Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Emotionally Manipulative Fraudulent Tripe

A new letter is beginning to make the rounds on the internet and, possibly, other media.   The letter is about the recent murder of Leiby Kletzky, purported to be from "Moshela," a handicapped child.  I'm not going to post the entire letter -- it can be read online here or here.

Before we comment on the content of the letter itself, I will start out by saying that I am certain that the letter is a fraud.  There is no way that a child, handicapped or not, wrote this letter.  It's just not the way that a child writes or speaks.  In that respect, it reminds me somewhat of the famous letter of Revital Avraham, which, like this letter, tries to emotionally use a person's death (although, in that case, it was a fictional person's death) to manipulate people emotionally.

The letter basically tries to make the case that Orthodox American Jews are bad Jews.  An entire litany of sins (real and imagined) are laid out for us -- everything from talking during davening to eating sushi and pizza.  Yes, of course, tznius is mentioned as well (has there ever been a tragedy in the past twenty years that wasn't chalked up to a supposed lack of tznius standards?), as well as laxity in kashrus, too much gashmius (materialism) and other items.  He concludes by prophesying about terrible things coming in the next few months and that we must all repent our sins.

The kicker, of course, is that it isn't the killer who is responsible for Leiby Kletzky's death, but us.  As "Moishela" puts it:

Q: Why is it a Kiddush Hashem if he was killed by a Yid?
A: Because it does not matter who killed him. It was the Goyishkeit in ourselves that killed him so that makes it a Kiddush Hashem. A true Yid would never kill a child as this man did, only if he is totally deranged. And even so, a real Yiddishah Neshomah could never be guilty of such cruelty; therefore he died Al Kiddush Hashem. The Goyishkeit in us is what killed him.

Personally, reading letters like this make me sick.   It's one thing to try to advance your own agenda, but it's another thing to use a child's death to do so.  If you want to make the case that Jews need to change their conduct in certain areas, then by all means, make the case for it.  But don't tell me that Lieby Kletzky died because I ate a slice of pizza. There's only so much manipulative tripe I can take, and this letter went well beyond that.  That's not to say that "Moishela" doesn't have some valid points.  I think most of us can agree, for example, that talking and texting during davening is wrong and disrespectful.  He may have some valid point in other parts of his letter as well.  But when he wraps the whole thing up in an emotionally manipulative letter that blames everyone and everything except the actual killer (and lies about the authorship of the letter to boot), then I lose interest in the entire message he's trying to convey.

The Wolf

36 comments:

MO Kvetcher said...

Yes, of course, tznius is mentioned as well (has there ever been a tragedy in the past twenty years that wasn't chalked up to a supposed lack of tznius standards?)

It isn't coincidental. Tznius standards have been falling off a cliff for at least the last twenty years.

Tzipporah said...

@MO Kvetcher, no kidding - have you heard about all these shameless Jewish men going around showing off their BLOGS in public?!?

BW - ick. Just ick that someone would do this.

Michael Sedley said...

I love the use of the "No True Scotsman" Argument - Think I'll blog about how illogical this letter is.

Mighty Garnel Ironheart said...

No true Yid would write such an idiotic letter.

bob said...

and yet he was a Jew with a yarlmuka and he killed a child, so apparently jews are capable of this.

this is why I NEVER go to YWN, VIN, et al, I just simply cannot stomach these sorts of things coming out of the loon-wing of Orthodox Judasm.

ItcheSrulik said...

Nothing is off limits and nothing is sacred. For all that Charedistani Jews preach about gedarim, they have none. Boundaries are for little details that you can snip at people about, not for anything that really matters.

Nice Jewish Guy (signed out) said...

Boro Park is the epicenter of all gashmius? "Boro Park"?!?

Oy, if you are trying to make a case for a neighborhoods "gashmius-ness" being a cause, BP is not the place to blame. I'd have gone with Lawrence, or Cedarhurst, or Boca Raton, or Beverly Hills.

robert said...

"Tznius standards have been falling off a cliff for at least the last twenty years."

I would say that tznius standards have been falling off a cliff for at least the last hundred years, if not more. The Chofetz Chaim and others were railing against the jews for the lack of tznius about one hundred years ago.

And I guarantee that in ten, twenty and thirty yeas from now people will still be decrying about how tznius is becomming more and more lax.

bob said...

>>>>"Oy, if you are trying to make a case for a neighborhoods "gashmius-ness" being a cause, BP is not the place to blame. I'd have gone with Lawrence, or Cedarhurst, or Boca Raton, or Beverly Hills."<<<<

People in the towns you've listed are wealthy (most are) however that is their lifestyle, it isnt a shove it on your face kind of thing. Flatbush on the other hand is shoving in your face every single new item that is bought. Its just a horrid place to raise children,

SuperRaizy said...

There is no need to bash wealthy communities like Lawrence, etc. It is the extreme generosity of those wealthy Jews that keeps most of our tzedakah organizations afloat.

SubWife said...

Did you see this? Granted, I don't know much about Rabbi Levin, but I do know that there will be many "theories" as to which sin of Klal Yisroel killed Leiby. I would love to know how these people know exactly which sin killed someone and what do we do when they start contradicting each other? I think it's sick when tragedies and dead are exploited like that. http://www.vosizneias.com/87836/2011/07/20/new-york-rabbi-levin-lack-of-protest-by-orthodox-community-on-gay-marriage-passage-lead-to-boys-murder

jrs said...

Rabbi Levin is nothing less than disgusting. I've long thought him an unsophisticated imbecile, a loose cannon who gains notoriety just by having a big mouth.
But this is a new low.

Only very slightly less deserving of scorn are the idiots who say, "Maybe it was inopportune... but he does have a point, you know. the Torah says... blah, blah, blah"

No, you morons; no one has the right to draw direct lines from an awful human tragedy to this or that aveirah, much less an unrelated issue that happens to be his own personal crusade. And who gave him the right to abrogate sensitivty & respect for the family?

This guy's an idiot; the fact that his rantings even get debated about shows the low intellectual level on which the heimishe community operates.

Anonymous said...

do not agree with you this time wolf.this letter was written by the autistic children. they can see what we cannot. we are not on their level at all. thats why we cannot accept their writtings. don't you see what is going on in the world wolf?? heat waves, tzunami's, many young orphans, etc. g-d is speaking to us. we need to live in the world g-d gave us, and enjoy it. but these are signs. we need to work at our own pace, coming closer to g-d, and working on our inner selves. tznius?? do you think wearing clothing that is very form fitted is tznius?? no, I am not from meah shearim, or any chassidus. I was raised in the states in a zionistic household. but even I know that the styles are disgraceful. as the rabbanim said, you cannot go completely by the children's messeges, but they are a wake up call for us. nobody is forcing anything on you.

BrooklynWolf said...

.this letter was written by the autistic children.

Baloney. No child writes in this manner, autistic or not.

heat waves, tzunami's, many young orphans

All of which have existed and have been happening for thousands of years.

do you think wearing clothing that is very form fitted is tznius?? no, I am not from meah shearim, or any chassidus. I was raised in the states in a zionistic household. but even I know that the styles are disgraceful.

What does this have to do with anything?

The Wolf

The Bray of Fundie said...

It isn't coincidental. Tznius standards have been falling off a cliff for at least the last twenty years.

Really? Consider all the Baalos T'shuva or MOs who "wigged out" who now cover their hair and eschew pants compared to twenty years ago, consider the increase among S'fardic and Khasidisha women who wear only cloth hair coverings and no wigs compared to twenty years ago.

Go back 50-70 years and you'll find quite a few Rebitzens of prominent Rabonim who smoked, did not cover their hair at all and weren't too careful about elbows or knees either.

Are there those doing violence to the spirit of the law while retaining it's letter? Sure but I think that you're being melodramatic with this sweeping statement.

dj said...

see Rabbi Slifkin's post about
Facilitated Communication

http://www.rationalistjudaism.com/2009/08/facilitated-communication-and.html

Anonymous said...

More proof that orthodox judaism is infested with sick puppies. Disgusting!

megapixel said...

i dont believe fc is legit.

Anonymous said...

take all blogs with a grain of salt. the truth is we do need to grow in ruchniyus. thats why we are here. maybe it doesnt have to be written so harshly. nobody should be blamed for going out and having a good time, though I do not think that is what the writter meant. love your blog.

Zvika said...

The guys at dani18.com have been doing this for years. I've sent them letters about their manipulation and asked they that they quit it already, but they don't listen. They insist that they are right. Their Hebrew section essentially says the same thing about Israeli Charedi Judaism and issues condemnation after condemnation.

You can take heed to what they're saying and use it as Mussar, but don't take anything they say or claim the autistic children say as being prophesy or even Ruach HaKodesh.

Steg (dos iz nit der šteg) said...

Among other things about this letter, the open and proud antigoyism is sickening.

Anonymous said...

Moishele = Moshe Rose?

Handicapped = mentally?

That would make it possible.

Peter said...

Who is Moshe Rose?

Anonymous said...

how come the autistics did not say why the fogels tragedy happened ?

ItcheSrulik said...

Moshe Rose is the screen name of one of the more persistent troll's on YWN's forum.

Dovid said...

ItcheSrulik:

I've noticed lately you habitually call everyone you disagree with a "troll". Takes one to know one.

ItcheSrulik said...

Really? I don't comment on this blog enough for anyone to figure out my "habits" in any way. What other sites do we both frequent?

Dovid said...

This discussion was pertaining to the YWN forum you brought up above and referred to someone as a "troll". You've done the same name-calling on that forum habitually.

ItcheSrulik said...

That's because there are a couple of pretty dedicated trolls there.

A troll is internet slang for someone who makes outrageous statements to provoke angry arguments, it isn't a random name.

Dovid said...

I know English quite well, but thank you for the linguistics. That isn't the point. You have a tendency of referring to many people who disagree with you as a troll when you fail at any counterargument.

Anonymous said...

dovid, you are not correct.

Anonymous said...

dovid, you are correct.

ItcheSrulik said...

I know I'm going to regret going down this road, but fine. Name one place where I called someone a troll because I didn't have a counterargument.

Anonymous said...

Can someone please explain what is wrong with taking a community tragedy like this and trying to intuit a message that will help klal yisroel grow. I understand people have different hashkafas and resent someone pushing their agenda on them - but do we have do demonize people who are just doing what they honestly believe will help the Jewish people. Bashing them is just more hate-mongering. Why can't we just learn what we can from this letter and throw out the rest. It is not all false - and saying so is just an excuse not to think about the true parts. No one is perfect and we are all doing the best we can - let's leave the sinas chinam and just try to respect each other's differences in hashkafa and maybe learn a little from each other - to me that kind of ahavas hinam would be a true sanctification of Leiby's name.

Anonymous said...

I think that you are just not ready to change your life style or except Musser from anybody, so you are trying to find an easy way out by mocking this message from a handicap child in order to a-knoll his words which are sent to us from heaven so you can feel Scott-free and keep on living a materialistic life full of The Yatzer Hora's fun etc. Remember only the people who are going to do Teshuva are going to greet Moshiach, wake up and try to be part of the greeters.....


.

Anonymous said...

I have spoken to autistic children. They don't speak like that. And the letter sounds like a twisted version of Christianity.