Romach

Monday, March 13, 2006

HAFTR & Rambam Merger II

MoC has taken down his posts on the HAFTR-Rambam merger.

I have a lot of ill feelings towards HAFTR (for personal reasons) and I have let those feelings run amok. I only hope that whatever decisions the two schools make are made carefully and with seichel.

Comments have generally been supportive of his decision. Its not easy for someone to admit having gone overboard.

Fortunately, I harbor no ill will towards HAFTR, or Rambam. I also see no reason to remove my post. While one commentator states that this can only lead to more loshon hara, that is true of almost everything. We must have faith in our commenters and commentators, and those that go overboard or violate halacha lend themselves at risk for moderation.

The strongest reason I can think of for removing my post is secrecy. Secret negotiations, when they become public, can often have devastating results. Especially on such an issue of this.

But are these talks secret? Rambam and HAFTR have sent out communications which strongly point to talks. Whether its a merger or alliance, confederation or partnership, we all know that *something* is in the works. They might fall through, they might not.

If Rambam and HAFTR had wanted the talks kept secret they should have done more.

Can increased community attention sink the deal? Sure, but that might not be a bad thing. Parents, students, bloggers, administrators, and teachers, all bring different perspectives. Indeed, I believe that a full fledged discussion, free of animosity, can only help the state of yeshiva education in the 5T.

If anyone has more information on the merger, please feel free to email me at romach613@gmail.com. I hope to repost one or two of my comments on MoC's blog here, along with an more in depth analysis of the situation.