Ban Carlebach Now

[Hat tip Fendi]

There is a new definition of moral hypocrisy. This is (especially an egalitarian neo orthodox minyan) a Shule, Minyan, Temple or women’s service that still utilises Shlomo Carlebach’s tunes.

His daughter clearly knows of her fathers misdeeds and suffered herself as a victim.

See Here for the story.

His tunes are stained and belong in oblivion. They cannot conjure spirituality. The analog of a person dipping in a Mikva while holding something impure, readily comes to mind.

There is no defence.

Author: pitputim

I've enjoyed being a computer science professor in Melbourne, Australia, as well as band leader/singer for the Schnapps Band over many years. My high schooling was in Chabad and I continued at Yeshivat Kerem B'Yavneh in Israel and later in life at Machon L'Hora'ah, Yeshivas Halichos Olam.

5 thoughts on “Ban Carlebach Now”

  1. An interesting situation that hasn’t occurred before due to the advent of the internet. From do we watch Mel Gibson movies (talking about Xmas only of course) all the way down to going to shules where the Rabbi has done some dodgy? Or even the board? And everything inbetween.

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      1. The very article you quote from Neshamale states she was fondled by a friend of her fathers. It also says a group of women confronted him about his own behavior and that he accepted what they said.

        “The essence, my friends, is to be brave, to acknowledge fear and not be paralyzed by it. To be angry and to love anyway.”
        “I do not recognize the version of my father that some people describe. To me, he was the kindest, most respectful, most loving person to my friends and me. ”

        The only credence I’ll give to your pained outburst are in her words:
        “And this is why we need to sing and hope even more than before. Finding songs to propel us is essential, now more than ever. If there were no songs, we would sing anyway. We’d find a way. My father’s music has been a salve for many and a trigger for others. In the end, those who feel healed by the music I bring – my own and my father’s – will be blessed by that. In the end those who feel that they did not want to include it in their repertoire will not include it.”

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  2. Thank you. I have been raising this issue from long before the MeToo movement arose. It’s incredible that people refuse to hear the voices of Jewish women’s pain. Now, with MeToo in full swing, I’ve seen nothing about Carlebach and the harm he inflicted on women and girls — yes, underage girls, let’s not forget. And some men, too.

    I believe his victims. I believe every one. His daughter has a lot of psychological and other reasons to say what she says about him; I don’t regard her as an authority. Many men (not exclusively, but mostly) who seem wonderful in one context have turned out to be predators in other settings. It’s quite common, in fact — especially among religious leaders. I’m sorry for those who feel they owe such a debt of gratitude to Carlebach. I understand that pain. The betrayal of that trust is also an offense Carlebach committed. In response, I’d suggest looking to God as the source of their Jewish awakening and growth, not to the vessel God chose to use at the time; as well, look within to acknowledge that it was they who responded — their own ability to respond to God’s outreach to them, in a form they could accept at the time — should be more honored than the form itself.

    To me, it’s stunning that people — especially in more liberal streams of Judaism, and I consider myself a liberal — can protest against Hollywood moguls, politicians, and artists who have transgressed the boundaries of multiple people’s boundaries, can claim to believe victims, yet stop short of applying that standard to Carlebach. This, despite the much larger number of Carlebach victims who came forward (not to mention the many others who have not — those who stay silent are always more numerous). It’s a blatant example of the acceptance of male rock-star privilege to which they continue to turn a blind eye. A shonda.

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    1. To be fair, I don’t think the “continue to enjoy Carlebach” approach has anything to do with the fact that he was a male. In the case of Carlebach the question is why the significant number of accusations haven’t resulted in his music being considered “off limits”. This is independent of any #metoo movement and predates it.

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