I really can’t stand hypersensitivity to antisemitism. Maybe it’s because I’m self-hating, maybe it’s because I’m not a Conservative rabbi, or maybe it’s because I’m not a fundraising whore like Abe Foxman. I really can’t be sure.

The ADL writes,

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, issued the following statement:

One can only wonder what motivated Judith Regan to make a Jewish issue out of her dispute with the News Corporation’s HarperCollins.

Yes, one could wonder. One could scratch one’s head in sorrow and sadness that bigotry continues to raise its ugly head even in the most prestigious and intellectual of industries, and see exactly why the ADL is so very important to the Jewish community and why this canard is proof that we need to redouble our efforts to teach tolerance in the hopes that one day such horrible incidents will finally cease to exist on such a frequent and troubling level. In the meantime, one can wonder. OR one can pause for a moment and note that the reason Ms. Regan pointed out the “Jewish issue� of her opponents was because the most powerful ones are, in fact, apparently Jews. That, juxtaposed with the fact that Regan is a nightmare bitch of the first order who would make her opponents red socks an issue (if that’s what she determined was at her disposal for hurling insults and abuse) might possibly make one wonder just a bit less.

Let us be clear. Regan is a bitch. Not an antisemite. And quite frankly, there should be a lot more defense agencies in the world against scary bitches like Regan. But this is simply not the mandate of the ADL as it is not an issue of antisemitism.

As Alana Newhouse wrote in the Forward,

The problem with this storyline is that, among the many charges that have been leveled against Regan — including but not limited to being a manipulator, a tormentor of employees and a legendary narcissist — antisemitism is the least supportable. Indeed, if observers and former employees are to be believed, it might be one of the few transgressions of which she is not guilty…If a brief scan of Regan’s greatest hits is any indication, her repertoire of verbal insults brims with stereotyping of all kinds, with nearly every group caught in the crosshairs of her equal-opportunity offending at one time or another. When viewed in the broader context of her personality, it seems obvious that these comments are driven not by authentic prejudice but by a need to provoke and offend.

Regan may be a witch. But her alleged comments are not grounds for a witch hunt.

I don’t usually attack Chabad. I leave that stuff to this dude. But they are making a push for a certain historic Left-Wing Modern Orthodox (LWMO) synagogue, as they have for other historic LWMO synagogues.

There are only a few LWMO synagogues in existence, and they are precious. These are sanctuaries of traditional Judaism, not platforms for aggressive kiruv. All have been targeted by Chabad in one way or another. Let me be clear – with all due respect – your advances are not appreciated.

These shuls are special, and desperately needed. They are the remnant of traditional Judaism, before the haredim came, before the Conservative Movement wreaked havoc on Eastern European Jewry, and before the Modern Orthodox began their long march right. Some of them (the LWMO synagogues, not the right-wing Modern Orthodox who do little for anyone outside of the Zionist Entity, and of course, kiruv, like all frummies) do wonderful work, such as hosting the only kosher soup kitchen in Manhattan at the Chelsea Shul. Who else is going to do that? The right-wing Modern Orthodox? The “post-denominational� minayanim? Please – many at these institutions have no personal concern or even a concept of poverty in the Jewish community.

These LWMO shuls must be respected. These should not be treated as soft targets for takeover. These are fine synagogues. Good synagogues. The best. They don’t need any frumming up.

They don’t need any straightening out.

Sometimes I get sick of the usual “let’s go out for drinks!” to celebate this or that achievement or accomplishment. Especially with work friends. I don’t want a company party. I would rather celebrate while at work. Like those dudes in Turkey did. They closed the deal, they offered a camel as a sacrifice, and then they ate the meat. While at work! And I call that…a corporate sponsored lunch.

Now doesn’t that knock off the socks of having to spend an extra hour and a half with Larry from operations when 6pm finally arrives?

Rabbi Nota Schiller, a Rosh Yeshiva at Ohr Somayach, turns a lie into a moral lesson. In “Greeks vs. Torah,� Rabbi Schiller notes,

Historically, at Chanukah, the Jews warred with the Greeks, yet there is no megillah, no written work chronicling that battle. Why? Because it is a story that must be transmitted orally, for at the center of this battle was the Greeks’ attempt to destroy the Oral Torah.

In fact, there is a “written work chronicling that battle,� but it wasn’t included in our canon.

But it survived. In the Greek. It’s called Macabees I and II. And Rabbi Schiller is pretending he doesn’t even know about it.

Update: Failed Messiah weighs in with feigned shock and genuine outrage.

This is where it ends. This is its logical conclusion. Kissing your master before he blows your people to smithereens. Applauding him as he assures you your coreligionists will soon be destroyed in a new genocide. Because they are no longer your coreligionists. You truly no longer see them as Jews like you. You believe your insanity, that they are dibbuks and monsters. Part of a foreign element, a “great multitude,” or however you explain it.

Judaism’s fundamentalists are not just similar in some theoretical way to Islam’s fundamentalists. They are publicly making out. They can’t keep their hands off each other.

There is such a thing as too frum.

Unless it means something else. Something far more thought out and perhaps more chilling.

For those of us who are listening to Holocaust deniers carefully, and not just as an excuse to build yet another museum, we know that Holocaust denial is frequently not really a call for clearer documentation of the Holocaust, but rather, a call for another Holocaust. This is clearly Ahmadinejad’s message, as he seeks nuclear arms.

But he appears to be intentionally bundling his threat to the Jewish state today with an offer of peaceful dismantlement.

Iran Daily reports,

“We recommend the western countries to prepare the grounds for dismantling the Zionist regime as they themselves have established it,� he [Ahmadinejad] said.

Noting that the dismantling of the Zionist regime by the West will be beneficial for international peace, he expressed hope that supporters of the Zionist regime will eventually give a positive response to his proposal. Ahmadinejad pointed out that international problems can be resolved in a friendly and rational manner and in a tranquil manner. “We should help bring about real peace by adopting humanistic methods,“ he said.

Neturei Karta has long been rumored to have ties to the general, non-Zionist haredi community, and has been known to intercede on their behalf. Perhaps they are also seeking to strengthen ties to this regime because they see the writing on the wall, and hope when the time comes, they will be able to act as brokers, and preempt a nuclear destruction of the Jewish state with a peaceful dismantling of it, when Iran’s in a position to make such an ultimatum either directly or indirectly. Perhaps they don’t believe they will succeed, but at least want to attempt to do so, allowing more time to save lives through emigration by facilitating an Iranian attempt at a diplomatic solution before nuking the Jewish state.

I am trying to understand Neturei Karta’s thinking, and would like to believe they see this as something more than simply hatred in their unjustifiable collaboration with the enemy.

Photograph courtesy of Failed Messiah.

Dear Secular Jewish Parents,

We know you people are probably just getting your Chanukah Bush all set up, but we just wanted to remind you of our great, fun filled summer trips for teens like yours! Like Kollel. Because nothing says “Modernâ€? Orthodoxy and a quality secular education quite like “Kollel” does. And you don’t have to come from a yeshiva background to be part of our Kollel program. Jews at a beginner level and from a public school background are absolutely welcome to join Kollel, and we assure you they will get a lot of Hashkafa while there. Haskafa means haredi indoctrination outlook. You know, Jewish philosophy. Fun, educational stuff! And lots of sports, too (for now).

For those secular Jewish parents who may not have any idea what “Kollel� implies, don’t worry. It’s like, Hebrew for a community of scholars. Scholarship is good, right? So what could be wrong?

NCSY: Putting the ‘fun’ back into fundamentalism.

In “Lenny Bruce is spinning in his grave,� Michael of Jewlicious pens a scathing and brilliant essay (for a change) on why Big Aish (an OU/NCSY partner in “outreach�) is fundamentalist, deceptive, and tricky, and why their much promoted humor site Jewlarious is the lamest attempt at comedy since “Weekend at Bernie’s II.�

Jewlarious, nebach, just isn’t funny. The only funny thing they wrote on Jewlarious was their essay on why Cohen’s “Borat� wasn’t great satire because it wasn’t as effective as the single greatest satirical film of the 20th century. Now that was funny. That was really funny. Unfortunately, much like their Kabbalah 101 section, it wasn’t meant to be, so it doesn’t count.

Michael explains why Aish can’t be funny.

The best Jewish humor stands up and boldly laughs in the face of tragedy, oppression, blood and God himself. Naturally, however, this proud tradition of gallows humor does not provide the best medium for scouring out the brains of young, spiritually-seeking Jews. It’s hard to offer up curdlingly cynical Yiddish gems like, “If God lived on Earth, people would break his windows� when your organization is investing its energy in promoting the fiction that before the Jews arrived in the trayfeh medina, everybody lived a blissful existence of Charedi piety and child-raising in the Old Country (which is of course what God wants from us all).

Michael is all of twenty-one. He writes for Jewlicious, and also has a personal blog with a non-Jewish friend as well. Many of us in the J-blogosphere are watching this wunderkind in amazement, wondering what he will do with his life, how high he will go, and hoping he will still make time for us when he gets there.

Pressuring Teens to “Just Say No” to Secular Colleges

In his essay “Poison Ivy,� Paul S. Glasser, the former National Executive Director of NCSY outlined a policy justifying and advocating NCSY taking a hard stance against full-time attendance at all colleges outside of those few Orthodox Jewish colleges with a dual curriculum even after a year of study at a yeshiva and seminary, and condemned students planning to attenda regular universities as placing themselves “at risk� because of “the totality of a secular environment, or even an Ivy League school.�

The pragmatic difference between NCSY and left-wing ultra-Orthodox institutions is therefore quite narrow, with few additional choices compared to those full-fledged American yeshivas which do allow part-time college studies for the sole purpose of “parnassa,� or livelihood. In fact, the only additional options allowed by this Right-Wing Modern Orthodox policy are full time attendance at Yeshiva/Stern College or Touro College.

Perhaps more disturbing is Glasser’s specific rejection of the educational values famously treasured by Jewish parents. Glasser appeals to NCSY teenagers to reject the “pressures� of their parents, which he acknowledges they worked so hard to instill, and to insist on declining the opportunity afforded by the best schools in the nation, even those who have made every effort to make their Orthodox Jewish students comfortable. He suggests that it is against halacha (Jewish law) for them to go, even though Modern Orthodox Jews are well represented at many of these schools, explaining,

Finally a note on perhaps the most difficult decision of all. If you are extremely bright and have parents who have waited to see you enter an Ivy League school, you are put under the most intense pressure. I fully realize the academic and career potential in an Ivy League University experience. I am also well aware of the many ways which these schools make Orthodox students feel comfortable. However it is critical to realize that the dormitory environment, pressure to “fit in� still create tremendous conflicts for the Torah observant young adult. Non-observant or even non-Jewish roommates may be the order of the day, not to mention late-night study groups in the dorm where it is hard to maintain distances from the pressures of social challenges contrary to halacha which initially seem harmless but can possibly blossom into problematic relationships.

Now, this essay was written a few years ago, by a man no longer the national executive director of NCSY. Additionally, it is dubious that most NCSY teenagers read, never mind heed, this essay. So why is it so important?

“Poison Ivy� is important because it outlines NCSY policy. NCSY teenagers may not read or heed this essay, but NCSY directors and advisors certainly do.
This essay is a selection in NCSY’s “Education Guide,� which outlines which yeshivas NCSY Directors and Advisor should guide their teenagers for study in Israel (50% of NCSY members study in an Israeli yeshiva immediately following high school), and where NCSY alumni attendance should be discouraged upon their return, which is to say, almost every college in America outside of those offering a dual curriculum. It is because of NCSY pressure that more than one out of four (28%) NCSY alumni from public school backgrounds attend religious colleges instead of regular schools.

This NCSY policy is corroborated as well by “Faithful Youth,� a study on the effects of NCSY on its alumni, a study from which the organization touts select findings. One study finding you won’t find touted by NCSY is that

“A number of alumi/ae noted that NCSY staff did try to influence them to attend these (Stern, Yeshiva, or Touro) Jewish colleges.�

While we can’t conclude if NCSY’s preference for alumni attending Touro College instead of Harvard or other “Poison Ivy’s” is responsible for this problem, the study does note that,

“NCSY men tend to have higher education levels than their fathers, this is not the case with respect to occupation. Rather, the occupations of their fathers tend to either outrank or parallel those of their alumni sons.�

Secular Jewish parents need to understand that although NCSY successfully promotes endogamy, religious commitment and Jewish identity, the organization is not content to prevent “at risk� behavior as many secular Jewish parents may see it. NCSY is not just advocating Jewish teens to “just say no� to drugs, or to restrict dating patterns to other Jews. It is NCSY policy to encourage secular Jewish teens to “just say no� to the best schools and the opportunity they afford. There are good reasons why Orthodox Jews, even some Modern Orthodox Jews, will be concerned about the deleterious risks and effects secular campus life have on the observance level of an Orthodox Jewish college student. But there also good reasons why secular Jewish parents may want their children to never the less go to such places instead of ultra-Orthodox yeshivas and seminaries (for secular Jews, not for their own) and the dual curriculum schools NCSY is promoting as the preferable options.

Secular Jewish parents should at least be aware of this NCSY policy, and decide if a greater than one out of four risk is acceptable or not for their teenager.

Well, it was quite a week, and overall, a pretty darned interesting one, even if I haven’t even picked out my pole for Festivus yet. But there was a lot of love, a lot of sharing, and no shortage of prayer haters.

We found out that a blogger can beat the Agudah.

We cheered as Andrew Krucoff, formerly a Big Aish poster boy, rebuffed the advances of Big Aish Passaic, and that he thinks I make “some good pointsâ€? in my criticism of Big Aish, and he even wants to have shabbos dinner with me to talk about it. I would really like that, and will direct him to some great Orthodox Jewish institutions that offer traditional Judaism without the creepy fundamentalism of Big Aish.

We found out that that when you delink someone because of his feigned respect for Jews for Jesus, feelings are hurt.

I now have another Orthodox Anarchist in my circle. I am not seeking a third.

We found out that Dark Light is deceptively using Holocaustism and Hillel as partners for recruitment.

We found out that NCSY doesn’t love me.

We found out that the JTS knows how to punt.

We found out that black nail polish is okay for men, provided it is l’cavod shabbos kodesh, and it’s a chick’s idea.

Tomorrow, we will understand that a specific NCSY policy for secular Jewry is pragmatically all too similar to haredi policy. Since they don’t want to mislead anyone, least of all secular Jewish parents, they won’t mind at all that I explain this policy.

Update: No less than Rabbi Gil Student credits UOJ for his role with Kolko. See comments section opposing The Canonist’s unfortunate evaluation of UOJ’s role.

Ohr Somayach, a fundamentalist international organization that seeks to bring secular Jews into unmitigated haredism, is beginning to implement an aggressive recruitment strategy of college students on their campuses, and has already begun successfully doing so in Chicago. Shockingly, some chapters of Hillel in Chicago appear to be helping them. It’s organization, “JET,” does not acknowledge its relationship with Ohr Somayach in any way on its website except to note that Rabbi Kahn studied there, but manipulatively uses a Holocaust project, “60 Days for 6 million,” as a way to appear mainstream, and secure endorsements from secular leaders and Federation media who are suckers for this type of bait.

In their newsletter, Ohr Somayach boasts,

Rabbi Kahn consulted with Rav Mendel Weinbach, the Rosh Yeshiva of Ohr Somayach in Eretz Yisrael.Rav Weinbach encouraged Rabbi Kahn to set up his own organization – he even helped him come up with a name – and so JET, the Jewish Education Team, was started. Initially funding came from the Maimonides Leaders’ Fellowship Foundation. Now on his own, Rabbi Kahn received seed money from the Wolfson family, and did some private fund-raising.
Chicago is different from most other cities with colleges in that there are many campuses all over the city, with varying sizes of Jewish populations, and each with a different student culture. Rabbi Kahn has been able to establish a good working relationship with many of the Hillel branches. They actually offer him space for the class to meet, as well as advertise the program in their e-mails to students.

They actually should not be offering them a damned thing! They should be on Hillel’s missionary list! Where the hell is NJOP? NJOP!!!!! Get your ass over to Chicago!

The program is open to any student, not just the students of the campus it is based on [ed. note: Oh aren't you soooo inclusive.]. JET runs programs at Loyola, Northwestern University, DePaul University and the University of Illinois at Chicago. In addition, students from 10 other schools, including the Illinois Institute of Technology, Columbia College and Truman College attend programs.

If any of you readers are out there, please inform Hillel leaders in Chicago and elsewhere that “JET� is not an merely “Orthodox,� it is Ohr Somayach, the Dark Light itself, and fundamentalist to the core. Please keep in eye out for “JET,� and let everyone know who Ohr Somayach is, and the fundamentalism they preach once in their full-time institutions. There is no way in hell these guys should be allowed on campus.

The goal of this is to recruit to Ohr Somayach’s full-time furnace of misery in Jerusalem. As Ohr Somayach notes at the beginning of their newsletter, Rabbi Kahn, the leader of “JETâ€? is going “to bring a nice sized group to Ohr Somayach for the upcoming JLE.”

JLE is a winter and summer program that “introduces” students to “Judaic studies” through discounted rates where they get to enjoy “tours,” but are also encouraged to eventually drop out of college take a summer and then a year (or seven) off and learn full-time and discover the joys of poverty and nepotism rampant in fundamentalist B’nai Torah enclaves.

Tell Hillel not to facilitate student recruitment to Ohr Somayach. Don’t learn from NCSY! Dark Light is so notoriously bad that even Left-Wing ultra-Orthodox Aish HaTorah defenders desperate to find some way Aish is redeemable will invoke Dark Light for comparison, noting, “Well, at least Aish isn’t as extreme as Ohr Somyach!”

Great. And O.S. isn’t as bad as the Taliban! Shkoyach! Way to set the bar high. Now get them the hell off campus! Tell Michelle Maer that we don’t need to help such people. With her background, Ms. Maer should know this organization is highly problematic, both in its extremist outlook, and and its deceptive practices, like at Chicago’s Hillels. She may not be aware of what is going on, or who these guys are. Please tell her this is unacceptable, and that Ohr Somayach is bragging that many of the Hillels in Chicago are “actually” helping them recruit students to fundamentalism under the guise of “Orthodox.”