Shmuel Auerbach that tells young Charedi students not to register even if they are jailed for failing to do so. That there are now Charedi units are of no consequence to them. The IDF is Treif/Pasul. Period.

I should add that even those that see positive value in Charedi IDF units see them only for Charedim that are weak in Torah study or in their Yiras Shomayim (fear of heaven). This is how Rav Aharon Leib Shteinman put it a few years ago. But neither side supports hanging a Jewish soldier in effigy.

Which brings me to a 3^rd faction. Whose leadership tends toward the Eida HaCharedis. Those that hung an IDF soldier in effigy oppose the Charedi units just as strongly the regular IDF. This has become evident in a number of ways in the last few years. Such as hanging up posters depicting caricatures of Charedi soldiers in the IDF that would make Nazi Germany propagandist and publisher, Julius Streicher proud! Not to mention incidents where these soldiers were physically attacked when coming into these neighborhoods in IDF uniforms. Hanging a Jewish soldier in effigy is just more of the same.

Even if they are a renegade bunch of so-called delinquents that is unsupported by Eida leadership - that it keeps happening strongly suggests that are at least in sympathy with their message if not their methods. Because if they weren’t we’d know about it. Their leaders have a bully pulpit in the Eida HaCharedis. I do not recall any condemnations by them. Certainly not strong ones. If there were strong condemnations, I missed them. Nor have they done anything to prevent it from continually happening.

I would never suggest not protecting a fellow Jew, no matter how much they hated their protectors. I would therefore still defend their borders against any assault by our enemies. But I admit that the thought has crossed my mind. If the IDF actually withdrew and decided not to protect them against an attack, since they don’t see the IDF as protectors anyway - that might just wake them up if God forbid it ever happened.

I think that in their heart of hearts they must realize that the IDF will continue to protect them no matter how much hatred they express toward them. Which allows them to act in this despicable manner.

Short of removing IDF protection, I don’t see them changing their colors. Throwing them in jail (if they are ever even caught) will just embolden them and make their resolve stronger. Surely their leaders will intercede on their behalf if they are thrown in jail.

So it seems that they will continue to behave this way with impunity. Which impels me to speak out and condemn them with every fiber of my being. And so too should the rest of the Charedi world. Including the Eida. Without even a hint of apologetics. Because that will surely undermine any condemnation no matter how strong. Alas, I doubt that will ever happen.

Agudah leaders recent meeting with Secretary DeVos in Washington DC

Sometimes we Jews are our own worst enemies. Even those of us that are Orthodox tend to be critical of praise from the outside. We may see it as an error. Or based on ignorance. Or as biased and undeserving praise. But if I had to guess, I’d say a lot of the criticism of such praise is self centered - based on our own personal, religious or political biases.

I recall one case in particular. It was right here in Chicago. Hanna Sacks Bais Yaakov (HSBY) was the subject of spectacular review of high schools in America.

US News and World Report is rather well known and respected for their university and professional school ratings. Back in 1999, they decided to do the same thing for high schools. They ended up by saying that of the over 1000 schools that participated in the study Hanna Sacks was one of six best high schools in the country. To say that this was quite an accomplishment is an understatement. Especially when one considers their modest budget.

The study’s designer and author, Dale Mezzacappa attributed HSBY’s success mostly to its principal at the time, Dr. Shani Bechhofer. Among the many parameters used to make that evaluation was the students per capita taking AP courses (advanced placement). Something Dr. Bechhofer strove for and accomplished very quickly.

You would think that the Orthodox community of Chicago would have been very proud of that achievement. I certainly was. But you would be thinking wrong. There was at least one right wing rabbinic leader that was upset that a religious school was being touted for its success in secular studies instead of religious studies. He did not think much of that accomplishment.

Then there were the parents of the highly touted Orthodox Ida Crown Jewish Academy (ICJA). They felt that the recognition given to HSBY was a joke. For them ICJA was far and away a superior school. HSBY was after all only a Bais Yaakov. Everyone understood that its religious studies program was all that really mattered to them. Secular studies were at best a distant second.

The Academy’s curriculum on the other hand was a college preparatory program from the word go. Secular studies were taken far more seriously by these college bound students and their parents who sought Ivy League educations for them post high school. Why did HSBY do so well compared to ICJA? The administration and parents of Ida Crown explained that they did not participate in the study. Had they done so, they would have blown HSBY away.

Perhaps. We will never really know. But as noted there were over 1000 schools that did participate. I can’t believe they were all on the lower rung of the educational ladder. There had to be some schools that were thought of by their parents and administration the same way ICJA parents and administration did about theirs. HSBY and 5 other beat them all.

I understand why Academy parents would be in shock and disbelief. But that does not make HSBYs high raking any less valid. But don’t ever say that to an ICJA parent. They completely rejected HSBYs ranking. (I wonder though if they reject that magazine’s university rankings?)

Which brings me to an article in Times of Israel:

There was a meeting last Wednesday between the Secretary of Education, Betsy DeVos and Agudath Israel’s lay leaders. From the Times of Israel:

Education Secretary Betsy DeVos praised Orthodox Jewish schools as a model for publicly funded education.

“I applaud Agudath Israel for their leadership and commitment to providing their community with access to educational options that meet the academic and religious needs of their families,”

“I look forward to continuing to work with Agudath Israel of America, the Orthodox Jewish community and all who believe that every child, regardless of where they live or their family’s income, should have an equal opportunity to a quality education,” she said.

This will no doubt generate derision from the left. Even from parents that send their children to Orthodox schools. Their disdain for Mrs. DeVos will override common sense. The comments may go something like this:“Getting a compliment from this no-nothing is worthless.” She is a religious fanatic that wants to destroy public education as we know it. If she gets her way, the poorest kids in the worst neighborhoods will be left out in the cold with no education at all. She is so ignorant that if she says Orthodox Jewish Education is a model for public school education – then the exact opposite must be true.

I obviously do not agree. While she may have no experience in public school education, that does not invalidate her views. Those views have the backing of people that do have some experience in public school education. But without the vested interests of teachers unions. Besides, as I said. Its common sense.

She and they see public school education as a failure that needs to be replaced. While there are many good public schools in this country, the inner city is not where you will find them. There has to be some responsibility for that laid at the feet of a public school system that has been in place for decades.

Parents ought to be able to decide what kind of education will be the best fit for their children. Sending them to a one size fits all public school system is not the way to achieve that. School choice is. This is based on a principle cited in Proverbs: Chanoch L’Naar Al Pi Darko. One must teach a young person at his level. Public education is not a practitioner of that ancient and wise principle.

Orthodox Jewish day schools and high schools have been pretty successful in educating the children of Orthodox Jews. At least those with good secular studies programs like the above-mentioned Hanna Sacks did in 1999.The fact that they are private allows them to choose the curriculum that suits their own needs; the needs of their community; and the needs of society in general. What better model for school choice than an Orthodox school?

Giving public school parents vouchers so they can choose which school to send their children will provide unprecedented opportunities for those inner city children. Instead of remaining uneducated, illiterate, and unskilled – and turning to a life of crime that so many of them do - they will have a chance to to get good jobs, become contributing members of society, better citizens, and better parents.

Some will attend college prep schools; some religious schools; and some vocational or trade schools. Each according to their own skills and needs. Based on input from parents, professionals, and the students themselves they will be able to choose a school that is a good fit for their needs instead of the one that just happens to be close to their homes.

Those who continue to believe the status quo is just fine, and that it just needs a little tweaking have been saying that forever to an ongoing and utter failure of most inner city schools. It’s time to try something else. And the Orthodox model might just be the right one to emulate.

A typical Bris ceremony (NY Daily News)

Although the issue has been somewhat dormant, it has not gone away. The procedure known as Metzitza B’Peh (MbP) is still going on. With pretty severe consequences should things go wrong.

For those not familiar with the procedure, MbP a term meaning ‘drawing out by mouth’. Circumcision ( Bris) is a Halachic requirement for all male Jews except in cases where the procedure would be life threatening. If healthy the Bris is performed when a baby is 8 days old. The foreskin of the baby is surgically removed by a trained and qualified individual called a Mohel.

The Sages of Talmud require that the Bris include Metzitza as a preventative measure. Without which it would endanger the health of the baby. They required the Mohel to draw out the blood from the circumcision wound. Although not mentioned in the Talmud, the procedure that was developed and deemed best was direct suction by mouth of the circumcision wound. Thus the term ‘Metztiza B’Peh.

Chazal were likely dealing with bacterial infection. Removing the blood to prevent that was the way they dealt with it. Until 18^thcentury Dutch scientist Antonie van Leeuwenhoek gave us the microscope, no one had any idea that microscopic entities known as bacteria even existed. But Chazal did see a problem and dealt with it the best way they knew how. There was no more efficient way for them to draw out as much blood as possible from a wound than sucking it out directly by mouth.

Although we now know that bacteria is the cause of infections to open wounds and how to deal with them efficiently via sterile procedures and antibiotics, the Halacha of Metzitza still stands. While the actual circumcision is valid without it – Metzitza is still a Halachic requirement.

For reasons that are not entirely clear to me, the Chasidic world insists that MbP is the only legitimate way to draw out the blood and that it is part and parcel of the actual Bris. And point to centuries of doing it that way to no ill effect that they knew of.

Most of the Charedi Mohelim perform MbP seeing it as at least a preferable if not required method of Metzitza. I believe that most parents are not even aware of the procedure or at least not consciously aware of it during the Bris. Which is celebratory event with many guests followed by a festive breakfast type meal. They also do not thinkof MbP when theyl choose a Mohel. The look instead at the overall reputation and experience.

There are some (mostly those that are Modern Orthodox or Centrist) that will use more sterile means of drawing out the blood like a sterile pipette of a piece of gauze. But many if not most Charedi Mohelim will not perform a Bris if asked to not do MbP. Which I believe means that MbP is by far the most widely used procedure for Metzitza while many parents are not aware of it. Or if they are are not familiar with its dangers. Or I some cases - consider this danger to be negligible and actually refer MbP.

The fact the MbP is so prevalent is why the herpes virus is still occasionally found in babies post circumcision. Part of the problem is that the herpes virus may be present in the Mohel but be asymptomatic. He will not be aware of it. And even though the vast majority of Mohalim may rinse their mouths with some antiseptic mouthwash or alcohol immediately before performing MbP, the danger still exists even if it is minimized.

The city of New York under Mayor Michael Bloomberg in a effort to honor the religious rights of those who believe that MbP is a Halachic requirement and still reduce the possibility of herpes infection – required signed consent in all cases where MbP was to be used.

This was vigorously fought as an infringement of religious freedom by the Chasidic community and the Agudah. In an effort to respect their religious rights to the extent they were asking for, Mayor Bloomberg’s successor Bill DeBlasio withdrew the signed consent requirement. A compromise was reached. If a baby was found to have herpes immediately after a circumcision, the Mohel would be tested. If he had the virus he would be banned from doing any circumcision for life.

The problem with that compromise is that it is an after the fact compromise. It only works after the baby gets infected. I understand all the arguments made by MbP proponents. Mostly having to do with the chances of a baby getting herpes by an infected Mohel being statistically very small. But to the baby who ends up with it, those chances rise to 100%. I personally find that unacceptable.

Last week the NY Daily News reported that since DeBlasio’s election, 6 cases of neonatal herpes infection have been linked to an infected Mohel:

One unidentified baby was rushed to the hospital 15 days after undergoing the ancient ritual, known as metzitzah b'peh, which involves cleaning the circumcision wound by oral suction.

That’s when the newborn developed a rash on his genitals, buttocks, inner thigh and ankle, according to a city Health Department alert issued to all medical personnel Wednesday morning.

“We literally heard about this case at some point in the afternoon yesterday,” Mayor de Blasio told reporters at an unrelated event. “We’re right now in that process of identifying the mohel (who performed the procedure), and we expect full cooperation from the community.”

It would seem that unless he is identified quickly the requirement for that community to identify the Mohel is being honored in the breach.

The New York Post reports the following:

The city is zero for six in garnering full cooperation from the Hasidic community in rooting out mohels involved in neonatal herpes cases, but Mayor de Blasio says he still needs to evaluate whether a deal with the community is “working effectively or not.”

Last week, health officials said just 2 of 6 mohels had been identified and that — rather than being tested — they were simply advised not to continue with the practice, known as metzitzah b’peh.

Apparently the compromise worked out with the DeBlasio administration was never taken seriously by the Chasidic community. They probably want to protect the livelihood of the Mohel. But I have to wonder how the parents of those infected babies feel about that? I wonder if they even knew of the dangers their baby faced – remote though they may have been? I also wonder how many of those parents would opt out of MbP and instead use the more sterile procedures that most Poskim say are sufficient to satisfy the Halacha?

In my humble opinion, the requirement of signed consent forms ought to be re-instituted. I see nothing about that law that interferes with a parent’s right to have the procedure performed on his baby. What it does do, however, is inform that same parent about the potential danger and allows them to choose a safer one. Wouldn’t this be a win/win for everyone?

Not the way to win friends and influence people

The recent arrest of a Charedi draft dodger has once again brought out threats of retaliation and disruption by his fellow Charedim. According to an article in the Forward they have threatened to disrupt a marathon scheduled for this Friday in Jerusalem. Not all Charedim. Just followers of Rav Shmuel Auerbach who told his followers to resist the draft on every level. Including refusing to obey the law requiring young people to register. This is in contradistinction to his rival, R. Aharon Leib Shteinman who urges his followers to obey the law and register.

Many people on the right would say that this is a Milchmes Mitzvah - a holy war between 2 giants. And that a mere mortal like me has no right to state his views on the matter. But I disagree. B’Makom Chilul HaShem, Ein Cholkin Kavod L’Rav. In matters where God’s name is desecrated, one may not impart honor to a Rav.

In my view Rav Auerbach, who has long ago departed from the pleasant ways of the Torah reflected by his saintly father, feels that violating the dictates of a revered religious leader 20 years his senior; recognized by other great Charedi leaders (like R’ Chaim Kanievsky) as the leader of the generation - is a great idea. That he causes a lot more harm than good does not apparently occur to him. (Of course - he probably feels that the opposite is true.)

One can debate whether the tactic used by Rav Auerbach will better accomplish the mutual goal he has with Rav Shteinman of exempting their Bnei Torah form army service. One can also debate whether that is even a good idea on such a mass scale. But this is not about either of those issues.

It is about the Chilul Hashem of obviously religious Jews acting like hooligans and wild animals. It is about the wisdom of disrupting a public that in any case has no sympathy for draft dodgers. And in far too many cases see the entire Charedi world in Israel in the most negative light with little redeeming value. Even among many observant Jews like those in the religious Zionist camp. Can they be blamed for seeing them that way when their own children serve in the military and put their lives on the line every day protecting their people?

Of course I’m sure that Rav Auerbach thinks he’s creating a Kiddush Hashem with such public resistance. But he’s not. If he were, Rav Shteinman would be right there along side him urging his followers to do the same thing.

Instead he and his followers increase whatever enmity already exists between the Charedi world and the non Charedi world. They are driving the wedge between them even deeper. It isn’t just his followers that by their behavior look bad. They make all Charedim look bad. I doubt that the secular world even realizes that there is a virtual war between these two factions. A war so strong that there has been physical encounters between them where people got hurt. This is one reason that Ponevezh Yeshiva in Bnei Brak has lost its luster in recent years. Despite its reputation for high quality Torah study, its new reputation is one of discord, fighting and injury!

I therefore cannot protest Rav Auerbach’s approach enough. He accomplishes nothing towards his goal and instead drives people away from Judaism. When a secular Jew sees this behavior and the reasons they give for it, he will run the other way. If this is Torah, they want nothing to do with it. They will say that all these people care about is themselves and the money they get from the government. Everyone else can go to hell.

This is the attitude that Rav Auerbach generates. The damage done is incalculable. Which is why I consider it to be such a Chilul HaShem. (His father must be rolling in his grave. Many times over!)

How ironic it is that his father, Rav Shlomo Zalman Auerbach every action was a Kiddush HaShem. There are so many stories of the lengths to which he went to avoid a Chilul HaShem. Thus making his every move a Kiddush HaShem. I cannot conceive any way he would have approved of what his son, R’ Shmuel is doing!

Instead of distancing our non observant brothers and sisters form Judaism with disgusting behavior like this, they should be engaging with their secular neighbors using the pleasant ways of the Torah.

Although there are some Israelis that are anti religious, it is rather well established that most Israelis are not. They are in fact traditional. While not observant on an Orthodox level they are still observant of many Mitzvos. For example I believe that most Israelis actually fast on Yom Kippur. And I’m sure they all have a Pesach Seder. Most are probably proud of their Judaism. R’ Auerbach would do well to have some positive engagement with these people. And encourage their religious observances and their pride in Judaism with the kind of behavior his father was so famous for.

Instead of wasting time with protests like these that inconvenience the public and drive people away from observance, Rav Auerbach should be doing the opposite. Instead of encouraging discord in Israeli society, he should encourage harmony. As things stand now, he is driving Jews away from Judaism and doesn’t seem to care.

If I were Rav Shteinman I would call for a counter protest this Friday and invite the secular world to join him. Maybe that will send him the message he really needs to hear.

Liberal Jewish leader- J street head, Jeremy Ben-Ami (Jerusalem Post)

Most people that read this blog regularly know that I am no fan of the President. I am as thoroughly disgusted by his rhetoric and behavior as are his political enemies to the left. As I am embarrassed by his tweets that are often simply retaliations against those that have criticized him. Or designed as a distraction from some of the more serious issues that plague him.

The left is out to get him. That is not arguable. It is what all this focus on his ties to Russia is all about. That Trump somehow conspired with Russia to undermine the election… or that his agenda with Russia is based on personal gain is ridiculous. But that is exactly what the left is seeking to determine. They will leave no stone un-turned in the hopes of finding dirt on him. I will be shocked if the find even a grain of truth to those suspicions. They certainly haven’t yet. And not for a lack of trying.

I am not going to go into a whole litany of his shortcomings. They are obvious and I’ve done that so many times, that it would bore most people. The short version is that he continues to be an embarrassment to this country.

That said, most people also know that I support some of his polices. I wish he would just stick to discussing them instead of making ridiculous accusations about his phones being tapped during the campaign at the behest of the last President.

That is at best highly unlikely if not an outright lie. Although there might actually have been some surveillance of his campaign by intelligence agencies based on suspicions that the Russians were influencing the election, his accusation that Obama did tap his phones implying a political motive has pretty much been discredited.

Isi Lieber has penned an oped in the Jerusalem Post that makes a lot of sense. He expresses much of my own thinking a lot better than I ever could have. The subject is antisemitism and who he feels is responsible for it. It is us. Or at least our left side:

(T)he crass political exploitation of their Jewish identity by American leaders of purportedly “nonpartisan” mainstream Jewish organizations is unprecedented. Today, in what must be described as self-destruction, a substantial number of irresponsible leaders of the most successful and powerful Jewish Diaspora community seem to have gone berserk, and are fueling antisemitism.

This has nothing to do with free speech No one denies anyone that right. Least of all me. But that does not minimize the damage these people do with their irresponsible characterizations and exaggerations of antisemtism and who they accuse of fomenting it.

Leiber calls it a ‘self-induced collective breakdown’. The left is filled with ‘progressive’ Jews. And they are in full blown anti Trump mode. Not because of his rhetoric. But because of his politics. And they are taking advantage of his considerable shortcomings to capitalize on it. Blaming him for the so-called increase in antisemitism. As I have already said, there is no increase in antisemitism. Only an increased amplitude on the part of the racist fringe groups that have always been there.

Trump is continually described as an antisemite despite the unprecedented number of Jews at the highest levels of government in his administration. Despite his warming of relations with Israel. And despite having an observant Jewish daughter that underwent an Orthodox conversion.

And it is the left leaning progressive Jews that are screaming the most. Many of whom are heterodox rabbis that believe that Tikun Olam is all there is to Judaism. And for these mostly non observant Jewish leaders it is Israel; its prime minister; the settlements; and the ‘occupation’ that are to blame for all the woes of the Palestinian people. The same Palestinians - most of whom would prefer Jews go back to ‘where they came from’ (ala former UPI reporter, Helen Thomas) so they can have ‘their land’ back.

It is no mere coincidence in my view that the left has so many non observant Jews in it. The rabbinic leadership of the Reform and Conservative movements are leading the charge.That’s what happens when the Mitzvah of Tikun Olam is the only one that is sacrosanct. They want to fix the world of the underdog. And Palestinians clearly are the underdog of the moment. Blaming right wing Jews is a no brainer for them.

Unfortunately some of these Trump hating progressive Jews are Open Orthodox rabbis ordained by YCT. (Like Shmuley Yaknlowitz who has pulled some pretty stupid stunts to make his Trump hating point.)

These mostly non observant liberal rabbis and their constituents see the politically conservative perspective as an archaic vestige of the past. Orthodox Jews to their right are seen as selfish, unenlightened, and primitive. And not having the high moral convictions that they do. That misguided - and frankly insulting approach blinds them to the reality.

Most of the mainstream media is clearly part of the liberal establishment. They have been egged on by Trump’s foolish obsession with them. To say that Trump has been unkind to the media is an understatement. His constant negative rhetoric about them (not the least of which was the ridiculous and incendiary comment they are the enemy of the people) makes it hard for me to believe that reporting about him is unbiased.

They can’t stand him. And it shows. They hardly hide it. One can see it in almost every TV reporter that covers him. Every roll of the eye; every smirk; the ridicule in their voices; and even the contempt… it’s all there for anyone to plainly see. I see it every day. And they get away with it because Trump is an easy target. He has given them plenty of ammunition and they are thrilled to use it. They are capitalizing on it.

Now, before anyone accuses me of being a Trump loving right wing fanatic, I will repeat here what I’ve said many times. I did not vote for him. I voted for his opponent even though I thought she was a terrible candidate. And I don’t regret it. I do lean right, but I also have some liberal views. I am certainly no Rush Limbaugh.

But I see an unprecedented focus by the left on ‘getting Trump’. And I therefore feel compelled to defend him. Because I am absolutely convinced that the unprecedented animus Trump faces now is either entirely political or personal. The only criticism of him that isn’t - is from Republicans who are in the unfortunate position of having to agree with their political opponents on certain issues. (Although some of the animus from the right might be personal. Like that of John McCain. I can’t really blame him.)

Point is - the truth is buried among all of this ‘antitrumpism’. There are distortions galore for political and personal reasons. I feel obligated to tell it the way I see it. I am happy to see Isi Lieber do so by nailing the people that are really responsible for the increase in antisemitism. Someone has to ferret out the truth about what is really happening in the world because the mainstream media is incapable of doing so right now.

Rav Yaakov Edelstein (left) with Rav Chaim Kanievsky (Mishpacha)

I have had little patience for the way some of the right wing Charedi rabbinic leadership in Israel actually leads. Not because I don’t respect them as major Talmidei Chachamim with few peers. I actually do respect them for that. But because their views on many issues are the opposite of mine and because of their sledgehammer approach to getting their way. I have felt that many of the positions they have taken are harmful to the very thing they are dedicated to – the preservation and perpetuation of a Torah society. I am not going to go into details of those views here. I’ve done so more times than I can count!

I have also felt that in recent times the way they have handled things has done more to divide us than unite us. While I realize that was not their goal, that seems to be the result. That is even true among some the moderate Charedi leadership in some instances. (Although I am absolutely convinced that they all firmly believe they are acting in the best interests of the Jewish people.)

This has caused much of the non Charedi world in Israel to see Charedi Jews in a mostly negative light. They see Charedi leaders concerned only for their own community’s welfare with a seemingly callous disregard for anyone else.

It was therefore hard for me to imagine someone like Rav Yaakov Edelstein existed in our day. He has proved this characterization wrong. His life was dedicated to both the Charedi Hashkafa and an unmitigated love of all of Klal Yisroel.

There is no question about his Charedi credentials nor his values with respect to the Klal. I had no idea this man even existed let alone to what he dedicated his life. Which was recently described by Mishpacha Magazine in a memorial tribute to him upon his passing. He embraced every Jew regardless of their level of observance.

He was not just all talk. He was all action. He lived his life dedicated to that premise. Ahavas Yisroel was his raison d’etre. He lived for his fellow Jew. And they knew it.

Rav Edelstein was the Rav of Ramat HaSharon, a mostly secular and upscale suburb of Tel Aviv. He served them in that capacity for 67 years. 67 YEARS! If one looks at his appearance it would seem highly unlikely that a town like this would ever hire him as their rabbi – let alone give him an almost 7 decade tenure. But that is the case. This is a man that consulted with the Chazon Ish and followed all of his directives. He was a founding student at Ponevezh. His brother, Rav Gershon Edelstein is one of the most respected Charedi leaders in Israel. Thousands of students flock regularly to this Rosh Yeshivah of Ponovezh.

And yet this is a description of how Rav Yaakov Edelstein’s town responded to their loss of this great man:

While the Torah world has keenly felt the loss of Rav Yaakov Edelstein — who passed away three weeks ago on 25 Shevat — none are more broken than the residents of the upscale Tel Aviv suburb of Ramat Hasharon…

Deputy mayor of Ramat HaSharon, Yaakov Koretzky, one of Rav Yaakov Edelstein’s many Baalei Teshuvah, described him as follows:

Rav Edelstein was like our eved (slave). He was bound heart and soul to the community, to the residents, the students, everyone. He worked for us. He davened for us. He thought about us and worried for us. He was our spiritual father and we’re now just beginning to understand what we lost. I used to meet Pinchas the shoemaker, who’s been here as long as the Rav, and he would tell me, ‘Koretzky, we have to get the Rav new shoes. Look, his shoes are falling apart.’ People didn’t realize how the Rav would walk all over town in service of the community.

That he had reached so many secular Jews is a testament to not only Rav Edelstien which assures his legacy... it is a testament to what Israel could really look like if there were more like him.

I’m sure, for example that he followed the Charedi Hashkafa that is opposed to army service for young Chardim. I am also sure he supported government funding for Yeshivos and Kollelim. I’m sure that he supports full time Torah study for all Charedim for as long as possible without the ‘burden’ of additional secular studies. Mostly positions with which I disagree. These are the kinds of issues that have divided – and continue to divide the country. And I doubt that his Charedi views were not known by the secular Jews that he served. And yet he was a beloved figure despite such hard core Charedi views.

Imagine what Israel would look like if there were more people like him! Imagine if the Charedi leadership would embrace the secular Jew the way he did. Imagine if the Charedi world would look at Rav Edelstein as their role model instead of someone like Rav Shmuel Auerbach.

I’m not saying there wouldn’t be differences of opinion between Charedim and the rest of Israeli people. There surely would be. Those important issues will not go away even under the most ideal of relationships. But if the Charedi world would learn from the pleasant ways of Rav Edelstein, those differences might be respected instead of disparaged - right along with the people that have them.

If only they would see the world through Rav Edelstein’s eyes - oh what a different world it would be.

Intermarriage. Is this the new normal for Conservative Judaism

Roberta Rosenthal Kwall has written another insightful article in Commentary responding to the direction the Conservative Movement is going. She suggests that recent innovations will have the opposite effect from the one they intended.

I have always had a fascination with Conservative Judaism. In many ways their founding fathers had the same thoughts Modern Orthodox leaders of their day had. They saw the challenges of the new world in America where assimilation endangered our very existence as Jews. They felt – with some justification – that the American Jew could not relate to the Orthodox European rabbis that had come here to serve them. They felt the need to train American rabbis that understood the culture.

This was the same rationale Dr. Bernard Revel, founder of Yeshiva College (later to become YU) had. He felt the need to relate to the American Jew on American terms. In his day Jews sought to fulfill the American dream the same way their non Jewish counterparts did: by going to a good university, and getting the kind of education that would enable them to get good jobs. If there was any chance of getting them to continue their religious studies and thereby better insuring their commitment to observance, Orthodoxy would have to accommodate them.

Weren’t Orthodox and Conservative Judaism trying to do the same thing? Keeping Jews Jewish by via Halacha while participating in modernity? I used to think, ‘Why could we not work together?’ ‘Why do we have to fight with each other when our goals are ultimately the same?’

And yet, Orthodox rabbis saw Conservative Judaism as completely unacceptable. It had to be fought! They were right. What started out as a noble cause to conserve Judaism has turned into something quite different. History is a great teacher.

I know why we have succeeded and they have failed. There are several factors. While they believed in Halacha in theory, they ignored it in their members practices. In the misguided attempt to keep them in the fold they looked the other way while their members ignored fundamental Halachos like Shabbos. Focusing mostly on issues relating to Tikun Olam. That is still true today. Even though there are Conservative Jews that still observe Kashrus as their rabbis interpret it and observe Jewish holidays, it would hardly be considered observance by Orthodox standards (in most cases).

Orthodox rabbis never compromised on the need to follow Halacha. If a Jew did not observe Shabbos,– even though he might have been accepted as a member in an Orthodox Shul, there was clarity about it being a violation of Halacha.

More importantly, however, was the fact that Orthodox rabbis knew that Jewish education was the key to our salvation.

It was a struggle to build day schools that could accomplish this. But once the mass immigration of religious Holocaust survivors arrived, many of them demanded it. Day schools mushroomed. Orthodox Jewish education has succeeded beyond its builders wildest dreams. And saved us from extinction.

Meanwhile the Conservative Movement was focused on the synagogue. They believed that as long as a Jew belonged to a Shul they and their children would retain their Jewish identities. Armed with an approach which was tolerant of non observance, the movement exploded to become the largest denomination of Jews in America. But that did not last. As we all know the Conservative movement is now dying a not so slow death. They have lost members in droves. By the time they realized what Orthodoxy already knew, their attempt to rectify it via their own educational system, Solomon Schechter - was too little too late.

Part of their problem was that most Conservative Jews consider their synagogue membership expense to be too high. They felt that synagogue membership was expendable. Also, as much as many of them might have liked to send their children to a good Conservative day school, the tuition was so high that Jewish education too was considered expendable. Why spend tens of thousands of dollars per child when they can get a quality secular education in their highly regarded suburban public schools for free? Conservative Jews believe that their children could learn how to be Jewish in the home. That has not worked out so well for them.

Most Orthodox parents on the other hand understand the value of a day school education and were willing to sacrifice in order to send their children there.

This is the dilemma the Conservative movement faces. For which they are now scrambling to find a solution. But as Professor Kwall notes, the latest innovation of opening up membership to non Jews is clearly the wrong one. Another mistake in the wrong direction.

The idea of dealing with intermarriages by allowing non Jewish spouses to become members is a bad idea. It gives ‘permission' to other young Conservative Jews to do the same thing. This is as bad a mistake as was their 1950 responsa allowing their members to drive to Shul. Which they were doing anyway only now it was with the permission of their rabbis. That they limited driving only to Shul and back home was basically ignored by most of heir members.

That was a mistake and destroyed any chance of creating a Kehilla (communal) structure. Something JTS Chancellor Arnie Eisen admitted and lamented. He attributed Orthodoxy's success to the necessity of needing to live walking distance from a Shul. Thus creating and maintaining a Kehilla. (He was wrong in attributing our success to that. It contributes to it - but it is not the reason for it. As noted, education is the reason for our success.)

Professor Kwall points out Conservative Judaism is going in the direction of Reform. I don't see how anyone can stop it. Their membership is dwindling and their response has always been to go leftward.

Ironically, for their part, Reform has done a 180. Although the very idea of practicing any ritual was anathema to Reform’s founders, they are now advising their members to embrace as many rituals as possible albeit without considering any of them mandatory. With Conservatives moving left and Reform right - it is even more likely that there will be a merger someday. Although the Conservative Movement does not yet accept patrilineal descent, it can’t be that far off if they are now accepting non Jews as members and embracing intermarried couples. All while some of their rabbis are beginning to perform intermarriages. The chasm between Orthodox and Conservative Judaism widens as acts like these become standardized.

There are a couple of other impediments in that regard. The egalitarian ideal as practiced by their synagogues is incompatible with Orthodoxy. As is a belief system that legitimizes an allegorical view of the events at Sinai (and all the other events described in the Torah).

In the current sociological climate, I do not see too many Conservative Jews gravitating to Orthodoxy.

But still. As the Conservative movement continues to slide to the left, our doors continue to remain open. For those who want to live a meaning full Jewish life, I see very little alternative other than a commitment to observe the Torah as it has been handed down to us and applied to the times (including our own) throughout Jewish history.

There was a time when a Conservative rabbi saw one of his congregants becoming Orthodox as a positive thing. I know of some formerly Conservative Jews who were influenced to be more observant via their experience at the movement’s summer camp program, Camp Ramah. They eventually gravitated to Orthodoxy - to the cheer of their counselors and/or rabbis. But I am afraid that this phenomenon is decreasing. How could it not when they are going in the opposite direction?

United Nations Secretary-General António Guterres

I used to think the UN was - at best - a complete waste of time and money. And at worst an antisemtic body whose primary goal was to destroy Israel. Despite the ironic fact that the State of Israel was created in 1947 - partitioning Palestine in a majority vote by the UN General Assembly.

It is no secret that this body extreme bias with respect to Israel. Israel has been the constant focus of condemnation and scorn.

In recent years, the Middle East was the subject of 76% of country-specific General Assembly resolutions, And 100% of the Human Rights Council (UNHRC) resolutions. These resolutions most often criticized Israel for its ‘occupation of Palestinian land and its oppression of Palestinians.’ They condemned Israel almost exclusively about committing violence against Palestinians, and rarely about the reverse. On the other hand UNHRC has mostly failed to condemn other human rights abuses. Like what is happening in the people in the East African nation of South Sudan. Which by comparison makes Palestinians in West Bank seem like they are living in paradise!

This climate of anti Israel animus culminated with the recent US abstention on a vote condemning Israeli settlements in the West Bank. It was them passed with all the other members of the Security Council voting on favor of it. I could go on. But any unbiased observer of the UN’s attitude towards Israel can see the obvious. No matter what kind of atrocities were going on in the world. Syria, Libya, East Africa… they are all practically ignored by the UN when one looks at who they focus the majority of their animus on.

It did not help matters that the UN Secretary-Generals in the past seem to harbor that same anti Israel bias. Even though they tried to hide it – it wasn’t that hard to notice that they did little to stop the Israel bashing going on there. Nor did it help that one of their past Secretary-Generals was Kurt Waldheim, a Nazi officer during the Holocaust.

Until a short while ago, when former US representative to the UN Samantha Power refused for the first time to veto a one-sided resolution condemning Israel (on instruction from her boss, the former President) it that seemed like things were only going to get worse. But just when I thought the UN was hopelessly antisemitic, Nikky Haley was appointed US representative to the UN by the New administration. She was not only aware of the bias that permeated that body, she actually did something about it. She minced no words in forcefully condemning it!

But I was not prepared for what happened on January 1st of this year. That is when former Portuguese Prime Minister, António Guterres was elected the new Secretary-General of the UN.

Unlike past leaders of the UN, he actually understands what Jewish suffering was all about throughout history. He even acknowledged his own country’s participation in that during the inquisition when they expelled all the Jews from their country. And he spoke about the Holocaust in terms of it being primarily Jewish tragedy.

It is one of the most moving speeches I have ever heard by a non Jewish leader. Mr. Guterres addressed entire body of diplomats in the UN on Holocaust Remembrance Day. The very same diplomats that focus on condemning Israel all the time.

I had no clue about this speech given back in January. Someone sent me a link to it yesterday. I would have publicized it sooner if I had. This 11 minute speech is well worth listening to. If this is the ‘New UN’ then I am a fan.

Rebbetzin Batsheva Kanievsky - Should this image be banned?

Modesty has become a big item in the 21^st century Charedi world. But not in the broad sense that this Jewish value is intended. The way modesty – or Tznius is used today in this community is mostly applied to women and how they are to be seen (or not seen) in public. This is a subject that seems to be hammered into the psyche of every Beis Yaakov girl.

There is a very good reason for this focus today. It doesn’t take much effort to come across images of the most immodestly dressed women when one is out in public. Whether on billboards, in movies, on TV, in magazines or shopping malls that that will have at least one shop exclusively selling women’s intimate apparel with pictures of women wearing their products in seductive poses. It is almost impossible to avoid all these images. Even the corporate world where modest attire was once standard has given way to this new culture of less modesty. The typical young woman today must feel compelled to have that ‘look’ if she wants to be accepted as ‘normal’.

External influences being what they are it should therefore come as no surprise that Orthodox Jewish educators focus on modesty in dress.

It is this cultural climate that has spurred Charedi world to pursue other less desirable and even questionable restrictions. Among the many unfair restrictions is banning the publication of any pictures of a woman. No matter how modestly she is dressed.

This restriction seems to have always existed in the Chasidic world. (Why that is the case is beyond the scope of this post.) But this was not the case in the Lithuanian based Yeshiva world even among their Gedolim until very recent times. I am not here to debate the right of Chasidim to do as they please. As long as their own women are comfortable with this restriction, or any of the restrictions placed on either their men or their women, God bless them.

I am here to protest what has become a habit in the non Chasidic Charedi world to chase down every Chumra practiced by the Chasidic world. There seems to be an attitude among some rabbis on the right that cannot countenance being ‘out-frummed’ by anyone: ‘If Chasidim are doing it, we better be doing it too, lest we lend credence to their claim of superior Torah observance’.

What many of them may not realize (or perhaps even care about – feeling that their concerns override it) is how this affects their own community.

If women in their own community are negatively affected by such strictures, I believe that their rabbinic readers have an obligation to review their policy to see if it does more harm than good.

One may ask, what possible harm can there be from raising modesty standards? Isn’t that a good thing?

For me the answer is clearly no. Not if it goes too far and there are negative consequences. Not if there is absolutely no Halacha or even a Minhag requiring it. And certainly not if great religious figures like Rav Moshe Feinstein and other Gedolim of the past didn’t require it or practice it themselves.

What harm might there be? Plenty. I was sent a list of reasons by a woman who is a concerned public figure. One which reflects many of the things I have mentioned in the past:

• It fails to provide healthy role models for girls and women
Such a void is short- sighted considering the myriad inappropriate images of women that bombard us in the secular world. Our blank spaces have no chance of competing with their powerful images.

• It communicates a negative message about how our community regards women
Taking women literally“out of the picture”implies that they are unimportant, uninvolved, or irrelevant. A page containing only images of boys and men carries the message that only males are important. The literal erasure of all females calls into question the weight accorded to women’s opinions and contributions and may act as a deterrent to intelligent, accomplished women who may otherwise be interested in adopting a Torah lifestyle.

• It contributes to the objectification of women and girls.
The message that a mere glance at a tzenua woman or child can lead a man into temptation fuels the notion that women are essentially dangerous and men are weak. By viewing women as simply as a source of temptation rather than as sentient, intelligent human beings with brains and hearts, we are ironically saying that the only thing that matters about women is their bodies.

• It is a failure of journalistic integrity and creates a Chilul Hashem.
Erasing images of women from photographs of historical moments is a form of censorship and historical revisionism. Many of these photoshopped pictures are from large news agencies that prohibit altering them in any way. Secular media inevitably publicizes this practice while making a point of mentioning that excluding pictures of women and girls is standard practice in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. The impression given is that traditional Judaism is on par with the most radical elements of Islam, a view which is not only untrue but also a chilul Hashem.

• It makes a mockery of our precious ideals.
Photographs and illustrations of Shabbos tables, parks, and chasunas depicting only men and boys ultimately present an inaccurate and at times even absurd portrayal of religious life. This presentation of a world with no female figures may have the unintended consequence of making a mockery of our ideals and even of the idea of tzinyus itself.

• It sets a dangerous precedent
Look back at biographies of gedolim from just a generation or two ago, as well as historical pictures of yeshiva dinners and community gatherings, and you will see pictures of a world populated by men as well as their wives and daughters. Today not a single photograph or image like these is to be found. At a time when fringe clusters of observant women have taken to wearing burkas and some communities have instituted “men’s only” shopping hours at stores, we are concerned that the major chareidi publications present their distorted view of the world as something to aspire to.

I am convinced that the vast majority of the mainstream Charedi (non Chasidic) world is moderate and more or less agrees with the above. The question is, ‘What are we going to do about it?’ I was asked to publish a petition that reflects these concerns and am pleased to do so.I am told that are already almost 80 ‘Yeshivishe’ Rebbetzins and laypeople signed onto it. Please click on this link to find out how you can help.

Rabbi Baruch Zalman Melamed (Arutz Sheva)

If there is anything about me that people can be assured of, it is that I am a centrist (small c). I am not talking about my Hashkafa or world view. Although I am a Centrist in that regard too, I am also a centrist in a general way. I am a firm believer in the Rambam’s ‘Shvil HaZahav’ – the golden mean. With apologies to Barry Goldwater I actually believe that extremism in pursuit of just about anything is a vice. And that includes what passes for religious fervor in both the Charedi and religious Zionist camp.

My issues with the Charedi camp in Israel are well known. It is not I am opposed to their values. I am opposed to the extremes to which they take them, and the negative impact that it has not only on themselves but on the rest of the country - and even the world.

For example - abandoning secular studies while increasing government subsidies as their population grows is not the best formula for survival. Not for themselves and not for the country. And although I am a firm believer that a Jewish state needs an official rabbinate, it troubles me that it seems to have been taken over by people that don’t recognize them as their own religious leaders. Control of an institution that is not accompanied by belief in it - is what led to choosing the previous Chief Rabbi who was recently convicted of corruption.

One might surmise that my issues with the Charedi camp in Israel would lead me to support the religious Zionist camp. But I have issues with them too. And just like th Charedi world, it isn’t that I am opposed to their values. I am a huge supporter of the State of Israel. Which is clearly a Zionist State. Israel is the ancestral home of the Jewish people.All of them, including me. Originally given to us by God. That is what gives us, the Jewish people, the right to be there and call it our own. Not to mention the fact that Israel’s doors opened up for Holocaust refuges and Jews all over the world. And the ‘Never again’ aspect of living in a land where we Jews can, with the help of God, determine our own fate, and not rely completely on others for our salvation.

I am not, however, a believer that we are witnessing the first flowering of our redemption. Which means that living in Israel means that you are still living in Galus (exile). Until the era of the actual redemption, that is where we all live - no matter our geographic location.

Unfortunately it is the belief by far too many religious Zionists that by the establishment of a state we have begun the redemptive process. That in my view is the source of much of the extremism. Like those who view settling all of Eretz Yisroel (including the West bank) a goal worth shedding blood over. Not just Palestinian blood but even our own. This mentality produced the Baruch Goldsteins and Yigal Amirs of the world. And the many admirers these two murderers still have.

And now both the Charedi world and the religious Zionist world seem to have combined in the person of Rabbi Yigal Levinstein the religious Zionist rabbi who is one of the heads of a prestigious mechina (pre-IDF preparatory) yeshiva in Israel.

One may recall a few months ago when Rabbi Levinstein made some truly disgusting comments about the IDF’s approach to a variety of groups and issues. It isn’t that he had religious problems with them. I have them too. It is the extreme – even inflammatory language he used about the IDF in raising those objections. Placing himself squarely in the extremist camp.

Arutz Sheva has found another ‘eminent’ religious Zionist, Rabbi Baruch Zalman Melamed backing him up.

The issues are real. For example I agree that blurring the differences between the sexes in the IDF is wrong. I agree that it would undermine the moral values that ‘have preserved the Jewish people for millennia’. I too am in vigorous opposition to same sex units in the army. But to back up a man who said what Rabbi Levinstein said - backs up extremism. And that almost always leads to no good.

There has to be a happy medium between agreeing with the underlying Halachos expressed by Rabbi Levinstein and endorsing a man who used such extreme rhetoric. That can only turn people away from the very values that he promotes. Rabbi Levinstein deserves to be reprimanded for those comments, Not supported. There is a right way to do things and a wrong way. And the right way is to abide by the Shvil HaZahav. That is always the better choice.

Accused teenager hiding his face in an Israeli court (NYT/Reuters)

I’m not in the habit of quoting myself. But in this case I just can’t help it. In response to a spike in bomb threats to JCCs and other Jewish institutions that had some people thinking that we are on the precipice of another Holocaust, I said the following:

No, I don’t think we need to be worried, although we should always be vigilant, keep our eyes and ears wide open. We are not on the precipice of a new Holocaust. Not even close...

I added that we have no clue who is doing this or why.

That post generated a variety of responses saying that I was treating this new wave of antisemitism too lightly. Responses that ranged from accusing me of the kind of denial Jews of Europe had about the dire circumstances that Hitler’s virulent antisemitism presaged - to outright stupidity for not seeing this as an obvious white-supremacist plan to actually carry out the false bomb threats they were making. And of course they blamed it all on the President.

I considered that just another conspiracy theory by some on the left who are so blinded by hatred of the President (an easy target if there ever was one) - that they were eager to pin every ill in American society on him. So the spike in antisemitic incidents which were mostly (but not exclusively) those bomb threats was blamed on Trump’s rhetoric that often sounded racist - even employing some racist code words like America First.

It was after all Nazi sympathizers like Charles Lindbergh that were involved in the America First Committee - a group created in 1940 to keep the US out of involvement in WWII. America First is a phrase Trump uses a lot. As did another presidential candidate of the not too distant past, Pat Buchanan. Who is not exactly a philosemite.

I conceded then and still believe that Trump’s rhetoric frees up the existing antisemites and racists to toot their horns a bit louder. But I also believe that we are in no greater danger from antisemitism than we were before Trump even thought about becoming President. (…with the possible exception of the kind of virulent anti Israel activity by extreme leftist academics that egged on gullible students to act out in sometimes violent anti Israel demonstrations on some university campuses.)

I also thought that it was quite possible that all of these threats were being made by a sick individual in his basement as a prank using sophisticated techniques to disguise his voice, location and phone number. Techniques easily available online to anyone interested in purchasing them.

I was ridiculed for that by some who claimed that professionals in law enforcement that specialize in these things said that my ‘lone wolf theory’ was highly unlikely. The operation was too sophisticated. It was more likely that this was a sophisticated and organized group ‘testing the waters’ so to speak until such time that they will carry it out. And that I was burying my head the sand… just like many Jews did in the prewar years of Hitler’s rise to power.

That I had clearly said that we still need to be vigilant (and that is still true) but that we should live our lives normally fell on deaf ears to those who were convinced that the sky was falling. I also said that to the extent that a there was any threat, the FBI, local law enforcement and international counter terrorism agencies were all over this. That too was ignored.

Well, we now know that it was exactly what I thought it might be. Not only was it NOT right wing white supremacists who called in all those bomb threats, it wasn’t Muslim terrorists either. Nor was it an organized effort by a group of any kind. It was indeed a lone wolf. A teenager. A Jewish one. Who lived in Israel with dual Israeli-American citizenship. The international manhunt succeeded in apprehending and arresting this fellow in Israel.

We don’t know his identity. Nor do we know whether he will be extradited to America and charged with a hate crime. We also don’t know if he is so sick that he will be committed to a mental health facility for treatment. But that is not my concern or purpose in writing this post.

My purpose is to restate my view that we Jews have never had it so good and we need not be any more concerned today than we were last year or the year before that. Yes, there is still antisemitism and as I have said so many times we still have to be vigilant. Thank God we Americans live in a country that takes these things seriously and goes the extra mile when needed.

I do find it kind of funny that there are still some advocacy groups that refuse to let go. For example there is this excerpt from the NewYork Times:

Jonathan A. Greenblatt, chief executive of the Anti-Defamation League, cautioned that many of the people responsible for anti-Semitic threats, vandalism and “a torrent of abuse online” remained at large.

I guess Jonathan knows how his bread is buttered. What a great country we Americans live in. Let me end the way the New York Times did:

In a statement, Attorney General Jeff Sessions, who described the threats as “hate crimes,” said, “The Department of Justice is committed to protecting the civil rights of all Americans, and we will not tolerate the targeting of any community in this country on the basis of their religious beliefs.”

Yes, I am an Optimist!

American Muslims, Palestinian Muslims, and Hamas

No Way to Lead a Country

A Hollow Judaism

Not Your Father’s Esav

The Tragedy of One Sided Compassion

Grasping at Straws

Is the President to Blame?

The Ultimate Segula - Cheap at Any Price!

What Will it Take to Stop Them?

Orthodox Schools as the Model for Public Education

MbP - Knowledge is Power Revisited

Nothing to Gain Except a Chilul HaShem

Trump, Antisemitism, Liberal Jewish Leaders, and the Media

A Role Model for All of Us

Sliding to the Left

Is This the New UN?

Chasing Chasidic Chumros

Doing the Right Thing the Wrong Way

He Is One of Ours