I wrote up a whole write up but when I posted it asked me for the password again and then I lost all the text.

What I just want to say is that Rick, we don't have to wait for these to commit mass murder for them to be considered a cult. What they are doing now is sufficient.

They prey on the disadvantaged, and gouge, gouge, gouge.

All the resources of the jewish governing bodies are dedicated to:

1) Things that have nothing to do with helping jews
2) Putting up UJA posters all over the [i:6e59002a73]expletive deleted[/i:6e59002a73] city with deliberately ugly people for whatever purpose it fulfills in their twisted minds.
3) Supporting Israel at the cost of neglecting the local populous (Jews are easily manipulated in this manner - and this makes them evil. I no longer support Israel because of this, you had to steal from peter to pay the devil)
4) Resettling soviet immigrants who are not Jewish. the worst criminals of sovietland, family and people who have made thousands if not a ton more of people's lives miserable while profiting and living in luxury. I have seen this in operation, there are entire "schools" dedicated to judaizing soviet children of thiefs, and if you request it I can give you the name of the multi millionare "organization" of the communist criminal who funds this.

To be honest, I have met moslems I hate, christians, whites, blacks, ... But living on the street, I have seen halal vans give out free meals, buddhist vans, a plethora of christian vans, not to mention hostels, etc...

NEVER a jewish van. I'll try to elaborate more later, I have to keep looking over my shoulder here.

Thanks

Hi,
I have participated in an Aish summer program. I enjoyed learning about the general messages behind the strict laws. I also appreciated the overall philosophies presented. I then returned to learn in a University setting. There, different interpretations were presented. A far more objective approach to learn from made me realize something. Aish was trying to sell a lifestyle. That is why no other type of lifestyle or interpretation can exist. When you are watching an adverstisement for Coke, they don't talk to you about Pepsi also!
The strength of Aish and any other type of 'spiritual' groups is that they cater to the unknown and try to give easily digested answers to all of life's unanswerable questions. This is what I fear tends to influence people the most. Why wouldn't you be attracted to something which simplifies all the mysteries of the world?
So basically the issue is; those who want comfort will adopt their ideas completely. The vulnerability associated with accepting that there are no easy answers is what keeps them from listening to anyone else around them.
Of course, this is just my opinion but I think it makes some sense.

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magicman
Conservative Judaism feels like it can change laws completely. Orthodox Judaism also evolves...new decisions are constantly being made regarding modern issues. However, they do not change previous laws---something that is clearly accounted for in the basis for Judaism. Conservative Judaism has changed it to be more "convenient" rather than what it actually is.

Actually, Conservative Judaism does believe in Halacha but it also believes that you have to be somewhat flexible with it. I'm sure it doesn't cotton much to eating pork for example. Orthodox Judaism does change.
Electric razors for example, were banned for years until recently. It may seem a moot point but it's not like the idea of the "one unchanging church (ie. synagogue).

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dv
To be honest, I have met moslems I hate, christians, whites, blacks, ... But living on the street, I have seen halal vans give out free meals, buddhist vans, a plethora of christian vans, not to mention hostels, etc...

NEVER a jewish van. I'll try to elaborate more later, I have to keep looking over my shoulder here.

Thanks

Chabad runs a soup kitchen near the Kotel and my old shul, the 8th St. Synagogue was giving out food. The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty helps out people too. There's also a group called "Mazon".You have to know where to look.

Reform Judaism does, in fact, view Halakha as non-binding: "The autonomy of the individual in interpreting the Torah and Oral Law, as well as in deciding which observances one is thereby prescribed to follow,"

I was raised going to Conservative Synagogues. They do view Halakha as binding, but they feel they can change certain things which are clearly not supposed to be changed (ie: wording of prayers that have been worded that way for thousands of years, it is clear in the Torah that men and women should be seated separately). Whereas Reform Judaism even sees itself as "less religious," true Conservative Judaism views itself as the actual right way. Electric Razors were not "banned," they were just not officially allowed until one Rabbi (a well known one) studied the issue, and showed how the razor can, in fact, be used and not harm the roots of the beard. Aish does not use the "Shabbat" to lure anyone in. They are not evil people. Sure, they use "kiruv techniques," but everything is generally open. Their "shabbatonim" and others are simply just "shabbat experiences" for those who have not experienced it.

Aish stresses the individual's free choice. They figure, the secular world has presented their side your whole life, so let us take a week and present what we have to offer. There is a whole lecture on "free will" and how you decide what to do. Now, they present their way as "good" and the secular way as, well, "not so good." But, trust me, no one really decides to become Orthodox because of this lecture. It is a long process of contemplation and study which I am going through. I read a lot, I find something, I ask a number of people about it (including an Aish Rabbi and secular people). No one hears them say "our way is the right way" and immediately decides to do it. They present very good, rational lectures that are not geared to influence but to inform. Once one is informed of what "secular world" says and what "Judaism" says, one can decide for himself.

The fact remains that Conservative and Reform Jewish synagogues, and I am discussing only the synagogues and not the movements as a whole, are not exactly traditional. Even in Israel, a VERY SECULAR society, syngagogues in which men and women sit together are sort of frowned upon/seen as weird. If you're gonna go to shul, might as well do it the most legitimate way. You even have this phenomenon in the US, when a loved one dies, often the Conservative/Reform family calls upon an Orthodox rabbi to perform the funeral service....just in case, might as well make [i:ab0d5b17ec]this[/i:ab0d5b17ec] one legit. Most people going to Conservative/Reform synagogues themselves will tell you they recognize that it is not completely legitimate, but they like the atmosphere of being together with their spouses more. The Conservative movement originally had men and women sitting together not out of egalitarianism, but out of convenience and attractiveness...if men and women could sit together, maybe more people would come to services. Only later did it begin to be completely egalitarian, and the "attractiveness" thing became UTJ (Union for Traditional Judaism), which runs Orthodox-type services but men and women sit together.

Both yeshivot were started by Noach Weinberg but I don't think they're connected, other than they're both in Jerusalem.

Aish seems to consistently feed people from its programs to Ohr.

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rrmoderator
Aish seems to consistently feed people from its programs to Ohr.

When I was in Jerusalem in '95, I saw Meir Shuster of Heritage House and some of the people from Aish and also (I think) some from Diaspora Yeshiva riding in a car together. They do work together. Maybe they figure that some students are Aish types and some are Or Sameach types.

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Chabad runs a soup kitchen near the Kotel and my old shul, the 8th St. Synagogue was giving out food. The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty helps out people too. There's also a group called "Mazon".You have to know where to look.

In Israel, places that give you kosher food or sell it for very cheap are a dime a dozen I should reckon.

I have emails from an idiot yemach shemoi who writes a column for the Canadian Jewish News and works for a bnai brith'esque setup. I asked him for some kosher food to sustain me over the sabbath, a few days later I get an email from him telling me to contact the director of his "homeless initiatives" and tell him how things work out.

These [i:46c21e10e4]ethnic slur[/i:46c21e10e4] are unbelievably arrogant, not to mention useless, and reminisce about "boobies old kneidlach kreplach soup that gives me nooches."

I know where to look, and it's not anywhere near the jewish community.

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magicman
Electric Razors were not "banned," they were just not officially allowed until one Rabbi (a well known one) studied the issue, and showed how the razor can, in fact, be used and not harm the roots of the beard. Aish does not use the "Shabbat" to lure anyone in. They are not evil people. Sure, they use "kiruv techniques," but everything is generally open. Their "shabbatonim" and others are simply just "shabbat experiences" for those who have not experienced it.

The orthodoxy banned electric razors, not the Conservative movement.

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magicman

Aish stresses the individual's free choice. They figure, the secular world has presented their side your whole life, so let us take a week and present what we have to offer. There is a whole lecture on "free will" and how you decide what to do. Now, they present their way as "good" and the secular way as, well, "not so good." But, trust me, no one really decides to become Orthodox because of this lecture. It is a long process of contemplation and study which I am going through. I read a lot, I find something, I ask a number of people about it (including an Aish Rabbi and secular people). No one hears them say "our way is the right way" and immediately decides to do it. They present very good, rational lectures that are not geared to influence but to inform. Once one is informed of what "secular world" says and what "Judaism" says, one can decide for himself.

I've seen Aish bear down on people and I also saw Meir Shuster of Heritage House yell at someone because he didn't want to commit his life to Orthodox Judaism.