Libi BaMizrach

I have been writing on this blog more frequently lately, mainly as a result of a regular column that I have been asked to contribute to the  Queens Jewish Link , the local Jewish newspaper.  In response to a my recent essay " A Post-Hareidi Election  ", the QJL received the following rather strong letter to the editor.  My response follows. by Shimon  Davis Having been in Queens for Pesach, I had the opportunity to come across an issue of the Queens Jewish Link (#30). While I was quite impressed with the overall content of the paper, I was also rather disturbed with two of the articles appearing in it, one of which was authored by a Rabbi in one of the Queens shuls. Although this author’s statements were made public, I have chosen not to mention his name since I noticed that he decided to quote public statements from several gedolei yisroel without mentioning their names. And while I do agree that the actions of certain minority group...

In the last edition of the Queens Jewish Link I had the honor of having my essay, “ A Post –Hareidi Election” published, and I am gratified to report that I received a lot of positive feedback from our readers. As I wrote then, the opinions presented were not new or novel, but merely expressed views that are shared by a great many, who, for whatever reason, are reluctant to state them publicly. Indeed, there is a great middle ground of serious people who are now referred to as “Chareidi”, who feel repelled by many of the statements and actions of Chareidim spokesmen and activists, and wish they were not associated with these statements and actions in the court of public opinion. Put another way, while others may express themselves as they wish, and take responsibility for their own bringing honor to Hashem and His Torah (or Heaven forfend the reverse), we should not be implicitly or explicitly blamed or implicated for those actions by our association. In particular, I was ...