Emes Ve-Emunah

Chicago Cubs in their new 2018 uniforms (2nd from left - Kyle Schwarber)

Spring training is upon us. Which reminds me of the old White Sox fans’ home run ditty, Na Na Na Na - Na Na Na Na - Hey Hey, Goodbye! Which then reminds me of Rebbe Nachman of Breslov for some reason. Which then brings me to the following deep thought. One that I am for the very first time sharing with the public. In these - our very troubling times I can think of nothing more profound (..or is it profane? I forget which... Anyway...).

Summa da more Cum Laude questions I have ever encumbered I still have never found satisfying answers to. I remain trebled (…sometimes even fourpled) by them. I have spent the bitter part of the last 55 gears seeking their ultimate tooth. Alas, to this day that tooth has elided me – plummeting my spirits to the depths of my soil.

Each day, as I wake up, wash Nigel Vasser, (nice fellow, by the way) and excite my daily players, these questions float into my boat without warning. When I was a young man and never been hissed, I got to thinking it over about what I had missed. Which gives me paws.

On this the holiest day of the decade, I said to myself, why not put it out there and see what my pupils say! Even though my vision is blurred because my eyes have catacombs, I see well enough, by golly! So, here are the questions in no particle physics order.

1. Who put the bomp in the bomp bah bomp bah bomp?

2. Who put the ram in the rama lama ding dong?

3. Who put the bop in the bop shoo bop shoo bop?
4. Who put the dip in the dip da dip da dip?

As of this writing, the only answers I have found even close to being edible were from my dear British friend (and former shoe salesman), Professor Pharrell Williams. He currently teaches philosophy at the ‘Close Cover Before Striking’ University located in my home town of Boogity-Shoe, Ohio. He granted me permission to take a video of one of his lectures. Note the profundity (or is it profanity? I'm not sure...) Here it is in the full 4 hour version. Enjoy!. (...and before I forget, Happy Mother's Day!)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (Matzav)

I have been reading with interest reports about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s ultimate and untimely demise. It is interesting to see the differences in how various media have been reporting it. They range from outright glee and anticipation by the Left - citing the impending evidence of massive corruption... to dismissal by the Right of the investigation as a witch hunt with little evidence of any serious wrongdoing.

I have no clue where these investigations will lead. I may be wrong but my own view of Netanyahu’s guilt or innocence is that he is probably guilty of taking small gifts – which may be a technical violation of Israel’s corruption laws, but not much more than that. Will that end his career? Who knows? We shall see.

Much to the dismay of my friends to the Left, I have not been reticent in my support for the Prime Minister. I think he has been an effective leader although admittedly he does brag and exaggerate about his achievements.

Those that may be guffawing at this right about now - might notice that the Israeli electorate is pretty much of this view as well. Not only has he been the longest sitting democratically elected Prime Minister in Israel’s history, he stands to win again if he were forced for any reason to call for new elections.

What about the fact that after a lengthy investigation by the police they now recommend an indictment? Additionally, what about all the negative influence of the Left wing media incessantly predicting Netanyahu’s imminent downfall? I guess the Israeli electorate isn’t buying it. From Matzav:

A poll released by Israel’s Maariv newspaper Friday indicated that the recent recommendations of Israel police to indict Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu on charges of corruption would not have a serious effect on the Likud party or the coalition. If new elections were held today, the Likud and five other coalition parties would garner a combined 65 seats, according to the new Rafi Smith poll—just one less than they currently hold.

UTJ MK Rabbi Yaakov Litzman (Arutz Sheva)

I guess Israelis realize the amount of bias that goes on in the media. Which doesn’t really take that much intelligence to ferret out. Whether on the Left or the Right - it’s pretty easy to know the political biases of the various Israeli news media. They don’t exactly hide it.

As I indicated, I can’t predict what will ultimately happen. I don’t really know how guilty or innocent the Prime Minister really is of everything he is suspected of. But unless he is somehow forced to resign - Netanyahu will surely retain power.

The question remains as to whether there actually will be early elections in Israel. There is one party that has actually made threats that would lead to that: UTJ (United Torah Judaism) - the Charedi Party. From 2 artilces in Arutz Sheva:

Deputy Health Minister Yakov Litzman (UTJ) threatened that if the coalition does not vote for the new draft law, the haredi parties will not vote for the 2019 budget.
The new Basic Law would declare that the study of the Torah has a supreme value. By enshrining Torah study as a "basic value" of the State of Israel, the new law would allow the government to circumvent the court's ruling and enable it to grant draft exemptions or deferments to those enrolled full-time in a yeshiva institution.

(and)

MK Uri Maklev (United Torah Judaism) made clear on Wednesday that the haredi parties had no intention of compromising on the draft law.

Yesh Atid MK, Yair Lapid (Wiki)

I get it. I really do. My own views on wholesale exemption of yeshiva students aside - Charedim are tired of being jostled around by ‘anti Charedi’ politicians. Who are trying to eliminate or reduce draft exemptions and deferments granted (ever since the founding of the state) to Yeshiva students. Charedim want the Knesset to pass legislation that will end that.

However if Charedim bolt the current coalition government and force new elections – they will not gain anything. They will lose. The very poll that predicts a strong new coalition government for Netanyahu also predicts an unprecedented victory for the man and the Party they believe most responsible for trying to eliminate the exemptions and deferments. As noted in Matzav:

(F)ormer Finance Minister Yair Lapid of the Yesh Atid party—a member of the opposition and a vocal critic of the prime minister, who has been pegged as a prime witness in one of two corruption charges—would see his party claim 22 seats, doubling its current 11.

I’m pretty sure they will not be happy with this result. Where does this leave all the Leftist anti Netanyahu haters that are salivating at the prospect of his undoing? They should not celebrate that prospect prematurely. Whether Netanyahu retains power or not, new elections will weaken the Left in unprecedented ways as well:

Coalition partner Jewish Home party, headed by Minister of Education and Diaspora Affairs Naftali Bennett, would also rise by three seats to 11.
The Arab Joint List would fall a single seat, while Opposition Leader Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Union party would plummet to 15 seats, down from 24.

The moral of the story: Be careful for what you wish.

Jay Lefkowitz (Wikipedia)

I have been extremely reluctant to discuss matters of faith here. The reason for that is that it breeds more skepticism than it does faith. Those times I have dared to have these conversations - invariably it has led to the standard challenges to faith from a variety of sources.

All of which come pouring out of the minds of serious people. Many of these challenges are made by observant Jews from diverse backgrounds ranging from Modern Orthodox to Charedi. In most cases they have not received satisfactory responses to those challenges.

I fully admit that the rational mind does not – and perhaps cannot – always provide answers to all challenges. I also admit to having many of my own questions along those lines. I cannot fully explain those challenges. And yet I maintain complete faith in my beliefs despite them.

That’s because I understand the limitations of rational thought. Not everything can be explained via the scientific method. There are many reasons to believe. Even when there are challenges that cannot be resolved by rational thought.

Which brings me to an oped in the New York Times by Jay Lefkowitz. This is not the first time I have referenced him. Jay is a scrupulously observant Jew whose doubts have led him to actually question the existence of God – or at least question or even doubt God that actively participates in the affairs of man. Which undermines one of the basic tenets of Judaism. Not to mention the fact that if one believes that God does not participate in the affairs of man – there is no purpose to prayer. Nor is there any reason for observance. There was no revelation at Sinai, and the Torah is a just a piece of fiction written by man.

Jay has once again written about this subject. All while asserting his scrupulous – almost dogged determination to make sure he can actually continue praying to a God he very likely believes doesn’t listen to prayers. He is currently saying Kaddish (commonly known as the mourner’s prayer) for his father and goes well out of his way to make sure he can find a Minyan (a minimum of 10 men) 3 times a day in order to do so.

Why does Jay do this? His answer here is the same as it was the last time he discussed it. It gives him a sense of belonging to a people that has survived all manner of persecution and attempts at destruction. Belief is not his reason for doing so.

As an aside - I have to question just how much of a skeptic he really is. It is one thing to be generally observant and thereby be an integral part of the Jewish people. But the lengths to which he goes to do that are far beyond his need to feel he belongs. It is not easy finding a Minyan everyday for every Kaddish. If he was not that determined, he would not lose membership in the ‘club’. He would still be a member n good standing. I think that there is something driving him beyond just wanting to be a member. Deep down, I think he may actually entertain the thought that God does hear the prayers of man despite so much of the ‘evidence’ he cites to the contrary.

Be that as it may, I want to impress upon all those that believe that rational thought is ultimate arbiter of truth - that this is not so.

Although I am a firm believer in the importance of rational thought, and use it for much of my own belief system, it is not enough. Rational thought will get you only so far. You might be able to explain many of the contradictions between belief and - say - science. But I doubt that anyone can fully resolve all of those contradictions. Questions will remain. That should not however deter someone from having complete faith in his belief system. There is more than one reason to believe.

There is also a flaw in relying on challenges of today that may disappear in the future. Staying with science as one of the disciplines that challenges belief - by definition science is not static. What one knows to be fact today, may be disproved by newly discovered facts of the future.

But even leaving that aside, belief will always require a leap of faith. Even though I am a strong proponent of rational thought and believe it is a valuable tool in promoting faith - there will have to be some point where Emunah Peshuta - simple faith comes in. A point that requires the rational mind to ignore reason and simply believe. Using rational thought may reduce the gap. Which is a good thing. But there will always a need for leaping it. That is the very nature of belief.

Why should someone ever do that? …one may ask. Because there are other reasons to believe that may not by themselves be enough – but if taken in the aggregate can lead to no other conclusion in my view.

This does not mean that one shouldn’t try to make sense of contradictions. I try to do that all the time. What it does mean however is that as long as you don’t come to a conclusion that rejects faith despite some apparent contradictions – you have not done anything wrong. You can have questions. It is when you have answers based on those questions that rejects belief that makes one an Apikores. Concluding that God doesn’t exist or doesn’t interact with man because you never see it (as Jay seems to do) doesn’t mean that He doesn’t exist or interact.

I think this is key. One cannot just be observant for social reasons as Jay Lefkowitz seems to be. That is not what sustained us of over the millennia. It is also the belief that God actually exists, and interacts with man that underlies that observance that matters. One of these components alone will not work.

I think if Jay actually thought about why Judaism has survived into the 21^st century and thrives today he might come to realize that belief is as important a factor as is observance. And rethink his total reliance on rational thought.

Warning

As always, Emes Ve-Emunah assumes the truth of the principles of the Jewish faith as transmitted by our sages throughout the generations - codified in Maimonides 13 principles. I will not entertain any discussion or debate about it. I present this post as food for thought in an effort to support belief. Not to undermine it.

Chief Rabbi of Israel, Rabbi David Lau, addressing Am Echad (Agudah)

Pluralism. What better goal for a democratic society than to allow everyone a say in how it should conduct itself. That may work for a society whose only goal is to be a democracy. But it cannot work for a society that also defines itself as Jewish. That is in fact what Israel is. A Jewish Democracy. That means that while Israel is run on democratic principles, it is first and foremost a Jewish State.

Obviously the very adjective ‘Jewish’ limits the the word ‘democracy’. A Jewish State cannot be entirely democratic and remain Jewish at the same time. But it can be Jewish and apply democratic principles whenever it does not negatively impact its Jewish character. Of course the devil – as always - is in the details. Who gets to decide what defines Judaism?

Even though many of Israel’s pioneers were not observant, (and in some cases might have been anti religious) - since its very beginnings the religious aspect of the Jewish State was left to its rabbis. Religious Zionist rabbis were thus given exclusive control as Israel’s official rabbinate..

How was that fair to secular Jews? Ironically it was the Charedi faction that agreed to a compromise allowing secular Jews to be secular.

Led by the Chazon Ish Charedim entered into a deal that maintained the existing balance between secular and religious Jews at that point in time. Neither group could expand their rights at the expense of the other. It was called the status quo agreement. .

Leaving religious differences between Charedim and Religious Zionists aside, Israel’s religious orientation was - and is still Orthodox. That is how Rabbi Shlomo Riskin a Religious Zionist and one of the more liberal Orthodox rabbis in Israel has stated it must be. On this issue it appears that Charedim and Religious Zionists are on the same page.

This 70 year old relationship has recently been challenged by heterodox rabbis. Reform and Conservative leaders are now demanding a piece of the pie. They have been trying to impress upon the Israeli leadership the importance of diaspora Jewry - claiming that 90% of those diaspora Jews are not Orthodox. And it is they who contribute the lion’s share of dollars to Israel’s economy. With the implied threat that if they do not get the recognition they desire, that support will dry up.

It took them 70 years to make these threats - but here we are. Why haven’t they done this until now? Why are they now protesting unlike any other time in Israel’s history? Some of it even turning violent as was the case at the Kotel not long ago?

I think the answer to that is obvious. I’ve mentioned it many times. This once powerful and large group of Jews in America is diminishing in number so fast that in the ‘blink of a historical eye’ they may disappear altogether. They are currently trying to figure out how to reverse that trend. One of those ways seems to be focusing their energy on Israel’s secular and traditional (but not fully observant) majority. They want in! So they can sell their version of Judaism to the masses. (And thereby survive!)

The masses have not, however, indicated any desire to do that. For the most part the don’t care. Even as they have issues with the way the rabbinate operates, they do not see pluralism as a solution – despite heterodox leaders best efforts to convince them otherwise.

What about the claim that Israel will lose out financially without their continued support? Perhaps they will. But not in anyway that is permanent. If their numbers keeps shrinking as quickly as they currently are, that support will eventually dry up anyway.

Who will then pick up the slack? Can the much smaller percentage of Orthodox Jews of the diaspora do that? Those who say no way, might want to take a look at the Agudah Website. They describe a recent 2 day mission to Israel by their Am Echad arm.

Long story short, they show in a variety of ways an Orthodox diaspora that pours as much as a billion dollars annually into Israel’s economy. You read that correctly. That’s billion – with a ‘B’. And that’s only the financial side.

Perhaps more significant is the human side. Orthodox Jews are the ones mostly making Aliyah – immigrating to Israel. By far. It is mostly children of Orthodox Jews that are sent to Israel for a year (or more) of Torah study. It is mostly Orthodox Jews that visit Israel. And pour money into the economy as tourists. It is Orthodox Jews that are buying luxury homes in luxury residential developments. So that even if in the short term heterodox dollars are greater than Orthodox dollars that will at best be temporary. If one measures support by actually being there - it is Orthodox Jews that are doing it.

I therefore applaud the Agudah for this initiative. They have done a great job in service to the goal of keeping the State Orthodox.

Which brings me to a couple of minor quibbles. I think the name Am Echad is a misnomer. They should have been called Charedim Echad. I wish they had broadened their contingent. I wish they had included rabbis from the RCA, the OU, Young Israel, and Mizrachi (Religious Zionists of America). Are they not all on he same page with respect to pluralism? That might have made the name Am Echad more legitimate. (At least in terms of Orthodoxy.)

Also, they did not give enough credit to American Religious Zionists. While they included them in their pitch to Israeli government officials, they made it sound like the heavy lifting is being done by the Charedi world.

It may be true that it is the Charedi world in Israel is growing by leaps and bounds – some of which can be attributed to Charedi Aliyah from America. However those that are committed to both Orthodoxy AND the state are the religious Zionists – as their very name implies. Their numbers surely represent a greater proportion of Aliyah from their demographic than does the proportion making Aliyah from the Chareid world.

It is also the Religious Zionist Jews that participate most in their national obligations. They are the ones that willingly do army or national service. That should have been as much of Am Echad’s presentation as the financial one. I can’t say for sure, but I would hazard a guess that there are far more religious Zionist immigrants from America doing army service than there are Charedi and secular Zionist immigrants from America doing army service combined. Probably by orders of magnitude.

Where does this leave heterodoxy in the state of Israel? I don't believe they deserve to have a seat at the table - even if I thought the were a legitimate form of Judaism. (Which I don't.) Their secular diaspora members simply aren't there. Or at least not enough of them to form a critical mass. If I were them, I would at least try to get more of their people to make Aliyah. They might then be able to claim that they should have an equal say in religious matters. If I were a betting man, however, I would say that no matter how much they try there are only 2 chances of that happening: slim and none.

The President addressing CPAC (WSJ)

Once again I feel compelled to speak positively about a man that is perhaps the most disgusting human being to ever set foot in the Oval Office. His rhetoric and personal behavior continues to be so repugnant that my embarrassment about him as our leader increases with every passing moment. So disgusting was it even from the start - that it caused me to vote for his liberal Democratic opponent during the election. Even though I did not particularly like her politics.

No matter how strongly I have condemned him, it doesn’t seem to be strong enough. Just when you think you’ve heard or seen enough, he comes up with something else to criticize. I have given up any hope I once had that he would somehow rise to the level of dignity that his office demands.

Trump is who he is. Unless he is impeached and removed from office, he will likely continue to embarrass us. The list of things he has said and done is so long it would take up way to much space in this post. If you want to see a partial list, you can see in in a Wall Street Journal oped by Joseph Epstein.

Former President Barack Obama

The damage he has done to our image is incalculable. And yet I have to pretty much agree with the headline of that article: The Only Good Thing About Trump is (almost) all his policies. (I added the word ‘almost’ because I do disagree with some of them. Like his decision to impose tariffs on foreign imports of steel and aluminum.)

The latest policy with which I agree is his apparent decision to snub the Polish President and Prime Minster on their upcoming visit to the United States. All I can say to that is, thank you, Mr. President for recognizing the inherent antisemitism of the New Polish Law that forbids saying the phrase ‘Polish Death Camps’.

Boycotting a visiting head of state of a country with which we have security relationship is - to the best of my knowledge - unprecedented. The Trump administration could have easily cited national security concerns as a reason to meet with him. Instead, he stood up for the Jewish People. Again. I say again because this is not the first thing he has done that serves Jewish interests. Even though I believe that in every instance it serves American interests too.

Not only did he recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital; not only is he moving the American embassy there; he is doing it quickly. By Israeli Independence Day (Yom Ha’atzmaut) it will be up and running. He has even said that he will attend the ceremony on that day if possible.

I must admit that at first I had mixed feelings about this move – fearing it would result in more bloodshed on the part of Palestinians. But that has not really happened. Nor has Israel’s relationship with her Arab neighbors been affected – despite all the early negative reactions to it by them. I don’t think Israel has ever had better relations with the Arab world than it does right now. (Thank You Iran.) All I can feel now is pride in my country. Pride that a sitting President has now done what he promised to do as a candidate. Something no other sitting President did even as they promised to do so as candidates.

And then there is the UN. I cannot say enough about the turn of events there. All due to yet another great thing the President did. He appointed the most pro Israel representative to that body in its entire history. Is there anyone that would disagree with what Nikki Haley has done for Israel in that ‘august’ international body?

There has been a 180 turn against a policy of the last administration who abstained from a vote enabling the UN to pass a one sided resolution condemning Israel. Something I believe the US had never done before. Haley has been a magnificent voice and friend of Israel at the UN as its US representative. Honesty and integrity has replaced the appeasement policies of the past.

No matter how much you hate the President, you cannot deny how positive this move has been!

Nobel Prize winning economist, Paul Krugman

Trump has also sided with protecting our constitutionally guaranteed religious freedom when it comes into conflict with new found definitions of civil rights. That has benefited not only Judaism. It has benefited Christianity, and Islam too.

Let us not forget about the commutation of Sholom Rubashkin’s overly harsh 27 year prison sentence - to time served.

It isn’t only the Jewish or religious people that have benefited from Trump’s policies. The economy has benefited too. How ironic is that in light of expert predictions to the contrary. Like those of Nobel Prize winning economist Paul Krugman who said that the fallout of a Donald Trump presidency woul be so severe and widespread that it will plunge the world into recession. From the Politico:

Calling Trump the "mother of all adverse effects," the Nobel Prize-winning economist predicted that the GOP nominee's administration could quickly undo the progress that the markets around the world have made in the eight years since the financial crisis.

I admit to thinking pretty much the same thing. Thankfully we were both very wrong.

Not only did that not happen - the opposite happened. We are in the midst of unprecedented Bull Market. And in the midst of a prosperity we haven’t seen in a very long time. More people are working than ever. Minorities included. Income is up (due mostly to Trump’s personal and corporate tax policies.) Industries are returning to American soil. They are paying higher wages. Lower taxes means more take home pay for most Americans. There may even be some sensible gun control legislation coming out if this administration.

Kim Jong-un meeting with S' Korean officials (NYT)

And then there is the latest development with North Korea. Trump’s tough talk about their continuing Nuclear and missile program followed by a strong show of American might in North Korea’s neighborhood seems to have resulted in what just about every foreign policy expert said would never happen. There seems to some sort of reconciliation with South Korea. More surprisingly, North Korean dictator, Kim Jong-un, said he is willing to discuss giving up nuclear weapons if he can negotiate with the US. Which is exactly what Trump demanded in order to have such talks. Will wonders never cease?!

If your views are anything like mine - you have to be happy about all this despite Trump’s grossly disturbing rhetoric and behavior. Even if there are some of Trumps polices that we may disagree with.

That said, I agree with Epstein:

The obverse of Donald Trump’s presidency for me was that of Barack Obama... I approved of almost everything Mr. Obama said, and I disapproved of almost everything he did. He made a wretched nuclear deal with Iran, initiated a hopelessly cumbersome health-care law, deserted Israel at the United Nations, and did more to exacerbate than to alleviate race relations. Yet no hint of corruption, no sexual scandal of any sort, clings to Mr. Obama, a man who seems a loving husband and a good father.

I can easily imagine myself at lunch with Barack Obama, talking baseball, basketball, the University of Chicago, the intricacies of Chicago-style machine politics, whereas I cannot think of a single topic I might take up at a similar meal with Donald Trump.

Image is important. Personal behavior is important. Positive Presidential rhetoric is important. Personal ethics are important. Personal dignity is important. Obama gave us all of that. With Trump we have lost much of it. But we have gained so much with his policies that I am begining to wonder what would have been the case if the candidate I voted for would have won.

We surely would have had a better image along the lines of Obama. Probably by orders of magnitude. But she would have likely continued her predecessor’s polices. Would Israel be better off? Would the American people be prospering? Would joblessness be down? Would the Stock Market have skyrocketed the way it has? Would Kim Jong-un be groveling to meet with the US? I think the answers to those questions is - probably not. God bless the United States of America.

Updated (2:35 PM)

Sexual. That 6 letter adjective seems to dominates much of public discourse these days. Mostly in its negative sense. Unfortunately there is a good reason for that. That is because of the word it usually modifies. Words like predator, abuse, molestation, harassment, and misconduct. Most recently the discussion has been about exposing the many prominent and formerly highly respected people guilty of one of those things. And the list keeps growing. It is the issue of our day.

It is not however a new issue. Sexual abuse has been a scourge plaguing mankind since the beginning of time. When it happens to our children it can have lifelong negative consequences. Awareness of this problem has much improved in recent years as has the way we deal with it.

Rabbi Michael Broyde recently published his thoughts on this issue. That was followed by a rebuttal from Asher Lovy . Both opeds appeared in the Jewish Week. I found myself being sympathetic to both.

For me, the response to all of this should be pretty clear. Sexual misconduct of any kind ought not to be tolerated in any way shape of form. It ought to be eradicated from our midst. Whatever it takes to do that, must be done. I don’t think anyone would disagree with that statement. Especially when it comes to our children.

A less often discussed problem is when accusations are false. How are we to deal with those? How are we to even know if they are false? What happens to those that have been falsely accused after it has been made public? Even after being fully exonerated, those falsely accused are tainted for life - as are their families.

Now it is true that the incidence of false accusations is relatively rare. Asher tells us that only 2% of all accusations are false. Obviously that means that 98% of them are true. But for the falsely accused, that number is 100%. Is it fair to err on the side of the victim even at the expense of the 2% that are innocent?

Most victims advocates will tell you that ultimately it is. Because no matter what the damage is to a falsely accused individual, even after they are exonerated, it is nowhere near the damage done to the 98% of actual victims when they are not believed. The damage to a victim is often permanent and far more devastating that the damage done to a victim of a false accusation. Besides the accused will have their reputation is restored.

The problem is that that reputation is never fully restored. Many of us will wonder - what if he really is guilty and just got away with it? How many people would for example entrust their children to a teacher that was accused of sex abuse even after being fully exonerated?

Advocates will respond that since the chances of a false report are so rare… it is far better to allow that to happen than to err on the side of the accused.

I hear that. But it is a lot easier to say that than it is to experience it. In the current climate the assumption has become - Guilty until proven innocent!

I get it. We have to protect our children. Isn’t that more important than protecting someone in the rare circumstance that they were falsely accused? Should presumed innocence matter when it come to the welfare of our children?

Obvioulsy not. A teacher - for example - accused of sex abuse should immediately be removed from the classroom and closely monitored. Our children come first. But is that fair to an innocent person so accused? Obviously that too is unfair.

What to do about it... I don’t know. But I do know that in the current climate false accusations are rarely a consideration. The consequences to the falsely accused and their families are rarely discussed. Those too can be devastating. They too are victims with lifelong consequences. That lack of concern troubles me. We need as a society to have compassion for all victims. Including people that are falsely accused. Rare tough they may be, they exist. I know two people like that.

There is another issue that is not that black and white for me either. Asher Lovy tells us:

New York State (has) been attempting to pass the Child Victims Act, which would eliminate the civil and criminal statutes of limitations prospectively, and open a one-year retroactive window during which civil cases, whose statutes of limitation have previously expired, could be brought to court.

Asher makes a couple of points in support the passage of this law. One is that it would help cover the cost of treatment. The other is that it would allow abusers to be legally identified thus protecting the public from them.

These are indeed valid reasons to pass this law. But it comes with a price that victims advocates refuse to address. Or at best minimize. It is the argument made by opponents of that law. The Child Victims Act allows not only abusers to be sued - it allows institutions that in any way enabled the abuse to be sued as well. Which can destroy those institutions long after the abuse took place and the enablers are gone. The massive financial verdicts sought by attorneys for their clients are well into the millions of dollars.

This victimizes a school decades after the abuse happened. Whose board of directors, teachers, administrators, parent and student body are completely different and innocent of those charges (possibly not even aware of them until the lawsuit was filed). And yet will be made to suffer the consequences.

This is not to say that we shouldn’t pass such a law. I am still in favor of it. But I do have reservations. The current climate has produced an air of near vigilantism on behalf of victims. Which is good for the victims. But it might at the same time harm others unfairly. Even if unintentionally.

Vigilantism is not a Jewish trait. This attitude must change. Compassion must be there for all. It cannot remain one sided. Being fair to one person at the expense of another is just not right. There ought to be some way to prevent that from happening so that there can be justice for all. Let us come up with some ways to accomplish it.

Rav Aharon Leib Steinman and Rav Aharon Schechter (Circus Tent)

The title of this post is how Rabbi Yosef Bechhofer put it – linking to an article (Hebrew) about Rav Shmuel Auerbach’s legacy. It appears his party of darkness, Peleg, is still alive and well in Charedi Jerusalem. Peleg is an organization created primarily for purposes of defying the law requiring Yeshiva students to register for the draft.

As I have mentioned numerous times, I had no issue with Rav Auerbach expressing those views, repugnant though they were to me. Israel respects the rights of free speech. Nor do I have any problem with his creation of a political party to advance his agenda. The only problem I have is in how that political party carried out that agenda.

As repugnant as his views were, more repugnant were his followers’ methods of resisting the draft. Which resulted in a many a Chilul Hashem. And although there are those that want to be Melamed Zechus (give the benefit of the doubt) to Rav Auerbach by saying that he either didn’t know about it, or couldn’t stop them, I am not buying it and never have.

It appears what Rav Auerbach started will be continued by his successors. If there is any saving grace to this, it is that the fear Rav Auerbach would be seen as the heir to Rav Aharon Leib Steinman as the Gadol Hador has been eliminated with his Petrirah (death). That was a real concern by many in the majority of Israeli Charedim that followed Rav Steinman.

Although they both had the same view about army service by Yeshiva students - Rav Steniman was a man of peace who was far more conciliatory to the law than was Rav Auerbach. As long as Yeshiva students could continue their Torah study unfettered, Rav Steinman was OK with them registering for the draft. Rav Auerbach rejected this peaceful approach and instead decided to protest even registering for it – even though by doing so, it did more harm than good to his cause.

I am not happy about the determination expressed by officials of Peleg to continue the legacy of their leader. But I suppose it should be expected. The issues are still there. So their protests will continue.

I am not that surprised by this. People do not give up their ideals just because their leaders dies. Often the opposite happens. Fearing they will lose momentum, they double down on achieving their goals. My fear is that these protests will continue to result in a Chilul HaShem. Continuing to make the Torah world look like a group of uncivilized ignoramuses whose refusal to serve in the army symbolizes their cowardice and a lack of virtue. We shall see about that. (Hope I’m wrong.)

What is perhaps more troubling to me is that a major Rosh HaYeshiva in America - Yeshivas Rabbenu Chaim Belrin’s Rav Aharon Schechter - seems to be in Rav Auerbach’s camp. He certainly has that right. But I have to wonder what his reaction is to all the Chilul HaShems Rav Auerbach’s followers have caused? Has he condemned them? Or condoned them?

One thing seems clear. His mourning over the death of Rav Auerbach is much stronger that it was over the death of Rav Steinman. I’m not even sure he really mourned Rav Steinman’s death all that much.

That can be seen on a blog called Circus Tent. There one will find an invitation (in Hebrew) to attend a eulogy for Rav Auerbach in Rav Schechter’s Yeshiva. That is not so unusual and indeed should be expected in a Charedi Yeshiva. What was not expected was that apparently there was no such eulogy for Rav Aharon Leib Steinman in his Yeshiva. (...at least according to Circus Tent. I will be happy to be proven wrong.) Rav Schechter apparently said very little about it (available in a brief recording there).

I guess to Rav Schechter a man that most of the Charedi world thought of as the Gadol Hador was not worthy of a public eulogy. At least not more than those few words. Rav Schechter apparently agrees with Peleg. The law requiring Yeshiva students in Israel to register for the draft in order to study Torah full time is so terrible that it is worth the public Chilul HaShem that protesting it the way they do continues to generate.

What makes a leader of American Jewry believe that Rav Stenman’s peaceful ways were wrong? And that Rav Auerbch’s confrontational ways are right? Why does an American Rosh Yeshiva side with a minority of Charedim that followed Rav Auerbach? ...a Kanoi that was severely criticized by Charedi leaders of that majority?

What is it about Rav Schechter that makes him feel the better track is the more violent track? The better track is the one that has caused so many Chilul HaShems? That complying with a law that would allow Yeshiva Students to do what they have always done is something to protest because it is not pristine enough for his Hashkafic tastes?

Is this the kind of man that should head an American Yeshiva? (Any Yeshiva?) Is this where Charedi parents in America want to send their children? Is this how those parents want their children to be influenced? Chaim Berlin has a lot of students! So the answer must be yes! Either that or they simply don’t know about Rav Schechter’s views.

My hope it is the latter. I shudder to think that there are mainstream Charedi parents that see the ways of Rav Auerbach rather than the ways of Rav Steinman as the Jewish way to do things. And are happy that their children who are students at Chaim Berlin will someday behave that way.

Child suffering from Rubella (HSFK)

When I read stories like this, I have to wonder about the intelligence of the people behind it, the people that subscribe to it, or the people that in any way endorse it. There is a new group of Orthodox Jews in Lakewood that has formed an antivaxxer organization. Here is their mission statement:

Thank you for joining The Vaccine Choice Coalition, a coalition of parents who believe that vaccines should be a choice in frum Jewish communities. Your participation enables us to join together and b'ezras Hashem help the many pro vaccine-choice families amongst us. By joining the coalition you agree to have your name and personal information added to our private database. Your information will never be released or revealed to a third party without your permission. If the coalition should find it necessary to release your name in the course of assisting its members you may receive an email requesting your permission.

It surprises me that there are intelligent educated people that buy into the nonsense that has brought about groups like this. They surely ought know better. But they don’t. They have bought into the ridiculous notion that vaccinating our children against disease is a bad idea. They fear that the side effects from those vaccines causes more harm than good. A while back it was thought that autism might be linked to vaccinations. That view has long ago been discredited.

And yet there are people that cling to that notion and thereby refuse to vaccinate their children. What about the diseases they might get for lack of being inoculated? They rely on the vast majority of the population that has been vaccinated – believing that the probability of contracting any of those diseases is therefore rare.

Even if this were true, it is a very selfish attitude to have. They are in essence willing to risk other children being subjected to those ‘devastating side effects’ so that they don’t have to be.

Why do they think like that? I suspect that they may be suffering from a form of paranoia. The kind of paranoia that plagues conspiracy theorists. One of the arguments antivaxers make is that vaccinating the entire population is just one big sacm by pharmaceutical companies to make money. They stand to make billions! As if the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is in cahoots with pharmaceutical companies. The CDC is a government agency that was created to help prevent the spread of disease. Not to make money. Here is what they say:

Vaccination is one of the best ways parents can protect infants, children and teens from 16 potentially harmful diseases. Vaccine-preventable diseases can be very serious, may require hospitalization, or even be deadly – especially in infants and young children.

Think about that. Antivaxxers are willing to risk serious illnesses that might be fatal to their children based on discredited medical information and conspiracy theories.That is really sick if you think about it. (No pun intended).

It isn’t only their children that are made vulnerable to diseases like measles, whooping cough and rubella. They also endanger the lives of other children that were not vaccinated when they contract those diseases! There are some children that cannot be vaccinated for legitimate reasons (like deadly allergies to the vaccine).

I guess every community has its fools. Including Lakewood. What I did not expect is for prominent Roshei Yeshiva to join them. From their mission statement:

The Vaccine Choice Coalition is endorsed and backed by HaRav Malkiel Kotler shlit"a, HaRav Elya Ber Wachtfogel shlit"a and HaRav Shmuel Meir Katz shlit"a. If you have any questions or concerns please don't hesitate to contact us. (contact information deleted).

What are these Roshei Yeshiva thinking? How in heaven’s name can they support a movement that insists allowing unvaccinated children to enter a classroom? And possibly be the source of harm not only to themselves but to others who were also not vaccinated for some reason - valid or otherwise! I'll bet that all of their children were vaccinated!

It behooves every thinking parent in Lakewood to fight this movement with everything they have. And to prevail upon those Roshei yeshiva to withdraw their support. The is not about free choice. It is about saving lives and not spreading disease!

A Siyum at 770 - Declaration (Hebrew) that the Rebbe is Moshaich is on the wall

I have never been a fan of ridicule. Which is what often passes for humor on Purim. It is both offensive and hurtful to those being ridiculed. I am not being a spoilsport. But there are right and wrong ways to do satire. What often happens in the attempt to be cutting edge or outdo last year’s Purim Spiel (play or skit) is that lines are crossed and people get hurt. Often those people are the very people deserving of their highest respect.

I recall some pretty rough stuff at the Purim Spiels during my Yeshiva years. In one case I remember laughing at a particularly cruel mocking of one Rebbe, and then immediately realized how hurtful that ridicule must be the individual targeted. And feeling very badly about laughing at him.

Being the good sports they were, most of those targeted just looked the other way and let the boys ‘let off some steam’ one time a year. That is to their credit. But it doesn’t absolve some of them of their guilt about the truly harsh ridicule I witnessed year after year at successive Purim Spiels.

It is with that in mind that I read the disturbing news that took place a couple weeks ago in one of the more enlightened Charedi Yeshivos, Ner Israel in Baltimore. With Purim as an excuse - students there ridiculed Chabad/Lubavitch in some very unflattering ways.

One picture is worth a thousand words. Instead of describing what they did - one can see photos and much better description of the hurt than I could ever made. It was from a Lubavitcher Chasid and can be seen along with those photos here (link).

For their part, students of Ner Israel ‘went to the house of Rabbi Shmuel Kaplan, director of the Chabad Center and Lubavitch of Maryland, and delivered a letter of apology’. I do however wonder why there was not comparable apology from Ner Israel’s leadership. From the Baltimore Jewish Times:

When asked to comment on the displays, Ner Israel Yeshiva president Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger would only say, before hanging up, that the displays were taken down after a couple hours.

There is still some ill will left over from this event. But there are also voices of peace that in the spirit of Achdus have accepted the apology and want to move on.

That said, there is a reason that this happened. Not an excuse by any means. But a reason. Chabad’s main headquarters - the Yeshiva at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn - is dominated by Meshichists. I have not addressed this issue for quite awhile now. But it hasn’t really gone away in the very place it should be most rejected. The belief that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is Moshaich is alive and well in that location.

They believe that their Rebbe (who actually died almost 24 years ago) is either still alive and laying in wait to reveal himself as Moshiach – or will be resurrected as Moshiach in some sort of second coming. While this idea has died down in most other Chabad locations (with the possible exception of Israel) it is the dominating force in their Yeshiva.

Mainstream Lubavitch has in recent years refocused on their mission of bringing Jews estranged from their Jewish heritage - back to it. They have in fact publicly condemned their Meshichist members and have even fought against the overt Meshichists – realizing the terrible damage they were doing to their image and thereby their mission.

What they believe in their heart of hearts, however, is hard to determine. At some level I believe that most Lubavicthers believe it is at least possible – even if unlikely – that the Rebbe will someday return to be Moshiach.

Which brings me back to 770. They are very overt in their belief that the Rebbe is Moshiach. The signs on the walls of their Yeshiva proclaim it. Why is this allowed to prevail? If Lubavitch really believed that this was wrong they should have by now eradicated it. And yet it prevails without any apparent resistance from the mainstream Chabad leaders that oppose it.

Not long ago, I spoke with a Lubavitcher acquaintance who is one of their older emissaries and asked him why this is still going on 24 years after his Rebbi’s death. He professed his disappointment with the phenomenon and told me that their leadership has tried mightily in a variety of ways to rid 770 of them. But to no avail and they will not use violent means to oust them.

I have to question their determination. I too am opposed to using violence. But there are things that that can be done, like boycotting the building. Or changing their world headquarters to another location. And disowning the current occupiers as renegades that do not reflect the views of Chabad. They need to publicly and unequivocally declare in writing - that their beliefs are foolish and at odds with mainstream Jewish thought.

Instead they continue to consider 770 their world headquarters and meet regularly there – as they did again at their last annual Kinus Shiluchim (convention) where Chabad emissaries from all four corners of the earth meet to discuss common issues. I can only wonder just how opposed they really are to the Meshichists if after 24 years they still allow Meshichsts to dominate their headquarters while continuing to place a high value on that location as though it were the Beis HaMikdash. And refuse to do anything significant to stop it… at least along the lines I suggested.

I want to be clear. Just as I have not been reticent in my criticism of Chabad on this issue, so to have I not been reticent about showing my appreciation and admiration for what they have accomplished under the leadership of their Rebbe. They have continued his legacy to this day - and long after his death have added to it. I am full of awe of what they do and how they do it. They are by far the most successful Jewish outreach group of my lifetime. To the best of my knowledge, they do not bring any Meshchism into their work.

But Chabad still has one major problem that in the eyes of the rest of mainstream Orthodoxy takes away much of their luster if not their legitimacy. Their Meshichism has not disappeared. It is alive and well in 770.

Chabad leaders must answer why 770 is still controlled by Meshichists 24 years after the Rebbe’s death. In my view to this point they have failed to address that in any meaningful way. They need do do that now! No more excuses!

Image for illustration purposes only (Huffington Post)

I have to admit that I had mixed feelings when I read this story. Perhaps it is a flaw in me.

Laura Ben-David tells us of her recent experience aboard an El-Al flight. Her story is not unfamiliar to anyone paying attention to interactions between the sexes as it applies to Orthodox Jews. Here is what she says:

On a full El Al plane to New York, I had just gotten settled in my hard-won aisle seat when two Hasidic men, one visually impaired, approached my row. The other, who was clearly looking out for both of them, glanced toward the two empty seats next to me with apparent dismay.

He double-checked that those were indeed their seats, and right away asked a man in a nearby aisle of the middle section if he would switch with me, which he consented to do. I felt bad, but I really prefer the window section, even if I’m in an aisle seat so I declined to move.

What happened next however actually remedied the situation for all concerned:

He accepted my response politely and went and found a gentleman a few rows back in an equivalent seat to my own, who was also willing to move. He then asked me again. I agreed immediately and moved.

The moral of the story is that when everyone can be accommodated, why not accommodate everyone? The Gemarah calls this ‘Zeh Nehena - V’ Zeh Lo Chaser’. Everybody wins. That is precisely what happened here.

But despite this happy ending (...and I applaud the way it was ultimately handled by all concerned) I still have mixed feelings about it. What is it exactly that bothered me? I think it is because I believe it is unfair when people whose religious standards I consider extreme ask for special favors at the expense of others.

In this case it worked out well even though the initial request did not consider that Laura would be inconvenienced. But that is not always the case. In just about every other instance of this kind I have read about - those asking for special favors seem to care little about the inconvenience they are asking others to put up with. Either that or they are so self absorbed that they don’t even realize they are inconveniencing anyone. And in some cases it is an actual Chilul HaShem as was the case last December (as reported in the Huffington Post).

Most people of good will agree will agree to change their seats in order to accommodate another passenger’s requests. Sometimes even if it inconveniences them. But I wonder how many privately resent the intrusion by the person asking for it. To the person asking – it might seem like a reasonable request. For them it is the normal observance of the rules by which they live their daily lives. But to the vast majority of the civilized world (including most Orthodox Jews), those rules are extreme.

True, it is nobody’s business how extreme anyone else’s religious beliefs or observances are. Everyone has the right to their own standards. But that only works when it doesn’t inconvenience anyone else. Asking someone to switch seats does exactly that. It inconveniences people.

That is why I am uncomfortable with this whole story, despite the happy ending. There are a lot of very nice people that are willing and even happy to accommodate the religious beliefs of others. Especially when it doesn't really inconvenience them. Laura is one of those people.

I think I would do the exactly same thing Laura did under similar circumstances. Although I might feel guilty about it, I would not move to an inferior seat. On the other hand I would move to an equivalent seat if asked. But I would not feel happy about it.

Deep down I think it would bother me to be even asked to do something to accommodate what I consider an extremist version of Jewish law. And then there is the ‘little matter’ of the potential for a Chilul HaShem in cases where the individual requesting it cannot take no for an answer.

Is that a flaw in my character? Am I just an intolerant individual? Perhaps both of those things are true. But I can’t help the way feel.

Just being honest. A little introspection never hurts. Even if it means baring my soul in public.

Seated in center - the Satmar Rebbe, Aharon Teitelbaum (Behadrey)

I can only think of one appellation that applies to the Admor (Chasidic Rebbe) of Satmar, Aharon Teitelbaum. He is an Ish Tzar V’Oyev - a man that is an adversary and an enemy of the Jewish people.

How dare I say that about a rabbinic leader of such high stature? How can I describe him in terms used for the Hitler of ancient Persian history - the wicked Haman? I have a precedent. Rabbi Teitelbaum’s great uncle and founder of Satmar, R’ Yoel Teitelbaum used that same appellation about Rav Avraham Yitzchak HaKohen Kook, ZTL. A Gadol much older and greater than he was in my view.

How apt it is to turn that phrase around right back at R’ Yoel’s great nephew and a current leader of Satmar. (Actually he is one of two current leaders. There is some controversy about who was the real heir to the Satmar throne: R’ Aharon or his brother R’ Zalman. But it doesn’t really matter. They are both rabidly anti Israel.)

I bring this up now in light of a story in Behadrey Haredim (Hebrew). Mostly in reaction to the US declaring Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, Rabbi Teitelbaum has called for a massive anti Israel protest right after Pesach. Which is shortly before Israel celebrates Yom Ha'atzmaut - its independence day. He wants to make sure the world knows that the State of Israel is an evil entity that does not deserve to exist. Much the same view as the Supreme Leader of Iran (the current Persia): Ayatollah Sayyid Ali Hosseini Khamenei!

That there is any credibility given to Statmar by any faction in Orthodoxy is disgusting. Opposition to Satmar because of this ought to be universal - just as it is toward the extreme Left. There may be different reasons for that opposition. But that does not make Satmar any less deserving. The resultant Chilul HaShem of a massive anti Israel demonstration by the most religious looking Jews among us - will be immediate and devastating. They will no doubt proclaim (as they always do) that being anti Israel is the authentic Torah view.

I can just see all the rabid anti Israel Mullahs in the Muslim world salivating at this. I wouldn’t be surprised if that demonstration were attended by official representation from Iran, Hamas and Hezbollah. Satmar would no doubt welcome it!

There ought to be a huge outcry by all of mainstream Orthodoxy condemning this as a distorted view of the Torah and Jewish values. The problem is that this will never happen. What may instead happen is that some mainstream Charedi leaders might actually attend this demonstration and sit conspicuously on a stage together with the Satmar. Just as they have done on other occasions. There is no way that any mainstream organization would condemn a demonstration attended by members of their own group. Which is why Satmar will get away with it with hardly a word of protest. And that legitimizes them.

As I have said many many times. This isn't about Satmar’s anti Israel views. They have every right to believe as they wish. They may even have some solid sources for those beliefs as interpreted by their founder. I have no issue with that even though my own views are diametrically opposite theirs. What they do not have a right to do is cause a major Chilul HaShem using those views as an excuse.

If this demonstration takes place and is as large as they hope it will be… and is attended by any mainstream Charedi leader, they will have succeeded in not only making a Chilul HaSehm, but in possibly causing great harm to our people. If the nations of the world see a mass of religious looking Jews opposing the State of Israel, why shouldn’t they? Why should they favor tiny Israel over the multitude of Muslim countries that want to see Israel dismantled - just like Satmar does?

If this does not rate Rabbi Teitelbaum the appellation Ish Tzar V’Oyev, I don’t know what does.

If this event is not going to be condemned by the rest of the mainstream Orthodox leadership, it ought to be done at a grass roots level. There ought to be a counter rally of support for Israel in close proximity that is even bigger than the one Satmar hopes for. Orthodox Jews from all streams of Orthodoxy ought to show up and shout out loudly and proudly a message of love and support for the Jewish State. Speaker after speaker should talk about all Israel has achieved in its short 70 year history. Both in Torah and in Mada. And addressed by as many rabbinic leaders from as many factions of Orthodoxy that can be convinced to attend.

That, in my view, will overturn the damage of a Satmar anti Israel demonstration that would surely result if they are allowed to proceed unchallenged.

Tzohar founder and leader, Rabbi David Stav

Sometimes I wonder about the real motivations of prominent people that do good things. I have always thought Rabbi David Stav had shaken up the Chief Rabbinate of Israel for entirely unselfish altruistic reasons. Not that I have necessarily changed my mind about him. But at this point, I am just not sure. There are some rabbis that have raised questions about his motivation.

I am not talking about Charedi rabbis. I am talking about Religious Zionist rabbis. The issue at hand is Tzohar, a rabbinic organization founded and led by Rabbi Stav for what he says are idealistic reasons. Reasons I agree with. Such as making Jewish life easier for secular Israelis that have had bad experiences with the Israeli Chief Rabbinate. (Hereafter referred to as the Rabbanut.)

Tzohar has taken a much more sympathetic albeit still Halachic approach to secular Jews and has tried to better and more quickly accommodate their needs. A noble goal. But there are other considerations that might undermine those good intentions - making things much worse than they are now.

Which brings up Tzohar. Rabbi Stav has tackled a situation badly in need of repair: The state of Rabbanut Kashrus supervision. Stories of corrupt Mashgichim (Kashrus supervisors) abound. With the claim of enhanced supervision, ethics, and standards, Tzohar has responded by creating its own Kashrus agency. Which certifies eating establishments without Rabbanut approval or participation.

This has understandably angered the Rabbanut. Which has been granted (by the government - since the very beginning of the State) exclusive control over all things religious. Not the least of which is Kashrus supervision. That means that any organization that wants to offer Kashrus supervision services - must do so under the authority of the Rabbanut. The creation of Tzohar undermines that mandate using loopholes to skirt Israeli law.

I saw this as an improvement in Kashrus supervision so desperately needed in the holy land. But I also understood that it undermines the Rabbanut as the sole governing agency of things religious. Which is why I argued that ultimately they should work together to upgrade Kashrus standards under one banner. The one that is duly authorized by the State: The Rabbanut.

As noted here many times, I am not one of those who wants to see the Rabbanut destroyed. If Israel is going to be a Jewish State it is the Rabbanut that should be defining what that means and setting the standards. There cannot be competing forces, no matter how sincere and ethical they may be. That would undermine the entire process and lead to chaos. Judaism must be defined by Halacha first and practicality second.

In a State where the majority are not fully observant, that requires the wisdom to navigate the path of compromise without undermining Halacha. Israel’s founding fathers recognized that and wisely created one governing body for that purpose: The Rabbanut.

But as also noted, the Rabbanut has a history of corruption. A Tzohar created in order to force corruption out of the Rabbanut would have been the right move. Becoming an independent entity that competes with the Rabbanut and whose goal might actually be to replace it - is not. When I spoke with officials of Tzohar last fall, my impression was that they actually work with the Rabbanut on many issues and do not wish to replace them.

Where does the truth lie?

It appears it might just be the latter. From ArutzSheva:

Senior religious Zionist rabbis met with Chief Rabbi of Israel David Lau on Sunday to discuss their concern about an alternative Kashrut certification authority initiated by the Tzohar Zionist rabbinical organization, a move seen as undermining the Chief Rabbinate's authority in Israel.

The four venerable leading rabbis are the Dean of Yeshivat Or Etzion and head of the Bnei Akiva yeshiva high school network, Rabbi Chaim Druckman, Dean of the Beit El Yeshiva Rabbi Zalman Melamed, Rabbi of Kiryat Shmona Rabbi Tzfania Drori, and retired Chief Rabbi of Ramat Gan Rabbi Yaakov Ariel…

Rabbi Yaakov Ariel argued it would be forbidden to eat in a place supervised by Tzohar's kashrut project.

What about Rabbi Stav's motives? Here is what Shas MK Michale Malchieli said:

"Today it was again proven that at the head of the Tzohar organization are people who have not yet succeeded in accepting the fact that they lost the elections for Chief Rabbi of Israel. Instead of accepting the electorate's opinion, they oppose the Rabbinate through all kinds of odd and delusional ventures.

That could easily be attributed to partisan politics. Charedi leaders want more control over religious matters and have in recent years gained much greater influence in Rabbanut decisions. (All while rejecting its authority over anything Charedi). But when your own peers start questioning you and rejecting what you’ve done, I start wondering about the entire enterprise. And wondering what its real motives are.

I have not seen any reaction from Rabbi Stav or Tzohar. It will be interesting to see how they will respond. Until then, I would not rely on their Hashgacha. Not with that kind of opposition - no matter how meticulous they may be.

Jewish unity: Reality? Pipe dream? Fake news? (Easton)

Sometimes I wonder if unity is possible at any level. As a seeker of Achdus, this depresses me. And yet I cannot deny the facts staring me right in the face.

You would think the Charedi world is united. You would also think that the Modern Orthodox world is united. Each having its own specific set of values and Hashkafos. Even taking those differences into consideration you would think that both communities would be united by the common denominator of being observant. But nothing could be further from the truth. The divisions between us are major. They are so strong that unity seems impossible.

As far back as I can remember I realized that there were certain divisions among Orthodox Jews. There was the Yeshiva world, the Chasidic world, and the Modern Orthodox world. Even though the differences were obvious, I thought there was unspoken consensus that we were all observant and part of the same community. That is because we had a lot more in common by being observant than any of the differences that separated us.

That is not however the case. Not only are those three major categories strongly divided, there are divisions within those categories that divide us even more. The enmity expressed even within one camp has generated some of the most vile name calling I have ever heard.

My first realization of how divided Orthodox Jews even within the same faction can be, happened during one of the most troubling periods in Chicago’s Jewish history. I was a Semicha student at HTC. Which was a Modern Orthodox Religious Zionist Yeshiva that had on its Hebrew faculty the very controversial Dr. Eliezer Berkovits. He taught Jewish Philosophy.

Rav Ahron Soloveichik was the Rosh HaYeshiva at the time. His mission to eradicate the Traditional Movement caused Dr. Berkovtis and many Traditional rabbis - some of whom were on the board of directors at the time - to turn on him. A war between Rav Ahron and his board ensued.That wasn’t surprising.

What was surprising to me was that some of Rav Ahron’s own Roshei Yeshiva turned on him. Some of course took his side but others bitterly opposed him. I recall the shock at being told by a Rosh Yeshiva who backed Rav Ahron that another Rosh Yeshiva who opposed him called him a dog! Although I supported Rav Ahron, I respected the other Rosh Yeshiva and couldn’t believe what he had said. Especially since they both had similar Hashkafos.

One would think that the Chasidic world was united by the Hashkafa of Chasidus. But one would be wrong. It is no secret for example that for may years Chabad and Satmar couldn’t stand each other and wouldn’t even intermarry. Although that has changed somewhat, the fact that kind of divisiveness existed at all between factions that both believed in the same thing was surprising.

Then there is the fight within Stamar itself. Two brothers are still fighting over which one is the heir to the Satmar throne. They have identical Hashkafos. And Chabad has its own internal problems between their mainstream and their overt Meshichsists.

Modern Orthodoxy (defined for purposes of this post as having a positive attitude toward secular studies and secular culture) has never been more divided. There are those that follow Torah Im Derech Eretz (TIDE) who vehemently reject those that follow Torah U’Mada (TUM). You have a Centrist Right that rejects an extremist Left.

Things are no better in Israel. There is clearly no love lost between the Chasidic religious factions and the Litvishe (Yeshiva world) factions. So different are they that they each have their own political parties –combining only when it serves their combined interests. Often blaming each other when things goes wrong. Case in point: The Yeshiva world blamed Ger Chasidim for Charedim losing the mayoralty of Jerusalem to the secular candidate.

And within the Lithuanian Yeshiva world there is the ‘war’ between the mainstream Yeshiva world centered in Bnei Brak and the Peleg faction centered in Jerusalem. Despite their virtually identical Hashkafos. And let’s not forget about the internal war in Poenvezh Yeshiva where after many years - it is still undecided who is the heir to Rav Shach as its Rosh HaYeshvia.

The one place I thought that there might be some unity is in the Dati Leumi-Religious Zionist (DL/RZ) camp. Although I know they too have a right and left, I thought that they were more cohesive and united by their religious Zionist worldview despite some differences of interpretation about it. I thought they had a common attitude about their own religious institutions. Like the Chief Rabbinate, Hesder Yeshivos, Merkaz Harav, Bnei Akiva, and army service. What better to unite them that a shared worldview about observance, Torah study, and Zionism. I could not have been more wrong, as pointed out to me by a DL/RZ reader by the name of Nachum who comments here frequently. Here is what he said:

Do you really not know, for example, about the deep divisions within the Dati Leumi world? Do you know what the word "Chardali" means? Do you know what the "Kav" is? Do you know that the leader of the Kav- do you know who he is, by the way?- has a deep personal animus against R' Stav? Do you know why? (They are a fringe numerically as well, but an influential one.) Do you not know how much these people wish, literally, that they were Charedim?

R' Aviner has written bizarre stuff about how Charedim are the only authentic Jews. He recently "paskened" that it's literally assur to learn with someone who goes to the Har HaBayit…

All of the above is but a small sampling of the kind of divisions that exist in Orthodoxy. It is off the top of my head. I don’t, however, think I even scratched the surface of the amount of vehement divisions that exist in Orthodoxy today. And it will no doubt increase.

There is no such thing as Elu V’Elu anymore. There is no such thing as respecting the other side even when there is disagreement. Everyone hates everyone else. Observance? A common denominator? Ridiculous!

The more we go forward in time, the more backward we go.

Image for illustration purposes only (Jerusalem Post)

There seems to be a lot of hand-wringing about the President’s effect on the Israeli Palestinian conflict. Listening to mainstream media pundits you would conclude that it has all been negative. And be quite worried about public support for Israel.

Well, I am here to tell you not to be worried. At least as far as the American people are concerned. A new Gallop poll has determined that support for Israel by the American people has never been stronger. (Which closely resembles the results of a recent Pew poll.)

Considering all the negative commentary by mainstream media pundits about virtually all of President Trump’s policies, both foreign and domestic - one would think his very pro-Israel posture would create a negative backlash about Israel. Media pundits rarely put anything but a negative spin on everything he does. The impact on public opinion by a daily dose of Trump bashing might claim Israel as a victim in the public eye. If Trump is pro Israel, it must be a bad thing.

But the opposite seems to have happened.

I have always tried to be objective about any President. Whether it was Obama or Trump. Although I had problems with Obama on some of his issues and continue to have problems with Trump on some of his, neither of them are all bad or all good. One must look at each thing separately and then decide. Unlike the media which tends to almost always spin things one way.

Just to cite an example of each, I believe that Obama did a lot for Israel while he was President. The cooperation between the two countries in both matters of intelligence sharing and military cooperation had never been stronger. Foreign aid to Israel increased under his watch. He sold the most advanced US fighter jets (F 35s) to only one country: Israel. He also agreed to fund Israel's Iron Dome defense system.

But I also thought the last thing he did was terrible. He allowed the UN Security Council to pass a resolution condemning by uncharacteristically abstaining from a vote instead of voting against it. That was disgusting. Although I believe he meant well.

As for Trump, I had reservations about the wisdom of his declaring Jerusalem as Israel’s eternal capital. As I was about his announcement to move the US embassy there by Israel’s Independence Day. As much as I thought it was the right thing to do, I was worried about the consequences. I thought that it might lead to bloodshed and therefore may not be worth it.

I was wrong. Nothing of any substance has resulted from that. True, the Palestinian Authority has broken off peace negotiations with Israel and rejected the US as an honest broker. But that means absolutely nothing. Both Israel and the Palestinians are not any worse off now than before Trump made those announcements.

What has happened instead is that Israel now has better relations with Arab nations than at any time in its history. This is also a function of a common enemy, Iran. I cannot ever recall a time where the royal leader of Saudia Arabia referred to a Muslim cleric as a modern day Hitler. But that is exactly what he said about Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Khameni.

I know that Sunni and Shia Muslims are bitter enemies. But that has never resulted in the kind of name calling before. Hitler?! Wow. In the past references like that were reserved for Israeli leaders.

He’s right. This is also Israel’s view. Iran is now Israel’s biggest threat. As it is for Saudi Arabia. Iran is now in Syria and supplies it and Lebanon’s Hezbollah with missiles and other sophisticated weaponry. They both have the means to cause serious harm to the Jewish people. Israel is therefore in a state of existential threat by an enemy sworn to wipe them off the map.

A war under these conditions would be very costly in both blood and treasure. But Israel cannot afford to tolerate this situation.

This is one reason the nuclear deal with Iran was so bad. It did nothing to prevent Iran from pursuing those goals. They are in 'full steam ahead' mode!

Which brings me to the political divide. Both surveys made it clear that Republicans are far more supportive of Israel than are Democrats. And the margin of support is huge. From the Jerusalem Post:

Gallup, like Pew, found a significant partisan gap, but far less pronounced than the Pew findings. According to the Gallup poll, 87% of Republicans sympathize more with Israel than the Palestinians, though that number among Democrats is only 49%, representing a 38 point difference. In the Pew poll, there was a huge 52 point difference between Republicans and Democrats (79% vs. 27%)

The lack of support by the majority of Democrats is disappointing, to say the least. I am therefore quite happy that Republicans are in control of both houses of congress. They are the ones that fully supported Netanyahu when he addressed congress in opposition to Iran’s nuclear deal. As is the current President. Their support of Israel reflects that of the majority of the American people.

Most Democrats on the other hand thought it was a good idea to remove all sanctions for a promise not to build nuclear weapons for a period of 10 years. (As noted about 8 years left on that deal). They remained free to keep sponsoring terror all over the globe terror. And to go ahead full steam with the above-mentioned agenda.

I don’t know what the upcoming congressional elections will produce. A lot of media pundits think that Democrats have a good chance of taking over at least one house of Congress – if not both. However, their predictions are surely influenced by their bias – in a kind of wishful thinking way. But I hope they are wrong. And they easily could be. Just the way they were wrong about the Presidential election. We shall see.

The American people are a smart people. Most of them realize Israels concern’s are just despite all the hand-wringing by the mainstream media. And thank God for that.

Women denied! (JBN)

There is yet another issue plaguing the Israeli Chief Rabbinate (hereafter referred to as the Rabbanut). They are refusing to allow women to take an exam on Hilchos Niddah (commonly referred to as Family Purity Laws). This would certify them as experts on those laws. Laws which they have studied meticulously. If this exam exists and is anything like the one they give for Semicha (rabbinic ordination) - it would be a rigorous one and not easily passed. At present I do not know if they even have such a test. I would imagine that these laws are covered by the test given to those seeking Semicha.

Ynet reports that the women who have been denied that option are threatening to go the Israel's High Court. I hope it doesn't come to that. I hate to see the secular courts ruling on religious matters. That should be the sole province of the rabbis. That said - in this case, I side with these women.

I understand the fear the Rabbanut might have in allowing women to take these exams. They may see it as a slippery slope – a gateway to eventual demands for Semicha (rabbinic ordination). Something that virtually all Orthodox Poskim from across the spectrum of mainstream Orthodoxy forbid. The reasons for that are beyond the scope of this post. The point here is that whether one agrees with them or not, women will never be accepted as rabbis by mainstream Orthodox institutions. No matter whether they identify as Charedi (e.g. the Agudah) or Modern Orthodox (e.g. the OU and the RCA).

If they are seeking what I think they are, then they are only seeking to broaden the recognition of Yoatzot. Yoatzot are women that have studied Hilchos Niddah at Nishmat under the guidance of Rabbi Yehuda Herzl Henkin. He has certified them to advise women who have Shailos (questions) about Hilchos Niddah.(Family Purity Laws). They function strictly in an advisory capacity and not as Poskim. Difficult Shailos are forwarded to Poskim that are experts on these matters.

Women advising women on matters of intimacy in Halacha is not unprecedented. Historically it was not uncommon for the wives of Poskim to know many of the rulings of their husbands and were the advisers of first resort. They often answered with complete confidence in the surety of their response. Yoatzot Halacha do the same thing. Only with one big advantage. They have spent time studying Hilchos Niddah and have been thoroughly tested. They are certified to give expert advice but not to Paskin difficult Shailos – which are handed off to Poskim.

I see only pluses here. I realize that the advent of this phenomenon is a result of feminism. But I am not an opponent of feminism per se. I am only opposed to it when it contradicts Judaism. In this case it compliments it. Feminism has fostered a climate in Orthodoxy where women can study Torah to their hearts content. That can be put to good use. The doors have been opened for more people than ever adhering to Hilchos Niddah.

Let’s face it. The idea of women asking men – even rabbis (perhaps especially rabbis) - questions dealing with their menstrual cycles, is at best an uncomfortable proposition. It is much easier for a woman to ask another woman. I don’t see how anyone can dispute that. It is natural to be embarrassed to approach a man with Shaila about such an intimate part of her life.

That is why the wives of these rabbis were often contacted first. Sometimes a husband would end up asking the Shaila. Sometimes a couple would decide be strict rather than ask an embarrassing Shaila Which may not be the best approach because of fertility issues. Any way you look at it, there is downside to not having Halachicly educated women available to deal with these questions.

There is no question in my mind that with respect to Orthodoxy, the advent of Yoatzot is one of the best things to come out of feminism. It has advanced the cause of Halachic observance tremendously.

Which brings me back to the Rabbanut. I understand their reservations. They are the same reservations many Charedi Poskim have - who have not recognized Yoatzot. Whether they reject it because it is sourced in feminism or because they see it as a gateway to becoming rabbis their opposition is misplaced. The good far and away outweighs the bad. That in my view, cannot be said about women becoming rabbis

Orthodoxy is about knowing where to draw lines. And sticking to those lines. The Rabbanut should not oppose women from becoming certified to advise women on Hilchos Niddah. The collateral damage of not allowing them to do that is that there will be more violations of it without them. Is their refusal to certify women in Hilchos Niddah worth that price? Which they will no doubt surely pay? I don’t think so.

Illinois State Senator, Ira Silverstein (Crain's)

The negative consequences of a false accusation of sexual harassment can be found today right here in Chicago.

I don’t usually comment on local elections. But in the upcoming Illinois primary – which will take place tomorrow - the welfare of Orthodox Jewry in Chicago is at stake. Which is why I am endorsing Ira Silverstein for re-election to the Illinois Senate. That would not have been necessary had he not been falsely accused of sexual harassment. The 20 year veteran of the Senate had easily been re-elected every time he ran. But this time, his election is far from assured. He is fighting for his job.

Late last October, he was accused of sexual harassment by victims’ rights advocate, Denise Rotheimer. As one might expect in the current ‘#MeToo’ climate, the repercussions were immediate. He was forced to resign as Chairman of the Illinois Senate Executive Committee. And obviously his reputation has suffered.

What has happened since then is that a special committee set up to examine allegations of sexual misconduct cleared him. What they also found is that the Illinois legislature behaves like a ‘good old boys club’ where that kind of behavior is common. Which makes unsurprising the revelation that long time Illinois House Speaker Mike Madigan has over the years tolerated a culture of sexual harassment in his office. 19 complaints have been filed so far.

Senator Silverstein apologized to Ms. Rotheimer for his unprofessional behavior and thereby making her feel uncomfortable. And he has since sought counseling. He has never been accused of any other wrongdoing before or since. I doubt that he ever will be again.

But the damage was done. Some of his past supporters have abandoned him. Like my own ultra-liberal Democratic congresswomen Jan Schakowsky who left him like a rat deserting a sinking ship. She is now supporting his progressive opponent.

There was even an attempt to invalidate some of the signatures of voters on the petition required to be placed on the ballot. Thankfully that was unsuccessful. Fortunately not everyone has turned on him.

Ira has, however, retained some support. Including mine.

Senator Silverstein made a mistake. One for which he has paid dearly. And is still paying for. It can’t be easy to have been accused of sexual harassment - even after being exonerated. Which is why I have spoken up about the injustice and harm to victims of false accusations. Although relatively rare, it does happen - as it did here. Those accusations can follow you for the rest of your life.

Why do I support him? Ira has been an effective legislator on issues that affect the Orthodox Jewish community – which is a major part of his senate district. Unlike his chief rival in the primary who is an avowed progressive with an agenda that does not serve us, Ira, an observant Jew, is a moderate Democrat whose values reflect those of our community.

One recent example of legislation that benefited us is the bill passed by the Illinois legislature and signed by our Governor, Republican Bruce Rauner. One that supports school choice. The $100 million ‘Invest in Kids Act’ will give up $13,000 in tuition for each child wishing to attend private school. It is available to low and middle income parents through online application form. From YWN, here is how it works:

The program allows donors to receive a 75% state tax credit for contributions to a scholarship organization, which then uses those funds to award tuition grants to low- and middle-income families on a first-come first-served basis.

Silverstein’s opponent would very likely not have supported it had he been in his place. Any similar bill that in the future might come up in that vein will surely be opposed by a progressive who will always put welfare of teachers ahead of the welfare of parents and students. Which is probably why the teachers union is supporting him.

If there was ever a time to counter the effects of a false accusation it is now. Anyone that supports victims’ rights ought to support a victim of a false accusation. They are victims too. It will not only help him; it will not only help Orthodox Jewry; but unlike the agenda of a progressive who values only the underdog, it will help all of us.

That is for example what school choice is all about. The underdog too will benefit if low income parents are given a choice to send their children to a better school than the one their children are forced to attend in their own neighborhood. Spending tax money on those schools only helps the people that teach there. (Although what they do in those schools stretches the definition of the word ‘teaching’.)

Let our voices be heard tomorrow.

Anyone that knows anything about Chicago politics, knows that Republicans hardly exist. Especially in a district like ours that is overwhelmingly liberal. Voters are not called ‘Lakefront Liberals’ for nothing. This means that the real election takes place in the primary.

Every vote counts. As large as the Orthodox community in Chicago is, we are by far outnumbered. It therefore behooves all of us who care about the values of Orthodox Judaism - whether Republican or Democrat, to choose the Democratic ballot and make sure that Ira becomes the Democratic nominee for the senate. That will all but assure his victory in November. If that happens it will be a win for justice; a win for us; and even a win for our liberal neighbors. Whether they realize it or not.

Raed Saleh, left, and Gideon Joffe (VIN)

I wish there were a lot more Palestinians like Raed Saleh. If there were, we probably could have had peace treaty between Israelis and Palestinians a long time ago. And a warm relationship between the two peoples. One that would be mutually beneficial to both.

Unfortunately Palestinians have a history of being indoctrinated to hate Jews as a people that stole their sacred land. A hatred constantly reinforced and exacerbated by Muslim Clerics in their mosques, by ‘educators’ in their schools, and in the media, and entertainment industry that portrays us all in the antisemitic tradition of Henry Ford’s ‘Protocols of the Elders of Zion’ or Hitler’s ‘Mein Kampf’ – 2 best sellers in the Arab world.

40 year old Raed escaped all that. His family immigrated to German when he was 5. Perhaps that is why they moved to Germany. Perhaps they saw the hypocrisy of Palestinian leaders and had enough! Raed is now a German senator and leader of the Social Democratic Party.

VIN reports of his attempt to rebuild a Shul that in 1938 that was destroyed in a pogrom that has become known as ‘the night of broken glass’ or ‘Kristallnacht’. A mob of loyal German citizens came into the Jewish neighborhood in Berlin and viciously destroyed all the shops and stores (all of which had glass windows). It is widely believed that was this was instigated by the government then ruled by the Nazi Party.

Imagine that! A German of Palestinian descent wanting to rebuild a Shul in Germany. From VIN:

It’s an idea that would have stunned (Gideon)Joffe 12 years ago, when he was first elected president of the Jewish community.

“I would never have thought that a Berliner of Palestinian background would help the Jewish community,” Joffe said, standing beside Saleh, who was born in a village near Nablus.

Joffe hopes that this will auger a brighter future for Jews in Gemany. I wish I could agree with him. But as I’ve said numerous times, Rashi’s admonition of Halacha He – Esav Sonei L’Yaakov is alive and well in Europe – as it has been for centuries.

Even during those times Europeans were good to us it was never because they loved us. They tolerated us because of what we could do for them. History tells us that wherever Jews went, economies flourished. We would be invited into their countries in the hope that our expertise in financial matters would improve their economies. An expertise gained via an antisemitism that had always barred Jews from entering the professions and trades. That forced us to make a living in businesses like banking. Our so called financial expertise was basically forced upon as a matter of survival.

Once the economies of those countries were built up, their people and leaders turned on us, blaming every ill in the world on us. Latent antisemitism became overt. We ended up being persecuted. Pogroms and massacres have a long tradition in Jewish history. All perpetrated by a populaace where latent antisemitism became unleashed. Culminating in the biggest massacre in human history. The Holocaust.

Germany was perhaps the most enlightened of European nations. Jews were treated as equals. Frankfurt was once called the New Jerusalem. Jews were so accepted that many of them became totally assimilated and no longer observant. They were proud Germans first, and Jews a distant second. During that golden period for the Jews of Germany, no one could have predicted or even imagined what eventually happened. But it did. All that tolerance and love was only on the surface. The antisemitism of Germany was all there in all of its ancient glory laying dormant until Hitler brought it out of them.

Post Holocaust Germany has expressed real remorse for what their government did then. And they have put their money where their mouth is. They are one of Israel’s biggest supporters. And they immediately began paying reparations to survivors – which continues to this day over 70 years later. It is true that the leaders of today are not the leaders of the Germany. I don’t necessarily believe they are antisemites. But the same is not true of the German people.

I firmly that vast numbers of them still hate the Jewish people. They may not have expressed it during the last 70 years. Which is understandable since they desperately needed to restore their reputation. But it was – and is there. I believe the video below (in German) is typical of how a lot of Germans still feel about us - deep down. The hatred of Esav is rearing its ugly head again. Despite the German government’s relationship with Israel and all the money they’ve paid survivors.

That’s the reason a good man like Raed Salah wants to rebuild that Shul:

Saleh’s goal, endorsed by Berlin Jewish Community President Gideon Joffe, is to make a statement against growing anti-Semitism in the capital city — and against discrimination targeting Muslims, too.

“If you say you want to support Jewish life in Germany and Berlin and Europe, and you don’t just want to pay lip service, then you have to carry it out concretely,”

I admire his determination. But I personally believe this project is a waste of time and money. Jews should not be living in Germany at all. I say this despite the fact that a lot of Jews do. Today there are well over 300,000 Jews living there. Besides the United States, Canada and Autsralia only Germany has had a positive recent Jewish migration balance outside of Israel. What has that gotten us? The release once again if their latent antisemitism. Will we never learn?

Senator Silverstein voted at his polling place: Lubavitch Chabad of Illinois (Trib)

Illinois State Senator Ira Silverstein lost the primary election last night. He was trounced in a four way race by the politically liberal former union lobbyist, Ram Villivalam with 52% of the vote. Silverstein came in a distant 2nd with 29%.

At this point I want to thank the senator for 20 years of devoted and effective service to - not only his fellow Orthodox Jewish constituents but to all of his constituents which included one of the most diverse population centers in Chicago.

As the senator said to his supporters last night, it wasn't in the cards. It was God's plan. Not his.

The reasons for his loss can be blamed on only one person: the senator himself. He embarrassed himself and his religious community by doing something that is counter to the values of the Torah. While it did not rise to the level of sexual harassment, it was still unbecoming - not only to his office, but to his standing as an Orthodox Jew. I am sure that he very much regrets his actions, not only because his behavior was exposed and lost his Illinois state senate seat, but because I believe he realizes how wrong he was in what he did.

Ram Villivalam (Twitter)

I believe in Teshuva. He has apologized to the woman he badgered and has sought counseling. He is essentially a good man that made a big mistake. One that I am convinced he will never repeat. I'm sure he has learned a great deal from that experience and was humbled by it. I wish him well in all his future endeavors.

Although I doubt he will see this, I want to extend my congratulations to Ram Villivalam. He will surely win the general election come November in this highly liberal democratic district. I’m not even sure the Republicans will run a candidate. I don’t really know anything about this Asian American of Indian descent. But I have not heard anything negative about him. From what I have read - he seems like a good man. I believe he will work with the Orthodox Jewish community - one of his major constituencies - as have other elected officials. It is with that in mind that I wish him great success in office.

Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel, Yitzhak Yosef (Times of Israel)

I hesitate to call Sephardi Chief Rabbi of Israel Yitzhak Yosef racist. But I am afraid that the shoe might fit. It is shocking to hear an otherwise respected religious leader refer to black men as a monkeys. And during a religious sermon, no less!

This is a leader whose own people are discriminated against by many Asheknazi Jews. Even Orthodox ones. An injustice Rabbi Yosef has courageously fought against all of his life . An injustice that is ironically based in part on the fact that many Sephardi Jews are darker skinned than Ashkenazi Jews.

That said, I don’t think Rabbi Yosef wants to persecute black people. He is not that kind of racist. But he does apparently consider them an inferior race. In my book, that is racism. Not much different than referring to Jews as an inferior race by neo Nazis.

To say the least, I am disgusted by it.

It is bad enough when any human being refers to a member of a particular race as a monkey. But when a Chief Rabbi does it, it increases the pain because he speaks as a religious authority. His so-called explanation does not in any way soothe the hurt he must have caused black people that have heard about this. It actually makes what he said even worse.

And then there is the setback he has caused to relations between the black and the Jewish community with a comment like that. If I were a black person, I would want to have nothing to do with a people whose religion considers me a monkey. I would be much more inclined to turn to people like Louis Farrakhan; believe his lies about Jews; and cheer the venom he spews at us.

Which makes Rabbi Yosef’s comment rise to the level of a Chilul HaShem. I reject and condemn it as un-Jewish and untrue. No human being is a monkey. Human beings are created in the image of God. Calling someone a monkey because of his skin color is counter to that biblical concept.

And now this Chilul HaShem has spread far beyond Jewish circles and has made it into widely read secular media like Newsweek. I cannot imagine the level of damage he has as a rabbinic leader done to the image of Jewish people. I’m not even sure an apology would work anymore. If I were Rabbi Yosef and wanted to make amends to both black people and his own Jewish people, the best way to do that would be to resign as Chief Rabbi.

It should not shock anyone that reads this blog regularly that I believe that the vast majority of American Jews will not be able to perpetuate Judaism through their children. Parents that do not see the primacy of following Halacha will obviously not transmit that to their children. What often follows is that their children eventually abandon any semblance of their Judaism. If not their children, then surely their grandchildren. This has serious implications for Israel. More about that later.

The bigger problem is that what Hitler couldn’t do by force through physical annihilation, assimilation (without the benefit of a serious Torah based education) has done spiritually with hardly a grunt.

The tragedy of that is so immense, that it is hard to fathom. It isn’t only that their children will abandon their Judaism without a trace of guilt. The decline in Jews is also a factor a culture that does not place that much value on traditional families. Which often means not having any children. From the WashingtonPost:

The United States is in the midst of what some worry is a baby crisis. The number of women giving birth has been declining for years and just hit a historic low...

According to provisional 2016 population data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention on Friday, the number of births fell 1 percent from a year earlier, bringing the general fertility rate to 62.0 births per 1,000 women ages 15 to 44.

By contrast , for Orthodox Jews the trend is quite the opposite.

I am reminded of a once very devoted Lubavitcher Chasid who had nine children. He was a Baal Teshuva who was raised in a secular Jewish household. He told me that none of his siblings – all of whom are not observant - are married. The paths they took in life almost certainly assures that they will never will. He told me that his parents will likely only see grandchildren through him.

(Unfortunately he is no longer religious due to a personal issue that led to a divorce. But that is irrelevant to the point. I mention it in order to highlight another issue: those who become observant and then leave. Perhaps another time…)

An article by Matthew M. Hausman in Arutz Sheva discusses the fallout for Israel:

The Jewish Agency recently warned that young Jews are becoming estranged from Israel because of perceived conflict with their liberal values.

But the phenomenon is not a consequence of misdirected youthful exuberance or Israeli policies and is not a problem among the observant or politically conservative. Rather, it affects the progressive and culturally assimilated segments of American Jewish society and echoes the social priorities of an institutional leadership that has traded spirituality for secular political values.

It is hard to disagree with Hausman’s analysis. Jewish support for Israel directly correlates to the how observant a Jew is. The Torah is filled with references to nationhood and the location of where that nation should be. Supporting Israel is a function of those values. The Torah places a high value on our peoplehood. To those of us that believe in the Torah,it naturally stirs the human emotion to support a Jewish State in the part of the world that God gave us.

One can quibble about whether or not the government of Israel functions properly. But no observant Jew would deny that God did gave the land of Israel to the Jewish people. (Not even Neturei Karta. They only claim that we don’t deserve it yet and violate Halacha by taking control. And therefore we should abandon it to the indigenous people - the Palestinians.)

Contrast that with someone whose connection to Judaism is at best only nominal. Whose understanding of Judaism is based on the lack of any serious education about what Judaism is all about. Even if they had some sort of religious education in their heterodox schools, it was devoid of any substantive study of Halacha – the importance of which is for all practical purposes ignored. Reform Judaism disdained observance altogether (until relatively recent times). And Conservative Judaism while giving lip service to it, hardly did anything to encourage it. The focus was – and probably still is - on social activism – which they attribute to Mitzvah of Tikun Olam. That has been pretty much the extent of their Jewish education. Which really amounts to no real Jewish education at all.

Aside from the near sole emphasis on social justice - is the fact that once a young Jew is “Bar or Bat Mitzvah’d” they have little interest in living their lives Jewishly – even in a heterodox way. Having been raised in homes where in many cases social justice was practically deified, they gravitate easily into the world of Academia where social justice has become identified as being anti Israel – seeing it as an apartheid nation oppressing an indigenous people.

Not to be ignored are influences of the entertainment industry that has long ago abandoned any pretense to valuing biblical values. They openly declare those values to be not in consonance with the more ‘enlightened’ values of our time. It is not too much of a leap to go from there to rejecting any value to the biblical claim that the land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people. Seeing instead one people (Jews) subjugating another (Palestinians). Ancient biblical claims are irrelevant in today’s world.

It is not long before that people so influenced end up abandoning their Judaism seeing it as an unnecessary component of the social justice they pursue. Perhaps even seeing the values of the Torah as an impediment to that. And therefore joining forces with the BDS movement is an easy choice for them to make in some cases!

The Jewish agency is right to be worried. But all is not lost. With the exception of some observant Jews on the fringe, Orthodox Jews are generally highly supportive of Israel, even those in the right wing of Orthodoxy. They may complain (legitimately or not) about how the government treats them. But they still support it. It is also true that Israel is becoming stronger and less dependent on support from Diaspora Jewry.

Orthodox Jewry is currently only approximately 10% of the Jewish population in America. But clearly, that percentage will increase with time as Orthodox Jews increase by maintaining fealty to observance while having exponentially more children who will do the same - while heterodox Jews less children that will in most cases leave the fold anyway.

It is only a matter of time. How soon is hard to tell. But it should be pretty clear that heterodoxy is spinning their wheels in desperation trying to reverse those trends. They have not succeeded thus far. And I see no reason that they will in the future no matter how the re-brand themselves. The only thing that has proven to work is commitment observance. If a secular Jew becomes Orthodox, chances are he or she will have a lot more children than if they hadn’t.

This is not to gloat or be triumphant - as I have said numerous times when issues like these are discussed. I am not happy at the failure of heterodoxy to keep Jews Jewish. I am quite saddened by it. But it is what it is. All I am doing is reporting the facts and analyzing them as honestly as I can.

Na Nach Nachma Nachman M’Uman

Netanyahu , the Left, and Charedi Politics

The Leap of Faith

An Orthodox Response to Pluralism in Israel

Obama’s Style Versus Trump’s Substance

Justice is a Two Sided Coin

It Ain’t Over…

The Vaccine Choice Coalition

Purim, Lubavitch, Ner Israel, and Meshichism

On Being Asked to Change Your Seat on an Airplane

An Adversary and Enemy

When Your Own Peers Reject You...

Achdus – More Elusive Than Ever

American Support for Israel - Never Stronger

Broadening the Observance of Family Purity Laws

Ira Silverstein, Democrat for the Senate

A Noble Goal but a Waste of Time

The Senator Loses - Big Time!

A Racist Comment!

The Vanishing American Jew