It is with a heavy heart that I write this letter, as I feel profound concern for the spiritual direction of our collective kehilla. Week after week, I see the so-called “kosher” magazines pushing the boundaries further and further, yet no one seems to bat an eye. Our sensitivity to kedusha and Yiddishe values is being eroded in ways never seen before.

These publications, which were once modest and uplifting, have become filled with content that blatantly undermines the values of tzniyus. The advertisements are disgusting, glorifying material excess and promoting a lifestyle of indulgence that stands in stark contrast to our Torah values. Sukkos editions, for instance, now stretch to 300 pages, with most of that space dedicated to outrageous and extravagant ads. Where are our values?

This week’s low point: a magazine openly discussing Botox, plastic surgery, and more. Is this what we want a young, impressionable Bas Yisroel reading? Do we want her to think that vanity and physical appearance are the ideals to aspire to? Such topics might have existed privately, but now there are no boundaries. Anything goes. And somehow, it’s all seen as muttar because it steers away from our pre-approved list of “taboo subjects.”

The silence from our leaders is equally deafening. While rabbonim are preoccupied with various other matters, this slow destruction of our community’s tzniyus and kedushah goes unchecked. Adding to the shame, nearly every major yeshivah advertises in these publications. Does their participation mean they endorse this descent into filth?

Three weeks ago, a Gadol b’Yisroel was niftar, and instead of honoring his memory on the cover, one magazine chose to focus on election coverage. Are we really prioritizing secular politics over our Torah leaders? Worse, the magazines regularly glorify Israeli politicians on their front cover featured story who are mechalelei Shabbos and openly eat treif. These are the role models our children see featured?

We are raising a generation that is slowly being desensitized to our core values, and no one is saying a word. It’s time to wake up and restore the dignity and kedusha that should define Klal Yisroel.

Sincerely,

Bothered in Brooklyn 

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