This week's Flatbush Jewish Journal has a lot of coverage on the past week's Asifa.
Much criticism has been leveled at the unleveled and disparate ratio of Yiddish vs. English speakers at the grand CitiField Asifa.
Perhaps this was part of the grand scheme. English speakers have been clamoring for their own Asifa, and sure enough, the front page of this week's FJJannounces the Flatbush Internet Asifa - A Community Gathering Featuring Practical Solutions to Internet Challenges.
Sunday, June 10 at 9:30 AM at the Agudas Yisroel Bais Binyamin - 2913 Avenue L. For Men and Women. All speeches will be in English.
Somebody out there is listening.
As for the Grand Asifa of last week, I think it still produced amazing results. Even though it was long-winded and primarily in a foreign language, it has nationally placed the need for a filter on a higher plateau.
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UPDATE 6/1/12
Rav Matisyahu Salomon, Rav Moshe Tuvia Lieff, Rav Avrohom Schorr and Rav Yisroel Reisman will speak.
All speeches will be in English.
Men and Women invtited.
Attendees will receive a Free Technology Awareness guide.
11:00 AM to 1 PM TAG professionals will be available to put internet filters on smart phones.
No mention in the ad of any cost.
Hmm. Seems like this is what the Grand Asifa was supposed to be.
it has nationally placed the need for a filter on a higher plateau.
ReplyDeletehow did it do this when it seemingly was all about (or mostly, at least) banning the internet completely?
I don't think the Asifa was about banning the internet completely. The first brochures noted how one "can't live with it, yet can't live without it."
ReplyDeleteIt got the entire community discussing the need to filter their web content.
"I don't think the Asifa was about banning the internet completely. The first brochures noted how one "can't live with it, yet can't live without it."
ReplyDeleteAnd then they decided to never print that again, not hand out the brochure at the asifa that was supposed to give guidance, not have the expo that was supposed to give guidance, and get a call from Rav Wosner to pretty much ban the internet in our homes for anything other than approved business needs.
Someone has pulled a fast one on us!
I think the problem with the Grand Asifa was too many Shitos because of the wide spectrum of participants.
ReplyDeleteFor some, speeches in English or Hebrew are not problematic, yet for others, they are.
For some, filtering is the answer, for others, blanket prohibitions in the home are in order.
I think the Grand Asifa had merit in that it got the conversation going. It is now up to each community to find it's own solution. Naturally, the Flatbush Asifa will have a different outcome than one in New Square.
"I think the problem with the Grand Asifa was too many Shitos because of the wide spectrum of participants."
ReplyDeleteThis ma'aseh did a service in that it illustrated the impossibility of trying to cast a wide net and accommodate many shittos - all that entails is giving in to stringency. Keep this in mind when someone advocates a single, across-the-board acceptable standard for anything, such as conversions.
Keep in mind that internet and conversions are two different animals. While internet affects only "me", conversions affect the Klal.
ReplyDeleteThere is room to be machmir in something that affects future generations.
I'm making a simple point that accommodating all viewpoints necessarily means accommodating only one viewpoint, or group of viewpoints: the most stringent one.
ReplyDeleteAgreed.
ReplyDeletePerhaps this was part of the grand scheme
ReplyDeleteScheme? SCHEME ? I am supposed to have emunah in people (Gedolim Ahem...ASKONIM) who scheme???? In other words to manipulate us??? I can't begin to tell you how "dissed" I felt at the asifa. To hear that the whole thing was a "scheme" to get me to attend another local one , if true, is even more infuriating and if true my initial reaction is: "I'm done. Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me"
Think of it as a scavenger hunt. Who knows what you'll be urged to attend next? Exciting!
ReplyDeleteBray, that was a poor choice of word, and was meant more as a joke. Sorry. I truly believe that the original intention of the Asifa was precisely as advertised, but as they added more cooks to the stew, we got a skewed and skewered end-product.
ReplyDeletedont fall for this. enough Asifahs
ReplyDelete