Lakewood, NJ – Mispallelim coming to Daven at K’hal Ateres Yeshaya this morning, were once again greeted with the beautiful display of an American Flag proudly hung above the main entrance to the the Shul in honor of Independence Day.
The Shul, under the leadership of Rav Simcha Bunim Cohen Shlita, follows in the footsteps of Rav Cohen’s grandfather, Hagon Rav Avigdor Miller ZATZAL, who also displayed a flag at his Shul on July 4th.
The Shul is located on County Line Road.
(Source: TLS)
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11 Responses
Hakoras Hatov is a fundamental of Yiddishkeit.
For something that takes such seemingly simple effort to place an American flag on a shul/yeshiva goes many miles in the community image of the Jews. Hakaros Hatov is commendable and recommended for living in a nation would permits so many religious freedoms. A few years ago on a trip to Europe, I learned to appreciate the gift of having the US and Israel.
The world has truly felt bereft of Hagaon Harav Avigdor Miller ztvkl zya ever since he physically left us.
Kol hakovod to Rav Cohen and his shul for such a simple and elegant statement of patriotism for this great country. We are sometimes cynical of Lakewood, Monsey and other frum areas but they are always among the first to speak up on behalf of America. I note the Rav’s middle name is “Bunim”. Is he related somehow to Irving Bunim who was among the great askanim who worked tirelessly on behalf of yidden seeking refuge in post-War Europe and also was instrumental in founding and supporting so many yiddeshe mosdos? I recall the Bunim name because he was also the father-in-law of Rav Shulem Rubin of the Young Israel of Pelham Parkway were I davened for several years.
Americans’ attitude towards their flag borders on avodah zarah.
#4, Bunim is Rav Cohen’s middle name. Bunim was the last name of Mr Irving Bunim, hence no connection what so ever.
Reply to # 5:
Pardon me Milhouse, but I think you’re writing Shtissim.
By honoring the flag a person is just giving Kovod-L’Malchus.
Nobody is honoring or worshiping an entity. Much less a deity.
And it’s not just America. Most people honor their nation’s flag reverently.
In the Midbar, Klal-Yisroel didn’t honor their flags the same way as the nations because then they had Moshe Rabbeinu and the Mishkan. They had a much more direct way to honor the “Malchus”.
Hashem’s presence was acute. The flags were only an adornment for the Machnos.
(And as a non-Zionist I state that today we have no flag.)
#7, Americans worship their flag. And no, most nations do not. This is a peculiar American thing, and it is like a civic religion.
Milhouse…… so you must be part of the group that does indeed worship the flag. Because in all my years of working with both Jews and nonJews I have never heard of such nonsense until you brought it up for discussion.
What do you say about Young Israel type shuls that place a flag in the shul? Is the OU and Young Israel movement hovering upon the perimeters of avodah zarah? No.
How about putting up a Yankees flag? Does anyone worship that?
If you never heard it brought up, that is the greatest proof that you’re surrounded by idolatry and consider it normal.
A flag has no place in a shul. Not that of Israel and not that of the USA. Igros Moshe paskens that this is a halacha, but that it’s not worth starting fights over.
And no, people worship the Yankees themselves, but not their flag.
The fact that Americans have supposed laws (albeit unconstitutional, and therefore not really laws at all) about the “proper treatment” of a flag shows that they invest the flag itself with “kedusha”, lehavdil, and therefore it’s avoda zara.