I’ve written about the Israeli colonization of the Diaspora mind (in and not in connection with similar process among Greeks) here and here, so I was really intrigued by reading some of the comments on The Forward‘s* original post, which put a really interesting twist on things:
“They couldn’t even write it in Yiddish?” [asks one poster]
[reply] “The billboard isn’t sanctioned by any official Orthodox organization but rather the work of a lone wolf accentric [sic]. The use of Hebrew rather than Yiddish or English suggests this to be the work of an Israeli trying to import Mea Shearim standards to Brooklyn, [see: Haredi Judaism**] The overwhelming majority of Orthodox Brooklynites (including Hassidic and yeshivish) view public spiritual policing as distasteful and bordering on incitefull [sic]. Also, the use of a billboard for this message is an oxymoron, since a spiritually sensitive person that tries to watch his eyes avoids looking at billboards altogether.”
*The Jewish Daily Forward (“Forverts”), a New York institution, central to progressive causes in the city and the country since its founding: The Forward.
Comment: nikobakos@gmail.com
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