NASI Response to Those Who Question: Beg, Borrow, Cheat, or Steal,

For those looking forward to more bread and butter posts, please be patient. I'm a one trick pony this week and we are focusing on the train wreck at hand. See previous two NASI posts.

(Hat Tip: another fantastic reader) This letter is the response from the NASI director, Moshe Pogrow, that is being sent to those who have attempted to engage in conversation regarding their newest tactic and ad. NASI has moved from "proven" theories of an age gap to a recent advertisement and program that some believe threatens to inflate the market rate of "shadchanus."

This poorly written, mostly unintelligible, rambling letter is published below without comment. I will briefly state, however, that when I got to the line "beg, borrow, cheat, or steal" that just about summed up the entire farce for me. Sadly, the level of communication and clarity of thought leaves much commentary, little of it positive. Please be careful to keep comments civil and avoid:light-headedness". I simply have little to say except all who have bought into any of the "proven" theories and are acting accordingly should, after reading this, rethink all. Without further ado, the response in the original.

In the last few days feedback has been across the spectrum (as we knew it would be) and every single unhappy person one who has bothered to call and discuss it has left with a great appreciation and understanding as well as answers to all their questions and a 180 degree shift in the attitude towards the project. See the letter “before and after” for one just such example.

In addition, a key reason why the NASI Project has been so successful is because we know that no one has all the answers. Everything we have done has been based on myriads of insight from across the spectrum. At the same we cherish and value feedback from anyone and everyone. Every program is consistently, tweaked, adjusted and we attempt to constantly improve to accomplish maximum results. We appreciate look for everyone’s input.

That being said I realize that it isn’t realistic to speak to each and everyone on the phone, and thus I reluctantly will pen this letter. It is crucial theit be read in its entirety (although it is lengthy). In it we will deal will all the issue raised in this specific letter as well as all the issue others have raised as well.

In order to understand this program in particular we need to understand the big picture. We can then explain each and every detail of this program up to and including why (as it seems shortsighted) we have consistently decided to not put the names of the “Daas Torah” in writing.

1. Let’s being with a scientific definition of the shidduch crisis.

The number of non chassidishe orthodox young women who have been dating 5-10 years exceeds the number of non chassidishe orthodox young men who have been dating 5-10 years, BY HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS IF NOT THOUSANDS. Allow that to sink in. In other words, after a certain number of dating years, the number of available young women exceeds the available pool of young men. If I need to spell it out further, unless a situation develops that 23 year old boys suddenly look to date 32 year old young women, there are simply not enough young men for the young women past a certain age.

This is a tragedy of epic proportions with colossal ramifications.

(Allow a disclaimer. Because the last thing I want to do is hurt any young woman. For each individual young woman there are some opportunities, but bderech hateva there are a staggering number of young women who will suffer the tragedy of not getting married. I wish it wasn’t so and I certainly don’t want to write this, but we can pretend all we want this is the tragic reality.)

2. What is the undeniable root cause of this travesty?

The short answer is Age Gap. This has been acknowledged by a historic letter from 70 Roshei Yeshiva.

Every single person in Klal Yisroel is collectively and individually responsible for allowing this terrible situation to develop. Hashem did NOT cause this, he simply allowed us as a community to be blind to the results of our actions and we have thus CREATED and are RESPONSIBLE for the tragic situation.

I would hope by now that this concept which has been explained in this very forum numerous times is understood by all. If we have a island and place 100 boys and 100 girls on the island. At the end of the year it is simply impossible for there to be more single girls than boys, IMPOSSIBLE. If on that island we place 150 young women and 100 young men, than there will undoubtedly be a minimum of 50 young women who don’t get married. Even if all 150 has everything “going for them” with all the silly things we give importance to in shidduchim, there will still be 50 who can’t get married. Even if all 100 young men had no interest other than getting married to a nice young woman without any other criteria, there are 50 young women who can’t get married.

In the non chassidshe community, instead of it being 100 to 100 is it the situation of 100 to 150 (this is illustrative only, it is closer to 2,000 young men, and 22,00 young women). Approximately 200 young women have no realistic marriage opportunity. Not at 19 and not at 35.

The reason is simply because we have a structure where the young women enter Shidduch Island at approximately 19 and the young men at approximately 22.5. Being that B”H our population is continuously growing rapidly the younger age groups (by both boys and girls) are consistently larger than the older age groups. Song as young women get their passport to the island and 19 and young men only get it at 22.5 we continue to have each and every a large number of more girls starting to date than boys. The next year

the same thing occurs, and the next year as well. Thus even if every single boys gets married to a girl, there will be 200 girls each year (or 300 from one year and 100 from the other year) who simply can’t get married. Fast forward 10 years and we have the tragedy we are experiencing.

3. The Solution:

B’direch Hateva, the only way to alleviate the problem going forward it to close the Age Gap. This has and continues to be the sole foucs of the NASI Project. To alleviate the shidduch crisis by closing the Age Gap. For the last four years no stone has been left unturned in trying to make this happen.

This is accomplished by

a. Educating the community as to the core problem because without this absolutely no significant progress or change could be accomplished.

(Great strides have been made)

b. Breaking the stigma that previously existed against doing a shidduch with a young woman the same age or even a bit older.

Wonderful progress has been made as attested to by shadchhanim, mothers of boys, mothers of girls and girls themselves)

c. Figuring out way to encourage boys to begin dating slightly younger.

See a bit later in the article where I will come back to this. Herein lays the real yeshua.

d. Encouraging shadchanim to keep ages in mind when redding shidduchim

e. Encouraging shadchanim to focus on the girls who didn’t just start dating instead of spending almost all the energies on 19/20 year olds.

If/when shadchanim focus on young women who didn’t just start dating inevitable more close in age shidduchim will take place. If a 23 your old boy is redd to fifteen different 19 year old and two different 22 year olds, in all likelihood he will end up marrying a 19 year old. If a

23 year old boy is redd to fifteen, 22 year olds and two 19 year olds in all likelihood he will end up marrying a 22 year old.

Let’s now focus on point E/F. A year ago March a extremely effective program was launched in Montreal. It has now spread to Toronto, Chicago, Kew Gardens, Prospect Park HS, Machon (for the graduating class of 2004, and 50 Shuls in Flatbush/Five Towns and Far Rockaway. It will imy”h be coming to Monsey and Lakewood in the near future.

When it was initially launched it met with great resistance. The concept is that Shadchanim don’t make shidduchim. That the Ribbono Shelo Olam does. Shadchanim set up dates. Enough quality dates for girls who didn’t just start dating and bderech hateva they’ll get married.

The program is simply, is a Shadchan set up a young woman (above a certain age) on date #1 then in appreciation of the time and effort that is required to and goes into redding shidduchim Shadchan receives S 100. If it’s a quality idea the Shadchan receives $400. This money does not come from the parents, they don’t even know about the program.

The initial resistance was huge, and yet B”H the results of the program has been fantastic. With a tremendous amount of shidduch attention as measured by dates gone out, date number $ gone out (and yes engagements as well although that is a poor measuring stick because that is out of the hands of a shadchan. Quality attention is what we are after.

Let’ now discuss the present program.

Let’s imagine that Eliyahu Hanavi came to town and told a 22-year-old young woman that you if you help this poor person pay his medical bills by giving 5,000k I GUARNATEE you will be married by chanuka.

What would the 22-year-old young woman do?

Suppose he said that any 30-year-old-girl who donates 11,000, would be married by Chanuka. What would a 30-year-old, young woman do?

You know and I know that every SINGLE young woman would beg, borrow, cheat or steal but she would give Eliyhu Hanavi the money...

NASI isn’t Eliyahu Hanavi. We don't promise a weeding, we don't promise a date, we don't even promise a phone call. All we say is that not a penny of your money will be spent until after you walk down the chuppah.

If you would give it to Eliyahu Hanavi then obviously

A). A young woman girl feels it’s worth that amount

B). A young woman could come up with it.

What is the risk a .025 percent interest on a savings account?

A girl could try it for a month. If nothing happens take it back. If she gets married we all agree it will be well worth it.

Now let’s deal with some specific FAQ about the program

Q: Why does it go higher each year? It’s degrading insensitive and thoughtless to let a young woman know each year she gets older it costs more.

Q: Why does it start at 22? It’s so insensitive to make the 22 years-olds to feel like they are “older” or nebach cases.

Let’s imaging the program was for all young women 25+ the shadchanus is 5,000. Nice idea. Shadchanim will tell you that generally speaking the work involved in helping to bring a 35 young woman to the chuppah is exponentially more difficult (for myriads of reasons, one significant reason is as we discussed earlier the continuously diminishing pool of boys). If the compensation was the same for a 25 year old young woman as it is for a 35 year old young woman, then many many people would choose to put their kochso into a 25 year old young woman. The exact people who are upset about part of the program, are precisely the ones who will helped by it, no one else.

Let’s explain why it absolutely must start at 22. It’s not because they are Nebach’s. The vast majority of shadchanim (both fully time/part time and everything in between) probably well over 80% barely spend any time on the young women 25 and up. This is because the the larger pool of dating young men

are 22-24. The shadchanim spend their time on compatible matches for boys in that age range. As a result of a program for 25 and up there will certainly be more attention piad to those young women, but the vast majority of attention will still be focused on the young men 22-24.

Are the shadchanim going to redd those boys to 19 year old young women or to 22 year olds. The answer to this question will determine whether today’s 22 year old young women get married or whether today’s 22 year old young women become tomorrow’s 32/42 single young women.

If this program started only at 25 then shadchanim will continue to redd the 19 and 20 year olds to the larger pool of dating boys. By starting the program at 22 there is NO doubt that the tremendous group of 22 year old young women will NOT become 42 and single

We MUST start at 22 precisely because we want to do everything in our power to make sure that today’s 22 year olds do NOT become tomorrow’s 32 year olds.

Q: What about the girls who can’t afford.

As I showed earlier, for Eliyahu Hanavi they would come up with the money. What’s the risk? However and far more important is that this is a opportunity for poor young women to get the attention that previously only the wealthier did. Now a young woman who is not from a wealthy family has the change to get quality attention from 150 shadchanim across the country with NO RISK to her.

Q: Why are the dollar amounts so high

If there is significant added shidduch attention for the young women on the list, could that have been achieved for 3k instead of 5k. Frankly that's a minor question in the big picture. Certainly something that maybe should be adjusted if necessary but not a deal breaker. Basically, if a young woman gets married and pays 5k and maybe she could've gotten married and paid 3k.... Nu nu.... If a 30 year old gets married and spends 13k and could've gotten the same attention for 10k.... Nu nu

If the program doesn't help in any significant way then it will disappear, go the way of the horse and buggy and be forgotten very quickly.

Q: The feeling people have is their being blacklisted if they don't participate and no one will help anyone not joining

If 50 girls join the list. Do you really think every other girl will be blacklisted? If 150 girls join the list do you really think other girls will be blacklisted. It would be awfully hard to redd shidduchim to the 2,000 dating young men, if only 150 girls get dates....

If 2,000 girls join the list will the other girls be blacklisted? Maybe.

Remember, the only way 2,000 young women join (and stay in the list) is if it's so wildly successful and young women are getting married left and right. In that case, I think it's kedai to beg borrow or steal (a phrase a mother used) to get your daughter married.

Only time will tell if it works or not. If it works (meaning girls join and girls get married) then it's all good. If it doesn't, meaning either girls don't join, or they join and don't get married, then no harm no foul. No one spent any money other than NASI on some ads.

Before I answer the final question regarding the names of the Rabbinic supporters, I word regarding shadhcanim is critical.

This whole article and perhaps the program itself has the potential to paint shadcahnim as heartless money hungry ruthless mercenaries. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Allow me to explain.

In speaking to people I’ve asked them how many shidduchim do they think a typical very very busy Shadchan make each year. Peoples response where very telling 50 a year. 300 shidduchim a year.

It is totally out of touch with reality. The typical very very busy Shadchan makes 6 or 7 a year. To make 6/7 a year means that the Shadchan has forfeited their family life, they have zero menucha, can’t go to weddings without being bombarded, they can’t do homework with their children, they are called and besieged at all hours of the day and night and people are upset at them. Why they don’t call back etc. For a typical shidduch a shachan receives total from both sides together between 2,000 and 3,000 dollars. 6/7 shidduchim equals a whopping grand total of a whopping 12,000 to 21,000 a year. (and many many times the Shadchan receives far less. It is on RARE occasions that they receive more).

There are three kinds of full time shadchnim

1. Those who are so prolific that they actually make a parnassah sufficient to basically support their family with it. There are perhaps 4 such people in the country. They make 23 a year, they may be hired by cities, there may be some people who “hire them privately” and with everything together they put together a parnassah to pay their tuition (barely) grocery etc.

2. People (usually women) whose husbands make a good enough parnassah to enable to spend their time as they wish. Some women are good souls and instead of spending their time shopping etc, they have dedicated their lives to try their utmost to help make shidduchim. We can well understand the the number of woman who nowadays are not called on to help support the family is very very small. (and of those who could, what would motivate a regular person to chose for themselves the lives I’ve depicted.)

3. People who are either insane or simly saints. Their families really need their parnassha, they don’t earn a parnsaah from shidduchim. Yet they are cut from a different cloth then they rest of us and they do it anyway. It would be great if we could clone these people but realistically the nuber of people like this you can count on one hand. (subliminally we as a community expect everyone who redds a shidduch to be such a person. They are supposed to be available all times day and night etc. we think somehow by virtue of someone trying to redd shidduchim a little bit, they automatically become obligated to take on the role of a saint. Clearly this is simply unrealistic and unfair and simply a result of UNDERSTANDABLE pain and frustration on the part of the singles, but it won’t changes the reality.

Now we wonder: Why don’t we have more people redding shidduchim. Why don’t we have more people who are redding shidduchim they should redd shidduchim to the slightly older, young women.

Is the answer obvious now? Who can afford the time it takes to dedicate hour and hours to redd shidduchim in general. Bringing a 30 year old young woman to a chuppah it immeasurable more work than making a shidduch for a 20 year old. For the time and effort shadchanim are putting in the would like to at least she nachas. Forget the 2/3 thousand dollars. They would at least like to she a shidduch happen. Isn’t it clear why we have so few people who dedicated their time to this? Why the VAST MAJORITY of those who do try of course are severely limited in the amount of time they can spend as the need to work to help support their own families!

This program is an effective way of achieving two separate goals.

1. Going forward it can effectively continue to close the age gap and thus we will not be in the same devastating situation we ate today.

2. For the young women today who already past a certain age at which they are now in a precarious situation. This can give them the opportunity to get as much and as vast shidduch attention which will afford them the greatest possible opportunity of walking down the aisle.

Finally: Why aren’t the Rabbinic supporters named in the any of the NASI ads

The true and short answer is because I was specifically told not to. I will offer you a glimpse into part of the reasoning behind that directive, although as will be self is evident there is a risk in what I am writing.

Far greater than any of these programs that are in the public eye is the work behind the scenes that has the ability to practically totally solve the crisis going forward. There is a plan on the table that if/when implemented will bdirech hateva save/protect close to 1,000 girls over the next 8 years. This plan needs to be implemented by the Roshi Hayeshiva and Rabbonim only. Perhaps Askanim can get involved to help move it along. It calls for a minimal structural change with almost no downside that will bring with it many side benefits in addition to saving 1,000 girls. The “Daas Torah” if you may, feels they have a much greater chance of effecting that change if their involvement is behind the scenes.

Unfortunately, change is hard to come by and thus it is a process that is taking far to long and the victims of this inexcusable situation are the precious Bnos Yisroel

Rav Shmuel Kametzky Shlit”a and many many well respected and well known Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim know who is the guiding force of the program and under whose guidance everything takes place. Feel free to ask them. It isn’t only my fault that we as a community have utterly and totally failed these young women.

Over the last two years we as a community have collectively expended inordinate amount of time energy and resources on all kinds of wonderful and important issues. R’ Shalom Mordechai Rubashkin, the boys in Japan and others. There is no doubt that the lives of 1,000 of our precious bnos Yisroel, is far far more urgent than any of these programs.

In addition, WE CAUSED THE TRAGEDY, WE ARE RESPONSIBLE. Yet day after day they and their families continue to suffer in silence. Where is the kinus demanding that these changes be implemented? Where are the articles, WHERE IS THE COMMUNITY.

And therefore, if the best chance to hopefully/ maybe bring to fruition such change (and other ideas) and save 1,000 of our precious daughters and sisters requires that the NASI Project is accused of hiding behind the cloak of anonymity. It’s well worth it.

After 120 year we want to be able say yadeinu lo shafchu es hadam hazheh.

I hope that those who read this article in it’s entirety and take the time to understand it, will then have a better understanding and have answers to their questions. I wish I could explain it in person to every single person, but I realize it is simply not feasible.

Hachosem b’dema, but with hope and knowledge that the yeshua is very attainable.

Moshe Pogrow

Director

NASI Project

Even More Revolting. . . and divorced from the mesorah I know

Even more revolting than the Japan Song video that was posted on VIN amongst other places, is Matzav publicizing the thoughts of a Rebbe that would be better left unspoken and unpublished.

Sometimes I wonder if I'm just wasting virtual ink in cyberspace. But there needs to be dissenting voices. A quick Google search reveals that this story has been picked up by all sorts of websites outside the tribe. And, to make matters worse, these irresponsible rantings and ravings are reported (via Ynet) in a mainstream Jewish-Orthodox publication, the 5 Towns Jewish Times, without culture comment (!), and a note" The Rachmastrivka Hasidic dynasty is one of the biggest and most famous Hasidisms, with thousands of followers and many affiliates. It has two centers - one in Jerusalem and one in Borough Park, New York."

The thought process expressed is so completely divorced from the mesorah that I have learned. Going into Nissan, I think of another loss of human life, one which we know with complete certainty was brought directly from Hashem himself and yet we are told not to rejoice, but rather spill out from our glasses of wine.

And in other tasteless items, Matzav is publicizing that there are a few days left in the "Rubashkin Purim Contest." I'm thinking that the US Federal Bureau of Prison must have some laws on the books about prisoners communicating with unrelated minors, as well as running competitions out of your cell, but do note that the entries are not being submitted to Otsville, but rather to an address in Monsey. Whatever your feelings are about the case aside, I don't think it is good practice to publicize a competition for children run by a community member convicted of a crime. One can only predict who will run the next competition from their cell? File allowing a child to participate in such a competition as lacking sechel.

Guest Post: Orthodox Jewish Financial Crisis

A reader asked if I could feature his article as a guest post, and I'm happy to oblige. Happy back to school week to all my readers.

Orthodox Jewish Financial Crisis
David Jackson
August 26, 2010

On a recent Sunday, a young Orthodox mother was busy preparing for her son’s first day of school. That Monday, Yeshiva Bais Hatorah, a 350 boys elementary school in Lakewood, NJ never opened. The school had accumulated approximately $500,000 in debt. The following week another Lakewood school,Yeshivah Keter HaTorah, announced it too would not open due to financial problems. Parents were left scrambling to find alternative schools.

The Jewish Week recently published an article with an alarming title “Can Day Schools Survive?” The article states “Even more significant than the declining interest of mega-funders, day schools have been hard hit by the recession, which has not only made fundraising more challenging but has greatly shrunk the pool of parents able to pay tuition. With the day school enterprise facing dropping enrollment and rising scholarship requests, nearly a dozen institutions will not open their doors in September and many others worry about sharing that same fate.”


At most Orthodox schools across the US, scholarships have become increasingly difficult to obtain as the percentage of students on scholarship continues to increase. Collectively, Jewish day schools are in trouble financially. Marvin Schick, a leading Jewish day school observer, recently wrote: “Conventional Orthodox schools are also experiencing unprecedented hardship. Modern Orthodox institutions that in the aggregate cater to relatively affluent families and charge top of the line tuition that without pause grows each year are now in trouble and forced to make staffing and other cuts.”

Yossi Prager, the executive director of the Avi Chai Foundation for North America is also very aware of the situation. The Avi Chai Foundation spends millions each year funding Jewish education. His article written in a 2005, in the Orthodox Union’s Jewish Action magazine, titled The Tuition Squeeze’, depicts a cartoon of a family getting squeezed by the high cost of Jewish education. He writes that “there is a sense that many schools are at the precipice of financial crisis. .... Finally, and perhaps most importantly, is the critical need to close the gap between schools’ operating budgets and their incomes from tuition and fees. The gap can be as high as 30 to 40 percent of the budget.” This article was written before the Great Recession. The situation is much worse now.

According to Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, the Executive Vice President Emeritus of the Orthodox Union, states that financial problems at the Orthodox days schools are one of the three biggest problems facing the American Orthodox Jewish Community.

On a bright summer’s morning, a father enters the Kiryas Joel Meat Market to buy some glatt koshermeat for shabbat. He worries about the prices of meat as it is very expensive on his meager kollel stipend. Nevertheless, shabbat is coming and it is traditional to eat meat. Kiryas Joel is a 100% Orthodox town, populated by Satmar Chasidim, 50 miles north of New York City. According to the US Census Bureau, in 2008, Kiryas Joel has the the highest rate of poverty for any town or city in the United States. Two-thirds of its residents live below the federal poverty line. The median household income was $15,848.


In Burrough Park, an Orthodox enclave in New York City, a frum social services worker stated that if it wasn’t for government welfare, ‘half of Borrough Park would starve.’ She was talking about the Orthodox Jews in the neighborhood. Perhaps she was exaggerating, but her words reflect a depressing reality. The poverty is real and seems to be growing.

A survey conducted for the federation five years ago showed that 350,000 Jews in New York City and state live close to the poverty line. The highest poverty rate is in Brooklyn. 27% of those 350,000 Jews are Ultra-Orthodox living below or the poverty line. That means that there are about 100,000 Ultra Orthodox Jews living in poverty in the area. This represents 25 - 40% of the ultra Orthodox population in the region.


In Lakewood, Dr. Casriel Roberts, who has donated over a million dollars to Bet Midrash Gevoa (BMG), the largest yeshiva in the US, warns of a financial catastrophe looming. He spoke at the Beth Medrash Govoha of Lakewood’s Annual Evening of Chizuk. “I am really worried about a tsunami that is coming ... There are 4,000 children being born in Lakewood every year. It is astounding. At the same time most of the schools are financially broke. And it looks like we will need to double the number of schools in the next 4, 5 or 6 years. The current generation of parents. I am going to estimate those ages 30 - 50 were mostly raised within the yeshiva system and never learned the secular skills to go be to go out into the world and earn a substantial parnasah [income] . So the current economic pain that we are feeling is not due, I believe to the recession so much as due this tsnumai wave that is coming towards us. .... It seems to me that financial gap that families are facing is more like 50,000 or 75,000 a year with baruch’ hashem all the children that we are having and the staying frum and the schools that are growing.”

In the right wing Orthodox communities, the growth of kollels and the lack of higher levels of secular education has been a driving factor in the large percentage of low income families. Most of them being large families. Low income, coupled with a large family is a recipe for financial hardships. Increasingly, the community is dependent upon government welfare such as food stamps, section 8 housing, medicaid and charity in an attempt to meet their basic needs. Sadly, these needs are often unmet.


Yet, the financial crisis in the Orthodox community is not limited to the right wing Orthodox. The Modern Orthodox and Centrist Orthodox communities are also facing significant financial problems.

Across the blogs, there is significant interest in the subject of money, as it relates to the Orthodox community. A few months ago a disgruntled Orthodox Jewish high income earner in the suburbs of New York City launched a blog called Bergen County Yeshiva Tuition Blog. The author calls himself a “200k chump.” What is a 200k chump? His family earns $200,000 a year but he still feels like sucker as they struggle to pay expensive day school tuition costs and high housing costs. He feels that given his high household income, he should not be struggling financially. Their income is in the top 5% of US households, yet he worries about paying all the costs.


The Modern and Centrist Orthodox Communities generally have higher incomes than the right wing Orthodox communities, yet many are still struggling to pay expensive tuition costs and high housing costs.

In the past few years, there has been a outbreak of high profile financial fraud cases in the Orthodox community such as the Abramoff, Rubashkin, the money laundering in the Syrian community, and two separate real estate ponzi schemes in New Jersey and Florida. Perhaps, the growing number of high profile financial fraud cases is an indication of a community increasingly desperate to obtain income.


Communal wealth, on a per capita inflation adjusted basis, is declining. Communal wealth is very important in building and supporting the intuitions necessary for Orthodox communal life such as days schools, mikvehs, synagogues and other charities.

Certainly, a decent percentage of upper middle class and wealthy households exists in Orthodox Jewish communities. Many community members do donate considerably to support the poor, schools, synagogues and other worthy causes. Yet, many of these communal institutions are still struggling financially.


The cold harsh reality is that the American Orthodox Jewish Community is dealing with a financial crisis. Major financial challenges exist both on the income side as well as on the expense side. On the expense side, the community is struggling to pay for private education, high housing costs and large families. On the income side, a significant percentage of families have low incomes, especially in the more right wing orthodox communities. Others, have lost jobs during the Great Recession.

This all begs the important question, what can be done in the Orthodox Community to remedy the financial crisis?

Do I Have a Responsibility?

Dear Orthonomics,

You really do have a responsibility to report on the breaking news about the corruption regarding the Rubashkin sentencing judge. Things are really looking ugly, as I surmised.

Signed,

[Name Omitted]



The above is the text of a letter I received from a reader. I'm not quite certain why I have a responsibility to report on the breaking news, which I believe refers to a Press Release from the defense team stating that the judge unlawfully presided over the trial because she participated in the planning of the raid. The Press Release was posted at VIN and YWN.

Up until this post, the word Rubashkin had been used by me in one single post on this blog. In other words, I basically ignored this case until I felt compelled to make the following comments which can be summed up as the following:

1. I believe it is a big mistake to put alleged, indicted, and/or convicted frum persons on a pedestal. Creating such icons and role models of Yiddishkeit is short-sighted in my opinion.

2. I believe it is a big mistake to conduct loud, broad based campaigns on behalf of alleged, indicted, and/or convicted frum persons. I think it far more appropriate to conduct campaigns in a quieter, more modest fashion. I have no idea if the Defense's charges against the judge will turn out to be fruitful or much ado about nothing. If anything, I see no need to make a big splash at every turn in the trial and appeal process.

3. I believe it is a big mistake of Jewish Organizations and Publications to continually stir emotions and allegations of anti-semitism. The judicial system is far from perfect, but the rule of law protects me and you, our lives, our children, and our property. We live in a glorious country where cases can continuously be appealed and new evidence can be brought forward. We live in a glorious country when charges of corruption can be brought against judges and government officials. The Orthodox community has limited political amunition and I'm not sure the cases I addressed is the best place to use that amunition.

After I posted my single post that mentioned Shalom Rubashkin, I posted the words of Rav Shimon Schwab on what should be the approach to allegations of persons in our communities.

The court will hear out the Rubashkin Defense Team's allegations against the judge, as they well should. And perhaps the courts will find evidence of impropriety, or even corruption. But the "breaking news" doesn't impact my own assertions that loud, public campaigns might not be the tactic the community wants to pursue in the name of justice, that turning alleged and convicted criminals into icons of Yiddishkeit perhaps isn't the direction we want to go in, and that making an enemy of a justice system that protects us might be short-sighted.

I have never once dedicated a post to the proceedings of the trial. I don't plan to dedicate a post to the twists and turns in the future. There is plenty of information and opinions available in Jewish print for interested parties to read. I simply provided a little social commentary on an pattern and approach that I believe to be short-sighted and problematic. And even if the Defense does show that the judge acted improperly and is as corrupt as they come, I still do not believe the approach of late is the proper approach to be repeated next time (and I do hope there will never be a next time).

Readers, do you think a single mention of the Rubashkin Case makes me responsible to report "Breaking News"?

The Criminal Element Takes Another Public Seat at the Dais

Crime and punishment is as old as the Torah itself. But it seems that in the past year that prominent communal organizations and segments of the Orthodox community have become very loud and bold in their public defense of convicted criminals within/affiliated somehow with the Orthodox community. So called pidyon shuvuyim campaigns to collect for the legal defense and make life more manageable for the wife and children of the convicted is nothing new. But large scale, broad based, and loud public support seems to be a new trend that has developed, I would say, in just the past year. It appears to me that there is a hashkafah of sorts that is developing and it reads like this: Hands off US.

I don't remember rallies or mass letter writing campaigns in support of the drug/money laundering rings of the mid-90's that spanned from NY to LA, but the issue wasn't exactly on my radar. There was a time where I owned a pair of pink tinted glasses and I'd like them back, thank you very much! And while there must have been some behind the scenes lobbying for President Clinton's pardons of the New Square group, when the news hit of the pardons (Jan. 2001), I believe it was the first that most people in the Orthodox community became aware of the crime (granted, the internet was only in its infancy). But my recollection of the aftermath was that most hung their heads in shame. But, I could be mistaken.

In 2009, the Agudah organized a number of business Asifas. These spawned from the arrest and subsequent conviction of the Spinka Rebbe and the New Jersey and New York stings in which arrests for money laundering were made in Deal and Brooklyn. Despite comments on blogs to "hang the mosser[s]" the public reaction of the Agudah leadership was not to organize letter writing campaigns, protests, or fundraisers. One could question is inviting the Rebbe to speak as an honored guest at a business asifa dedicated to promoting integrity was in good taste (I'd vote no since too much blame was placed on a "lack of education" when it is obvious to someone educated in such matters that you have to know exactly what you are doing to pull off massive fraud schemes***), at the very least there was some show of contrition, even if it was perfunctory. At the time of the Spinka arrests, Rabbi Adlerstein, wrote that there was a Silver Lining to the LA Scandal. He hoped that this case would be used to "reexamine issues of personal honesty and integrity" and pointed to some mussar shmoozes. I disagreed with the conclusion that these crimes were borne of insularity^^^, but shared the hope that in the internet era where stories

Well, here we are mid-2010 and it seems that promoting integrity and adherence to American Law and Choshen Mishpat might be a thing of the past. Early 2010, the Grossman Circus rolled into town. A number of Orthodox Communal Organizations, not just the usual suspects (!), banned together in a campaign that loudly called for staying the execution of a man who brutally murdered a young park police officer. The organizations involved even called in the Pope! From coast to coast, Orthodox Jews were asked to write sign petitions, write letters, and call the Governor of Flordia's office to try and stop the execution. And the community followed orders. Certainly leadership was aware that there are more than a few loose cannons that would come out of the woodwork, and the loose cannons didn't disappoint, harassing the Park family and continuing the circus with a funeral fit for a Rebbe and emotional hespedim. Treated a ba'al teshuva of high caliber (the words "ahavas yisrael" follwed his finaly Shema) despite the fact that he never was able to connect the words "I" with the "events" (i.e. murder) before his execution. On Tisha B'Av, his headstone was laid and the labels of HY"D, kedush, and hopes he will be a matzliach yosher continue. Not an ounce of tzniut was evident in this campaign!

Summer 2010, Lakewood hosts massive asifot for Rubashkin, raising upwards of $300,000 for his defense. Ten thousand are reported to have attended the men's gathering and another 3,000 the women's rally. We can argue whether or not the sentencing was excessive, and it may well be (I'm not a legal scholar, but I do know that it was within legal guidelines). But what is the ultimate message of such public and loud campaigns? What kind of society are we going to create when instead of dipping our heads in shame we loudly proclaim the great righteousness of the convicted? What kind of society are we going to create when week after week publications reinforce the notion that we live in tzarist Russia and are simply being persecuted for being Jewish? As far as I am concerned, the message being given is that corners can be cut (so long as you give plenty of tzedakah, bring the community together in achdus, or engage in great displays of Yiddishkeit).

Even worst, during the 3 weeks, a Yated columnist went so far as calling those who don't rally behind Rubashkin as having a "Goyishe Kop": "If I would not know better, I would say that they have stopped thinking in the traditional thought pattern of Yiddin throughout our galus." I'd counter that perhaps those of us with a "Goyishe Kop" are simple people who have no interest in mental gymnastics. While we have compassion for a fellow Jew, we don't act out of sheer emotion. We want to live our lives in a straightforward way where we represent ourselves in dealing with simple straightforwardness. We don't care to engage in mental gymnastics where we convert the distasteful and wrong into a mitzvah. We believe that callousness to financial crime indicates a breakdown in society and do not choose to gloss of things that are "if anything is a white collar crime." We understand the ramifications of our actions as they have consequences far beyond that of a single person and we understand that failure to recognize the rule of law will eventually bite us in the butts!

And so it has. July 28, 2010, Chabad annouces a public rally for a man who was brought to justice by those in his own community. (Background stories at VIN). And note that the ramifications of such a rally extend far beyond providing the $300,000 needed to continue paying the lawyer for legal defense. The ramifications are societal. There is callousness towards other people's money and property. There is an attack on the rule of law, a rule of law that protects me and you, our lives, our children, and our property. Try this on for size and if you watch this video, tell me what background piano music you are hearing)

"Him sitting in prison will not help anybody pay their bills. We have a moral duty to help him reunite with his family speedily."
"No children deserve to grow up without a father, especially such young children, and an oldest child who sacrificed himself for Jews in Eretz Yisroel, losing his arm in Gaza." [Really, no children!?! When will the gatherings be for the thugs that are sitting in prision for beating a Jew? Stealing from a Jew?]

Let's realize the consequences of our actions before we dig a hole so deep it is impossible to emerge from it. The message I'm getting from this year of public displays is me, me, me. Public displays of achdus might feel good, but quiet behind the scenes campaigns where appropriate will keep emotions at bay and preserve a sense of wrong and right. I'm not a sociologist, but I sense a change in the direction of certain elements within the Orthodox community and I think some reflection as to what this changes means for the community at large is well in order because actions always have consequences.


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****What I wrote at the time: Setting up a tax fraud scheme where hundreds of individuals "donated" millions of dollars and then itemized those donations when they knowingly received an 80-95% rebate is planned, deliberate, intentional, malicious, and illegal criminal activity. This isn't giving in to a small temptation such as deducting the price of your tickets to a Chinese Auction. This took massive manpower. Such a scheme perpetuated from the top and joined in by a hundreds of people speaks volumes about the lack of integrity, the worship of the dollar, and the precarious financial situation of the Orthodox Community as a whole, as the Chassidish community in particular.

^^^What I wrote at the time: "insularity combined with ignorance can bring out the yetzer hara for small crimes, but arrogance combined with desperation is the brainchild behind such complicated schemes as we have been continually witnessing for at least 20 years."