Another important clip: Rav Moshe Soloveitchik speaks about child abuse

Very strong views on how to deal with abuse in the community - including survivors going public. A must for all to hear. Click here.

Amazing video advising parents on prevention of child abuse

Rabbi Yakov Horowitz of Project Yes gives some excellent tips and advice on how to talk to your children about the dangers of abuse and how to ensure that they do not become victims.
Click here for a most important and interesting speech. A must for every parent.

From the site:
 “Speaking to Your Kids about Personal Safety” is a parenting workshop conducted by Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, Director of The Center for Jewish Family Life’s Project YES and dean of Yeshiva Darchei Noam in Monsey, NY.

Part of the Project YES "Keep Our Children Safe" initiative, it was designed to raise awareness among parents in our community about the importance of speaking to our children about safety and personal space.

WARNING: "Don't start with Shechita!"

Were the people of Melbourne and surrounding country areas the addressees of a (not-so) gentle warning message aimed at the state and federal governments?
Saying: "Don't mess with Shechita!"

To many in the community it may indeed seem so.

Only 9 days after the Sunday Age gave front-page coverage to an ignorant and biased anti-Shechita campaign, most of the city and environs felt a 'heavenly jolt' which they claim is a forewarning of what may happen if anti-Shechita laws are implemented.

They cite as proof the case of New Zealand where last year the government declared plans to ban Shechita - under  pressure from a minister who was later allegedly found to have a strong conflict of interest in the matter.

Well, we all know what has happened in New Zealand since that time. Not one, but two devastating and destructive earthquakes plus hundreds of aftershocks have almost totally destroyed life in the city of Christchurch. In fact they just had another one today - this time in the North Island.

So who knows? Maybe there is some link between Shechita bans and earthquakes...

Someone, (possibly Michael Danby and David Southwick,) should pass on the message to Julia Gillard and Ted Baillieu - "Don't risk it!"

Meanwhile read Danny Lamm's article in defence of Shechita in The Age

What's with the AJN?

Attacking Torah values and upsetting observant Jews has been part and parcel of their modus operandi for a far as anyone can remember. But treating Australian Jewry's leading parliamentary warrior Michael Danby so shabbily is a disgrace and a scandal.

Isn't this the newspaper which purports to be the voice of the Australian Jewish community? (Except, of course, for those Untermenschen who go under the labels of Chareidim, 'frum', observant, ultra-orthodox etc etc).

Danby, by far the strongest supporter of Israel and the loudest voice we have in Canberra is treated with less respect that spokesmen' for groups of nonentities that no one had heard of or give a rats about.

Who is behind this? Zeddy Lawrence the most recent temp to swing through the AJN editorial revolving door, or his paymaster Robert Magid?

And where are the leaders of the Jewish community? Why don't we hear the voices of the ECAJ, JCCV and the NSWBOD? And what about all the machers who overcrowd the 'leadership' positions in our dozens of Zionist organizations? Where is the ZFA, it's state branches, the JNF, UIA and all the others whose  justification for existence (and fundraising) is to support a safe and secure Israel? No one has done or does more for that cause than Michael Danby, but we have yet to see any of this overinflated group of do-gooders comment publicly about the AJN's behaviour.

The execrable and despicable New Israel Fund is, after all is said and done, made up almost completely by a left-wing, Reform-supporting (and supported), anti-religious and anti-Israel clump of the most distasteful types found in the Jewish world. (Eg, see here, here, here, and here). A quick look a their website clearly shows there preference for Palestinians over religious Jews. Read their own words and you too will wonder why they call themselves "New Israel Fund" when "Fund for Palestine" would be the accurate and honest label they deserve.

Yet when those thin-skinned mates of our enemies whined about how their leader Naomi Chazan was (honestly) portrayed to the community, the pages of the AJN were full of apologetics and remorseful contriteness.

But Michael Danby's efforts or feelings? Who gives a toss!

Shame AJN, shame! And shame on our communal organisations and leadership.

Meanwhile the recent comment by Shoshana Silcove on her blog has a certain relevance to this post.

Open letter to Zeddy Lawrence editor of the Australian Jewish News

Zeddy,

While I agree you are most conciliatory to deal with on a personal level, the paper you edit is not very Jewish at all. Does it really represent the Jewish community? Certainly not the majority. The majority is not in favour of gay marriage as a basic human right, nor is it in favour of pandering to Muslim extremists. The Jewish News's reason for existence is not to serve Jews, Judaism, or the Jewish community, but to make a profit, even at all of our's expense, especially the frum. Unfortunately, it's like having a neurotic relative, and we are stuck with your paper as a forum to reach large numbers of Australian Jews with our messages, regardless if it represents our way of life and views or not. Do not mistake our (the silent majority's) reluctant participation in your paper as support of your editorials or perspective.

Ironic you say you feel you were maligned in this blog when you are the editor of a paper that engages in diatribes, specifically against religious Jews, on a regular basis. Remember how the AJN besmirched Rabbi Engel from Adelaide, who by the way was found not guilty of all criminal charges. Why never any front page apology for that? Because he is Orthodox?

Your projection of the death of the Australian Jewish community should cause you to take stock of the paper's direction since the only faction of Jews in Australia that is growing and has a bright future is the Orthodox. Maybe you should stop biting the hand that can and will feed you?

As far as the coverage of Lion FM is concerned, I am happy you printed my letter but, I understand there were quite a number of other letters on my side of the fence that were not published. Still, my letter does not compensate for the biased and one sided reportage of the past year. Come one Zeddy, surely you can do better than this!

Serious issue for Sydney rabbinate...

From Sydneysider Bob:
Sydney rabbis busy with important matters...

Michael Danby - getting up Bob Brown's goat

Michael Danby is obviously doing darn good job. He recent comments about refusing to give his preferences to the Greens in the future - as well as his exposure of some of the nastier and anti-Israel tactics by Green politicians has now totally upset their leader, Bob Brown, who is resorting with threats and abuse.

In reply to Michael calling them "watermelon greens" Brown's angry reply is "lettuce".

Well, let us - lettuce see, Senator Brown. AJNWatch won't be surprised if after the despicable behaviour of so many Greens politicians - especially the BDS-promoting execrable Marrickville Mayor Fiona Byrne and the deplorable Senator-elect Lee Rhiannon - with their shameless anti-Israel views, the Greens vote will drop substantially in all areas. Not only Jewish voters, but most fair-minded decent Australians will be dumping this left-wing rabble.

Meanwhile, all of us living in Melbourne Ports have a duty to support and ensure that Michael Danby retains this seat - with an increased majority - for many elections to come. We should forget party-partisan politics and remember that Michael has been one of our community's strongest and bravest advocates ever and deserves our 100% unwavering support.

THE AGE:  Brown blasts 'nasty' Danby
Michelle Grattan

GREENS leader Bob Brown has fiercely attacked the Labor member for Melbourne Ports, Michael Danby, threatening the Greens could have him out of Parliament and ''growing lettuces''.

Senator Brown struck back after assaults by Mr Danby on the Greens, including at the weekend when he repeated he would have them pushed down the ticket in Melbourne Ports because of their policies.

Senator Brown told The Age his advice to the Greens in Mr Danby's seat ''would be to look at not directing preferences next time - and he'll go''.

''He needs to know that he's not some sort of arbiter of Liberal-Labor consensus on how to get rid of Greens. He might find himself going out the back door faster than he thinks … He'll find himself growing lettuces.''

The Green candidate in Melbourne Ports at the 2010 election, Sue Plowright, had received a ''huge'' vote, Senator Brown said.

At the last election Mr Danby had a primary vote just over 38 per cent, while the Liberal candidate received nearly 38 per cent and the Greens nearly 21 per cent. He received Green preferences. While most Green voters give preferences to Labor anyway, in a close election getting formal support could be critical.

Senator Brown said some of Mr Danby's recent comments had been ''really nasty and uncalled for''. Mr Danby recently likened the controversial Green from NSW, Senator-elect Lee Rhiannon, to Elena Ceausescu, the wife of the brutal Romanian dictator.

The incoming senator has advocated an Israeli boycott. Mr Danby, who is Jewish and represents an area with a big Jewish presence, is strongly pro-Israel.

The Greens decide on preferences at a local rather than a national level. Senator Brown said he would not be directing the locals but advising them.

Mr Danby said last night: ''I won't be bowing to this pressure''.

He was very surprised at Senator Brown's comments - he did not think Senator Brown would join with Senator-elect Rhiannon in making what were effectively political threats.

''I won't be backing down in saying some of the Greens' policies are too extreme'', such as their advocacy of death duties and the reduction of aid to non-government schools.

He believed he could survive without Green preferences. ''The Greens will find me like the wombat on the Hume Highway - the wheels will bounce every time.''

Julia Gillard is truly a rachmonus. Imagine your life or career depending on the support of such a rabble.

"Ohel" kids books go mainstream!

Kehot and Merkos have decided to get into the "Ohel" books for kids. We have nothing add to our previous comment.

Readers at that site seem to have various opinions. Here are a couple that we can agree with:

just a thought..... wrote:

I wonder why, in all the forty years since Yud Shevat 5710 and 5752, the Rebbe never once instructed Kehos (or anyone else) to publish a book for children who would be visiting the Ohel?!

If there is obviously a need for such a book - wouldn't the Rebbe have seen and realized the necessity for such a book to be published way back then!?

Barring no other logical explanation, (which, I would certainly eagerly welcome,) I guess that Mrs. Tauger & Kehos don't share the same perspective of the Ohel as that of the Rebbe.

Response wrote:

As no one else has offered an explanation - I would offer this answer; Essentially, your question is a valid one. The reason the Rebbe never requested Kehos publish this type of book is because the Rebbe did not put emphasis on the Frierdiker Rebbe's tzion or histalkus to be greater than that of 770.

By the Rebbe - this was just one of many inyonim that are connected with the frierdiker Rebbe. But the eikar - the main focal point is 770, and not an inyan of a tzion, or a histalkus or a kevurah, or anything connected with an aspect that Chas V'Sholom - the frierdiker Rebbe is no longer connected with the gashmiusdiker world AS WE KNOW IT.

This explains why there were no books published or cafe's, social halls/clubs, cheders, shuls, tents, etc. etc. built or erected near the ohel of the frierdiker Rebbe - BECAUSE THE REBBE WOULD NEVER WANT IT OR ALLOW IT!!! - This (ie-the Ohel, histalkus, tzion etc.) IS NOT THE EIKAR!!

Fast forward to present day “Chabad” - and we find an array of books & publications solely dedicated to portray and illustrate the Rebbe in the EXACT OPPOSITE of how HE HIMSELF would portray & illustrate the Frierdiker Rebbe!?

I leave the conclusion for those who are not intellectually and emotionally challenged to figure it out for themselves. (Additionally, one may study the sichos of Yud Bais Tammuz 5745-1985 for additional points I may have left out.)

"Nit Yisrael" - an accurate name for a Reform temple

The "Mother Synagogue of Progressive Judaism in South Africa" deserves credit for being honest enough to publicly inform - at least those who understand Yiddish - that it is not a Jewish establishment.

A pity, though, that its English label isn't as truthful.
"Temple Not Israel" would be the correct translation for the Yiddish "Nit Yisrael", to describe that country's Reform mother-ship.
                                                                      Hat tip TN

Can you believe this ? "I go to the Ohel" - a toddlers (!) book

Really! What next?
From the crownheights.info site:

COMMENTARY(AND LINK)FROM JJ-exCH

"For the first time ever, parents can make precious time at the Ohel more meaningful and special for toddlers and preschoolers!"

Pardon ask for asking, but is a cemetery really a place for toddlers and preschoolers?

"From writing to the Rebbe, making a hachlata, to giving tzedakah and wearing special shoes, very young children can become more aware of these important details, enriching their Ohel experience and strengthening their hiskashrus with the Rebbe."

Thousands of Tzadikim, Gaonim as well as the greatest and holiest Rebbes have passed away, but no one has ever suggested that young children be inculcated with such bizarre ideas which in their young minds could border on necromancy and "doresh el hameisim".

"A must for every Chabad home, I Go to the Ohel was developed with input from rabbanim, chassidishe parents, and preschool teachers."

What seems to be missing is input from expert child psychologists about the danger of distressing and traumatising young children by exposing them to death and graveyards. The alternative risk is that trivialising the cemetery "experience" in children's books totally removes the concept of "ma nora hamakom hazeh".

We fervently hope that the leadership in 770 will protest this improper and frivolous portrayal and interpretation of this makom kadosh - the resting place of the Rebbe zichrono livracha.

Jewtribe - a new Maven on the block...

Hat tip Josh for forwarding this. The site seems to have a very low profile - and a pretty low opinion of almost the entire Australian Jewish media.

Jews have always been known as the people of the book. Communication, especially for the diaspora, has been an important tool for keeping diverse and oft times, remote communities connected. For many years the Australian Jewish community really has had a lack of quality media representing a small but ostensibly well-educated ethnic group.

As far as print media is concerned, the Australian Jewish News has been the flagship for news for many years, both in Sydney and Melbourne, but it has suffered from a lack of quality journalism and genuine editorship for most of its existence, even though the resources for both have not been in short supply within the community. It has been generally read for what is better known as the “hatched, matched and dispatched” sections. The rest of its pages are filled with week-old news from abroad coupled with pages and pages of photo ops from recent events.......

 In reviewing the current menu of web sites and blogs there are perhaps only a handful of sites that warrant a mention. They are sites that are either quite often referenced or mentioned elsewhere or seem to attract a wide and varied comments section.

 J-wire
Its banner says Jewish Online News from Australia and New Zealand. Seems to have morphed into an online version of the Australian Jewish News (print version) .....

AJN online (Australian Jewish News online version)
No expense spared website! Looks like a free WordPress theme was used. A sad representation of what is supposedly the main source of Jewish news in Australia. Compare this to the JC (Jewish Chronicle) England

AJN Watch
The site was originally set up as a “watch’ site for articles written in the AJN that misrepresented the orthodox community in Melbourne. Its moniker states that it is the on-line voice of Australian Orthodox Jewry observes and comments on matters of interest to that community.

Reading through its articles one wonders if the orthodox community would want this site voicing its interests. It seems to represent a very small section of that community based on the content. These two recent posts perhaps best represent the values of its owners. AJN watch is listed here simply because as an oddity it does attract attention. AJN smut peddler and J-wire’s Chilul Shabbat.

...Australian Jewish media has a long way to go before it truly starts to provide a substantial and meaningful representation of the community from which its springs from. There are I am sure a wealth of informed creative writers and the like who could contribute to the discussion and provide content that’s relevant, entertaining and hopefully provocative.

7 year old Chassidish kid - a prodigy?

Another Lipa in the making? Watch and hear him here.
Go, Naftuli Shmiel, go!

New Zealand researchers invent Goy

Next they'll discover a Yid!  From here:
[click image to enlarge]

Gays, Reform clergy and the AJN - but where are our Rabbis?

The following post was received last week from "Jacob" (with some editing and reworking by us). We apologise for the delay in posting - but AJNWatch too has been busy over the past weeks with Yomtov and cheesecake as well as one of our stalwarts away overseas. We'll try to catch up on the backlog of posts in the next few days.

Hi  AJN Watch,

Following your recent advice, I checked out the free online edition of the AJN. (Personally, I decided a year ago that I would no longer financially support the rag.)

What hit me was seeing it has reverted with a vengeance to its role as the Australian Gayish News - with its front page, page 3, editorial and Kron's cartoon all featuring and promoting the nauseating call by Australia's Reform clergypersons to the Federal government to legalise homosexual marriages.
As I understand it, the current owner of the AJN, Robert Magid is a member of the Reform and obviously approves (and presumably encourages) his newspaper's campaign.

 I can't remember any recent issue that the AJN supported to heavily. having said that, I don't think too many of us are surprised or shocked at the behaviour of these reform 'rabbis' and rabbiettes. After all, if they can accept a homosexual living with his boyfriend (would he have to be Jewish?) and woman who is 100% not Jewish as their 'rabbis', nothing is beyond the pale.

That the AJN supports such perversion of Torah and basic decency also comes as no surprise (especially when taking into consideration the publisher's Reform ties).

However what would have shocked most traditional and religious Jews was the almost craven and gutless response of the president of the Orthodox Rabbis of Australasia, Rabbi Dovid Freilich: "...that they (the Reform) were entitled to their stance.. ...Our view (that "the sanctity of a marriage was between a man and a woman")...is based on the Torah and our heritage.."

What? Rabbi Freilich has to JUSTIFY not supporting such a Toeva? Is this really the best that the representative of the Australian Orthodox rabbinate can do? Is this not almost as great a Chilul Hashem as the statement by his Reform "colleagues"?
I hope you will publish my words which are written in both sadness and anger.
                                                                                             Jacob

Meanwhile we have received the following email which has been doing the rounds in both Melbourne and Sydney and adds to the above sentiments:

Subject: IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM RABBI INGRAM
..who seems to be the only rabbi in Australia who is upset by the Reform to'eva (and its promotion by the Jewish News in both Melb and Sydney editions).

See attachments for the front page [sponsored by Glicks (!) - though I have no doubt that they are unhappy about this]
and the page 2 report where the president of Organisation of Rabbis of Australia gives some unbelievable p-weak response. What has become of the leadership of our communities? It seems that since the passing of Rabbis Groner and Chaim Gutnick the 'mainstream' rabbinate have given up on stating the genuine Torah viewpoint. (And I have no doubt that if Rabbi Zaichyk was still here, he too would have fearlessly and in his style socked it to all.)

These days, it seems that only Rabbi Ingram has the Yiras Shomayim and guts to get up and say the Torah truth (as witnessed by his repeated letters in the AJN - for which he often gets criticised and attacked in response).

(Can anyone explain why the other rabbis and Orthodox organisations, eg, COSV, RCV, ORA the Melb and Sydney Beth Dins are so passive and relaxed about this Chazerai?

Forwarded message ----------
From: Rabbi Chaim Ingram judaim@bigpond.net.au
Date: Thu, Jun 2, 2011 at 9:55 PM
Subject: Fw: Progressive Judaism backs marriage Star Online

The AJN has fallen to a new abyss of irreponsibility by giving this story such promotion.

Note that the self-styled rabbinic council of progressive rabbis purports to speak on behalf of us all!(" ..the Jewish people are all too familiar with discrimination and worse and we reject it ....") not to mention that they equate opposition to gay marriage with antisemitism, cholilo.

This is dangerous stuff. Not only because of the push towards gay union but because the whole Jewish community will be implicated. No other group purporting to represent a religion has come out in Australia to lobby in this way.
Please post this out to anyone on your group who can help counteract. Write to your MPs. Write to the AJN and general press. The AJN has a poll asking if same-sex marriage should be legalised. Get online and vote NO!

Let the voice of the sane silent majority be heard.

http://www.starobserver.com.au/news/2011/05/26/progressive-judaism-backs-marriage-equality/53046

Rabbi Chaim Ingram
41, Llandaff Street, Bondi Junction, 2022
MOB: 0423-831845

And another relevant comment from an AJNWatch reader: Heski said...

From Rabbi Ralph: "I have a problem with those Chareidim who are so obsessed with the depiction of women that they minimise essential Jewish and Halachik concepts like “kavod habriyut” (respect for humanity created in G-d’s image)" So Rabbi Ralph seems to be using the same argument that trhe Chareidim must have photographs of Ladies in their papers as our Reform Clergy are using to claim that we need same sex marriages! Seems that Rabbi Ralph hasn't taken an interest in this preverted claim re same sex marriages. He must ne too busy worrying what the Brooklyn Chassidim are doing.

Meanwhile we are pleased to report that Rabbi Ingram's plea has not been in vain and has elicited this  response to the AJN from the president of the NSW Rabbinical Council, Rabbi Yossi Feldman.

Orthodox rabbis reject same-sex union call

WE, the executive and members of the Rabbinical Council of NSW (RCNSW) totally reject the statement of the Rabbinic Council for Progressive Rabbis on same-sex union (AJN 03/06).

The Torah, basis of all Judaism, explicitly prohibits homosexuality. Therefore the rabbinate cannot condone a homosexual lifestyle. Moreover Judaism believes in the promotion in the wider society of the basic moral and ethical principles enshrined in the Noachide Code one of which is the proscription of homosexual relations.

No Torah-abiding Jew can ever make peace with the notion of legalising or validating homosexual union in any society of which he or she is a part.

Rabbi Yosef Feldman
President, RCNSW

Would it be too much to expect that the Rabbinical Council of Victoria issue a similarly worded statement? Or would it be unfair to expect Rabbi Glasman risking the ire of his new employers - who may not be all that enamored by their rabbi being 'politically incorrect'?

On the other hand, how will he and the other nervous rabbis explain to their flock the Torah reading for Yom Kippur Mincha (reproduced above)?

Read the AJN - FREE!

Now here's some info that you won't get elsewhere.

Most people wouldn't know it, but in addition to its website (which compares most unfavorably with almost any other Jewish newspaper - anywhere), the Jewish News publishes an electronic "smart" edition of both the Melbourne and Sydney newspapers. These include every single page of the paper. The model used is reasonably user-friendly. The current week's edition is usually available to subscribers by Wednesday evening.

Here is a screenshot of the subscription fees, which - strangely - are higher than for the hard copy version. Go figure.

We delved further and found that there is a website "PressDisplay.com" which hosts these and many other (1700) newspapers. They seem to have a totally different price schedule, which, if we understood it correctly, offers the same service (and more) at a far lower cost.

But wait, there's more...

The State Libraries of Victoria and WA subscribe to Press Display, which means that any member of the library can download the newspapers that they host - including the Melbourne and Sydney editions of AJN - free! (We haven't checked it out, but assume that the same situation applies in thr other states' main libraries.)

All you have to do, is go to your State Library website and join up as a member. You will receive a membership card in the mail with details on how to log on - and you will  be able to read the AJN (if you really want to) at no cost.

Here's a few pages from this week's Sydney edition from that website:

And what may be of even greater interest, the Jerusalem Post daily print edition is also available at that site. Here's today's front page:

Belly dancer at Bat Mitzvah: Some Mitzvah!

From this week's AJN Sydney edition:

We wonder if the rabbis who criticized the NY Yiddish newspaper's erasure of Ms Clinton, will have the fortitude to censure this outrageous meshugaas? And what about the rest of the rabbinate? Shouldn't they be up in arms about such inappropriate entertainment for youngsters? And this at a so-called 'religious' celebration!

Can anyone imagine Muslim or Christian parents inviting a belly dancer to entertain their 12 year old kids? What a Chillul Hashem and absolute disgrace!

Bat Mitzvah? Some 'Mitzvah" this was.

And the Emanuel school? While we may not expect them to promote Chareidi standards of Tzeniut and modesty, but wouldn't this be over the top - for decent and respectable reform types?