Haredi Magazine Compares Resisting Smartphone Use To Surviving The Holocaust

A graphic in the haredi Yiddish language magazine Shtralen, which is distributed in haredi communities in New York, compares stopping smartphone use to other tests haredim have had to overcome: closing businesses on Shabbat and the Holocaust.

The Hebrew language line at top is the Shema, the declaration of faith Orthodox and haredi Jews say three times daily, and which was traditionally said by Jewish martyrs as they were about to die.

The tagline at bottom reads, "This latest test we will survive as well":

[Hat Tip: HeathenHassid.]

Comments

[Reese]

Talk about each generation weaker than the past one!

[Eli]

Cue the droid jokes

[Deremes]

I'm not here to defend this publication but im here to tell you folks who don't know anything about frum Jews and anything you do know is from FM that the title of this post is an outright LIE.We can argue back and forth all day long what it does or doesn't mean but for sure it doesn't mean or say ANYTHING about the holocaust.
The post is as true as the post about saying yemach shomo means KILLING that person,remember?

[Shmarya]

Posted by: Deremes | October 25, 2012 at 01:56 PM

And the Jew surrounded by flames with Nazi soldiers standing behind him? What does that mean, moron?

[Yochanan Lavie]

A list of cellphone survivor movies:

Schindler's App
Sophie's Voicemail
Triumph of the Sprint
Every Screen is Illuminated
Paying For Time
Jacob the Dialer

[SkepticalYid]

I believe the original title was:

Schindler's Listserv

[Maskil]

I can say from my personal experience that surviving the two IS the same. I don't have a smartphone and I wasn't in Europe during Holocaust. That's just my experience though, others might find the Holocaust more daunting while some might say that the iPhone is the greater challenge. I Haven't met anyone yet though who could juxtapose the two with an experience different than my own.

--

Yochanan, as always you're the king.

[Stanley]

I don't know what I would do without my iPhone. It is so much more than a phone. I am completely dependent on it, phone, messaging, contacts, reminders,GPS, maps, camera, News, Music, Banking, Netflix, books and of course web. Thanks to this little wonder I can get all the free porn that I want - anyplace, anytime. A true wonder!

[Saul M]

If they really want to "survive a test" then they should get an internet connected smartphone and not go looking for boobies

[Rebitzman]

but im here to tell you folks who don't know anything about frum Jews and anything you do know is from FM that the title of this post is an outright LIE.

It says exactly what Shmarya says it says......the images are exactly (and in context) what he says they are.

What part of this is a lie?

For the record, I do not expect a response. You never do when you have no answer.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Thanks, Maskil (though S.Y. is definitely a prince for his gem).

[jancsibacsi]

Deremes--Youre type of frum jews are mentally ill that is why you have so many molesters amongst youre chaverim and that is why they have to resort to lies and cheating the government out of billion in sec8 food staps etc,and that is why you cant think straigh rationally and logically youre mindless emotion is in chatrge of you and youre gedoilim

[Deremes]

Rebitzman,do you speak yiddish?
do you mingle with yiddish speaking people?

[jancsibacsi]

Deremes-I was more erleh then you,i have to tell you you are tottaly living in a fantasy i know more about the hassidim then you will ever know as i wrote before its all a circus a mind game that you are playing there is no religion in hassidism its all make beleive youre whole self agrandizing shpiel doesnt fly here in the usa they the non hassidim see throguh you and youre hassidism.

[ruthie]

the next time i go to a very frum shop....in new square or money...i'm going to make sure to take my iphone out.
i hope this will give strength to some of the women who will be watching me.
and if i find someone staring....i'll ask them....would you like me to teach you how to use it....
i'm going to be very kind.

[Jack]

I am pretty much as anti-hareidi as they come but I can at least understand their viewpoint.

The picture of a smartphone represents the challenge of the Internet, which in allowing free access to secular knowledge (as well as pornography etc) will lead to many more young hareidim leaving the fold. Once they have left the fold and decided that religion is not for them, many of these might well decide to marry out etc.

If one takes this to the extreme (which this sensationalist graphic has done), and over a period of time, this will lead to the extinction of Judaism (or at least the extinction of ultra-orthodox Judaism - which to hareidim is the only legitimate kind).

I can see how this 'spiritual holocaust' could be compared to the physical (and spiritual) Holocaust perpetrated by the Nazis and their collaborators. In both cases Judaism ceases to exist.

I don't agree with this viewpoint but I can see how to them it doesn't appear as shocking as it does to us.

[jancsibacsi]

Jack--You dont see it, they are hyper hyper paranoid why isnt the rest of judaism so paranoid like they are ill tell you why its because they the hassidim are in it to dominate their own and other jews they are megalomaniancs exactly what they accuse the goyim or others of being who in their right mind would dressup like they do especailly in the hot summer only mental cases they cant tolerate others behaviour but others should tolerate theirs a bunch of power hungry dictators is what they are.

[SkepticalYid]

Thanks Yochanan. As always, your puns and entendres are superlative.

[Alter Kocker]

These mindless aberrations have no sense of reality. Comparisons between the holocaust and cell phone usage are not only asinine but highly offensive and insulting especially to survivors of the death camps.

If these DOGS have no sense of right and wrong maybe their leaders should be given a taste of what the holocaust was truly about. How would they like to be locked up, systematically starved, beaten, raped, experimented on, denied their religion, forced to watch family and friends murdered before their eyes and live each day knowing that at their captors whim, their life would be terminated. Then after death to suffer the indignity of having your gold fillings removed, your eyeglasses recycled, your skin used as lampshades and as canvas for pornographic drawings. How the fuck dare these god damned animals compare the use of an electronic gadget to this level of destruction.

May they and their kind rot in interminable levels of hell for reducing their people to a comparative to a souped up calculator.

[Maskil]

Thanks, Maskil (though S.Y. is definitely a prince for his gem).

Yeah, I caught it afterwards, after I refreshed following posting. It is a gem!

[WoolSilkCotton]

Deremes, the fact that you are unfamiliar with the middle photo, a famous iconic photo of a Jew in tallis and tefillin being mocked by nazi soldiers who are surrounding him, tells me that you are completely ignorant of the Holocaust and have never even read a book or seen any video or documentaries about the Holocaust.

Even the average nonJewish high school student in NJ, who is required to attend lectures and sees a video about the Holocaust, would recognize that photo.

That photo is in just about every book about the Holocaust, and it is on display in every Holocaust museum. I have been to the Holocaust museums in Washington DC, London, Paris, Rome, and Berlin, and they all have that photo on display.

Deremes, you really are pretty stupid.

[David]

Again, the Charedim cheapen the significance of the Holocaust. Disgusting.

[David]

The picture of a smartphone represents the challenge of the Internet, which in allowing free access to secular knowledge (as well as pornography etc) will lead to many more young hareidim leaving the fold. Once they have left the fold and decided that religion is not for them, many of these might well decide to marry out etc.

Posted by: Jack | October 25, 2012 at 02:56 PM

What does it say about the Charedi practise of their religion if it is not strong enough to withstand the "challenge" of a small handheld electronic device?

[Maskil]

Again, the Charedim cheapen the significance of the Holocaust. Disgusting.

Posted by: David | October 25, 2012 at 03:44 PM

This approach seems to reinforce the sentiment, shared by too many, that the Holocaust is some kind of asset we've acquired or a national treasure. It's not; it was horrible. Maybe try suggesting that it "diminishes the loss and suffering" or "trivializes the lessons to be learned." But the particular language used indicated a sentiment which, again, is shared by too many, that the Holocaust is a valuable resource that cannot and should not be squandered or devalued, or that it is a weapon's arsinal that should not be used for "just anything."

[ruthie]

i agree AK THIS IS VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY VERY
highly offensive and insulting especially to survivors of the death camps.

[Rebitzman]

@Deremes

Yes and yes.

care to answer my question?

[Deremes]

It is interesting to note that charedi Jews who survived the holocaust are not offended when the the holocaust is used or mentioned in the same way as non-charedi Jews.
Secular and Zionist observant Jews believe that the Holocaust when and how to use belongs to them and only they are allowed to use the Holocaust when they feel so.
Thousand of Charedi Jews who survived the Holocaust are extremely offended when Israel uses the Holocaust constant to their advantage.
I know its not popular what i say but its the truth.

[Jack]

What does it say about the Charedi practise of their religion if it is not strong enough to withstand the "challenge" of a small handheld electronic device?

Posted by: David | October 25, 2012 at 03:46 PM

You're missing the point. As I said, the picture of a smartphone is merely a shorthand way of visually representing the virtually infinite amount of information available on the Internet. It's not the phone itself they fear but the information it has access to.

[David]

It's not the phone itself they fear but the information it has access to.

Posted by: Jack | October 25, 2012 at 05:15 PM

OK. I will rephrase my statement.

"What does it say about the Charedi practise of their religion if it is not strong enough to withstand the "challenge" of free access to information?

[jancsbacsi]

Deremes-Youre mental diturbance know no bounds di bist a farrikter shoite ,youre better of mit a farmahte pisk you imbacile.

[Rebitzman]

It is interesting to note that charedi Jews who survived the holocaust are not offended when the the holocaust is used or mentioned in the same way as non-charedi Jews.

This is perhaps the most asinine statement I have ever read on this blog.

[Jack]

"What does it say about the Charedi practise of their religion if it is not strong enough to withstand the "challenge" of free access to information?

Posted by: David | October 25, 2012 at 05:28 PM

Now that's a good question.

I suppose one could argue that they are insecure about the 'truths' contained in their version of Judaism and are fully aware that adherents would leave in droves if they became aware of other possibilities of 'the truth'.

Although perhaps they might assert that they are confident in the truth of what they preach and simply that spending time sifting through opposing viewpoints is a waste of precious time (bittul Torah)and that they are protecting their flock from this sin.

I don't really know.

I do think it is sad that Jews have for centuries been referred to as 'People of the Book' and been reknowned for their inquisitive minds (hence all the Nobel prize winners etc) and yet current Haredi strategy seems to be to keep their followers mired in ignorance.

[westernjew]

The Charedi would be as familiar with terror today as an egg shell knows it came from a chicken. If the cell phone is your issue, keep it to yourself. For the world reviews your contemption and realizes you are simply violent and irrational yourself.

[Jeff]

I understand what Jack is saying. He isn't defending them, but rather trying to analyze their thought processes. I think he may be on the money; they see it as a threat to their form of Judaism, which they see as the only legitimate form.

That said - yes, the ad is an abomination, their outlook is psychotic, and Deremes is, as always, a tool.

[Jeff]

Posted by: Yochanan Lavie | October 25, 2012 at 02:05 PM

Oh, you are so going to gehinnom!

[SkepticalYid]

Posted by: Jeff | October 25, 2012 at 05:53 PM

Then we'll all keep each other good company!

[Yochanan Lavie]

And we'll have The New York Times to read. And smartphones with cool apps.

[No_Light]

Deremetic the sickmaker :

" charedi Jews who survived the holocaust are not offended when the the holocaust is used. [...]
Thousand of Charedi Jews who survived the Holocaust are extremely offended when Israel uses the Holocaust constant to their advantage."

Which is is, chucklefuck? Make up your mind.

Also, why did you lie and claim the picture did not say what Shmarya said it did? You think you're the Jewiest Jew that ever Jewed, that you're the most ehrliche yid and that people will automatically believe anything you say. Well, I'm sorry to say that if you told me that grass was green I'd ask someone for a second opinion.

You seem entirely deficient in such social skills as honesty, humility and integrity. Your combination of Satmar-bred arrogance and total lack of knowledge of anything outside of your precious Toyreh will probably end up leading to injury or death for you. I bet even in death you wouldn't admit you were wrong. I can just see the epitaph now "I WAS ALWAYS RIGHT LA LA I CAN'T HEAR YOU!"

Oh, and I'm sure neither Rebitzman, nor anyone else here, associates with Yiddish speakers, speaks it, or even knows what Yiddish is.

No, you're one of only ten Yiddish speakers on Earth aren't ya? We all have the same relationship to the mama-loshen as you do to English - sweet fuck all.

[Yochanan Lavie]

NL: I took a Yiddish elective in my Modern Orthodox high school, and I've met quite a few Yiddish speakers who are either non-Orthodox or totally secular. The consensus among them is that Chassidim speak a debased form of Yiddish, loaed with yeshivish Hebrew and Aramaic phrases, and even English. They do not speak proper, grammatical, literary Yiddish (which is closer to German) because they do not read the works of greats such as Sholom Aleichem, the Singer brothers, Mendele, and Peretz, to name a few. Those authors are anathema to them, because they're "apikorsim." So chassidim are illiterate in 3 languages (Hebrew, Yiddish, and English). (NB: I also studied German).

[Jeff]

Those authors are anathema to them, because they're "apikorsim."

You've probably read Aaron Lansky's Outwitting History. He tells a story about going to a former JCC out in the boroughs that had an extensive Yiddish library. It had been taken over by a yeshiva and they'd thrown the books down the stairs into the basement. While Aaron and his friends were down there sorting through them and packing them up, a rabbi stood at the top of the stairs reviling them, calling them apikorsim.

These people are unbelievable. They become more like Islamic fundamentalists with each passing year - largely because there's no one to exercise any control. They pretty much do as they please.

My nephew has complained about the lack of both Yiddish and English literacy among Lubavitchers, and of the poor manner in which each language is taught in their schools. He wishes they'd pick one (he really doesn't care if the kids don't learn English) and teach it properly. It's the only complaint I've ever heard him make about Chabad.

[Barry]

Why is shemiros shabbas seen as a Nissayon - ‘a test of faith’? Because choosing to give up working on that day has serious financial consequences which for many people is the difference between basic economic security and economic distress. Hareidim will point to people who endure such poverty with admiration, indeed they will give that poverty as special holy gift being a test of faith for which they will be rewarded in the afterlife - others however will look at such poverty as being something to be avoided and people who choose this poverty so as lacking responsibility for their families economic welfare and being irrational.

The same goes for the Holocaust which the Hareidim are now seeing as a Nissayon -‘a test of faith’. Why is the Holocaust seen as a Nissayon - ‘a test of faith’? Because it was a consequence of ghettoism and rejection of modernity and made genocide likely. Again Hareidim will point to people who endure this genocide with admiration, indeed they will give that endurance of suffering as special holy gift being a test of faith for which they will be rewarded in the afterlife - others however will look at such suffering as something a responsible person would seek to be avoided and people who choose Ghettoism as lacking responsibility for their physical well being and being irrational.

Deremes you accuse people who reject Ghettoism as taking ‘advantage’ of the Holocaust. That makes as much sense as saying that people who are not shomer shabbos are taking ‘advantage’ of poverty.

The same goes for the internet and scientific knowledge. Refusal to join modernity has dire economic and social consequences which Hareidim regarded as a nissayon but others correctly see as irrational and harmful.

Hareidim refuse to see their suffering as as a mistake they can learn from. If its not a mistake it is a nisayon which one must endure without analysis.

Others however seek to acknowledge and learn from their mistakes

[Jeff]

Hareidim will point to people who endure such poverty with admiration, indeed they will give that poverty as special holy gift being a test of faith for which they will be rewarded in the afterlife

Unless the individual prospers - then they say God rewarded him for keeping the mitzvot.

Rationalization is endless.

[Jerry Baum]

Barry

I agree with your conclusion but your theory to get there is not factual.

Because it was a consequence of ghettoism and rejection of modernity and made genocide likely.

Where'd you come up with that poppycock? Hitler was an Austrian most of the top Nazis were German or Austrian. It all started in Germany, where the Jews were not Ghettoized, not Poland.

[jancsipista]

Jeff-- WIth the hassidim everything is a mind game like chilfdren many times you wrote here that they are developementally stunned o never develop into mature thinking adults

[mimi]

"for sure it doesn't mean or say ANYTHING about the holocaust."

As in Holocaust. Capitalized. Greek for "everything is burning." As in that picture of the flaming Jewish person in the center surrounded by WWII era soldiers. Nawww can't be.

Yeah, that belongs right there next to the terror of smart phone usage.