GUEST POST: Combating Kiruv Movement Wikipedia Censorship

Orthodox censors whitewash NCSY scandals, criticism.

Combating Kiruv Censorship
By David Kelsey

Orthodox censors are continuing to try to jettison the history of NCSY's enablement of the serial abuser Baruch Lanner as well as criticism of NCSY on Wikipedia’s NCSY page. Of course, we need to consistently monitor that page, as they incessantly attempt to delete those sections. In fact, the NCSY page was locked again at the end of last week because such attempts at vandalism became overly aggressive yet again. But the Jewish Student Union and Ohr Somayach, Jeruslaem pages are not receiving the same monitoring. My edits have been consistently deleted, dismissed by the Kiruvniks as "irrelevant," if any reason is given at all, and the Ohr Somayach page is currently locked, schedule for reopen tomorrow. The campaign to censor is being led by the same people who tried to delete all information on Baruch Lanner, and who succeeded for a long time, before your intervention following my article on Jewcy and Failed Messiah’s follow up articles detailing how the OU continues to offer an award named after Baruch Lanner’s long-time enabler and Orthodox Union hero, Rabbi Pinchas Stolper. These are the sections of dispute: For the Jewish Student Union page, we need the explanation of how NCSY misuses their “cultural” clubs, boasted about in the Orthodox Union’s own magazine, Jewish Action to stick:

NCSY's parent organization, the Orthodox Union, boasted how these public school clubs successfully inspired students to decline their opportunities at some of the best colleges in the nation in favor of yeshiva and seminary study.[http://www.ou.org/pdf/ja/5766/fall66/AStuyvieRemin.pdf] “ Many club members ended up turning down the finest universities in the nation, including Harvard, Johns Hopkins, Boston University, Brandeis, New York University and other esteemed institutions of higher learning in order to engage in some genuine “higher learning.” Some of us went to study at Ohr Somayach or Kol Yaakov in Monsey, New York. [1]”

For Ohr Somayach, it is important that the opinions of Ohr Somayach’s co-founder and Rosh Yeshiva, Rabbi Mendel Weinbach, which were printed on Ohr Somayach’s own site, are revealed.

It is painful to see the gradual corrosion of Jewish tradition in secular Israel as evidenced by the proliferation of shopping centers operating on Shabbat and the recent controversy over official permission to sell chametz on Pesach.[http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/3540/html/rss/] Rabbi Weinbach claimed that in answer to praying a a righteous rabbi's grave, black chickens "had miraculously turned white." [http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/3717] Rabbi Weinbach claimed that Rabbi Shmuel Albaz enjoyed a "miraculous crossing of the sea from Jaffa to Constantinople on a mat." [http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/3644] Rabbi Weinbach has rejected a democratic system of government as ideal, explaining, "One of the greatest dangers to civilization in general, and to the Jewish People in particular, is the delusion that populism will solve all the problems of mankind."[http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/3558] Instead, for Israel specifically, Rabbi Weinbach suggested that Israel's Torah authorities be given political authority. “For the Jewish people Torah leadership is the indispensable element of their existence. There is no place in the world for a demagogue who attempts to undermine that authority. This is why the Heavenly punishment for Korach and his cohorts was sinking into the earth and vanishing from human sight. It is to be hoped that this will be a lesson for all those who refuse to accept the authority of our Torah leaders whose guidance alone can secure Israel forever. [http://ohr.edu/yhiy/article.php/3558].

Of the popular pages that show up in Google, only Wikipedia is not completely controlled by the frummies themselves. While we are outmanned, we are not necessarily outgunned. With even a few fighters for truth and transparency, Wikipedia's editors will get wise, look over the dispute, and side with their own rules. But if it is just me, then the Kiruv censors will win.

Comments

[Red Sox Fan]

Typical of those clowns. Best thing to do is to spread the word about those organizations, but I wouldn't worry too much. Look at the OU. No one respects them anymore. The chareidim think they're a bunch of Harrys, while the MO think they're too right-wing. And Ohr Somayach has always been a poor man's Aish HaTorah.

[DK]

Red Sox Fan, this is for people and parents who have no clue that the Jewish "Student" Union's are NCSY/OU operated, or that they have used these clubs to direct students into NCSY, and from there, into haredism.

Liberal and secular Jewry must know the OU's own stated intentions of these clubs.

[Yoel Mechanic]

How is it that the "Frummies" control all the popular pages except Wikipedia? Perhaps the key word is "popular". It seems anyone is free to make a blog or webpage, it is just a matter of making it popular. So if the frummies make popular websites there is no reason to imply it is nefarious, even is you disagree with their goals and philosophy.

[DK]

It seems anyone is free to make a blog or webpage, it is just a matter of making it popular.

No. When NCSY has a bunch of sites all with the words NCSY all over every page, they will end up being in the title.

By using the bogus term "Jewish Student Union" for their ecumenical front, Google searchers up college Jewish Student Unions that are actually run by students, and not the JSU.

[Garnel Ironheart]

First of all, anyone looking at Wikipedia for anything authoritative is an idiot.

Secondly, censorship of much of Wikipedia is common. Look at all the anti-Arab propaganda pages that routinely get edited by anti-Israel types.

Nothing replaces good ol' fashioned research with credible sources. Wikipedia is free and you get what you pay for.

[Responsible Citizen]

Well I always had problems with NCSY when I was an adviser so this doesn't surprise me!