An girls school in Brooklyn says Facebook is immodest and ordered 33 girls to delete their Facebook accounts and pay a $100 fine.
The head administrator of the Beis Rivkah High School in Crown Heights told the Daily News the site is “not a modest thing for a Jewish girl.”
Rabbi Benzoin Stock said the Hasidic school has had a ban on the site for several years. But as Facebook grew more popular, all of its 495 students were asked to sign a formal contract not to use Facebook this year.
Last week, 33 students were found to still be using Facebook.
Stock say they agreed to delete their accounts and pay a $100 fine, which will be returned at the end of the school year.
“Girls are getting killed on the Internet — that’s the reason for it,” Benzion Stock, administrator of the Crown Heights school, told The Post.
Stock said Facebook is also off-limits because it encourages girls to violate the Orthodox code of modesty.
“The Internet is a good way to ruin marriages and families,” Stock said. “We don’t want them there, period. It’s the wrong place for a Jewish girl to be. Facebook is not a modest thing to do.
“Socializing on Facebook could lead to the wrong things.”
(Source: NBC New York)
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18 Responses
The school is absolutely correct! I wouldn’t get a Facebook account if they’d pay me the Mega-bucks jackpot to do nothing else. Facebook isn’t for Jewish girls — or, for that matter, for any Jews!
It’s one thing to have them erase their accounts, that makes sense. But who gives them the right to charge $100?! Where does that come from?? That just sounds wrong. If you want them to appreciate not having a facebook account, you would show them the beauty of not having one, and of being a modest Bas Yisroel. Fines don’t help, they sometimes even encourage the girls to rebel!
This is fantastic. The only question is why doesn’t every girls and boys Yeshivah do the same thing? (Oh because they are in denial and don’t realize almost every student has Facebook)
If only the school’s administration admitted “how bad” it can get for teens to come into physical contact with others, they would embrace facebook contact as a better solution to hanging out. Don’t believe me? Ask Rabbi Wallerstein from Ohr Naava. Besides kids are smart, they’ll just use a made up name for their profile, and make their page private. “Education with understanding” not hitting them with a big stick ($100 fine).Welcome to the 21st century, where every big company asks you to “like” them on facebook, or “follow” on Twitter.
#2 – I also felt that way until I read the full article and then understood that the money will be returned to them at the end of the year. In other words, holding the money will hold them to keeping the account closed for the year (and not opening an alias) lest they get caught and lose the money.
What surprised me here is that we are talking about Chabad who are known for their lenient views regarding the use of technology. I wonder if the girls feel they are being sent mixed messages.
The school should also ban the telephone, cameras, newspapers, radio, meshichists and many other everyday realities which can draw one away from Torah values.
Non-the-less, just for the record, KUDOS to Rabbi Stock!
Bravo for the school.
ab93, the article says: “Stock say they agreed to delete their accounts and pay a $100 fine, which will be returned at the end of the school year.”
Does the signed contract stipulate this fine? If it does, then they violated the terms of the contract and should pay up. The “fine” is really a deposit to ensure the girls dont get caught again. they get the money back at the end of the school year.
WIY, because most of them have a ban on internet entirely. The ban extends to even having a computer around the house. You have any relatives in Lakewood? Though the same is true for a whole lot of the yeshivas in brooklyn and beyond.
They are giving the $100 back at the end of the year.
If you read the full article from the NY Post, they interviewed a girl who was kicked out b/c she didn’t delete her account. She goes on a whole rant about hating the school. The funniest thing (if that is the word to use)is, that her excuses are so lame!!! No yid should be on Facebook. I am not saying it is right, but if someone really feels the urge to use social media, they should stick to twitter. Its not the best thing, I will admit, but it is not nearly as bad as facebook. No walls, or pages, just 140 character “tweets”.
As a parent of teens I can state with great certainty that this rule and fine are pointless. Those girls that want to have facebook accounts will continue to do as (albiet possibly under a different name). Those that have no interest in Facebook would not have an account even without these rules. Moreover, who do you think will pay these fines-none other than the parents. It sends a very bad message to kids when they misbehave and the parents have to foot the bill for the misbehavior. I think the school would do a lot better simply educating these girls about the potential dangers of social netoworking rather than simply banning it.
@Rebyid39
as a parent of teens you claim the fine will be dumped on the parents maybe use your head if the parents tell the kid they are not paying the fine or work out a system whereas the girls must pay the fine or the parents will cover the fine as payment for the girls doing chores,homework,good in school think about it!
Facebook=the cause for thousands of intermarriage & divorces & znus issues etc… R”L
ARE YOU MARRIED OR A CHOSSON/KALLA? erase your facebook account if you want to remain married.
@realisticbochur,
It is clear from your post that altough you purport to be realistic, you are indeed a bochur. Telling teenagers that “you won’t pay” is not a viable solution when the teens do not have money and may be so enraged by your refusal that they will simply stop caring about the entire system. In the future, please refrain from commenting on issues have no personal knowledge of.
Thanks