(ACTUAL KOL KOREL POSTED IN ARTICLE) Eretz Yisroel – Maranan V’Rabanan Gedolei HaDor Shlita today, erev Shabbos Chanukah, are coming out strongly against the dangers of chareidi internet sites. The rabbonim are calling on the tzibur not to view the sites, not to “cooperate” in any way, including advertising, the daily HaMevaser reports.
The rabbonim express their fears surrounding the internet’s penetration into the Jewish home, trampling the safeguards of modesty and Jewish life. They blame the chareidi websites for the “recheilus” that takes place along with the “motzei shem ra”, “lies” and “abominations R”L”.
In the letters appearing in chareidi newspapers today, the rabbonim call on the tzibur to distance themselves from their spiritual danger, as well as to condemn it in every form and to remove it from our lives.
[CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE KOL KOREI] The kol korei elaborates, explaining that sites are labeled “chareidi” but bring unacceptable content to the tzibur, tarnishing the name of the chareidi community.
The rabbonim add that the kovod of rabbonim is compromised, and the situation is simply ‘hefker’ and as such, it mustn’t be permitted to continue as it exists today.
The rabbonim are calling for cutting off all cooperation with chareidi websites.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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24 Responses
So , how about your website YWN ? It will shout down?
Dear Editor of YWN,
And what say you?
Theres nothing inappropriate about ywn!
#3 Drugs, alcohol and murder are also here to stay. Do we not try to keep that in check or do we just say the same thing?
to #4 .It nothing say about inappropriate web sites, it says about chareidi internet sites, wich could be very appropriate.
While YWN is a wonderful and informative web site, the content of the comments could surely use improvement. So many people who post tend to air their bitterness and anger towards each other. What Sinas Chinam!! That’s not what YWN intended. Please – everyone – let’s show some respect for one another!!! You don’t have to agree with everyone, but there’s a proper way to disagree.
A Freilichen Chanukah to everyone. May we have peace and good health and be Zoche to Moshiach very soon.
dear 1,2 & 6
so did you unplug your internet connection yet.
I THINK NOT (i don’t plan on it either)
Charedi websites pose a threat to Charedi leadership becuase they allow gripes and opposition to be heard against that same leadership. The Kol Koreh says as much.
I am like Ed Koch. If I were a leader I would want to know what people think or “How am I doing?” Lo Sisna ae achicha belvavecha alse applies to silent hatred of gedolim.
There is also the time factor. Time spent on the web sites is seen as bitul torah. The question is what will those that no longer use the web sites spend their newly freed up time on.
Then there is loshen horoh. The Soton is in a race with the CC Hertage center. There is no wall high enough that well meaning people build that Soton cannot jump over. Talk, then mail, then newspapers, telephone,radio,TV, email, websites, cell phones,social networks, texting. The higher one builds the wall the fatser the Soton comes with a new tool.
to #6. I am very confused. Is it talking about inappropriate sites or not, if chareidi sites can be inapproriate?!?
#11
The rabbonim express their fears surrounding the internet’s penetration into the Jewish home, trampling the safeguards of modesty and Jewish life. They blame the chareidi websites for the “recheilus” that takes place along with the “motzei shem ra”, “lies” and “abominations R”L”.
Anybody out there think this Kol Korei will work?
I think those issuing this ban should put some teeth into it by insisting that people refuse to accept money from any Tzadaka that has a web site.
This would mean, for example, that money from Reb Meir Baal Haness and Ezras Torah would be refused, since they both have web sites.
Yitzchok Levine
I can think of half a dozen things offhand that are “tarnishing the name of the charedi community” as your article states. Yet for some reason the Rabbis who signed this document don’t speak about those things? Why is that?
Wow. So what happens next YWN?
I couldnt agree more with #8. Stick to news and dump the comments. Unless you can find a way to require posters to use their real names. That would go a long way to silencing the inane bashing and outpouring of bile. As I have noted before – people respond to my postings in a manner they would never do if we were speaking over a piece of kugel at kiddush.
Although I am happy to have my anonymity, because at least that is a Ptur from the chomer of being Mevayesh Chaveiro BeRabim. If you only knew who some of the posters here really are…
As for #3 – Yesh Harbei Shluchim for the Yetzer Horah. Not even an issue of Lifnei Eeveir. Kishmo, Keyin Hu – it is a web.
The spirit of Mattisyahu is alive and well. Nothing wrong with Kanayuos LeSheim Hashem.
I think those issuing this ban should put some teeth into it by insisting that people refuse to accept money from any Tzadaka that has a web site.
This would mean, for example, that money from Reb Meir Baal Haness and Ezras Torah would be refused, since they both have web sites.
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I agree.
So lets all turn off the internet now, 1 2 3…still waiting (sic)…crickets are now chirping
#10 – Lo sina es acheycha bi’lvavecha must certainly does not apply to goyim. “Acheinu” is used only to refer to “kol bais yisroel”.
#7 artchill. Obviously they don’t want people using the internet at all but once you have the frum sites it’s only a click away from the non-frum sites. Take away the frum sites and in so doing you don’t have the excuse anymore to have the internet at all.
BS”D
I would hope that YWN will present itself as clearly being not among the sites referred to in this ban (which I believe is aimed more at certain EY based free for all forum sites in Ivrit and Yiddish) by consistently blocking comments which defend or preach kefira and rebellion against the authority of Daas Torah. While it is head and shoulders above the rest in this regard, there is still (coffee) room for improvement.
“The rabbonim add that the kovod of rabbonim is compromised”. This is a very interesting statement.
Why don’t they list the sites they have a problem with? Don’t they realize that vague statements such as this KK only fuel the fire? (I think the people putting out these KK are starting to lose it. They should find a new hobby.)
#21 – If YWN is “head and shoulders” above all the rest, why does it attract so many flakes?
First, how is the internet different from a car which can be used to drive to improper places, or a phone which can be used to call improper people, or a fax machine? Internet is only a medium. It is completely neutral. What people do with it is up to them. There is great chochma on the internet, and one can look up every journal paper ever published, practically, if one belongs to a good university. It is the lifeblood of modern research, as well as useful for everyday activities such as shul announcements (hopefully only for simchas) and getting directions, shopping, communicating with large numbers of people, sharing family picture, etc. etc. etc.
Don’t the Rabbonim realize that it is here to stay, and the tzibbur will never give it up, any more than they will give up their phones? At best, it would be a gezeirah sh’ein hatzibbur yecholin laamod bo, and would be null and void, even if we had the power to make gezeiros today, which many poskim hold that we do not, anyway.
So it is up to people what to do with it. The chareidi sites would be among the best places for people to be on the net, if they are on it. In addition, how are people supposed to find out the news? Is there a problem with frum newspapers? Are the words any different when published on paper, than on a screen? True, I would never give kids free reign of the internet, any more than I would let them drive a car, until they are old enough and responsible enough, but adults are adults.
I suspect the main reason for the kol korei is they don’t like the readerscomments which sometimes question the motives of rabbonim, just as this one does. However, remember that the entire gemara is based on questions and answers, kashyas and pirchas and tiyuvtas, and teirutzim. Jews have every right to question, and the entire seder emphasizes that beginning with Mah Nishtanah. If a psak is valid, then there will be knowledgeable people who can defend it. That is what the free exchange of ideas is all about.
In Iran and all the tyrannical autocracies, they first try to ban internet. They can’t stand the free exchange of ideas. That is their worst enemy, and must be squelched at all costs.
Are our leaders so afraid that if ideas are freely exchanged, then people will leave the fold. Yiddishkeit must really be very weak and have very flimsy intellectual underpinnings, if that is the case. In truth, real Yiddishkeit can stand up to any questioning. If somebody manages to shlug up some concept or psak and nobody else can defend it, then that psak or concept was never emes to begin with and is not part of Yiddishkeit. No thinking Jew will accept authority without being backed by valid reasoning these days. The world has moved past that stage, and so have the Jews.
Mystery solved: the financial section of the La’Inyan reports how since this ban , the advertising $ are once again returning to the printed media.
No prizes for figuring out who is behind this new ban.
Do you all think that you are smarter than Rav Kanevsky? Rav Elyashev? Rav Aurbach? Rav Vozner? They are much, much smarter than all of us and all of them signed the kol korei (link above) banning using the internet. Who are any of us to question their daas torah?
What do you mean, who is behind this ban?!?! The gedolim have spoken and I think we aught start listening to them and stop offering excuses that it is all about $$$.
It is so sad that no one take our gedolim seriously any more.
To #23 Chopnik:
You are %100 percent right.