Why is it that the lay-people of the community and the simple (and often anonymous) voices of the JBlogosphere are the only ones expressing today loud and clear on the internet what needs to be said?An important post.
Every Community Rav needs to clearly say to his community that this behaviour, and worse, the covering up of this behaviour, is abhorrent and the antithesis of Judaism.
Thursday, May 18, 2006
Jameel Questions Authority
...or more precisely, where it is. Check out "Rabbinic Accountability" at the Muqata. Excerpt:
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I am sure that community Rabbopnim are denouncing these acts, just as they did with the Lander scandal. The problem is we're not hearing it because they aren't the ones being quoted in newspapers.
ReplyDeleteWhich is a shame.
Could be, though I haven't heard of any.
ReplyDeleteYou meant Lanner, though, right?
Ezzie, I think the problem is cultural and harder to deal with than simply pressuring our Rabbis. Please read my post.
ReplyDeleteI think I want to send my post (revised and cleaned-up) to a few of the major publications. Any you suggest?
No clue. I don't read them. :)
ReplyDeleteI've added my own two cents worth to the angry pot.
ReplyDeletetypo-lad: Excuse me??? When the Lanner thing was going on, every single Rabbi in NJ was praising him, defending him, and ostracising the accusers.
ReplyDeleteYou would be very hard pressed to find ANY rabbi at the time that didn't defend him, let alone say anything to their community, let alone bother writing to a newspaper.
Ezzie- Yeah, I meant Lanner. Oops.
ReplyDeleteJameel,
Fascinating. I worked in a large shul on the Upper West Side of NY at the time and believe me when I say the local Rabbinic community was quite vocal, to the point of a talmud of Rabbi Willig's considering cutting all ties. I don't know if he did.
Maybe the Rabbonim in Jersey were different. I don't know. Maybe because it was closer to home or because people on both sides of the issue davened in the same shuls. I can only speak for the ones I worked with and interacted with.
BOTH - I'll check it out.
ReplyDeleteTypo Lad: I'm referring to when the original story broke in the late 1980's when Lanner was almost Rabbi of the "Romer shul"
ReplyDeleteRabbi Willig (and therefore, his talmidim) were one of Lanner's biggest supporters at the time.
I would not know about the late 80's, as I was a mere slip of a lad at the time. I can only speak for what happened when the Jewish Week (wouldn't they count as laypeople?) said "enough already!" and published their article.
ReplyDeleteI can tell you that at that time, at least two of Rabbi Willig's peers and three of his Talmidim were ready to hang him.
Just because someone is your Rebbe does not mean he's your rebbe for life.
'Rabbi Willig (and therefore, his talmidim) were one of Lanner's biggest supporters at the time.'
ReplyDeleteRabbi Willig later apologized.