New York City – Pulpit rabbis wear many hats – religious authority, spiritual guide, therapist, friend, and public speaker – and now, the hat of a Red Cross-trained disaster relief volunteer.
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The Orthodox Union’s Pepa and Rabbi Joseph Karasick Department of Synagogue Services invites synagogue rabbis, assistant rabbis, presidents, and executive directors to a three-hour course that prepares participants to handle the event of an accident, natural disaster, or planned attack. The course will take place Wednesday, June 25, from 10:00-1:00 at the OU headquarters, 11 Broadway, In New City.
Advance registration for the seminar is required. To register, contact Rabbi Jack Abramowitz at [email protected].
The training seminar will also be available to be presented in synagogues, with a suggested minimum of 15 participants.
The Red Cross!!!???
The symbol of the Church in our Shuls!!??
What,Hatzalah is no good or not good enough?
Hatzalah may or may not be in each jurisdiction across the country. In any event, their mandate is for emergency medical response. Who is gonna go door to door in a neighborhood checking on families/elderly, calming/guiding, etc. The Red Cross has the training/experience in this area. There is something called CERT training, establishing Community Emergency Response Teams, in each neighborhood/community for just these types of events. Perhaps that is what this training involves. Or something comparable….FYI: The Red Cross also does CPR training materials, lifeguard training, babysitter training, its symbol is already in use in many shuls across the country in these capacities. So get a clue, this is not a knock against Hatzalah. This is a visionary program, terrific concept, empowering communities to take care of their own.
Rebbetzin Hockstein.
With all due respect – the Red Cross is NOT the civilian authorities of the USA. The Federal authorities are always welcomed in our Houses of Worship from President George Washington to the present. The US Army as the well as the State National guard as well as local Police and Fire Depts are the manpower going door to door. The American Red Cross is a volunteer org that does good work – BUT its authority is given to it by our civilian authorities aka the govt.
THE RED CROSS or its symbol does not belong in a Shul OR Yeshiva. as heard from one of the Gedolei Yisroel of the previous generation 23 years ago!
Did the Balei Batim of the OU or the Shuls that allowed to enter their portals ask a Posek?
Did they ever think to even ask ? (ie. consider a Shayla). That I believe might be the greater threat – that we think of ourselves more as Americans (Red Cross? Great idea!) or as ehrlicha frimme Yiden who would abhor the cross in the shul for anything.(what is the next step – inviting the Pope?)
Just as the American Red Cross is vested from our great country with the authority – can we – as Hatzolah IS!!
The meeting from the OU is in NY – there is no Hatzolah in NY??
On a organizational level, surely Hatzolah can meet with the Red Cross and fully work in tandem with our non jewish – we are all citizens and patriots of our great country, BUT NOT IN OUR SHULS!!
You are a naïve moron! When a tsunami strikes hatzalah will be helpless and you will worry little about getting help from a “cross” bearer. At that time there will be no kosher food, no shabbos, nothing. You will be in a state og pikuach nefesh. So stop bieing silly. PS there are many heimishe poaple in the Red Cross Disaster team, myself included
MDN
You are the MORON
Dids I say anything about Hilchos Pikuach Nefesh???
Also did I say no to cooperation with the America Red Cross? all I said was not in shuls!!
Also – now I want to be bit educated. Educate me on this one please and be patient with me. I appreciate your volunterism, but can you now leave the American Red Cross and teach Hatzolah or create your own org. or whatever, RATHER than working under the RED CROSS?? If the purpose of volunteering for the Red Cross is to be helpful to the general society
I have trained Hatzallah in EMT classes, I have trained Chaverim in Search and Rescue, and I also like to make a kiddush H’ outside of our little bubble, it’s nice to see a nice Jewish guy help the non-jews sometimes; after all, the Red Cross non-jews help us.
Now, as for your shul comment, hear me out: you NEED to prepare appropriately for an emergency and that means mingling Red Cross and shuls and schools, etc. What do you want we should tell them “ok, we’ll work with you guys but your cross may symbolize something against our religion so we’ll rent a hall and do the workshops there” – Sorry, that is naive. We ARE talking about pikuach nefesh. Have a chat with some yidden down in New Orleans. This is serious stuff and it’s silly to make the ‘cross’ reference.
somehow my comment was truncated sorry for being incomplete.
If volunteering for the the Red Cross is to be makir tov to society in general my question does not begin…
but if all you efforts are for Anshei Shlomeynu first and society second, what is your heter for volunteering under the red CROSS?
This is not a question you have to answer me but must be asked of a Posek and not paskened by laymen like ourselves
Tizku lmitzvos!!
anonymous says: Did the Balei Batim of the OU or the Shuls that allowed to enter their portals ask a Posek?
How do you know that they didn’t? MDN makes some very valid points…and he apparently knows what he is talking about, since he works “in the field”.
Chas V’shalom we should ever need to use this kind of training, but Chazal clearly tell us, we have to be roeh es hanolad, and be prepared….
MDN
Did you know that when Cardinals and Archbishops were invited to YU’s Bais medrash, out of rerspect, removed their cross? If the galochim themselves understand this, we should not?
This is America and we all respect all but the cross does not belong in the shul!!
So you compare a galach coming to a shul with real cross to stupid plus+sign logo? come on guys! are we wahabi radicals?
MDN
Why don’t we ask the Red Cross themselves what ther + sign stands for?
Of course there is no difference!!
And I thought we all are wahabi(!) Jews. Sabbos in the 21 Century?! That old fashioned… You get my drift…
why is the ou at all involved in this . The ou should stick to what they claim to know well HMMMM. Stick to kashrus for heavens sake.
To MDN,
Why are you calling that person a name (moron)? What caused you to have such Kaass? Do you think you are the only expert and no one else is entitled to their opinion? If the person knows that the red cross is a t’zehlem, he has a very good point -why are they being allowed into shuls? If your claim that you are involved with the ARC is true like you say, then you surely know any program they offer can be taken in their building without them having to come to you! I think you have to ask mechilah from that blogger!
On 17 February 1863, a five-member committee, the future International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC), met to proposals.
One of its main objectives was to adopt a single distinctive symbol backed by the law to indicate respect for army medical services, volunteers with first aid societies and the victims of armed conflicts.
The symbol needed to be simple, identifiable from a distance, known to everyone and identical for friend and foe. The emblem had to be the same for everyone and universally recognizable.
On 26 October 1863, the first International Conference was convened. It included delegates from 14 governments.
In addition to adopting ten resolutions, which provided for the establishment of relief societies for wounded soldiers – the future Red Cross and, later, Red Crescent Societies – it also adopted the red cross on a white background as the uniform distinctive emblem.
In August 1864, the Diplomatic Conference, convened for the purpose of transforming the resolutions adopted in 1863 into treaty rules, adopted the First Geneva Convention.
Modern international humanitarian law was born.
The First Geneva Convention recognized the red cross on a white background as the single distinctive emblem.
Since the emblem was to reflect the neutrality of the armed forces’ medical services and the protection conferred on them, the emblem adopted was formed by reversing the colours of the Swiss flag.
Switzerland’s permanent neutral status had been firmly established in practice for several years, and had been confirmed by the Treaties of Vienna and Paris in 1815. Furthermore, the white flag was and remains a symbol of the wish to negotiate or to surrender; firing on anyone displaying it in good faith is unacceptable.
The resulting symbol had the advantage of being easily produced and recognizable at a distance because of its contrasting colours.
you guys are radical fools indeed
MDN
Do you know the history of the swastika??
It was an ancient semitic symbol – yet noone will challenge what it means today.
A cross is across is a cross!
To MDN,
It seems that you have an attitude problem. You still haven’t answered my 4:26pm blog. Also, even though you are correct of the origin of the red cross symbol; do you know the origin of the Swiss flag? Here it is: “The Swiss cross on a red field ultimately derives from a similar banner of the Holy Roman Empire, and thus has strong Chri*tian connotations. The Swiss flag traditionally stands for freedom, honour and fidelity.” And don’t tell me the ICRC didn’t know this. I’m not saying because of Chri*tian origins you aren’t allowed to let them into your schools or shuls, but you are not halachically capable of deciding this shaylah! Get off your high horse!
sorry for being technical, but a cross has a shorter height and longer bottom..the medical red cross is more even and looks to me like maybe 2 bandaids crossing each other
people go to methodist, st mary’s, st. lukes, lutheran hospitals, etc
Tes Ploni people GO but don’t we donot BRING the Cross into the shul!