WAR DECLARED

Report:

Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon, mashgiach, Bais Medrash Govoha; Rabbi Ephraim Wachsman, rosh hayeshiva, Maor Yitzchok, Monsey; and Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, Agudath Israel of America executive vice president for government and public affairs, will be the featured speakers at the Thursday night plenary session of Agudath Israel of America's upcoming convention. The Thursday night session is entitled 'Torah Wisdom/Torah Authority: Are We Losing the Connection?'

'Klal Yisroel has always understood that its true leaders are the gedolei Yisroel, the einei ho'eidoh whose uniquely refined vision enables them to guide the Jewish people through the darkest of situations,' says Rabbi Zwiebel.

'In recent years, though,' the Agudah leader observes, 'due to a variety of factors, the authority of daas Torah has been significantly undermined, even within our own chareidi circles. Most troubling has been the proliferation of Internet 'blogs' where misguided individuals feel free to spread every bit of rechilus and loshon hora about rabbonim and roshei yeshiva, all with the intended effect of undermining any semblance of Torah authority in our community. It is most appropriate for an organization like Agudath Israel, whose very essence was built on the recognition of the authority of Torah leaders, to address this issue head on, and formulate concrete plans to reinvigorate public awareness of this essential element of the Torah way of life.

Sure sounds like the Aguduh is declaring war on blogs, doesn't it? I bet folks like Harry Maryles and and Failed Messiah are really quaking in their boots. I mean, given the outstanding success the Aguda has had battling... um fighting... um preventing... hey, what does the agudah do? Anyone know? I mean aside from calling conventions featuring cameos by noted gedloim interspersed with angry middle-aged men sputtering into live mikes?

Speaking of which, my five dollars says Rabbi Wachsman is going to repeat his perfomance from the Monsey Internet Asifa and talk yell, scream, and spray salavia all over the front row, about the famous story about the Noted Flatbush Rabbi who was severely chastised on some blog somewhere for making a horrible comment about modern Orthodox Rabbis. A shanda! How DARE the bloggers show disrespect to a Noted Flatbush Rabbi who did nothing but show disrespect to all modern Orthodox Rabbis everywhere.

Misguided individuals spreading loshon hara, indeed.