Queens, NY – More than 50,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men plan are packed at this hour at Citi Field for a gathering on the dangers of the Internet, and organizers have also rented the nearby Arthur Ashe Stadium for the overflow crowd.
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“It’s going to be inspiration and education about using technology responsibly in accordance with Jewish values,” said Eytan Kobre, a lawyer who is the spokesman for the event’s organizers.
Kobre said the rally’s purpose is not to ban the Internet but to learn how to harness it.
“There is a very significant downside to the Internet,” he said. “It does pose a challenge to us in various aspects of our lives.”
He cited online pornography and gambling as well as the risk of social media undermining “our ability to pray uninterruptedly, to focus and to concentrate.”
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Will there be any resolutions? Any practical suggestions? Or is it all mussar?
Budwiser is good for us? couldnt they change the ads to Mayim Chaim??
Does anyone know of any official or unofficial video or audio streaming – web or phone?
This is so nice & it also comes on the same day of “Yom Yerisholayim” 45 years from the 6 day war of 1967 in which we saw so many miracles. May hashem bless us all & our state with many many more bellsings
Somebody please tell me why they need all these hatzola trucks parked outside. For a sold out yankee game or met game I never noticed any ambulances lined up outside the stadium. Hockers being hockers.
Where were these guys when I was playing Pac-Man?
It seems like there’s like 1 hatzolah,Shomrim,chavarim for every 5 people lol I hope its a segulah that their services aren’t needed.
Intresting that Neuturei Karta can manage three volunteers calling such a large part of klal yisroel reshoim. I guess I now know why Moskiach did not come yrt there are only three Neuturei Karte that are meriting the yeshoa.. All others are reshoim
can someone explain to me what the neturei karta is protesting?
Exectly they just can’t wait to B sombody they live 4 such a moment I guess the chesed itself doesn’t do it
Mee keamcha yisroel its amazing that so many yidden heed the call of the gedolim (or their gaboim)
Almost there!
Take me out to Asifa
Take me out with the crowd
buy me some kosher peanuts and Budweiser
I will never turn on the internet ever again
Some of the organizers look very excited because profits are going to be high from this carnival.
live hookup: 712-432-1001 pin 425 354 354# or 425659388#
What a kiddush hashem, such achdus, beautiful and an extra bonus, today is indeed Yom Yerusholayim. To have all gedolie yesroel together on this wonderful day B’H’
I think this asifa event will have a positive outcome. After all, this is likely the first time that more than 85% of this group has ever seen the inside of a baseball diamond stadium. I would imagine they will come back to see the Mets play!
Pretty impressive! They made it clear that there is an absolute chiyuv to have a filter. The venue was necessary for the affect. If it was just a kol koreh few would listen.
Yom Yerushalayim is the day we were zocheh to the entire city of Yerushalayim. This event would have been a great celebration for Yom Yerushalayim!
The speaker who is speaking now (8:25 pm) in English is clearly indicating that he is concerned with the “Bizoyon Talmidey Chachomim” on the Internet. I.E the concern of the “gedolim” is that if they say or do something wrong, it’s impossible for it not to leak out via the Internet.
For example the recent Weberman issue in Williamsburg had insulted the highest leadership of Williamsburg, hired him, and which had covered up his deeds until now.
I’ve been listening on the live telephone feed and so far, these speakers seem to be on another planet. I wonder whether any of them actually have used the internet or have even the most fundamental clue as to what they are talking about. Millions of normal yidden use the internet daily without an issue. They don’t spend their days playing Angry Bird, staring at poronography or posting photos on Facebook. I hear them yelling gevalt about tzinius, taharas hamishpacha, bitul torah, etc. and comparing the internet to the shoah. The current speaker is now screaming “what is happening to us”??? Perhaps they should go home, take a look in the mirror and ask what has happended to make our rabbonim and askanim such angry men that are totally out of touch with the reality of modern life and technogly. If they want to go back to life as it was 100 years ago in the alte heim, perhaps they should go on the internet and find someone who will sell them a time machine. Ninty nine percent of internet users are not “addicted’ to the internet but have found it to be an essential tool in their daily lives.
The guy speaking now is screaming at the crownd in English and mixing in a bit of Hebrew (quotations from the siddur and tanach) and the obligatory “gevalts”!!! If they really wanted to connect with the attendees, they would not be screaming and crying like its the mabul or the hollocaust (two themes the seek to invoke) but rather speaking the the listeners as intelligent yidden about the pros and cons of internet usage and how a frum family can use the technology safely and efficienty. The new guy who just started speaking is barely audible and I doubt anyone can hear a word he says. There is some other guy providing what can best be called “simultaneous translation”.
LiveStream + Ads.
http://www.ustream.tv/recorded/22746341
I found the stream, but no external links allowed.
It’s on USTREAM under “Asifas Klal Yisroel”.
Disclaimer: There are ads.
why is everyone “hocking and bashing”? Just listen and you can comment, criticize or compliment later ? It is a LIVE event why not listen and decide later ???
to all criticizers. If anyone can still say a bad word on the geonim talking tonight…you are far in the hole of the problems they are addressing tonight. When a fire burns you yell!or when you have pain, you yell. Anyone with a Yiddish heart understands when he got to the point and yelled. And it went into everyone’s heart. Every person has a friend , neighbor , or family that has a kid or adult who got burnt from today’s technology.
Nice job by VIN
Look at yerushalayim today! What a beautiful sight to see Jews mekadesh Shem shomayim in our ir hakodesh. The Happiness and spiritual elevation is evident as one looks at pictures of yom yerushalayim. It is in stark contrast to the black dour and sour mood evident at the citified Asifa , where closed mindlessness rules and exclusion of all other strains of yiddishkeit is evident. It’s a disgrace that no more chareidim joined yom yerushalayim but that they managed to exclude everyone else to their fest. , including their own sisters, mothers and wives is a testament to their bigoted attitude and sexism . A shanda.
Screaming holocaust and invoking cherumim will not endear them to anyone in kallal yisroel but to themselves. Look at the diversity of Keillot they managed to gather. They are preaching to their own choir.a total failure of achdus. . A shanda.
from the NY Times
The event was sponsored by a rabbinical group, Ichud Hakehillos Letohar Hamachane, that is linked to a software company that sells Internet filtering software to Orthodox Jews. Fliers were handed out to attendees that advertised services like a “kosher GPS App” for iPhone and Android phones, which helps users locate nearby synagogues and kosher restaurants
anybody surprised
#47 ! false!!! why were people buying tickets off ebay etc.. for $100,200-500.. If it’s like you mentioned, they wouldnt be selling for that much!!
I want to throw up. I use the Internet alot! I consider myself somewhat addicted to the functionality fo it, not to bad stuff. But to hear commentors such as 34 and 37 are in lala land if you know where they is. THe barely audible “guy” happens to be the Skulener Rebbe. HE is a holy man, he never hurt a fly. I am not one of his Chasidim but NOBODY calls the Skulener Rebbe ‘that guy” ANd yes, it is a terrible tragedy what’s going on online. The amount of time people waste even on this site (Sorry VIN :-), the amount of Loshon Hara, the amount of people who have gotten into bad relationships or even those who just tune out from their families because they spend so much time online. I can’t believe there are still people denying there is aproblem. Yes, it’s here to stay but that doesn’t mean it isn’t a terrible problem!
Interesting that at the same time as billing the event as “for the entire spectrum of klal Yisroal,” the majority of speeches were delivered in a language that many of those present– both in the stadium and at the satellite locations — do not understand.
I wonder what that says about common courtesy and respect for the attendees who were not part of the “in-crowd.”
I wonder what that says about the relevance these leaders have to the “nation” outside of their own chassidus.
One cannot help but wonder as to whether the speakers were selected based on who needed to be given kavod as opposed to who had something to say that would inspire and motivate the attendees.
Very depressing.
I think I counted 7 speeches all together but only 2 were in English. I am one of those people that just don’t know yiddish and I am frusterated that I came to be inspired but wasn’t anywhere I could have been if I would have understood them.
It is such a pleasure to see thousands of yidn together listening to and speaking the Yiddish language. S’iz takeh a mechaye!
Wow it was amazing realy uplifting
i didnt really see what was the point of the asifa. firstly, it was advertised as an achdus event and only two speeches were in english. There’s no excuse for having an achdus rally and speaking in the language that most do not understand.
Second, there were no real new ideas or solutions put forth. So what was the point?
I could not attend this historic event. I went online(yes, with a filter) to try to follow the proceedings.
I am shocked and deeply saddened to read the post of some of my fellow Yidden who should be by this Asifa (more than anyone else). Hopefully had you gone you would have gotten a small Hihur of Tshuva before our upcoming Yom Tov of Shavuos when you too stood at Har Sinai and said Naase V,Nishma.
I could not express it any better than ‘dlltg’. Go back and read that post!
When we are in pain, either with sickness, marriage, shidduchim, chinuch of our children, who do we turn to? We daven to Hashem and we go to these very same gedolim for Chizuk, Hadracha, and Bracha! They are crying out in pain because of the myriads of people coming to them brokenhearted, depressed, downtrodden and despondent. They hear the cries of these families destroyed by the irresponsible use of the internet.
Are 60,000 Yidden fools? Or are you the biggest fool of them all?? How dare you refer to these Rabbonim as ‘guys’?
I pray that you come to your senses soon. Hashem should bentch you all with only the best and may you do true teshuva for the Loshon Horah you spewed forth.
I thought this was an Ichud Hakehilos. All I could see were Chassidim, along with a couple of litvaks.
Surely Klal Yisroel is not only chassidim! Where was everybody else???????
What an incredible experience mincha must have been!
If these younge leit and alte leit would have a built up of lactic acid in the muscle system they would be tired. The problem is shidichim are made were neither matches. Vigorous yunge leit sit and “learn” and remain full of “vigor”. Reb Yonosan H’Sandler of course was before the electronic age but he performed manual work, Today manual work is treife
The Organizers promised solutions and advice. All that was offered were bans and threats. This was a wasted opportunity for all who really want to learn how to use the internet properly.
It is most urgent that we form a new Vaad comprised of menahilim and shul rabbonim from accross the full spectrum of Orthodoxy who are capable of giving real guidence and providing real solitions to the masses of Klal Yisrael that do not reside in Lakewood and Monroe.
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