Why has the Young Israel/YU/MO bashing started again? Maybe this is why Moshiach hasn’t come yet.
1. I was born into a YI shul. My father, O”H, was one of the founding members. This shul has produced several prominent Rabbanim that are all looked up to in their communities/yeshivas, (and if I dare say so, these are well known ‘yeshivish’ yeshivas), and a Rav that founded a very well known Kiruv organization and yeshiva.
2. A Young Israel that I davened in when I was married, produced a Rav that runs a very well known seminary in Israel.
3. The next Young Israel that I davened in produced 6 Rabbonim, (that I know of), who are all well known Roshei Yeshivos here in the U.S. and in Israel.
4. Awhile back, could be 10 – 15 years ago or more, when there was a lot of Young Israel bashing, a Rov at the Agudah Convention, from the podium, stated that this Young Israel bashing has got to stop. If it wasn’t for the Young Israel movement, we wouldn’t be sitting here today in our black hats and black suits.
4. It also depends on how you address the differences. Several years ago, a boy who was having a problem with his ‘yddishkeit’ came to shul, a Young Israel where I have been davening for the last 30 years, wearing shorts, and his tzitzes were hanging out from his t-shirt. One older gentleman who saw him, said to his friend, look at how so-and-so’s son comes to shul. What a shanda. His friend answered him, but he is coming to daven with a minyan. Today this boy is ‘yeshvish’. You wouldn’t believe it was the same boy.
5. I recently heard a clip, I forgot from which Rav, about a yeshivisha gentleman in Israel getting into a cab, and saying to the secular driver, Good morning, Achi”. The driver looked at him and said, we are not brothers. Look at you and look at me. The yeshivisha fellow said that there was a teacher that taught us that we are all brothers. The cab driver asked who that teacher was. The yeshivasha gentleman answered, “Hitler”. The cab driver stopped the car and hugged him.
6. Maybe, if we tolerate each other, and don’t denigrate each other because have different minhagim, Moshiach will come sooner, B’Ezras HaShem.
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