Recently Rabbi Yoel Schonfeld wrote this screed in The Queens Jewish Link about how Modern Orthodox Jewry is failing and none of their kids learn or go to shul anymore and how his sons Night Seder America has no boys from the Modern Orthodox community. Some of his points are valid some are piling on and wanting Modern Orthodxy to be the junior partner to the Yeshiva world and Agudah Israel.
For one there are a good number of Modern Orthodox kids who do go to shul they just don’t publicize it as much. Some of them learn and make siyumim. Quite frankly this is a tiresome narrative designed to guilt trip the Modern Orthodox crowd into joining Agudah for “salvation” as if we need saving.
Here’s another example of the problem. On New Year’s Day there was the Siyum Hashana held at Met Life Stadium. There were about 90,000 Jews for the siyum or completion of the Talmud on a daily basis. How many Modern Orthodox Rabbis spoke at this event ? I heard that Rabbi Schachter of YU got maybe a minute, that was it. So now Rabbi Schonfeld wants us to fold like a tent and give up and join his movement? Really? We don’t roll like that.
Modem Orthodox people are diverse with many different ways to learn about Judaism and are also passionate about Israel. We don’t live and die with Agudah or what the rebbe of your local Chasidic community says.
Thankfully I didn’t write this during the Three Weeks as we shouldn’t try to inflame differences between each other. Yet I can’t ignore this attempt to minimize our community.
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