The leaders of Baltimore's Jewish community have published a letter to the community on pedophilia, and how parents and rabbis can work together to stop it. Boro Park and Lakewood: Now it's your turn.
(A copy of the letter is available on request. Please send a note to yourfavoriteblogger@gmail.com)
Related
Showing posts with label Pedophilia. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Pedophilia. Show all posts
Tuesday, April 17, 2007
Monday, March 26, 2007
A test of Ed's Honesty
There's a new blog in town, written by a man claiming to have been a mashgiach at Le Marias. The man left Le Marias (he claims) because the OU (he claims) fell down on the job of guaranteeing the kashrus of the restaurant.
I'm not linking to the blog because the guy sounds like a loony tune, but it will be interesting to see how Ed responds. Will Ed side with the blogger, or will he insist that the Rabbis at the OU are wise, hard-working, committed to the community, and therefore, infallible and immune to all charges of misconduct.
The wrinkle here is that the mashigiach is an UO guy, and the Rabbis having the mud hurled at them are MO. Will Ed obey his golden rule and defer to the authority of the Rabbis no matter what? Or will he argue on behalf of his fellow UO traveler?
I'm betting he goes with the blogger. Ed?
(And what about DovBear? Well, I hope I'm honest enough to follow the evidence wherever it goes. Right now, the mashgiach has nothing. It's he said/she said. Back, when Kolko was still a case of he said/she said I stayed out of the fray. I didn't write one word about it until after there was corroboration in the form of a magazine article, an arrest and a lawsuit. And because there is no corroboration here, I would have stayed out of this, too, if it weren't for the fact that I can't resist tweaking my hypocriticial pal Eddie.)
I'm not linking to the blog because the guy sounds like a loony tune, but it will be interesting to see how Ed responds. Will Ed side with the blogger, or will he insist that the Rabbis at the OU are wise, hard-working, committed to the community, and therefore, infallible and immune to all charges of misconduct.
The wrinkle here is that the mashigiach is an UO guy, and the Rabbis having the mud hurled at them are MO. Will Ed obey his golden rule and defer to the authority of the Rabbis no matter what? Or will he argue on behalf of his fellow UO traveler?
I'm betting he goes with the blogger. Ed?
(And what about DovBear? Well, I hope I'm honest enough to follow the evidence wherever it goes. Right now, the mashgiach has nothing. It's he said/she said. Back, when Kolko was still a case of he said/she said I stayed out of the fray. I didn't write one word about it until after there was corroboration in the form of a magazine article, an arrest and a lawsuit. And because there is no corroboration here, I would have stayed out of this, too, if it weren't for the fact that I can't resist tweaking my hypocriticial pal Eddie.)
Thursday, January 04, 2007
Swimming against the current
FOTB [Friend of the Blog] Rabbi Yosef Blau sent me the devestating article that follows
It responds to yesterday's outrage, arguing cogently against the idea the women must be prevented from acquiring degrees. It appeared today in Ha'aretz [Note, those of you planning to reject the arguments this article makes by screaming "Ha'aretz hates Jews" will be yawned at.]
The article:
The debate over education, with a degree or without one, is not new to me. My father, peace be upon him, who on the one hand was ordained to the rabbinate at the Slabodka Yeshiva in Lithuania, and on the other hand had an extensive secular education and enormous knowledge in many branches of the sciences and humanities, all self-taught, would remind me from time to time - whenever I told him about another degree I had acquired - that true learning is learning for its own sake. In the end, sometime in the 1970s, my father was convinced that having a degree opens doors that cannot be opened without it.
In this century, there is no need for such a debate: Academic education is the main tool in the war on poverty. Over the past decade, the leadership of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jewry allowed girls and women to acquire an academic education that would enable them to acquire a profession, which in turn would contribute to the family income and allow their husbands to concentrate on studying Torah. I was therefore surprised that a forum of leading rabbis is about to put an end to this process and allow only education that does not award an academic degree. Why is that?
After all, it is clear that in order to support a family, the young woman must acquire a profession that does not involve hard physical labor. It is also clear that specialization and knowledge-intensive technologies have penetrated all parts of the economy and production, and that these require methodical, comprehensive learning and skills acquisition, for which random courses and computer skills are insufficient. Without any education, and specifically without an academic education, these women and girls have no chance of ensuring their family's support in the long term.
If this is the case, why are they trying to deprive women and girls of their right to study? I am not interested in the issue from a theoretical, ivory tower, point of view; I have worked, and am working, to expand the Haredi community's academic education base (especially among women). This is not part of my professional duties; it is due to my recognition that academic education is the sole tool in the war against poverty, and that the state must utilize the skills of students from yeshivas and ulpanas (yeshiva high schools for women).
During the peak of the Internet bubble, as head of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Bar-Ilan University, I put together (in coordination with yeshiva heads in Bnei Brak) a special experimental program in computer science for the Haredi community, taking into consideration the students' educational experience and their ability to learn in-depth, as well as geographic considerations and the need for separate study areas for men and women. When I was on the committee for the expansion of academic education among the ultra-Orthodox, which is part of the Council for Higher Education, we examined systemic issues that could contribute to significant growth in this field.
The aforementioned question cannot be answered by a possible concern that education (even if it is technical or technological) might raise questions and create cracks in the faith of Haredi women, who are entrusted with the education and care of the next generation. If this concern were the reason for the decision to bar women from education leading to an academic degree, the decision should have been to ban education in general, irrespective of the degree issue. But in this case, the decision was only against education leading to a degree.
It therefore appears that the decision to allow women and girls to acquire an education that does not award an academic degree stems from one thing only: a desire to keep women at a lower status than their husbands. This priority takes precedence over the wish to ensure the family's income, and even over the significance of allowing the husbands to focus on the study of Torah. This approach recognizes the skills that women have - contrary to the view of the former president of Harvard University, Professor Lawrence Summers, who argued that women lack the skills to succeed in the sciences. If the rabbis did not respect women's skills, they would not be afraid of the further skills that they would acquire through education. This recognition ought to go hand in hand with a woman's right to acquire an education and a profession that utilizes her skills.
During the early 20th century, David Hilbert stood before the Senate of the University of Gottingen in Germany and tried to convince its members to accept Emmy Noether as a professor at the university. Hilbert used an argument that has since become idiomatic: "The Senate is not a bathhouse, why not accept Ms. Noether?"
Noether, a German Jew, was the first student to be accepted to study the sciences in Germany. During the 1930s, she had to flee Germany. In the United States, she was also not rejected by a research university (Princeton) and therefore worked at a small college. But Noether was among the greatest scientists of the 20th century, a scientist who was ahead of her time. And she is the ultimate model for every woman who has to swim against the current.
The author chairs the National Council for the Promotion of Women in Science and Technology
Around the horn:
- RWAC says: You can't second guess gedolim!
- Gil, who, damn it, knows better, says: Here! Here!
- Meanwhile Shmarya reports: Another victim of serial child abuser Rabbi Yehuda Kolko has just come forward. This is relevant why? Because the Gedolim we can't second-guess helped Kolko avoid prosecution for 40 years.
It responds to yesterday's outrage, arguing cogently against the idea the women must be prevented from acquiring degrees. It appeared today in Ha'aretz [Note, those of you planning to reject the arguments this article makes by screaming "Ha'aretz hates Jews" will be yawned at.]
The article:
The debate over education, with a degree or without one, is not new to me. My father, peace be upon him, who on the one hand was ordained to the rabbinate at the Slabodka Yeshiva in Lithuania, and on the other hand had an extensive secular education and enormous knowledge in many branches of the sciences and humanities, all self-taught, would remind me from time to time - whenever I told him about another degree I had acquired - that true learning is learning for its own sake. In the end, sometime in the 1970s, my father was convinced that having a degree opens doors that cannot be opened without it.
In this century, there is no need for such a debate: Academic education is the main tool in the war on poverty. Over the past decade, the leadership of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jewry allowed girls and women to acquire an academic education that would enable them to acquire a profession, which in turn would contribute to the family income and allow their husbands to concentrate on studying Torah. I was therefore surprised that a forum of leading rabbis is about to put an end to this process and allow only education that does not award an academic degree. Why is that?
After all, it is clear that in order to support a family, the young woman must acquire a profession that does not involve hard physical labor. It is also clear that specialization and knowledge-intensive technologies have penetrated all parts of the economy and production, and that these require methodical, comprehensive learning and skills acquisition, for which random courses and computer skills are insufficient. Without any education, and specifically without an academic education, these women and girls have no chance of ensuring their family's support in the long term.
If this is the case, why are they trying to deprive women and girls of their right to study? I am not interested in the issue from a theoretical, ivory tower, point of view; I have worked, and am working, to expand the Haredi community's academic education base (especially among women). This is not part of my professional duties; it is due to my recognition that academic education is the sole tool in the war against poverty, and that the state must utilize the skills of students from yeshivas and ulpanas (yeshiva high schools for women).
During the peak of the Internet bubble, as head of the Mathematics and Computer Science Department at Bar-Ilan University, I put together (in coordination with yeshiva heads in Bnei Brak) a special experimental program in computer science for the Haredi community, taking into consideration the students' educational experience and their ability to learn in-depth, as well as geographic considerations and the need for separate study areas for men and women. When I was on the committee for the expansion of academic education among the ultra-Orthodox, which is part of the Council for Higher Education, we examined systemic issues that could contribute to significant growth in this field.
The aforementioned question cannot be answered by a possible concern that education (even if it is technical or technological) might raise questions and create cracks in the faith of Haredi women, who are entrusted with the education and care of the next generation. If this concern were the reason for the decision to bar women from education leading to an academic degree, the decision should have been to ban education in general, irrespective of the degree issue. But in this case, the decision was only against education leading to a degree.
It therefore appears that the decision to allow women and girls to acquire an education that does not award an academic degree stems from one thing only: a desire to keep women at a lower status than their husbands. This priority takes precedence over the wish to ensure the family's income, and even over the significance of allowing the husbands to focus on the study of Torah. This approach recognizes the skills that women have - contrary to the view of the former president of Harvard University, Professor Lawrence Summers, who argued that women lack the skills to succeed in the sciences. If the rabbis did not respect women's skills, they would not be afraid of the further skills that they would acquire through education. This recognition ought to go hand in hand with a woman's right to acquire an education and a profession that utilizes her skills.
During the early 20th century, David Hilbert stood before the Senate of the University of Gottingen in Germany and tried to convince its members to accept Emmy Noether as a professor at the university. Hilbert used an argument that has since become idiomatic: "The Senate is not a bathhouse, why not accept Ms. Noether?"
Noether, a German Jew, was the first student to be accepted to study the sciences in Germany. During the 1930s, she had to flee Germany. In the United States, she was also not rejected by a research university (Princeton) and therefore worked at a small college. But Noether was among the greatest scientists of the 20th century, a scientist who was ahead of her time. And she is the ultimate model for every woman who has to swim against the current.
The author chairs the National Council for the Promotion of Women in Science and Technology
Around the horn:
- RWAC says: You can't second guess gedolim!
- Gil, who, damn it, knows better, says: Here! Here!
- Meanwhile Shmarya reports: Another victim of serial child abuser Rabbi Yehuda Kolko has just come forward. This is relevant why? Because the Gedolim we can't second-guess helped Kolko avoid prosecution for 40 years.
Thursday, December 14, 2006
In my defense
Elsewhere, a low-life disassembler named Kishka is seeking to defend the Yehuda Kolko and the Agudah by telling anyone who will listen that DovBear hates Charedim. This is an apealling little lie because if Dov hates Charedim (I don't ) the true things he says about them can be conviniently ignored.
I bring this up because I am about to publish another pro-Charedi guest post, this one by Chaim G. Kishka and his sympathizers might wish ask themselves this question: Why does DovBear so often write and publish guest posts that reflect well on Charedim if, in his heart of hearts, he bears them ill will?
I bring this up because I am about to publish another pro-Charedi guest post, this one by Chaim G. Kishka and his sympathizers might wish ask themselves this question: Why does DovBear so often write and publish guest posts that reflect well on Charedim if, in his heart of hearts, he bears them ill will?
Wednesday, December 13, 2006
The other side of the story
Here's a timly and thoughtful note about Agudas Yisroel from "deemer:"
Hi DovBear -
I've been noticing a trend of many bloggers lately to criticize Agudah for its recent (idiotic) statement regarding the Kolko affair. While I agree that Rabbi Shafran should have employed a bit more diplomacy regarding the situation, I've been disturbed by the recent and violent antipathy towards the organization. This email is not only going to be sent to you, although I suspect that you might be the most receptive.
While it is valid to criticize a reaction from the Agudah, I'm somewhat surprised by the extent of the criticism. For example, in your post, you call for the resignation of the heads of the organization, and make no move to defend the Agudah from the posters that comment. One of the commenters remarked that this signals the spiralling end of the Agudah. Another commenter rallied for an end to all authority. The general tone of the comments has been either a rabid hatred of the Agudah, or a strange defense of the Agudah that somehow, wrongly, parlayed itself into a defense of Kolko.
You know why I defend the Agudah? Not because I grew up with its presence in my home. Not because I admire all rabbinic authority without proper introspection. But because the Agudah has done a tremendous amount of good for Jews (and non-Jews!) alike, especially within the NY area. You've got all the organizations that are off-shoots of the Agudah. COPE, and A Time, and a myriad of others that I cannot even mention here. But the reason I love the Agudah most of all is because it is a political force to be reckoned with. And perhaps you don't understand how important it is for Jews to have clout in the political arena. I do, and I'm suffering the consequence of living in an area without the Agudah's influence.
Without going into my personal details, I know of several organizations that are desperately trying to help families that have special needs. Things that NY takes for granted, such as Ohel, P'tach, HASC, Jewish Group Homes for the impaired, live in aides for the elderly, etc, are simply not available anywhere else, or not available in such magnitude. There is nearly NOTHING available for Midwesterners or those on the West Coast, and if there is, it's overpopulated and overwhelmed, and incredibly expensive. How is this possible? Partly because of the Agudah. Because the Agudah has fought legislature and obtained funding from the government to help people. And when there is no help, when communities have to go to the same well over and over again to help people in dire need, the wells dry up or become weary. Schools cannot stay open. Homes refuse entry. The elderly suffer in nursing homes.
Children - the same children that your readers say should come first before anything else - are suffering in unimaginable ways. And in NY, there is relief for these children. Because the Agudah has had a hand in fighting for legislature to be passed so that special needs can be addressed in the private schools, paid for by the government. And so that the elderly can have in-home nurses, instead of being placed in a nursing home. The Agudah has had its hand in all that. And more.
The Agudah has fought the courts so that they would be required to honor a ruling made by the local Bais Din, and won. In doing so, they have asked that the courts respect rulings by religious institutions. You may not agree with that, but in doing so, the Agudah has helped make the United States a friendly place for Jews to live.
When people are trying to fight the public school system elsewhere in the country, which has stolen the rightful services for special needs children and have placed it in the hands of lawyers and administrators to deny the right to proper education, they go to . . . the Agudah. They are trying to change legislature, and you need the Agudah, as a political body, to do it.
I'm not asking you to retract your criticisms of Rabbi Shafran. I'm asking you to retract your antipathy against the Agudah. You are lucky that you do not need it. The rest of us do. Please defend it.
Deemer
Hi DovBear -
I've been noticing a trend of many bloggers lately to criticize Agudah for its recent (idiotic) statement regarding the Kolko affair. While I agree that Rabbi Shafran should have employed a bit more diplomacy regarding the situation, I've been disturbed by the recent and violent antipathy towards the organization. This email is not only going to be sent to you, although I suspect that you might be the most receptive.
While it is valid to criticize a reaction from the Agudah, I'm somewhat surprised by the extent of the criticism. For example, in your post, you call for the resignation of the heads of the organization, and make no move to defend the Agudah from the posters that comment. One of the commenters remarked that this signals the spiralling end of the Agudah. Another commenter rallied for an end to all authority. The general tone of the comments has been either a rabid hatred of the Agudah, or a strange defense of the Agudah that somehow, wrongly, parlayed itself into a defense of Kolko.
You know why I defend the Agudah? Not because I grew up with its presence in my home. Not because I admire all rabbinic authority without proper introspection. But because the Agudah has done a tremendous amount of good for Jews (and non-Jews!) alike, especially within the NY area. You've got all the organizations that are off-shoots of the Agudah. COPE, and A Time, and a myriad of others that I cannot even mention here. But the reason I love the Agudah most of all is because it is a political force to be reckoned with. And perhaps you don't understand how important it is for Jews to have clout in the political arena. I do, and I'm suffering the consequence of living in an area without the Agudah's influence.
Without going into my personal details, I know of several organizations that are desperately trying to help families that have special needs. Things that NY takes for granted, such as Ohel, P'tach, HASC, Jewish Group Homes for the impaired, live in aides for the elderly, etc, are simply not available anywhere else, or not available in such magnitude. There is nearly NOTHING available for Midwesterners or those on the West Coast, and if there is, it's overpopulated and overwhelmed, and incredibly expensive. How is this possible? Partly because of the Agudah. Because the Agudah has fought legislature and obtained funding from the government to help people. And when there is no help, when communities have to go to the same well over and over again to help people in dire need, the wells dry up or become weary. Schools cannot stay open. Homes refuse entry. The elderly suffer in nursing homes.
Children - the same children that your readers say should come first before anything else - are suffering in unimaginable ways. And in NY, there is relief for these children. Because the Agudah has had a hand in fighting for legislature to be passed so that special needs can be addressed in the private schools, paid for by the government. And so that the elderly can have in-home nurses, instead of being placed in a nursing home. The Agudah has had its hand in all that. And more.
The Agudah has fought the courts so that they would be required to honor a ruling made by the local Bais Din, and won. In doing so, they have asked that the courts respect rulings by religious institutions. You may not agree with that, but in doing so, the Agudah has helped make the United States a friendly place for Jews to live.
When people are trying to fight the public school system elsewhere in the country, which has stolen the rightful services for special needs children and have placed it in the hands of lawyers and administrators to deny the right to proper education, they go to . . . the Agudah. They are trying to change legislature, and you need the Agudah, as a political body, to do it.
I'm not asking you to retract your criticisms of Rabbi Shafran. I'm asking you to retract your antipathy against the Agudah. You are lucky that you do not need it. The rest of us do. Please defend it.
Deemer
Advising Avi
It's clear to every human being and most near-sentient barnyard animals, that Avi Shafran's non-comment when asked by SIW to say something about Kolko was tone-deaf, clueless, and the opposite of sensitive or constructive. Had Avi kept his mouth shut, and simply raised his middle finger the exact same message would have come across.
But enough has been said, by me and others, about the awfulness of Avi's answer. Today I'd like to try something helpful and constructive and show you what Avi could have said instead:
"Steve, thanks for your question. Of course Agudah has been following the case closely and we're very concerned. Though we hope this matter is ajudicated fairly and quickly, our sympathy lies with the victims, and I am sure I am speaking for everyone when I say that I hope they find some solace and comfort in the days, months and years ahead. A well-known and respected teacher of Torah has been accused of a terrible crime, and though Agudah, of course, can take no position on his guilt or innocence, we have been working hand-in-hand with Torah UMesorah and several yeshivot to develop and enforce sensible guidelines and protocols that will protect both children and teachers, and provide us with some degree of assurance that this sort of thing will never happen again."
See? Isn't that much better than "Pedophile rabbis? Sorry, no comment. Can we talk about gay parades, gay rabbis and gay commitment ceremonies instead?"
[Ok, that's not exactly what Avi said to Steven, but given the subjects of Avi's public statements over the last 6 weeks, it amounts to the same thing.]
But enough has been said, by me and others, about the awfulness of Avi's answer. Today I'd like to try something helpful and constructive and show you what Avi could have said instead:
"Steve, thanks for your question. Of course Agudah has been following the case closely and we're very concerned. Though we hope this matter is ajudicated fairly and quickly, our sympathy lies with the victims, and I am sure I am speaking for everyone when I say that I hope they find some solace and comfort in the days, months and years ahead. A well-known and respected teacher of Torah has been accused of a terrible crime, and though Agudah, of course, can take no position on his guilt or innocence, we have been working hand-in-hand with Torah UMesorah and several yeshivot to develop and enforce sensible guidelines and protocols that will protect both children and teachers, and provide us with some degree of assurance that this sort of thing will never happen again."
See? Isn't that much better than "Pedophile rabbis? Sorry, no comment. Can we talk about gay parades, gay rabbis and gay commitment ceremonies instead?"
[Ok, that's not exactly what Avi said to Steven, but given the subjects of Avi's public statements over the last 6 weeks, it amounts to the same thing.]
Tuesday, December 12, 2006
Cross-Currents abdication of responsibility watch
The entire Orthodox world - blogs included - have been buzzing about the arrest of Yehuda Kolko, with one exception: Cross Currents. To date, they have not written a single word about Kolko. Not one.
Wearing boots, goggles, and rubber gloves I waded through the last 6 weeks worth of posts on Cross Currents to see what sort of stories have been capturing their imagination instead. This is what I found:
9 posts on the Gay Parade
3 posts on the threatened boycott of El Al
2 posts on adulterer/liar/homosexual Minister Ted Haggart, and why Cross Currents loves him
2 posts on why Democrats are (or are not) Anti-Semites
2 posts on Intelligent Design
1 post on the Seattle Airport's Christmas Tree
The balance of the posts are largely about personal or hashkafic issues. Gedalya Litke, for example, regales us about his recent trip to Berlin. Shira Schmidt shares the dirt from a schlarly conference she recently attended. Yaakov Mencken urges us to vote, and celebrates the Mishna Berurah's 100's birthday. Yitazchak Alderstan attempts to say something nice about Nancy Pelosi, and for his trouble is raked over the coals by the heaven-fearing Jews who comment at Cross Currents. in another post RA calls everyone's attention to the new issue of Jewish action and (cough, cough) the articles written by Cross Currents contributors. And so on.
All this detritus, and not one word about Kolko.
Look: I don't expect Cross Currents to engage in scandal mongering (unless the scandal involves a liberal Jew, of course) I am just surprised that the scolds who file posts at Cross Currents have managed to keep themselves from wagging even a mild and halfhearted finger - if not at Kolko, who of course, is officially innocent until proven guilty, than at the system that allowed 25-years worth of accusations to be rebuffed. They are full of suggestions when Conservative Judaism is contemplating the ordination of homosexuals, and not one good idea crosses their mind when it seems a sexual predator has been on the loose for three decades? Even, when the good people of Boro Park rioted last spring, Cross Currents tentativly suggested that their behavior was not in keeping with the Torah. What is keeping them from making the same sort of peircing observation about Kolko?
Wearing boots, goggles, and rubber gloves I waded through the last 6 weeks worth of posts on Cross Currents to see what sort of stories have been capturing their imagination instead. This is what I found:
9 posts on the Gay Parade
3 posts on the threatened boycott of El Al
2 posts on adulterer/liar/homosexual Minister Ted Haggart, and why Cross Currents loves him
2 posts on why Democrats are (or are not) Anti-Semites
2 posts on Intelligent Design
1 post on the Seattle Airport's Christmas Tree
The balance of the posts are largely about personal or hashkafic issues. Gedalya Litke, for example, regales us about his recent trip to Berlin. Shira Schmidt shares the dirt from a schlarly conference she recently attended. Yaakov Mencken urges us to vote, and celebrates the Mishna Berurah's 100's birthday. Yitazchak Alderstan attempts to say something nice about Nancy Pelosi, and for his trouble is raked over the coals by the heaven-fearing Jews who comment at Cross Currents. in another post RA calls everyone's attention to the new issue of Jewish action and (cough, cough) the articles written by Cross Currents contributors. And so on.
All this detritus, and not one word about Kolko.
Look: I don't expect Cross Currents to engage in scandal mongering (unless the scandal involves a liberal Jew, of course) I am just surprised that the scolds who file posts at Cross Currents have managed to keep themselves from wagging even a mild and halfhearted finger - if not at Kolko, who of course, is officially innocent until proven guilty, than at the system that allowed 25-years worth of accusations to be rebuffed. They are full of suggestions when Conservative Judaism is contemplating the ordination of homosexuals, and not one good idea crosses their mind when it seems a sexual predator has been on the loose for three decades? Even, when the good people of Boro Park rioted last spring, Cross Currents tentativly suggested that their behavior was not in keeping with the Torah. What is keeping them from making the same sort of peircing observation about Kolko?
Safran's Gaffe
When a reporter asks for comment about a violent crime, the textbook response is to express sympathy for the victims, along with the hope that the accused has his fair day in court. Avi Shafran's now-famous refusal to comment deviated from that script.
I believe that by refusing to comment Safran inadvertently told the truth: (pundits call this a Kinsley gaffe) It think its obvious from Safran's tone deaf "no-comment" that he and the Agudah wish Kolko and his case would just go away. This is an abdication of responsibility, plain and simple, and it must be denounced from every street corner.
An unethical soul has published his correspondance with Avi Shafran, and it's crystal clear that Avi Shafran, the individual --in the letters he isn't speaking for Agudah-- has reprehensible priorities. Gay parades in Jerusalem? They must be stopped! Money must be spent! Noise must be made! Resources must be rallied! But, a man with 25 years worth of child abuse accusations swirling around his head? Eh... the all-knowing, all-seeing Rabbis can take care of it privately, so run along, nothing to see here.
I've deleted the previous paragraph, including the linkto Shafran's letter, not because I think posting it was unethical- in fact I am certain that I did nothing wrong - but because I dont want to become the story. The villian here is Shafran, and he should be the focus of your ire. Not me.
I believe that by refusing to comment Safran inadvertently told the truth: (pundits call this a Kinsley gaffe) It think its obvious from Safran's tone deaf "no-comment" that he and the Agudah wish Kolko and his case would just go away. This is an abdication of responsibility, plain and simple, and it must be denounced from every street corner.
I've deleted the previous paragraph, including the linkto Shafran's letter, not because I think posting it was unethical- in fact I am certain that I did nothing wrong - but because I dont want to become the story. The villian here is Shafran, and he should be the focus of your ire. Not me.
Monday, December 11, 2006
Shame on Shafran
Holy Smokes:
ANSWERS
1 - Because he was an employee, more than 30 years ago, of one of the camps you run! (Credit Avi Shafran himself for that one)
2 - Because men closly associated with your organization have been running interference for him for 25 years.
3 - Because as an organization, Agudah's takes it upon itself to comment on almost everything that happens in the (right wing) Jewish world. Blogs, for example, were on your agenda at the recent convention. In the past, Agudah has politely ordered schools to participate or to ignore various rallies and campaigns. You make your thoughts known about various acts of legistlation and the position of various rabbis from across the Jewish spectrum. And so on. Why would such a chatty and meddling organization suddenly go silent?
4 - In the past, you, as an individual have published fiery condemnantions of Conservative Judaism, feminism, and religious pluralism. You've had 23 letters published in the New York Times, many of them filled with indignation. And your work on Cross Currents, the worst blog in the world, ranges from attacks on homosexuals to liberals to the media. But now, when a child molester who has enjoyed the protection of Agudah Rabbis is caught in your own back yard, the cat finally catches your famously flapping tounge? Now, the blood pressure medicine begins to work?
I call BS Avi. And your abdiciation of responsibilty here does more to explain the decline in deference for your organization and the Rabbis it represents than do the scribblings of any blogger.
If you agree, please send this post to Avi with my greetings.
RELATED
Last year, I reported that Agudah was working with the Catholic Church to undermine a NY State law which would require parochial schools to report abusive teachers. And at the height of the Lanner scandal, Avi Shafran argued against the creation of a centralized body to deal with the problem of sexual abuse in schools. He said: [Complainants would be encouraged to] “go to the rebbe or community rabbi” on an individual basis. And when that happened during the Kolko case, the people who went to Kolko's boss on an "individual basis" were marginilized, ignored, humiliated and scorned.
Let's get the drum beating: I am calling right now for the resignation of Zweibal, the chief Rabbi of Agudah, and his hack PR flack Avi Shafran. If you agree, please post this on your blogs, and your bulliten boards and distribute it via email to anyone who cares about children.
Asked to provide comment [on the Kolko case], R’ Avi Shafran replies in an e-mail:Let's help Avi out. He asks: "Why would we have comment about the arrest of an individual?"
Why would we have comment about the arrest of an individual? Because he was an employee, more than 30 years ago, of one of the camps we run (that have had thousands of employees over the years)? I don’t think that requires comment on our part. We are not even a party anymore to any lawsuit filed against the accused, as I understand it. The suit of the accuser who included Camp Agudah in his action (John Doe #1) has been dismissed (without prejudice, I believe, so it can still be refiled, but hasn’t been)." [On Canonist, via Orthomom]
ANSWERS
1 - Because he was an employee, more than 30 years ago, of one of the camps you run! (Credit Avi Shafran himself for that one)
2 - Because men closly associated with your organization have been running interference for him for 25 years.
3 - Because as an organization, Agudah's takes it upon itself to comment on almost everything that happens in the (right wing) Jewish world. Blogs, for example, were on your agenda at the recent convention. In the past, Agudah has politely ordered schools to participate or to ignore various rallies and campaigns. You make your thoughts known about various acts of legistlation and the position of various rabbis from across the Jewish spectrum. And so on. Why would such a chatty and meddling organization suddenly go silent?
4 - In the past, you, as an individual have published fiery condemnantions of Conservative Judaism, feminism, and religious pluralism. You've had 23 letters published in the New York Times, many of them filled with indignation. And your work on Cross Currents, the worst blog in the world, ranges from attacks on homosexuals to liberals to the media. But now, when a child molester who has enjoyed the protection of Agudah Rabbis is caught in your own back yard, the cat finally catches your famously flapping tounge? Now, the blood pressure medicine begins to work?
I call BS Avi. And your abdiciation of responsibilty here does more to explain the decline in deference for your organization and the Rabbis it represents than do the scribblings of any blogger.
If you agree, please send this post to Avi with my greetings.
RELATED
Last year, I reported that Agudah was working with the Catholic Church to undermine a NY State law which would require parochial schools to report abusive teachers. And at the height of the Lanner scandal, Avi Shafran argued against the creation of a centralized body to deal with the problem of sexual abuse in schools. He said: [Complainants would be encouraged to] “go to the rebbe or community rabbi” on an individual basis. And when that happened during the Kolko case, the people who went to Kolko's boss on an "individual basis" were marginilized, ignored, humiliated and scorned.
Let's get the drum beating: I am calling right now for the resignation of Zweibal, the chief Rabbi of Agudah, and his hack PR flack Avi Shafran. If you agree, please post this on your blogs, and your bulliten boards and distribute it via email to anyone who cares about children.
Saturday, December 09, 2006
A letter from Lippy
I don't think this comment was written by Lipa Margulies, the propreiter, I mean Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Temimah, but it sure sounds like him. Especially the part about him being famished for money and being willing to overlook anything that might put his school or his teachers is an unpleasant light.
Dear Parents:
For the past thirty five years I have been covering up the fact that Yidi Kolko has been molesting students in Yeshiva Torah Temimah. I do not understand what all the fuss is about. Yidi Kolko is a fine Rebbi and as we know no one is perfect. Why is everyone focused on the fact that he is a child molester? Focus on the good, not the bad. So, he ruined some lives, big deal. So, I covered it up, big deal.
We must stick together and continue the cover up. As parents in my Yeshiva, you know that your first obligation is to the health of my Yeshiva. Your children’s well being are a distant third, well after your obligation to pay me tuition (cash accepted, please deliver to Rabbi Applegrad.) If we work as one, we can overcome the truth and you my precious parent body can continue allowing me to spread my version of the torah for years to come.
I apologize for taking so long to send this letter, but Yaakov, Yidi and I have been hard at work trying to terrorize the victims of Kolko’s sickness. They expect no less from us. Please help us continue our cover-up and terror campaign by sending me a tax deductible donation in the enclosed envelope (cash accepted, please deliver to Rabbi Applegrad.)
I have a psak din from a gadol that we must continue to ignore Yidi’s use of your children for his recreation. It is his right as a Rebbi. The gadol explains that since he dedicates his life to your children, the least you can do is allow him to have his way with them. It is your duty to keep him calm and happy.
Thank you for your continued support of my important mossad. Please help us do more by sending me a tax deductible donation (cash accepted, please deliver to Rabbi Applegrad) in the enclosed envelope (your stamp helps us save on postage.)
Very Sincerely,
Moireinu Harav Hagoen Rosh HaYeshiva
Lipa Margulies
Dear Parents:
For the past thirty five years I have been covering up the fact that Yidi Kolko has been molesting students in Yeshiva Torah Temimah. I do not understand what all the fuss is about. Yidi Kolko is a fine Rebbi and as we know no one is perfect. Why is everyone focused on the fact that he is a child molester? Focus on the good, not the bad. So, he ruined some lives, big deal. So, I covered it up, big deal.
We must stick together and continue the cover up. As parents in my Yeshiva, you know that your first obligation is to the health of my Yeshiva. Your children’s well being are a distant third, well after your obligation to pay me tuition (cash accepted, please deliver to Rabbi Applegrad.) If we work as one, we can overcome the truth and you my precious parent body can continue allowing me to spread my version of the torah for years to come.
I apologize for taking so long to send this letter, but Yaakov, Yidi and I have been hard at work trying to terrorize the victims of Kolko’s sickness. They expect no less from us. Please help us continue our cover-up and terror campaign by sending me a tax deductible donation in the enclosed envelope (cash accepted, please deliver to Rabbi Applegrad.)
I have a psak din from a gadol that we must continue to ignore Yidi’s use of your children for his recreation. It is his right as a Rebbi. The gadol explains that since he dedicates his life to your children, the least you can do is allow him to have his way with them. It is your duty to keep him calm and happy.
Thank you for your continued support of my important mossad. Please help us do more by sending me a tax deductible donation (cash accepted, please deliver to Rabbi Applegrad) in the enclosed envelope (your stamp helps us save on postage.)
Very Sincerely,
Moireinu Harav Hagoen Rosh HaYeshiva
Lipa Margulies
Friday, December 08, 2006
Kolko arrested(?)
STICKY POST: Originally posted Thursday night at about 6PM.
No details yet, but that's what Un-Orthodox Jew is reporting. Let's hope the guy sings, and tells us exactly what Lippy did or did not do to keep parents, Rabbis and the authorities at bay for 20 years.
No details yet, but that's what Un-Orthodox Jew is reporting. Let's hope the guy sings, and tells us exactly what Lippy did or did not do to keep parents, Rabbis and the authorities at bay for 20 years.
Who hates Jews?
The brainless among us (psss. Joe. I mean folks like you) imagine that the New York Times has a beat-reporter assigned specifically to stories that embaress Orthodox Jews. You've all heard the chatter at sholosh seudot: The Times hates us.... Beryl Mudcha got arrested again? I bet the Times is so happy.
At the other side of the spectrum in the popular imagination is News Corp, the company the runs Fox News. Swing a cat by its tail in any Jewish neighborhood and you'll hit at least five people who are certain Fox is honest, Fox is true, Fox is fair, Fox is pro-Israel, etc. In fact, a local Hasidic Rabbi once vicited my house to check his email, and while he was on the computer asked if he could also update himself on the news. He clicked to Fox. When I asked why, he said that Fox was likely to have modest photographs. [<--work safe, and funny]
For all these reasons and more, I am pleased to announce that the Ney York Times buried the Kolko story deep in the Metro section, and reported the case using language that was fair and dignified. Meanwhile, the Post, owned by News Corp, put is this way: BROOKLYN RABBI IN PERV BUST.
At the other side of the spectrum in the popular imagination is News Corp, the company the runs Fox News. Swing a cat by its tail in any Jewish neighborhood and you'll hit at least five people who are certain Fox is honest, Fox is true, Fox is fair, Fox is pro-Israel, etc. In fact, a local Hasidic Rabbi once vicited my house to check his email, and while he was on the computer asked if he could also update himself on the news. He clicked to Fox. When I asked why, he said that Fox was likely to have modest photographs. [<--work safe, and funny]
For all these reasons and more, I am pleased to announce that the Ney York Times buried the Kolko story deep in the Metro section, and reported the case using language that was fair and dignified. Meanwhile, the Post, owned by News Corp, put is this way: BROOKLYN RABBI IN PERV BUST.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
In which I judge the three most yeshivish blogs
Tip of the hat: To Harry Maryles for linking his blog to the Open Letter. Harry has an audience I can't reach; thank God he made sure they were aware of the Kolko case, and the cover-up that followed.
Wag of the Finger: To Gil Student. He's mentioned the Kolko case on his blog before, and I know he's upset with how the Rabonim handled it (see, for instance, his critism of the speech R' Salamon delivered at the convention) but his attitude toward the letter is unconscionable. On the Letter's comment thread he says the fact that the letter is annoymous is the reason why he won't bring it to the attention of his readers. He goes on to day that without a signature, he can't be sure the contents aren't fabrications. This is punting, plain and simple: Gil knows for a fact that letter's central accusations are true. Anyway, if the letter was signed, wouldn't Kolko's protectors seize on that and seek to discredit the writer? Wouldn't they go after him? By staying anonymous the letter-writer forces Kolko's friends to respond to the letter itself, and gives them no opportunity to go ad hominum.
Sicillian guesture of contempt: To Cross Currents. They claim to be a blog concerned with issues that matter to the Jewish world, but, to date, they have not said one word about the case, or the cover-up. This is not because they are public figures -- Gil is, too, and he's made his feelings known. It's also not because they are reluctant to write about sex scandals -- as you may recall, the blog gave us three posts about the towering moral superiority of liar/adulterer Minister Ted Haggard.
No, the reason for their silence is this: They are apologists and wimps who use their blog to make excuses for the yeshiva world and for the Christian right, while simoltaniously capitilizing on any and every misstep made by more liberal Jews.
Cross-Cowards would be a better name for that group.
Wag of the Finger: To Gil Student. He's mentioned the Kolko case on his blog before, and I know he's upset with how the Rabonim handled it (see, for instance, his critism of the speech R' Salamon delivered at the convention) but his attitude toward the letter is unconscionable. On the Letter's comment thread he says the fact that the letter is annoymous is the reason why he won't bring it to the attention of his readers. He goes on to day that without a signature, he can't be sure the contents aren't fabrications. This is punting, plain and simple: Gil knows for a fact that letter's central accusations are true. Anyway, if the letter was signed, wouldn't Kolko's protectors seize on that and seek to discredit the writer? Wouldn't they go after him? By staying anonymous the letter-writer forces Kolko's friends to respond to the letter itself, and gives them no opportunity to go ad hominum.
Sicillian guesture of contempt: To Cross Currents. They claim to be a blog concerned with issues that matter to the Jewish world, but, to date, they have not said one word about the case, or the cover-up. This is not because they are public figures -- Gil is, too, and he's made his feelings known. It's also not because they are reluctant to write about sex scandals -- as you may recall, the blog gave us three posts about the towering moral superiority of liar/adulterer Minister Ted Haggard.
No, the reason for their silence is this: They are apologists and wimps who use their blog to make excuses for the yeshiva world and for the Christian right, while simoltaniously capitilizing on any and every misstep made by more liberal Jews.
Cross-Cowards would be a better name for that group.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
AN OPEN LETTER TO RABBI MATISYAHU SALOMON
AN OPEN LETTER TO RABBI MATISYAHU SALOMON
This is a well-written and respectful letter which outlines the Kolko catastrophe in great detail. If you can read it without boiling over in anger, I question your humanity. I strongly urge you to read it, and to bring it to the attention of your LOR, and other members of your community.
If your shul is like mine, the tables are littered every shabbos with Torah publications of every kind. I think everyone within the sound of my voice should make sure that this week, the open letter is among them.
This is a well-written and respectful letter which outlines the Kolko catastrophe in great detail. If you can read it without boiling over in anger, I question your humanity. I strongly urge you to read it, and to bring it to the attention of your LOR, and other members of your community.
If your shul is like mine, the tables are littered every shabbos with Torah publications of every kind. I think everyone within the sound of my voice should make sure that this week, the open letter is among them.
Tuesday, November 14, 2006
Agudah's bogus war
Well spotted by OrthoMom:
I'm sure the monsters and misbehaviors in our community are overjoyed to learn that our self-appointed leaders have once again missed the bus.
On the chance that Avi Shafran is the sort of person who compulsivly Googles his own name let me see if I can capture his attention and set the record straight:
Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran
The bloggers aren't at war with Torah Authority. In fact, I can't think of a single one who has any real beef with any of the legitimate gedolim. I know I don't.
What I, and so many other bloggers, simply will not tolerate is the fact that superficial stupidities have become the Orthodox Jewish community's dominant concern.
For example: Rather then take action against Lippy Margolis, the man who protected a child molester for 25 years, many medium level leaders and rabbis, including the disgraceful Jewish Press, prefered to make angry noises about the method the bloggers used to finally make the case against Kolko stick. We didn't use proper channels. We didn't respect Lippy Margolis's status and position. We leveled out accusations anonymously. etc. etc. etc.
What sick irony. Because if men like you, Avi Shafran, hadn't been napping, the bloggers wouldn't have had to do your job for you. If you'd concerned yourself with the children, instead of Lippy's honor no one would have ever heard of UOJ.
Update: Readers, rather than declare war on the blogsphere, what other issues do you think should be discussed at the next Aguda Convention? My thoughts:
1 - The practice of expelling students who can' t be made to fit into the ever-shrinking box at most Yeshivot.
2 - The mikva scandal currently bubbeling to the surface of this and other blogs.
3 - The fact that the average Yeshiva graduate can't add, speak English or find a job at a company owned by someone other than one of his relatives.
4 - The shidduch crisis, by which I mean the fact that many wonderful young women wish to marry torah scholars but can't because the torah scholars have been conditioned to believe that only wealthy wives are worth having.
5 - The role of the kanaoim in the ban on Nosson Slifkin. Just how much power do the loud mouthed zalots actually have, and how can this be ameliorated?
6 - The role of kanaus in general. Why are so many thoughtful and practical initiatives abandoned simply because some loud mouth has threatened to paper the streets of Brooklyn, Monsey, Lakewood or Jerusalem with angry denouncments. Who's really pulling the strings?
7 - The Orthodox Jew's animosity toward science and critical thinking. As I've said many times, anything the evidence can't support is, by definiton, foreign to Jewish. Why does institutional Judaism insist on clinging to things that have been roundly defeated by the evidence, and how can this be fixed?
Anything else?
Let me see if I have this straight. Instead of talking about Kolko, or the Mikva accusations floating around like so much scum on a pond, the august annual Agudas Yisroel assembly is going to dedicate itself to discussing blogs. Smashing news. Our outstanding faith has been hijacked and subverted by fraudulently pious men who wish only to aquire cash and kovod. Our children are ignorant and insecure, and certain that any other expression of Judaism is illigitimate. Our wives have been browbeaten into the kitchen and taught that meaningful employment is "not for them." But, rather then talk about any of this Agudah, the self-proclaimed leader of yahadus, wishes to roast the bloggers for not bowing deeply enough whenever the name of a great Rabbi is mentioned.CONVENTION 2006
GET THE ANSWER TO THESE AND OTHER COMPELLING QUESTIONS
...Have bloggers declared open season on Torah Authority?[an ad for the Aguda Convention from Hamodia]
I'm sure the monsters and misbehaviors in our community are overjoyed to learn that our self-appointed leaders have once again missed the bus.
On the chance that Avi Shafran is the sort of person who compulsivly Googles his own name let me see if I can capture his attention and set the record straight:
Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran Avi Shafran
The bloggers aren't at war with Torah Authority. In fact, I can't think of a single one who has any real beef with any of the legitimate gedolim. I know I don't.
What I, and so many other bloggers, simply will not tolerate is the fact that superficial stupidities have become the Orthodox Jewish community's dominant concern.
For example: Rather then take action against Lippy Margolis, the man who protected a child molester for 25 years, many medium level leaders and rabbis, including the disgraceful Jewish Press, prefered to make angry noises about the method the bloggers used to finally make the case against Kolko stick. We didn't use proper channels. We didn't respect Lippy Margolis's status and position. We leveled out accusations anonymously. etc. etc. etc.
What sick irony. Because if men like you, Avi Shafran, hadn't been napping, the bloggers wouldn't have had to do your job for you. If you'd concerned yourself with the children, instead of Lippy's honor no one would have ever heard of UOJ.
Update: Readers, rather than declare war on the blogsphere, what other issues do you think should be discussed at the next Aguda Convention? My thoughts:
1 - The practice of expelling students who can' t be made to fit into the ever-shrinking box at most Yeshivot.
2 - The mikva scandal currently bubbeling to the surface of this and other blogs.
3 - The fact that the average Yeshiva graduate can't add, speak English or find a job at a company owned by someone other than one of his relatives.
4 - The shidduch crisis, by which I mean the fact that many wonderful young women wish to marry torah scholars but can't because the torah scholars have been conditioned to believe that only wealthy wives are worth having.
5 - The role of the kanaoim in the ban on Nosson Slifkin. Just how much power do the loud mouthed zalots actually have, and how can this be ameliorated?
6 - The role of kanaus in general. Why are so many thoughtful and practical initiatives abandoned simply because some loud mouth has threatened to paper the streets of Brooklyn, Monsey, Lakewood or Jerusalem with angry denouncments. Who's really pulling the strings?
7 - The Orthodox Jew's animosity toward science and critical thinking. As I've said many times, anything the evidence can't support is, by definiton, foreign to Jewish. Why does institutional Judaism insist on clinging to things that have been roundly defeated by the evidence, and how can this be fixed?
Anything else?
Monday, September 18, 2006
Comment of the Day
Anon:
I would love to have a unified theory of how to understand timtum.
_________________
Simply stated: you are what you eat. Eat non-kosher and the body God gave you in order to live a holy life becomes a depository of impurity. Fast, and you are doing the equivlent of sacrificing some of your body in atonement.
Bottom line: silly nonsense being fed to ignorant simpletons who live their magical lives ignoring the obvious. Namely, that their rabbis are profit motivated, power hungry incompetents who couldn't do the simple job of night watchman without screwing up.
People, it's time to take back your self determination and expel the do nothing rabbis. Even the least capable of us would not have allowed Perdue into the freezer or Kolko into the classrooms.
I would love to have a unified theory of how to understand timtum.
_________________
Simply stated: you are what you eat. Eat non-kosher and the body God gave you in order to live a holy life becomes a depository of impurity. Fast, and you are doing the equivlent of sacrificing some of your body in atonement.
Bottom line: silly nonsense being fed to ignorant simpletons who live their magical lives ignoring the obvious. Namely, that their rabbis are profit motivated, power hungry incompetents who couldn't do the simple job of night watchman without screwing up.
People, it's time to take back your self determination and expel the do nothing rabbis. Even the least capable of us would not have allowed Perdue into the freezer or Kolko into the classrooms.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Pressure?
Well, well, well. Look who's feeling the heat: Suddenly, Yeshiva World wants everyone to know that he has 20,000 daily readers (as if: I guess I have 2 million readers.) Wonder why YW felt the need to make that announcment? Also, wonder why he's suddenly started blogging stories having nothing whatsoever to do with the Yeshiva World (still no Kolko, though.)
Perhaps, Mister 20,000 + readers a day is feeling a little threatened by the emergance of News for Jews, the blog I annointed yesterday as Avis to YW's Hertz.
[Note: Don't misunderstand. I think YW is a very fine blog, and one the fulfills an important purpose. I'm just stirring up trouble, both because I can, and because I think its sweet to see a mega-blog running scared from a blog that arrived on the scene like 5 days ago. Root, root, root for the underdog, I always say!]
Perhaps, Mister 20,000 + readers a day is feeling a little threatened by the emergance of News for Jews, the blog I annointed yesterday as Avis to YW's Hertz.
[Note: Don't misunderstand. I think YW is a very fine blog, and one the fulfills an important purpose. I'm just stirring up trouble, both because I can, and because I think its sweet to see a mega-blog running scared from a blog that arrived on the scene like 5 days ago. Root, root, root for the underdog, I always say!]
Wednesday, May 31, 2006
New J-news aggregator
Hetz has Avis. Hershey has Nestle. And now it looks like Yeshiva World has News For Jews.
Good. Yeshiva World was always too narrow for my tastes, promising to collect only those stories interesting to the "Yeshiva" world (and failing at that, incidently: Like Cross Currents, Yeshiva World is treating the Kolko story as if it were radioactive.)
News for Jews, on the other hand, appears commited to posting all sorts of Jewish stories.
Good. Yeshiva World was always too narrow for my tastes, promising to collect only those stories interesting to the "Yeshiva" world (and failing at that, incidently: Like Cross Currents, Yeshiva World is treating the Kolko story as if it were radioactive.)
News for Jews, on the other hand, appears commited to posting all sorts of Jewish stories.
Tuesday, May 30, 2006
DovBear Action Alert
If your local Rabbi stood on his hind legs, last year, and screamed about wigs or water, do DovBear a favor and ask him when he plans to address the sex abuse scandal.
As Simcha noted yesterday in a rare, but welcome display of cynicism, our Rabbis are happy to holler when a Jewish restaurateur is caught anywhere near non-kosher meat, but they are suddenly circumspect when children at risk. Musn't jeapordize the rabbi's income, they mumble. Musn't damage the yeshiva's reputation.
And meanwhile the abidication of responsibility over at Cross Currents continues. The same blog that gleefully spreads lies about irreligious Jews, can't muster the courage to say even one word about Kolko. If they aim to be the "place you go to find a well-articulated Torah perspective on the issues of the day" why are they silent now?
As Simcha noted yesterday in a rare, but welcome display of cynicism, our Rabbis are happy to holler when a Jewish restaurateur is caught anywhere near non-kosher meat, but they are suddenly circumspect when children at risk. Musn't jeapordize the rabbi's income, they mumble. Musn't damage the yeshiva's reputation.
And meanwhile the abidication of responsibility over at Cross Currents continues. The same blog that gleefully spreads lies about irreligious Jews, can't muster the courage to say even one word about Kolko. If they aim to be the "place you go to find a well-articulated Torah perspective on the issues of the day" why are they silent now?
Monday, May 22, 2006
Another way of spinning it
It has been brought to my attention that when Rav Shteinman told the assembled teacher of torah at the recent Torah Umesorah Convention to avoid class trips and to avoid playing sports with their students, he was, perhaps, making a veiled reference to the Kolko case. It's been suggested that, in his own way, he was telling teachers to mantain a strict professional distance from their charges.
There is some merit to this interpretation I suppose, and without having heard the whole of Rav Shteinman's speech, it's impossible for me to say. However, I will still insist that given the stench of scandal still swirling over our Camps and Yeshivahs much more than veiled references are needed; also, telling teachers to avoid all informal contact with their students is an over-reaction.
What's needed aren't bans on ball playing. [For heaven's sake: No more bans!] What's needed are intelligent guidelines, the very sort of guidelines that already exist in most secular, and modern Jewish day schools. And I firmly believe that if you are a parent you have a sacred obligation to make sure that such guidelines are in place before you sign the deposit check for camp or school - not because I think there is a monster in every camp, but because proper protocols are what keeps a monster at bay.
Why give the monster room to operate? Isn't a proper parent required to make sure the door isn't left unlocked? Ask your camp and yeshiva to publish their guidelines, and if they won't make fast tracks to the competition.
PS - Along with the ban on bans, can those of you who are so concerned with the honor of the Gedolim please take five? Really, your endless cries of "Respect" have gotten tedioius. I swear to you, none of us mean the gedolim any harm, and we hold them all in the highest regard, even if we don't always take the time for niceties like honorifics and other formalities. If you think we've misunderstood something they said, give us your spin. That's what the comment threads are for; also, setting up a blog for counter-opinions is free and easy. Screaming "Respect" and the like over and over again, isn't helpful, and tells us only that you haven't got an idea in your head. Instead of taking the lazy way out, why don't you show us where we've gone wrong, or offer a new interpretation (as in this post.)
There is some merit to this interpretation I suppose, and without having heard the whole of Rav Shteinman's speech, it's impossible for me to say. However, I will still insist that given the stench of scandal still swirling over our Camps and Yeshivahs much more than veiled references are needed; also, telling teachers to avoid all informal contact with their students is an over-reaction.
What's needed aren't bans on ball playing. [For heaven's sake: No more bans!] What's needed are intelligent guidelines, the very sort of guidelines that already exist in most secular, and modern Jewish day schools. And I firmly believe that if you are a parent you have a sacred obligation to make sure that such guidelines are in place before you sign the deposit check for camp or school - not because I think there is a monster in every camp, but because proper protocols are what keeps a monster at bay.
Why give the monster room to operate? Isn't a proper parent required to make sure the door isn't left unlocked? Ask your camp and yeshiva to publish their guidelines, and if they won't make fast tracks to the competition.
PS - Along with the ban on bans, can those of you who are so concerned with the honor of the Gedolim please take five? Really, your endless cries of "Respect" have gotten tedioius. I swear to you, none of us mean the gedolim any harm, and we hold them all in the highest regard, even if we don't always take the time for niceties like honorifics and other formalities. If you think we've misunderstood something they said, give us your spin. That's what the comment threads are for; also, setting up a blog for counter-opinions is free and easy. Screaming "Respect" and the like over and over again, isn't helpful, and tells us only that you haven't got an idea in your head. Instead of taking the lazy way out, why don't you show us where we've gone wrong, or offer a new interpretation (as in this post.)
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