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Mar 6, 2011

Rosh Yeshiva HaRav Qaddafi, Shlit"a

The Ohr Yisrael yeshiva in Petach Tikva is well known in the haredi community. It is a top yeshiva, famous for its very strict disciplinarian style. They have developed over the years a name and reputation, and they produce what the haredi world considers the dream of the crop of yeshiva boys and kollel yungerman.

Ohr Yisrael believes in limiting the external influences and potential influences on the boys, so as to minimize any possible distractions and anything that might have a negative influence on the boys. The rosh yeshiva wants these boys learning, and only learning. Nothing else. In Ohr Yisrael, cellular phones are not allowed - not even kosher phones.

The revolutions in the Arab world began when a merchant in Tunisia lit himself on fire after repeatedly opening a pushcart to sell goods and being shut down by the authorities multiple times.

The revolution in Ohr Yisrael began when the rosh yeshiva threw out a boy, two weeks before his wedding, for having a cellphone that he thought would help him have an easier time preparing for the upcoming wedding. Looking back, he probably should have asked permission. After he was tossed, the rest of the yeshiva was upset. As they began to register their protest, the yeshiva took a heavy handed position and tossed 3 of the older guys from the yeshiva. The revolt was quelled. For a bit.

The revolt was reawakened when the rosh yeshiva decided recently to tell the boys they could not use their mp3 players until they turned them in to the office. The office would arrange for all these players to have their functions disabled from any possible outside influence (radio access).

The boys refused to turn over their players, saying that doing so would invalidate the warranty on the devices.

Without going into the whole chain of events, which you can get on Bechadrei, the rosh yeshiva threatened to throw anybody out who is in possession of a player that has not had its external functions disabled. The yeshiva was at large risk of losing a large percentage of its students, when the rosh yeshiva called the elder group of 60 boys in and told them he could not look at them because they are corrupt and if they dont turn in their players by the end of the day they would all be tossed.

The threat did not work, except on a small number of boys. Then, in a dramatic turn of events, the rosh yeshiva announced one evening the other day, before maariv, "I am not Qaddafi, I am not Mubarak, and I am not stuck to my chair. You have learned from "the cousins" to make revolutions. If you want me to go, just say so and I will leave."

The revolt is a surprise, because it is that attitude and power of the rosh yeshiva that attracts the "top" guys to that yeshiva. They learn there for a few years and they come out with reputations as top guys (whatever that means), they get top shidduchim (whatever that means), and eventually if they ever leave kollel they get top teaching positions.

Whether or not I agree with the style, that is the style of the yeshiva, and the boys go there knowing that - not just knowing that, but because of that. For them to revolt against such a level of discipline is a shock. Perhaps it just became too overbearing.

9 comments:

  1. Wouldn't these guys not know who Mubarak & Qaddafi are?

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  2. It's a shame that the Rosh Yeshiva wouldn't even countenance the valid objection to the new mp3 policy. After all the students are adults - I would think a conversation and/or problem-solving would be a more mature approach than threats.

    In Lev HaTorah they issue the boys mp3's which are configured according to the administration's requirements.

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  3. Sarah - yes they are adults, but I see it like this. They clamored to get into this yeshiva specifically because of the reputation it has. It got this reputation by being so pedantic on these issues and having extremely strict disciplinary authority.
    So if the rosh yeshiva gives in on this, and then they fight about the next thing, and then somethign else, there goes everything the rosh yeshiva has built up over many years.

    They are adults. if the mp3 player is so important, if other devices are important to them, they are adult enough to find a yeshiva that allows them.

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  4. Not sure - a sudden, new policy - reminds me of the no internet policy a (NY elementary?) school came up with in the summer after admissions were all set.

    So the boys should have proposed buying warrantied mp3's with the external connectivity disabled - I assume it's still possible to buy those?

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  5. But yes I've heard that before - in Rebzn Salinger's parenting class she said they were once told that her daughter's shoes were a little outside the range, and she wasn't sure which pair but was overall happy because they had chosen that hs for their girls because it had such a tight atmosphere for these finer nuances within charedi circles.

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  6. These types of "revolts" against Yeshiva administration were common in the Eastern European yeshivas. The Rosh Yeshiva should be happy that he has truly succeeded in transplanting the old world yeshiva into modern Israel.

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  7. Earn money from home...March 07, 2011 9:59 AM

    "finer nuances"? try Charedi vice-grip. Get a life.

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  8. I agree with Rafi here. They know the rules of the yeshiva; if they don't like them they can go elsewhere. But they don't want to just go elsewhere because they are there to be able to get the big bucks come shidduch time [or the better apartments] and so they want to have their cake and eat it too. Chutzpa.

    If you are that attached to your MP3 and other "things" you aren't really cut out for that yeshiva.

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  9. There's "right" and there's "smart". This R"Y may be right, but he sure ain't smart!

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