mentalblog.com comments:
But isn't this the very problem with our "system". It's open to abuse, but if the HS is realy a tzadik, then things can run real well. The problem is that most of them are not actually tzadikim.
Boruch and Boruch Hashem that you obviously "get it".
The system where a single person or family ran a shtetl only worked in those idealized, romanticized stories where the Rav and his children where these altruistic tzadikim. They cared nothing for themselves and only did holy self sacrificing acts for their community.
In a real world, with real people, such a system is just an invitation to corruption, nepotism, and victimization of the idealistic and eternal feuds.
Thank G-d that some people were able to see through to the core and succeed at being compassionate, warm and welcoming.
In East Europe no rav and his children ran a shtetel. Rabbis were responsible to kohol, that is to balebatim and gabbaim. The rav was the leader but he was not the totalitarian ruler. His rule was in the spiritual realm , not material.
While nepotism existed there too esentially in Chasidic dynasties and to a lesser extent in the Yeshiva gedolos of Lita, Nepotism is a in my opinion a product of America where Judaism has become just another business, he shul in Brooklyn is the property of the rav, the yeshiva is owned by its principal, the mikveh is also a private enterprise in some places.
As a former Yeshiva Achei-Temimim of Worcester student, I am wondering what Rabbi Fogelman did that was so bad?
I was a kid at the time, and have no knowledge of the political rumblings there - but he was always nice to me.
Its not that what R. Fogelman does is so bad. We are simply comparing today's ineffectual leaders with the storybook leaders of old. One need only look at Worcester's burgoening teenage social scene, out in the open, to understand that leadership from somewhere would be nice.
Rebeljew:
I hear ya.
But is that only a Worcester / H. Fogelman phenomenon? It seems to me that "out of town" Yiddishkeit in general suffers from the same ailment. No?
CE
No, it is not at all a Worcester phenom, nor is it even necessarily worse there than other places. That was not the issue. The point was that the role of leadership is to lead, not say "it is the same everywhere". That is the point of being there in the first place.
In Worcester, they simply allowed the school to become a dropoff point for dropouts, along with their backslappin' buddies in New Haven, so the students that come from outside are coming there because they need guidance that was not provided at "mainstream schools". But the hanhalas don't view the students as young people who need guidance, but as numbers for marketing and tuition goals (because they don't want to be known as nonmainstream schools - i.e. marketing purposes). Then, the communities are just to pretend that there is no widespread problem. This is not at all a reflection on the students or even the teachers. These hanhalas are in a position to do immense services for these students, if they would view them as such. Unfortunately, they tend to view them as "problems" foisted on them from out of town and evaluate them as a "cost / benefit" ratio. When the "problem" becomes more than the tuition is worth, they push the student down the line.
So you are correct. It is not a Worcester problem perse, but Worcester is a good example of the problem.
You're right.
I would just like to say that I don't think there are any simple solutions, nor do I think that the Shluchim/Leaders are entirely at fault.
For example, in Providence, RI, the (non-Lubavitch - Thus, not run by a shliach) day-school was a successful, left leaning, MO institution. While I was living there they moved progressively to the right, and opened a Ner Yisroel offshoot Beis Midrash. They seemed to have solid, Baltimore style, ehreleche, leadership - and the entire thing collapsed. They lost community support, the student body disappeared, and the community vaporized. It is very difficult to build something that is on a high level (Yiddishkeit-wise) without strong community support, and I just don’t think that is going to happen out-of-town. These communities are ball-habatishe, bourgeois, secularly comfortable communities – even the Lubavitcher ones. They are not looking for more than that – so that’s what the schools reflect.
That’s just my opinion, and I wish I could find a community that could prove my theory wrong – so I could move there.
CE
There used to be Chabad in Providence, R. Laufer, I believe was the shliach's name. There was a day school of some type, though not highly thought of.
If you find Jewtopia, let the rest of us know too. You will have a lot of company.
R' Laufer was & is still there. He never had a school. I lived there from 80-88 - we left just as the community began it's mass exodus.
The day school you refer to was the subject of my post above.
I am reminded that a shliach did try to build Jewtopia, on a farm north of Springfield. His concept was to found a community and let the rest grow around it. Apparently, it was somewhat successful, but it simply did not grow fast enough to be sustained. The shliach was a young idealist, whose primary responsibilities were to the universities there. You see, you do not need restaurants and amenities. You just need enough well meaning idealistic people and at least one visionary. One wonders what would have grown, if that farm had sustained. Hats off to a shliach and some families out there who tried to build it, though.
How true.
It was Chaim Adelman - he was in Providence before that. Unfortunately a radical idea like the one he had would have needed far more support than he was able to put together. Nice try though...
this guy is an exception. he is no longer the norm. take a look at other shluchim they live pretty good all tax free...the system became corrupted. its now all business in the name of religion OY!
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