Digital temptations
Haredi rabbis face an impossible battle
THE Council of Torah Greats, a forum of some of the most distinguished ultra-Orthodox (or Haredi) rabbis in Israel, gathered on June 30th to discuss a “great spiritual danger”. WhatsApp, a messaging app for smartphones, it turns out, has become a popular method for their followers to form groups for exchanging gossip and even “immodest” images and video clips.
So the rabbis issued a long list of edicts including an injunction to stop using WhatsApp, and instructions to purchase only specially programmed smartphones with filters keeping out all but rabbinically-approved data services. To enforce the prohibitions, they declared that those who are found to own non-kosher devices will have their children expelled from ultra-Orthodox schools and will not be allowed to work in their institutions.
https://www.economist.com/middle-east-and-africa/2015/09/03/digital-temptations
The way to fight the Torah Greats is to find smoking-gun evidence of the prohibited technologies they themselves (or their wives or children) use, and use that evidence to negotiate with them when they try to expel your kids from school.
ReplyDeleteInformation about things like this has a way of reaching lots of people real fast (including people who do not have WhatsApp or other evil technologies), and can save the Torah Greats lots of money in lawyer fees because these types of cases have a tendency to settle before the case goes to trial.
Why would anyone listen to a bunch of regressive Neanderthal rabbis? Why let them control your life? If you want to use WhatsApp, use it!!!!
ReplyDeleteI'll give you my smartphone when you pry it from my cold, dead hands.
ReplyDeleteAnonymous 7:16PM
DeleteThat’s exactly what they’re going to do to you and your smartphone after they’ve discovered you own one.