89 Responses

1. Can anyone explain why though?

2. Dunno. Just saw him by the iriya last week. Cute kids.

3. First of all, I believe that the context is that Cham was cursed such that his son would have black skin, and therefore the Jewish approach would seem to be that it is a Chisaron.
   Secondly, I think that R’ Chaim meant that it is not an inherent Chisaron since it is superficial. while it might as a rule be a physical indication of a Chisaron in the Nefesh, a Ger (Which I am assuming this R’ Nissim is) would be an exception.
   Thirdly, it can be a Mailah since it requires that one develop excellent Midos simply in order to function well in Frum society.

4. This is how H”KBH created him. Therefore it’s good.

5. you don’t have to worry so much about the sun’s harmful rays if you’re black.

6. You are supposed to love a Ger more then a FFB. So since he is black maybe Rav Chaim is saying that people will know you are a Ger and that you will get the utmost respect.

7. ChadGadya, I know, right. My honest first thoughts were “that’s awkward”. I thought that in olam hazeh we look at a person for his/her midos and yiras shemayim, not their physicality- so perhaps I am missing something? I’d like to know why the standings man in the white shirt doesn’t allow the Rav breathing room in any of the pictures.

8. He said “your mayla”, not “a mayla”.

9. Can’t help thinking that a private audience with a Godol – which I presume this is – is better kept private.

10. An Explanation? People forget the Nisyonos our great Forefathers and Previous generations went through to keep Yiddishkeit. Imagine the Unbelievable Nisyonos R’ Nissim Black went through to reach this level of Chassidus and goes through every day? Tzaddik!!

11. Not sure I understand. Does the Rav understand that Black is also his name and not just his skin color?

12. chadgadya, moshe’s wife was black and God smote those who objected. A ger in this situation has overcome much more joining a people of a different religion and a different typical complexion.

    not sure if rabbi kanievsky had these or other reasons.

13. Yes, he meant to say that as a Rapper it is a Mayla not a Chesaron

14. ChadGadya, perhaps being black is what makes him an anomaly and helps him connect with people and fulfill his tafkid?

15. Or perhaps the Rav is aware of the extent of prejudice in our society against blacks and is trying to reassure Mr. Black that any negative experiences he encounters are irrelevant to his status as a Yid?

    I’ve heard some breathtakingly stupid remarks about blacks in general from some in our camp, and I’m sure the Rav is aware of how hurtful these can be. One black ger once told me that it drives him crazy when frum people tell him, as if it’s a compliment, “Don’t worry, you’re not black, you’re Jewish,” as if the two excluded each other.

16. TGIShabbos – its Rav Chaim grandson, probably there to facilitate the conversation

17. > TGIShabbos
    ” I’d like to know why the standings man in the white shirt doesn’t allow the Rav breathing room in any of the pictures.”

    I imagine that In principle he a “translator”, and it has more to do with the way people use words and how R. Kanievsky uses words. If he is the same person I have seen and heard in videos, he gets things going straight to the point.

18. This is a beautiful event. It is also a slap in the face of all the racists pretending to be Torah Jews. I have heard and seen horrible things done to Gerim and “different” Jews. There is Din and Dayan in the world. Now is a good time for all those who have insulted or done worse to a Jew because of his color or background to ask forgiveness and abandon the mental illness of racism.

19. > mobico

    ” First of all, I believe that the context is that Cham was cursed such that his son would have black skin, and therefore the Jewish approach would seem to be that it is a Chisaron.”

    One should actually understand the Midrash before commenting. The Midrash is that during the Flood Cham had relations with his wife (which was forbidden during times of such crisis) in order to produce white (or perhaps “whiter”) children (as the sun was not visible at this time). So it is Cham who was obsessed with whiteness. As part of his punishment the one child he was counting on to be white was the very child who would not be white, not because of any inherent inferiority but just so Cham would be forced to face his failure. One should carefully consider what it means when someone like Cham endorses something.

20. With all the achryus which rav kaniefsky takes upon himself, why does he have his shammos call a few schools and demand they take his kids in.

21. lebidik yankel, ah… okay. Thanks

22. Isn’t it more likely that the Yeshivos aren’t accepting his children because he’s a RAPPER, not because he’s black. I’m not saying that they would be right in doing so, just my assumption would be that this would be more of a reason.

23. tgichabbos- thats his grandson who takes care of him night and day. you will barely see a heintige picture of r chaim whith out him and with evryones important private shailos around eretz yisroel and abroad (ive asked many shailos to him apparently you wer never there yet-and the same man was always there) coming to him on an hourly basis, i dont think it would be safe for him to leave. besides for the fact that he doesn’t know english and cannot facilitate the conversation.

24. Nissim Black, if you’re reading this… stay strong! It is not your skin color keeping your kids out,but your status as a ger. Sad but true, BT’s and geirim are subject to prejudice.

    I have to keep this very anonymous, so I will be vague. My cousin owns a girls’ school in a NY town with a very large Jewish community. He told me more than half the girls in the school cannot speak Yiddish, but they have to keep Yiddish as a requirement “to keep out the baal teshuvahs.” I was appalled.

    My best friend is a BT and she is so normal and totally frum you would never know. Also, she’s BT since she was a child, so she knows nothing else! Regardless, schools told her to her face that they can’t take children of BT’s (“because the other parents would pull their kids out”). In the end she had to send to a school where the other girls watch movies and TV, and her daughters had to hear about it every day and be exposed to things that were kept out of their home. So sad.

    ***Discrimination against BT’s and geirim is the ultimate sinas chinam, and is the reason Moshiach hasn’t come!***

    Nissim Black, stay strong. Hashem loves you and so do I!

25. This confuses the stereotypes about black people that my yeshiva taught me

26. Now I see the update. Why do we have people go through the geiros process which can take over a year. Then when the Ger’s children are ready to go to school the schools do not accept them.

    Here they bdavka tell Nissim b/c he is BLACK and that is why his kids will not be accepted. If that is not racist and bigoted then what is? How does anyone send their children to such a school with such a racist hashkafa?

    I have this before and I will say it again. You can thank the Kollel elitist system for this. Everything that is wrong with our community you can blame it on the Kollel system. Oh the irony.

27. May HKB”H continue giving R’ Nissim the koiches he needs to be mischazek clal yisroel.

28. comments 8/28

    sinas chinom?how? what sinas chinom. right or wrong where does sinas chinom come in?

29. there is a reowened rav in the US that has many dark skin chassidic talmidim and all their kids are accepted in their local cheiders and yeshivos, if you want your kids to receive a mainstream frum education and not succeeding because of their skin color or because their are geirim try to contact this rav.

30. @shimen why wouldnt discrimination be considered sinas chinam?

31. Comments I’ve seen plenty displays of prejudice by BTs, directed at Frum people.

32. @ego most likely because of the color, i know of many cases of dark geirim’s children getting rejected by schools despite of how much they know or how frum they are. nothing helps them they could very frum and normal but sadly it is the skin color and yichus is what decides who gets accepted in school, very sad.

33. What’s the difference what Rav Chaim meant?
    Bottom line is that it’s a chillul Hashem of the highest order that not a single school is not able to look past his skin color and take in his kids. Honestly, it could be enough to give a ger buyer’s remorse. But we all knew that the school acceptance system in Israel is completely messed up anyways. 100 times worse than Lakewood or anywhere else in the US.

34. georgeg – It is clear from many other places in Torah that in a purely objective sense fairer skin is considered more attractive (see for one example Berachos 31b). This has nothing to do with Cham’s personal value system. If it did, why didn’t Hashem show how wrong he was by making everyone else’s children dark-skinned? Obviously – and in case it wasn’t, R’ Chaim has made it clear – this has nothing whatsoever to do with the inherent chashivus of any individual.

    mylogic37 – The kollel system is the one that has produced Gedolim, Rabbanim, those who run schools, and those who teach in them. it produced R’ Chaim himself. It is part and parcel of the Yeshiva world, which the website that you read and choose to participate in has named itself after. One thing is clear – at the very least, it is not the only source for the problem of Motzi Shem Ra!

35. Mobico:

    “First of all, I believe that the context is that Cham was cursed such that his son would have black skin…”

    Actually, the idea that the “curse of Ham” is what led black people to be slaves is an early 19th century Christian approach, not a Jewish one. More importantly, it’s against the Passuk.

    Noach cursed K’na’an, not Cham. The Meforshim say that this is because he couldn’t curse Cham because Hashem had already blessed Cham.

    Africans are descendants of Cham, but not K’na’an. The descendants of K’na’an were mostly wiped out (either by us or later kingdoms).

36. Why would a heimishe school take in a rapper who sings such goyishe songs even when the words are Jewish-themed?

    I’m sure other children of such Jewish rappers, even white-skinned FFBs, wouldn’t think their kids would be accepted in these very frum school.

37. I really expect Rav Chaim Kanievsky to find that perfect school for Reb. Nissim Black’s children and hopefully it will be soon. May there be a very positive follow-up.

38. @mylogic37- “I have this before and I will say it again. You can thank the Kollel elitist system for this. Everything that is wrong with our community you can blame it on the Kollel system. Oh the irony.”
    You need to wake up, no, grow up. Everything?? Seems like you have an axe to grind. While there are failings in the system, if it wasn’t for the ‘system’ just imagine what the state of yiddishkeit would be in the USA, if not the world. You may have some legitimate points, but if you take an honest account of how much the ‘system’ you so enthusiastically deride has contributed to Judaism in America, maybe you’d change your tune. This is all besides the fact that your tone is utterly disgusting.

39. Dr Yidd,
    No, Moshe’s wife was not black. She was called kushi in reference to her beauty i.e. just as there is no doubt to all that a black person is black, similarly there was no doubt to all that Tzipporah was exceedingly beautiful. This is Rashi.

40. DrYidd, Moshe Rabbenu’s wife was *not* black. You have misunderstood the posuk; Rashi, as always, gives the basic pshat, the simplest explanation that holds water, and he says that the posuk tells us Tziporah was as beautiful as a Kushi is black.

41. Predictable for Israeli chinuch system

42. fahhack nisht pshat with drush. and btw, rav kanievsky’s grandson is reachable by WhatsApp and he understands english

43. Sorry to say this, but I’m not at all surprised. Unfortunately Nissim didn’t realize the deep-seated prejudices we have throughout our own communities, on a global scale, especially in very cloistered Hareidi neighborhoods. Face it: we suck at welcoming ‘strangers’ when we’re supposed to love the ger. That said, even Sfardim & Mizrachim have had very difficult times getting their children into yeshivot and batei yaakov because they were Mizrachi or Toledanos and not Goldsteins. Just imagine how hard it is for gerim who happen to be black. I feel for the guy. People, you’ve never met anybody who loves being a Jew more than he does and his love for his fellow Jews, his adopted people is infinite. Yet, no matter how popular and famous he is and becomes, he and his children will have to face this horrible prejudice that doesn’t seem to go away.

44. Sinas chinam comes in when you reject a yid from a school simply because they are BT, etc. I come from a rabbonishe family, and I know we have it easy in admissions to schools and shidduchim. I know BT families who are so amazing and have the best references from choshuva rabbonim who are rejected only because they (or their parents) are BT. This is sinas chinam.

45. DrYidd, we are not talking drush. Rashi gives only pshuto shel mikro. If Rashi says something then that is the pshat, and whatever you read into it is a drush.

46. And I think Mr.Black is Breslov– their refusal to take his kids is hardly in keeping with Torah values or Breslov hashkafa.What about the Breslov boys Yeshiva that has lots of Baale Teshuvah that was in the ǹews yesterday that they don’t have a building because the ORT building on HaNeviim didn’t renew their lease?

47. Sam2 – I said nothing about slaves or Africans. I mentioned that part of Cham’s curse was that his son had black skin, which is indeed explicit in Midrashim. I am not sure what you mean about something being against the Pasuk.

48. Maybe I was too general with my comments, sorry about that. What I meant to say was the Kollel for ALL system cannot survive for many reasons. I agree we need kollels as we need to generate Rabbonim, Rebbeim etc…

    When we have a Kollel for all system (and not our brightest and best only) the person who loses out the most is the Youngerman who actually belongs in Kollel. Such a person should be supported by the community!!

49. > Milhouse

    “Tziporah was as beautiful as a Kushi is black.”

    Leaving aside the question of what is pshat and drash here, there is nothing in that statement that states she was NOT black.

50. > mobico

    “It is clear from many other places in Torah that in a purely objective sense fairer skin is considered more attractive (see for one example Berachos 31b). ”

    I think Berachos 31b is Talmudic period. That certain societies considered “white” skin more beautiful is not all objective, it is subjective and cultural.

51. For all those who are so appalled by the “bigotry”, would any of you do a shiduch with one of his children?

52. Dr. Yidd it is pshat. The posuk tells us she’s a midianite when she married Moshe rabbeinu. When they separated it calls her a Kushite. So the obvious question is which one is she. That’s why Rashi answers that pshat is she is midianite and the black part was a reference to her outstanding deeds and beauty just as a black stands out.

53. does he belong to a particular chassidus? if yes, why wont the mosdos of that chassidus take in his kids?

    lets be realistic for just a moment, whatever his skin color, right or wrong, it is probably his profession that is scaring away the schools. I doubt there is a yeshiva administrator anywhere who is stupid enough to tell someone we wont accept you because of your skin color.

54. mobico-“georgeg – It is clear from many other places in Torah that in a purely objective sense fairer skin is considered more attractive (see for one example Berachos 31b). This has nothing to do with Cham’s personal value system. If it did, why didn’t Hashem show how wrong he was by making everyone else’s children dark-skinned? ”

    Um, He did. Pirkei d’Rabbi Eliezer Chap 24:
    ““He blessed Noah and his sons—as it says: ‘And G’d blessed them,’…He blessed Shem and his sons [making them] black and comely…He blessed Ham and his sons [making them] black as the raven… He blessed Japheth and his sons [making] all of them white and beautiful… These are the portions he gave them as an inheritance.”

55. @akivae 8/29 – Yes. Without hesitation, if the couple wanted to move forward with it.

    @apushatayid 8/29 – His profession is music. His songs are meant to inspire love of Hashem, self-confidence, and pride in one’s Yiddishkeit. Why is that something that should block his children from learning?

    @philosopher 8/28 – You need to reflect on your own middos if you even remotely think that it’s appropriate for these schools to reject his children because of his “goyishe” music. Do you even hear yourself? Your remarks are why the outside world sees frumkeit as racist and insular.

    In fact, ANY of you who actually support and justify these decisions are performing an incredible chillul Hashem, and damaging the reputation of frum Jews by validating the world’s opinion that we are racist and intolerant. You should all be ashamed of yourselves. I hope you all are praying extra slichos this year; you’re going to need it.

    Out here in the world, antisemites justify themselves by pointing at people like yourselves and saying “look at how racist the Jew is!” And “look at those Jew supremacists!” You enable this. You are bringing shame to Jews in general (even the liberals) and Frumkeit in particular.

56. As a friend of Nissim’s:
    1) Nissim was not too happy this story got out.
    2) His boys are in yeshiva (Breslov). It’s the girls that are harder.
    3) Keep in mind that Nissim reads the comments here! There is a לאו of causing tzar to a Ger. be careful what you write!!
    4) This story is being picked up by nonjewish and chiloni papers as proof of Jews’ racism. The comments here are certainly not helping our reputation.

57. There are other dark skinned people in the world other than Bnei Cham. When someone becomes a ger , he is totally a new person, he gets a Jewish neshama. I know many sincere geirim, all wonderful people. I wish Nissim Black and his family hatzlocha. I personally don’t care for rap music, but there are other styles of music that I don’t care for either. Nothing personal about Mr. Black’s music.

58. I haven’t commented on the actual story. What is there to say? His kids should be accepted in the schools and as you say, the boys are. When I was in high school, there was a black girl in beis Rivkah. I thought it was the coolest thing.

59. To reject someone for their skin color is to insult Hashem’s creations, and that is like insulting Hashem chas v’shalom.

60. Actually come to think of it Moshes wife may have been dark skinned because the nation of midyan descended from keturah and Avraham Avinu. Ketura aka Hagar was Egyptian, and we know from the discussion between Avraham and Sara when they went down to Mitzrayim, that the Mitzriim were dark skinned.

    Hagars famous descendents, the Arabs are dark skinned. So makes sense that her other progeny would also be dark skinned.

61. @Yeshivishrockstar: I understand, respect and appreciate Nissim’s concerns. However, although many would criticise the rhetoric and label it as lashon hara, this very much has to be discussed and discussed at length. Sweeping it under the carpet and not discussing it will only make this cancer grow, it will not make it go away. If his daughters are having a difficult time, it’s still a big problem that is a part of an even bigger problem and an ancient problem. Our communities have deep-rooted racist issues, not only with black people who are megeir, but even Mizrachim and Sefardim who have been banned from Ashkenazi run yeshivot, beiti Yakov and seminaries. It’s a known and practiced thing that has been occurring in Israel and in chu”l for decades — even centuries. I’m not even going to go near the issues regarding the condescending attitudes many institutions have against ba’alei tchuvim (I can tell you first hand, and I’ve been religious since I was 18. I’m now 51), but in his case and cases like his, it’s akin to blacks fighting the Jim Crow laws back in the 1950s and 1960s. It’s a serious problem and it needs to be discussed, addressed and the it needs to be stopped.

62. Josh pactor, my middos has nothing to do with the fact that his music style is very goyishe and the school is wary of that (or perhaps other factors that I don’t know of). It’s the same as many FFB singers these days singing goyishe songs and they can’t (and most probably don’t) expect easy entry to very frum schools.

    I don’t think this has to do with his skin color. I believe that case was blown out of proportion because of the media. In satmer school there was a black girl and in other frum schools there were black girls. But one can’t just drop in on a school and decide they want to send their kids there. Im Chassidish but I know there are Chassidishe mosdos who will in no way accept me because I’m not their type. And that’s ok. A school has the right to protect the character their school.

    Having said that, I hope Black’s children WILL be accepted to the school of his choosing. NEVERTHELESS, the craziness of frum people creating goyishe music has gotten out of hand, it’s a makkah that is getting worse and being accepted and normal and decent. And if a school hesitates to accept children from a household where goyishe music is created and accepted as okay, is understandable. Again, I hope his kids will be accepted but I understand the school too. It’s ridiculous to expect schools to accept people which they consider to have foriegn values. And I’M SURE Nissim Black was warned beforehand that it will be hard to be accepted into the community as all geirim are looked at with distrust as some are not genuine and those who are, are eventually accepted in the community regardless of the color of their skin. Nissim Black seems like a wonderful, genuine geir and I’m sure the community will accept him, but people can’t be rant against “the system” which tries to protect our children especially when he produces music in a style that saturated with low-class goyishe culture.

63. What school was his 10 year old till now?

64. Whatever the reasons the school may have are their own. The fact that other commentors here have taken the liberty to speculate other reasons and develop them into an ongoing conversation regarding skin colour bringing sources to support their claims is abhorrent, considering the sensitivity of such a topic.
    I agree that unfortunately, discrimination is present in our communities, especially in certain chareidi neighbourhoods in Israel. We discriminate against each other sometimes based on our surnames.
    We have forgotten our genetic jewish traits passed down to us from the previous generations all the way back to the avot hakedoshim. As Jews we have the mitzvah of veahavta lereacha kamocha , veahavtem et Hager, to be nos’ei be’ol chaveiro and be Rachmanim and Gomlei chassidim.
    I do agree that at times schools do reject pupils because their family doesn’t fit, which may be valid. However the correct approach askanim and regular people like us should be taking as Frum yidden is to help in whatever way we can to alleviate the situation, and if we are incapable of helping due to other mitigating factors, we should at least show our support and try and see where we can improve our and our community’s behaviour and attitude in these areas and see where we can help to fix these stigmas, and prevent innocent jewish neshamos from the anguish of not having a place in school. Remember Yehuda rechnitz’s speech about school places!
    Rosh Hashana is almost here and instead of darshaning to one another about tzipora’s complexion, or Nissim’s profession, all that is irrelevant to this case. The least we can do is fulfil our requirements of veahavta lereacha kamocha and look beyond all of that and see the urgent need to help a fellow Jew, a family of true Gerei tzedek to secure a proper jewish education for children, so they can truly feel fully integrated into Klal Yisrael.

65. Black white frum not so frum bal teshuva FFB all nonsense
    Most of our schools are not even close to non Jewish schools when it comes to education, most of them are dysfunctional institutions,job centers for non qualified staff where nepotism is order of the day
    The fact we have such high marks is due to yidisha kops.(& extra lessons)
    It’s retzach be dam Kar, when a kid is rejected from a school which belongs to the community, on the grounds that a parent is not frum enough, if that’s the litmus test then some of the principles mothers are eating chazer watching TV on shabbos they should not be there, or worse some of the hanholo are protected by the school even if they are child molesters
    Nissim Black know, it’s not only you, the Jewish schooling system stinks on many grounds.
    One is better off sending kids to a non Jewish school if the kid is strong enough
    We will all have a lot to answer in the next world where there are no secrets
    Gmar chasima toyva

66. Bottom line:- When I bring black perspective spouse whom I am dating now to Rav Chaim Kanievsky shlita, shall I also be able to gain quick access to his study/ & obtain his Benedictions for this Shidduch to be Oleh Yofeh?

67. Loshenhora, you mean you will have a lot what to answer in the next world with your motzei Shem ra.

68. akivae, halavei that one of my boys would be on such a level to merit such in-laws!

69. @philosopher
    If you read carefully I said we. Me included
    But no doubt see you there, hopefully not too soon

70. akivae, sure, why not?

71. Rav Chaim should pick up the phone and call one of these schools to put a stop to this chillul HaShem.

    Moshe Rabbeinu’s wife was a Cushite, and Miriam and Aaron were punished for speaking ill of her. Would these schools take Moshe’s children?

72. It’s not a complex issue, but maybe you had a racist upbringing

73. I don’t know R’ Nissim, though I’d like to, but a few months ago I read a long and very detailed (and fascinating) history of his life story on a French website (I’m not sure if it exists in English). There it says that one of the main things that brought him to Yiddishkeit was the sefarim of R’ Shalom Arush, which he seemingly knows very well. From what I’ve seen of Rav Arush’s sefarim, I’m sure he would tell Nissim (and very possibly already has) that he should thank Hashem for this and all other difficulties since — Ein Ode MelevadO — everything comes from Him and He does only good, even if that good sometimes takes its time to reveal itself to us as the good that it really is. And if we acknowledge that we believe that He does only good davka by thanking Him for the things that seem not so good on the surface, He’s more likely to turn them into the real good that He intended and to do so more quickly. If R’ Nissim is indeed following this discussion, as a friend of his wrote above, it would be nice to hear his take on this whole issue, though he may well have legitimate reasons for not wanting to do so. (If R’ Nissim wants to contact me, he can do so through his friend Mordechai who has graced my Shabbos table a number of times.)

74. “@apushatayid 8/29 – His profession is music.”

    Not everyone in the “music” industry gets their kid into the school they want either. I find it VERY hard to believe that any school administrator ANYWHERE told him, sorry, blacks not allowed. It might be what the person who put out the story wants to believe. It might make for good press. It might make for good hock, but I doubt there is a single yeshiva administrator anywhere stupid enough to say, sorry, we dont want black kids in the school.

75. @philosopherת

    Whilst I agree with you regarding “Goyish” music. However, what in the world does that have anything to do with his kids Chinuch and getting accepted?! Are the exempted because their fathers music style, which is his Parnassa as well?

    Moreover, your very comment is a typical example how Mosdos mindset operate. It is one thing if the kids will be discussing movies and having a bad influence, BUT this is just ridiculous, and another sample of trying to control others..

76. Yemenite yidden are very black skinned. Same for yidden from India and Ethiopia.

77. I don’t know what I was doing reading most of these comments. I saw there were over 70 comments so I assumed it was interesting. I got too nauseated halfway through that I couldn’t finish. Seriously YWN, what benefit was there in posting these comments? We know you vet all the posts on this website. Of all the comments you allow to go through, it seems you guys get a real kick out of posting comments that can cause real tzaar to other Jews.

    The comments that tend to get posted (not just on this article) are so bigoted and so degrading to so many different kinds of people that sometimes, like today, I’m shocked at your moral compass.

78. I once watched a video where someone brought a ger straight from the mikvah to the Lubavitcher Rebbe, zt”l. The Rebbe told the man something like, “Hashem loves you more than Hashem loves me.” And he repeated it for emphasis.

79. Gaon, well naturally, a school FRUM administration will be wary of what kind of chinuch someone who produces GOYISHE style music is giving for his kids.

    Are people really so dense that they can’t chop that a FRUM school administration cares what type of chinuch parents give their kids?! This is not public school!!

    Now my intent is not to say that Nissim Black gives a bad chinuch or that he is lacking in yiras shomayim. I’m only saying that I understand the school’s position of being naturally suspicious of someone producing this kid be of music, regardless of their skin color! If Nissim Black would be white AND EVEN if he would be FFB, he would have the same issues!

80. philosopher,

    So do schools really vet all applicants what kind of music they listen to?

    Nonsense.

    If that is his ONLY issue and all the rest he is in par, then it is ridiculous as we are not discussing one that listens to actual “Goyish” music. It is the style of the music which is 100 % muttar.
    And they do have a right to enact it as a Tekanah and, request that this music should not be played at home – but not to accept ones kids based on the ‘fathers’ musical choice (again, we are not discussing one the listens to Goyish artists music etc) is really horrendous, especially this particular situation!

81. Mylogic37: “Why do we have people go through the geiros process which can take over a year. Then when the Ger’s children are ready to go to school the schools do not accept them.”.
    Because it’s not even always about skin color. I had 12(!) schools turn me away in NYC/Brooklyn because we are gerim, since the mid 90’s no less, and yet the community saw fit to wholesale discriminate against us. Only until an Ashk. rav/teacher at one of those schools tell me the reason, in hushed tones. Apparently the SY community’s herem against ger in is very much still alive and well,

82. @Gaon. If I was an “youtube sensation” for the the style of music he plays, I would also have a hard time getting my kids into MANY schools.

83. @APY
    “, I would also have a hard time getting my kids into MANY schools”
    Exactly my point! Especially, given the situation..

84. Way to go and not post my comment as it may not be exactly what you like to hear. Babies

85. I can’t believe the comments here…
    Jews are color blind so why is this being discussed.
    He is Jewish and wants his children enrolled in Jewish schools and that is all that matters.
    If the school is truly not allowing them into their school he should thank them. What kind of education can his children receive in a place that would reject them because they are gayrim?
    Every rejection is G=d’s protection and that is how he must look at this.

86. GAON, well obviously the mosdos don’t believe in your “value system” of having no demands of parents “ESPECIALLY given certain situations”…and FFB’s should be held to different standards …but only of course, whatever you decide those standards should be…

87. This has been a great debate. Allot of things that needed to be said have been said. The problem is that the people who run “the system” those being the business men, yes business men, schools are a business, will never read these comments and if they do they will laugh all the way to the bank. It is their world to do as they please. They listen to no one and care about no one. Thats the sad truth.

88. Bsed on his latest video, the yeshivas were right not to take him, disgusting !!

89. Give up Rapping and no doubt things will improve.