â–Ş Great video about disconnecting
â–Ş Frisco Kids
â–Ş Judge bans Sabbath sewer talk
▪ Historic Esrog Tree in Rav Michel Yehudah’s Yard Has Died
â–Ş Holding on to good teachers
â–Ş Rabbi Nixes Annual Uman Trip
â–Ş Letters to Rav Kook
▪ Religion and Democracy Take Center Stage
▪ Imam Calls For Release Of Shalit
â–Ş The real crisis of world Jewry is a spiritual gap
â–Ş SALT Friday
â–Ş Richmond rabbi uses Israeli knowhow to aid the world
â–Ş Meet America’s top congregational rabbi
â–Ş Make day school affordability a priority
â–Ş Solving a grim Jewish quandary after the attacks: Avoiding agunah problems for 9/11Â widows
â–Ş Haifa university postpones conference on Torat Hamelech
â–Ş Residents march in favor of embattled school
â–Ş Reporters change insular Jewish world
â–Ş New MRI System May mean the End of Autopsies in Israel
â–Ş High-tech worker pleads guilty to spying for Israel
â–Ş SALT Thursday
â–Ş New Mendelssohn Exhibit Sparks Debate
â–Ş Conservative Synagogues Crack Open Door to Intermarried Families
â–Ş Bachmann Meets With Orthodox Leaders
â–Ş Yemeni immigrant fined for Torah scroll
â–Ş Israel says ‘no’ to racially divided schools
▪ My Encounter with Hemingway
▪ The Quiet Death of Interfaith Activity?
▪ No Praise for Folly
▪ What is the Jewish Social Justice Agenda
â–Ş Battle of the Bagels
â–Ş SALT Wednesday
â–Ş The Haimish Line
â–Ş A Call to Revive the Rackman Proposal
â–Ş Jews Against Zionism
â–Ş The Educational System is Dangerous
â–Ş Rembrandt Chose Jewish Models To Depict a More Realistic Jesus
â–Ş Female Soldiers ‘Pushed Out’ – Defense/Security
â–Ş Stellar Startups: The Internet and Jewish Tribes
â–Ş Europe’s Jews to have own parliament
â–Ş Rabbis withdraw support for gay marriage
â–Ş A few Catholics still insist Galileo was wrong
â–Ş New approach in effort to bring Russian-speaking U.S. Jews into the fold
â–Ş SALT Tuesday
â–Ş Parents clash with ultra-Orthodox who shut down Beit Shemesh girls’ school
â–Ş Ask the Rabbi: Is non-Jewish music allowed for prayers?
â–Ş JTA quotes VIN and Yeshiva World
â–Ş A Blessing And A Curse
â–Ş Shalit spends 25th birthday in captivity
â–Ş Jews, the Temple Mount, and ‘Missing’ Protocols
â–Ş Student Expelled for Racist Attack on Jew
â–Ş SALT Monday
â–Ş Last week’s news & links
Rules: link
R. Sacks: “Wherever that faith was strong, Jews were strong, and wherever it was weak, Jews were weak.” Really?
Many thanks for the link to the video about disconnecting. It deserves to be viewed by many people in many places.
Perhaps the link “Letters to Rav Kook” should changed to “Letters of Gedolim to Rav Kook”
BTW, I found this statement of R. Wolpe’s interesting:
“You can argue, especially if you use biblical criticism, that what the Bible was proscribing was not necessarily gay relationships.”
A nice rejoinder for all those who think that ABC doesn’t destroy halacha and is just a non-threatening “kabel et ha’emet”.
I think Wolpe is engaging in wishful thinking. It’s not like ordinary people then (or now) disapproved of homosexuality any less than God does.
Re: Holding unto teachers
“The statistical likelihood of many new teachers leaving the profession within their first three years on the job”
How many people change careers within first three years on job leaving out skilled professions where people sp[ent a few years in serious graduate school and then some post graduate internships I submit the figure is high.
"coupled with recent economic constraints, "
so where can they do better financially
"Low paycheck, low morale, and not feeling valued by administrators"
feelings pandemic in many fields -BTW even in people double or more the age of those profiled.
." Starting salary for a teacher with a master’s degree at a Bergen County Jewish day or high school is $40,000 to $45,000. "
What is the median per hour salary of those with equivalent amount of years working/education of a masters degree in education-suspect it may be lower than these teachers are getting.
"A school might typically contribute six percent of salary toward a pension once a teacher has completed two full years"
What percent of workers are getting even six percent of salary towards a pension today?
" some of her professionally dissatisfied colleagues no longer see any reason to stay on without substantial discounts for their own children"
If the reason to teach is profit maximization and if one can do better elsewhere lech leshalom-I doubt too many will find better jobs elsewhere.
""[Jewish studies] teacher can probably make more tutoring than teaching, assuming the family has medical benefits from a spouse,” ”
How many tutoring jobs have hours competing with a teachers normal workday-of course this simply means that if those jobs are really available a teacher could earns ubstantially more merely by working some of the hours that she/he is not working compared to normal American workers.
“Greene said. “A general studies teacher could earn more in the public school system”"
If they could get a job there-of course many secular teachers moonlight after finishing their day at a public school or after retiring from a public school.
“however, and wage freezes are now in effect in many New Jersey districts. The state’s public school teachers are the third highest-paid new teachers in the country, starting at less than $40,000 without a master’s degree. More than half of all New Jersey public school teachers earn between $40,000 and $60,000; the average salary was $61,830 in 2009.”
So I don’t understand how teachers in day schools are earning much less than public school teachers. BTW public school teachers face challenges that day school teachers are unlikely to face.
Teachers contribute varying amounts toward medical and retirement plans
Nachum,
I’m afraid you’re the one engaging in wishful thinking – homosexuality is considered completely legit by the overwhelming majority of people in the Western world. The stats brought by R. Wolpe match numbers I’ve seen elsewhere.
“The real issue is that for a large proportion of the Jewish world, in Israel and the Diaspora, Judaism no longer makes sense. It does not move them, inspire them or transform them. It does not speak to them at the deepest levels of our being.”
Clearly nothing new-otherwise explain why Jews in genral left traditional Judaism as soon as they were welcomed elsewhere see eg Europe in the Enlightenment.
“They were the children of Abraham who was willing to leave land, home and family and travel to an unknown destination in response to God’s call”
How many of us were willing to leave the diaspora to go to Israel-not many during the return in the 2nd Commonwealth and not many who had an opportunity to since.
“Consider a family with four children earning $200,000 a year. Only 3.5 percent of Americans earn more, yet such families are having difficulty paying tuition bills that typically exceed their mortgage obligations.”
SO HOW ARE THE OTHER 96.5% SUPPOSED TO BE PART OF THE DAY SCHOOL MOVEMENT?
“The tuition problem has been decades in the making, and we are now facing a broken and unsustainable system”
It has existed since the beginningof day schools-now the problems are also reaching the elite upper middle class-so now it is the friends of machers so they might start paying attention.
“Our grandparents and parents paid tuition, but they rarely if ever took vacations or purchased new vehicles on a regular basis. ”
The wealthier Orthodox Jews always did-who went to the Catskills for Yomim Tovim?
“They lived in small residences that were far more modest than those we live in today.”
“The economic downturn has created a new financial reality for many of us”
For the upper middle class who were involved in finacial institutions-the average American male has not seen their income go up in real terms for decades.
“Schools can and should be held accountable for out-of-control spending and quality of education”
Insist that all Jewish organizations disclose their financial dealings at least to the extent of info found on a form 990. BTW I don’t believe the OU or OU Kosher does.
“We at the OU — and all those who care about the future of American Orthodoxy — must continue to make day school affordability a priority”
How much of the OUs profits get repatriated to the Orthodox Jewish community as aid to day schools. Or maybe the OU should give rebates to all member schuls on a per capita basis from its profits.
“homosexuality is considered completely legit by the overwhelming majority of people in the Western world”
Agreed- Western world follows Greek Ideology which was one of toleration.
The Greeks did not recognize it as marriage.
The world progressed.Or is recent regression not a negative?
“The Greeks did not recognize it as marriage’”
In general marriage has no state impact on individual rights and obligations-even the US Income tax concept of joint return came into play I believe in response to the ability of those living in community property states to split income and thus have the equivakent of a joint returm. It is not intrinsicto the American CL system.
mycroft 5:02
So why fight so badly to have it(considered as such)?……..
>>“homosexuality is considered completely legit by the overwhelming majority of people in the Western world”
Is there any evidence whatsoever backing up this generalization? Perhaps this is true in the upper east side of Manhattan.
>Agreed- Western world follows Greek Ideology which was one of toleration.
What Greek ideology is followed today in the western world? Are you referring to the ancient Greek tolerance for pederasty?
“>>“homosexuality is considered completely legit by the overwhelming majority of people in the Western world”
Is there any evidence whatsoever backing up this generalization? Perhaps this is true in the upper east side of Manhattan.”
Nachum said ordinary people disapprove of homosexuality. AIWAC responded and said they don’t. Neither provided any support other than their ipse dixit. I assume, Canuck, your question asking for evidence is directed to both.
The following would suggest that the truth is in the middle (literally): http://www.gallup.com/poll/108115/americans-evenly-divided-morality-homosexuality.aspx
aiwac: Thanks for the link to that Gallop poll, which demonstrated an even division, rather than overwhelming acceptance for the “morality” of homosexual behavior.
Joseph: I had to look up “ipse dixit” in the dictionnary – but thanks for your response. I meant no offense to those who live in the upper east side, despite my earlier tongue-in-cheek comment ;-).
mycroft: I didn’t understand your references to Greek ideology, but I assume you meant that current western cultures share with the ancient Greeks a relative tolerance for homosexual behavior. Of course, western science and philosphy have deep roots in the schools of ancient Greece (and of course Rome). Thanks.
(May you and your families be blessed with a good year.)
“What Greek ideology is followed today in the western world?”
The ideal of rational thought rather than accepting things on faith.
I am NOT passing a value judgement in favor of the Greeks just stating a sociological fact.
“So why fight so badly to have it(considered as such)?……..”
Symbolism
Been wanting to use ipse dixit in a sentence ever since I learned the phrase in law school. So I couldn’t resist. :-) And I return you good wishes.
mycroft – Are you sure the ancient Greeks invented the ideal of rational thought rather than accepting things on faith? Can you give one or two examples? Surely, others in ancient times knew how to think rationally, long before the classical period?
“Ancient Greeks” did not invent the idea of rational thought. Aristotle and Plato complain about the lack of clear thinking amongst their countrymen. In fact, all people who ever wrote about something akin to rational thought complained about this fact, until today…
The Chinese and Confucius complain about the same thing, as do some ancient Hindu scholars.
Canuck, indeed it did. I implicitly conceded that I was (partially) wrong. However, I have to wonder what the numbers would be if they split the results into older and younger people…
aiwac, I was more focused on the theoretical “P” who would have been the source of the prohibition on homosexual behavior in Vayikra. Wolpe is really fantasizing if he thinks P somehow approved of homosexuality- clearly he didn’t!
Of course, Wolpe may really mean “It was all written by humans anyway, so who cares?” Of course, he didn’t say that, and if he did, you can just get rid of Shabbat and Kashrut and social justice as well.
(1) Here are some quotes from Conservative Rabbi David Wolpe, taken from the article “Meet America’s top congregational rabbi.”
“You can argue, especially if you use biblical criticism, that what the Bible was proscribing was not necessarily gay relationships.”
“Gay marriage is a matter of time,” he said, “whether one likes it or not.”
(2) On Passover 2001, Wolpe told his congregation that “the way the Bible describes the Exodus is not the way it happened, if it happened at all.”
“Canuck on September 4, 2011 at 10:32 pm
mycroft – Are you sure the ancient Greeks invented the ideal of rational thought rather than accepting things on faith? Can you give one or two examples? Surely, others in ancient times knew how to think rationally, long before the classical period?
avi on September 5, 2011 at 12:47 am
“Ancient Greeks” did not invent the idea of rational thought. Aristotle and Plato complain about the lack of clear thinking amongst their countrymen.”
I should have been clearer-it wasthe Greek influence of Aristotle/Plato etc that was behind rational thought not cultures based on revelation.
>Of course, Wolpe may really mean “It was all written by humans anyway, so who cares?” Of course, he didn’t say that, and if he did, you can just get rid of Shabbat and Kashrut and social justice as well.
It actually doesn’t make sense for Wolpe to endorse Shabbos and kashrus, after publicly claiming that the Exodus didn’t happen. What does the wishy-washy term social justice even mean?
“Of course, Wolpe may really mean “It was all written by humans anyway, so who cares?” Of course, he didn’t say that, and if he did, you can just get rid of Shabbat and Kashrut and social justice as well.
It actually doesn’t make sense for Wolpe to endorse Shabbos and kashrus, after publicly claiming that the Exodus didn’t happen. ”
Whats news? Conservative Judaism hasn’t accepted halacha in its classical form as binding for decades-I suspect the majority of Conservative Rabbis don’t believe in a literal Bible-not in the way of parshanut but simply it is made up by humans. There has been very little theological difference between Reform and Conservative for decades see eg Milton Himmelfarb in his 1966 into to Commnetary’s State of Jewish belief.
mycroft – I was trying to put some sense into Nachum, who seemed to be defending Wolpe; and inadvertently, that could be seen as a defense of Wolpe’s heretical beliefs, which are at the core of the stangely named Conservative Movement. That movement is causing the masses to sin, and ultimately threatens their Jewish identity.
To be fair to the Conservatives, their sins are mostly inadvertent. And the movement does what the laity wants. However, the leaders know better, so Jews who are more knowledgeable should have a strategy to publicly discredit the Conservative Movement.
aiwac was correct the first time around: the 2011 Pew data show “a majority of Americans (58%) say that homosexuality should be accepted, rather than discouraged, by society.”
http://people-press.org/2011/05/13/most-say-homosexuality-should-be-accepted-by-society/
Asking if should homosexuality should be accepted is a vague question, and seems biased to maximize a favorable result.
In my previous comment, replace “Asking if should” with “Asking should”.
If specific legal and policy questions were asked, far less than 58% would have agreed. Examples: Do you favor same-sex marriage? Do you favor school material that discusses and normalizes homosexual activity or same-sex-marriage?
canuck — i agree, but note that (pro gay agenda ppl) consider your phrased questions as biased, also. though they specifically address our issues here.
they want to force their beliefs on us, and consider us improper for not agreeing, and we should (forcibly) have to put up with school material and social acceptance.
MMHY: If only people considered traditional views improper and left it at that. They will attempt to criminalize dissent as they have done in Canada, using section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act, which states that it is discriminatory to communicate material “that is likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt.” Also, noone is immune from the moral climate.