New ways to avoid paying the city

The daily news has a story about a store in Boro Park that keeps old muni-meter tickets. If someone gets a ticket, they just look for one that matches the time on the ticket, and they use it to avoid paying.

This is just the latest way the chassidim in Boro Park are avoiding paying the government what it deserves. My only question is, why were they getting tickets in the first place? The chassidim somehow avoid tickets for double parking all the time. They bribe their way out of the health violations in their buildings and schools. Why would they be getting parking tickets? Couldn't they just pay someone off like they do with everything else?

Stories like this are terrible. The chassidim will tell you that people hate Jews, and that anti-semitism gets worse by the day. They might actually be right - but can you blame people? When someone reads a story like this, why wouldn't they dislike the Jews behind it?

A horrifying story

Failed Messiah has a story written by someone about the horrors he went through in the chareidi yeshiva system. It is a horrifying story, but I think it is a must-read.

I can relate to it somewhat, as I also went through some pretty bad times in yeshiva. Thankfully I wasn't abused, but I was blamed for things I didn't do. I was punished instead of the children of Rabbis and large donors. I don't blame the author for not wanting to be frum. I'm just amazed he came back and is frum today.

I urge everyone to read this.

Satmar

Today is the yartzeit of the Satmar Rav, R' Yoel Teitlebaum. A huge talmud chochom, he was also extremely controversial. He believed the Holocaust was in repayment for the sins of the Jewish people, and therefore encouraged his followers to be as machmir as possible in all areas, in order to avoid such a thing happening again.

He was of course noted for his opposition to the state of Israel. While he knew the proper way of opposing something, unfortunately, his followers didn't, and he never properly educated them on how to do it. So his lasting legacy is the Neturei Karta and their ilk, and a lot of baseless hatred by his chassidim against many good Jews.

Is it any wonder then that his grandchildren, 2 brothers, can't get along? His reward for allowing his chassidim to hate is that even on his yartzeit, his grandsons can't go to the cemetary together, and need to have separate times when they attend, so that fighting doesn't break out in the streets.

Achdus at the Siyum HaShas

When R' Meir Shapiro zt"l started Daf Yomi, he said the following: "What a great thing! A Jew travels by boat and takes gemara Berachot under his arm. He travels for 15 days from Eretz Yisrael to America, and each day he learns the daf. When he arrives in America, he enters a beis medrash in New York and finds Jews learning the very same daf that he studied on that day, and he gladly joins them. Another Jew leaves the States and travels to Brazil or Japan, and he first goes to the beis medrash, where he finds everyone learning the same daf that he himself learned that day. Could there be greater unity of hearts than this?"


Obviously, one of the things he felt strongly about was the achdus it would bring. About 15 years ago, I went to the Siyum HaShas. I heard a Rosh Yeshiva say that Daf Yomi brought all Jews together. It didn't matter what your background was. We all learn the same Torah, whether we are chassidish, litvish, Modern Orthodox, or some other sect.

For the upcoming siyum, this message was ruined. The organizers invited R' Lau shlita, from Israel, to come speak. He is the Chief Rabbi of Tel Aviv, and formerly the Chief Rabbi of Israel. When it was announced that he'd be speaking, the Vizhnitzer Rebbe announced he was boycotting the siyum because a Zionist would be speaking.

This goes against the entire message of Daf Yomi. I think it's disgusting. This is supposed to be a holy man?

Great Op-Ed on Yeshiva World

YWN published a great article on the draft issue in Israel. I'm surprised it made it through their censors. Kudos to them for publishing it. I'm pasting it here because it will probably be taken down:

The only person who could write such a piece is one with firsthand information of the chareidi lifestyle, one who knows from the inside.

The last weeks in Eretz Yisroel have been accompanied by what many feel has been an unprecedented hate campaign against the torah tzibur, the chareidim. The animosity according to many has far surpassed that seen several months ago when the media pushed the inequality of women in the chareidi camp, compelling women to seat in the rear of the bus, to take a back seat to life.

While hate for torah is not something created by chareidim if one is absolutely honest, one must arrive at the conclusion that the chareidi tzibur in Eretz Yisrael has done more than its fair share to feed the flames of discord.

Where were the tehillim and tears for Gush Katif? Where is the solidarity with the dati leumi? They may be wrong but isn’t it up to us to live by example. Have we become so entangled in our daily existence that we cannot see anyone’s pain other than our own?

While one needn’t subscribe to the hashkofa of Neturei Karta their rabbonim are to be commended for living a life true to their beliefs, and in this case, that mean no acceptance of state funds, no playing the game. For Shas, Agudah and Degel, they feel they can walk the tightrope that permits them to be deputy ministers, seemingly giving an air of legitimacy to accepting treif money, treif by their standards.

How can you dare to expect anyone outside our little fold to understand? Yes, we are in galus and yes, the world is not perfect but in Eretz Yisrael avreichim are paid by the national government to sit and learn, and this does not exist anywhere else in the world to the best of my knowledge.

Enough of the general chareidi public throwing around its haughtiness and adherence to gedolei yisrael, for the same gedolei yisrael live a life of mesirus nefesh and modesty, unlike many who label themselves chareidim. Before you jump to submit a comment take a deep breath and think, not about your chavrusa who stands on line in Bnei Brak on erev shabbos for a free subsidized challah in the hope of having a bit extra, but about all those whom we all know simply wear the outfit but the black and white in their case is barely skin deep. You don’t want these guys marrying your children any more than any other ill suited prospect, because in your heart you know they have long abandoned the chareidi lifestyle. So I ask, what are they doing for Klal Yisrael?

And where were you this last shabbos, in kollel or the Mountains? Let’s be honest before we condemn others for most of the people I know, our lives have not yet achieved a level of 25/7 Torah.

Regarding our gedolim, Rav Shteinman Shlita, Rav Kanievsky Shlita and others, for those unable to read this because they adhere to the calls to abandon the tuma of the internet, that’s fine. Tens of thousands attended the Internet conference and jokingly, we all saw the photos of people in the stands playing with their smart phones – so who is the hypocrite know?

If you are among those about to comment, get off your horse and get real. Anyone who does not understand the koach of the avreichim learning will most likely not ‘get it’ any time soon. The point, those learning are undoubtedly keeping us going, like it or not, and the government recognizing this does not make it any more or less factual.

No less factual is the painful realization that too many people in chareidi dress are an embarrassment and simply wasting valuable time. We attend lectures by experts to understand why the young are going off the derech. Well, do you think keeping them in beis medrash where they don’t fit, not permitting them to work, not permitting them to enter the IDF. Hello, does anyone get it – they have been decreed to exile in their own community, outcasts in black and white. Everyone loses.

While Shaul Mofaz and Ehud Barak simply don’t get it and unlikely they ever will, they are not entirely wrong. For MK Gafne to get up at a chareidi conference in his utter arrogance and shout “If Bibi does not get it we will go with Ahmed Tibi on this”. How outragous – to link with the former advisor of Yasser Arafat! This is how shameful we are. Are you reading this? You have time to read this? Why aren’t you taking part in the three-day around-the-clock learning? The point is that we live in the real world, yes for avreichim the torah world, but for many others, perhaps most of us, the world that includes dealing with mundane matters.

It’s time to acknowledge the good that exists in secular Eretz Yisrael today – like it or not, and that is simply a fact that must be recognized. It’s time for dialogue and perhaps even compromise for if we can reach Tisha B’Av speaking with one another, we may actually accomplish a great deal, no less than round-the-clock learning.

Baruch Oberman is a proud Jew who made Aliya 5 years ago and now resides in Jerusalem.

Chareidim in the military

I'm sure everyone knows what's going on in Israel now with regard to military service and chareidim.

I think chareidim need to serve. Maybe not in the army, but there are other options, such as National Service. There is also Nachal Chareidi, an army battalion made up of only Orthodox Jews. Why can't they join that?

I think the best solution would be not to force Chareidim into the military, but to only allow government handouts to those who serve.

2 Yartzeits

Tomorrow, 3 Tammuz, marks 2 yartzeits. They are both people who are regarded as great Rabbis, but also (at least in my opinion) did a lot to harm Judaism.

The first is the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Yes, I know that Lubavitch does a lot of kiruv. I will not take that away from them. However, the whole mashiach thing, and the Rebbe never getting up and saying "I am not Mashiach!" caused some pretty messed up things to happen. There are still people running around claiming the Rebbe is still alive. Lubavitch also never appointed a new Rebbe. I once asked someone why that was. He responded, "The Rebbe was like out father. When you lose your father, you can't just replace him! Besides, there is nobody on the same level as the Rebbe who could replace him."

True, nobody could replace a father. But that doesn't mean you shouldn't have a Rebbe! Nobody says he should be as loved as the old Rebbe. It says Asei l'cha Rav, and they don't have one. If there was one person in charge, maybe there wouldn't be the internal fighting going on like there is now.

As for nobody being on the same level, that is true. In Judaism, there is a concept called yeridas hadoros - each generation is lower than the one before it. I'm sure if you'd asked the Rebbe if he was greater than his predecessor, he would have said no. Why should his successor have to be greater than him? Overall, the Rebbe ended up causing some bad things to happen. It doesn't take away from the good, but let's not overlook the bad because of the good.

The 2nd yartzeit is R' Shneur Kotler. I never met him, but I'm sure he was a huge talmud chacham. However, he has one huge stain on his record: he is responsible for the current kollel system. His father, R' Aharon Kotler, founded BMG in Lakewood. He was also very selective about who he allowed in - only the best and brightest. R' Shneur changed that. He opened the doors to anyone who wanted to learn, and the yeshiva grew in size tremendously under him. However, many people were those who should have been looking for jobs, not learning. This mistake still continues today, all because of R' Shneur Kotler.

Fire & Brimstone

I saw an excellent post by David Teitelbaum the other day. Bnos Yaakov elementary school in Lakewood sent out a horrifying letter basically telling parents and children that they will be subjected to the most horrifying punishments if they aren't tznius - the kids for not keeping it, and the parents for not teaching their kids properly.

Teitelbaum wrote a story about how a young Beis Yaakov girl had been traumatized by hearing such things, and it drove her away from dressing properly. After experiencing Judaism as it's meant to be, with love and kindness, she decided to start dressing as she should again.

The fire and brimstone speeches were part of what drove me OTD years ago. I was told that I was going straight to hell for various things. I decided that if I was going to hell anyway, I might as well enjoy my way there. Only later, also after experiencing proper Judaism, did I decide to become frum again.

There's an old saying: you catch more flies with honey. Fire and brimstone speeches don't work. They just drive people away. It also is not what Judaism is about. If anything, the so-called Rabbis who teach this crap will be the ones who suffer in the next world for all the students they've driven away.

Asifa follow-up

As you might have guessed, I did not go to the asifa. I didn't watch the online stream (I can't write that without laughing to myself) either. I did look at some pictures because I was curious how full the stadium would be.

At first, I was surprised to see that the stadium was pretty full. Then I saw some zoomed-in shots. It looked like 80% of the crowd was chassidic. This included kids who looked like they're 13 years old! Was this the demographic they wanted there? I thought it was only supposed to be for guys who were already past high school, never mind elementary school! Someone had told me the organizers were trying to get chassidim to fill up the stadium, and it looks like they succeeded.

As for the actual speeches? Because of the crowd, most of the speeches were in Yiddish. Davening was nusach sfard. Most baalei batim were left out, not understanding what was said. It became a chassidic event, not a Yeshivish event anymore.

What was said? From what I've heard, nothing new. Some speakers said the internet should be banned. Others spoke about the necessity of filters. In short, it was the same old crap. Many people said the speeches were boring and uninspired. Others said that many speakers went on for too long.

The best description I read was echoed by many people. They said it was a waste of time.

I would like some info on how the protest outside the asifa went. If anyone has some info, please let me know. You can email me at orthowatch@gmail.com

The Asifa scam

Originally, the asifa was supposed to be about the internet. There was supposed to be an expo beforehand showcasing various products, followed by the speeches. Now the expo has been cancelled, and the event was changed to be a gathering for prayer. This is why they made such a huge deal about it, and twisted everyone's arm to attend? I have family members who are chareidim. Many of them told me they didn't really want to go, but felt that they were being forced.

There's also the question of tickets. If you call the hotline, they claim they're sold out. You know why? Because they gave most of the tickets to schools and shuls to sell. Those tickets are not selling. If you give your name in for the waiting list, you won't be waiting long. They're practically giving the tickets away. A good friend of mine was told by his Rav that R' Matisyahu Salomon called him up to offer him a free ticket - and to encourage him to bring others. Now they're reaching out to Modern Orthodox, because they're desperate to fill the seats.

Pitiful.

Internet Asifa

As I'm sure most frum Jewish people know, R' Matisyahu Salomon is setting up an asifa about the internet, to be held at Citi Field. As you might have guessed, I will not be attending this event. Why should I? I disagree with the chareidi stance regarding the internet.

I've heard from a lot of chareidim I know that they don't intend on going to the event. They also cut out 50% of their audience by only making it for men - women can't attend. I don't think they'll sell tickets for even half of the stadium. I can see this turning into a huge financial loss.

While I often think that a stance may be valid even if I don't agree with it, when it comes to the internet, I don't even think the chareidi view is valid. I mean, let's look at what happened. The internet comes out, and chareidi Rabbis decide it's like TV. They assur it completely. Then, they see that some people need it in order to make money. Then they decide it's still forbidden, but there are loopholes. You can show proof that you need it for work, and then you can have it - but only if the woman of the house has the password, and her husband is dependent on her to open it up. You also need a filter that meets chareidi standards.

All the while, most homes have internet, and the husband can access it without needing his wife. Kids are going to libraries and accessing it there, without any supervision or filters. It can be easily accessed via cell phone.

So what happened now? The Rabbis finally realized that in the modern world, you can't really go without the internet. It made its way into almost every aspect of life, and you need it. They're having this asifa to unveil their latest plan. When every other plan they've had regarding the internet has been a complete failure, why should we expect that this one will be any different?

Remember the fallen

As most Jews know, today marks Yom HaZikaron, when we remember the soldiers who gave their lives so that our homeland could remain in Jewish hands. Tonight we will celebrate the miracles that Hashem did for us, helping us win battles that seemed hopeless. He protects us on a daily basis, and for that we thank Him.

We can't come to the celebration without acknowledging the losses. We only have what to celebrate because of the sacrifices of these heroes. Whether you agree with the whole idea of a medinah or not, it shouldn't matter today. These were Jews who gave their lives to protect other Jews, and they deserve to be remembered as heroes. Someone who saves one life is considered to have saved the entire world. These people saved thousands of lives. Their merit in Olam Haba is beyond measure. R' Shlomo Zalman Auerbach zt"l was known to tell people that he davened on Har Hertzl, as he held it to be kivrei tzadikim.

Take a moment to reflect on these people. In Kel Malei Rachamim, we daven that the souls should merit a place in Gan Eden. I believe these souls are already there, in a special place reserved for those who made the ultimate sacrifice to protect the Jewish nation, and died al Kiddush Hashem.

Zumba revisited

A while ago, I had a post about the gym in Lakewood which cancelled their Zumba class. A friend of mine told me that yesterday, he ran into Shua Novoseller, the owner of the gym, and asked him about exactly what happened.

Shua told him that the true facts were actually not stated properly. Most of the Rabbis in Lakewood actually had no problem with it. In particular, he mentioned R' Matisyahu Salomon, and said that he had no issues with it. He did say that there was one big Rabbi (who he declined to name) who was adamantly opposed to it, and was trying to shut down the class.

Ultimately, R' Salomon had told him that he should just make a business decision. If he felt he'd gain more customers by shutting down the class, he should do that. If more people would stay/join with the class, then keep it. Shua ultimately decided to shut down the class.

My friend asked him how it affected his business. He said that the month after shutting the class, they had more people sign up than any other month. However, they also had many people cancel their memberships over it.

One thing Shua did mention was that many of the women who left still wanted a Zumba class, and ended up going to non-Jewish, mixed gyms. This just goes to show that once again, adding unnecessary chumros ends up causing more harm than good, and pushes people away.

I would like to point out that while my initial post did not specifically name the Lakewood Roshei Yeshiva, that was who I was referring to. I realize that it was incorrect, and I apologize for it.

Kvetching Editor

As I'm sure many people know, last week Chaviva Galatz aka Kvetching Editor rebooted her blog. I missed all the drama at the time, but I've read up on it since then.

I happen to know Chaviva somewhat from Teaneck. Not really friends or anything, but I knew who she was, and we'd say hello if we saw each other.

What struck me was that the person who made an insulting comment to her said that some details she wrote about her ex shouldn't be said in public. Yet this person had no problem writing about the fact that Chaviva is no longer observant, and calling her out on it, in public.

I feel bad for Chaviva. She went through a rough time. Don't judge someone else until you've been in their place. I know Chaviva's ex. I know that while they were still married, he tried to cheat on her. I know that not only did he want to cheat, he tried to cheat with other married women in their area. What do you think that did to Chaviva? I can't imagine... Don't judge someone until you've been through what they have.

Do I wish Chaviva stayed observant? Of course. However, I realize that right now she needs to do what works for her. That doesn't make things right, but it at least allows for the hope that in the future, she will get back on track. Pushing her now will only get her farther away, and less likely to return.

When will you let go?

I keep reading updates on the condition of R' Elyashiv. He's in very bad shape, and the doctors are working hard trying to save him. What I'm going to say will shock many people, but I will ask it anyway: when will you let go?

When we daven for a sick person, the first thing we ask for is mercy. We say Hashem should have mercy and heal the person. Mercy comes before healing. One recent report I read said that R' Elyashiv was in excruciating pain. Why subject him to this? He's 102 years old. He's been in the hospital for over a month already in critical condition. The doctors don't really have any hope for him - they believe they're just postponing the inevitable. So why prolong the pain? Sometimes the merciful thing to do is to let someone go.