The following appeared on the Haaretz News website: An op-ed in the Israeli Hamodia on Sunday urged readers to avoid computers, which it called the devil in disguise. “The evil inclination, the corrupting satan, have wrapped themselves in an innocent disguise in the form of a computer,” wrote publicist Y. Sofer. He blamed the “spiritual descent” of Frum youth on exposure to forbidden images online. This is the latest salvo in a campaign by the Gerrer Chassidim, which controls Hamodia, to rid the community of computers.
Gerrer officials are in the process of visiting the homes of community members who own computers in an effort to convince them to get rid of them, citing the “spiritual dangers” posed to the family.
However, campaign leaders as well as Hamodia have stopped short of attributing this effort to Gedolei Yisroel. Sofer’s op-ed speaks in the name of “parents and educators” and “those who are attentive to the unease of people seeking a lifeline out of the abyss.”
The reluctance to cite rabbinic authorities indicates that the Gedolim are not yet willing to put their full weight behind an apparently impossible task, as computers have become an important part of the lives of many of the Frum community.
In contrast to the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox campaign, Chacham Ovadia Yosef Shlita, came out in recent days in support of a more modest proposal: A “kosher” Internet that allows access only to Web sites approved by a special rabbinic committee.
Sofer, meanwhile, thinks there is a chance of fighting computer use in the ultra-Orthodox world. He bases his opinion on the community’s success in keeping the ultra-Orthodox away from third-generation cell phones, which have been banned by the rabbis.
“In the first stage, it seemed to be an impossible challenge,” wrote Sofer. “Today, everyone understands what spiritual damage has been averted due to the mercy of heaven.”
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21 Responses
Much hatzlocho to them in their fighting evil.
There is a lot of truth to what they are saying. But, the unfortunate fact is that the computer and especially the Internet has become a necessity with leading our daily lives such as making a grocery order or finding a job.
If I understood correctly there is no pressure or rules heres. There is only a group of people going to every house and trying to convince the owner that the computer is extra and should be thrown out etc if possible.
Comparing 3G phones to Computers is a bit like comparing a video phone to a telephone.
As others have said, computers are here to stay and are the source of many types of parnasa, even those not directly computer-related, such as financial banking, airline reservations, etc. Everything uses computers. Even chinuch is greatly enhanced by computers.
A 3G phone, however, is a cell phone with unneeded toys. No one needs live TV or Ringers of prutzim/prutzos on their phones. Phones that talk and text are pretty much all you need in a phone. For a businessman, a Blackberry is nice – but your typical teen does not need a 3G phone. That, I agree with.
So even if they had success with phones, banning computers is a whole different ball-game.
Go Chacham Ovadia Go!
Let’s face it. The internet is here to stay, and will only become more popular. Even in a community like Lakewood, where the internet is banned, you can find wireless networks on many blocks. And most people who have the internet do not have wireless networks. My God, we even have Yeshivawolrd which make a kiddush Hashem by not allowing lashon hora or the likes, operating on the web!
Banning it, and banning it again, and threatening parents with expulsion of their kids from schools, just doesn’t work.
So let’s do damage control. Create an intranet. Which is a closed network of websites controlled on the server level. When you subscribe to such a service (similar to Yeshivanet), you do not have access to the web, only to certain sited. There is no way to circumvent the system. This would allow sites that are objectionable to be blocked out, never to be accessed.
Of course, the definition of “objectionable” will vary from one person to the next, and from one community to the next. This is but one of the details that would have to be worked out.
One thing is for certain. Wholesale banning of the internet (even with giving an “ishur” for those who “need” it), is not going to happen.
I’m not sure I’d want s/one visiting my home but I sure am not planning to keep even my ‘kosher’ internet in my home much longer. As a teacher, parent and mentor for at-risk kids, I’ve realized it’s just not worth it. If I need it for work, I will do what I’m doing now– moving my computer to an office and getting email only at home.
Isn’t it ironic reporting this article on the web and all the responses agreeing that computers should be banned? That is not to say that I disagree, just ironic.
Once again teach preventive Yiddishkeit not restrictive Yiddishkeit.
Any tool can be used for good or evil.We have to know how to only use them for good.We should ban knives because people use themt o hurt or kill others.We all use knives. The computer is here to stay and so is rthe internet. There is no reason that children should be using it unsupervised.When I was growing up.I had to ask my parents permission to make a phone call and they knew who I was calling. Newspapers and magazines that have indecent pictures are everywhere,and most of us don’t bring them into our homes. We control what we watch and what we ignore.We don’t forbid people from shopping in a supermarket that sells non-kosher food.We know what to buy and what to pass up. Let people teach their children personal responsibilty and monitor their activities.
illini07:
“Gestapo of Charedim”
Do you despise Chareidim so much that you would label them with the same name as their murderers?
Hashem Yerachem!
Yasher koach to Proud KAJ for using the most important word in this debate: “tool”!
We don’t try to convince carpenters or people with a knack for home improvement projects to eschew power tools; however, we don’t tell our kids to go play unsupervised in a garage full of electric saws, sanders, etc. We recognize the danger, and those who use such tools learn the dangers and master the correct use of each tool.
But many families, and, I’m sorry to say, many schools, introduce children to computers by allowing them to play games or games disguised as “educational” programs. We even give them hand-held computer games as prizes in Pirchei! No serious purpose exists to this activity, and no meaningful computer skills are developed.
The message we send to our children is, “computers are a primary source of entertainment”. Obviously, the Internet is a tremendously attractive hazard. I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s spent too much time on an essentially mindless website. But it shouldn’t really be acceptable for anyone to spend *hours* of non-work time “playing” on a computer.
Before allowing a child to sit down at a computer, we should each ask ourselves, “Would I allow this child to operate a power saw?” If the answer is “no”, we’d be better think long and hard about why the computer is different.
As a staunch litvak I can not seem to to understand why we have to attack the Gerrer Chasidim. The Holy Gerrer Rebbe, The Bais Yisrael, Zichrono Levracha taught his chasidim that the only real way of growing spiritually is with kedusha and tahara. Although we recognize the tremendous amount of gain one can have from the computer, if the focus of ones life is to be an Oved Hashem (which it should be) then we should all strive for kedusha and tahara! Instead of maligning the Gerrer Chasidim we should recognize that there are special people who are willing to put their values and ideals before EVEN their parnassah and applaud them.
Argument One:
The Internet. Is it bad or good? It’s neither; it’s how you use it. The Internet is a ‘DOMEM.’ Is a knife bad or good? It depends; if you use a knife to cut bread and feed the hungry, then it’s good. If you use a knife to stab people, then, it’s bad. But what is bad, the person, not the knife.
Argument Two:
The Internet has provided for incredible Torah Databases and resources, which saves months, if not years, of research.
Argument Three:
If someone can not control himself and seeks out forbidden sites, then this fellow will most certainly find other methods of following his ‘Yetzer Harah.’ There are a number of filtering mechanisms available to block undesirable sites.
Argument Four:
The entire computer field has allowed many ‘Yungeleit’ who otherwise would be earning minimum wage, to provide a respectful livelihood for their families. The prohibition of computers will ultimately cause many more families to have to ‘beg’ for a living.
Argument Five:
Furthermore, the Internet has allowed for instantaneous news feeds, such as yours to disseminate vital information globally. The biggest proof; the anti-computer campaign spread like wild fire only through the Internet.
Should we keep a close eye on our children? Certainly. And, the Internet itself allows the monitoring of a home remotely via the Internet.
Finally, extreme caution should be exercised before throwing out the baby along with the bath water.
Der Ragachover’s Assistant
Many of these pro-internet arguments would logically extend to as a pro-television argument.
You can have and use a computer without any internet access.
Children should NOT have any internet access at all. The benefits for children are FAR outweighed by the terrible risks.
Those risks apply to adults as well. They too should limit their usage of it to the bare necessary, i.e. parnassah. And even then, they should make it so someone else can track their internet activity without limitation.
Ragachover,
A hearty YOSHAR KOACH! your post is the only one worth repeating!
bicycles should be banned because on them children can ride to the movies
What an intelligent comment, the last one was.
Next up: Televisions are okay for its education value for children. Just don’t turn to the wrong channel and everything will be honkey dorey.
Jos
The connection bt computers and TV is quite nil.
Instead of building breakable walls, our mesorah is strong enough to be used for educating and preventing.
stan, the internet is far worse than television.
If you oppose having “some” TV access, what is the justification for supporting “some” internet access?
I don’t understand what the issue is about. We all know people who have gone “Off”. If a chashuva Rebbe says that this is something that will improve our spiritual life, how can one even think of going against it? Unless of course, the person is worried about their own world and having their life infringed upon. But, as religious jews, our life is governed by laws. Perhaps this is a new one that we have to learn how to work with (like using yeshivanet). (BTW, when electricity was discovered there were discusions as to the laws pertaing to Shabbos, imagine how this panel would have looked, pretty similar!)
What relevance does the fact that the Hamodia is run by Gerer Chasidim have to do with this news article?
This blog seems to be affiliated with the Yated. It quotes it’s editor often enough and the blogger is an admitted contributor to the Yated. Was the comment meant as a “shtuch” to the Hamodia?