Glass Houses Alert

The really amusing thing about Harry Maryles's new post about how much he hates Yeshivat Chovevei Torah, is that someone a little to his right could very easily have written the exact same post about Harry's own beloved Yeshiva University.

In what follows, I take a stab at it. Aside for the name of the yeshiva, and a few minor adjustments for the sake of flow, the post is 100 percent Harry's

As many people who have read my blog know, I am not a fan of Yeshiva University. And I have criticized it several times here in the past. But I have never written the kind of lengthy but fairly comprehensive article that I just read in the recent print edition of the Yated Ne’eman. It was a scathing attack on the institution, its founders, faculty, Rosh HaYeshiva, and graduate rabbis. And though I am not a fan of this newspaper, I must tell you that I found myself in agreement with much of what they said. I don’t know if I would go so far as accusing them of violating clearly stated Halacha. Nor would I characterize their ideals in the same tones as the Yated did. But I definitely agree with the assessment that YCT is outside the pale of normative Orthodoxy.

And I further agree that the Torah world has been far too silent on this Yeshiva. It seems to be that all Torah based institutions whether ultra Orthodox or Centrist have chosen not to comment on them. YU is guilty of no less than an assault on the theological integrity of a Torah based Hashkafa as defined by its own claimed mentor, HaRav Yosef Dov HaLevi Soloveitchik (the Rav).

In brief the article describes actions and statements by this group that are anathematic to even the most liberal interpretation of the Rav. And even though they “explain” or rationalize some of those statements or activities as being acceptable to the Rav, one would be hard pressed to believe that the Rav would in any way have approved of anything even resembling Yeshiva University (as it exists today.)

Get the idea?

Here's Harry's big finish (adjusted)

I think it behooves the Yeshiva World to distance themselves clearly and unequivocally from Yeshiva University's Hashkafos . And it is time for the Agudas Yisroel to take a stand, too. A good first step would be to bar any YU Musmach from membership. It’s the right thing to do.

I think it behooves Harry to get a grip. The very worst accusation he makes against YCT is that they are too chummy with Catholics. If that's a problem, what do we do with all those GOP-Torah-Jews who keep their lips affixed to the nearest evangelical anus?