My final plea to the organizers of the Asifa at Citi Field: BRING BACK LIPA!

"I like the dreams of the future better than the history of the past". - Thomas Jefferson

The upcoming asifa at Citi Field is fraught with problems but I propose a solution that  

will not only unify Klal Yisroel but might also right a historical wrong.

Ever since the first Asifa ad, the focus of this event has been very vague. We were told it was about the dangers of the Internet but no information was provided besides the slogan of “we can't live with it, we can't live without it.” The latest ad says even less about the content: “All the gedolim will be there, so why not you.” I’m unsure if all the gedolim will be there, but even if they will, most people don't feel we need an asifa for the sake of an asifa, especially since the Siyum Hashas is around the corner. The new plan of bussing in all the Yeshivos for free sounds fun, but do they really need to lose so much time in order to attend another shmooze? Is there no other venue to sell filtering products other than this live expo? With the way the media will portray us and the counter demonstrations outside Citi Field, this event, which may have had good intentions, will most likely turn out to be a chilul hashem of immense proportions. However, canceling the event is out of the question because a large fortune of money has already been spent. The stadium has been rented and the production companies have worked hard to set the event up.

Hears My Proposal: BRING LIPA BACK...

Yet I believe we can still salvage the situation and make this an asifa worth attending, by changing the focus with one simple act: BRING LIPA BACK! Let's face it, if anyone can sell tickets it's LIPA. But this is not about Lipa. You can bring MBD, Avrom Fried or whomever else you like. This is not to say the gedolim should not be there, of course they should. Bring ALL the gedolim from across the orthodox spectrum. Invite some old time great singers, like Ben Tzion Shenker and David Werdyger, so the older crowd will enjoy it too (you can lower the speaker volume in their sections). The ad say this is an event for “shtreimels, black hats and even those without hats” but why stop there? Bring the guys with kipot srugot and with those colorful yarmulkas. Sephardim, Ashkenazim and everyone in between. Invite every yeshiva boy and Bais Yaakov girl (separate sections of course). Bring the “kids at risk” and even the ones we call “off the derech.”, Just don't label the sections! 

For the first time, lets bring every Jew together: Yeshiva and Yeshivish guys, Chofetz Chaim, Modern Orthodox, Ultra-Orthodox, FFB’s, BT’s, Misnagdim, Chasidim, Both Satmar Rebbas, Chabad, Heimish, Chareidi, post-Chareidi and all the new ridiculous terms we came up with over the years. And because its May 20th, Yom Yerushalayim, let's bring in some war heroes from Eretz Yisroel, those who risked their lives for Klal Yisroel in 1967. Yes, bring them all. Let's have a real aguda achas for once.

Lets face it. Who wouldn't want to see Roshei Yeshiva from across the board dancing with every possible type of Jew? Who wouldn't buy a ticket to see Chaim Dovid dancing with Rav Matisyahu Salomon? I, for one, would pay any price. And maybe with this surplus of money we can pay back the individuals who were hurt a few years back.

It was five years ago that a BIG EVENT turned into a very sad event for Klal Yisroel. A major concert that was going to take place was ruined by a few askonim. A ban letter was published days before the event which had been planned months in advance. I remember it very well because the event organizers came to my father, Rabbi Eli Teitelbaum Z”L for guidance. It was too late though because the damage had already been done. Those involved took the high road and cancelled the event. A huge amount of money was lost and it was never recovered. It was a true Chilul Hashem. But maybe now we can fix this wrong.

This Asifa will take place during the days of Sefirah, where 24,000 (approximately half the capacity of Citi Field) students of Rabbi Akiva were punished by death just for a lack of mutual respect. Is this the time that we want to cause more controversy within Klal Yisroel?

You can still have the expo, except let it be an expo showcasing kosher internet sites. Let vendors that have been trying so hard to produce great kosher web sites show their products to the public. Yes, we need filters. Filters that will remove all these new terms we have introduced. We need filters that will remove those Jews who act with brazen disregard and create such a Chilul Hashem. We need to expose our children. Expose them to other types of Jews. But most importantly, we need to get rid of all these Jewish subdivisions which are meaningless anyway. So let us make this event count, let us bring Klal Yisroel together and not apart. And maybe, just maybe, Moshiach will join us too. Otherwise, we can pray, scream and plead to Hashem but it won’t do a thing. We can again cry crocodile tears this Tisha B’av and then wonder why Moshiach has yet to come. Or we can do as G-d tells us and remove the sinas chinom from amongst us and then we can finally build the third, the eternal Bais Hamikdosh!  Its a win-win situation. Count my family and my campers in!

Dovid Teitelbaum,
Director, Camp Sdei Chemed International

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