Letter From Dark Light

Chaim Salenger writes in from the Dark Light (Ohr Somayach) to complain about my post discussing an essay by an Ohr Somayach rabbi who wrote that haredi music is “preferable” to classical music. When I knew him, Chaim was one of the most liberal–or at least, normal– staff members at Dark Light, and it is nice to hear from him.

Chaim writes,

Actually David, you are dead wrong about this one. OS is not a thing—it is a collection of people. And myself and many others here (staff, I mean) do love classical music and highly recommend it to the students. You were here many years ago and clearly have an ax to grind, but if you fancy yourself as a journalist then the no.#1 rule of journalism is, get your facts straight. You haven’t been here for how long? Over 20 years? If you’re going to write intelligently about OS you need to know what you’re talking about.
I always liked you David. and I’m sorry to see you so filled with bitterness about the frum world. I’ve read your blogs and you make some good points, but also some ridiculus ones, like saying that classical music is the greatest musical threat to haredim. The fact that there is brilliance in western civilization is no threat. Torah judaism never attempted to produce their own Beethoven, so there is no threat at all. And doesn’t the Talmud say that goyim have chochmah. And classical music is chochmah. So where’s the threat? Answer–there isn’t any.

But I never claimed that classical music was “the greatest musical threat to haredim.” I said that Dark Light viewed Haredi music as PREFERABLE to classical music. Never the less, as you noted, this is not true of all Dark Light rabbis. Therefore, I have updated the post to read, “Why Dark Light Rabbi Prefers ‘Jewish’ Music.” Because your point is fair. This is not true of all Dark Light rabbis.

But you know what? It was printed on Ohr Somayach’s site, Chaim. OS published an essay declaring that classical music is “preferable” to haredi music, offering a nod to those haredim who believe that, “classical music can contain the negative spiritual genes of its composers.”

And that, Chaim, is worth ridiculing. It makes no sense. Like a lot of the viewpoints that many Ohr Somayach faculty have and those that they espouse. Not just twenty years ago, Chaim. I draw from recent documents, and from recent declarations. So let’s be honest, Chaim. It is just as insane as it was 20-years ago. In fact, if anything, it has gotten significantly worse. Even black hatters note how Ohr Somayach has moved “to the right” over the years.

You may be a nice and normal person, Chaim. But the institution you work for is radical, creepy, and just plain bats. Frankly, I don’t understand why you stayed there. The place is an asylum hell-bent on creating mental patients.

You’re right – I haven’t been there in many years. Why are you still there, Chaim? R. Weinbach is a raging haredi lunatic. The fish stinks from the head, no matter what side dishes it is occasionally served with.