Current Thoughts

A recent article in a local magazine called the The Voice of Lakewood, really irked me. It was a very cutesy article, that basically starts off by mentioning these 2 rather odd missionary ladies that march up and down Clifton Ave in bright red costumes and take turns screaming about the gospel Lhavdil. The article then goes on to say how different we are, in that we avoid sticking out and drawing attention to ourselves., and launches into still another diatribe about Tznius.
While, I realize that the schools, Seminaries, and homes need to shove Tznius down your throat ad-nauseum and ad-infinitum. Whenever there is a lady’s shiur in town, if you can call it that, or a gathering for the “Nashim Tzidonius” aka “The herd of docile cows”, it seems that is all that is addressed. That is irritating in and of itself, but I feel that this article crossed a line. Instead of taking this as an opportunity to point out the basic differences between Yiddishkeit and Lhavdil other things to us mere girls; the article chose instead to go into detail about not wearing red garments or attracting attention to ourselves.

It starts off by informing us that missionaries are lurking around looking to prey on innocent, vulnerable, ignorant people, but instead of arming us with the valuable info we so desperately need to deal with this threat and confront it head on, the author, instead uses it as a springboard for still another excuse to talk about hemlines and colors.

I know that many of you are thinking, that these miss. Ladies are just mishagoyim (lunatics). First of all, I highly doubt that they will successfully convert any frum Jews in Lakewood, however, even if it results in a having a momentary thought of confusion in your head that is a very serious sin. If I am not mistaken, even more severe then wearing a denim skirt. The 13 Cardinal Principles of Faith, as set down by the Rambam and others applies to men and women, equally. In fact, if you don’t know them clearly, it is tantamount to apikorous, R”L.. Secondly, 95% of American Jews are completely ignorant of their faith, and you are bound to run into one of them one day, at work, on a train, a doctor’s waiting room, the mall or what have you and you need to know how to speak intelligently about this..

Recently, I was in Brick library, near Lakewood, where I encountered two very attractive, charming young ladies .From the distance they looked exactly like Frum girls. Once, I was face to face with them, I realized that they were Christian missionaries. I thought that I knew Tanach, pretty well, cause like I learned tonz of it in High School and Sem.But these women really gave me a run for my money and made my head spin.I was left at a loss for words.
I realized from this incident, that while everyone is telling me what color stockings to wear, how to walk, how to talk, how to sit, what type of hemline and neckilne to shop for; no one is providing me with the crucial info I need to be able to defend my faith in this age when we are bombarded from all sides constantly.. It is very imperative that I have this vital knowledge for myself, as well as to disseminate to my friends, fellow students at college, people that I meet that I meet from all walks of life, and eventually, B’ezras Hashem, bkorov (with G-d’s help very soon) my own children..

To my dear teachers, I know that you think that Lakewood is a wonderfully, insulated, sealed bubble. Well, like HELLO !!, its really not.


In other news, as the new school year begins, it seems that 80 girls were not accepted into the local elementary and High Schools. While having lunch with my father at a local eatery last week, I witnessed a heated debate . . Many of the ‘tzadikim’ (SIC) in our fair town , don’t want their daughters in class together with girls who come from homes with a TV, secular magazines, OU-D products, mothers who wear short sleeves, or perish the thought, Hashem Yraheim, fathers who don’t wear white shirts. It would be hilarious, if it wasn’t so tragic. What is really ironic, is that I have witnessed firsthand, some high school-aged daughters of these very outraged fathers, in local libraries viewing websites and chatrooms, that most decent , Non-Jewish parents would not want their children in, as well as, hanging out in some rather inappropriate places. If these parents, would instead sincerely, be concerned about all the “yiddishe kinderlach” in our ‘wonderful’ community , they would have the Siyata D’Shomaya (heavenly assistance), that their children would not be doing the aforementioned things. These are not only my thoughts, my father heard this firsthand from his Rebbeim.

B”H, Reb Elyashiv and Reb Steinman, may they continue to be well and strong and guide us with their wisdom, came out with a ruling that no schools are to open until all the girls have a place to go to.

Let us hope, that this matter is resolved quickly, and all the misguided souls are granted the Daas or intelligence that they so desperately need..