There is no question that as a society we are rapidly experiencing a severe moral degeneration, the likes of which this country has never seen in years past.
There is also no question that much of this decline is precipitated by the media. The “anything goes” editorial policies of two particular New York based newspapers both cater to and further feed the drive for immorality. The pages of these papers are filled to the brim with violence, pornographic depictions of the latest stars, and talk of how the next sports-figure or Hollywood actor has a serious drug problem. The reason for this all? Smut sells. Plain and simple.
These papers care not a whit for moral growth, for standards of decency, for the benevolent and fine nature of what once was America. They care only for their financial bottom line – and the triumvirate of violence, pornography, and the open talk of drug use has paved the way to financial success for these papers.
Yesterday’s New York Post was more than emblematic of the face of the moral degeneration of this paper. They attacked Bill DeBlasio, the New York City mayoral candidate for his words of comfort to a mourning Jewish community, who has just lost their leader. Bill DeBlasio says that Rav Ovadiah Yosef’s wisdom, charity and sensitivity were legendary, and the attacks begin. “Bill Loves Racist Rabbi” “Goy Vey” “What a P_ _ _!”
There is something deeply vile in speaking ill of the dead – particularly before the ink of the death notice gets a chance to dry. “De mortuis nihil nisi bonum – Of the dead, speak nothing unless good” was a motif even of the Spartans, and throughout the ages of the world’s history. Before this horrifying article, it was once thought of as a basic moral virtue.
There is something morally repugnant in speaking ill of another’s heroes. Thomas Jefferson owned slaves and even impregnated one. Washington and Ben Franklin owned them too, as did Lewis and Clark. Slave ownership is significantly worse than a seemingly racist line taken out of the context of a Saturday night lecture by individuals bent on casting this remarkable religious leader in the worst light possible. No matter, to the morally challenged editors of these papers they smugly self congratulate themselves for calling Rav Ovadiah a racist Rabbi – even though they would never dare paint or brush the founding fathers of this nation in such colors.
It is not that they are all bad even. It is perhaps a great irony that from a political perspective these papers always come out on the correct side of things when it comes to supporting Israel. But still, because of their moral challenges, we should not be so quick to shower them with profuse and bountiful Yasher Koach.
Last week these papers took the city’s Human Rights Commission to task for trying to challenge the propriety of Hasidic stores in Williamsburg posting a dress code. Within 6 hours of Agudath Israel issuing a very public and profuse thank you for the editorial, came the New York Post’s attack on one of Judaism’s leading sages. It was a vile and vicious attack that undermined one of the fundamentals of decent behavior.
Is there a lesson to be learned here? Perhaps we should not be bending over backwards to be thanking the morally challenged purveyors of smut, violence, and free-wheeling drug use. Such praise just might come back and bite us in the face.
Ovadiah Warshauer – Jerusalem
NOTE: The views expressed here are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views of YWN.
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26 Responses
The POST should not be read by anyone especially us Yidden, the Am Kodosh the Am Hanivchar
The Post, which is trash, is owned by Rupert Murdoch, who also owns Fox News, the political viewpoints of which are trumpeted here at YWN almost every day.
I agree with this post. Terrible what NY Post did. What I want to know which frum person working for Joe Lohta sent this to the NY Post. In my opinion there is no way the NY Post would know the info they had unless someone ran to them with the info.
I agree with Upstate37
Gentlemen please calm down. This NYPost article has nothing to do with disrespect for the niftar. It boils down to election politics: De Blasio is leading, and they are trying to do everything to torpedo his campaign at the 11th hour, even if it tramples some toes. Perhaps in your grief you forget that de Blasio is openly supported by George Soros, a powerful man of vast means who is a true enemy of our people. De Blasio will curtail stop-and-frisk, among other things. This was in fact covered in YVN – see http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/General+News/180645/Anti-Israel+Donor+Endorses+Bill+de+Blasio+For+Mayor.html%20… So, as hard as it may be, remember that the NY Post generally is a champion of our community’s causes, and don’t boycott them.
I guess hakaras hatov sometimes gives you egg on your face. The Agudah thanks the Post, and this is the thanks they get in return.
The Post is a shmutz-filled immoral trumpeting porn paper. No Jew or child should be near it. Who cares what their political viewpoints are.
The truth is that we must start explaining to our children, that the Memreh in the Gemoroh, regarding the Umos being our Avodim in Yemois Hamoshiach, does not mean what it sounds like.
Chas Vesholam to be Mispallel for Moshiach while having in mind, that little Johnny our next door neighbor, has a sole purpose, to be our Eved. This can CH”V be M’oirer the Midas Hadin. We had already enough Middas Hadin in the late 1930’s.
no one tells yidden to live in NYC or read the NY Post.
You chose it, blue eyes, so lump it or come to EY and try to make the difference felt in your vote here.
Ronfromnj, you are very confused. It is sad.
#7 IS THE CORRECT RESPONSE!
Did everyone notice who wrote the article? As usual – a Jew .
Just because you aren’t comfortable with what i said doesn’t make me a hater. someone want comfy with what the Chacham ztl said so they felt it was hateful. we live in a very wussy society!
“which frum person working for Joe Lohta sent this to the NY Post”
It was probably someone from the De Blasio camp who wants Joe Lohta to lose the Orthodox vote.
Anyone who allows the post into their home is risking their share in the Afterlife. Dumb move.
I don’t think it’s a Kuvod for R’ Ovadya to put in a image of the newspaper.
To heretohelp: Be true to your moniker, and help me out. I didn’t minimize the NYPost disrespect or in any way sanitize/ minimize the insult, I rather tried to be an apparently lone voice urging readers to look at the big picture and not punish a paper that usually supports us. You want Soros’ man for mayor? You want stop-and-frisk to end? Re-read my post
carefully, then tell me how I’m confused, and unconfuse me please.
I was so appalled at this article when I read it yesterday that I wrote a letter to the editor of the paper.
Dear Editor
I am a long time subscriber to your newspaper but after reading your article which mentions death of the esteemed Hacham Ovadia Yosef A’H, I now feel I must cancel my subscription to your paper. Your blatant disrespect for a man that was revered by millions of people across the world is uncalled for. The only thing your article does in incites hatred of the Jewish people. How about some respect for the dead? When Pope John Paul died you ran a week’s worth of special pullout sections in tribute to him. Nowhere in those collectors’ editions did it say a word about how the church covered up the many sex scandals that hurt hundreds if not thousands of young kids throughout the world. Yet in the case of Hacham Ovadia A’H, all you choose to write about was negative. He may have said some controversial things in the past, (a lot of which was taken out of context) but that’s no reason to solely focus on that and not mention a word about all the good that he did in his lifetime. He couldn’t have been that bad of a person if the people who he criticized were among the ones sending heartfelt condolence messages.
To#18
Did you mention to the NY Post, that he never said, that, the reason for the constant creation of all Non-Yidden, is, so that they should be our servants.?
why should a goy understand the hashkafos we have towards death and the reverence to someone as great as rav ovadia was? they’re goyim or yidden that nebbach don’t associate themselves and don’t know anything.This is the reason why we have to cut some of these news sites out of our agenda or interests. They will never understand our life. And frankly they don’t need to. what is more painful is when jewish blogs like (EDITED) write articles with blatant lashon horah, or go clearly against our rabbanim. When it comes to a website like (EDITED) I care more than what I care when it comes to the NYP. I can baruch hashem say that it’s almost a year that I haven’t clicked onto (EDITED) simply because of their lack of respect to our torah values and frumkeit and the people commenting which is a reflection of their readership; presenting extreme apikorsus views and rebellion to yiddishkeit.
ronfromnj, your true enemy is hiding in plain sight while you fret about “Soros’ man for mayor.” I’ll giver Rupert Murdoch credit, his brain washing has been effective with at least one person.
To my fellow Yid who wishes to be known as “heretohelp”: I know how evil the Post is, and I neither read it regularly nor bring it into my house. Letters of complaint to the Post are certainly appropriate, and I have done so already; they will undoubtedly apologize. But, like it or not, in a world with increasing threats and vanishing friends, we need to retain our allies, not unnecessarily alienate them. In your seething anger at the Post, you seem unable to anticipate what could very well happen if terrorists are emboldened to blow up Times Square — or CV”S a shul — because they are less afraid to carry arms and explosives after stop-and-frisk ends.
Our true enemy is not the corrupt culture we inhabit; it is needless disunity and ill will, fostered and exacerbated by other Yidden who confidently make snap judgments about others’ deficiencies, usually without knowing much or anything about the object of their vitriol, and invariably professing sadness about yenem’s confusion, just as you did. If you truly are here to help, then first focus on Sur Me’roh — stop this knee-jerk needless demeaning of your fellow Yid. Then you can focus on the Aseh Tov.
The Chazon Ish ZT”L stated that your position in heaven is measured by who your enemies are and by the fierceness of their oppostion to you.
By that standard, Rav Ovadia’s enemies at the degenerate New York Post have signaled that this Gaon and Tzaddik has earned a very exalted postion, indeed.
The authers name is yoav gonen… cant get more jewish than that! YOU HAVE NO IDEA WHAT KIND OF ISH KADDOSH YOUR DEALING WITH USING REMARKS LIKE THAT YOAV< YOU SELF JEW HATER!! WISH YOU READ THIS!
I’m asking in 100% honesty, and believe me, i know the rav is a true tzaddik. however, to a goy how is this (that rav ovadia says that the whole point of goyim is to serve us) any different than lhavdil elef avdalim an ayatollah saying that jews are pigs and friends with the satan?
someone please explain
“There is no question that as a society we are rapidly experiencing a severe moral degeneration, the likes of which this country has never seen in “HUNDREDS OF “years past.
#24
Suspected that as usual it would have been an israeli