By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, Publisher and Editor of Yated Ne’eman
I look at the picture of his face,
And see his smile.
I hear his children saying Kaddish.
And his father.
Overwhelmed with grief,
Wife, 8 children,
Awash in tears.
Communities around the world
Mourn.
A young life cut down,
Giving, loving,
Holy soul,
Snuffed out.
I look at the front page of the paper
I see mean,
Vicious,
Hatred,
Screaming loudly to the city and world.
I think back to
Lavan.
Eisov.
Nevuchadnetzar.
Trotsky, Lenin & Stalin.
All the way back in time.
Until this very day.
Who hasn’t wanted to see us dead and buried?
Jewish blood has always been cheap,
Nobody cared when they came after us.
We’ve been burnt at the marketplace.
Stomped.
Gassed.
Shot.
Given up for dead.
Yet here we are,
Persevering,
Succeeding,
Growing.
They can’t stand it.
They can’t stand us.
We are alive.
Where are they?
Titus.
Ferdinand, Isabella.
Mussolini.
Hitler.
Why, they ask, are the Jews titans of industry and commerce?
Real estate, stocks and bonds?
Why do they have influence?
Why aren’t they dead?
They are all cheaters.
They are all liars.
Underworld cut-throats.
They poisoned the wells,
They killed our babies,
For matzos.
They froze us in the winter,
Boiled us in the summer.
The Jews.
It’s all their fault.
The rotten,
Smelly,
Jews.
Till today they wonder
How to get rid of us.
They cover their hate with smiles,
Feigned ignorance,
And legal shenanigans.
“We love the Jews,” they say.
Sure, just as Paroh did.
All types of charges,
Allegations,
Fraud.
The Jews, they say, don’t care about laws,
Violations,
Fidelity,
Children,
Abuse victims.
They kill their baby boys,
To satisfy an ancient rite.
They rob, cheat and steal.
They can’t be trusted,
Disloyal citizens.
They control the banks,
The press,
But not the Post.
We thought it was different here.
America is not Russia,
Or Germany,
France or Rome.
It’s not,
But the hatred is here as well.
The quiet murmurs,
Suspicions,
And tricks.
We need reminders,
From time to time.
Don’t get complacent.
Don’t get too comfortable.
Remember we’re not home,
We’re far away,
Homeless,
On a comfortable bench,
In a nice park.
We pine for geulah,
Moshiach,
Redemption,
Salvation.
Uva l’Tzion goel.
If anyone truly has this irrational fear expressed in this poem, its time to leave America.
So when the NY Post does it to other what’s it called? Trust you don’t care same situation here.
Media writes for its audience, to sell papers. They write what the audience likes to hear. There was no investigation, no trial, the Jew is outside of the law – what happened is ‘justified’. No one is playing victim. You are playing Ostrich- an ostrich hides its head in the sand when a threat approaches, thinking if he is blind to the enemy then his enemy is also blind to him. Being aware of a problem while it can hopefully still be dealt with is the first step to taking action. That’s not called playing victim, it’s called being responsible.
STOP PLAYING VICTIM!!!
A radio show host, many years ago, said,”You think you live in a free country? Open up your own garbage pick-up company, and I’ll come to your levaya.” Let’s assume – judge every Yid favorably – that his failure to pay his debts was because he fell upon hard times. But that depends on who you borrow from. Many businessmen do borrow from “unconventional” sources other than your typical bank or credit card company. But, it is well-known that no matter what mafia you borrow from, there is no option of bankrupcy by them. They are smart, ruthless, evil, cold-hearted… Read more »
Ny post was disgusting to write what they did. Weather or not it was written by a person who hated Jews is irrelevant the point is they were insensitive to him and his family…and you can use this horrific act to live in fear and hate or in peace….
This is also the claim of the Zionists. The only place you can be protected is in Isael governed by Yidden with Hashem’s close eye.
Of caurse Rashi’s words have it’s place but you don’t build your life around this one. Otherwise you have no heter for living in the diaspira
And the more you keep rehashing and use words so loosely who wants to take you seriously. The whole point of this was the NY Post insensitivity so what are you talking about, huh. Only you can feel hate.
this is a rule from the Torah which is eternal.
all those denying it was anti-semitism are burying their heads in the sand and are living in a fantasy world.
AMERICA IS NISHT ANDERSH!
GOYIM, EVEN AMERICANS, HATE US- FACE IT INSTEAD OF EXCUSING DEPLORABLE BEHAVIOR
(of course there are exceptions to every rule!)
hilarious!!
That’s not a fact that’s your opinion.
Would the NY POST have run the same front page if a black, hispanic or other minority was the one murdered?
I don’t think so. Do you?
whatever you want to say is fine (people who think the cover wasn’t anti Semitic) but deep down everyone knows that even if officially they;re just doing it to catch peoples attention, they wanted to be Anti Semitic. FACT!!!!
Aaron short is a woman?? Hmmm
R’ Liphutz poem is just as bombastic as the NYP headlines just in the other extreme. Do not insult holocaust victims and survivors by comparing a NYP headline (or anyone for that matter) to hitler ymch’sh Do not stoop to your opponents level. Especially when your opponent is as low as the NYP. The elephant in the room is that freedom of the press/expression has become the bullying weapon of choice. The NYP did not even back down after the press release and thousands of complaints. Do you think any politician or non-media CEO would survive a scandal like this?… Read more »
Perhaps the lender discussed his options with a colleague, what to do with a borrower who didn’t pay and when the colleague found out his background he egged him on to take the ultimate retribution. So, is it strictly anti-semitism? Probably not. But did being Jewish help? Probably not.
That some of these comments show that some people in our community don’t have a sense of what is happening in New York and America in general. As someone who rides the subways and deals constantly with non Jewish people and secular Jews in the course of business it is clear that there is a strong anti religious vibe. Not anti-muslim religious, but specifically anti-Jewish religious. It’s not everyone and the more polished, sophisticated people either cover it up well or are not so petty as the ‘masses’ but it seems to be the majority. Just looking at who the… Read more »
hasn’t history shown that big anti semites were also sadly jews…
To 11 and 17 . If you scream antisemitism in every instance then ppl will stop taking you seriously ie the boy who called wolf
if you are not a fool, then you need a refuah shleima. pre war anti-Semitism in Germany did not start with a bang, but with what you saw in the post
all we need is really mashiach now!!
Do folks know that the writer who wrote that was a Jewish woman.
Stop throwing around words so loosely please.
The post was wrong full stop,
However they always wright eye catching front page headlines.
Think about it,based on their description of
Shtark and co the story makes for added interest but in my view it has nothing to do with antisemitism.
Having said that, i still believe the post should be condemn and sued for their insensitivity and wrongful
accusations towards another human being.
if you want to argue with my post that’s fine but please argue against my points made not just with posts like #17
who just throws statements in the air.
thanks.
Atzvus doesn’t lead to anything good. The New York Post headline was over the line, but it wasn’t an attack against Jews. It was saying that Stark had so many enemies (allegedly) that the police didn’t know where to start looking for his murderers. Nothing more.
The Post article was written by a Jewish woman. So the Yated message doesn’t make sense.
They are not in fantasy land, they are in the real land. No bubbles.
Don’t compare America to Germany, you cheapen what Native Americans went through.
well written.
Missing the point??? #16 you are a moron do you think the post has to write the word JEWISH???? as if the shtrimle and payes dont scream jewish??? Oh so sorry He must be AMISH….!!
Go to his Kever and bet mechillah!
They are never going to say ‘because he is Jewish’ – or at least, not yet. They will just post a picture of a man with a beard. Enough said. You seem sure he was involved in dishonesty. Do you have inside information?
Our ‘response’ is only a response if it is publicized to the people who instigated the NY Post’s ugly, child exploiting, and extremely irresponsible front page. Who is going to see this article? I don’t think the elements at the Post read the Yated.
To number 7 and 8 wake up from fantasy land!!!!
When you run to call everything anti-semitism, you cheapen the word.
There was NO anti-semitism here. A guy was murdered horribly. There was a motive. The NY Post wrote a sensationalist article about him. That’s what they do! They are a tabloid.
They didn’t say “He was Jewish, who wouldn’t want him dead?” They said, “He was involved in lots of shady deals and treated hundreds of tenants horribly. Which of them wouldn’t have wanted him did?”
Where is the anti-semitism?! Stop calling it that!
I agree with every word especially your last two sentences.
very well written
The Rebbe never spoke like this. He never asked us to look at non-Jewish people in this country as people we should look to as evil people. On the contrary, we are here to teach them. This article does not speak of a positive change in the world for Moshiach! Aren’t we to look upon the nonJews kindly and teach them the sheva mitzvos? Aren’t we supposed to be thinking positive – that the world is becoming kinder, more full of chesed, and heading towards Moshiach? And the murderers of Menachem Stark – no one knows if they are non-Jewish… Read more »
Oimdim Oleinu Lechaloseinu………………
Whats wrong with you?
very nice
important message!
I was horrified when I read this poem. I can’t believe you’re posting it here!
Why do people always run to assume everything is anti Semitic?! Are u asking for people to hate us?! The post always has outrageous titles, no matter what race (and actually has pro isreal articles). Obviously to catch the eye. So lets not always play the victem, suck it up. Unless obviously it’s a real threat. Now, don’t compare america back to Russia or Germany! In Germany 6m were killed jews couldn’t take the local train, or go into many public places etc… Yes there is still hatred, but, no where near like it was. And to prove my point.… Read more »
great job! You hit it on the button. Written very well. Should be posted on FB.
Bullseye! A winner!
Leave it to Reb Pinchus, first Reb Modechai Ha Levi ben Rifkah Rubashkin and now Reb Menachem Stark obm.
You are a true Ohev Yisroel!
May Hashem bentch you, your family and all of Bnei Yisroel
with the arrival of Melech Ha Moshiach Now!
thank you for reminding us. wow
Such a poignant, powerful piece. Very moving. And so true.
Well done, very inspiring!
Good and important piece, the title is bang on.