Netanel Zellis-Paley

“Would that all Y-H-V-H’s people were prophets” (Num. 11:29). PhD student (@NetanelPaley), organizer, self-explorer, non-rabbi. Talked Talmud @interleaved_pod.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

Shot: Chaser:

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

@AOC Elon Musk has accused the ADL of trying to undermine him, retweeted and replied approvingly to openly antisemitic tweets, and openly supports an antisemitic political party in Germany.

The idea that a *public* conversation with him clears it all up is disconnected from reality.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

If you’ve read any New Testament or early Christian theology, the supersessionist undertones here are jarring.

If you prioritize what you believe to be Jewish tradition over the safety of actual Jews, you are not representing Torah. You are representing something else.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

Imagine if @AOC or another Democratic politician accidentally used a red triangle emoji (suggestive of Hamas support) and her supporters expressed excitement. Would you consider that dangerous enough to demand she apologize? Or would you brush it off because you met her once?

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

To those people I’ll say: You have the opportunity to make your mark on the next generation of Orthodox education, anonymously or not. If you care about being remembered, people will probably remember you more than any other MO donor in recent history. How could you pass this up?

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

But donors share responsibility too. MO donors prioritize flashy new programs and building wings they can put their name on. We sadly don’t have a culture of generosity for its own sake like the Charedi world does. That is as much of a cultural problem as an individual one.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

One thing that might make it easier for Satmar is centralization. You could argue this hasn’t happened in the MO world b/c philanthropy is so siloed. In that case, institutions like the OU are responsible for not making this a communal priority. They certainly know about this.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

This is awesome.

It would be nice if Modern Orthodox donors did stuff like this instead of pouring millions into institutions like YU and the OU. Teachers are the backbone of Orthodox communities. They deserve to be paid generously, and at the very least need to be paid fairly.

[KolHaolam @KolHaolam]

NEW YORK: Philanthropist Reb Yoel Landau announcing at the Satmar Kuf Alef Kislev event at the Barclay's Center that all Melamdim and staff in Satmar Mosdos of Rav Zalmen Leib will get a 30% raise in their wages.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

What will happen to our communities when our kids are taught only by people who never had to make the sacrifices our teachers did for Torah? What will happen to our kids when teachers can’t relate to their struggles? What will happen to Torah when it’s restricted to the rich?

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

The one demographic that’s perhaps increasing their share of teachers, or at least holding steady, is young people from wealthy families. There is nothing wrong with teaching Torah if you can afford to do so. But what does it say about a community when teaching Torah is a luxury?

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

No amount of gimmicks or teacher appreciation days are going to fix this. As well-intentioned as they may be, they ultimately serve to reinforce the status quo: teachers don’t matter as much as others who contribute to the community, despite their arguably greater contribution.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

And this elides the fact that many Modern Orthodox teachers are simply struggling financially, while administrators get paid 2-3 times as much plus larger tuition subsidies. This is not a question of resources, but priorities.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

Costs of living are increasing across the country, and so are standards. Modern Orthodox people are generally not willing to live the simple lives of their predecessors and Charedi counterparts. You can wax poetic about the old days and call them “pampered”, but this is reality.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

Fewer and fewer rabbinical students at YU are going into chinuch, and even fewer women. It’s hard to blame them. The average teacher salary barely covers basic living expenses for a family of 4, even with discounted or free tuition. And that’s outside of the New York area.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

The Modern Orthodox community has this conversation every few years, and frankly it’s time to put their money where their mouth is. There is an actual staffing crisis in Jewish education and no one seems to be doing anything about it.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

@waxmanjosh Did you watch the entire video? He explicitly suggests the assassination attempt was a message from God, and strongly implies at multiple points in the video that Trump has some kind of divine endorsement.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

Nothing to see here, just one of the most prominent Orthodox rabbis in North America—who’s previously spoken out against mixing Torah and politics—essentially claiming the Mandate of Heaven for *checks notes* noted philanderer and narcissist Donald John Trump.

Yup, this is fine.

[Yossi Farro @FarroYossi]

The rabbi of Boca Raton Synagogue, @RabbiGoldberg, spoke at Mar-a-Lago before President Trump, highlighting the miracle of Trumps life being saved by the assassination thanks To God, Hanukkah’s meaning, the Israel-USA bond, and the need to pray for peace, hostages, and the IDF.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

@Dbarenholtz1 Daniel,
This is the second time you’ve misrepresented what I’ve said. I never said that I want to shut YU down; I just want them to be more welcoming of LGBTQIA+ students. I’m blocking you because your replies are consistently combative and suggest ill will toward me. Be well.

[Netanel Zellis-Paley @wordpaley]

I'm not sure what's more bitterly ironic about this tweet: the fact that it reproduces the same nakedly sensationalist, anti-intellectual bravado Liel frequently accuses the left of, or that it unknowingly reveals the speciousness of the American Jewish anti-university grift.

[liel leibovitz @liel]

I'm calling for a total and complete shutdown of Ivy League universities until our country's representatives can figure out what is going on.
https://t.co/TsfHnP2F5r