Category — Kiruv

Please see, “Between Baalat Teshuva and Britney Spears” on the Forward, and my response on Jewcy.

I would strongly advise my more religious readers actually read Dr. Sztokman’s piece before dismissing it as “Ortho-bashing” the way so many do when anyone dares question the goals and methods of universal fahfrumtage.

The Forward reported,

Officials of Ohr Somayach told the Forward that they had an “informal relationship around 2003” with the JEC. Tax returns for Ohr Somayach International, the organization’s Brooklyn-based office, show that donations totaling $25,000 were made to the JEC from 2002 to 2003. Presented with this information, Mindell responded in an e-mail: “The JEC has never been nor are we now an affiliate of the Ohr Sameyach organization.”

I found more information about this affiliation which does not and has not ever existed between these two wonderful institutions that only seek to strengthen Jewish identity in a vague, general sense and have no specific Kiruv agenda.

Ohr Somayach noted,

The outreach affiliate of Ohr Somayach in Manhattan, the JEWISH ENRICHMENT CENTER…is, in addition to its ongoing lectures and kiruv activities, beginning to attract alumni to come there in their spare time and learn with people dropping in. Alumni who would like to join in this important effort should contact alumnus Mordechai Mindell…

Getting Saved the Haredi Way Thanks to “Kiruv Magic” of the JEC

How do Orthodox Jews define success for Liberal and secular ones? Downward social mobility.

From the Jewish Press, 2008,

Part I: Drop In
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In “The Kiruv Con,” Rabbi Marlyes condemns both the ethics and the efficacy of Dark Light’s deception, noting,

The ends do not justify the means. There have been too many instances where people who realize they have been ‘conned’ and then rebel and go exactly the opposite direction. Instead of just being a lost opportunity they are now on a warpath with all of Orthodoxy. And if they become members of the media – as some of them do – they can do a lot more damage than the good was done by through deception.

Rabbi Mayles is a wise man. He is also lonely. The ultra-Orthodox do not take him or any moderate Modern Orthodox rabbi seriously.

And honorable success is not really what they are about. Numbers, sure. But honorably? An ethical victory? The leaders of the haredim decide what is ethical. And what is ethical is to “make them frum.” And they don’t mind if they lose more than they gain, or if resistance ramps up.

They want to be in a spiritual war.

The JEC, which dominates Birthright Next NYC thanks to Michael Steinhardt’s 100% support of a family friend, does not appear to be very successful at all. At least, not by general Jewish communal standards.

But as Shmarya writes on Jewcy,

…there is one area the JEC does succeed in – furthering the goals of Ohr Somayach and other ultra-Orthodox missionary organizations. These organizations get access to Birthright alumni through Ohr Somayach’s proxy, the JEC. Its overall success rate might be poor, but those alumni the JEC does “succeed” with have a much higher chance of owning a black fedora or a wig than your average twenty-something Jewish New Yorker. And that is exactly what Ohr Somayach wants.

Aish controls their page on Wikipedia. If you think getting the PR nonsense out of a Wikipedia’s various NCSY pages is impossible, just try Big Aish.

Never the less, Big Aish reveals exactly what about the non-English speaking Rabbi Moshe Hillel’s resume entitles him to be Rosh Yeshiva of Aish HaTorah, the largest non-Chassidic ULTRA-Orthodox outreach organization for American Jewry.

This is Moshe Hillel’s “biography” section of the page.

Moshe Hillel Weinberg was born in Jerusalem and grew up in Kiryat Sanz neighborhood. His father, Rabbi Noah Weinberg was the founder of Yeshivas Aish HaTorah. [1] His paternal grandfather, Yitzchak Mattisyahu Weinberg, was a grandson of the first Slonimer Rebbe, Rabbi Avrohom Weinberg. His paternal grandmother, Hinda, was a direct descendant of Rabbi Jacob ben Jacob Moses of Lissa, author of Nesivos Hamishpat. His mother, Rebbetzin Denah Weinberg founded a EYAHT College of Jewish Studies for Women, a full-time learning program in Jerusalem, Israel for unaffiliated, college-educated and professional women from English-speaking countries. They were married for over 50 years, his mother still living in Kiryat Sanz.

Maybe, Rabbi Weinberg himself has done very little on his own — but you gotta admit — his Mom has done some notable things. And isn’t that what it’s all about?

I was so shocked to read of continued Big Aish deception that I wrote about the situation on Jewcy. Frankly, I just can’t believe that an ultra-Orthodox kiruv organization is resorting to such tactics.

Josh Waxman proves that the quarter story is, in fact, of Christian origin. Which makes sense, since there aren’t that many rabbis in Houston in need of a quarter, and fewer Jewish bus drivers in those parts. Something clearly shmekt nit frish, but Weinbach, of course, couldn’t be bothered to question it, anymore than he questioned the story of a Turkish rabbi who rode a rug across the Mediterranean Sea, nor the Steipler Rebbe’s critical role in an Israeli raid on Iraq’s nuclear facility — a year later than when it actually happened.

Rabbi Weinbach is an example of how ultra-Orthodox Jews intentionally accept maysehs without critical analysis or research. We have caught him in his casual lies over and over again, and it is symptomatic of right-wing ultra-Orthodox culture.

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On Failed Messiah’s post on how a Big Kiruv (ouchreach) organization deleted all their women speakers photos for the sake of haredi “modesty,” one commenter wrote,

I am so glad that I am not frum anymore.

Posted by: ben Avraham | May 12, 2009 at 04:34 PM

I hear ya, brother.

Tragic news! Ronen Levi Yitzchak Segal, an empathetic and engaging person who always stayed menschlach on this site even when disagreeing on core issues, has passed.

Sarah/froylein alerted me about this development, and we don’t yet have information about how or why. A trust is being established for his two daughters.