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Aug 23, 2010

A Rapaport parent speaks up about the school building

A Guest Post by a Parent of Children Studying in Rapaport-Ahavat Yisrael, Yehoshua Shapiro


To All Those involved in the campaign against Rapaport,

I am a parent of a son who is studying at Ahavas Yisroel (Rapaport). We are happy with the school and also are happy with the students who graduate Rapaport and continue from there to various yeshivot High School and then end up learning in what would be considered the top yeshivot in Israel.

On Tuesday the Yated Naman is distributed for free and we receive it in our mail box. Although my kids attend so called non charedi schools, they read the Yated when it comes. My daughter asked me, and I still have not given her an answer, why do they write that if the school moves into the neighborhood it will be spirital danger to the neighborhood. And, why it also does not like the school logo. I myself can't recall seeing it - supposedly they have a one boy in a kippah serugah and another one in a balck kippah shaking hands or talking together. She says this is a nice thing and can't understand why someone would be opposed to this.

Please tell me how do I address these things? Maybe I should tell them that the Yated should no longer be read in our house then they might want to read it more.

Lets say that a number of parents now say that everything being said is right (by the way, despite the yated saying many parents are upset about the building being used like this against the charedi community and are taking their kids out because of it, I am not aware of anyone leaving the school on account of everything except maybe the people that live in Har Homa and the school is quite a distance for them now). Who is going to take students now after the school year has started?

I feel there is no purpose in raging a campaign against Rapaport. In fact, I believe it is only helping the school by giving it exposure and now many people know about it and will be interested in sending their children there to get a good education.

It seems to me the reason for the protests is the people behind the protests feel threaten that they are losing their power and therefore feel they must react this way. This behavior leaves much to be desired. I can write more but I think I have said enough.

Ksiva vchasima tova

13 comments:

  1. Rappaport's a good school.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Classic MO response to the words of the Gedolim - "There is nothing to their claims, they are all wrong, and they are just scared of losing power"

    Are all the rabbonin you personally know like that? Or do chareidim rabbonim have a monopoly on stupidity and power craving?

    Do you ever stop and think, maybe they have a point? Do you ever speak to someone who understands them, and their point of view, and try to figure it out.

    I USED to think like you. I spoke to them. I understood. I changes my world view. Maybe thats a better approach than calling them power hungry

    ReplyDelete
  3. First They Came for...But I Wasn't a...August 23, 2010 9:41 PM

    Rappaport parents in Bet Shemesh and RBSA be prepared.

    This fight affects us as well. Before too long there will be elements here who will try to take the school, land,etc.

    They will say that our Rappaport chiunch also is a "poretz geder".

    Yes, it is a power move just as the mikve here was and other "charedi issues".

    Mutual respect and tolerance is the name of the game.

    DL, Chardal and Torani people must drop their inferiority complex and defend in what their rabbonim say and what they believe in.

    ReplyDelete
  4. " Or do chareidim rabbonim have a monopoly on stupidity and power craving?"

    pretty much, yes.

    ReplyDelete
  5. I know this doesn't address the underlying issue, but you should no more allow the Yated in your home than you would a Playboy magazine. It is a divisive, hate-filled rag fit for nothing more than lining the bird cage or picking up dog poop.

    A friend of mine once called and spoke to an editor to questing the veracity of a particular story. The editor basically said that they are more interested in writing what their audience wants to read than the truth.

    ReplyDelete
  6. The real issue is that the charedim want the building in Ramot. The way to go about it, is to besmirch the hashkafa of the Rapaport school. Be real! This school has existed for years. So why suddenly are the charedim against it? It's not a new issue. If it was purely for the truth as the yated claims they would have protested years ago. I'm telling you this is the issue.

    ReplyDelete
  7. The Yated has another article regarding Rapaport today. What I can't understand is the school has been around for years. The building they are moving into was a mamad school so now it will be a mamad school and people will know that is treif what is the problem. I think thaey are trying to dviret attention form other issues like the idictments that are going to be handed down to former degel hatorah people.

    ReplyDelete
  8. It's not just about power and property craving.

    R' Yehoshua, if you have read your weekly Tuesday Yated regularly, then you know the answer to why they are against Rapaport, and yes, it has everything to do with the logo you described. In fact, it is *precisely* about that.

    In an editorial some time back, Yated explained why the Haredim did nothing in support of GK, and actively discouraged ppl from joining demonstrations. It was (to paraphrase) to prevent young Haredim from meeting young Torani/DL, and find out that these idealists and patriots are just as Frum as the average Haredi, leading to the realization, C"V, that one can be frum and yerei shamayim without being part of the Haredi herd, and while taking part in the building of the Jewish homeland and state.

    In other words: DL, and especially Chardal and Torani, groups and organizations are a "spiritual" and political threat to the Haredi "way of life" (and political base). Yated went so far as to consider exposure to Chardalim and Torani DL the biggest threat to the Haredi way of life, worse than the "street", Internet, etc.

    So the Rapaport logo, heralding cooperation, respect and love between all Jews, regardless of their kipa design, is precisely the thing that Haredi publicists and askanim loathe, and they will "fight to the finish" with full zeal and vigor. It is the worst thing they could imagine being in the midst of "their" neighborhood.

    In RBSA, they had no problem calling Ahavat Yisrael school a "half-hiloni" school when it suited their purposes (trying to get the building), and to those publicists it really is one. That doesn't prevent them from adding Rapaport parents to their statistics of Haredi families in the neighborhood to help their demographics, of course.

    Chizku V'Imtzu in Yerushalayim! Continue to educate your children to love all of Am Yisrael (including Haredim!), and no, there is no reason for your grade-school kids to be exposed to Yated and its vitriol yet.

    A fellow (RBSA) Rapaport parent

    ReplyDelete
  9. First They Came...August 24, 2010 2:11 PM

    Shlomo,

    Amen, Amen, Amen!

    I hope that our fellow Rappaport parents here realize what is happening and will do everything to strengthen the Torani/Chardal/DL world in RBSA.

    ReplyDelete
  10. I just read today's Yated article. I was surprised at how boring it was with no new information or attacks. Just basically a mention of the meetings of rabbonim.

    Also I was surprised that they did not give this fight any space in the editorial page near the end of the paper.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I read the Yated of last week and I felt the hate to anyone who is different than the classic charedi person. After I finished getting upset I understood that Yated is just threatened. They are afraid charedi people will see that the other religious people are not as bad as they have been tought...
    Yated will not convince anyone who is not charedi that they are right, and the charedim are already convinced. There was no point to the articles of last week.

    If I were you - I wouldn't let Yated in to my house.

    ReplyDelete
  12. BTW,

    These type of attacks and such are not new even here in RBSA.

    I recall (unpleasantly) how some Charedim bashed Lema'an Achai as being "w/o Da'as Torah", etc. a few years back.

    Although this organization is run by and with rabbonim, a smear campaign was instituted. Why?

    To keep Charedim from supporting them, even though they mostly help Charedim in our community.

    Certain Charedi rabbonim wanted "their" organization to be the strongest so they would have control of tzedaka in the community. Just as they want with the mikve, the schools, the stores in the Merkaz, etc.

    These meetings, bannings and declarations have nothing to do with Kavod HaTorah or Kvod Shamiyim.

    If our community doesn't wake up similar things will continue to grow here.

    The mikve and Lema'an Achai are just the start...

    ReplyDelete
  13. Gee, I hope that no one tells the "Gedolim" that Dr. Rivka Rappaport (founder of the school) is the granddaughter of R' Moshe Feinstein.

    ReplyDelete

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