New York City – Rabbis: Transgender Professor Teaching In Yeshiva University Outrageous

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    Befroe he changed to Mrs. Joy Ladin he was Mr Jay LadinNew York City – A Yeshiva University professor left two years ago as a man – and returned last week as a woman.

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    Literature Professor Joy Ladin, formerly known as Jay Ladin, 47, showed up for her first day of school sporting pink lipstick, a purple shirt and a black skirt. She cheerfully strutted through the doors of the Midtown campus’ main building, where she oversees the writing center.

    Many at the Jewish university are horrified by the presence of the transgender professor. Some fear the news could cut alumni donations.

    Ladin and the school won’t comment on the situation, but some rabbis are shocked that she’s still a member of the faculty.

    “He’s not a woman. “He’s not a woman. He’s a male with enlarged …….,” said Rabbi Moshe Tendler, a senior dean at Yeshiva’s rabbinical school and a professor of biology and medical ethics. “He’s a person who represents a kind of amorality which runs counter to everything Yeshiva University stands for. There is just no leeway in Jewish law for a transsexual.

    “There is no niche where he can hide out as a female without being in massive violation of Torah law, Torah ethics and Torah morality.”

    Even if not in spirit, Ladin remains part male.

    Ladin wouldn’t respond to Tendler’s statement, and her only comment on the controversy was: “I’m not at liberty to discuss the matter.”

    The conflict with the university started at the end of 2006, three years after Ladin joined the faculty. Less than two weeks after the university gave the celebrated poetry and literature professor tenure, she told them that she was transgender and in the process of becoming a woman.

    The university placed Ladin on indefinite leave, according to faculty members, who requested anonymity. After months of heated debate among rabbis, administrators, Ladin and her lawyers, the university agreed to let her return, according to sources close to the negotiations.

    No one from the school would comment officially, but many faculty members, who spoke anonymously, said the decision was legally motivated.

    “They didn’t have a choice unless they wanted to be embroiled in a legal battle,” said one faculty member. Ladin had to face a far messier legal battle on the home front.

    Ladin’s wife filed for divorce and custody of their three kids and moved out of their Amherst, Mass., house, according to friends.

    Although some rabbis are outraged by Ladin’s return, many students are celebrating.

    Sarah Rindner, 25, of the Upper West Side, took Ladin’s classes twice in 2006 before the professor went on leave.

    “This is great news, and I’m sure the university won’t regret it,” said the former student, who now works as a high-school English teacher.

    Shayndi Raice Sigall, 26, of the Upper East Side, took Ladin’s class in 2004 and said her return would offer students a unique learning experience.

    “There are transgender people all over the world, and this is a wonderful opportunity for the school to show students firsthand how you can respect and learn from someone who might be different from you,” Sigall said.

    The transgender community is also thrilled with the surprising decision.

    “I think it’s fabulous and wonderful. I don’t know of any other religiously conservative university that employs someone trans,” said Mara Keisling, executive director of the National Center for Transgender Equality.

    University President Richard Joel declined comment, except to say, “I’m proud of my university and all my faculty.


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    144 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    YU has a problem. They can’t fire this teacher (I don’t really know what gender to use!!) as the ACLU & the law will kill them. Is this teacher “frum”? Nebach…poor family. Whichever way you think, it is a tragedy for everyone. Is this a first in the frum world? Hope it’s the last. Oh, sorry, that’s not politically correct.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    As Rav Gifter ZT”L screamed about YU on Chol Hamoed Pesach 5758……THIS IS DESPICABLE!!

    YU should close its doors.

    shaylah
    shaylah
    15 years ago

    Is he now called a Ben Ladin or Bat Ladin?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    This is not a YESHIVA University! Take off the word YESHIVA and call it TRANS UNIVERSITY.

    r u serious
    r u serious
    15 years ago

    Wow. Some liberalism comes back to bite YU. Everyone new that the” university” was out weighing the” yeshiva” part. This is proof. They legally have no choice.it is illegal not fire someone based on gender and that includes transgender. If it wasn’t so sad it would be funny.

    YU- R.I.P.

    Use your head
    Use your head
    15 years ago

    What do you expect, in Hebrew “he” means “she”! There is bound to be confusion.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    The most important sentence in the article–“some fear the news could cut donations”–with any luck!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I really wonder, if a Certain professor that has been out there ripping into the entire community, will stand up and say something about this. We have all seen how certain people have come to show how much better they are then the rest of us. Well, as they say, and in this the Chicken (Rooster)has come home to roost.

    Matzahlocal101
    Matzahlocal101
    15 years ago

    There was a reason that the munkaczer rov wrote concerning YU over 70 years ago:

    “We have already seen the ra-banim that have gone forth from there”

    and

    “Regarding that which you write concerning yeshivas Rabbainu Yitzchok Elchonon (RIETS) I pity the poor gaon whose name is called upon it”

    from two letters to Rav Shraga Faival Mendelovitch in 5694-5 (1935) in the sefer “igros Shapirin”

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    In Berlin, the saying used to be: “Be a Jew at Home, and a Man on the Street.” This one has a little bit of a different p’shat.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    this is gross and disgusting!!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Let’s wait and see, how their spin doctors, will work with this one.

    LEMAYSA
    LEMAYSA
    15 years ago

    Can he get an Aliah letorah or not???!!!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    yea YU should really shut down that way we can just send our kids off to secular college instead with no shuir. idiots.

    chakira
    chakira
    15 years ago

    How does it hurt anyone if a transgender person is allowed to teach English to young ladies in Stern College? From what I have heard, she is a tremendous professor, and there are far too few of those at Stern. What university is so interested in someone’s equipment that they would fire one of their more effective instructors over it? Furthermore, how does it reflect any Jewish value to take someone who has already lost so much personally and cut off their source of income over such a decision? Gender reassignment may not be something most of the frum world wants or endorses, but it is also far from a cause to put someone who has done their job very well out on the street.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    will his kids be Ben ladin????

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Why can’t he/she be fired? They have a contract and hired Jay Ladin, not Joy Ladin.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Anon 10:00:

    “yea YU should really shut down that way we can just send our kids off to secular college instead with no shuir. idiots.”

    Well at this point there is no difference. Better yet, rather have a teacher, that is from a different background, than to have to listen to this “person” talk.

    Use your head
    Use your head
    15 years ago

    Anonymous 10:12 – you’re obviously not a lawyer. You can’t renege on a contract due to a legal change of name!

    Choizik
    Choizik
    15 years ago

    Norman Lamm should step down immediatly!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    You guys are silly — deal with it.

    jj
    jj
    15 years ago

    I find it interesting how all u guys are jumping down thier throat about a transgender but fail to throw out rabeim who are child molesters. molesters are way more harful then transgenders. get your priorities straight befoe u make bigger fools of ur self

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Duh, the reason HE can’t be fired is because the intent to put HIM on leave was immediately following HIS announcement to become a woman. A discrimination suit would then become a nasty thorn in the side of YU, publicly and otherwise. This is a big problem with no easy way out. The ACLU smacks their lips to fight for such cases, especially in the religious realm.

    Schmeckelfresser
    Schmeckelfresser
    15 years ago

    I agree it’s gross, but what’s the issur?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    As Rav Gifter said in 1991 when the YU opened its gay and lesbian society “the NY Times was mechadesh that Norman Lamm is a rabbi”. The report carried the title “Gifter slaughters Lamm for Passover”. It would seem that nothing has changed since!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Too bad the teacher wasn’t a child molestor; then all the above wiseacres would have no problem

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    so much hatred here. disgusting. how can you be happy with so much fear and hate for other human beings inside yourselves? there isn’t enough time on earth to treat people the way some of you folks seem to think people ought to be treated. go do something constructive.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Chakira…

    “Gender reassignment may not be something most of the frum world wants or endorses”

    Please!

    This is an Issur D’Oraysa, a clear prohibition, simply put an undisputed Avairah

    murray
    murray
    15 years ago

    Idiotic comment- “whats the issur”- are you kidding- I can think of about 10 halachic implications, and I am no scholar.

    Avrohom Abba
    Avrohom Abba
    15 years ago

    A Jew is a Jew. However, I do agree with R U Serious that the liberalism they always tried to show off at Yeshiva University has come back to haunt them. This reminds me of all those who claim Obama should be the President while of course they want to prove how unprejudiced they are (because he can not claim accomplishments that will give him the ability to deal with all the villains and haters who will laugh at him like he is a teddy bear trying to please everyone). So, Y.U. has been so busy trying to prove they are totally politically correct, they have lost touch with many of their earlier goals.

    Now, they can only show off to all the liberals and they lost their deep contact with the Yeshiva part of their name.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    name them. what is the issur?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    If he/she has tenure, he/she might have a contract that prevents him/her from being fired.

    chicago dude
    chicago dude
    15 years ago

    this man needs a brain transplant. Feel bad for his family and loved ones.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    He has Been – oh, I mean – Bin Laden who’s an unhappy meshugene – not a woman and not a man – bichlall nisht kein mentch. Halachically, is he required in mitzvos of a man, a woman or false under the category of mentally retarded who’s not required to do any mitzvos?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    He has Been – oh, I mean – Bin Laden who’s an unhappy meshugene – not a woman and not a man – bichlall nisht kein mentch. Halachically, is he required in mitzvos of a man, a woman or falls under the category of mentally retarded who’s not required to do any mitzvos?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    As many of the commenters (and the article) noted, there are serious legal issues involved – i think YU’s hands are tied, as would any organization dealing with such a situation.

    And I give YU (and Touro) credit for educating the next generation of Jews and giving them the opportunity to make a decent and honest living, unlike other groups that are either anti-work or that educate Jews about ways to lie and cheat the government.

    – As an aside, this is a psychological issue that on some level is prevalent in the frum community, and should be addressed.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Lehavdil elef alfei havdolos, the Yeshivah in Volozhin chose to close its doors rather than succumb to the regirung forcing them to teach secular studies.

    If YU has ANY Jewish moral fiber left, it would fight this to’evah legally, based on freedom of religion, and if it lost, IT WOULD SHUT DOWN. PERIOD. FULL STOP.

    …but we all know it won’t. Hashem Yerachem.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    anon 11:30…

    Yes, credit should be given to YU and Touro.

    What does this have to do with the issue.

    Transgender is a clear “Torah Prohibition” and must be treated as such. If in fact their is a psychological issue as well, that must also be addressed, with total compliance to the Torahs’ commandments

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I think that those who are so outraged at YU’s decision should offer to raise the millions of dollars it will cost them to violate this person’s civil rights by firing him.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Boys and Girls slow down… YU would love to get rid of this freak, but that’s exactly what he wants to sue their pants off.

    tsvika55
    tsvika55
    15 years ago

    Disclosure: I went to YU

    1) YU should close it’s doors rather then alow such Chilul Hashem.

    2) Any parent that has sent their child to YU should pull them right out as the premise was that is was a religious institution.

    Shaul in Monsey
    Shaul in Monsey
    15 years ago

    All I can say is there is no Joy in Jayland.

    murray
    murray
    15 years ago

    Without getting too graghic- is there Not a major issue of genital mutilation, and/or castration?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    he is a freak and should be lock away. but is a Transgender a clear “Torah Prohibition”?? can you point me to the mitzvah in the Torah that prohibits it?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Do you all know that Simcha Felder actually had a lesbian with the name Christine Q. To lecture the Orthodox girls at the Beth Yakov in Boro Park? Why are we only focusing on YU? This is about the only institution that we as frum people can go to, and receive higher education. Yes it is not perfect, so what. It seems to me if Simcha Felder Could have his posters all over Boro Park, and no one would rip them off, then why bother with YU? If it’s good for the Chasidim, it’s good for all of us.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    11:57 – for starters, the issurim re: castration and “lo tilbash” are inevitable in any of these cases.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    This is payback for Hiring David Berger

    Erin
    Erin
    15 years ago

    Wow, who’d have thought that people who’ve suffered through so much hatred, persecution, and prejudice would turn those same attitudes towards another misunderstood minority.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I don’t see what the problem is. This is Ms. Ladin’s choice and yes, there are people like that in the world. Be tolerant!

    anonymous
    anonymous
    15 years ago

    12:27

    That same David Berger has written an excellent text detailing how a large well-known sect of judaism has – nebech – gone “off the derech”. A very enlightening read!