From Yeshiva World News:
Dear Yeshiva world editor,
I ask you to please post this letter, as I think it is extremely important and raises a major issue that is affecting the Jewish Community at large.
As my wife was flipping through the pages of the Jewish Press one Friday night, she was shocked at a certain advertisement and called me over to have a look. What I saw might not cause such a reaction to many people, which is a problem in itself, but for this advertisement to appear in a “Frum” weekly newspaper was mind boggling to me. The ad was a picture of two women who where modeling shaitels for a certain Shaitel macher. I can’t understand how the Jewish Press allows such ads in their paper. The women are posing in such immodest ways; the advertisement belongs in People magazine not the “Jewish Press”.
I am definitely not someone who is on a level to give mussar and tell people what’s right and wrong, however I feel very strongly about this. Advertisements’ like this have to be part of the reason why the Jewish community is suffering so much pain recently. Tzinous is so very important and having the Jewish Press advertisement immodesty for a few bucks shows how far our community has fallen.
In the words of Rabbi Yaakov Salomon….”Something to Think About”
Ari Taub
Brooklyn, New York.
...and now my version...
This is very interesting, I recently wrote a very similiar letter to a local jewish publication about the exact same topic:
Dear “The Advertiser”,
I ask you to please post this letter, as I think it is extremely important and raises a major issue that is affecting the Jewish Community at large.
As I was flipping through the pages of The Advertiser this past Friday night, I was shocked at a certain advertisement and called my brother and his wife over to have a look. What I saw might not cause such a reaction to many people, which is a problem in itself, but for this advertisement to appear in a “Frum” weekly newspaper was mind boggling to me. The ad was a picture of two women who where modeling shaitels for a certain Shaitel macher…with their faces blurred out. I can’t understand how The Advertiser allows such ads in their paper. The women are simply posing, not in an immodest way; such an advertisement belongs in a fanatical religious
publication not “The Advertiser”.
I am definitely not someone who is on a level to give mussar and tell people what’s right and wrong, however I feel very strongly about this. Advertisements’ like this have to be part of the reason why the Jewish community is suffering so much pain recently. Tzinous is so very important and having The Advertiser advertise this as what passes for immodesty shows how far our community has fallen.
In the words of God….”Bar Yochai, go back to the cave! You are no longer fit for the company of other human beings”
GF
Any place but Brooklyn, New York.
Comment by G — March 18, 2008 @ 8:21 am
awesome
ReplyDeleteDa**ed if they do, da**ed if they don't
ReplyDeleteThey should have blurred out the sheitels. Some of them are pretty sexy.
ReplyDeleteWait, the second letter was the parody? I thought the first letter was fake. That one was real? G-d help us.
ReplyDeleteNice.
ReplyDeleteI feel like there are really only three people who post comments on YW and they just post under 15 different pseudonyms.
One thing that I've learnt about life: Each community to its own. I've learnt that to take to heart every single thing that goes on in other communities is really pointless. because, -a- nt only will it give you a heart attack, but -b- it is virtually impossible to understand other people's points of view unless you live in that community. There are different standards in every community and I think that just the way you expect your opinion to be tolerated, you can respect their opinion as well. I recently went to visit Kiryas Yoel in Monroe. Although I wouldn't live there, I can respect their way of life and wouldn't want to change it. I'll worry about changing myself first. The famous quote: When I was young, I tried to change the whole world... I've realized that lectures don't work. Ok- rephrasal. They are neccesary, of course- hochaeach tochiach es amisecha- but in balance. I personally think lectures just make people resistant, and most effective is, as Mohandas Ghandi said, "Be the change you want to see in the world."
ReplyDeleteThat was a lecture in itself, but like I said, they're sometimes neccesary. :)
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ReplyDeleteTo re-elucidate that since I realize it wasn't so clear-
ReplyDeleteWhat I meant about changing other communities was that each community has their own system with its built in flaws and benefits, and we form the outside do not understand them and judge them according to our standard. This is irrational- you can only judge a person according to his standards. When we criticize other communities, we are often criticizing them according to our standards, which is normal, since we do think with our brain and no one else's. However, to be perfectly fair, and to truly love each member of klal Yisrael, we have to-well, not judge them at all, that's the totality of the truth, since judguing anyone is neccisarily an irrationl act since only God knowns all the factors that come into play in a person's decisions- but if we do judge, as humans do, we have to take into account where they're coming from, that's all, just as we would like to be judged.
Forgive the run-on and know that while I actually edit for a newspaper I do occasionally write non-streamous sentences that do not clearly express my thoughts.
And to say add one more- one thing that bothers me about the attitudes of bloggers is how we are so quick to ridicule anyone that is frummer than us, but when it comes to those who are less/entirely non-religous, we are even quicker to forgive them and justify their actions. This is typically Jewish, sticking up for the underdog, only in this case I think the underdog has been reversed and it is now that which once had not been so. (the frummer)
And about the first letter- not that it makes much of a difference, but I happen to agree with pschotoddler- I don't think they're appropriate.
Here is the point whwre background and community norms come in and everything I just detailed comes to mind... :)
Whoa!!
ReplyDelete***beep-beep-beep***
Mindy, back the comment truck up for a second.
First rule of anything with a 'posted by G' byline --> do not take it too seriously...the "author" sure didn't:)
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ReplyDeleteOk. Q: the why would you bother saying it? :)
ReplyDelete