50,000 Heroes, ????? ?? ????

Todros Gimpel -“To all those who seem so very threatened by the whole internet filter business.

Unless you are addicted to sites that you shouldn’t be going to, the only explanation I can think of, is that you feel that your parnasah is under threat.

Which line of business requires you to rely on 100% unfiltered internet access?

I myself am a web site programmer who needs to access many different sites and I use a fully approved frum filtered ISP without problems.”

You don’t post too often here, so I don’t yet have a gist for your train of thought, but it’s helpful to read all the posts on a topic (even if there are a few topics) to avoid a myopic view.

Not everything is Black & White – Kosher or Trief. But I do find people live their religion like that. It makes their lives simpler.

Here is an example of something that is in the grey zone:

“The Chassidishe Gatesheader

Same here. For me, there is the practical matter of being unable to use a filter for technical reasons (a filter simply wouldn’t work for me).

But aside from being an IT professional I am also quite deeply involved in medical things; I studied medicine in the past for a while and this continues to be a major interest. And no, I do not shy away from any subject. I learn about gynecology-related subjects as much as about neurology or infectious disease. I am not going to censore what I learn.”

Golfer:

Maybe ask said organizer how he felt when i contacted him months before and encouraged him, told him to ingore the naysayers and offered (and did) help him in anyway possible.

He actually thanked me profusely and told me he got chills when i elucidated what i thought their message was.

Anyone who knows me will easily attest that this is a issue close to my heart and one that i have invested much time and energy on and Rav Wacsman is someone whom i am very very close to and was so positive he would deliver a no doubt about it take home message to galvanize Rov Minyan and Binyan of Klal Yisroel.

It is EXACTLY and PRECISELY for this reason that i was devastated by what DID take place instead of what COULD’VE and SHOULD’VE taken place.

I have and continue to be in touch with said organzier (via email). When he claimed that it wasn’t as big a failure as i made it out to be because a few thousand ppl got filteres, i explained to him that a few thouand out of half a million is a epic failure.

that being said the term “laughed in his face” was NOT appropriate (it also wasn’t true because we communicated via email, not phone).

So while i have the utmost respect for the people who started the movement (and I feel terrible that their mission was hijacked) and I will (and have) done anything i can to facilitate and encourage the realization of widespread and sociall expectations of having internet protected devices, at the same time i will not simply kow tow to power plays.

Cholent:

Please don’t confuse people who were dissatifed with the asifa, (of which there are many) with people who encourage unfiltered internet and permit doing anything and everything online of which we reasonably assume there are few (with regards to the last clause really mean none).

If only that would’ve been the clear take home message from the asifa it would’ve been a gold mine, instead we received confusing conflicting messages.

(side point: i can’t figure out how you are on this forum if you accepted the psak of the event but i’m sure you and avhaben have the heter from Rav Wosner.)

But that’s behind us.

let’s move forward and tackle this problem in the manner that it seems the vast majority of people are willing able and can do.

Establish a concept of insisting on proper protection for any and all devices we use.

Definition of proper protection?

That of course depends on the individual their community their environment. Etc.

and thus the need for proper guidance on the local level.

Is anything i’m suggesting so radical and out of line?

Health and DWBH:

You’re right that I don’t post very often (yes, you can be shy even anonymously), but I do read almost all the threads – even the infuriating ones.

As far as the black/white thing, I honestly don’t see why this particular issue is so controversial.

I know almost no one that possesses enough self restraint (aka Yiras Shomayim) to sit alone in front of a computer with unfiltered internet access and have no difficulty whatsoever in remaining 100% pure.

Being that unfiltered internet is too great a challenge for any of us, it follows that even if one has to compromise on something important to them a bit, they don’t really have a choice.

So even if you don’t feel that those particular Rabonim from the Asifa shouldn’t be telling you what to do with your life, it doesn’t change the fact that what they said is correct: any Jew who refers to himself as a practitioner of Judaism should not browsing the web without a filter.

apushatayid: Can you please share with us a brief synopsis of what each of them related in that issue of their feelings of the asifa?