minyan gal, it is a shame, but don’t get me wrong. I’m talking about the percentage of failures which in perspective is still small in comparison to the percentage of success stories. Not everyone is turned off, and Thank G-d, B”H it is still a small amount in comparison but too large an amount to ignore. Even if it happened to a handful of kids I would still be up in arms. But one of the many problems is that people choose to be blind to the problems and when WE advocates speak up they find excuses not to hear us. They tell US WE don’t know what WE are talking about or WE are blowing things out of proportion.
The TORAH is the same for ALL Jews. It is there for us every single day, every hour every minute. It applies to today the same way that it applied to yesterday, to last year, to a hundred years ago and so on. The rules haven’t changed and although times has changed and people have changed the Torah is tried and true. And although WE as human beings accomodate our life to our surroundings we don’t accomodate the Torah to our life, WE still need to accomodate OUR life to the Torah and its Laws and customs. That hasn’t changed and that will never change. So no matter how affluent we are, no matter how much we grow as a community or as a people, our roots stay the same and WE can’t forget it. We can’t allow our own personal ego’s to get in the way of our Torah values, and unfortunately that is what happened and that is why our children suffer today.
Our Torah leaders of a generation ago were simple Jews with great big huge hearts, minds and souls. They give of themselves in uncountable ways and they did it humbly and without expecting rewards. They shunned the spotlight and they shunned noteriety. They spoke in the same, manner and style respectfully to a rich man as to a pauper, to an adult as to a child and to wise learned soul as to a beginner. Each one is Hashem’s creation and each one was deserving in their eyes.
Today’s leaders have forgotten what THEIR teachers taught them. They have forgotten to emulate their tremendous role models and have stepped over the boundaries that their predecessors maintained. Too many to count chase after honor, they chase after wealth, they have huge egos and they are not interested in the poor little Jew. And I’m sorry to burst your bublle but that goes across the board whether they are affiliated within the Orthodox, Chasidish, Conservative or Reform groups.
So I will keep fighting for the sake of the kids and I hope you do to no matter what affiliation you belong to, because Kids Count big time in my book.