Brooklyn, NY – Hours after appearing on the Jewish Press website, an article about yesterday’s Atzeres Tefilla that was deemed to be both derogatory and inflammatory has been pulled and its author, a long time employee of the site, has been fired.
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The article in question, written by Yori Yanover, was titled “50 Thousand Haredim March So Only Other Jews Die in War.” A caption under the article read “They flooded downtown Manhattan with the anti-draft for Haredim message: everybody else is welcome to get themselves killed.”
The management of The Jewish Press had strong words regarding Yanover and the op-ed piece in question.
“We do not, in any way, condone the reprehensible and insolent views expressed, without our permission, by the author in Israel of that article,” Jewish Press general manager and managing editor Jerry Greenwald told VIN News. “We have thus taken the strongest possible course of corrective action open to us pursuant to this incident. Since its founding, The Jewish Press has striven to be a Torah newspaper, one that recognized the centrality of the Torah and Torah study to the Jewish people.”
Greenwald noted that Yanover’s writings often raised eyebrows.
“He has always been controversial but this showed that he has no understanding of what is right,” said Greenwald.
An official apology sent out by The Jewish Press website, called Yanover’s headline “incendiary and insulting” and informed readers that the article was posted without official authorization of The Jewish Press newspaper.
“The sentiments expressed in the article and headline do not represent those of The Jewish Press, its officers, editors, and staff. The article was deleted from the website as soon as it was brought to the attention of the publishers and editors of the newspaper.”
Unlike the newspaper that bears the same name, The Jewish Press website is published out of Israel and has its own staff of contributors.
“They are supposed to follow our hashkafa to some degree in order to use the Jewish Press name and we do watch it to some degree,” explained Greenwald. “This article was beyond the pale and we contacted them immediately to tell them it was not acceptable.”
According to Naomi Mauer, associate publisher of The Jewish Press, Yanover has been with the Jewish Press site since it was revamped approximately three years ago.
“He has different opinions, in general, but they haven’t been anything like this,” said Mrs. Mauer. “Sometimes the tone might have been different than I might have used but he had a following and for the most part, the comments were almost always positive.”
Kol hakovod to the Jewish press!
So they fired the messenger .
Is he not right??? Not sure what part of what he said was a lie
Yanover’s take is EXACTLY the way I read the message sent by yesterday’s Atzeres Tefilla gathering!
Klal godol ba torah ve’ahavta le reacha k’mocha.Why should this one be killed and this one should sit and learn torah?
It must have been hard to read the truth………….50 Thousand Haredim March So Only Other Jews Die in War. There are many Israeli men that are serving in the IDF that would prefer to learn Torah. Someone has to protect the Jewish state.
Epes he makes a good point. Isn’t the whole idea of OP ED, to give an opposing view of the newspaper editors? The Jewish Press should not have fired or apologized for him. Anothet blow for free speech in the yeshiva world.
Although the chareidim’s stance is more nuanced than the way the author presented it, I certainly see his headline as controversial, but not incitement. He is relaying his opinion sharply as he sees it. He may be an anti semite (re: Chareidim…) and if this article is article is just the tip of the iceberg, then I understand. However, if the firing was over this article alone, I’m truly astounded. And I’m Chareidi myself, BTW.
…And so begins the (not so) quiet censorship.
Can someone explaint to me what is going on. I do understand the Satmar: No State of Israel, No Army,therefore Yeshivah students stay home. I also understand the Mizrachi. The State of Israel (Resit Geulosenu) The Jewish State The Best Army in the World: Every citizen should participate. I Dont get the Agudah,Sfardim,Lakewood and the rest in the middle. Is there a Jewish State or not. If yes: Defend it serve in the army. If not: Why are you running in elections in a State it doesnt exist and you dont want to defend?
And why won’t they do civil public service if not the army? Holier than thou? Take, take, take, but never give.
dont understand the big deal of yori yanovers words….its the truth!!!…in my opinion every yeshivah bochor should thank those that go the army so they can learn torah..someone needs to defend them..
Oy Lonu L’yoim Hadin, when we will have to give Din V’cheshbon, how dare we shielded our families from the dangers of the battlefield, and thereby causing other Yidden to carry the brunt of the responsibility of protecting the Jewish People. There are mothers that have to send multiple children to war because we use politics to wiggle ourselves out of the Achrayus.
To HKB”H, the Yiddishe boys traveling to the front, are just as precious as the Rebbehs with the wide brown mink fur, on their shoulders and sleeves.
Kudos to them.
What if it would have been a secular publication and a religious Jew would have printed something that the secular do not approve of-such as a secular newspaper having a writer say that yeshiva men should not be drafted-and the religious Jew was fired over it, don’t you think the religious Jews would be storming about the paper and calling for people to boycott it?
It’s a shame that people of the Charedi community have to live in fear of expressing an opinion or simply questioning the party line.
Sorry to see the Jewish Press shaking in their boots. They are frightened and scared to have anything written against the protest. Are they afraid of frum Mafia tactics. I thought more of the Jewish Press which I buy it every week. The headline is a bit over the top, but where is he wrong to fire him..
what happened to freedom of speech? He said his opinion. I have mine. But to fire him?
Living in some kehillas puts limits on speech mamish like the Soviet Union in the days of Stalin. One of the greatest points about the good ol’ U.S.A. is that people can speak their minds without fear of (GOVT) reprisal … and the same should hold true for other ‘power’ structures. If they don’t reinstate this guy, I personally will boycott any store that carries the Jewish Press, and I encourage others to do the same.
So many people missed the point here.
The article was written in a disgusting manner, regardless of the viewpoint therein.
It is beyond the pale to accuse chareidim of “wanting others to die” when those same chareidim never wanted the State to begin with because the gedolim knew it would be a disaster and never-ending war and tried to stop the Zionists.
But the whole purpose of Zionism is shmad and to want to be like the goyim and they idolize warriors. It’s in all the Zionist propaganda.
The IDF, itself, doesn’t want the Chareidim. Our gedolim have forbade joining the IDF, then and now. The Zionists, who are shmad incarnate, insist on this because they want to change Chareidim into Israeli “goyim”.
That’s all there is to it, and that’s why Jews worldwide have davened to Hashem to save His children in E”Y from Zionist shmad.
You’re a bunch of big talkers!
Living in America and telling the Jews in the Holy Land who should go to the army and how they should serve the Jewish nation. Get off your butts and come here, then we’ll talk.
Has one if you heroes sent your son to the US Army? Is it fair that only the lower class, mostly black and Hispanics should die in war. Send your pampered Jewish sons to Iraq and Afghanistan – come on- their blood isn’t redder than anyone else’s!!!
And number 8, you’re reasoning is warped: you wouldn’t fire someone for having a different opinion than you, but you’d put thousands of Haredim in jail for having different opinions than you. Way to be consistent
this is strange. A journalist who was hired for his opposing views gets fired for doing his job.
Please explain to me how, categorically, not helping to defend your country is not immoral cowardice. This is simply where the bizarre dysfunctionalality of ultra-orthodoxy shows itself. It’s not like the Torah is pacifist. Disgraceful, immoral and embarrassing.
From #35 You’re a bunch of big talkers!
Living in America and telling the Jews in the Holy Land who should go to the army and how they should serve the Jewish nation. Get off your butts and come here, then we’ll talk.
EXACTLY. Americans go crazy when there are demonstrations in other countries against their internal policies. What’s good for the goose is good for the gander. MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS & if you want the right to complain about Israel, move here. Until then, keep quiet.
The Jewish Press’ decision was based on business and politics, not right and wrong. I can understand Yanover’s frustration and why he wrote what he did, though he could have said it better, it was the truth.
Prior to making Aliyah, the community I felt closest and related to was the Chareidi community. I’m told I’m considered Chardal. I believe the State, with all it’s flaws in Min HaShomayim and will lead to the end of Golus. Since making Aliya, I’ve been so disillusioned with Chareidi leadership. The people are mostly wonderful sincere Torah Jews, who live exemplary lives. The leadership has often made me sick to my stomach. Growing up in the U.S., I never heard such defamatory statements made by Rabbonim. Calling other Frum Jews Goyim, threatening to expel people from Kollel if they don’t vote the right way, etc. Then there is the political leadership, claiming to follow instructions of the Gedolim. They prove that this isn’t really about Torah learning, since they threaten to destroy the Hesder program, where people are sincerely learning and going into the IDF, also threaten to destroy so-called Settlements, forcing Jews out of their homes again. Hashem Yerachaim.
The anti-zionist wing of the chareidim are isolating themselves from mainstream Judaism. Do you really think a paradigm in which a certain population has to work and serve in the army while other doesn’t, is sustainable. And on top of that they hate the secular Jews. If I lived in Israel that would make my blood boil. They are also renowned when it comes to picking and choosing.
All this infighting among the frum, , frum against Zionism, Jews against Arabs Rebbes against Rebbes, Likud members against Likud members, all have one thing in common. The creation of this “state” without approval of the gedolim.
For those of you who are complaining about the Jewish Press newspaper, this article stated clearly it has nothing to do with the website. While it’s a bit misleading to have the same name, you really should pay attention before you share with us your valuable opinions slamming s/o who has nothing to do w/ this. Really, it’s pretty lame to complain when you don’t read the whole thing.
You’re a bunch of big talkers!
Living in America and telling the Jews in the Holy Land who should go to the army and how they should serve the Jewish nation. Get off your butts and come here, then we’ll talk.
Has one if you heroes sent your son to the US Army? Is it fair that only the lower class, mostly black and Hispanics should die in war. Send your pampered Jewish sons to Iraq and Afghanistan – come on- their blood isn’t redder than anyone else’s!!!
And number 8, you’re reasoning is warped: you wouldn’t fire someone for having a different opinion than you, but you’d put thousands of Haredim in jail for having different opinions than you. Way to be consistent
The chareidi Jews in Israel cannot just pick up and move- they’re stuck there.
Which country is taking them in?