Upload
others
View
5
Download
0
Embed Size (px)
Citation preview
Dr. Yitzchok Levine
Hamodia 10th Anniversary Magazine � Page 83
Name Withheld
You see it quite frequently inpublications that cater to theobservant Jewish community: a
letter to the editor or a short opinion piece“signed” Name Withheld by Request, orAnonymous, or C. M., Brooklyn, NY. Someof these submissions go so far as to omit anyindication of who the writer is.
The question is, why are so manypeople reluctant to have their name at theend of something they wrote? I believe thatthere are at least two answers to thisquestion.
First of all, there are matters thatsomeone may write about that mostcertainly should be kept private. Forexample, if one has fallen for some sort ofget-rich-quick scheme, he or she may wantto let others know about the scam, butwould not want the world to know thatthey fell for it. Or it may be that the issueone writes about is personal and verysensitive. In such cases the writer is indeedjustified in concealing his or her identity.
However, one sees letters andcomments expressing valid opinions andobservations that do not reveal the writer.More often than not, these writings expressconstructive criticism about some issue.There are valid points that need to bemade, despite the fact that some maydisagree with them or prefer to ignore theissue.
We are not talking about submissions in
which the writer is simply out to bash this orthat. In my opinion, such writings should notbe published, because they do notcontribute anything positive. As the famoussaying goes (attributed to more than onegadol, “Not everything that is thoughtshould be said; not everything that is saidshould be written; not everything that iswritten should be published.”
Recently I sent out an email to mydistribution list about a certain issue.Someone on my list responded with anumber of what I considered to be validpoints. I emailed this person and asked if Icould circulate his comments. The replywas, “Yes, but please do not use my name.Frankly, I still have unmarried children.”
This I belief is a key point in why manyare reluctant to divulge their names after aletter or article that expresses their opinions.They feel, to perhaps be a bit too blunt,intimidated. And let us make no mistake;there are some people within ourcommunity who can make one’s lifemiserable.
In 1877, Rav Shamshon Raphael Hirschwrote the following about anonymouswritings.
“Various publications opposing our callfor secession ... have already appearedunder the cover of anonymity. Theircontents only show that their authors are inno position whatsoever to voice anyopinion worthy of note on this question....
Any replies written anonymously or signedwith a fictitious name will not receive anyconsideration from me. One who lacks thecourage to sign his true name to his viewsmust be aware that what he is saying ismeaningless, and that therefore he cannotexpect others to take notice of it. Let theanonymous gnats buzz happily in the sunnymeadows. I certainly do not want to spoiltheir pleasure.” (From page 168 of RabbiSamson Raphael Hirsch, Architect of Torah forthe Modern World, by Rabbi Eliyahu MeirKlugman.)
In light of this , it seems to me that allsubmissions to Orthodox publicationsshould contain the name of the writer,unless, of course, they deal with verypersonal issues. For this to happen, ourcommunity must foster an atmosphere inwhich people can express valid opinionswithout fear of repercussions. Such anatmosphere would contribute much to themutual respect that is a foundation stone ofYahadus.
Dr. Yitzchok Levine, Professor in the Department of
Mathematical Sciences, Stevens Institute of Technology.
e-mail: [email protected]
tenth anniversary mag2 new TF:Layout 1 3/13/2008 12:49 PM Page 83