In the Jewish Week’s article on mega - philathropist Michael Steinhardt’s rebuke at YU, Gary Rosenblatt reported the following,

The day after the alumni event I spoke with Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, president of the Orthodox Union, who said there was “some truth� to Steinhardt’s thesis, particularly in Orthodox Jews giving less to federation out of a sense that the charity should be doing far more to offset the high cost of Jewish education.

“But the trend [in communal participation] is going in the other direction,� he said, pointing out that a number of Orthodox Jews are increasingly active in secular Jewish organizations, from AIPAC to federations, as both lay and professional leaders.

“More and more people are becoming involved,� Rabbi Weinreb said, “in a giving way, not a taking way.�

Full story.

In a shocking display of trust and confidence, Peres abandoned his Labor party to join Kadima, the new party headed by Sharon. CNN noted that the two men have been friends since the 1950’s, and Sharon has certainly not employed the type of rhetoric that would have prevented Peres from backing him instead of his own party. It seems Sharon made sure not to burn bridges, but rather, kept them standing lest he need someone to cross over to his side one day.

And that day is now here.

I know people who remain dismissive of blogs in their entirety. The argument is that if an article were substantial, if it was worth reading, it would be printed. In perhaps, an alternative weekly the likes of say, the Village Voice.

Which today was approved for merger with the underground upstart, the New York Times.

Hat tip to Gawker.

Full Story.

I a not one generally in favor of destroying Tenements for the sake of progress or development.

But for a Transit Hub, it must be done.

Mordechai Shinefeld’s write-up on the Quiz Show I was in at the Howl Festival in late August is in the current issue of New Voices, the “National Jewish Student Magazine.”

Shinefeld noted the following:

“Discussing the battle with Kelsey after the show I mused about a possible strategy for winning contests like this one. “If you start losing in the beginning,â€? I suggested, “You’ll get the audience on your side and win in the endgame.â€?

“It’s victimology,� Kelsey responded. “We’ll never be able to make it with that perspective.�

“I don’t know,� I replied. “The victims did quite well.�

“You’re still talking about the game,� he waxed. “I’m referring to the world.� Discussing the battle with Kelsey after the show I mused about a possible strategy for winning contests like this one. “If you start losing in the beginning,� I suggested, “You’ll get the audience on your side and win in the endgame.�

Full Story

As we tragically learned in the Boruch Lanner case, the Kiruv world is loathe to fix itself. It is, by nature, a totalitarian movement, consistent with an ‘ends justifies the means’ approach for achieving its goals. That is to say, convincing secular Jews, particularly young ones, to become strictly Orthodox. The more Orthodox, the better. And frequently, the more dysfunctional, the more Orthodox.

Only pressure from outside will effect change, and the fear of bad publicity so acutely present in the Orthodox world.

It is for this reason that I am thrilled with a new blog, Ba’al Tshuvas Anonymous, dedicated to shedding light on the problems faced by Ba’al Tshuvas, as well as the dishonesty employed by kiruv groups and professionals. They have received an endorsement by no less than the now defunct “Godol Hador,” the once leading critical eye of the Orthodox blog world. It appears, from his endorsement, that he recognizes the need of such a critical eye to specifically focus on the Ba’al Tshuva world.

But in order to truly fulfill this mandate, they need to understand that they can’t limit their cricism to the most radical blogs and obvious kiruv sites such as cross-currents and Yaakov Menken (though we are all tempted to take a shot at them from time to time), but must focus on the more powerful insitutions such as Aish HaTorah, and give specific examples, not just general ones.

I have myself taken liberty in outlining misdeeds, and suggested reforms, like here on the Un-Orthodox Jew’s website. But I certainly see a need to consistently shed light on the frequently and intentionally dishonest world of Orthodox Jewish kiruv.

Please make sure to name names and institutions, as well as the destructive socio-economic policies of contempt. There is plenty of chicanery to shed light on and force the frummies to explain their behavior.

Good luck, Rabosai. I have high hopes for your success.

Correction: The BTA referencing of the Godol Hador blogger was in fact, a spoof. My apologies to both the Godol Hador and the BTA blog for my misunderstanding!

Tuesday’s editorial entitled “Highway Robbery” lambasts the proposal for a time sensitive commuter tax. Now, reasonable people can make the argument that additional taxes for greater New York citizens is a bad idea.

But the Sun argues something unreasonable. It blasts public transit, and expresses horror that London’s citizen have been “forced” into using it. It attempts to discredit public transportation by simply noting that it is “socialist.” Remarkably, for a Jewish neocon newspaper that should seek a lesser reliancy on Arab oil and not a greater one, their answer is the same trickle down ‘one tax cut fits all’ solution for this problem as it does for many problems.

The Sun writes that,

“The better way to go about this would be to reduce taxes at the top margin in the city, which would provide incentives to growth and expand the city’s revenues, enabling it to improve its intrastructure so that driving and parking wouldn’t be so difficult for those for whom, like so many of us, time is money.”

The Sun fought against Proposition #2, and constantly advocates privatizing the subway, a horrible idea, as it doesn’t allow for subsidies, which the system deserves, as people who don’t use should still pay for it to some degree, as they benefit from less traffic and less pollution. The Sun is as consistently irresponsible in transit solutions as it is in proposed projects to spread democracy in the Middle East.

Of course, in the Middle East, the Sun is more inclined to allow for eminent domain.

I live in a diverse neighborhood. Unlike some, (many of whom don’t actually intend on living in a diverse neighborhood themselves, at least not once they’re married, but approve of other whites of more modest economic means living in one) I don’t see a value in this for others. It’s my preference, my meshegas. But not because I’m a nice guy who loves everybody and gets all idealistic and thinks I’m part of some grand rainbow coalition because the Puerto Rican guys playing dominos sort of nod at me when I pass them on my way into the Middle Eastern bodega. Sure, they’re better than the yuppies, but I don’t really like most people. I don’t care that much that we’re cool. Okay, maybe I care a little, but I just hate ghettos. All of them. I lived in a Jewish one. More than one Jewish one. Briefly. I felt I was under sheitel rule. But the main reason I like living in a diverse neighborhood is because the “diverse” factor is (in New York)directly related to cost of rent and the amount of ninety-nine cent stores and other cheap affordable stuff, something which many Jews can appreciate I personally prefer.

But I don’t mind if white people move into a neighborhood. That’s a totally rediculous platform to espouse. After all, when is it that a neighborhood that once was white, but many of them left, no longer allowed to have new whites move in? Who came up with that nonsense? Harlem was the third largest Jewish neighborhood in world in the early 20th century. So now they shouldn’t be allowed to move there? Let them move there! There’s still a great synagogue in Harlem, the Old Broadway Shul. It’s been around since 1923, and they could use more members.

So I am all for white people living where they want. Even in my building, cause I’m open minded like that.

But…no college kids. ESPECIALLY rich and spoiled ivy league kids. They just don’t SHUT UP. They scream and whoop it up until 3am, on any given night. Worse…much worse…they sing. They sing RENT. I (now) hate RENT.

Sung to the tune of RENT’s anthem:

Another time

Another place

Sing ’bout the poor

Like they’re your class or space

You’re from the ‘burbs

And merely passing through

with no respect

And that’s why I hate youuuuuuuuu

CHORUS

Some of us work.

You brats are creeps.

Please shut up nooooow….So I can get some sleep.

Go here.

Gothamist is bemoaning the massive disturbance to subway riders this weekend because of repairs. “18 out of the 19 major lines were mussed with leaving only the lonely M untouched.”

But what Gothamist doesn’t ask, and they should, is why all at once? Why not spread it out all last month?

I suggest the following possibility. Much needed repairs and upgrades were kept to a relative minimum until after the election. Because unlike the mayoral election, passage of Proposition #2 was not seen as a given, and service disruption could remind voters that the building of a new subway and East Side access for L.I.R.R. commuters would take a significant toll in terms of temporary inconvenience. So the M.T.A., who very much wanted Prop #2 to pass, waited until after the election to push ahead full throttle.

It was a smart strategy.