Superintendent of the Kiryas Joel School District & contributor to @newsweekopinion @MMevaser @LoHud @jdforward @recordonline. Opinions & R/T's are all mine.
Sep 6, 2023 • 10 tweets • 4 min read
There's a war going on now between @elonmusk and the @ADL, with people lining up on each side of the battle.
I don't know who's going to win, but I'm absolutely sure about who's going to lose...
It's the Jewish community.
Allow me to explain in this thread.
1/10
@twitter always had a problem with rabid Antisemitism, but they only dealt with clamping down on accounts emanating from the political Right. That's important but it did nothing to protect Jews from Farrakhan or the Ayatollah who openly called for the destruction of Israel.
2/10
Jan 6, 2023 • 8 tweets • 3 min read
The @nytimes claims they spoke with hundreds of people in order to report on yeshivas. I was one of those contacted.
The reporter used our financial information without the necessary context on how those funds were required to be used, just to push their biased narrative. 1/8 🧵
I explained to the Times reporter that textbook funds pay publishers for secular texts, transportation funds pay for bus contractors, special ed & remedial programs pay salaries & benefits of public school staff to work with eligible Yeshiva students.
None of that mattered.
2/8
Sep 20, 2022 • 9 tweets • 3 min read
The assault on traditional values is all around us. That's why a @nytimes investigation into Hasidic yeshivas has been so rejected by most Orthodox & Hasidic Jews. It wasn't an attempt to improve education, it was designed to shut yeshivas down & shun all people who support them.
There's no other reason why the Times chose pre COVID-19 data for an analysis of test scores, yet includes the COVID stimulus funds in their calculations of what Yeshivas received from the government. It's even framed as *look how much $ ((they)) took from you, the REAL taxpayer
Nov 27, 2020 • 5 tweets • 2 min read
I read with disappointment the many pundits & celebrities who condemned the SCOTUS ruling that allows Churches to safely remain open & warns elected officials to treat them with no less respect under the law than liquor stores & bike stores. Communal worship is essential. 1/5
My disappointment turned to anger when I saw so many posts from self-proclaimed Orthodox Jews that are condemning the SCOTUS ruling. How can religious liberty mean so little to the people who've supposedly committed their lives to religious practice? It's mindboggling to me. 2/5
Jun 19, 2020 • 8 tweets • 5 min read
I've developed a theory on how Americans are reacting to the Covid pandemic. I'm calling it *Coping with Loss: The 5 Stages of Covid Grief*, based on the famous 5 Stages of Grief by Elizabeth @KublerRoss (1969): 1. Denial 2. Anger 3. Bargaining 4. Depression 5. Acceptance 1/8
During this pandemic, we are grieving & trying to cope with financial losses, lost educational opportunities, strained personal relationships, missed routines & so much more. But as we emerge from lockdown, we are now recovering by using the Kubler-Ross Model IN REVERSE. 2/8
Jan 12, 2020 • 7 tweets • 3 min read
Perhaps I can fill in a few blanks for the @NJHerald. In the 1960's, the Satmar community tried unsuccessfully to relocate to Mt Olive, NJ, Congers, NY & elsewhere, always meeting staunch opposition to their culture, and their desire for communal living. njherald.com/lifestyle/2020…
The #Satmar leadership in Brooklyn realized that the only way to settle in a new community would be to purchase land without using the name of the religious corporation as the purchaser. This kept the sales price reasonable & didn't signal any municipal opposition before closing.
