B"H
19 Shevat 5767 February 7, 2007
An Appeal for Religious and Secular Sanity to Restore Essential Civility
Just a few hours ago, I had a most distasteful terse conversation with publisher Clifford Richner, one of the heirs of a distinguished family whose legacy of public service to the whole of our diverse community seems to be receding.
This controversy centers on the operations of The Jewish Star, a local sectarian offshoot in the Herald constellation, self-promoting itself on the masthead Serving the Orthodox communities of the South Shore. Increasingly, and vehemently, people who become aware of such intentionally-inflicted wounds on Jewish unity, distance themselves in embarrassment, while feeling ashamed that such a "business model" is pursued for profit!
Other vital concerns revolving on the long-running saga of the Vaad of the 5T & Rockaway, and the perennial issues surrounding the public Lawrence School District are treated innocuously (the former), or intentionally focusing on the negative (the latter), stressing perceived neglect of maintenance, overlooking comprehensive coverage of the considerable, sustaining, widely-distributed to the general press, news of our students' achievements: on the field, in the laboratory, in the classrooms!
Such non-reportage has become scandalous, for it being both obvious and insulting to our sophisticated population. But it was during our heated exchange that the newspaper executive blurted that it was while at a sit-down with Orthodox rabbis, several years ago, that a commercial commitment was forged for precisely the weekly that The Jewish Star has become --- explicitly offering rabbinic assurances that no stories from Conservative sources shall ever appear within its pages.
Shaken, as I immediately became with the revelation, I was further issued a fatwa that my name shall not again appear in any Richner publication --- instantly reminding myself of the discredited censorious Soviet system when one could become a non-person overnight --- arrogantly warning me of legal action, were I to assert my First Amendment right of speech to encourage mass-rejection of his weeklies.
Already, one local rabbi who receives bulk shipment of The Jewish Star for his congregation will now cease and desist distributing the paper, after he became aware of corporate policy and the hurt that is being perpetrated to the collective Jewish heart and soul. Imagine! Physically-imposing, this scion has been transformed and revealed to be nothing more than a neighborhood bully, possessed of comparable intellectual acuity. (The New York Civil Liberties Union might want to hear the case.)
This latest assault to our communal equilibrium is symptomatic of a series of misfortunes that have been visited on our fabled Five Towns. I beseech our Orthodox rabbis who participated in drafting the unholy agreement with the Richners to rethink their misguided initiative, repudiate it, and actively seek to bring all Jews together! Mea culpas are necessary and have been forthcoming recently, off the public stage: cornering me before a recent funeral, a prominent and most-respected spiritual leader, admitted, for example, that signing the Vaad letter was "stupid," and wishes the Talit-ban that holds stifling sway in some quarters be brought to account.
We have many miles to traverse to make our corner of the world a more welcoming, attractive, tolerant, open-hearted place to live. As in the unfortunate rabbinic call to avoid shopping at Gourmet Glatt, let spiritual leadership assist to lift the miasma that engulfs us, joining together to demand fair treatment in reporting all the news from all of us. We, People of the Book, deserve no less!
Sincerely, and with fraternal affection,
Asher
Prof. Asher J. Matathias
312 Longacre Avenue, Woodmere, NY 11598-2530
516-374-2958 Mobile: 369-5799 AsherJmat@Aol.com
Asher, I posted this on yidwithlid, along with Richner's e-mail for people ask him to explain the policy. The link is
Dear Asher, I am ashamed and embarrassed that a group of Jews, let alone rabeyim, would participate in such "blackballing." I am not surprised, because these are gangsters and there are "no rules" of morality, ethics, or fair play. It would be nice to see OUR rabbi put a letter out publicly denouncing this behavior. Sincerely, Peter (Cantor S.), Woodmere, NY
Asher, You have hit the nail on the head. Temple Hillel is not longer accepting or distributing the Jewish Star at our facility for just the reason you described.
A.G., President, Temple Hillel, Valley Stream, NY
Dear Asher, Regards to you, and your family. I have cancelled my subscription to the Richner's newspapers for the last several years, feeling as you do. Sensationalism should not take the place of honest reporting especially when it comes to publications reporting to be "Neighborhood News." Bravo once again. Continue, continue, continue ... S.S., Lawrence, NY
Dear Asher: We have been reading the Jewish Star since the inception of that publication. We were always pleased that it seemed to be very inclusive of all the area's synagogues and congregations. We were therefore surprised to see the statement that recently appeared (serving the ORTHODOX communities ...) as part of the masthead. The episodes you relate in your letter are shocking and terribly divisive and I hope this is not the beginning of a schism among the Jews in our area. We certainly have enough problems from outsiders; we don't have to create more problems among ourselves. We applaud your efforts to reach out to all our brothers and sisters and certainly hope that cooler heads will prevail among those leaders of the Orthodox community who are more attuned to the modern world we live in today. Yasher koach to you for standing up for ALL of us!
Sincerely, A. & J. G., Rosedale, NY
The whole thing is upsetting. … A.S., Woodmere, NY
It's so courageous of you to raise your sword at these dragons. Bravo!! Love, Stella M., New York, NY
The Jewish Star is delivered to our synagogue ... someone drops off a large stack every Thursday. Since, I am not of the Orthodox family, I am requesting no further deliveries ... Thank you for bringing this offensive exclusion to my attention. B. D. S., (Rabbi), B'nai Sholom, Rockville Centre, NY
Dear Asher,
I did notice the masthead change but then forgot about it. It did disturb me though because it didn't seem right. I am not for a second paper geared towards the Conservative and Reform community - that seems to defeat the whole point and is even more divisive. I see absolutely no reason why that masthead addition had to take place. There had been articles concerning Reform & Conservative synagogues and this should not stop. The Jewish Star should be welcoming of all articles concerning and about the Jewish community.
I am speaking as someone who belongs to an Orthodox shul (as you know) and whose children went to an Orthodox yeshiva. If the Orthodox community wants a newspaper, they already have the rag the Five Towns Times (or whatever Larry Gordon calls his egotistical blog) and now there's another one (but I forgot the name since I'm not interested in reading it). The Star should be for the whole Jewish community, not just the Orthodox. What a mistake the Richners have made. I will definitely think twice before paying for my subscription next time.
I would appreciate it if you would pass this on to Mr. Fertig since I do not know his email address. K.W., Cedarhurst, NY
Asher: You remember my experience with the obituary one of these papers ran after the death of Rabbi Morris Friedman in which they claim they accidentally left out Rabbi Friedman’s 33 years as Rabbi at Temple Hillel, one of the great Conservative shuls of all time. They ran the correction a few weeks later on an inside page. A suggestion: You should raise this issue first with our sane and wise friends like Ronnie Goldman and Lester Henner, who represent voices of sachel and common sense in our community before you play it before the whole Council. If you want me to speak to them with you that would be fine. Steve K, Valley Stream, NY
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