From Bad to Worse, Way Worse

(Sorry, not the final post on the hot topic at hand)

I'm going to make a prediction that ideas have consequences. The day will come (i.e. watch your mailboxes) where someone opens a "long overdue" tzedakah to provide "free" plastic surgery to 24 + year old, perfectly healthy girls who haven't yet married. Throw money at it is always the name of the game. Of course, the defenders will defend the solution "if it just helps one single. . . . . . "

One surgeon alone, based on the recommendations of shadchanim who feel their clients aren't marketable, will not be able to provide enough pro-bono surgery to "plain" girls who are in need of surgery, and it is unlikely that others will step up to this (potentially career ending) plate. So, a tzedakah will be commissioned. Those who "can afford" will drain funds affording. Those who can't quite afford will borrow. And some hachnasat kallah fund will be opened up for the rest.

Rabbinic leaders: now is the time to open up a blog about culture, pen a letter, and do so q-u-i-c-k-l-y. This is a halachic issue (the doc claims he will only work with those who come with refernces from shadchanim and Rabbis). This is an issue of culture. This is the yellow brick road to accepting eugenics, etc and changing the nation of the klal forever.

You think I'm exaggerating. . . . the doctor is drumming up quite a bit of support over at VIN.

On the subject of post-marriage (once the flowers have wilted and the enhancements have been eclipsed the effects of age and motherhood), check out this comment:

What about the ladies like myself who are having major marriage problems because of weight issues from having children. I had some c-sections and if I had a tummy tuck and lipo my husband might give me a chance. If only these guys would go into marriage loving their wives for who they are instead of their looks only and realize that things change, maybe I wouldn't be in this situation. I would take that surgery for free any day...

Spending What on What?!?!

Hat Tip: Haemtza

From the 5 Towns Jewish Times: File this under Money Ain't A Thing/Baal Tashichit/Obscene

I thought this was Purim Torah and I was enjoying a chuckle until I realized the article was dead serious. The Agudah is spending a quarter of a mil on a stadium mechitza to be used for a single night. Read on [emphasis mine]:

Fresh off the exciting Super Bowl win of one of its tenants, MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, NJ, can expect increased revenue next year. However, in this challenging economy, no opportunity to develop a new source of revenue should be overlooked. The stadium found just the source it was looking for: Orthodox Jews.

Our community has unique cultural and religious requirements, so MetLife Stadium worked hand-in-hand with Agudath Israel of America to accommodate religious fans. A major breakthrough has been announced: MetLife Stadium will build a mechitzah across the entire stadium to accommodate separate seating for men and women. The mechitzah will run through all seating levels. The result: over 20,000 seats available for a women’s section.

This will mark the first time in United States history that a mechitzah of this magnitude will be built. Negotiations to build this mechitzah could not have been easy. Flimsy movable partitions are not an option when public safety is involved. This will be a solidly installed mechitzah which will be supported by beams that are drilled into the stadium’s new concrete walls. The mechitzah construction carries a price tag of no less than a quarter of a million dollars.
Will women now be able to perform “the wave” at sports events with complete privacy? Unfortunately, current plans call for the mechitzah to be dismantled after the Siyum HaShas in August. Currently, the plans are to return the stadium to the same condition it was in before the mechitzah was installed. (But maybe MetLife Stadium will alter its plans after witnessing the tremendous kiddush Hashem.) Repairing the holes in the concrete is one reason why the mechitzah carries such a high price tag.

One can debate whether a mechitzah is actually necessary at this event. Yet, to encourage all segments of the Orthodox population to attend, there is no question that having a mechitzah is important.

If I wasn't convinced before, I am now that "we" have lost our minds. And the irony can't be missed re: the dedication. “This siyum, like others before it, will honor the memory of the six million kedoshim who perished in the fires of Churban Europe. It will be a powerful testament to the eternity of Torah and the idea that it alone can preserve our past and ensure our future.”

I'd suggest organizations stop flushing money down the toilet or there won't be any kemach to preserve Torah. This is the definition of spending like a drunken solider.

(Oh, as per the Agudah's psak your ticket, priced from $18 to $1000 is tax deductible: "Regarding a tax deduction for attending the siyum, the tax experts at Agudath Israel have advised the community that purchasing seats to attend a religious siyum ceremony is no different than purchasing a High Holy Day seat in a synagogue. You may take the ticket price as a tax deduction, but not the food purchased at concession stands." I won't comment, but consult your own tax advisor.)

Lakewood Sensibilities or just plain Sensible?

Chaim of Divrei Chaim writes about a chessed dinner put on through the school (which is is generally pleased with) in which the young teenage girls enjoy a banquet a bid on prizes including things like a manicure, shopping trip to Woodbury Commons, or Shabbos in New Square which starts at $100 per person (take from the comments). Such an event brought him to the passuk "love kindness and walk modestly with your G-d" as being not two values, but a relationship of values. The way of chessed is through modesty (and by that the Navi isn't speaking of clothing measurements alone).

Every once in a while a Orthodox leader or Rabbi decries America materialism, mostly in relationship to the tuition crisis (subject of an upcoming post), yet few seem to blink an eye when schools put on this type of event or go on day trips that many families wouldn't even consider going on themselves. The idea of putting teenagers into a group setting to bid for prizes, prizes that introduce greater luxuries or require more cash outlay, are particularly distasteful to me.

Perhaps adults "need" carrots to guide their giving and make it "palatable" or to attract more attention in the marketplace, but do we need this for children? If we really want to tackle rampant materialism and entitlement (and such come up as regular subjects), the place to start is with some basic sensible chinuch. My 13 year old has no business taking her ma'aser money and bidding on a manicure in order to make a simple donation. . . . and for that matter, I don't need to so either!

A commentator b writes "In December of '05, the BMG Ladies Auxiliary sent out a Chinese Auction booklet that offered prizes that were, by Lakewood standards, extravagant. Rabbi Kotler soon retracted the booklet and issued an apology. Chaim, you have the sensibilities of a Lakewood Yeshiva person. For the rest of us, the reality is that this is a good and efficient way to raise money."

Well, label me a "Lakewood Yeshiva person" if you may, but one need not live in Lakewood or even have a yeshiva education to say, "what in the world is going on here?". I'd label the questioning/opposition as just plain sensible! And I think that "we" are making a major mistake in chinuch with the notion that there need to be a prize for everything.

(On a related note, Jewish schools have a very broad socio-economic spectrum and relatively small numbers of students. I think it important to keep that in mind when planning school related events. A mother-daughter tea at $36+ babysitting if necessary, ski trips, graduation trips, etc all add up and parents of teenagers tell me they can spend upwards of $1000 on the extras in a year.)

Of course, a yashar koach to Chaim B's daughter who was able to ask questions when seeing the event.

A Tribute? "I Wondered Whether This Was the End of His Generosity to Me"

Jewish Worker comments on a Hamodia story on the passing of a tzadik and a troubling aspect highlighted therein, the departure from what is written so clearly in birchat hamazon: please do not make us dependent upon the gifts or loans of flesh and blood.

Yet here the story of a generous tzadik who provided money for those who could not afford tefillin for a Bar Mitzvah is retold by his chavruta as follows:

"When Reb Shlomo oldest son was approaching Bar Mitzva Reb Shlomo had no money to buy him tefillin. A few months before the Bar Mitzva Reb Nosson gave him an envelope full of cash, enough to buy the best teffilin.

The next year was his second son's bar mitzva and again he had no money for tefilin. "I had no idea whether Reb Nosson's generosity would repeat itself this time around and with little alternative I waited to see what would happen. And in fact a few months before the bar mitzva the same scenario reoccurred. The story repeated itself four more times."

When my fifth son's bar mitzva was approaching Reb Nosson had already taken ill and hardly came to Yeshiva. I wondered whether this was the end of his generosity to me. After all out of sight means out of mind, didn't it?

Well it didn't. . . "

There is something particularly off putting not just of the expectation to receive tzedakah, but of focusing on whether or not the tzedakah would repeat itself while a man lays on his death bed.

Sometimes I wonder how some things get across the editor's desk. This hardly seems a tribute to the man who has passed on. And the person telling his story. . . . well, would you want to tell this story about yourself?

Tzedakah Watch: No Longer Guaranteed

The newest advertisement from Hidabroot reads "How to Almost GUARANTEE Yourself a Good Year". Is someone reading my posts (see the guarantee for good children for only $12 per month)? I will consider this an improvement. Much more, uh, Jewish, but a lot less enticing. If only I could buy those good children guaranteed. . . . .my work-in-progress children seem far more costly and there seem to be no guarantees.

GOOD CHILDREN for only $12 a month

This. . . an email received from the Onlysimchas/Hidabroot (yes, my former policy of hints on this type of post is up. From now on, when I note a troubling trend in tzedakah and bring an example, I will just print). For only $12 a month you can buy good children GUARANTEED, by Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky himself. And, if you give your tzedakah/raffle/gambling dollars to this cause, you might be lucky enough to land $20K in cash and a Jerusalem penthouse to boot. Woot woot.

Text follows in its exact form. This is so outrageous. How can we return to the normative of teshuva, tefillah, tzedakah?

NEW!

GOOD CHILDREN

Now Only $12 a month*

GUARANTEED

* You May Also Get a Luxurious Penthouse
Apartment in Jerusalem Plus $20,000 to boot!

It’s Not a Joke.

It takes as little as $12 a month for the guarantee of being spared tza’ar gidul bonim to apply to you with the guarantor being HaRav Hagaon Rav Chaim Kanievsky Shlit”a.

Here’s why he made this kind of outrageous promise:.

Imagine it was a mitzvah to watch TV.

What was unimaginable only a few years ago is a living fact today: Inside the sea of filth and sheer idiocy there’s an island of honest-to-
goodness Yiddishkeit on television in Israel. What’s more, it’s available 24 hours a day.

How that happened is a story in itself.:

A little while ago, with the proliferation of cable channels, an obscure law was passed that obliged cable companies to designate a small percentage of air time to “community-oriented material.” That was the “crack in the dam” we needed.

After some difficult negotiations Hidabroot was let in. Of course we were severely warned against “proselytizing” secular Israelis to Yiddishkeit, “heaven forbid” … The mandate was limited to “show interesting stuff” about Judaism without ever trying to “convert” - or else!

Ah, but there was something they forgot!

They forgot that Yiddishe neshomas and Torah are one entity. Jews, secular or otherwise, are still Jews. The hidden spark inside the Jewish soul is so
powerful that Israelis needed no prompting to search further for their roots. All we needed to do was give them good, interesting programming about Judaism,
wrapped in modern terms. That’s all.

And so we gave it to them: Lectures
about gilgouley neshamos (incarnations) … how Kabbalah and science see the first days of בראשית… proof of life after death … the mysteries of
speech … the explosive power of thought according to Judaism … the secret meaning of Hebrew letters … astonishing demonstrations of Bible Code in
action,explain by a university professor of mathematics … plus lots more.

“It’s the highest- quality programming on television by far,” says Dvora Harel, a prominent graphologist (with “leftist leanings,” as she puts it).

“I could never imagine myself looking at programs about Judaism before, but the Hidabroot programs are really something else. They're fantastic.”

And so they called...

Every program of Hidabroot has a running “tickertape” on the bottom of the screen with our phone numbers for questions and further information. That is all the thirsty viewer needed.

Over twelve thousand people call for more information about Judaism every month … 7,500 questions of halachah are answered by Rabbonim every month … 9,000 packets of mail with books and discs on various subjects are mailed out – free of charge - every month …

Soon after we opened a web site to house past programs, and the rush was on: Over thirty thousand surfers visit the site every single day!

Next, we created a full schedule of live lectures with attendance of over 85,000 people who, as Rav Elyashiv Shlit"a said, “never heard of קריאת שמעbefore” filling the meeting halls.…

After a short while, a full-color magazine was published. – Within months it had over 12,000 subscribers.…

When 264,000 people demand more of a good thing

Viewership of the Hidabroot channel swelled to 264,000 people a day and they wanted more. A lot more.

In response to the growing demand, Hidabroot’s broadcast schedule grew to 24 hours a day of quality programming.

To the initial programming were added shows by popular Torah personalities such as Rav Zamir Cohen and Rav Uri Zohar, among others and those are quickly becoming a staple in growing number of Israeli homes.

Then the High Court stepped in and made us VITAL!

Christian missionaries had a cable TV show, but were taken off the air for proselytizing (which is against the Israeli law). Wouldn't you know it, the Israeli High Court put them right on air again. You see, “It isn’t democratic.”. Indeed…

So now there are Christian missionaries with unlimited funding behind them fishing for Jewish souls for 24 hours day!

Hidabroot is no longer just an option (if it ever was…). It’s a must!

Rav Shteinman shlit”a said, “Obviously Hidabroot is an absolute must!”

The Belzer Rebbe shlit”a said, “(We) have been waiting for 50 years for such a great thing. What others can accomplish only after a long time, (Hidabroot) can accomplish in a single day.”
“(Hidabroot) are doing incredible things,” said HaRav Ovadia Yossef shlit”a. “You (Hidabroot) are our messengers,.” said the Novominsker Rebbeshlit”a,
“Whatever you need, we will be by your side.”

The Catch

The only catch to the wonderful mandate Hidabroot got from the cable channels is … no commercials allowed. That means that there’s no way for Hidabroot to make any money and support itself.

This is why we come to you today: The costs of keeping Hidbroot running is 13 million dollars a year, and we have no way of making it without serious help from you.

This is why we decided to give you a luxurious penthouse apartment of your own in Jerusalem ... plus $20,000 for good measure.

Here's how it works.

The Great Hidabroot Giveaway. Your Kids Need It!

The world was always rife with "schmootz" and temptation –— except today it comes in without bothering to knock.

We need unbelievable siyata dishmaya to merit that our children
will sidestep all the horrible hurdles that face young people today and grow up good kids. With Hidabroot, this merit is at hand: Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlit”a promised this kind of heavenly help for anyone who supports Hidabroot in its effort to bring Hashem’s children back to Him.

Your donation of only $12 a month will buy you a ticket to the Great Hidabroot Penthouse Giveaway on October 31st when we’ll be raffling off a luxurious 2 floor penthouse in the center of Jerusalem.

The penthouse comes fully furnished, down to the curtains in the opulent living room and the closets and linen in the complete master bedroom. The kitchen is fully accessorized down to an automatic luxury coffee maker. The entire apartment is, of course, fully air conditioned!

But that is not all!

...Just to keep you interested, until then we’ll also be raffling off a few times the tidy sum of $5,000 in cash equalling $20,000 cash.

Buy now and get 2 raffle tickets for the price of one,
DOUBLING YOUR CHANCES TO WIN just by being an early bird! Use Promo

Code: OSAUGX2.

The choice is simple:

Without you, – Jewish souls who look for meaning in their lives will continue to flounder, ready victims to soul-snatchers of shmad, sanctioned by the “enlightened" Israeli High Court.…

With you, there’s Hidabroot. A beacon of Yiddishkeit that shows
Jewish neshamos. in their own livingrooms, the treasure that's waiting for them to be picked up and used.

...They desperately need it.

...We desperately need it.

...Hashem needs it.

...But most of all, according to Rav Chaim Kanievsky, your children need it more than anyone.

Click Here to join us today. or call 1-877-HIDABROOT ( 1-877-443-2276 ) NOW!

To get the “double your chances” promo you must enter this code: OSAUGX2

Oy, Hawking of Yeshuot Moves to Daily Deal Sites

I generally refrain from all but informational blog posts during the 3 weeks. But after tons of segula posts and a cry against how tzedakah is marketed, I am choosing to blog this because, you know what, this is informative (!) as it is a change in the fundamentals, the underpinnings, the very basics. Truth be told, I had a bit of a laugh initially because it was so unexpected and the entire format of the deal seemed humorous. A coupon for tzedakah? With an expiration date to boot!

But then I stopped laughing. Looks like we have a new forum for hawking yeshuot and tzedakah. And if you read the background, it is worse than hawking tzedakah. Let someone else take over tefillah for you (I think tefillah is something that is difficult for many of us and that we could develop greater understanding and skill in), and believe that we are getting closer to Hashem while our "hearts desire" is fulfilled.

The online daily deal format is highly impulsive. It is a brilliant idea, a lot like a virtual Costco. There are lots of deep discounts and some really great deals, but you went in intending to buy some basics to realize the savings (yeast, flour, eggs, cheese), and now you own a beautiful jungle gym, some great gadgets, a lifetime supply of crasins, and a CD collection.

And, after reading the small print (see below because it is really important to absorb), there is so much to say, but I will save the commentary.

Discounted: 40 Consecutive Days of Prayer by a Torah Scholar at the Kotel for only $38.

Wish you could find your soulmate, get a better job and keep your family in good health ("gay gazinta hate!")? Buy this jdeal for $38 and a Torah scholar will pray on your behalf at the Kotel for 40 consecutive days ($95 value).

Of course, it would be such a m'chaya if you could get there yourself...but unless you won our recent seriously surprising jdeal for a free ticket to Israel via the HAS Advantage card, it may not be in the cards. Let a Torah scholar do it for you with daily trips to the Kotel (come wind, hail, rain or snow) where he will daven with kavana and say all the right things to help get your prayers answered. You too can join the countless individuals who found their beshert, and improved their jobs and health after these prayers. The best part: Your $38 will go to charity to support Jerusalem families.

Buy this jdeal today and thank Hashem for always being there...even when you can't be.

Expires 07/29/2011. May buy unlimited vouchers. Voucher redeemable 1 business day after purchase. Sign up form needs to be completed within 10 days after run date. No limit to sign ups per person. One person will be prayed for per sign up. Prayers will begin within 2 weeks of sign up. Must use in one sign up. Tax included. No cash or credit back. Not valid with other offers. Subject to availability. Redeemable online only.

The idea for Western Wall Prayers originally came from Gershon [deleted]. Gershon left his family's insurance business in Chicago in 1999 to pursue full-time Torah studies at the Center Program at Ohr Somayach Yeshiva in Jerusalem. After two years, he moved to Yeshivas Bircas HaTorah in the Old City where he learned full-time until he became its Executive Director in 2004. He now divides his time between a rigorous personal learning program and running much of the yeshiva's day-to-day business and management affairs.

Gershon founded Western Wall Prayers together with his wife Batya [deleted], a former lawyer who moved from her hometown of Toronto to Israel in 2001. She studied full-time at the Neve Yerushalayim and Eyaht seminaries before meeting and marrying Gershon in 2003.

Batya and Gershon live in the heart of the Jewish Quarter with their children [deleted], and are active members of the local community. They regularly host Shabbos guests from Jerusalem and around the world. Batya trained and certified as a spiritual therapist under Rabbi Efim Svirsky (head of the Aish HaTorah Russian program). She brings these skills to her role at Western Wall Prayers, using an understanding and intuitive approach to help applicants articulate their personal prayers. She sees her involvement in Western Wall Prayers as a true calling, an opportunity to help people get closer to their Creator and develop their power of prayer.

Batya and Gershon hand-pick some of the Old City's finest and most capable Rabbis, teachers and students to pray at the Kotel. These people's entire families often stay in the Old City with them for 40 consecutive days so that they can meet their awesome responsibility to the donor.

For the past six years on, Western Wall Prayers has attracted international attention and prayer requests from every corner of the Earth - and the result has been spectacular (thank G-d). But the essence of Western Wall Prayers remains the personal attention and guidance that Batya and her assistant Shira give to every single donor. Many of them stay in touch long after their 40 days have ended and their hearts' desire has been fulfilled."

Resist Using Tragedy to Prompt a Agenda

Words cannot express the deep emotion that so many people feel for the Boro Park family who lost their sweet boy to pure evil. The emotions are shared by Americans nationwide and people throughout the world. The murder was so gruesome and unfathomable, and for those in the Jewish community, the pain is only compounded by the fact that the murder himself is one of us a member of the tribe.

I was surprised to see just how many Op-Ed's quickly surfaced, which is to be expected in the age of communication. But I really think it important to be careful, take a deep breath, take in the pain, and resist using this tragedy to play Navi or promote an agenda. We will never know the reason why Hashem allowed this boy's young life to be snuffed out and to insinuate reasons is incredibly presumptuous, perhaps even damaging when emotions run high. This is not to say that we should not be engaging in individual and communal introspection, each community and each man or woman examining.

I see little productive purpose in an organization coming in and drawing a correlation for the mourners of Israel (and attempting to raise money for their cause). This is an incredible and painful travesty, one for which we should be careful not to point fingers too quickly. And, furthermore (!) there are immediate pressing needs, particularly the important material and spiritual needs of the family in the present.

Now I'd like to say something about the third leg what is being promoted to "boost the kedusha" of Klal Yisael: tznius. (Note: I have no objection to tackling addictions or molestation or even tzniut issues). But, I believe the focus on tznius vis a vis one singular aspect (female dress) is extremely damaging. In this case, it is even more insidious. Mothers everywhere are taking a look at their parenting. They are trying to figure out where more supervision is needed and where freedom is age-appropriate. They are trying to figure out how much to supervise, how much to educate, how much to hover, how much to step back. . . . . are the talk being circulated tells women, mothers, girls that the goal is that we all have to "look invisible."

Let's resist using this horrific, horrific event to promote agendas. Let's step back, allow the emotions and logic to reach an equilibrium, and then perhaps publish editorials.

[Update: also see Rabbi Chaim B. of Divrei Chaim post "Crass" who is right to the point: "

I don't even want to discuss whether anyone can claim understanding of why Hashem would allow a child's life to be taken. To advertise in this way is not a philosophical or theological affront -- it is simply vulgar and crass. It's not a matter of a warped sense of Torah values, but a matter of a complete lack of derech eretz and common decency." Amen selah].

Two notes:

1. I'm turning on comment moderation for right now. Comment moderation has been turned off for now.

2. A note to a particular reader who will likely comment: while I do not normally engage in listening to these chizuk, tznius speeches, I have family that is very into this, so I'm not in the dark as to what these talks consist of.

Can Someone Just Say it Out Loud?

Hat Tip: Jewish Worker

Can someone just say out loud that this (published in Mishpacha) and this (an advertisement I saw in other publications besides the one Marty Bluke noted) are foreign worship/avoda zara!?!

I simply will not give to any organization that promotes such foreign worship. I wish publications would refuse such ads. These same publications have take to obliterating the faces of girls and women of all ages, to say nothing of the stir of recent memory when Clinton was photoshopped out of a picture, in the name of "tznius" yet they run ads for manufactured segulot, the newest being "segula wine" and "silver segula rings" which have been engraved with holy names and dunked in the mikvah three times, and protected with double cover as per the instructions.

What's next Marty Bluke asks? I have no idea. But I think it high time some frum communities stop getting worked up when a missionary step foot in the 'hood. Far more dangerous than a J-Witness handing out literature door to door or a young group of Mormons knocking, are the advertisements making their into frum houses each and every week via snail mail and in publications and advertising booklets.

Like Drugs to an Addict are Loans to a Debtor

As sent to me by a reader from a listserve in a major NY community. . . . .

An amazing opportunity, I think not. How about an opportunity that could leave someone else holding the bag? I don't think it is a chessed in the slightest to help people live beyond their means, even if it masquerades as hachnasat kallah. Here you have a family holding 3 jobs between them and they still need loans to make weddings. This, my friends, is a good sign that the last thing you need is another loan. Clearly debt has become a way of life.

Giving interest free loans is a hallmark of Jewish society, but (in my opinion) using gemach loans as such is a perversion of a mitzvah and only serves to denigrate the mitzvah. Interest-free loans are not supposed to promote dependency, but promote prosperity. If they are creating dependency and working against prosperity, then something is wrong.

But, you have to love the CAPS and the exclamation points!!!!!!!!!!

We are A"H making a wedding for our daughter on June 12th .

we have an opportunity to take out a gemach loan for $5000 for only $100 a month ! this is very rare- usually they want $300 a month or more!

we just finished paying off a $1000 loan for $100 a month and we are almost done with another loan for $50 a month.

we are already used to paying $150 a month and we have 3 jobs between my husband and myself. we are very very confident that we can cover this loan !

It would be such a HUGE CHESSED if someone would be willing to co sign this loan for us? we have one co signer right now but we still need ONE MORE .........

we need to get the application in by this sunday?

Thanks so very much for your consideration !

If you want to speak to me email me and i will give you my ph# or you can give me YOUR ph#?

Time to Revisit Areivim

A reader sent me an email that went out from Daily Halacha and I once again feel the need to revisit Arevim and send out the message in hopes that someone will hear it and bring it to those that endorse the program to hear: buy real life insurance and actually take care of your family.

I wish I had the brains to take a photo of the original Areivim pages, a they change from time to time. The last time I visited the subject (Nov 2010) I recall visiting each webpage and that each site made a disclaimer of sorts that the program is not life insurance. The website (Areivim USA) the following email refers to specifically states "Areivim is a 100% non-profit, member-financed, insurance program." I hope I am not mistaken re: this particular website, but I believe that in the past, the different programs had a tad bit of honesty to say somewhere that this was a tzedakah program.

Not to get sidetracked, my message remains the same: don't buy snake oil. Buy old fashioned life insurance (Term 80 is a good standard, relatively inexpensive insurance program. Regular life insurance is NOT controlled by a Rabbinic Board. Regular life insurance is regulated and there are reserve funds. Regular life insurance distributes funds upon death, not upon the marriage of a chatan or kallah. Regular life insurance does not consider your other assets. When you receive a regular life insurance payment, you can use the money as you deem appropriate. Here, Areivim states:

1. A fund of $100,000 will be established by Areivim for each unmarried child and the spouse in the bereaved family.
2. The funds are placed into escrow accounts where they are saved until the child's wedding. Any accrued interest collected until then may be used to provide for the orphans' and/or spouses material and educational needs. All decisions in these matters will be made under the authority of the rabbinical committee.
3. Areivim has been established primarily as charitable (Tzedakah) endeavor. In the event that an orphan has shown the capability of supporting themselves financially and paying for their own marriage expenses, or in the event of a substantial inheritance, no funds will be collected. In certain cases, a partial fund will be established to complete the sum of $100,000 per child.
4. In the event of (G-d forbid) a large number of deaths among members (as a result of war, earthquake, etc.), Areivim reserves the right to consult with its Rabbinical committee in regards to proper procedures.
5. In all cases of dispute between members and Areivim's administrators, Areivim's rabbinical committee will serve as arbitrators and their decisions will be accepted as final.
6. Members relinquish all rights to sue or submit legal claims against the decisions of Areivim or its Rabbinical committee.

The following is the letter that went out. I've deleted the name of the beneficiary family. Rabbi Mansour, please reconsider your endorsement and encourage families to do the right thing and buy regular life insurance. You have an opportunity to encourage people to invest in something real. Please do. This is not a protection, nor is it a nest egg as stated in the audio file which I don't know how to put in this email yet. At best, this is a hachnasat kallah fund for orphans with no guarantees.

Subject: Request from Rabbi Mansour- Join Areivim!


Dear friends;

We appeal to you today, not for money for an organization, but for
financial stability for your own children. Areivim is a non-profit
community based benefit program that does not have a premium, but pays out
to orphans and widows when the wage earner of the home suffers an untimely
passing. This program is very successful in Israel, and all the Rabbis of
our Community including Rabbi Eli Mansour, support, encourage, and REQUEST
your participation. (Please listen to Rabbi Mansour's appeal in the
attached audio file.)

Here is how it works:
. Join your family at no cost, and no monthly or annual premium. Your
family is now covered in the Areivim group.
. Upon an untimely passing, each unmarried orphan and widow receives
$100,000.00, or a lower pro-rated amount if the threshold of 14,286
families are not joined in the group. 
. You pay $7.00 per unmarried orphan and widow when there is an
unfortunate untimely passing in the group. The $7.00 will be reduced once
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A is for Aiding, Abetting, and Accountability

This week of Jewish News features two events which I believe feature an underlying factor: lack of accountability, . The first event was an emergency campaign to raise $50,000 for the boys in Japan. The second was the sentencing of W. Runge.

In the latter case, the defendant was accused of deceiving the state in procuring tax credits for film, pleaded guilty, and then proceeded to set up a now defunct blog slandering the judge and prosecution, accusing them of impropriety, political conspiracy, and anti-semitism. Her story and words were featured on the Chazak Hotline and in Jewish publications, including the Jewish Star (see Shining a Light on Iowa for some rather grotesque charges again "Iowa"). While her story and accusations certainly didn't receive the press of other ongoing stories, the underlying themes were the same.

The judge handed her a doozy of a sentence, although she appeared contrite in court, based on her public statements from the time she plead guilty onwards. Here are his words, which were delivered hesitantly and with some pain.

This is a very difficult case for the court. Here is a defendant who has no prior criminal history, who has a family, and who isn't normally a candidate the court would consider as a candidate for incarceration. However, this defendant not just before her plea of guilty, but even after her plea of guilty, has not taken responsibility for her behavior. There is nothing muddying the waters about that. And your statement here today is not genuine and not sincere. What is sincere is the things you said out of the courtroom, out of your probable perception that it would make its way to the courtroom, because there is no reason not to be truthful there in that setting. And it that setting, you have attacked the judges who have presided in your case, you've attacked the prosecutors, you've blamed this on anti-semitism, you have blamed this on some sort of political conspiracy, and you have not taken responsibility for what you did.

And what you did was a felony. It was a criminal class C felony. It is considered a very serious crime by the Iowa Legislature. It was an attempt to defraud the people of the state of Iowa. And one of the most important considerations for the court in determining an appropriate sentence is to. . . it's not one of. . . it's the guiding principals for the court to choose a sentence that will both provide a maximum opportunity for your rehabilitation and also deter the commission of this offense by others. This cannot happen by placing someone on probation who does not accept responsibility for what she did, who publicly proclaimed that what she did was not wrong, and it certainly will not deter others from doing that.

This is a case, that in my judgement, calls out for the court to send a message to you and a message to others who would engage in this kind of behavior that it is not accepted, that it is criminal, and it won't be tolerated.

Whether at some point in time I might be willing to reconsider my judgement in this case is open to question. But for right now, at this moment in time, based on what you did and, again, your complete, what I would call arrogant, defiant, disclaiming responsibility, this in my judgement is an appropriate sentence. For the reasons that I just said, you are sentenced to an indeterminate term of incarceration not to exceed 10 years, you are accessed fine, the mandatory minimum fine of $1000 along with the applicable surcharge. I'm going to suspend your sentence because of your incarceration. . . etc.

In the case of the boys in Japan, the emergency campaign sought to raise $50,000 this week in order to pay a fine for Yaakov Yosef in order that he Japanese authorities consider transferring him to Israel. While other Jewish publications had previously published other accounts of the boys' story, the current account reads as such:

Japan. A strange and foreign land, geographically and ideologically. A country whose crime rate is exceptionally low due to its merciless treatment of criminals and even suspected criminals, whose penal system includes harsh labor camps and prisons. A place where two of Acheinu Bnei Yisroel are incarcerated for over two and half years through no fault of their own.

"Through no fault of their own." In each and every case I've highlighted in the past few years, the underlying theme of Jewish media is "though not fault of his/her/their own. It is a witch hunt, the product of anti-semitism, the result of a cruel penal system (never mind that Hashem commands societies to establish courts of law and seek justice).

I don't any particular issue with a kehilla stepping forward to help accused and/or convicted Jewish criminals, although these "pidyon shevuyim" causes are not my tzedakah of choice as I don't believe any of the cases presented obligate that I divert money from the little real tzedakah we are able to give after bills, tuition, and shul dues for pidyon shevuyin.

What I do have an issue with is lack of accountability and lack of introspection brought on by a Jewish media circus. In an attempt to create stories of inspiration and chizuk or in an attempt to promote being dan l'chaf zechut, lines of battles are being drawn in the sand between "them" and "us", and lost amongst the furvor are any opportunities for introspection and accountability. And in the case of Ms. Runge, giving her a platform to attack the prosecution and judges (an example here at Matzav), media--her own and Jewish media--has essentially aided and abetted in her sentencing, a sentencing that no doubt would have been much softer had she expressed only contrition and throwing herself at the mercy of the judge.

If the boys in Japan (ages 17, 19, and 22) were not at fault for accepting $1,000 each for agreeing to transport antiques in closed false bottom suitcases at the sum of $1,000 each (a sum that is being called "small" but for which is takes much effort and education for many a working person to net), then who is is at fault?

The Jewish media is busy talking about the lack of rachmanut present in the Japanese justice system and criticizing it full force (see Gil Student's article from 2009). While there are tehillim gatherings, speeches in shul, and emails being sent around listserves, I've yet to see someone in a position of "authority" talking about parenting, vocations, employment, poverty, or life outside of yeshiva.

The Japan case isn't the first case where frum boys acted as drug mules, nor will it be the last in there is no accountability. I can think of at least two other past cases, and in one the (non-frum) judge gave the parents of some 17 year old boys quite the mussar schmooze on parenting. If the boys share no fault, than certainly the parents and those who act in loco parentis share some responsibility? How do young, unmarried men (from impoverished families) make it out of Yeshiva without eyebrows raised, much less out of the country? I can barely make it out my front door without inquiries from the in-laws! When I was a teen, I could barely make it down the block unnoticed. I specifically remember one time where my *father* interrogated me about a T-Shirt I was wearing that he did not recognize.

Long overdue is some real accountability. [Cynicism warning: but all there seems to be are messages about tzniut].