Conversion - Woman to marry a cohen?

One of the questions involved in conversions is whether to convert a non-Jew to minimize the sins a Jew is committing by living with or marrying a non-Jew. There is a famous teshuva by Rav Dovid Tzvi Hoffman that seems to permit a cohen to commit the sin of marrying a giyorus. Such a ruling is rejected by most if not all major poskim. I thought it might be of interest to see the teshuva as well as the rejection by Rav Moshe Feinstein.
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R’ Dovid Tzvi Hoffman(Malamed LeHo’il 3:8 E.H. C.M.): Question: A cohen who is married to a non‑Jewish woman and she gave birth to a son and he was circumcised and died. She is now upset that she is not the same religion as her son and wants to convert and marry the cohen according to Jewish law. There is concern that if the court does not agree to give the non‑Jewish woman that she will become ill and have a nervous breakdown. What should be done? Answer: First we need to investigate which is the greater prohibition - for a cohen to marry a giyorus or a non‑Jewish woman? It seems obvious to me that there is a greater prohibition to marry a non‑Jew. There is no need to elaborate on this but 1) there is a loss of all his progeny since they will be non‑Jews like the mother 2) the Maharam Shich (E. H. #37 & #155) states that marrying a non‑Jewish woman is a Torah prohibition which is severely punished by kares. In contrast a cohen who marries a giyorus is only violating a Torah prohibition. Consequently in order to save a Jew from the more severe transgression it is best to convert this woman. However objections can be raised against this solution because the rule is that we don’t say that a person should sin in order to save another from sin. It says clearly in Berchos (30b) that if someone wishes to convert but doesn’t want to accept even one obligation – he is not accepted for conversion. Consequently this non‑Jewish woman who wants to convert would be required to leave her husband, while she in fact wants to marry him according to Jewish law! So clearly she will not accept the prohibition of a giyorus marrying a cohen. So how would it be possible to accept her for conversion in order to help the cohen avoid sinning. We can answer that in truth if she explicitly states that she does not want to accept this mitzva of not marrying a cohen – it would be prohibited to accept her as a convert. However in this case she has not stated explicitly that she doesn’t accept this mitzva. Therefore even though we know that she will transgress this prohibition, nevertheless in order to help the cohen and in order that his progeny will be Jewish – we accept her. Furthermore we can say that it is only in the case where the benefit accrues only to the non‑Jew that we say the potential convert is told that either he accepts the entire Torah or else he will remain a non‑Jew as before. That is because a non‑Jew is not punished for not keeping all these mitzvos. However if the non‑Jew is converted in order to benefit a Jew – it is definitely better that the conversion be done in order that the progeny of the Jew not be lost and that the Jew not be punished by kares for sinning with a non‑Jewish woman – even if it results in both of them doing lesser sins. That is because now it is not only that the Jew is sinning but she is sinning by causing him to sin. In particular in our case since there is the additional concern that she will have a nervous breakdown because she is not accepted as a Jewish convert. If that happens it will be a chilul haShem, G‑d forbid! The non‑Jews will say that Jews have no mercy on this non‑Jewish woman and they don’t care if she becomes sick and has a nervous breakdown. As opposed to this is the prohibition of a Jew marrying a convert he has been suspected of living with (Yevamos 24b)… Furthermore if she becomes sick they can say to her that if her whole motivation for converting with only because she considered her son Jewish – this is a mistake because even after circumcision he wasn’t Jewish if a Jewish court didn’t immerse him in a mikveh. However after all this analysis, if she really wants to convert because she believes in the G‑d of Israel – it is possible to convert her. The person who raised this question thought that there was a basis for leniency because the cohen was blemished. However this is a mistake because there is no difference between a blemished cohen and one who isn’t blemished concerning which women are prohibited to marry… It is only with a challel (a disqualified cohen) that it is permitted to marry these women since he really isn’t a cohen at all as is stated in Shulchan Aruch (E. H. 7:20). It is important to warn the man and woman that they must be very careful to observe the laws of nidah and mikveh. Because otherwise the conversion will cause a greater loss than it helps. Their children will also be challelim (disqualified cohanim) and they will not be able to give the priestly blessing and their daughters are similarly disqualified (Shulchan Aruch E.H. 7)

Igros Moshe(E.H. 2:4): This that you bring from Melamed l’Ho’il that it is better to convert the woman who wants to marry a cohen – in order to save the cohen from a more severe Torah sin which involves the punishment of kares and instead he will be transgressing a Torah sin without kares. This makes no sense to me. The opposite is true because if she converts and doesn’t observe the prohibitions of nidah, he will then also be violating the prohibitions of nidah which is itself punishable by kares. On the other hand if she doesn’t convert there is no Torah prohibition of nidah but it is only a rabbinic decree. But there is also the prohibition of “not marrying non-Jews” since this is done in the circumstances of marriage. If they live together as a married couple amongst Jews then this is considered a public violation that is liable to the punishment of death at the hand of zealots which is even more severe than kares. In addition there is also the punishment of kares learned from tradition (Sanhedrin 82). However if they live amongst non‑Jews it is not considered a public violation and therefore there would only be the violation of the Torah law not to intermarry. However perhaps without conversion when there are two Torah prohibitions 1) not to intermarry and 2) zona and the Rambam (Hilchos Issurei Bi’ah 12:7) says that there is a loss that is not found in other sexual transgressions and perhaps it is more severe than involvement with a convert even though there would be the additional prohibitions involving nidah and zona. Besides the question of which is a more severe sin - I have already explained that in this case the conversion is considered invalid. Even though the Melamed l’Ho’il states that the desire to commit the transgression of marrying a cohen does not invalidate the acceptance of mitzvos – in my humble opinion this is not so as I have already explained. The sefer Melamed leHo'il is not available to me now to study. The bottom line is that in my humble opinion his views in this matter are not to be relied upon.

Shavei Israel - Proselytizing or discovering Jews?

Guest Post: Recipients and Publicity's comment to "Conversion - Chinese descendants of Jews":

Controversial actions by Shavei Israel in the name of Zionism and Judaism.

The following article about "Children of Hidden Jews Come to Israel" in the latest Jewish Press is quite worrisome and puzzling. It seems it is just another hare-brained idea to bring olim to Israel without giving careful scrutiny to the Halachic issues of their REAL HALACHIC Jewish status and the obvious need for Halachicly valid conversions, none of which are even mentioned in the article, making it seem that a collection of doubtful people who may or not be Halachicly Jewish were collected in Poland and brought over to Israel as if they were some type of "Bnai Akiva" youth group who needed an Israel-experience boost, when it is far from it. Read the article and note some questions about it that follow the article:

Jewish Press: Children of Hidden Jews Come to Israel September 5, 2008

Twenty-two young Poles who recently discovered their Jewish roots completed a special seminar – the first of its kind – organized on their behalf by Shavei Israel in Jerusalem.

The three-week program was held entirely in Polish, and participants traveled throughout Israel, studied Hebrew, and learned about Jewish history, culture and religion.

According to Michael Freund, founder and chairman of Shavei Israel, a number of the participants have decided to remain in Israel and continue their studies, while others are going back to Poland with the hope of playing a more active and central role in the Jewish community.

“In light of the positive feedback that we received from the participants, we plan to continue organizing similar seminars next year as well, in the hope that it will lead to a strengthening of Jewish life in Poland and ensure that the younger generation of Polish Jews remains connected to their Jewish heritage,” Freund said.

Currently, there are approximately 4,000 Jews registered as living in Poland, but experts suggest there may be tens of thousands of other Jews in Poland who to this day are either hiding their identities or are simply unaware of their family heritage. In some instances, due to their experiences during the Holocaust and under Communism, some Polish Jews chose to sever all connection with Judaism and to hide it from their children and grandchildren, who are now beginning to discover the truth.

In other cases involving Jewish children adopted by Catholic families or institutions during the Holocaust, the adoptees or their descendants have begun to uncover their Jewish roots. In recent years, a growing number of such people, known as the “Hidden Jews of Poland,” have started to return to Judaism and to the Jewish people, with many contemplating aliyah.

Shavei Israel currently has two full-time emissaries in Poland: Rabbi Boaz Pash, who serves as chief rabbi of Krakow, and Rabbi Yitzhak Rapoport, who is the rabbi of Wroclaw (formerly Breslau). For more information visit: www.shavei.org”

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[see JPost for more complete article]

So much for the article.

Here are a few troubling questions:

Firstly, see the Shavei Israel website and it becomes quite obvious that they have set themselves up to perform nothing less than the job of the Mashiach who Judaism teaches will gather up even Jews who are lost but not everyone will be brought out of the woodwork, (see the Rambam end of Hilchos Melachim)

Indeed it is such a complex task that the Rambam is not kidding when he says that this will be one of the huge jobs fit for the Mashiach himself at the end of time before rebuilding the Bait HaMikkdash, so why is a modern-day Zionist organization getting involved in doing this? Maybe the answer is BECAUSE they are a modern-day Zionist organization and often times they do more harm than good in their zeal to bring "everyone" home to Zion.

Secondly, perusing their website one sees types of people who probably converted to Judaism now acting in this task that they now foster of encouraging "hidden Jews" to come out of hiding. Who gave them this taks for doing Klal Yisroel's work? Should they be doing this at all and the way that they that they openly push and advertise to attract "hidden" people, meaning that it must be proseltysing to non-Halachik Jews (most of whom are HIDDEN by choice) to take them out of hiding? But the Halachik questions relating to giyur kehalacha are monumental.

Thirdly who is the founder and leader of this organization? He is quite a moern fellow and not a rabbi or scholar of Judaism. His biography on the "Staff Page" at reads:

"Michael Freund- Founder and Chairman of Shavei Israel

He writes a syndicated column and feature stories for the Jerusalem Post, Israel's leading English-language daily, and he previously served as Deputy Director of Communications & Policy Planning in the Prime Minister's Office under Benjamin Netanyahu. A native of New York, he holds an MBA in Finance from Columbia University and a BA from the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University."

Much here that makes one wonder about the the effort he is pushing, but in our times he will surely raise lots of money for a cause like this. He learned at the knee of Binyamin Netnayahu and has an MBA. He is obviously very idealistic but he skates on thin Halachic ice.

Fourthly, it's very tricky, because Shavei Israel does have some very learned and talented rabbis, albeit mostly all Religious Zionist and modern, with connections to the Israeli Chief Rabbinate, as they explain that they facilitate conversions for Anusim. See

"The program is approved by the Chief Rabbinate of Israel and is under the supervision of the relevant government ministries. All of our graduates go before a Jerusalem Beit Din (rabbinical court) under the auspices of the Chief Rabbinate, where they undergo a formal conversion or return to Judaism. Since the institute started to work, before 8 years, more than 500 students have completed the program and cast their lot with the people of Israel. There is tremendous demand for such classes, and we hope to expand the program in the coming years.

Machon Miriam is named after the late Dr. Miriam Freund-Rosenthal of blessed memory, who served as National President of Hadassah and strongly believed in reaching out and helping Jews wherever they might be. It was thanks in part to her inspiration that Michael Freund, her grandson, founded Shavei Israel."

Now while this is all very grand and noble but this is NOT enough for a green light to go on the campaigns they have launched so openly and broadly in EJF-Rabbi Leib Tropper/Dr. Tom Kaplan fashion!

Having some success with few people should not become a license to go out and solicit wholesale conversions in a kind of "empire building of hidden Jews" way.

Sure, genuine seekers of Halachic conversions should be treated with dignity and respect afforded to all geirei tzedek, but it is dangerous, foolish and ultimately self-defeating to do this en masse, in production-line wholsale fashion sending out emissaries, to seek our hidden Jews here-there-and-everywhere looking under every nook and cranny, doing what they call in Yiddish "climbing up smooth wall" routines ("kricht af glatte vent") and looking for jobs in an exertion of effort that could be better spent educating and reachinhg those who are 100% Halachic Jews who need Torah education, rather than doing things that have the potential of assisting people who may not have the staying power and long-term desire to be part of Klal Yisroel.

Grandparents Circle & Intermarriage

Haaretz reported:

When Barbara Mindel wanted to help instill Jewish traditions in her grandchildren - the offspring of an interfaith marriage who were raised without Judaism - she took a simple step. Mindel moved a dreidel and a Hanukkah menorah, which had been perched on a high shelf in her home, to a lower shelf so that her young grandchildren could see them in plain view.

The strategy worked. Her grandchildren, ages 2 and 4, marveled at the menorah, and Mindel was able to teach them the basics of the Jewish Festival of Lights.

Mindel, 67, was tipped off to this approach at an Atlanta meeting of the Grandparents Circle, a new group for Jewish grandparents grappling with how to pass on Jewish traditions to grandchildren who are growing up in interfaith homes.

"Some of my grandchildren are not being brought up with any religion, and the others are being brought up with both," explained Mindel, a resident of Alpharetta, Ga., who has two children married to Christians. "It bothered me, but there's nothing I could do about it. I wanted to approach people in similar situations to see what they did to allow Judaism into the kids' lives."

Originally piloted in 2007, in the Los Angeles area, the Grandparents Circle program expanded to Atlanta and is set to launch in more than 10 additional cities across North America by 2009. Little more than a year after the first group began meeting in the heavily Jewish San Fernando Valley, San Francisco, Baltimore and Cleveland, among other cities, will soon have their own groups.

A Jewish grandmother initiated the six-session course, which is based on a curriculum designed by the New York-based Jewish Outreach Institute.

While searching for ways to impart Judaism to her interfaith grandchildren, Bettina Kurowski, a health care consultant and Jewish federation lay leader who lives in Encino, Calif., stumbled upon the book "Twenty Things for Grandparents of Interfaith Grandchildren To Do (And Not Do) To Nurture Jewish Identity in Their Grandchildren." Co-authored by JOI executive director Kerry Olitzky and the institute's associative executive director, Paul Golin, the book lays out practical ways to teach Jewish tradition without stepping on any toes.

When Kurowski - who is chairing this year's $50 million Annual Campaign for the Jewish Federation of Greater Los Angeles - was introduced to the book just before its publication in 2007, she was so impressed with its content that she wanted an interactive program to complement its teachings. Kurowski, 62, ultimately gave JOI some $30,000 in grant monies to create a curriculum that could be used in California and beyond. The ensuing pilot program, which was free for participants and was funded with a $10,000 grant from The Jewish Federation Valley Alliance - the Northern Valley arm of the L.A. federation - met at one of the L.A. area's largest Conservative synagogues, Valley Beth Shalom.

The program, designed for all the movements, was not a sure-fire bet. Intermarriage is a highly controversial subject in Jewish circles, and of all the movements? rabbis, only those who are Reform and Reconstructionist are permitted to perform interfaith nuptials. "It's a traditional Conservative synagogue in its liturgy," Kurowski said, referring to her synagogue, VBS. "So we weren't sure how many takers we'd get."

To her surprise, Kurowski said, the pilot group filled up immediately. About 20 grandparents - some in couples, some singles - came together each week to hash out the challenges of fostering grandchildren from mixed marriages. "It was a combination of talking about how you feel about being in this situation and how to deal with your own feeling in a way that facilitates the relationship rather than making it worse," she said. "Everybody needed to talk about that." [...]

Anusim - self image as superior Jews?

Anusim's comment to "Descendants of Marranos (Anusim) II - should they ...":

I just tuned into your blog - you should be ashamed of yourselves.

Anusim are not simply contemporary Hispanics clamoring for a link to effervescent Orthodox Judaism. They are also people who have hidden their roots for any of a myriad of reasons including oppression in the U.S., Mexico or other country which, heaven forbid, had a bad attitude towards Jews.

To revel in all the reasons that people who may very well be genuine Anusim should be spurned, turned away and ridiculed, while refusing to admit that you yourselves lack the very evidence you claim is necessary to prove you are a Jew.

My maternal ancestors were Sephardim of Croatia, Bosnia and Serbia. They escaped the Spanish Inquisition in 1492, only to be exterminated at Jasenovac at the hands of Catholic Ustashe, or forcefully converted to Serbian Orthodoxy and executed by SS in 1942.

My great-grandmother (Sephardic Jew from Croatia) was forcefully converted, under torture and threat of death, to Serbian Orthodox Christianity during the Balkan Wars of 1912/1913. Upon release her father arranged for her to be married to a man who represented himself as Jewish in Butte, MT, in 1913.

In case you were unaware, Jews were emancipated in Habsburg lands in 1878 easily 10 years after negroes were emancipated in America. My great-grandmother and great-grandfather were born before emancipation.

My great-grandmother never accepted Christianity nor participated in the Christian community in Montana. Since there was no Sephardic Community in Butte, she didn't participate in that community either. Was she Christian? no... Was she practicing Jew? yes...behind closed doors and curtains. Did she pass on the rhythms of Jewish living? yes...

She hid her Jewish origins, as did the entire family, after my great-grandfather died in 1925. It may come as a surprise to you to know that there was little affection for Jews in a town where Gaelic-speaking Catholics, and their clergy, reigned. My mother did not know that her grandmother was Jewish - nor was she aware that so many family members were killed at Auschwitz, Dachau, and Jasenovac.

We only recently discovered Austria-Hungary Empire birth records which prove Jewish maternal descent origins. According to the presiding Rabbi at a local Sephardic Synagogue, along with a Posek from a Syrian Rabbi in Jerusalem, I am a contemporary 'Anus' and have undergone Halachic Return as spelled out by Rav Soloveitchik and HaRav Eliahu.

I would argue that Messianists and superstitious Jewry are rotting the foundation out from under Maimonidean Orthodox Judaism.

True Anusim represent a small, small group. Most who have Jewish ancestry, yet presently Christian, prefer to remain as they are since they find little appeal in Judaism after all of these centuries...and all of these sorts of blogs.

Jewry guided by superstition is far more dangerous than a small handful of people, standing outside the tent asking to come in, who actually claim to be descendants of Spanish Jews or contemporary Anusim.

If this blog is to be believed, Orthodoxy is taking on a xenophobic persona that should give you pause. I am aghast that this blog may actually reflect the current state of Orthodox Judaism where you live. I can only say 'Baruch Hashem' that you live where you do...which is many thousands of miles away from me.

Child Abuse II - Protecting our children

micha 's comment to "Child Abuse - Protecting our children/R' Yakov Hor...":

A small first step, and something any reader of this blog can do.

Retire the word "frum", and go back to complimenting people by calling them "ehrlach".

Admittedly, it's not much. but it's a first step to fixing the culture, and something that can be done from the ground up. And something you can start doing even before you step away from the computer.

Rightists to parade in Arab city/ Supreme Court rules they have the same rights as gays

Arutz Sheva reports:

The Supreme Court handed down a surprising ruling on Thursday, ordering the police to allow nationalist activists to march with Israeli flags in an Israeli-Arab city.

The State Prosecution had objected to the request, saying a parade of Jewish nationalists in Um el-Fahm would present a danger to public security. Previous such requests to march have been turned down.

The court ordered the State to provide, within 15 days, a plan by which a group of marchers, headed by Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben-Gvir, would be able to walk freely in the city with Israeli flags.

The City and Terrorism

Um el-Fahm is Israel's 2nd-largest Arab city (after Nazareth and ahead of Rahat), with 43,000 residents. It is located along the Wadi Ara highway, between Hadera and Afula in the "Triangle" area, just south of the Galilee. It is the headquarters of Israel's militant Islamic Movement, and was the center of anti-Jewish riots at the beginning of the Oslo War in late 2000. Several terrorist attacks have originated in or occurred near Um el-Fahm.

They Guarded the Gay Pride, They Can Guard Um el-Fahm

Justice Chanan Meltzer told the State representatives, "If the police were able to protect the Gay Pride march, then there is no reason why it cannot do the same in this case." Marzel noted during the proceedings that the police provided 13,000 policemen for the Gay Pride parade, and can come out in similar force in Um el Fahm.

Justice Edmond Levi said that the State's suggestion that the petitioners be allowed only to "overlook" the city is a "blow to democracy." The police "must find the way to allow the petitioners to march in a certain part of the city," he said.

Marzel, head of the Jewish Front organization, said afterwards, "This is a major development. We hope that the State Prosecution will internalize the message that freedom of expression is not reserved only for Arabs and leftists."[...]

Positive uses of Internet

Woman saves baby’s life — by e-mail

U.K. mom saw tumor that doctors missed: ‘Anybody would have done it’

It wasn’t easy for Madeleine Robb to send an e-mail to another mom warning that her baby might have a deadly form of eye cancer. But she’s glad she did it — and so is the mother of 1-year-old Rowan Santos.

“I didn’t want to scare her,” Robb told TODAY co-host Meredith Vieira from London on Thursday. “But then I weighed out the options. If something wasn’t wrong, then no real harm was done. If something was wrong, I really had no option, so obviously I had to tell her.”

Just hours after reading the e-mail, Megan Santos of Riverview, Fla., learned from a doctor that Rowan has a potentially deadly form of childhood cancer called retinoblastoma.

Although Rowan will, unfortunately, lose her left eye, Megan Santos has called Robb, who hails from England, a “hero,” because the online diagnosis may have saved her baby’s life.

The two moms, who each gave birth to a daughter on the same day, spoke for the first time on the phone on Wednesday. But it was a newer form of communication, the Internet, that provided the vital information and the lifesaving link.

Crucial correspondence
Santos and Robb first met online through chat on a pregnancy Web site, BabyFit.com, when they were both expecting. Their respective daughters, Rowan Santos and Lileth Robb, were born on the same day last August, spurring a continuing friendship through regular e-mails and photo-sharing.

When Santos posted a photo of 1-year-old Rowan on the Web site, her friend across the Atlantic noticed a white shadow in the baby’s left eye.

Robb, a 32-year-old business analyst with no medical training, found the image curious, so she did some research on the Web. She learned that the white area could be a symptom of an eye cancer called retinoblastoma.

Though it was the first time she’d ever seen the symptom, Robb explained, “I’d seen a news article here in the U.K a few years ago, something similar, and it just sparked a memory of that. Also, the word ‘cancer’ sprang to mind with the same memory. So obviously I was quite concerned and just decided to do more research.”

From her home in Stretford, England, Robb sent a concerned e-mail to Santos. Immediately, Santos made an appointment with Rowan's doctor. The next day, Aug. 8, she was referred to an ophthalmologist. A series of tests revealed Rowan did have a cancerous tumor growing on her retina.

Rowan will lose the eye sometime this winter, and there are rounds of chemotherapy ahead. But Santos has nothing but gratitude for the e-mail warning she believes saved her daughter’s life.

“Grateful cannot even begin to describe how we feel toward Maddie,” Santos told the U.K.’s Daily Mail. “Do I consider Madeleine our hero? Most certainly. If she hadn't sent that e-mail, Rowan's prognosis wouldn't be as good as it is.”

But Robb was self-effacing about the “hero” moniker. “I suppose if that’s how they feel, then that’s what I am to them,” she told Vieira. “I think anybody in my situation would have done the same thing, if they had known what I knew and had the opportunity to say it.

“I suppose I’m a hero in a certain sense, but in another sense, I think I’m rather normal and I care about people.” [...]

Avoiding the "Hitler argument"!

Recipients and Publicity's comment "Chabad - Every criticism is perceived as a vile in...":

Meet the "Hitler argument" or "Godwin's law" and Reductio ad Hitlerum or "playing the Nazi card" c/o Wikipedia

According to Wikipedia, the Hitler argument/Godwin's law: "Godwin's Rule of Nazi Analogies is an adage formulated by Mike Godwin in 1990. The law states:

"As a Usenet discussion grows longer, the probability of a comparison involving Nazis or Hitler approaches one."

Godwin's Law is often cited in online discussions as a deterrent against the use of arguments in the reductio ad Hitlerum form.

The rule does not make any statement whether any particular reference or comparison to Hitler or the Nazis might be appropriate, but only asserts that one arising is increasingly probable. It is precisely because such a comparison or reference may sometimes be appropriate, Godwin has argued that overuse of Nazi and Hitler comparisons should be avoided, because it robs the valid comparisons of their impact. Although in one of its early forms Godwin's Law referred specifically to Usenet newsgroup discussions, the law is now applied to any threaded online discussion: electronic mailing lists, message boards, chat rooms, and more recently blog comment threads and wiki talk pages..."

"Reductio ad Hitlerum" is even more complicated: "Reductio ad Hitlerum, also argumentum ad Hitlerum, or reductio (or argumentum) ad Nazium – dog Latin for "reduction (or argument) to Adolf Hitler (or the Nazis)" – is a modern informal fallacy in logic. It is a variety of both questionable cause and association fallacy. The phrase reductio ad Hitlerum was coined by an academic ethicist, Leo Strauss, in 1953. Engaging in this fallacy is sometimes known as playing the Nazi card.

The fallacy most often assumes the form of "Hitler (or the Nazis) supported X, therefore X must be evil/undesirable/bad" The argument carries emotional weight as rhetoric, since in most cultures anything relating to Hitler or Nazis is automatically condemned. The tactic is often used to derail arguments, as such a comparison tends to distract and to result in angry and less reasoned responses. A subtype of the fallacy is the comparison of an opponent's propositions to the Holocaust. Other variants include comparisons to the Gestapo (the Nazi secret police), to fascism and totalitarianism more generally, and even more vaguely to terrorism. An inverted variant can take the form "Hitler was against X, therefore X must be good."..."

Therefore for the purposes of the discussion on this blog about Chabd, the Rebbe and Rav Shach, the insertion of "Hitler" into heated discussions between frum Jews yet is really out of line.

Wikipedia, which also hosts lots of heated debates between conflicting editors on its article's talk pages, has helped teach about the absurdity of such "Hitler" argumentation "techniques" and how useless and non-scholarly and illogical they are. It's a rule from in academic circles that is worthwhile noting and learning about for all concerned here, whether Chabad Chasidim trying to knock Rav Shach ztk"l for flimsy reasons or if it's non-Lubavitchers with a hatchet to grind against the last Lubavitcher Rebbe based on anti-Chabad outlooks, at ALL costs never to reach for the "Hitler" button because it NEVER solves any arguments but just drags down the conversation, usually stopping it, and making all normal human communication almost impossible.

In discussions about the Holocaust or World War II or about Nazism or Fascism,or about Hitler y"sh himself, that is if you know something about those subjects, by all means feel free to insert the "Hitler" factor, otherwise KEEP IT OUT OF ALL OTHER DISCUSSIONS especially if those discussions are about otherwise respectable rabbis with tens of thousands of followers who have provably nothing to do with Hitler by any objective standard or by any stretch of the imagination.

So again, take a close look at the Hitler argument/Godwin's law and at Reductio ad Hitlerum , read it and study it and let's all apply it to our dicussions on this blog and everywhere else.

Child Abuse - Protecting our children/R' Yakov Horowitz

Jewish Press reports (excerpt):

It is difficult to describe the sickening, gut-wrenching sensation I experience when I get phone calls from parents whose children were sexually abused or from adults who have carried the horrible scars of childhood abuse for decades, often shredding their relationships and ruining their lives. And, I am sad to report that those calls are getting more frequent as time goes on.

L’maan Hashem – what will it take for us to take this issue seriously? How many more indictments of frumpedophiles will it take for us to cut through the denial and deal with the fact that we have a real problem? Not a Jewish problem, but a human one. (As I’ve written in the past, abuse and molestation are issues that all communities face. It only becomes a Jewish problem when we choose to bury our heads in the sand and ignore it.) How many more suicides or drug overdoses do we need to endure before we will start understanding that this is one of the pressing challenges that we need to squarely face? And, in my opinion, sexual abuse is by far the leading cause of high-end drug use and ruined lives of the teens in our community.

The saddest thing of all is that the steps that need to be taken to prevent today’s innocent children from future abuse are not terribly complicated. From my vantage point; all it takes is to:

1. Raise the awareness level by having community leaders write and speak about this issue in a forthright and unequivocal manner

2. Teach our parents and educators how to speak to their children about personal privacy. And this can be easily done in a modest, Torah-appropriate manner.

3. Develop the righteous indignation to finally protect our children by sending a clear message that those who molest them will be treated like the rodfimand murderers they are – reported to the authorities, arrested and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.

This is not only a school issue; it is a communal one. Abusers are far more likely to be family members or kids on the block, rather than educators. This is not to say that schools should not address this matter squarely; rather to note that simply dealing with it in the limited scope of school will not eradicate the scourge of abuse. We are all in this together and it will take broad-based initiatives to improve things.

Is there any more sacred obligation than protecting the children entrusted to our care? Shame on us, for failing to treat it as such.

R' S. R. Hirsch 18th Letter/Religious vs. Secular

And now today… we are left with two generations confronting each other. One of them has inherited an uncomprehended Judaism…(practiced by men from habit), a revered but lifeless mummy which it is afraid to bring back to life. The other, though in part burning with noble enthusiasm for the welfare of the Jews, regards Judaism as bereft of any life and spirit, a relic of an era long past and buried, and tries to uncover its spirit, but, not finding it, threatens through its well‑meant efforts to sever the last life—nerve of Judaism—out of sheer ignorance. So, today, when these two extremes approach each other in a thousand variations, and thereby testify to the fact that they are both in error—where do we go from here? … The spirit is lacking, the inner, unifying principle of life, and one can never make up for that by polishing the outward forms. There is but one road that leads to salvation; amends must be made precisely where the wrong was done. We must forget the views and prejudices that we inherited about Judaism and instead, turn to the sources of Judaism, the Tanach, the Talmud and the Medrash…Thus Judaism must be studied and understood out of itself and be elevated, all by itself, to a science of wise living.

19 Letters of R' S. R. Hirsch (page 272 Feldheim 1995)