38 Responses

1. I am an objective adult and I read your letter twice , I’m not sure which piece is really bothering you, is it the comparison of a yid in ps to getting burned or is it the jarring image..the message is one most readers would agree with , maybe too harsh let’s see what others say

2. This is image should not be used, however worthy the cause may be….

3. Agreed 100%.
   It definitely crosses a few red lines…

4. This ad has definitely crossed a red line. Going to public school nowadays is indeed spiritual suicide, but this is a disgusting way to portray it. Jewish organizations constantly condemn when someone uses a sick comparison that we consider antisemitic, so we should know better.

5. On first site – you’re right. But on a second, more deeper look, there’s a urgent message to convey with no nice way to get the full point across…
   I’d like to see the writer come up with an alternative, more “seichel’dik” ad that will bring home the same urgency.
   And BTW – I’ll take this ad anytime over all those phony ads that convey a false message, as if the only way to celebrate Yom Tov properly is with a certain brand etc. , or like: “Why is this night different than all other nights? – because we have this — wine” or whatever… But this here is an ad with a totally true message.

6. It seems that a picture of a concentration camp would be quite reasonable in a non-commercial advertisement in many contexts, particularly if the “product” being pushed is to oppose assimilation by comparing it to being genocided (which from a Jewish perspective is a quite reasonable comparison).

7. And BTW – I see in the picture that the writer has no problem supporting the fakers at the NYT… – unless he has to for Parnassah etc. – but beware of the effect!

8. I agree 100% with what Meir G said

9. I envy Menachem T. Here we are in chodesh Elul, the world around us is turning topsy-turvy, and he has nothing better to worry about but the tastefulness, or lack thereof, of an ad in Hamodiah. Sheesh!

10. I can‘t agree more with the letter writer. I hope Agudah or at least the owners of Hamodiah take it to heart.

    Even if only 10% of the readers find it disturbing, we need to hold ourselves to a higher level of decency.

    Yes, kids going to P.S. is a tragedy that needs to be combatted – but not everything that sells is allowed in our world.

11. I don’t agree with the letter writer. Something must be done, and if it means jarring you with a horrifying picture, so be it. Children are being murdered in public schools, both spiritually and actually. Nothing pales beside that horror.

12. I agree with the letter writer. Terrible ad!!

    I am not even sure the legitimacy of this Nechomos Yisrael organization. Who runs it? Why do they seem so shady over the years? How much of the money collected actually goes to PS kids to go to Yeshiva

13. I haven’t commented here in a while. What a disgrace for YWN to print this letter which derides an ad put out by the holy organization Nechomas Yisroel which saves Jewish Neshamos from Shmad & has the endorsement of all gedolei Yisroel.
    Menachem T., If you are bothered by an ad, why don’t you contact Hamodia or Nechomas Yisroel & state your opinion? Don’t submit a letter anonymously to YWN (which is a competitor of Hamodia) & denigrate the dedicated frum Yidden at both the Hamodia & Nechmas Yisroel. There’s a saying in Jewish lore, Oseh Maaseh Zimry Verotzeh Schar KiPinchos.
    Menachem, it’s Elul, a time for Teshuvah, call Nechomas yisroel & ask them mechilah for your letter. Contact YWN & ask them to remove it, because if it leads to one less boy or girl leaving public school, it will be your fault. You will suffer more than all the families of 9/11 victims combined if you caused less funding of the special work of Nechomas Yisroel. By the way, very few of us read these ads, get offended by them, or get riled up enough to send in letters to another competing publication. I have no connection to the Hamdia or Nechomas Yisroel other than that I sponsor a child to be in Yeshiva rather than sit in public school.
    To all those agreeing with Menachem T., be careful about not being included in his big problem which he now has to fix up. None of us are perfect & even if you feel the ad was wrong, it doesn’t give you license to publicly put down other Yidden.

14. The point is true. The comparison is horrible. There are many ways to make the point without pointing to 9-11 in general or this photo in particular. True? Yes. Shocking? Yes. Stupid. Yes. Besides the organization, or, the agency that created it, where are Hamodias standards? Surely, they wouldn’t accept the same ad with a Nazi pushing a cart towards a crematorium?

15. I’ve worked personally with Rabbi Osher Friedman and Rabbi Kugelman; they are people with hearts full of sincere ahavas yisroel and deep concern for children ending up in public school. Many outreach organizations have accepted the reality of throngs of Sefardi children going to public school, some refusing to help in cases where the parents aren’t willing or able to pay tuition.

    Nechomas Yisroel helps children – including some of my own talmidim – not go to public school. They provide tuition assistance, placement, and advocacy for children from any background and level of frumkeit.

    Whoever made the decision to produce the ad….people make mistakes, but the organization as a whole has saved and continues to save thousands of Jewish children.

16. Mylogic37, did you learn hilchos lashon harah before you threw dirt at an organization has been doing important work for years? Why is it ‘shady’? Because they didn’t send you a detailed transaction list? And even if you do have info to base your accusations on (or your jump to conclusions), posting about your misgivings publicly in a way that could harm them is wrong. You don’t know me, so the fact that I personally know people that work there and can testify that they are extremely reliable and responsible won’t mean much to you, but it is true nonetheless.

17. Agree totally with the letter writer that this is a terrible ad.
    I disagree however with the message of his title – “What’s next? – Auschwitz?”
    Auschwitz isn’t “next”. It’s already been used this way numerous times. For all we know the geniuses behind this ad got their idea from the use of the Holocaust and Holocaust imagery to promote ideas in Jewish publications and religious themed videos. There are videos out there that people are encouraged to watch on Tisha B’Av no less, where the rate of assimilation is compared to the gas chambers and it includes footage of visitors to Auschwitz. The brilliant idea of the of the ad designers in question was- the Holocaust is old and overdone, let’s use a graphic image of the Twin Towers instead!
    The thinking of many in our community is that the end justifies the means. No matter how worthy the end or desired result is, this is not a Jewish concept.
    Exploiting the memories of those who perished at the hands of the Nazis or of terrorists as above is never okay. I’m just pointing out that it’s been done before and sadly, as you can see in the comments before mine, there are many who think it’s fine.

18. I’M SORRY!
    I did not realize YWN had competition with Hamodia!!

19. I don’t see what is wrong with this ad, in fact, I think its brilliant and the designer is a marketing genius! this ad is right on target, powerful message, beautifully designed, eye catching, and most of all WE ARE ALL TALKING ABOUT IT (free of charge)

    I don’t see here that Nechumes Yisroel is taking advantage of the 9-11 tragedy, they are just conveying a message that the school year is starting in September and if we don’t want a Rochniyus tragedy in September 2022 we have to sponsor a child.

    To the letter writer: You obviously don’t understand what means that a Jewish boy is going to public school, just take a minute and think what’s going to happen to that child if he stays in public school or the child is being sent to a Yiddish school! YES WE CAN PREVENT A REAL ROCHNIYUS TRAGEDY!

20. To the writer – I agree, forget Auschwitz – If they are still in existence in a year from now I don’t see why pictures from the Sbarro bombing, the Meron event and others can be used as a comparison for children going to public school.

    The timing is definitely planned as we are approaching September 11. Unfortunately the events of that day still strike a raw nerve in those of us who experienced the absolute horrors and heartbreak of that day a week before 20+ years before RH , not to mention the thousands of rescue workers who were affected years later by a myriad of serious illnesses r”l.

    My suspicion is that people like myself will take a rather dim view of both the timing and choice of advertising to promote their goals, no matter how worthy the organization – and therefore may backfire on them completely and decimate their existing donor base, in addition to many like myself who will pass on sending a donation.

21. I never read these magazines because this is not the first time…..it just happens to be the one time , the right time for this to come out……if it is the only way to get the message across then use it……it seems no one listens anyway…..I would rather see the removal of all LGBTQ first…..then the rest won’t happen

22. The problem is these so-called heimishe media outlets advertising exotic Pesach “vacations”, mixed concerts, and the latest shaitel trend that make the woman look like a whore. They Promulgate every new taava for the wealthy pleasure seeking crowd. This is what should trouble the letter writer.

23. and i thought that I’M bored sometimes….

24. I agree that it is offensive. No tragedy should be exploited for any cause other than to help the victims of the tragedy itself.
    Another point to consider is to look at it from the perspective of a parent with a child in public school. Granted that it is possible 100% of the Hamodia readership have children in Yeshivos, But in today’s world, things circulate. This could certainly turn off a parent of a child in PS from considering a yeshiva education. (need I list the number of gedolim in the last 100 years who attended secular public schools before they went to yeshiva).

    The organization does a lot of good, but they have taken a turn to the right in recent years. They will only fund a child who transfers from PS to a single-gender yeshiva or BY. Think about how big of a jump that is.

25. If you’re getting mad about adds, I feel bad for you. get a life and focus on things that count.

26. @Menachem T.-
    I agree to you that is was not right to use that picture, and it should not have been done. However, the comparison IS true. You wrote “Who thought that comparing that moment of overwhelming terror and pain of thousands of people and crushing heartbreak for so many affected families – including readers of the Hamodia – to a child going to public school actually makes sense?”. It seems like you don’t understand what it means for a child to enter public schoo. His neshama gets murdered, and it is heartbreaking for the rest of klal yisroel and especially for any frum yidden who know him or his family. Spiritual murder is just as, if not more, severe than physical murder. There are records of people who had their children snatched by the goyim from them, and they stated that “they would rather them have been killed as frum children, because now they are going to be indoctrinated with the wrong beliefs and will live their lives a goyim.” So like I said, I do not thin the ad should have been presented like that, but the point is 100% true. And if you do not realize that, theres a lot of issues going on.

27. Rocky, as I’ve dealt with the two aforementioned leading rabbis in the organization, that statement – that they will not help in switching from public school to a co-ed jewish school – is not true. Fake news. They definitely prefer it, but they have a close relationship with many schools in queens that are mixed. Perhaps you heard of a case involving a conservative school.

28. I haven’t commented here in a while. What a disgrace for YWN to print this letter which derides an ad put out by the holy organization Nechomas Yisroel which saves Jewish Neshamos from Shmad & has the endorsement of all gedolei Yisroel.
    Menachem T., If you are bothered by an ad, why don’t you contact Hamodia or Nechomas Yisroel & state your opinion? Don’t submit a letter anonymously to YWN (which is a competitor of Hamodia) & denigrate the dedicated frum Yidden at both the Hamodia & Nechmas Yisroel. There’s a saying in Jewish lore, Oseh Maaseh Zimry Verotzeh Schar KiPinchos.
    Menachem, it’s Elul, a time for Teshuvah, call Nechomas yisroel & ask them mechilah for your letter. Contact YWN & ask them to remove it, because if it leads to one less boy or girl leaving public school, it will be your fault. You will suffer more than all the families of 9/11 victims combined if you caused less funding of the special work of Nechomas Yisroel. By the way, very few of us read these ads, get offended by them, or get riled up enough to send in letters to another competing publication. I have no connection to the Hamdia or Nechomas Yisroel other than that I sponsor a child to be in Yeshiva rather than sit in public school.
    To all those agreeing with Menachem T., be careful about not being included in his big problem which he now has to fix up. None of us are perfect & even if you feel the ad was wrong, it doesn’t give you license to publicly put down other Yidden.

29. no reason to read NYT and hamodia in one breath
    the negative effects of reading NYT needs an ad ‘dachuf!’

30. A Fish Out of Water and others who commented, Then I do apologize for what I wrote. My point is every large org we know who runs it. Oorah, CSE, RCCS, Ohel, Misaskim, Chai Lifeline, Bonei Olam, Agudah to name a few. This org is a bit too secret too me. Maybe I am just not reading the right places. Maybe they do not want people to know who they are for whatever reason.

    I think an org that has been advertising for years in the the Frum Papers we should know who they are. Who is running it, which Rabbonim back it etc… If you know then I trust yours, and a few others who commented that this organization is legit and deserving of funds. Thank you for comment.

    I apologize to anyone that I may have hurt.

    If I was Nechomas Yisrael and you are truly doing lots of good then get out there. Go on a podcast or something. Be interviewed by Mishpacha or some magazine You are mamish Tzadikkim then! A little PR can go a long way.

31. Haimy – Thank you very much for saying what had to be said – and you said it so well!
    Kudos too to A Fish Out Of Water

    Anyway, i’ve never heard of this org. but I will BN give a donation, גדול המחטיאו יותר מן ההורגו

32. I don’t see what is wrong with this ad, in fact, I think its brilliant and the designer is a marketing genius! this ad is right on target, powerful message, beautifully designed, eye catching, and most of all WE ARE ALL TALKING ABOUT IT (free of charge)

    I don’t see here that Nechumes Yisroel is taking advantage of the 9-11 tragedy, they are just conveying a message that the school year is starting in September and if we don’t want a Rochniyus tragedy in September 2022 we have to sponsor a child.

    To the letter writer: You obviously don’t understand what means that a Jewish boy is going to public school, just take a minute and think what’s going to happen to that child if he stays in public school or the child is being sent to a Yiddish school! YES WE CAN PREVENT A REAL ROCHNIYUS TRAGEDY!

33. Hmm.. Seems like we are all LOSING IT over a direct Wake up call message and letting off on all of the TROUBLING ads depicting yidishkeit into some Marvelous Getaway / Luxury Restaurant!! you get the message YWN Please do as others have told you REMOVE this Article it does not ring well

34. Of course, we certainly hope that the tzeddakah is not impacted negatively, regardless. But I think the letter writer is right on regarding the ad sensitivity.

    First, YWN is not a competitor to Hamodia newspapers, daily and weekly. Does Hamodia have a news site? Yes. Are they in competition with YWN? YWN is a different type of news site. It’s like comparing Target to a mini-market. There may be some overlap, but they are not competitors.

    Second, out of all frum publications that I’ve seen, Hamodia seems uniquely almost obsessed with the Holocaust. There are constant features of interviews from survivors, their Project Witness organization is all about the Holocaust, and on and on.

    So, it must have been an oversight; for a publication with that level of devotion to the Holocaust, it would be pretty shocking for them to be able to miss the pain that this ad could cause to Jews.

    9/11 happened barely two decades ago. There are many Jews alive today who survived and/or lost loved ones/relatives/neighbors, HY”D, in the Twin Towers.

    Who gave anyone the right to inflict pain upon those Jews by showing that image to them?

    As well, for those who think that being concerned about an ad means that they are bored, perhaps they should concern themselves with the bein adam laChaveiro aspect of this, as mentioned just before this paragraph.

    Finally, as others noted, gadol haMachtio yoser min haHorgo. Neshamos being destroyed is incomparable to physical attacks, etc.

35. This is sad!!
    The Hamodia is one hundred percent allowed to publish a perfectly fine add that is 1000% true!! Stop bashing the Hamodia and Nechumas Yisroel and YWN should remove this article. This is also all loshon hara. If you really fell uncomfortable speak to the organizations privately.

36. 100% agree. stupid ad. Nothing to discuss. Wrong on so many levels

37. If you are a subscriber why do you need to pick it up?

38. Hamodia Issued and published an apology letter