The following is from an email sent to the entire membership of the Agudah of Avenue L, and first published on FlatbushScoop.com:
Within the last 5 weeks, there were two Hatzolah calls from our shul, requiring emergency assistance for underaged drinkers who passed out with dangerous levels of alcohol in their bloodstream. Neither of these youngsters was from our membership. They seemed to be a part of a group of underaged children that wander from Shul to Shul on Friday nights or Shabbos Day, looking for a Simcha at which they can inebriate themselves.
As responsible members of the Jewish Community, Agudath Israel Bais Binyomin has instituted some safeguards that we hope will become the standard for our Shul, as well as, all other Shul’s and Boti Medroshim in Flatbush and beyond.
If your Shul does not have such a policy, please this to your Board of Directors.
Unfortunately this will not eradicate the root of this terrible problem, but will at least represent a proactive step in protecting these children from themselves.
EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY
Any one wishing to make a Sholom Zocher at Agudath Israel Bais Binyomin, must agree to the following stipulations:
1 – No Hard Liquor will be served at any Sholom Zocher, taking place anywhere in our Shul. There will be no exceptions.
2 – Beer or Wine can only be placed at the head table of the Sholom Zocher and distributed by the Ba’al Simcha or his designate.
3 – No beer should be given to any underaged child. If you see underaged children drinking, please tell the Ba’al Simcha immediately.
All other Simchas taking place at the Agudath. – This includes a Kiddush, Yur Tzeit, Vort, Bar Mitzvah, Wedding or any other occasion at which Hard Liquor is served.
4 – We strongly recommend the Ba’al Simcha designate individuals to monitor those tables that contain Hard Liquor or Wine.
5 – No Hard Liquor should be served to any underaged children.
6 – Adults at the Simcha should be vigilant and if he / she sees an underaged child drinking, it is important that they say something to the child and to the Ba’al Simcha.
Please do not take these policies and suggestions lightly. This may actually save the life of a child.
NOTE: Interestingly, NYS Assemblyman Steven Cymbrowitz released a press release this morning about this story, just one day after FlatbushScoop.com publicized the email from the Agudah, which should be noted, was first disseminated via email on February 2nd (almost a month ago).
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15 Responses
Yeyasher kochachem! I would add, and found it educational, enlightening that this was left out, “It goes without saying that the prime reaponsibility of chinuch ha’banim is that of the parents. If they are present, they must not allow their children to drink. If they do, they will be asked to leave by the ba’al simchah or his designated individual. And if their parents are NOT there, for goodness sakes notice the kids, strike up a conversation with them, offer to walk them home after the simchah, find out who and “where” they are, and when you meet their parents, ask them why they can’t spend Shabbos with their children.”
If we are going to replace their parents by monitoring their drinking habbits, let’s go the whole 9 yards and help them out as well. They are either trying to escape. Let’s help them find their place instead, where they feel comfortable, wanted, important, etc. Let’s not just throw them out.
Thank you to the Hanhala of the Agudah. This is long overdue. Drinking has become the plague of this era. There are families on Shabbos who have no Tzura of a complete worry free Shabbos because either the parents are concerned where their son is out drinking, or because the father of the home is drunk himself or sadly – both are the case. Too many ladies and their children are being deprived of their right to regular normal Shabbosos without having to worry about the fact that their boys / husbands can’t seem to control themselves when they are around alcohol. Too many husbands make light of it as if it is fine and nobody’s business.
It would be even better if the Rabbonim and halls took the bold step of banning all alcohol drinks other then perhaps some light wine and grape juice at all simchos. With all of the Tzoros today surrounding this terrible situation of out of control drinking it is time to make stronger fences to protect oneself.
There is no need nor reason to provide this drug in a public way especially when the problem is so severe.
Perhaps the people who posted yesterday about how drinking on Purim is a mitzvah for anyone over age 13 should take this to heart. But they won’t…
They should take this to the next level and include Purim in their ban!
Thank you Agudah of Ave L for being the trail blazers regarding liquor drinking.
I feel you have not gone far enough, the same rules for sholom zacher should apply to Barmitzvah, vorts, simchahs, etc. You can be sure that the Baalei Simchah can not supervise during a simchah the drinking levels or habits of their guests or party crashers.
I highly commend the position & measures you have taken.
It’s refreshing to see a shul, doing rather than just lamenting and or screaming about the problems/failures of our society. Moreover its very praiseworthy that you’ve taken and promoted action in such an important area. I had been appalled some time ago, overhearing mature mothers praising a young man’s speech, and attributing his self-confidence to having a drink or two. Parents and Adults in general taking such a stance is destroying our youth. We should all salute this Kehillah and their Rov – who I’m sure must be with them on this.
i challenge anyone to give one case of an alcohol death in the frum community in the last 40 years one that came from solely drinking to much, the fact is people are brought to the hospital but stop the rhetoric how dangerous it is. walking in lakewood at night without a reflector is 1000 times more dangerous than ODing on alcohol
Eric are you drunk or stam a tipesh?
Speak to any Hatzolah member on what they see. What about the health hazards this creates?
With your logic what’s wrong with smoking? How many people died because they smoked one day. THINK (if you know how to do that) of the overall picture.
eric55- Are you suggesting that the Agudah not insituite these rules, or should they transplant the shul to Lakewood and then talk about reflectors?
There arent too many deaths in any community that come “solely” from alcohol, but that doesnt change the danger of it.
eric55- While I’m aware of quite a few deaths resulting from drug overdoses, I am not aware of any deaths, just hospitalizations. The fact that Hatzoloh volunteers must take time off from their families for calls resulting from heavy drinking is reason enough to put an end to it. There are enough ambulance runs for reasons that are not as preventable as too much drinking.
I am all for responsible drinking at simchas for those of legal age.
Where are the parents? All we ever read about is why the Yeshivos aren’t doing/saying anything. And even though Torah Temima, Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, and many others have done much to address this and many other concerns in our community – special education, economic and family crisis, shiduchim, and more, we still hear about “sweeping under the carpet.” Where are the parents? Where are the parents? The boys that are wondering the streets are not in Yeshiva with their Rebbeim, at seder with their friends, or at home with their parents. They have issues and we should deal with them not pass the blame and responsibility on others.
FYI, Eric, many teens have stated unequivically that their “careers” as alcoholics began at a shul kiddush or other simcha. Perhaps you believe that being an alcoholic is simply dangerous rhetoric?
If the baal habatim wouldn’t drink like fish at simchas (and at home)the kids wouldn’t have where to see this conduct to learn it from. Almost every Shabbos Kurdish I attend there are “adults” that had one too many.
didn’t go far enough… sholom zochor rules should be applied to kiddushim too, and some variation to all simchos
I feel this generation can’t handle large gatherings. You can’t really talk during davening or drink too much if the crowd is kept small… The cure for social ills may be architectural!