Following a story first published by YWN that went viral regarding a summer camp that staged a mock Levaya as a “color war breakout”, the Misaskim organization issued the following statement. It was originally published on the @TheYeshivaWorld Instagram page on Thursday, with many questioning the validity of the statement. Misaskim has requested that it be published:
By The Misaskim Board
אל תחטאו בילד
There is a story going around about using a levayah for a color war break out in Munkatcher Camp this week. We wonder whose bright idea this was.
All of us involved when tragedy strikes our community are always looking for help on how to deal with the traumatic effect a levayah has on children and who could talk to the children before during and after. Who in the camp will accept responsibility for a child walking around, unbeknownst to anyone, traumatized by what took place, even though it ended in a joke?
What about when a child grows up and will have to attend a levayah and will be sitting next to someone and will say to the person, “Remember in camp when the niftar popped-out of the box”?
Is this what we want to teach our children? That a levayah is a joke? Or rather that when we go to a levayah, we stand with respect as this niftar is now in front of the Kisei Hakavod?
Let it be known that Misaskim didn’t give a truck for this. The camp used a made-up letterhead using Misaskim’s name (instead of which ever organization played along with this stunt). It was used without asking Misaskim permission.
If you believe that the kids didn’t know beforehand that this was a color war breakout, just ask the Misaskim staff. The day the signs went up, our phones rang off the hook, with the kids from camp asking if this was a breakout. After the first few calls, the office figured it out and told every kid that it was. So much so that a phone call was placed to the camp to have the kids stop calling the office.
Misaskim has received many complaints about this when word got out about “how low an organization can get.”
Let it be known that we don’t make mock levayos. We take it very serious and we had nothing to do with it. Any further comments should be directed to the camp.
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
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14 Responses
if they tell everyone on the phome then it was no shocking so what are they complaint here?
misaskim acting now like babies
Sensitivity is NOT. A given value!!
so wrong so not right
Just like satmar throwing eggs, this too has taken the concept of day/camp activities out of control and to a Jewish new low. It’s sick!!
i think that the smarter way would have been to go to the rebbe of this camp and discuss with him your concerns. however to release a public statement is like washing your dirty laundry in public and that is not better. in my humble opinion there are much more important things to worry about then this. this was just done in fun and jest.
if we are so worried about traumatizing our children about life , then please read rashie in parshas achray-mos were it talks about the doctor telling you to take your medicine. he says that there are two ways how you are told to take it.
years ago we we were tought about these things at a very young age and everything was just fine.
Responsible people must give out to all camps, daycamp and sleepaway,yeshivish and chassidish, correct guidelines for color war breakouts. there have been many other inappropriate ones. Also camp plays must have guidelines to protect the tznius and torah attitudes of the camps. Perhaps there should be different guidelines for chassidish and yeshivish since there are different standards, but things cannot be hefker.
Is nothing sacred anymore? Until today, I think everyone would have agreed that escorting a loved one to their final resting place was a sacred lifecycle event that should be treated with ultimate respect. Until today, I believe any rational thinking individual would have agreed that is this topic is not only unwise to joke about, but simply off-bounds.
Today that all changed when some misguided individuals, whom parents relied upon to educate their children in a summer camp, lost their ethical compass and acted in a reprehensible manner. Not only did these ‘educators’ act extremely irresponsibly, but they taught our children that nothing is sacred.
Dovid HaMmelech warms us at the outset of tehilim, “Blessed is the one who does not walk in step with the wicked, or stand in the way that sinners take, or sit in the company of mockers.
Allowing our moral voices to stay silent is tantamount to condoning the ways of the wicked. With that in mind, I have raised my pen to scold the shameful heads of Camp Munkatch who have acted with their unsavory agenda. Their lame judgement resulted in a permanent stain that will remain in on the fabric of our society at large. Moreover, there has been no public apology by the camp for their shocking actions. Are they in denial? Do they believe that no wrong has been committed? I think it’s time for the children, parents and anyone that holds kavod HaMes dear to their hearts to take a stand and demand answers and change. Woe is to the generation that places their children’s education in the hands of the wicked, sinners, and mockers.
Nebach!!!
Those who actually were behind this travesty have no business having anything to do with chinuch. How many campers, in THIS camp, have had the misfortune of a parent or sibling taken at an early age. The “bright idea guy” literally rubbed salt in their barely healed wounds. Certain things should never be the subject of gags.
This has to be one of the most disgusting things that adults can do. It seems that people running this camp are so sure of themselves that they are not afraid of anything. We just benched rosh chodesh Elul. Watch out people. Be afraid, daven hard. Don’t destroy young children. Don’t mess their value system up.
While yes, this is color war breakout so haha because we ALL had interesting breakouts, at the same time, once misaskim received calls, thus tying up their resources, they did the right thing by commenting on this.
Looks like they had fun.
I really hope none of the campers had ever lost a parent…I did, as a child. And just viewing these pictures made me nauseous
Looks like we ran out of things to complain about. Which,I guess, is a good sign.
This isn’t a venting board. If you have a problem with this, like I have , call the camp. Not here