Dismayed By Reporting On Rav Aharon Bina
Tuesday, January 31, 2012
I am dismayed by the reporting of The Jewish Week in its story about Netiv Aryeh and Rav Aharon Bina (“Has The ‘Tough Love’ Rebbe Gone Too Far?” Jan. 27). The “Andrew” story is simply not true. I think anyone concerned with our young people and the future of Am Yisrael is saddened that “Andrew” has removed himself from the Torah community in which he was raised.
However, The Jewish Week allowed him to hide his identity while at the same time gave him a platform to attack a respected rosh yeshiva.
The core facts of The Jewish Week reporting were flat-out wrong. In checking out the story, it appears that the young man had a drinking problem and this was the third time he was caught drinking, a clear violation of yeshiva rules. He was brought into Rav Bina’s office in the presence of Rav Bina, Rav Chanan Bina and a third rabbi.
Rav Bina was very concerned that “Andrew” was ruining his life. He told him so and in the course of his statement to emphasize his concern, pushed him on the back of the neck. He never slapped the young man. It seems incredulous were this episode to be the factor that turned “Andrew” from religion.
The Jewish Week was offered the opportunity to speak with this third rabbi who was in the room when Rav Bina is accused of slapping “Andrew,” however you declined to speak with him. Had you made that call, your readers would have learned the truth.
In addition to granting “Andrew” anonymity The Jewish Week also based the majority of its reporting on unnamed sources ignoring the 2,000-3,000 students who have been the beneficiaries of studying with Rav Bina and who adore and revere him.
Manhattan
Editor’s Note: The student reiterated that there was no third rabbi in the room. The Jewish Week stands by its story.
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I take great insult into Sandy Eisenstats comments. I too went to Hakotel with Rav Bina's son who was treated like Royalty by the Bina family. Every Friday night, Bina would handpick a group of kids to come to his home for Friday night dinner and i've watched a very good man like Mr. Eisenstat use Rav Bina's table as a platform for political gain....bringing people like Congressman Fred Grandy to the"I'm on my best behavior" Rabbi Bina's house for political positioning.
As a student who wasn't a problem child at Hakotel, i witnessed and was victim to a lot of Rav Bina's abuse which usually starts on Day One in the first meeting of students, where he randomly picks a kid (usually one from a family with little or no means) and throws them out for no reason to set the tone of fear. The danger of Bina is he is feared not loved and many mistake the boys fear of him for live, including the boys themselves. Hence the term Bina Boys!!!!
Sandy give me your number... i will call you and tell you my story.
Rav Bina had a henchman named Meyer Gabbai who made my life hell. Mind you Bina was bottom of his class in Ponovitch and many of the rabbi's he hires are weak minded because he could dictate his terms and control the situation. Gabbai wasn't even a rabbi. Nothing. Just a self proclaimed psychological guru who was a messenger of Rav Bina's mental abuse and mind games.
I can't attest for everything from the blog, but if put up to a trial of his peers, where there is smoke there is fire, I can personally tell you Rav Bina is a five alarm fire of trouble.
Sandy turns a blind eye to it and points out this specific kid and lists what Bina told him to defend. Regardless of the story's validity or not, there are a thousand stories out there from both Hakotel, Netiv Aryeh and visiting student from other schools who had been riddled by abuse of this guy.
Just an example of what a poor example of a human being this guy is on recruiting. I went to a very reputable jewish high school and the interviews were conducted in the principle's office. It was Rav Bina and two of us in a room. He made us read from the Gemara and sat there with his big yarmulka over his eyes and his finger planted in his nose like a five year old. I really thought it was a test, but realized the decisions were already made and this was just a walk-through. He looked at our SAT scores and said to the boy next to me "so i see you are svartza English!"
Honestly, we can all blame ourselves for knowing the stories and still choosing Bina's yeshiva, thinking the stories wereurban legend, but soon coming to a quick realization that you are 17 and stuck with a nut for a year and at an age of complete insecurity. Bina feeds on that. If fuels his blood for power.
Maybe with Sandy Eisenstat needs to stop taking 50 kids to the king david for lunch and spend his money finding out what really goes on behind the closed doors of Bina's Yeshiva.
If there ever is a class action case against him, I for one would be the first person at the depositions to tell my story under oath.
the man is a pig. Sandy should be ashamed of himself as should the Rennerts and the Haskel Lookstein's of this world.
take the tallis of from over your heads and open your eyes!!!!
I guess we will just have to wait until the depositions to know who all those ANONYMOUS people are who hide behind their computers bashing Rav Bina - including this courageous person trying to fight abuse who can't even stand behind his own words!
Yashar Koach Mr. Eisenstat -- you have 3,000+ talmidim of Rav Bina on your side in complete support.
The article was an utter disgrace but will only make Rav Bina and the Netiv Aryeh family stronger. I have no doubt about that.
At the risk of being beaten by Bina's hentchmen, I will admit that I am the anonymous of the first comment. So know you have my name. I went to HaKotel in 1999 and I personally saw Rav Bina tell someone that he may end up not frum if he doesn't get into learning. This is just one of the many examples of how he tries to influence with fear, not love.
After I one time got caught being out past curfew (visiting a relative) Bina sent Meyer Gabbai to tell me that I couldn't go to shiur for 2 days. Is this who we want educating our children?
Another time I was talking during chazaras hashatz and Bina pulled me over and told me that its better to eat pig than to talk during chazras hashatz.
Shame on you Sandy Eisenstadt. We need to get rid of Bina once and for all.
I went to Hakotel in 1999 and there was no Jason Stern in the yeshiva. At least not that I remember or that is mentioned on the yeshiva contact list that I still have or on the sweatshirt...
Strange -- looks like you're still anonymous.
I didn't make until the end of the year so I'm not on any lists. But I do remember you, Yossi. You were one of the many who just stood by and watched Bina humiliate me and others. You probably don't remember me because you didn't care to.
Jason -- if you didn't make it until the end of the year how can you say you witnessed what happened on day one of yeshiva?
And I quote you -- "As a student who wasn't a problem child at Hakotel, i witnessed and was victim to a lot of Rav Bina's abuse which usually starts on Day One in the first meeting of students, where he randomly picks a kid (usually one from a family with little or no means) and throws them out for no reason to set the tone of fear."
You also mention that even after your interview in high school, you still chose Rav Bina's yeshiva and then realized you were stuck with him for year.
Sounds like you got caught in your own lie. Now you can go back to the drawing board and come up with a new lie -- either posting under a "new" name that you will make up or with some other excuse like you were really there a different year.
Well done.
To "Jason Stern"
Just for the record, I don't believe anything in your posts as the other poster seems to have busted you in a lie...
Nonetheless, your claims are pretty funny. So Rav Bina told somebody that he "may end up not frum if he doesn't get into learning" -- doesn't that make sense? If you don't learn Torah how do you expect to be frum? That sounds like a very accurate assessment...in order to be frum, yes, you must learn Torah.
You were caught out past curfew breaking the yeshiva's rules so Rav Bina punished you -- gee, that seems pretty fair to me. Sounds like someone who is serious about his yeshiva.
Again, I don't believe your comment about chazaras hashatz anyway, but the Shulchan Aruch states in 1 and only 1 place that someone who violates this issur "gadol avono minso" -- his sin is too great to bare. You got it -- someone who talks during chazaras hashatz! The exact lashon of the Shulchan Aruch is that if someone talks during chazaras hashatz "hu choteh, v'gadol avono minso, v'goarim bo." Sounds pretty harsh to me. The Mishna Berura even says on this that you should appoint known people to watch over and make sure people don't talk during chazaras hashatz. So, it looks to me, like Rav Bina was just keeping halacha here -- which you were not.
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