Below is the text of an email that went out today on my community email list (for privacy purposes I have xxx'ed out the names, phone numbers and email addresses):
Dear concerned members of our community שיחיו
We are appealing to you on behalf of Agudath Yisroel regarding the upcoming elections. Several parlor meetings, which will be graced by the attendance of AgudahKnesset Members, will be hosted in the Bet Shemesh area.
For more information please contact:
English: Xxxxx Xxxxx 9999999 xxxxxx@enativ.com
Hebrew: xxxxxxxx 0573xxxxxx, Menahel Agudat Yisrael in xxxxxx ,xxxxxxx @walla.co.il
With the blessings of the Gedolei Yisroel for health, nachas, wealth, vecholtuv.
This shows a hypocricy within the ranks of UTJ. They are behind the "Internet ban" the gedolim have pushed. Even if you think they are not exactly behind it, as it is other askanim pushing it, they should at least be the first people to be beholden to the takkanos of the gedolim. Their representatives are clearly using email for comunication purposes, and likely internet as well.
While personally I bless their initiative of using email and possibly internet, as it will bring them closer to their constituents and provide easy and fast methods of communication, it does present a problem. These are the people representing the proponents of the Internet ban. If they themselves do not adhere to the ban they push on others, why should the rest of the people adhere to the ban.
All in all, the fact that they are using it shows how ridiculous the ban is.
Silly you: They want to use the internet for kiruv purposes...and reach out to all those kofrim who use it, and get their votes.
ReplyDeleteI heard this morning on Galei Tzahal that they started a web site too.
ReplyDeletefabulous. They have now completely legitimized Internet use for haredim.
ReplyDeleteIsraeli Chareidism: The Ends Justify The Means.
ReplyDeleteBTW - Remember the 'Gedolim' who came out with wedding restrictions? Every single one of them has been to weddings that did not follow their own instructions. Mesader kiddushin must be a high paying job.
wow this post has gotten quite negative. my first impression was that they were just using email addresses. you dont always need a full internet account to access email. I dont look at email and web as the same thing. While the case for junk mail is a valid concern, but a light email account works for me before a web page does. A web page, as noted here in the comments, does indeed prove some sort of hypocrocy, but im not so quick to condemn based solely on email addresses. Hamishpacha noted in their "pre election" edition, that UTJ is maintaining their stance on not advertising on TV while Shas and others do (sue to a wider more secular audience for those parties). They did not mention internet.
ReplyDelete