Last week, Mr Yossi Gestetner wrote an article on YWN about the lack of a “Jewish” Al Sharpton. Mr. Gestetner is right. I wish we had an Al Sharpton in our Jewish community – instead we have Sharpton wannabee’s like Dov Hikind.
Why is he a wannabee? Because while Sharpton delivers for his community, Hikind never misses an opportunity to embarrass ours. What do I mean? I think it’s perfectly fine – in fact it’s a good thing, for community leaders to raise legitimate issues in our community – like Yeshiva World does on this website all the time. However, I think that it’s a bad thing to spread our dirty laundry in public and give the false impression that we Orthodox Jews are all bad all the time. Hikind seems to revel in this kind of attention.
Case in point: we all know that there is a serious problem in our community with those who engage in criminal behavior towards children. So what does Dov do? Does he write an Op-Ed in Hamodia or the Jewish Press? Does he convene a meeting of the leading rabbonim to discuss the issue? Does he bring together mechanchim to adopt a code of conduct? No, that would actually require hard work. Instead, he reaches out to major non-Jewish newspapers and TV stations and proceeds to grant them interviews that publicly embarrass our community.
Think I’m exaggerating? Well let’s look at what happened Thursday. Hikind decided that one candidate for mayor – Bill Thompson, was better than the other – Michael Bloomberg. No problems there. Everyone’s entitled to an opinion. The problem is that Hikind discovered that a cheap way to score points against Bloomberg is to criticize Bloomberg for the supposed comments that a handful of people in our community may or may not have made referring to Thompson with an ethnic slur – the “S” word.
I would have no problem if Hikind took pen to paper and wrote a letter to Yeshiva World about this supposed problem (I say ‘supposed’ because there has not yet been independent confirmation of any of these allegations) like did Mr. Yankel Weiss HERE on Yeshiva World. But that would actually require some work. So what does Hikind do? He runs to New York’s biggest newspaper – the Daily News – and screams that a woman from our community came to Hikind to disparage Thompson by using an ethnic slur! (Click HERE for story)
Even if this story is true, how is repeating it to a non-Jewish publication good for our community? What exactly was accomplished? The answer: more attention for Hikind. Because unlike Sharpton who tries to DEFEND his community Hikind is an expert in EMBARRASSING ours. In conclusion, it would be easy to refer to Hikind as the Jewish Al Sharpton but, quite frankly, that would be an insult to the genius of Al Sharpton.
Outraged in BP,
Moshe Schwartz.
Editors note: Hikind declined to comment on this letter.
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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40 Responses
This sort of stuff is not acceptable on a Yeshiva website. Hikind is a politician… thats as maybe… He is also a Yid and this is Loshon Hora and Halbonas Ponim etc etc at its worst… Leave it out. Lets have news so we dont need to go to other websites for news but we dont need to descend so low!!
this letter/article is long overdue
thanks ywn
1- Here goes another “It’s lashon hara” person.
If you haven’t noticed, Hikind declined to comment, and what about the chillul hashem he causes all the time?
Anoyone wonder why Hikind endorsed a candidate that has been endorsed by none-other than SHARPTON a rabid anti-semite?!
Hey Dov, please address this on your radio show.
Thanks.
Hikind is a Tzadkik.
Great letter. lol
Don’t be too enviouse of their community. Sharpton embaresses them terribly, but they just don’t get embaressed…
I know Dov well. He couldn’t care less about this article. He will continue doing his own thing.
He is makpid that when someone writes an article like this they should only make sure to spell his name correctly. Otherwise it upsets him.
Soooooooooo true it’s amazing.
What a cheap shot he took during his endorsement of Thompson (who by the way I will vote for). He indirectly blamed Bloomberg for someone using a racial slur (which by the way I’m sure never happened).
It was a low thing to do, and I’m happy someone called him out publicly for it.
We can’t, as a community, afford to have people representing us saying such insane remarks on camera to dozens of reporters.
Hopefully the Daily News reporters will read my comment and realize that Dov Hikind does not represent me at all.
I suspect that he doesn’t represent 90% of anyone else reading this either.
hikind for mayor!
#6- No….Hikind for Sharpton!
“while Sharpton delivers for his community”.
What exactly did he deliver? besides riots… Who there is better-off b/c of him?
Your article is retarded. DH is an upstanding member of the community and has been lishmoh is every sense of the word. Shame on all of you.
13- take it easy there. ”upstanding member of the community”
pass the bread, here comes the baloney
although i aggree that he is a rabble-rouser and is way out of line, how is shaprton a genious?
He is an upstanding member of the community by embarrassing us all on TV last week at his Thompson endorsement.
Oh, I get it.
This is what an upstanding member of our community is nowdays???
FOR SHAME.
The man is out of control.
Read the letter again.
ploniebenploine i suggest u read
I would have no problem if Hikind took pen to paper and wrote a letter to Yeshiva World about this supposed problem (I say ’supposed’ because there has not yet been independent confirmation of any of these allegations) like did Mr. Yankel Weiss HERE on Yeshiva World. But that would actually require some work. So what does Hikind do? He runs to New York’s biggest newspaper – the Daily News – and screams that a woman from our community came to Hikind to disparage Thompson by using an ethnic slur! (Click HERE for story)
Even if this story is true, how is repeating it to a non-Jewish publication good for our community? What exactly was accomplished?
Which rov did he consult with before making his speech last week insulting the community?
I am not one of those guys who yells “LASHON HORA” every time you have a negative slant or bias against someone. Now, however, you are over-the-top with this blatant hate mongering. Not every opinion needs to be aired.
Mr. Schwartz, please elaborate for the readers how much progress the “leading rabbonim and mechanchim” have made regarding the molestation of children?
Those of us who are involved in these efforts can tell you without hesitation: Your approach was tried, and then it was tried again, and then another dozen times. The efforts were met with empty promises over DECADES and the problems continued.
I agree with you that such problems should be handled internally. Why embarass the community? But what you fail to realize, or acknowledge, is that you are not the first person in the world to say “let’s fix this internally.” Do you think no one tried? Do you have the slightest idea of the extent of this problem and how long it has been “swept under the rug??”
Your letter is very unfair because you make the assumption that things are just so simple. That those concerned can simply call a meeting privately and fix the problem. Well, it’s been tried for tens of years Mr. Schwartz and it has failed.
Don’t criticize Dov Hikind’s methods of drawing attention to the problem if you insist on ignoring the history of frustration that is behind it.
Kudos to the writer and to Yeshiva World for finally saying it how it is. Looong overdue!
Wow! There has never been a politician who less represents the interests and concerns of his constituency.
Perhaps the constituency of another part of New York or perhaps another country. Not Boro Park though! Enough!
Dov – Sorry – You’ll never be as good as Sharpton.
I’m sorry but this article is DESPICABLE.
If Mr. Gestetner has any expertise in the area of politics he would understand and show a tiny modicum of respect and appreciation to Mr. Hikind. No one is asking you to agree with him, but this is in very poor taste.
Mr. Hikind was smart for not responding to such a poor excuse of an editorial.
If you talk to an employer about his employee not doing a good job how could that be “Lashon Hora”? When you vote and pay taxes you are the EMPLOYER of public officials. It’s no way Lashon Hora.
And the fact that other readers could see it, well, do you have any way of speaking to tens of thousands and only them alone? (see above #20)
It’s not a ‘frumkeit’ to yell Lashon Hora without using your kup…
Why is it when people are self-righteously angry, they make a comparison that is an overstatement and invalid. Also, I dont think this letter is newsworthy.
Hikind is so out of control. And the sad part is that he has no clue
I wasnt sure who to vote for,thanks Dov for helping me make my decision!
BLOOMBERG FOR MAYOR!
21- missed the point totally.
Explain us what child molestation has to do with hikind embarrassing us all by (possibly) fabricating a ludicrous story and running to the daily news on Thursday.
we are all waiting.
29 don’t expect an answer.
you nailed him shut.
what an embarrassment
To all of you that lambasted me: I am voting for Bloomberg. But you can’t criticize DH for playing the democrat card. The same can be said for Shelly Silver. They may be on the wrong side of much of the leftist politics, but if they were not there, on the other side, there would be nobody to protest the and defend the things that really matter: Jewish defense, Israel, etc.
31- you ignored every single issue raised against you.
just like dov you are a faker. in fact you probably ARE dov.
33- NAILED SHUT??
The only thing nailed shut was his point. Molestation was used as an example in the article.
Now enlighten us please, how did DH do a good thing by making frum jews look bad by running to the daily news with this retarted story about a frum lady using the “s” word?
**********NEWSFLASH**********
Dov Hikind endorses Thompson who is endorsed by Sharpton. Now everyone take a look at the following video, where Hikind tells Sharpton to his face (directly) “You are an anti-semite”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvRstI2DSLo
Go to 3:25 in the video)
So let’s just say If Sharpton is an anti-semite, then “YOU DOV HIKIND ARE A TWO-FACED LIAR”
Dov Hikind is a tzadik – I know him well
While I think that it is quite a stretch of the imagination to call Dov Hikind a “Sharpton wanna-be” (not to mention an egregious insult to compare him to such a notorious Jew-hater), I absolutely agree that it is about time that someone gave him some mussar. It is GROSSLY inappropriate for him to air our problems in the goyishe media.
We should judge Dov Hikind favorably and grant that he is well intended (unlike the author of this piece that basically calls him little more than a publicity seeking rabble rouser), but to air our dirty laundry out in public for the goyim to see is a chillul HaShem, regardless of his intentions.
To #31: are you insinuating that a Republican Jew is somehow definitionally OPPOSED to “the things that really matter: Jewish defense, Israel, etc.” and that ONLY a Democrat Jew defends them??? That would be patently absurd.
You can’t scream out at someone for endorsing Thompson just because Sharpton endorsed him. That is ridicules. There are 2 candidates in a race, and you have just go against the one Sharpton picks???? What type of logic is that? You sound like you’re 3 years old. I haven’t heard that Thompson is a big fan of Sharpton, if it was true, then even if he didn’t get Sharpton’s endorsement it would be a reason not to vote for him.
You have think back at the last 8 years, and decide if you want the guys who has been back stabbing us or the guy who you know will raise taxes. I’d rather be taxes a little more for a few years then have this guy who keeps starting fires to put them out and become a hero.
1) Raises property tax, gives back $400
2) Raises tickets to $115 but lets you just mail back the ticket saying sorry, and you get it down to $65. (Where it was originally, so you are all happy it was lowered)
3) Takes away section 7 to put only half back and for only 6 months????
4) Saying back when Giuliani was mayor, not to have him even think of staying a little longer after 9-11, but now that he are in some economic problem, he is our man so he uproots our votes so he can run again. (Last I checked, he hasn’t been working on or did anything signification for the economy. I can name you a lot more reasons why Giuliani should have stayed.)
Some other things:
1) ticket blitz, ticket blitz, ticket blitz
2) CRIME!!!!! We are on the rise the past few year. He had inherited Giuliani’s great ideas but when it was time for new ones, he was no-where to be found. Crime has been on the rise and he has not been doing anything about it.
I’ll let you think of some other things.
I am a die-heart conservative republican. I live in Brooklyn but am a registered REPUBLICAN just because I can’t bear the title Democrat. But, I will be voting for Thompson as it is a vote against Bloomberg.
Dear Dov Hikind. The more you push us out, the more we will be hated. You dont have to screen about every anti-semitic act. You are just enticing more. Become friendly. Don’t pick at every tiny thing people do and call it anti-semitic. You jump it the spotlight for your own good. Do it for the Klal. Dont stab us in the back. Remember your endorsement of Hillery Rotten Clinton back on your show in 2000? You even had he on the air live for questions. After she got elected you said on the air, “you should have seen me winking”. If you can’t help us out, please leave politics. You, like Bloomberg have been stabbing us left and right while trying to boost your own popularity.
THIS IS BY FAR THE MOST DISGUSTING ARTICLE I HAVE EVER READ.
Two interesting links..
Thompson with Sharpton – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XNPih_gwNI
Thompson with Hikind – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Liq55NP0UYU
Loser article and endorsed by a bunch of jealous ‘wannabees’.
Democrats endorse, campaign, support and vote for other democrats, so what!!! Dov is available 24/7 to help each and every yeshiva, shul, organization, nail holocaust deniers, and private individuals when they are needy. A do gooder with a shem tov..
29 & 30…
I commented on one part of the letter. The third paragraph. You commented on a different part.
I’m not sure how that has “nailed me shut” but hey… to each their own.
Good luck with that.
1. all of a sudden sharpton is this big tzaddik ?(read: at least he delivers to his People…)
2.D.H. does deserve credit for raising issues that others are trying to sweep under the rug.(not referring to s word issue here) If you prefer to hide your head in the sand – feel free.