By Rabbi Yair Hoffman for the Five Towns Jewish Times
Who would have thought that the actions of a Jewish organization could launch a grave threat to the Jewish people? Who would have imagined that it would be a YMHA – the 92nd Street Y?
Shabbat. Tefillin. Israel. Kashrut.
These are four important elements of how we identify as Jews. They unite us, no matter where we stand.
Early on, the once-nascent Christian movement had celebrated the same Shabbat as other Jews. However, once they began to celebrate Sunday as Shabbat – that was it.
Tefillin was traditionally worn on the forehead above the eyes not between them. That was the oral tradition that we Jews have had since Sinai. Anan Ben David, the founder of Karaite Judaism, made a change. He instructed his followers to place the Tefillin between the eyes. This too was a fundamental change.
For thousands of years, the Jewish homeland was Eretz Yisrael. Jerusalem was it’s eternal capital. When some tried making Uganda the new home for the Jews, there was almost a rebellion.
And now it is Kashrut that is under attack.
For the longest time, the 92nd Street Y’s dinner had used a Kosher caterer for its annual dinner. Not everyone who attends the Y keeps kosher, of course, but there is something about “Kosher” that all Jews respect – whether they are Reform, Conservative or Orthodox.
Unfortunately, someone is trying to use the 92nd Street Y to catapult a new agenda – an agenda that he wishes to start at the 92nd Street Y dinner – and then export to the entire United States, and then the world.
The new agenda is his own brainchild, it is called “Biblical Kosher.”
In his mind, since the laws of kosher slaughter are merely referenced in the written bible – Biblical Kosher does not need Kosher Shechita. Regular non-kosher steaks can be served and can be repackaged and labelled “Biblical Kosher.”
Cheeseburgers? No problem. It is only a cow’s own milk that cannot be served with its own calf – all other milk and meat are okay. Just stay away from pork.
WHO IS PUSHING IT?
The person who is pushing this new idea is Rabbi Peter Rubinstein, the new hire of the 92nd Street Y. It is an idea that actually undermines the new trend toward tradition in Reform Judaism. It also alienates Conservative, Conservadox and Orthodox Jews as well. Such a movement could lead to further and further assimilation and put a stop to Jewish self-identification pretty easily among those that are not so committed.
According to Rabbi Sholtiel Lebovic the founder of GoKosher.org, “For the 92nd St Y to host and stealthily surprise and to feed non kosher to 700 people is downright evil and rebellious.” Rabbi Lebovic continues, “Just stating on the website kosher style is not clear enough, many do not check the website and people assume it’s the same way it was for many years past. Maybe they should come out honestly and state dietary laws not observed.” Indeed, Rabbi Lebovic has launched a grassroots petition to get the 92nd Street Y to change the dinner.
http://www.ipetitions.com/petition/prevent-the-92nd-st-y-gala-from-being-traif#scrollTo–4389497
TIME TO STAND UP
It is time for all Jews across the religious spectrum to stand up and say that this is a profoundly bad idea. It is bad for Judaism, for Jewish continuity, and for Jewish unity.
There are other dangers as well. Every so often a European country decides to take a shot at the Jewish people by forbidding Shechita. It is thanks to Jewish leaders regardless of religious affiliation who have stood up to fight the anti-Semitic bans on Shechita. Now, no longer. These anti-Semitic leaders can now say. We only want Biblical Kosher – not this medieval Shechita! They can point to the 92nd Street Y and say, “We are just following Rabbi Rubinstein’s lead.”
DINNER PLANS SHOULD BE CHANGED
The 92nd Street Y dinner plans should be changed and should be changed immediately to hire Kosher caterer. If the dinner committee is concerned about losing their deposit, we can start a GoFundMe. It can be called, “Get the 92nd Street Y its Nonkosher Deposit Money” or something along these lines.
In short, this was a mistake of Biblical proportion (no pun intended). The leadership of the 92nd Street Y should walk it back – and so should Rabbi Rubinstein.
The author of this op-ed can be reached at [email protected]
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
11 Responses
Is this a bad move? Yes. A stupid move? Yes. Harmful to kashrut? Yes.
But “a grave and existential threat to the Jewish people”? Please! Save that language for when a grave and existential threat to the Jewish people actually comes, CV”C.
Act actively against the lack of kashrut
There is absolutely nothing that this organization organization does that is consistent with normative Halacha — take a look at their programming.
It is of little surprise that they would serve Treif at their dinner.
Calling them a threat to the Jewish people implies that they are a relevant “Jewish” organization in the first place — they are not.
I, like Hallel, feel that this piece is but one degree removed from a simple headline grab.
It should be illegal for the word “Jewish” to be associated with that group.
You are missing the point, Hallel and FFK.
What is the biggest problem with the Reform and Conservative “movements”? That they aren’t frum? Arguably, there’s something much worse. They claim to provide a valid “stream” of Judaism… an acceptable option for people who wish to practice Judaism. This was and is a grave threat to the real Judaism.
Same here. Kosher has meant one thing for millennia, for those who are Orthodox and for those who are not. Now, this doofus is creating another “kosher”…. in fact the original, Biblical kosher, the real McCoy. Now, there is another “option” for kosher-keeping Jews! The Orthodox have their kosher, and for other Jews who wish to keep kosher, there’s Biblical kosher!
For now it’s only at the Y. But what happens if this “kosher” spreads and becomes the norm outside of the Orthodox strongholds in New York and New Jersey….? What happens if in the minds of the millions of Jews across the world, this becomes the real “kosher”? Will this happen? I don’t know. Can this happen? Certainly.
This is definitely a grave, though perhaps not existential, threat to Judaism.
One should assume that the non-Orthodox movements are eventually going to be as separate from Torah Judaism as the Christians and Muslims (both of which originally were Jewish movement), as well as the Karites and the Samaritans (who are thought of more as weird Jews rather than mamash goyim, e.g. we wouldn’t sell our hametz to them over Pesach). Since many if not most non-Orthodox Jews reject some very basic theological concepts (such as that Ha-Shem created the world, or that Ha-Shem even exists), I suspect the “end” will be that we will see the non-Orthodox Jews as we do the Christians and the Muslims, and that end is probably occuring now.
If he claims to be biblical, what to him is the definition of “נבילה”?
No one is demanding they use a Chassideshe hashgacha at their events, although that might be preferable to those who truly worry about kashruth, but for a “Y” function in NYC to serve treifus is beyond belief. I’ve attended “Y” functions in various locations outside of the NY metropolitan area where I may be one of 2 or 3 attendees who observed kashruth but hey somehow managed to arrange for everyone to be served dinner from a recognized hashgacha the majority of frum yidden would feel comfortable with. Often, this comes at a substantial cost premium to these mosdos whose budgets are very limited. It is a shame and disgrace for the world’s leading “Y” to even consider this tipshus.
Re comment by Who nose: I disagree that kashrus has meant one thing for millenia. It has been interpreted and reinterpreted many times, in many ways. I know frum Jews who remember when things now considered treif were once considered kosher, e.g., Italian ices made in Queens. The issue is not, “What’s kosher?” The issue is, “Who says it’s kosher, and why?”
Do you eat Hebrew National hot dogs? I know many frum Jews who don’t, because they have doubts about the authority of the rabbis who control the Hebrew National hecksher.
To Huju:
With all respect, how do you compare eating Hebrew National hot dogs (with Triangle K Hashgacha) to this meshugaas of “Biblical Kosher” which can be any piece of fleish from a treif Shlachthois that was shechting chazer along with the cows?? This is not even close call and Rav Rubenstein should perhaps go back and learn a yiddeshe vert.
I think we should organize an awareness protest in front of the event and offer Kosher meals to the attendees.
This Karaite “Rabbi” is obviously a farce. Why should acknowledge him more than he acknowledges the real Rabbis?!