The 101 Questions on the Asifa

By: Dovid Teitelbaum
“If you don’t ask the right qestions, you don’t get the right answers. A question asked in the right way often points to its own answer. Asking questions is the ABC of diagnosis. Only the inquiring mind solves problems.” — Edward Hodnett


To: Ichud HaKehillos LeTohar HaMachane

1. You described this event as “Na’asa V’nishma”. And so 60,000 of us showed up, and now we would like to know, why? 
2. Why was this event so important? 
3. Who is the Ichud? 
4. When was the Ichud established? 
5. What is their true agenda? 
6. Who is TAG? What was their true agenda? 
7. What’s the connection between them? 
8. Why wasn't it mentioned at the beginning that Ichud is a project of TAG? 
9. Why doesnt TAG publish their recommendations online or in a pamphlet? 
10. Why does it need to be over private phone calls? 
11. Why is TAG still pushing for ISP filtering when there is free software available that does as good or if not a better job? 
12. What were the pre-asifa meetings about? 
13. What was said at these meetings? 
14. Why were different things said at each meeting? 
15. Why did some meetings mention Citifield and others not? 
16. Why did every rabbi have a different understanding as to the point of the Asifa? 
17. For the first time our private lives of tznius and modesty of Yidishkeit was to be plastered all over the Jewish and non-Jewish news. What was to be gained by this? 
18. Why did the world need to know our views on the internet? 
19. Why were the non-Jewish media reporters spoken to from the Ichud? 
20. Was it important for them to know about this? 
21. Why were different reporters given different information from the same people at Ichud? 
22. Why was it that what many in the jewish and non-jewish world considered to be a huge Chilul Hashem was reported as a Huge Kiddush Hashem by all the chareidi press? 
23. Why were OPINION columns from the non-Jewish media printed in an asifa pamphlet? 
24. Why did we suddenly take non-Jewish opinions to be fact? 
25. Why weren't the opposing opinion columns from the NY Times that didnt blame the internet printed? 
26. Why were old studies quoted when they were clearly out of date? 
27. Why were later studies that disprove the earlier ones ignored? 
28. Why did the same Rabbonim that said one should “kill themselves rather than use the internet” in January, change their minds one week later and say filters were the answers? 
29. What happened that suddenly all the rabonim changed their position? 
30. Why did they go back to forbidding it after the Asifa? 
31. Why the constant flip flop? 
32. What was the Ichud’s position on filters? 
33. Why, with every ad, did they change the stated goal of the Asifa? 
34. What was the REAL goal? Why was there no “huge solution”? 
35. What was the “huge solution” going to be? 
36. Why were the speeches at the Asifa sending mixed messages? 
37. What was the message SUPPOSED to be? 
38. Why was there a paper printed to be signed by all those attended? 
39. Why wasn't the paper given out? 
40. What was the point of the pamphlets? 
41. Why did the pamphlets not go out at the Asifa? 
42. Why were horror stories about the internet published by the asifa? 
43. Are these stories true? 
44. Why are there no authors to these stories? 
45. Who wrote these stories? 
46. How did the asifa address any of these stories? 
47. What was the purpose of the stories, if not to find a solution to them? 
48. Why does the ichud state that children are becoming less religious because of the internet, when every study shows thats not true (i.e. frank margolis book “off the derech”)? 
49. Why was every other method of helping teanagers with issues not encouraged? 
50. Why were none of the many mechanchim and rabonim that deal directly with teanagers not a part of the asifa? 
51. Why didn't the ichud ask them advice as to practical solutions that work? 
52. Why weren't therapist that work with these children quoted by name as to what they believed the problems to be? 
53. Why was there no money in lakewood to support an “our place” for girls that needed an outlet and professionals to talk with, but there was millions for this event? 
54. Why, before the Asifa did everyone from Ichud say there is no “one solution for everyone” and then at the Asifa a verdict was given to all that attended? 
55. Why did they say at the Asifa that those who don't follow the edicts that leaders of such a large gatherings make, will lose their Olam Haba? 
56. What was the meaning behind this? 
57. Why is the ichud quoted in the mishpacha as saying “Bans are not the right approach” and “The rabonim have a desire for change” if there was no change to take place? 
58. Who sponsored the event? 
59. How much money was raised? 
60. Who gave the money? 
61. Who refused? 
62. Who was going to profit from it? 
63. Who was to gain power? 
64. Who was going to lose power? 
65. Why was the name of the key organizers behind the event not printed on any of the ads? 
66. Who is Yeshivanet? 
67. Who is Jnet? 
68. Why were the chareidi newspapers all pushing for the Asifa? 
69. Who wrote all these articles? 
70. Why weren't the usual writers giving their views? 
71. Why weren't the views of the rosh yeshiva’s that didn't support the asifa given a voice in the chareidi press? Why did some schools force parents to go? 
72. Why did other schools not give out the papers? 
73. Why was the event that called for all klal Yisroel end up with mostly a chareidi crowd? 
74. Which Rabbonim knew what was going on and which Rabbonim didn't? 
75. Why did some Rabbonim go and others refuse to? 
76. Why were signatures of Rabanim used that were clearly not for the asifa and didn't participate? 
77. Why did Rabbonim change their mind? 
78. Why did all the recent ads claim “All the gedolim” when clearly it was already known that many didn't support it? 
79. 60,000 chareidim get together and not a mention of R' Elyashiv, the "posek hador". No tehillim for his refuah, why not? 
80. The same applies to R' Steinman and R' Chaim Kanievsky, Why were their names not mentioned at the Asifa? 
81. Why did only one of the Satmar Rebbes show? 
82. Why did only one Bobov Rebbe show? 
83. Was it really for ALL of klal Yisroel as it was reported to be? 
84. Was it REALLY about achdus? 
85. Why was a main focus of the Asifa about achdus if there will be a Siyum Hashas in just a few weeks? 
86. Why was every other problem facing klal Yisroel not even discussed? 
87. Why just the internet? What is the problem with the internet? 
88. Why were other problems not even mentioned at the Asifa? 
89. Why weren't the other problems addressed? 
90. Why weren't any simple solutions presented? 
91. Why was the expo cancelled? 
92. Why wasn't the public told who will be speaking at the Asifa? 
93. What were the Gedolei Hador told about the internet? 
94. Why were these meetings held in private? 
95. Why is the chaeridi press not addressing any of these questions? 
96. Why was the Asifa only for men? 
97. Why was the Asifa in the Tri-state area? An event that's for all Klal Yisroel should have been promoted in all large Jewish communities. 
98. Why was a psak halacha given at the event that contradicted everything the Asifa was to be about? 
99. Is our tzibbur capable of this??? 
100. Why aren't most Rosh Yeshivas (besides BMG) following the Psak Halacha? 
101. why did it come to be that Rav Wosner has suddenly become the posek hador for we Jews in America? 
102. Why if Rav Wosner gave a psak halacha of no Internet in the home, did all the charei papers, on review of the Asifa remove that part of his speech???Why is it important to know the answers? 

Because I believe Klal Yisroel deserve to know the truth so that something like this doesn't happen again. Because we can all close this chapter and move on with our lives.

Feel free to add your own comments... NO NAMES!

All these questions will be answered in my future post: The Asifa Scam
How 60,000 ultra-orthodox Jews were conned by a few manipulative Askanim, Rabbonim and the Chareidi Press!