Giving askanim and Rabbonim the benefit of the doubt

[yzj]

https://www.thelakewoodscoop.com/news/2020/09/audio-message-from-lakewood-igud-harabanim-for-covid-matters.html

It's almost as if they like playing from behind.

They already have the attention of the Governor. How do you think this all plays out when they find out the community used the extra resources to skew the numbers and hide the severity of the exposure?

It's so childish.

This is a disgrace.

While everyone was second guessing the askanim and Rabbonim they were in direct communication with the Governor who clearly communicated the need to have positivity rates look better to allow him to hold back the voices (including several in his administration) who were demanding that Lakewood be shut down immediately.

Perhaps we should keep this in mind the next time we think we know so much better than them and have the hachna’ah to think that maybe we are missing part of the picture. ולא ללמד על עצמו יצא אלא ללמד על הכלל כולו יצא.

I have seen this so many times when people working so hard לטובת הכלל and effectively doing so, are attacked by every all knowing guy, often when the true story can’t be told for either political considerations, or to protect the privacy or dignity of those being helped. We would gain much if we would keep this in mind.

[Lurker]

While everyone was second guessing the askanim and Rabbonim they were in direct communication with the Governor who clearly communicated the need to have positivity rates look better to allow him to hold back the voices (including several in his administration) who were demanding that Lakewood be shut down immediately.

Perhaps we should keep this in mind the next time we think we know so much better than them and have the hachna’ah to think that maybe we are missing part of the picture. ולא ללמד על עצמו יצא אלא ללמד על הכלל כולו יצא.

I have seen this so many times when people working so hard לטובת הכלל and effectively doing so, are attacked by every all knowing guy, often when the true story can’t be told for either political considerations, or to protect the privacy or dignity of those being helped. We would gain much if we would keep this in mind.

I think you misunderstood what the agreement with the Governor was. It wasn't to give him cover. They argued that the positivity rate was truly lower, and he gave them the opportunity to prove it. They then went and told people who were symptomatic not to test, in order to show a positivity rate that was artificially low. If the Health Director, who is allowing schools to stay open contingent on random school testing, finds out that they are hiding cases, do you really think he'll hesitate to shut everything down? And then where does all that hard-earned trust go?

[Euclid]

While everyone was second guessing the askanim and Rabbonim they were in direct communication with the Governor who clearly communicated the need to have positivity rates look better to allow him to hold back the voices (including several in his administration) who were demanding that Lakewood be shut down immediately.

Perhaps we should keep this in mind the next time we think we know so much better than them and have the hachna’ah to think that maybe we are missing part of the picture. ולא ללמד על עצמו יצא אלא ללמד על הכלל כולו יצא.

I have seen this so many times when people working so hard לטובת הכלל and effectively doing so, are attacked by every all knowing guy, often when the true story can’t be told for either political considerations, or to protect the privacy or dignity of those being helped. We would gain much if we would keep this in mind.

Firstly, I would like to publicly say that Avi Schnall and the cohort of askanim from town are doing yeomans' work here; and I'm very grateful for the time and energy they spent building the relationships in general and for negotiating now, specifically.

However, my issue was (and is) that the askanim and rabbonim are playing (pun intended) from behind i.e. they're reacting now instead of being proactive to something that was predictable and avoidable. Instead we, as a community, are cashing in on relationships in order to work around a preventable situation.


Additionally, as @Lurker mentions, they are playing with fire now. By "artificially" deflating numbers we are jeopardizing the relationships and trust that askanim etc. spent years building. I fully concede that there isn't really a better option currently...which is why I'm so frustrated - IT SHOULD NEVER HAVE GOTTEN TO THIS POINT.


Last point is, something that has been crystalized over Covid (@yzj posted about this eloquently): unfortunately Lakewood doesn't have a cohesive leadership/community and, while I directed my frustration at the rabbonim and askanim, this isn't really their fault. They're stuck between a rock and a hard place; literally anything they say will anger a significant portion of the community - and cause that portion to just ignore what they say. I don't envy them at all; being a public figure with responsibility in Lakewood is a lose-lose situation.


I'll leave off that I'm fully aware that I'm Monday morning quarterbacking the rabbonim from my comfy desk chair...but to my feeble mind this all could have been avoided.