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In the same issue of the Jewish Star with the Cholov Yisroel milk article there is a Letter to the Editor urging the OU to take over Young Israel to reduce the cost to the shuls. He’s absolutely correct. Young Israel is always latching onto programs run by other organizations like the OU and Project Ezra anyway so why not fold it into the OU and be done with it?
The Jewish Star, Letters to the Editor, 9-04-09
Is Young Israel redundant?
To the Editor:
I recently had to drastically cut back on household expenses due to the current economy. One cost-cutting measure was to eliminate redundant services, in this case my home phone line. It was no longer worth the cost even though I had the number for years and most of my friends and family knew it instead of my mobile. I simply informed them to use the new mobile number.
We have a similar situation with the Orthodox Union and National Council of Young Israel. The shul I daven at is a member of both. It is simply not worth paying dues to two redundant organizations. At a recent meeting of Jewish organizations with President Obama, it was the OU that was invited, not Young Israel. Even though Young Israel shuls share a common name they tend to have very little to do with each other and, in most cases, are quite different in Hashkafa. My Young Israel and others in this area keep hearing about situations at Young Israel shuls in other parts of the country that we have nothing to do with. National Council is supposed to deal with that but seems to do very little for the dues we send them.
The problem is that OU and YU are not necessarily religious Zionist, e.g. Hallel on 5 Iyar, etc. There’s a lot of overlap but there are some distinctions.
BS”D
Combine Klal Yisroel to save money, stop machloikes, conserve resources etc.
Too bad we need Moshiach for that.
OU is much more to the right than it was years ago; not sure where YI stands.
What does the national council of YI do for its shuls anyway at this point? I have no idea – just asking.
Why stop there?
There are so many different schools in our neighborhoods, why don’t we combine them?
There are so many different governtment offices, why don’t we combine them.
There are so many different charaties, why don’t we combine them
There are many yshuls in the neighborhood, why don’t we combine them?
Annd you can go on and on.
The anwer is that they are not all the same and they benefit the tzibbur in different ways, as slight as it may be. If it wrre a matter of saving one of the institutions, it may make sense to combie, but to just say that since they are similar they should combine because there “may” some savings will limit the benfit that you gain by having them separate.
I wonder what a merger between mosdos Belz and Hillel Day Schools would look like. Do we really need 2 redundant educational mosdos? In fact, Torah Umesorah should merge with the Solomon Schechter system to save money with pooled resources.
BS”D
As a graduate of Solomon Schechted who still has to deal with questions of emunah 25 years after finishing that farkokte school because of the garbage kefira I was fed in there, I ask that you please do not mention that miserable organization in the same breath as a moisad of kedusha like Torah uMesorah. Torah uMesorah was IIRC founded by R’ Shraga Feivel Mendelowitz ZTL whereas those behind the Schechted network are tiff, tiff in der erd. Out of everyone who was in my high school, every grade, when I graduated, I am one of FOUR shomrei Shabbos (myself and one more Lubavitcher and 2 MO) and there are far more who have intermarried than us four.
If some of the smaller shuls would combine (leaving a couple of real shtiblach with real rabbonim or Rebbes who do better with a smaller group for those who want a very intimate atmosphere) it would not be so bad.
And if the number of government departments were reduced by 70% it would be great for all but the worst of the Affirmative Action drones who could never find work in the private sector doing anything but pushing a broom instead of pushing a pen.
“I wonder what a merger between mosdos Belz and Hillel Day Schools would look like.”
a 3 ring circus… with bouncers everywhere 😉
Kilobear- the stark difference between the 2 was exactly jphone’s point
BS”D
Thing is that YI, Belz, Hillel (if it is what I think it is), OU and YU are not kefira by any means. Solomon Schechted sure is :(.
Can someone seriously tell me what the National Council of YI does now? I’ve gone to Mincha minyan in their building and even 20 yrs ago it seemed deserted.
Why is everyone ragging on the NCYI?
What purpose does YWN serve?
Everything reported here is also reported elsewhere. Obviously, there is some draw that brings people here, same with NCYI.
BS”D
YWN is very vibrant and preceded its competitor. It is also cleaner and does not allow all kinds of koifrim and shkoootzim to comment.
I am asking a simple question bc I do not understand at all what NCYI does whereas any yold with one eye open knows what the OU does and how vibrant it is. When I was in the NCYI bldg 20 years ago, 18 yrs ago, 17 years ago it was deserted at Mincha time and the minyan was tiny IIRC. I’ve never been to the OU offices but I know that is not the case there.
Bear, I don’t think that Mincha is their main event. QED
BS”D
Of course not LOL but when you walk into any vibrant frum organization at winter Mincha time you see activity.
That building looked deserted as if it had once held a lot more people and had had a lot more activity in better times.
Understood. Perhaps I should have been more clear when I said QED.
BS”D
Also what could be is that I did not enter via the main entrance.
DBarr, So in other words it all a financial issue. The shuls just want to save money and not pay YI, but use their name anyways.
One cost-cutting measure was to eliminate redundant services, in this case my home phone line. It was no longer worth the cost even though I had the number for years and most of my friends and family knew it instead of my mobile. I simply informed them to use the new mobile number.
This guy could’ve ported his home landline number to his existing mobile phone (replacing the existing #). He would have the same savings, whilst keeping his longtime number.
So then this is a local shul issue, and how they spend their money
This whole “merger” business assumes the 2 organizations do the same thing. I’m sure there is overlap and I’m sure both are engaged in different things as well. Perhaps serving different segments of the community.
Without knowing all services provided by both organizations and suggesting a merger just to save money, it is like suggesting that Chevy and Mercedes both merge, since both are in the business of building and selling cars.
Assuming OU and Young Israel don’t merge, what would a shul that can’t afford to pay dues to both do? If they want the services that the OU provides, then they need to change their name. That’s what the 16th Street Shul in Manhattan did. They used to be Young Israel of 5th Ave.
Is it indeed the case that the only benefit a shul gets for its membership dues to YI is usage of its name? How much is membership dues?
Perhaps the answer to what the NCYI does would best be answered by someone in the organization. I’m sure Agudaniks would raise the roof if I were to suggest that all I see the Aguda doing is keeping the children busy for 2 hours on Shabbos afternoons and making a weekend destination one Shabbos a year.
Talking about redundency, let’s have the 2 Satmars merge. That would propably save money on heating 2 shuls, schools etc. Oh, sorry, been there, done that, didn’t work.
Why all the negativity against the NCYI? If the shul doesnt want to pay dues, dont. If the letter writer is a minority in the shul that wants to pay the dues and is so unhappy at such a “waste of money”. Let the letter writer join another shul.
jphone, I agree. My mother-in-law grew up in NY in the 1930. Most Jews went to public schools and assimilation was very high. She says if not for the Young Israel, many more boys and girls would have been lost. We should have a lot of hakaras hatov to the YI rather than bashing them. They were there when it wasn’t easy to be frum like it is today.
YI has bylaws that every member shul must keep, for example a minimum size for the mechitza and shomrei Shabbos board members etc. I don’t know what the OU demands of a shul to use their name.
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