I don’t know if all of you are aware of the annual YU seforim sale. But to just give you a mini description of it, it’s a big social scene with all the boys and girls just hangin’ out.
In any event, a question was asked on the YU website. The question was “Is It Appropriate to Attend the Seforim Sale With No Interest in the Seforim?”
[Vehameyvin Yavin!!]
Here are some of the responses that were posted on the YU Website:
There are seforim at this year’s girls sale? Seriously, as long as it’s not during night seder, I don’t see a problem. If the girls are going to come for six hours at a time, I’m bound to meet them. Besides, I met my future wife at the sale while she was reading “Finding Your Bashert.”
Ben Shwartz. YC History ’06
——————————————
Why would it not be okay to socialize at the seforim sale? I guess people might think that because there are seforim and it’s a semi-religious setting, then it wouldn’t be appropriate, but it’s not as if anyone’s giving a shiur. Everyone knows that it’s a huge social scene. Other colleges have frat parties and we have a seforim sale.
Noah Pollack YC History ’07
——————————————
I think it’s great that people can pick up a shemiras halashon by the Chofetz Chaim and then proceed to the checkout in order to shmooze. Seriously, though, there’s a time and place for everything.
Aryeh Rosenbaum YC Biology ’08
—————————————-
Of course it’s appropriate. Nobody actually goes to buy the seforim. I think it’s a great opportunity for guys and girls to meet. It’s opportunities like this that we must grab in order to avoid those awkward shidduch dates. I was there and I picked up the book “How to Find Your Spouse in 30 Days?” and it changed my life. Thank you seforim sale.
Yechiel Shaffer YC Sociology ’07
—————————————-
I think that the problem is not with socializing at the sale; the problem is that there aren’t enough mixed events that people feel comfortable enough to attend. That is, unless the medical ethics society has events more often. This is one reason that the sale, which ordinarily should just be about buying seforim, is deemed as a huge scene where people can socialize. Many boys, especially me, are seen hanging around the Artscroll women’s siddur section in the hopes of finding that special someone. I also find it amusing that the cashiers are forced to ask the customer for his or her phone number. This seemingly serves no real purpose other than assisting the cashiers in getting phone numbers from people of the opposite gender. This is certainly one of the reasons that I was a cashier last year. In all seriousness, I think the sale is a great opportunity to meet people that you haven’t seen in a long time. However, it is a little strange to come to the sale with the sole purpose of socializing with old friends. As per the request for separate hours for men and women, not even Eichlers in Boro Park has separate hours for men and women. Although, I definitely agree that if the seforim sale had a swimming pool inside, then there should be separate hours………….
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
One Response
Well, that’s not entirely true. It’s not just a big social scene with “hangin out.” It’s also the largest jewish booksale in America… but I’m sure it’s easy to overlook that fact when reporting such “news.”