Williamsburg, NY – Hasidic schools run by the United Talmudical Academy in Brooklyn are putting the brakes on kids riding bicycles to school, warning parents in a letter that students will be expelled for any free-wheeling offense.
“Even borrowed bicycles” are off limits, the “final warning” letter reads.
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The ban was instituted decades ago by Satmar sect Rabbi Joel Teitelbaum, but parents said recent infractions prompted the letter.
“If you have something that gives kids the feeling that they can go wherever they want . . . farther from their parents and the community, it brings a lot of bad things,” said father-of-six Moshe Smilowitz
School officials would not comment.
backwards…primitive….
Will result in more obese and unhealthy children causing an epidemic of childhood diabetes.
Satmar logic: Cut off the tiny fingernails of the dragon in hopes that it might not bite you.
For that price roller skates /blades too ? No or the rebbi hadn’t heard of them yet -i would show up in a segway
I went to Viznitz cheder in monsey, This role was always strict and enforced, we managed with schooters,
No internet I agree but a bike I encourage my boys to ride they’re bikes to school yeshiva and after school hours. Being in in 1 place for 8 HRs is not healthy. What r they kidding!!! What do u expect from these kids??
poor repressed children. No tv and no internet, fine. But ball playing is bitul zman and “goyish” play and now no bikes. These children are gonna obliterate into nothingness. G-d forbid they should be children.
Mr Smilowitz: The kids already have something that gives them the feeling they can go wherever they want to go..it’s called feet and legs..It can take anyone as far or as close to their parents and community as they desire! (A bike just makes for a more relaxing ride! ) If they have strong roots they’ll relish the wings and come back home to roost.. if not you’re in deep trouble with or without a bike.
Farther from there parents? Like .how far TO THE CORNER !!! Bad timing for. Handing out what not to do especially since its healthy and harmless. I think we have bigger fish to fry. Like the KILLER FISH INTERNET!!!
These kids r full of energy where do they expect it to go. It’s gone go somewhere atleast let it be in a healthy way!!!
I think they should ban yeshiva and school, kids can stay home no bikes problem no molesting problem! No bad friend problems!
No wonder they resort to fun; called “Demonstrations” and in-house fights, etc …they are literally left with nothing better to do.
Bicycle riders become more industrious. Good move or just a move to push us further into poverty.
G-d forbid a kid should ride a bike. Spending millions in litigation in secular courts though is perfectly proper. Sure, I understand that.
I agree with 1-4 and 6-8 what do they expect from theboys learn lean learn and learn somemore when are they suppose to let boys be boys or better yet let kids be kids most of them are in school from 7:30-6 if not later they need to get somekind of exercise what isthe big deal if they ride their bikes so long as the wear helmits (yamikas dont count as helmits) could someone explain his to me it makes ABSOLUTELY no sence to me
You are welcome to send your kids to any cheder you want. We follow the Satmar Rabbi Ztzl that’s why we send our kid’s there and if he wanted it like this let it be we don’t ask why we trusted him
I learned in satmar school 15 years ago & didn’t drive a bicycle as they didn’t let us & didn’t see I & my freinds sould miss something in life we got married we have kids we healty b”h
Although each of your comments have valid points and yes we need to workout more and yes we need kosher outlets but the real reason it was banned from what I remember growing up was due the overpopulated streets that were becoming dangerous to walk with bikes all over the place, I remember our Menahel telling us how an old lady was hit by a biker and broke her knees… so my advice is JUST MOVE OUT!!! Williamsburg and boro park aren’t the only places chasidic jew should live. Its overcrowded and overpriced which makes a 2 bedroom apt more expensive than 5th avenue…
If that’s the case I think the kent ave bike lane should be removed!. as they say riding on a bike could lead you to eat pizza! I think we should ban all pizza stores its pretty goyish!!
What are these kids to do these days? Sitting around for 8 to 10 hours a day in class and they are not allowed to play ball or many physical activities/games during their few breaks! No wonder so many kids go off the derech, have psychiatric problems ect. The kid may not have ADHD- they just may be normal kids who need to go out and stretch their legs and be KIDS!
I disagree with the ban; however, the biggest problem here is that the NY Times is interested in such a story. Do they report when a random school in Staten Island bans t-shirts with a particular color that may be affiliated with a gang? There are many examples of rediculous bans that schools put in place but nothing makes the news more than what the “ultra-Orthodox Jews” do. And to most of the readership here on VIN, Satmar is very right wing. They are to me, that’s for sure. But to most of hte outside world, anyone in a kippa–that’s right, kippa sruga or plain black velvet, they don’t care- is very right wing. So when these articles go up, they represent all of us. The goyim see us as one big group so why don’t we at least have as much achdus as they think we do…
Studies have shown that physical fitness improves kids’ intellectual functioning. Exercise causes growth in the parts of the brain that control the ability to coordinate actions and thoughts, and complex memory. Considering the importance of education to Jews, you’d think exercise would be required and not prohibited.
I am not Satmar and am far from them. Most of us frum yidden know who reb yoilish was. Everyone agrees that he was of the greatest tzadikim of his time. How can we people that have a more primitive way of thinking then him speak our minds and state that our logic makes more sense than his? As frum yidden we know that there are differences of opinion between our leaders, and that is normal, as long as we don’t speak against the daas of a tzadik that has daas torah. Who are we to say what is right and what is wrong when it comes to these giants in torah and in kedusha. Sometimes we need to be mevatel our daas to theirs and know that their daas is superior to ours.
These children will revolt. Watch and see. And they might have our Creator on their side too.
What I don’t get is, in Antwerp bikes are a very exceptable think,people of all ages, even the rabbis from school ride around on bikes,I don’t get why willi would be different!! Could anyone explain ??
I bet all you negative commentators are overweight and don’t ride bikes yourselves. I think it is a very smart move by Satmar in keeping kids from becoming kids at risk. Walking to school is a good excersize and more healthy and safer than bike riding. Bike riding can lead kids astray as their is a secular yuppy area near williamsburg. I knew a few heimisha boys years ago who went off the derech because they had wheels. Don’t be such a smart allick. Satmar knows how to rin their mosdos. That’s why they are the largest. And I’m not a satmar or even chassidish.
Its an old story that’s going on for years its not a new תקנה in satmar a two wheeler bike is called a sheigets bike so they only ride scooters and big wheels and anything else but sheigets bike
There is absolutely no prof anywhere that Satmar Rebbe Reb Yoel banned this.. not written anywhere. a few SHOTIM askunim made an announcement in the 1970’s that Reb Yoel has banned bikes for kids.. this meshigas started in Kiryas Joel in 1977 when reb Yoel was already sick.
NO ONE has ever verified this, nor is is written anywhere in the satmar Takunoes.
There is no place to ride a bike in that crowded community. My niece had her arm broken from a kid that couldn’t control his bike and drove right into her.
As with all of these bans, why not take the time to actually teach people how to do things properly. Men can’t control themselves, so obviously hide women away. People can’t be taught to ride their bikes safely, so they should be banned??!!
Of course the real reason is that it might lead to mixed dancing…
no bikes during the summer either? i see lots of chasidish kids on bikes in the catskills.
its good exercise, i dont understand why the ban.
now no one will work off the chulent and kugel .
supersize it instead this way we can have more obesity.
Both satmers? Wow United? But big black SUV’s are ok, where can you get with a bike that you cant get by car??
Give me a break! They are extremist. Thank gd I am not one of those fanatics!
Hi.
I’m a parent and my kids go to this school system. so lets go a little in depth…
This school is really one of the best in the community and they always strive to become better.
BUT.. The way I look at it.
There is no “PARENT BODY” .cause daas baal habiyes is absolutely no “daas” . Would anyone here believe that when I have a complaint i got no one to talk to. Its an absolute “take it or leave it” attitude. and if they wont change there policy. They will loose tremendously . At this day and age no one will give there kids blindly to the moisdes…. So satmar public school system. Buckle up . ……..
Thank God for the internet
I wonder what the statistics are. But it seems that the most off the derech young adults originated from satmar and other ultra chasidish homes. In addition- these “OTD’s” have a lot of anger towards their communities and when they go off- they do it with a “bren” with “hislahavus”…”L’hachis”…its really sad. Perhaps if they were not so extremely stifled- even if they would choose not to b chassidish, they may still be shomer shabbos or at least marry yidden. I know many OTD’ers…I myself grew up in boro park- very chassidish but slightly openminded. I decided at 17 that I did not/ could not lead a chassidish lifestyle. Instead I chose my path which is litfish..I dress tzniyus, my children are baruch HaShem I’m excellent yeshivas, I stress middos and love of HaShem, Torah & yidden in my home. (And I do go watch a movie occasionally.) I wish these children whom are feeling stifled like I did- would realize that they don’t need to go to the extreme opposite. There are many different levels to yiddishkeit. And HaShem loves us all. Who are we to know if someone who doesn’t ride a bike will get more gan eden than someone like me- who is more “openminded” but gives every last dollar to tzeddaka? While I know a big satmar millionaire who donates money to the institutions- yet, his niece who is an aguna with several children is starving for hunger. (I’m sure his children will be the first not to ride a bike..) Can we have our priorities in place. Trapping the youth will not keep them. It is not working. Their must be another way. On a side note- when my brothers went to satmar camp- the nurse told my mother that she went several times a week to the hospital with boys- since they are not allowed to play with balls- so they often played with rocks and thus sometimes injured themselves…just my two cents out loud…we need to save our frum neshamos. My heart breaks when I see what’s going on on facebook- its tearjerking. There are so many going off..from the best families…and they are becoming more & more powerful each day & pulling others with them. (If facebook would go bankrupt & close down- it may help us yidden a lot…) Nu, HaShem should help us and inspire all of us yidden to always do HIS will. Besuros toivos. Asach yisdish naches!
Has anyone ever thought of the possibility that the reason why so many kids are going off the derech nowadays is exactly because we don’t allow kids to have questions and act out a little. We hear so much about ways to protect our kids from the world and preventing them from “biking away from home”, but we need to remember that sometimes what brings us back home and back to yiddishkeit is a little bit of thinking outside the box of cookie-cutter frumkeit that we see today.
Riding a bicycle is one of the joys of youth. Learning independance and learning to transfer from training wheels to a full 2 wheel bicycle. This gives a child the fostering of independence as well as dignity at a good charmed level as well.
It would be a shame to see the idea of a childhood experience that is ubiquitious to all of the people today from the most wealthy to the poorest lost on the generations ahead simply because we fear for their involvements. In truth, good parenting can absolve anyone of any issues with whereabouts.
One day in my high school physical education class, the janitor of the school happened to enter the room, where the physical education teacher was giving a class. The janitor had brought his bicycle from the outside, and was storing it in the building. All of a sudden, some characters in our class started laughing very loudly, at the sight of the janitor with his bicycle. Our teacher became incensed at that ridiculous display of laughter at the janitor and stated “I’LL HAVE YOU KNOW THAT BICYCLE RIDING IS THE BEST EXERCISE IN THE WORLD”. The teacher (Mr. Fried), was absolutely correct then, as he would be today. As long as one wears a safety helmet, and takes precautions, it is a reasonably safe form of exercise. In Europe, bicycles are used much more frequenty. For example, in The Netherlands, there are bike baths all over the country, which parallel the main highways. Last, since Halacha mandates that we protect our health, it would appear that bicycle riding is a healthy way to keep trim, and to increase cardiovascular health.
Time for positive change: You sound like a remarkable young woman. Torah stands on its own merit so there’s no need for extremism. Too bad for some it’s all about maintaining power and we see how well that’s working.
and people still send there kids to Satmar?
dear # 8 & 47
I grew up as a SATMAR talmid under a ban on bikes, we had no TV , didn’t play ball, but contrary to your comments I and all my friends grew up to be very fine respectable people.
I own my own firm in Brooklyn, currently employing 20+ employees, I pay more then my fair share in taxes, also (gasp!!) none of my married children take any governmental programs.
so please calm down & don’t worry about the SATMAR children , 90% of them will turn out to be just fine…
How is it possible to make bicycles אסור? Aren’t they used by מלאכים? After all, in our תפלות we recite וחיות ואופני הקודש.
These are the rules that their institution can credit for creating so many tzaddikim, roshei yeshiva, mechabrei sefarim etc. Nebach nebach.
A community that doesn’t allow bike riding is a community that can’t maintain balance.
Hashem wants yiden to exercise and be healthy.Why aren’t the satmar children engaging in sports under rabbinical supervision? Children need fun and exercise to be happy and committed yiden for the long term.They should have good memories of their years in yeshiva. What fun activities is satmar giving kids instead of bike riding?
Being a Yid is a privilege and not a burden..
Children should love being a yid.
Denying them the simple joys of childhood is wrong.
Interestingly all those self centered comments about how they grew up in satmar and they are successful business men… Can’t even spell out the word “word” right
Why all the acrimony and negativity? Everyone should be allowed to live a life that resonates with their soul as long as it is not harmful to others. If living a “Satmar” style life is fulfilling to someone, that is fine with me. I am no one’s judge just as do not want someone to maintain a “holier than thou” attitude to my choices.
. In our family bike riding was an essential . And #1 –you’re right. More non exercise for yeshiva students who sit at their desks all day with no movement. Bike riding is good physically and gives the kids a chance to air out mentally. Kids have a need to have an outlet for stressful days. It’s not only working parents who have stress. I have never heard of a kid or bachur going off the derech because he rode a bike. I can’t even contemplate what the next chumra will be.
I wish you all luck from the bottom of my heart. I am by no means a Litvak/Mitnagid nor consider you (G-d forbid) an “Apikorat” I hear your point, there are extremists on both sides, and therefore, I don’t label myself into any category, segment, etc. I go by the logic of our Torah, everything in Judaism has its roots and sources, saying merely this is what the “rebbe” wants w/o any reasoning whatsoever, goes against the very concepts and essence of what Judaism stands for. Yes, you do not have to agree with the reasoning, in order to follow, but reasoning has to be provided. The only one you do not ask; is G-D almighty!
(i.e. I mean incorporating a permanent tekanna leDorot – there is a diff if its done permanent apposed to temporary – see Rambam’s in hilchot Dayot, and his preface to mishnayot to get a hold of the differences.)
צוויי רעדעלדיגע ביציקל
A bike with training wheels technically has four wheels. Would that be מותר?