Sep 5, 2007
an adulteress in our midst!!!
This is the "pashkevil" that was thrown around the neighborhood yesterday. I erased the name and address/phone number before I uploaded it.
Translation:
"And you should remove the evil from amongst you"
We are announcing and warning to the men and women of the neighborhood that:
The sinner "Mary Jane" of the family "Smith" from RBS A Street Nahal ABC #11 apt #11 telephone 02-99xxxxxx
is causing the public to falter with her ugly deeds that are like the deeds of Zimri (note: Zimri was a tribal leader of Israel in the desert who had an public adulterous affair with a princess of Midian).
Therefore, anybody who assists her in any way, be it by babysitting or any other form of assistance, and anybody who steps foot in her impure house WILL BE PUBLICIZED.
Our neighborhood is holy and we call out to her with this first warning "Impure one! Leave our camp!"
"And it should not be seen amongst you "ervah"..
(signed by): the committee for holiness of the camp
P.S. Until the impurity is removed from our neighborhood, forms of protest will continue. Soon there will be organized a protest rally at the place of the impurity, nobody's presence should be lacking, further details will be updated later.
Really I do not even know what to say about this. She lives with her family down the block from me, though I do not know who she is. My wife knows who she is and tells me that this woman dresses very provocatively. Her mode of dress fits all the technical details of tznius, but is very not tzniusdig.
I have not heard of an adulteress in the neighborhood, so I am unsure as to the veracity of the claim that she is committing "deeds of zimri". Maybe by that they mean something other than what I understood.
Her husband, I am told, is an avreich in a local kollel and, at least by appearance, appears like any other avreich. I wonder what kind of pressure is being put on him, and I wonder what he thinks about her "style of dress" in general.
I know my father has told me a story from the time we lived in Boston. He went to a shiur regularly that was given by Rav Soloveitchik. I do not know what the topic was, but my father told me he asked Rav Soloveitchik why he lets his wife go around with her hair uncovered. The Rav's answer, tongue in cheek style, was "Have you ever tried to tell your wife what to do?". In other words, while he might not have approved, he could not tell her otherwise.
So maybe this yungerman does not approve of his wife's dress, but can't say anything. I do not know.
It looks like this is going to be headed for a big confrontation and they will probably be chased out of the neighborhood. Just because that is what happens. Because they think they can decide how other people should behave/act/appear. Because nobody stands up to these thugs. Because they do not listen to their Rabbonim nor to any Rabbonim, but they come out acting all holy and pure and concerned for everyone's purity.
I said to my wife last night that we are probably next on their list. After all, when I go out to throw out the garbage, I often am wearing my t-shirt and shorts and do not bother changing... Needless to say, she was not happy with my comment.
I also do not know what happened suddenly to provoke this "protest". They have been living in the neighborhood for a number of years already and I never heard a peep about anything like this. So it seems to have come out of nowhere. Unless she just did something that upset these people.
I am trying to find out more info, and if I do I will update this post.
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sorry - dont know what happened, but the fonts got all messed up and I cannot seem to fix it....
ReplyDeleteHow sad these people are possibly destroying a marriage and most definitely doing harm to the children. What they are doing is much much worse than what she might have done.
ReplyDeleteAnd how do they know she is having an affair... unless she is having it with one of them and now they feel guilty or unless she wouldn't and they were humiliated because of it and trying to do the same to her.
Ugh! It makes me heartsick to think of Jewish people doing this to one another. It's Elul!!!!!
Somebody told me the reason they did this now is because of Elul and it is a time to strengthen ourselves...
ReplyDeleteI guess they choose to "strengthen" others and look for other peoples problems rather than their own...
Remember Yehuda and Tamar? he was going to burn her for adultery and when she hinted to him that she knew it was he who she had slept with, he calmed down and retracted his protest.
Maybe this one needs to name which of them she slept with.. (if she really did and it is not just an exaggeration based on her dress)
Unless I missed something, it doesn't say that she's an adulterer. It uses the imagery of a temptress (Zimri) to describe her mode of dress.
ReplyDeleteBut, just in case, let's be "dan l'caf zechus". Since her husband is in Kollel, they probably need another income. If learning Torah is the world's second oldest profession....
:-)
thanks yoni - temptress was the better word I was looking for but could not think of. it might just be the imagery of the word, but they wrote her actions are the actions of zimri (though technically her actions would be those of kozbi, not zimri)
ReplyDeleteWell, you could always move to Jameel's yishuv.
ReplyDeleteSeriously, another sad development in the world of RBS.
i AM WONDERING WHAT THE ACTUAL HETER FOR BEING MEFARSAM THE NAME OF THE ACCUSED IS. TZNIUS IS SUBJECTIVE ANYWAY, AND DOES THE DI'ORAYSA OF HOCHACHA ALLOW FOR BOOSHA B'RABIM W/O BEIS DIN?
ReplyDeletesorry for the caps - I caught it after I was typing......
I suggest changing the title, if there is no mention of adultery.
ReplyDeletemoi - well, that is how I understood "maaseh zimri".. temptress is an alternative, I guess. Do you have a recommendation for a better word to translate "maase zimri"?
ReplyDeleteSince her telephone number was publicized on the pashkevil, I called the woman last night as a sign of solidarity with her.
ReplyDeleteI offered her my help in whatever way would be needed.
The cowards who anonomously signed the pashkevil as the va'ad lekdushatt hamachane should crawl back into their hole - or in to the back of the 418.
Just say NO to the Taliban.
If anyone has any ideas how to help this woman - please call me:
Eli Bialik Hayarkon 34/1 tel.054-5544185 or email me: elimazi(at)yahoo.com.
Tizku Lemitzvot
Eli - why the heck would she answer the phone nowadays considering the notices publicizing her phone number? I think in a similar situation, I would have immediately cancelled the number and gotten a new, unlisted number... Regardless, kol hakavod to you...
ReplyDeletewow.
ReplyDeleteThis is amazing. I thought the scarlet letter was a great book and now I get to see it in real life.
This is fantastic.
As an aside, in honor of Ovadia yosef's comments and this situation a friend and I are hosting a dinner party for jews who are amazed by the orthodox version of Judaism. I don't want to be rude so I won't bother telling you the menu. But we wanted to be very clear that every action we preform and every item we eat will be specifically in honorium of Ovadia's behavior and this situation.
Or to quote my little girl, "daddy, what bracha do you make on shrimp?"
This is terribly sad...not the neighbors I hope to have once my wife and I make aliyah! Maybe they should live in Tel Aviv where noone would care how she dresses...?
ReplyDelete"I said to my wife last night that we are probably next on their list. After all, when I go out to throw out the garbage, I often am wearing my t-shirt and shorts and do not bother changing..."
ReplyDeleteDude, you just let me know if they start messing with ya...Send some of da boyz over, borrow some guns from Jameel..Fix em real good.
Not kidding. These people only understand force, they need a good potch.
I'm gonna post about this now.
ReplyDeleteThis is terrible. Just shameful behavior.
ReplyDeletedan g - "Or to quote my little girl, "daddy, what bracha do you make on shrimp?"
ReplyDeleteI always wondered, do we make a bracha on non-kosher food?
if someone is doing is b'meizid, can they make a bracha?
If someone is stuck somewhere and needs to triaf, does he make a bracha?
A thought just occured to me while digesting dan's response.
ReplyDeleteIts so easy to point fingers when people do or say crazy things. But how often we miss the good deeds done for us and the lessons to be learned from many wonderful people.
There is so much good in RBS, just as an example i started Daf Yomi on Monday, and i noted how many daf yomis are in the neighborhood at all times. (Two of which i've tried, and both were very welcoming and friendly). So many different minyanim. So many gamachim. wonderful chessed organizations in the neighborhood that will (unfortunately) be there to lend support to this woman (though i hope it doesn't come to that).
I see your quote from Rav Yosef, and the recent public humiliation, and raise you over twenty gamachim, fifteen shuls and many kollelim learning all day....
just some thoughts thrown together...
whats - If I am not mistaken you do not make a bracha in that case.
ReplyDeleteWhatsinaname,
ReplyDeleteI give kudos on the gemachim and chesed programs, the shuls and kollels however, are less than relevant.
That being said, I wonder how many rabbis, how many leaders have come out against ovadia yosef's comments...and other such issues like the scarlett letter issue here or the riots in meah shearim when a religious criminal is arrested by the secular police.
So if your point is that the orthodox system manages despite itself to occasionly do some good, than I agree.
if its not signed, it means the rabonim REFUSED to.
ReplyDeleteWhat?
ReplyDeletedan -
ReplyDeletewhen Dan Brown wrote the book the DaVinci Code, did the catholic church come out with an official statement condemming the book? (Incidentally, don't confuse the million of comments and critisizms vs an official statement from the pope).
When Roger Moore makes a movie called Farenheit 911, does the White House come out with an officail statement declaiming the movie?
You have to understand the way things work. And I will try to present two views:
1 - in the modern world, according to the examples given above, releasing official statements arguing, puts some basis to the arugument. Voicing an official opinion against something, shows a concern that it may be truth. Ignorning it, lets it go away faster.
2 - when a rav today makes an outstanding comment, a respected rav and posek, and that comment is flagged, and posted, and written on and basically blown up, would you prefer that the comment continue to be discussed and examined, or put away and done with.
We can not just fight about every word that the media in israel wishes to publicize. It will only give justice to the media to continue making news. If you dont understand what he meant, why dont you just call him and ask him? or would you prefer to keep reasing the media who are only trying to make a shekel?
Since they're threatening to publicize anyone who visits, and they've already posted her address, how about if we (after getting her permission of course) get a few thousand people to pay a visit of support, and post our photos somewhere? I'm posting under my real name, am willing to do this. After Rosh Hashana if possible.
ReplyDeleteHow about a phone tree of people who will turn up the moment there is trouble? I live in Jerusalem, probably by the time I got to RBS it would be over, but there are enough sane people in BS and RBS to do this.
And if there's trouble, CALL THE POLICE for the love of G-d!