• Is it a shared interest in tax credits for parents of charter school students, among other tax evasion schemes for the abhorrently wealthy? Yeah, but nah, that’s not what I’m on about!
• Is it a fanatical devotion to the state of Israel? Yes, but no, that’s not it either!
• Is it a common goal of making the world “safe from Islamic terrorism”? You’d like to think so, but that ain’t it!
• Is it a cultural tendency towards the repression of women? Certainly, but once again, not what I had in mind.
• Is it utter contempt for homosexuals? Yes, but still not it.
• Is it religious fundamentalism in general? Again yes, but nope, that’s not the one!

Give up?
The latest common trait between America’s Republican leadership and the hareidi world is the protection of sexual predators!
CBS reports,

Republican lawmakers and aides left male interns vulnerable to Rep. Mark Foley’s improper sexual advances even though the first concerns surfaced more than a decade ago, the ethics committee said Friday in its report into an election-year scandal that convulsed the House of Representatives.
The Republicans lost control of the House in last month’s elections in which several strategists said the virtual sex scandal played a part.
The committee said one witness testified he warned the head of the board overseeing the program for interns, known as pages, Rep. John Shimkus, a year ago that Foley was a “ticking time bomb” who had been confronted repeatedly.
House Republican leader Dennis Hastert likely was told about inappropriate e-mails written by Foley last spring, even though he has said he doesn’t recall the conversations, investigators concluded.

Likewise, Agudath Israel, the largest ultra-Orthodox institution in the US, held a conference the week before last, during which Rabbi Matisyahu Salomon of Lakewood gave a speech declaring Jewish bloggers like Un-Orthodox Jew — who outed Rabbi Joel Kolko for sexually assaulting children repeatedly over the course of 30 years — “a plague” who are “attacking” the hareidi leadership with baseless slander because of their hatred of God and Torah.
Of course, we all know what happens when you keep sweeping things under the rug. Eventually they pile so high that you trip over the lump in the carpet. As today’s NY Post reports,

A Brooklyn yeshiva covered up a rabbi’s long history of child molestation and threatened parents and children who tried to end the abuse, it was charged yesterday.
Officials of Yeshiva Mesivta Torah Temimah knew of Rabbi Joel Kolko’s attacks on young boys but ignored them because he was cleared by a rabbinical court, said lawyer Jeffrey Herman, who represents some of the alleged victims.
Details of Kolko’s lurid past rocked the close-knit Jewish community yesterday as the rabbi was arraigned on new sex abuse charges yesterday.
They involved a 6-year-old boy – and a 31-year-old man, who says he was abused as a boy and again when he went back to visit the school last year.
The yeshiva denied a coverup.

The Agudah has done all that is within its power to protect men like Kolko, including opposing legislation that made it mandatory for rabbis to report allegations of sexual abuse.
The cat’s outta the bag now, thank God. But will it lead to progress?
A rough transcript of Salomon’s speech follows.

***
áøåê äî÷åí áøåê äåà, ùðúï úåøä ìòîå éùøàì, áøåê äåà. ëðâã àøáòä áðéí ãáøä úåøä: àçã çëí, àçã øùò, àçã úí åàçã ùàéðå éåãò ìùàåì
Who does not know this passage? Who is not familiar? That introduction to äâãä ùì ôñç where we are taught by çæ”ì firstly that we have different types of children and every child is an individual and needs to be taught, needs to be educated, needs to be advised according to his personality. [Unclear] of an introduction áøåê äî÷åí áøåê äåà.ùðúï úåøä ìòîå éùøàì, áøåê äåà – the Torah, is not only the Torah but this is the tools with which to educate our children, with which to ensure that each of them should develop, and to take into account – and this is the great lesson of the Torah – the weaknesses of each child.
To borrow a phrase, I am not sweeping under the carpet. øùò îä äåà àåîø? îä äòáãä äæàú ìëí? ìëí – åìà ìå. The øùò – he comes in a deriding way, he is not really inquiring, he is not really interested in a î÷åí’s way – äòáãä äæàú ìëí , ìëí åìà ìå – I am not part of this at all. àîøúí ìå åìà ìå áòáåø æä òùä ä’ ìé – these mitzvos that ä’ éúáøê commanded us – [unclear] and it was because of these mitzvos that we were we taken out of îöøéí, it was done for me. Your mocker, your scoffer, you who exclude yourself and stand from the outside and criticize – you would not been part of this because you are not part of this – you excluded yourself.
The question is asked that when the ôñå÷ which describes the question of the øùò – îä äòáãä äæàú ìëí in the Torah has a different answer to it – that’s not where the possuk áòáåø æä is written in the Torah. After the question of îä äòáãä äæàú ìëí – the Torah says åàîøúí æáç ôñç äåà ìä – it’s a ÷øáï ôñç that we are bringing to celebrate the great miracle of [unclear] ä’ àú áðé éùøàì. Why does the áòì äâãä change the answer? [Unclear] the îôøùéí say – because the Torah is saying one thing and the áòì äâãä is saying another. The áòì äâãä understands that the possuk áòáåø æä òùä ä’ ìé is what one has to say to the øùò. Someone says that to the øùò – its not a answer.
What you have to do is strengthen yourself – you heard that deriding, mocking question – îä äòáãä äæàú ìëí – åàîøúí– it does not say àîø ìå – åàîøúí – say to yourself – be îàøå your self – âáìè it should make any impression on me çñ åùìí – it’s a îøãé÷é îöåä of åàîøúí æáç ôñç äåà ìä – don’t allow yourself in any way to be impressed by those words îä äòáãä äæàú ìëí. But to the øùò you say áòáåø æä òùä ä’ ìéi – tell him [unclear] mitzvos [unclear] – and tell him he has no çì÷ in them – ä÷éí àú ùðéå.
And [unclear] when the øùò sees a combination [unclear] of how shocked your were, how afraid your were that he should not make an impression on one hand; and how afraid you were [unclear] on the other hand, [unclear] and he will do úùåáä. Because the ôñå÷ says [unclear] vyishtahavu – Rashi says that Klal Yisroel bowed down when they heard – when they heard [unclear] children – shoel bincho mmecho – have a seudos [unclear], have a seudos habonim. They heard that they will have children that are going to ask these questions – yes! Because Boruch HaMokom, Boruch Hu, because the ribbone shel olam in his Torah and in Torah Shel Bal Pe which he gave over to our chochomam describes to us a way and an approach how to deal with a problem – and the purpose is for them to do tshuva. It might take [unclear]. If we ask correctly, the Torah is giving us the answer.
There is another question which is asked on the Hagadah – Tam Ma hu Omar – the simple one – Tam Ma Hu Omar – Ma Zos – and what do we answer? Exactly the same answer we gave to the Rosho bavur ze … mitzriam? Why do we give the same answer to the tam as we give to the Rosho? Rabbi [Unclear] rosh yeshiva, saied a moreidiki zach – he said the Tam who is asking the question Ma Zos – we have to fortify him, we have to give him an answer, that if you will be confronted once with this scoffer who is going to say to you ma avoida .. lochem – I have to give the answer to you now that you can answer that if the Rasha comes along and says “Ma Avodah … lochem. We have to strengthen our children – we have to give them the power to have confidence in themselves, in the emunah of their parents, in the path that we want to lead them, and we have to give them the ammunition with which to fight back when they are attacked.
We have not come here this evening to criticize, to rebuke, to others, to those who would dare to say ma avodah hazos lochem – we have come here this evening to strengethen ourselves, zevach pesach lhashem. We have come here this evening to make sure that the insidious poison that is seeping in, into our home towns, in into our own homes – so has v’sholem would not do any damage, we have to come to immunize ourselves and our children against a plague. For that we are grateful. We are grateful, we are grateful for Agudath Yisroel for providing a platform. We are grateful to the gedolie yisroel who encouraged them, to make our own soul searching, so we should be able to strengthen our defenses. And the main thing is – not to be [unclear], the main thing is not to be afraid, the main thing is to just as we have no issue with them directly, our [unclear] echod. So we also note, on the one hand it could be harmful – it’s only harmful if we don’t resist – it’s only harmful if we were [unclear] at least around our Shabbos tables or whenever if we have a chance for the family to get together. [unclear] not in any way, just strengthen ourselves, the simcha shel mitzvah of a yid – the ahavas hatorah, the ahavas talmidei chachamim.
Our children see who we respect – let us be more demonstrative of our very strong feelings of humanity, of a [unclear]lity. And our emunah, our emunah in torasoinu hakadosho. Kol Hatorah byudeni nusono lmoshe rabeinu, and the Rambam says that goes on torah sheviksav, and on torah shebalape. Every os, every letter is kodosh. And our children have to feel it, and they can only feel it if we feel it. Boruch hamokom, boruch hu, boruch lamu yisroel .. boruch hu. [Unclear] the joy that we feel that we are gifted [unclear] to receive the Torah min hashamyim, from borei olam olei.
That everybody knows – how fortunate we are. And that’s the only effective way to combat the assault [unclear] – the terrible assault – the assault against the authenticity of our prayer – the way it was given over l’mesoros ldor vdor. The only way that we can prevent that these words havsholem that are spread around in such terrible way should not be able to undermine the foundations of our emunah – Torah minHashamayim – and that the mesoros that the words of chazal is emes ad hayom haze.
We don’t have a tayna when people ask questions with derech eretz. We don’t have a tayna even when people disagree with us with derech eretz. But when it’s done in such sarsactic, cynical, vulgar way – the language – it belongs to the gutter – becomes the language used against bnei torah, against talmidei chachamim, against rabbonim, against manhigim, against rebbeim, against [unclear]. But we have to rise when it happens. Because we need to know that what one is saying is [unclear]. Even one has an example, even when there is a true situation that took place. But to brand all rebbeim and paint them with the same brush, to criticize all manhigim…
Yes, I would say that we do sweep under the carpet sometimes. You know when we sweep under the carpet – [unclear] what we don’t, what we do. Do these people know how many times perpetrators have been dealt with? Do these people know to what extent one has to have the courage, to stand unengaged with public opinion in order to make sure to protect our children? The only thing – and that was swept under the carpet – because we protect human dignity. We are not the cowardly [unclear] anonymous people – we are courageous! And let it be said – and sometimes some things are not probed 100%. Yes, we are guided by the Torah but don’t jump to conclusions – there are consequences. And we have to proud of this – the olam hatorah has to be proud of their manhigim. And has to know, that not that [unclear[ this approach in itself, the taana that one swept things under the carpet – is in itself our greatest honor. Because it was done al derech hatorah, bruach hatorah, al pi hatorah hakodosha. If someone slips through the fingers, the chutzpah to hold on us [unclear] as an example of klal yisroel [unclear].
I want to talk for a brief moment binyan daas torah. Rabbi Ephraim azay kegunt shtark spoke so impressibly. I want to make a point – we have to understand – when emunah in daas torah begins. Emunah in daas torah beings in emunah in torah. Emunah in torah – hatorah min hashamyim. Emunah in our chazal and emunah [unclear] of our emunah in torah – that chazal that says if harishonim .. bnei, adam, onu hamorim. We have to know that this thing, we have to know the gadlus of the previous generations that we have no – which we have no hasogo, no way how to estimate that. Its is so far away from us. And starting from chumash the maskilim, who most of these people are talmidim of them, they started relating latzonos of the Torah, and in a very subtle way bringing everything down. Mekiras Yosef was just sibling rivalry – [unclear] – we are talking about shivtei kah! [Unclear] The way that we were taught it in cheder with hadras kovod – [unclear] – with kedusah and tahara – people learn chumash like this and then mishnayos of the [unclear] of Tannaim which we have no hasogo of. They were able to be mihaye mesim, but they all lived a life of kedusha and prishushus, U tannaim, Urishonim Uacharonim. Ad hyom haze each generation end of another era, dropping from stage to stage. Umalachim bnei adam. Aval lmaasei if we would have that derech eretz for the words of torah, derech eretz for the words of chazal. [unclear] mit the heileak chazal. The daas torah would be natural because daas torah just means someone who spent his lifetime – [unclear] – spent his lifetime yomim vleylos shagiya btorah – that’s daas torah. Its not tained by any outside influence.
I heard once from Rabbi Shmuel Greinman zt”lb, he said over from the chofetz chaim, he said that a mama brings to the table a glass milk – a glass of milk for the child – milk is healthy. Then one puts some dirt into it, puts some [unclear] into it – which are a lot of things which are poisonous to her [unclear] drink glass of milk. Because its rov milk, 80% milk, its only 20% of the other stuff. It’s finished – its not milk. Daas torah needs persons mind that’s imbuded with torah, the whole chochmah that he is involved with is Torah, he is completely, completely involved only in the daas hashem min hashayim which is Torah. As soon as he’s got a bit of [unclear] studies here, a little bit of opinions from the newspapers there, other people’s ideas then it all becomes part of his, what he considers his wider knowledge. Its not wider knowledge – its sparse knowledge, because emes is Torah.
[Unclear] painful subject, subject of agmus nefesh and tzar, because we don’t know how many are [unclear] by these facts. We don’t even know even whether it’s an ideology [unclear] – even if you have no access – the language is a language that is spoken already in the [unclear]. [Unclear] to protect our children from this type of attack. The emes is, I think, it would be a fitting thing [unclear] these few words, I don’t think [unclear] the way to show that one had understood a message, the way to show your appreciation and if you accept the message, I don’t think in this particular case, clapping is appropriate.
One other thing, that we need to stand on of the [unclear] has vasholem. We need to stand up to be mehabid the gedoli hadoros, [unclear] kevodo ad ofor. we have to be methakin, stand up in respect for those of us that [unclear]. I don’t know how many of you are familiar, unfortunately there are people that inform me of certain words that are being said, gedoli – that we hold in such great esteem. That has to be a demonstration that we hold, zevach lashem, that are we hold that we are not going to be in any way influenced by those insidious remarks. That we are going to show a demonostration to the rebonio shel olam this evening here that we are mehabeit the gedoli yisroel, the chillul hashem [unclear] we want Kiddush shem shamayim, kiddus .. brabim, that’s what the rib shel olam is earning for. That aza a chibah, [we] should get up and say ribono shel olam we are your soldiers, we are your servants, we are the mkabil ol malchus shamayim. We received the Torah, [Ein od belavda].
We received the Torah from you hashem yisborach, an ol. At the time [unclear] of Matan Torah, we accepted the ol malchus shamayim with azai simcha, because we realized that when we attach ourselves to Your [unclear], then your [unclear] is guranteen, our hatzalah is guaranteed and as long is klal yisroel are dovuk to this gevaldiki [unclear] which we received at har Sinai then all went well with us. And its only when other ideas impenetrate, its only when our convictions stick in not has vasholem that we begin to lose our emunah, rather we begun to lose [unclear] simchas chachaim. It not [unclear],. I would ask rabbosai that one stand up and demonostrate and show to the ribonei shel olam, let us say together that one pasuk, let us together ne mikabel ol malchus shamayim, the one possuk of Mattan torah, the possuk of simchas torah, let us together be [unclear] our rotzon to dedicate our lives, to connect to devkus of ribonei shel olam because … this way we have the protective armor and that none of this latzanus would make any impression on us. And when we come and sit back, the simchas hachayim and teach our children “ato horesu ldaas”, then we will know that they will also in no way impressed. That would be the zchus for us to be zoche bezras hashem yisborach to the geulah shelemo and [unclear] kovod shamayim which bezras hashem yisborach [unclear].
Ato horesu ldaas. Ein od belvado…