Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Crossing a red line, crossing the Atlantic

For the most part, the frum News media, mainly the print media papers and magazines in the US made little or no mention of the goings on in the Torah community in Eretz Yisrael. Its seen either as a localized issue that has to do with the Israeli municipal elections and its aftermath. Or, as a issue to big for us to be involved in.  We feel that its not our place to get involved in a machlokes among Gedolim on how to best approach the gezeirah of Giyus bnei hayeshivos. whatever the reason the general feeling is not to report on it and bring it across the Atlantic  to the US.

 Despite the efforts and pressure by certain individuals to spread it here to the Yeshiva community, It has for the most part been kept away. American Roshei Yeshiva have made sure to keep it out of the yeshiva world here in the states and  not to let it spread to these shores.


That was until Mishpacha Magazine published a full editorial HERE  "How the red line was crossed" 
"In our bleakest dreams, we never imagined the devastation within our community would be so profound. But what happened last Wednesday morning after Israel’s municipal elections was worse than anything we ever expected to see; holy barriers were breached, a clear warning sign for us to brake, stop, and reflect. It’s time for us to make a thorough, exhaustive moral inventory, and to be brutally honest in our conclusions."
The article goes on to blame the editor of a competing newspaper in Israel for inciting and instigating the current atmosphere in Eretz Yisrael. The writer quotes- "This past year, he crossed all red lines with a series of slanderous pashkevilim and pamphlets, reaching a nadir that has never been seen in the history of disputes between the gedolei hador".  (Mishpacha may have its own rabbinical board,)

 Until we hear differently from the Gedolim in America, I believe the bnei Torah here wish to remain out of this and not take sides among something that is beyond them. They don't want to get dragged in by any side they don't feel comfortable talking about gedolei hador nor do they feel comfortable with throwing yongeleit out of kollelim. As a matter of fact it appears a delegation of American Roshei yeshiva will be heading soon to EY to mediate and bring Shalom back to the koslei bais hamedrash.

9 comments:

  1. I was quite shocked to see them name the "offender" in print. That is perhaps crossing the line.

    Also, it seems that the agenda driven "frum" websites are being blinded by $$$$ or personal bias in choosing which stories to print and which elected officials to support or besmirch.

    In the Flatbush race, they have chosen to post a story about how the some Sefardic voters have chosen to support Storobin over the Frum candidate Chaim Deutch. Appalling.

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  2. This whole argument sounds childish; THAT's why people are so bothered. This isn't the way that supposedly intelligent people utterly steeped in Torah and Torah's beneficent wisdom are supposed to act.

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  3. It looks to me like the guy who wrote that article has his own history behind it.

    But in general, he who doesn't learn from history is doomed to repeat it. Anyone who looks away from what went on in EY will lose out on valuable lessons which can be learned, as to what the outcomes are from certain approaches to things. Mah ra'u al kacha umah higiya aleihem.

    I can understand that it's not worth making a public issue about this. It has the potential to harm the frum community in America the same way it has harmed the frum community in EY, even without any tangible reason to fight about it.

    But it's not worth ignoring it either.

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  4. With all due respect to you, Mishpacha magazine doesn't give a hoot what you think. They do what they want.

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    1. Actually, they do care, as one false move and they're banned, if they haven't been banned already.

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  5. The reason the North American "frum" press isn't reporting on Eretz Yisrael is because, if they want to stay away from sheker and loshon horo, there is nothing positive to report about the recent elections and how the frum campaigns were conducted.

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  6. let us hear about these Roshei Yeshiva. They always tell us that authentic Torah is only in EY. This is even though Reb Moshe Feinshtein lived here, and there is no reason to believe that Rav Shteinman is a bigger Talmid Chochom than R' Dovid Feinstein or R' Elya Ber. We do not have to accept that R' Chaim Kaniyevsky knows more than R' Isser Wolfson zt"l, but Mofeis hador can only belong to someone in the middle east. Let America show that true Torah values are to be found here and Israel can learn from us how to act and learn.

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    1. This is not a measuring game. We can not measure One gadol against the other, we have to be maamin Dor Dor Vedorshav.

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    2. I like you. you're silly.

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