Time to Say Goodbye

It’s been a few weeks since I last posted on this blog. I’ve taken a break from both the blog and the radio show to contemplate if and how I can continue to be an advocate for the truth while at the same time remain a member of the Jewish Community. It’s been an internal struggle for months now, but I think I may have come to a conclusion.

A while ago I wrote a half parody piece about me divorcing the Jewish Community, it was my way of critiquing what I saw as major flaws in leadership while at the same time poking a little fun at myself and my hard line views.

Over the years I’ve worked very hard to try and uncover the truth. Whether it be the hypocrisy of some Hasidic Communities who claim to be ultra orthodox but then hold fundraising rallies for criminals or the hypocrisy of our Jewish school system who charge a fortune in tuition and continue to cut Judaic Studies and Torah learning. There were times where I took on the pulpit rabbis for capitulating and backing down on issues like the YMYWHA opening on Shabbat or them keeping their mouths shut when it comes to the state of our Jewish education. I’ve taken on Federation and its agencies for abandoning Jewish tradition, heck I’ve even taken on the former Israeli Consul General and two Israeli universities that wanted to host non-kosher events.

I’ve dived into these issues head first, really without a care on how it would affect my employment opportunities or my status in the community. Over the years I’ve lost a lot of friends and have generally struggled to make a living. I rationalized it away as my contribution to Judaism.

Amazingly as I stood up for everyone and everything, in almost all cases I stood alone. A lone wolf surrounded by hostile chickens trapped in a coop. Not one person has stepped up to say i will join you on the frontlines, or even I will sponsor your radio show, I will take an ad out on your website (both which cost me time and money). As I face down what I perceive to be dangerous trends in our community, followers and supporters have remained silent and invisible.

I’m not a martyr and the honest truth is, I don’t want to do this anymore.

I’m not burned out, nor have I been pressured to back away, I’ve just come to the obvious conclusion that nobody really cares and if the community doesn’t care, why the heck should I work so hard and lose so much?

So I’ve decided to stop.

I’ll still bring you thought provoking articles and stories both on the blog and on the show. I’ll continue to challenge your beliefs on G-D and Judaism but I will no longer be an advocate, I will no longer put myself out for this community.

I want to thank the very few people who worked with me on these projects. Your help and support have been invaluable.

Thank you for reading, I appreciate it tremendously. If you want to reach me my email is howie@truetalkradio.com