So it looks like Haloscan is going bye-bye. I've seen Echo, the new system that Haloscan's parent company, JS-Kit, is promoting as a replacement, on several other blogs. I initially liked the look, but it has too many negatives.
I'm thinking of going back to Blogger comments. Simple & straightforward.
Is there any way to migrate all my old Haloscan comments to Blogger comments? Or will my old Haloscan comments stay where they are for old posts?
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Monday, December 21, 2009
Tropper's an easy opponent
Cross-posted on DovBear
The JBlogosphere for the last week has been obsessed with the Tropper scandal. And there’s no doubt (assuming the allegations and tapes are real) that the revelations are disgusting and shocking, exposing Tropper for a complete and utter hypocrite and fraud. After all the book banning, conversion revocation, and strong-arming of the RCA into capitulating to the Israeli Rabanut standards, there’s something satisfying in seeing that it’s all fake, that he’s a disgusting excuse for a human being.
But the thing is, for every Tropper out there, there are thousands of sincere Charedi individuals who are just as sickened as anybody by his behavior. They are just as shocked and appalled. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll turn their backs on the hashkafa that Tropper espoused. They still believe that conversion should be according to the strictest Charedi standards. They still feel that wearing only skirts, covering hair and sending kids to approved yeshivas are among the minimum criteria for conversion. They still believe that the world is exactly 5,770 years old and that books even hinting otherwise should be banned.
And those sincere people aren’t just in the super-insular Chassidic communities. The vast majority of the Yeshivish community, even in the US, agrees with these fundamentalist notions. Flatbush and Monsey are chock full of them.
So ultimately, it’s not the ideas of a Leib Tropper that need to be opposed. Self-destruction of hypocrite perverts takes care of that. But the hundreds of thousands of Charedim, (whose numbers keep growing despite an increasing rate of “dropouts”) are not so easily opposed. There’s no dirt on most of these people, no hypocrisy waiting to come to light. They’re sincere people, generally kind and generous too, who simply believe deeply in a fundamentalist version of Judaism.
So how do those of us with a more open approach combat their increasing influence in all sectors of public Orthodox life?
But the thing is, for every Tropper out there, there are thousands of sincere Charedi individuals who are just as sickened as anybody by his behavior. They are just as shocked and appalled. But that doesn’t mean that they’ll turn their backs on the hashkafa that Tropper espoused. They still believe that conversion should be according to the strictest Charedi standards. They still feel that wearing only skirts, covering hair and sending kids to approved yeshivas are among the minimum criteria for conversion. They still believe that the world is exactly 5,770 years old and that books even hinting otherwise should be banned.
And those sincere people aren’t just in the super-insular Chassidic communities. The vast majority of the Yeshivish community, even in the US, agrees with these fundamentalist notions. Flatbush and Monsey are chock full of them.
So ultimately, it’s not the ideas of a Leib Tropper that need to be opposed. Self-destruction of hypocrite perverts takes care of that. But the hundreds of thousands of Charedim, (whose numbers keep growing despite an increasing rate of “dropouts”) are not so easily opposed. There’s no dirt on most of these people, no hypocrisy waiting to come to light. They’re sincere people, generally kind and generous too, who simply believe deeply in a fundamentalist version of Judaism.
So how do those of us with a more open approach combat their increasing influence in all sectors of public Orthodox life?
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
First they came for the Conservative & Reform
Many ae familiar with Martin Niemöller's famous poem about the passivity of the German intellectuals in the face of the Nazi's rise:
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.
There seems to be tremendous outrage this week at Rabbi Malkiel Kotler's alleged statement comparing Modern Orthodox Jews to Esav. But there was previously very little concern about such hate being preached by Charedim against Conservative & Reform.
Harry Maryles writes:
How in Heaven's name does any Jew, let alone a respected Rosh Yeshiva of the largest Yeshivos justify preaching hate? That is exactly what he and others like him do when they say things like this. What is it that makes modern Orthodox Jews a bunch of Esavs - that have to be fought like Conservative and Reform Jews? How can anyone condemn God fearing Jews who observe Torah and Mitzvos and believe in Torah Min HaShamyim ? What does he gain with this?
How about writing:
What is it that makes Conservative and Reform Jews a bunch of Esavs - that have to be fought like Christians and Muslims?
First they came for the communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a communist;Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist;Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew;Then they came for me—and there was no one left to speak out for me.
There seems to be tremendous outrage this week at Rabbi Malkiel Kotler's alleged statement comparing Modern Orthodox Jews to Esav. But there was previously very little concern about such hate being preached by Charedim against Conservative & Reform.
Harry Maryles writes:
How in Heaven's name does any Jew, let alone a respected Rosh Yeshiva of the largest Yeshivos justify preaching hate? That is exactly what he and others like him do when they say things like this. What is it that makes modern Orthodox Jews a bunch of Esavs - that have to be fought like Conservative and Reform Jews? How can anyone condemn God fearing Jews who observe Torah and Mitzvos and believe in Torah Min HaShamyim ? What does he gain with this?
How about writing:
What is it that makes Conservative and Reform Jews a bunch of Esavs - that have to be fought like Christians and Muslims?
Sunday, December 13, 2009
Tweets 11/26 - 12/12
So I've been on Twitter for a few weeks. Still not used to it & having a hard time trying to figure out how to follow conversations, so it's been slow.
Here are a few of my tweets that may be blogworthy (i.e. may stimulate discussion):
-----------
My namesake was sort of the Jewish Sinbad. Probably really existed, but adventures just fables. Do charedim take aggada like them literally? -----------
Just finished "In Defense of Food" (http://tinyurl.com/2wv2zu) & found this article in the NYTimes today ( http://tinyurl.com/ygmpqao) -----------
Does God intervene with the world? Since the world around us affects our decisions, and we're supposed to have free will, how could he? Psych Halloween episode - the brother & sister backstory would be from frum family, rebelled and got into goth/wiccan stuff. @gldmeier What to do when plane in holding pattern and going around airport and you're davening amidah? Keep feet together but rotate to Jm! Don't businesses realize saving $ by having no windows in an office costs them more in productivity? Humans need light! There's some women's speakers program in Brooklyn called Chachmos Nashim. Name sounds condescending. Obama has 45% approval rating in Israel? (http://tinyurl.com/y8n9tj9) How do Israeli polls get 3%? Even w/Israeli Arabs discrepancy too big.
Here are a few of my tweets that may be blogworthy (i.e. may stimulate discussion):
-----------
My namesake was sort of the Jewish Sinbad. Probably really existed, but adventures just fables. Do charedim take aggada like them literally? -----------
Just finished "In Defense of Food" (http://tinyurl.com/2wv2zu) & found this article in the NYTimes today ( http://tinyurl.com/ygmpqao) -----------
Does God intervene with the world? Since the world around us affects our decisions, and we're supposed to have free will, how could he? Psych Halloween episode - the brother & sister backstory would be from frum family, rebelled and got into goth/wiccan stuff. @gldmeier What to do when plane in holding pattern and going around airport and you're davening amidah? Keep feet together but rotate to Jm! Don't businesses realize saving $ by having no windows in an office costs them more in productivity? Humans need light! There's some women's speakers program in Brooklyn called Chachmos Nashim. Name sounds condescending. Obama has 45% approval rating in Israel? (http://tinyurl.com/y8n9tj9) How do Israeli polls get 3%? Even w/Israeli Arabs discrepancy too big.
Sunday, December 6, 2009
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