50,000 Join In Historic Internet Asifa In New York

HUNDREDS OF PHOTOS & VIDEO [UPDATED 5:05 AM] ] [PHOTOS ALBUM 2] Over 50,000 joined Sunday evening in a historic Internet Asifa at Citi Field and in the neighboring Arthur Ashe Stadium. 

The massive event – which lasted about three hours – focused on the dangers modern technology poses
to children and adults alike and what should be done to use it in a responsible manner, for those who depend on it.

Speakers at the event included Harav Ephrayim Waxman, the Skulener Rebbe, an audio hookup from Rav Vosner, Rav Don Segal, Reb Matisyahu Solomon and others.

The MC of the event, was R’ Menashe Frankel of Lakewood.

The event concluded with the Tfilas Hashla, and with Kabalas Ol Malchos Shomayim.

MORE PHOTOS. Credits: Lakewood Shopper.

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39 COMMENTS

  1. The eve of Rosh Chodesh Sivan today

    I’m going to pray at the tomb

    “Shal”h Hkados” in Tiberias

    It’s a good time to pray for the boys education

    Who wants to remind him to send me email names

    Sincerely

    [email protected]
    ערב ראש חודש סיוון היום

    אני הולך להתפלל על קבר

    “Shal” H Hkados “בטבריה

    זה זמן טוב להתפלל על חינוך ילדים

    מי רוצה להזכיר לו לשלוח לי שמות דואר אלקטרוני

    בברכה

    [email protected]

  2. I was one of the unfortunate that couldn’t make it. Your coverage was second to none. I felt like I was actually there just watching your video!

    JOB WELL DONE!!

  3. And the first thing everyone did when they got home wa go ONLINE to see the covrage we learnt nothing (my self included)

  4. I’m crying – this was so beautiful, especially the kumzits at the end. Hashem, look down on your amazing children, see how hard we’re trying!! We want to be good, we really, really do… Help us to serve you – VeTaheir Libeinu LeAvdicha BeEmes!!

  5. I was fortunate enough to be at the asifa and personally witness the pain of our Gedolim as they grapple with this latest threat to the kedusha of Klall Yisroel. As they said, they have never personally encountered this danger, but are very well aware of its appeal and threat. It is time perhaps, for yungeleit who have been there and done that, to start a kollel under proper rabbinical supervision that extends a lifeline to those drowning on the internet. Filters alone are not an answer. As was said said night, something positive must be offered to wean people away from destructive behavior. Perhaps compassionate and answers and true Torah guidance can help where flip and glib answers do not

  6. lets see, citi field the home of the NY METS. seats 45000 approx. first year of new stadium sold out EVERY game.

    Do you not think that the they could not handle the 45000 that came to citifield and the extra that went to asher ash stadium with out the 80 hatzalah ambulances or the 15 command centers and all the other hockers that HAD to come.

    get real. I’m not saying that a little extra wouldn’t have helped but enough is enough.

    Let the prof. do there job and stop getting in there way.

  7. To hocker city.

    The extra security was because of two reasons:

    1. When 44,000 Orthodox Jews gather at one place, it becomes a very attractive terrorist target. Enough said.

    2. There were reports that anti-frum demonstrators were coming to protest, including Occupy Wall St, and there were also reports that immodestly clad women would attempt to enter Citi Field. I myself saw four girls try to enter, but were immediately stopped by police.

    The police presence was very strong, and they did a great, necessary, job.

    Chaveirim and Hatzolah and Shomrim were there for two reasons:

    1. Crowd control “with an emphasis on the sensitivities of the Orthodox crowd” most of whom have never in their lives been to a stadium.

    2. In case of any emergency (terrorist or other), being that Hatzolah’s main purpose is to serve the Orthodox community and a huge percentage of the Orthodox community was at the stadium.

    It was very understandable, and there is no reason for you to hock and complain about every little thing.

  8. its was a beautiful day for klal yisroel.
    Today is the dawn of a new era, where I remove the chains if the internet from myself and my family.
    It will be hard, but I now say goodbye to TLS and the countless hours Ive wasted here on emptiness.
    I will hereby from today on b’n, only use the net for work related.
    and I have removed all internet from my home.

  9. I a come from a religious/ yeshivish home & what caused me to go astray at the age of 17 was simply the INTERNET. Who ever did not agree with this gathering, OR did not learn anything from this, is simply immature! ppl like you only start changing once something tragic happens to one of ur own. I was shocked when i heard the amount of ppl mocking the rabanim for supporitng this, convincing others NOT to attend this gathering ” since they would be waisiting there time” Its Emb. I started changing my ways almost a year ago when i Saw the amount of unity after Leiby Kletzky was taken from us in a brutal way. However as time ”heeled” I notice how many religious fakers there are out there. I want to come back home but something is stopping me, & sadly to say its my own nation

  10. Whats wrong with the internet if you are taught properly at home how to use it. This is the 21century. The kids need the internet today ,so much can be learned from it if taught right from wrong. Start using your parental know how and raise your children to live in this time. I bet a lot of people bought facebook stock,or is that a different story?

  11. It was so amazing. LETS ALL TRY TO GET THE INTERNET OFF OUR PHONES I DID WHO WILL JOIN ME?
    At least a filter on your phone!!

  12. Estie:
    How can you say your own nation is stopping you from “coming back home” when over 40,000 people WERE at the event? Doesn’t that show that there are thousands of people concerned about their spirituality? Why aren’t they an inspiration?

  13. to Estie; I have something very simple to say, I was there last night, and i wish u could have also been there, since anyone with even the slightest trait of rachmani which is part and parcel of klall Yisroel, was extremely touched by the event. At which one was clearly able to see solidarity and unity in the real klall Yisroel, and how it really hurts most of our insides as to all the bad we are facing. It was just a beautiful gathering! Now there were over 50000 men there representing all walks of klall Yisroel, and just a number of people that for a number of reasons can not subjugate themselves to this issue. Now why would one in many stop you from continuing doing the good that you realized to be the truth?

  14. Could have set up a much needed professionally staffed internet addiction center among other necessities for the K’Hal. Just saying…

  15. The eve of Rosh Chodesh Sivan today

    I’m going to pray at the tomb

    “Shal”h Hkados” in Tiberias

    It’s a good time to pray for the boys education

    Who wants to remind him to send me email names

    Sincerely

    [email protected]
    ערב ראש חודש סיוון היום

    אני הולך להתפלל על קבר

    “Shal” H Hkados “בטבריה

    זה זמן טוב להתפלל על חינוך ילדים

    מי רוצה להזכיר לו לשלוח לי שמות דואר אלקטרוני

    בברכה

    [email protected]

  16. For me, the most inspiring thing was that so many thousands of yidden travelled from far and close and came out on a Sunday (for many of us, that’s our only free day of the week) to hear mussar on this subject. If you include the people at the Arthur Ash stadium, as well as the women at the many hookups, there were well over 60,000 yidden who came out of their homes and travelled because they are still yerei hashem (even if we sometimes do sin, in some cases by means of the internet), want to do the right thing and listen to the manhigim even if we don’t understand why they are telling us to do certain things.

    It is very easy to sit a computer screen and criticize (even if the criticism is valid) but it’s less easy to travel at your own cost and time to an event you don’t really want to go to. How many frum yidden are on the web making fun of all types of yidden and rabbonim? 1000? 2000? even 5000? So 5000 do a very easy thing; they sit at their computer screens and type away making fun. There were 60,000 of us that travelled to hear mussar and many of us did so without understanding why we should but we went anyway at the command of our rabbonim because at heart, us 60,000+ yidden want to be better yidden and do what’s right even if it’s hard. As I looked around the stadium my thought was that some people talk all day about how the current dor or yidden is such a bad one and low dor. They’re wrong! We are a very good dor, notwithstanding our many blemishes, and every one of us yidden that were sitting there are proof of how GOOD we are,. We live in a society that is very hard to live in (and especially work in) and still remain cognizant of our true tafkids in life.

    I would only hope that in the future I think at least some portion of time should be spent during the speeches praising us yidden and not just demanding. I think there would be lots of chizuk that can be gained from the praise and we definitely deserved it.

  17. 45000 strong screaming SHEMA YISROEL.
    Mi keamcho yisroel.
    The next time 45000 ppl will be screaming at Citi Field will be when the ball flies a home run. What a gelechter!!!!
    Heim-VeHeim.
    Hashem it’s time for Moshiach!

  18. Where was the “ichud” of the kehillos?
    If I separate the choshuva presence that graced us on the dais, I really am pained to admit (really, because this speaks to my dream of true achdus in klal yisroel) this was a total disaster. The yetzer horah won. He allowed politics and egos to dictate the agenda. It was a complete chasidisher event. Complete false advertising. For those of us who don’t speak yiddish, we gained nothing. Frankly, I wonder for those that do speak yiddish, whether they also gained. Of course there should have been yiddish speakers, but they should not have dominated, it should have been at least 50/50. I”m really sad. Really. I gave my nation more credit and I am disappointed. I feel terrible saying this. Rabbi Wachsman was truly amazing, he inspired. I appreciate the presence of gedolim, but we are mostly common plain simple people, that need to be spoken to on our level. Of course the gedolim should speak, but because they are on such a high level, kept it to a minimum, with divrei brocha, and then allowed those that can connect with the public to speak, such as rabbi wachsman. There should have been more practical presentations. We all know the internet has problems, we’re sitting there, we’re past that discussion, now please help us. Don’t repeat what we already know. Clearly, R’ Matisyahu was trying to save it at the end, by speaking in english to all the “mevakshei Hashem”. He understood….
    But then I tell myself, that maybe this internet, with the easy ability to speak one’s mind, has turned me into a critic, when I should simply accept what happened with the belief that greater people than I will ever begin to be, were there, some knew the program, agreed to it, and I have to shut up. I am a follower, and have no right to question. I”m really torn about this. Not only did this asifa not inspire me, it actually bought me down. I know of the countless children that will now hear of the criticism, which will undermine our gedolim, and further water down klal yisoroel. I”m sad.
    They had 40,000 people in one ‘room’, they squandered the opportunity.
    I really wanted to be proud of our nation. This was going to be our “Olympics”. I guess I’ll have to wait for that feeling at the siyum hashas. It can’t come soon enough…

  19. (Please read my post #24 first )From the fact that the other sites are not prominently posting the event in BIG at the top of their respective websites tells me that they agree that this event was a flop. This could have been so big, that it should have dominated the top of their websites for days, in MASSIVE lettering. Now it’s just a simple article, like all the other nohrishe pieces of news. Isn’t that amazing …. we have a rare historical gathering of 40,000 chareidim with all the gedolim and its not making massive headlines on the frum news websites??? But they are right in doing so. So thank you to them. Save it for the siyum hashas.

  20. I’m making a asifa in lkwd exclusive for “OUR” town its time to unite us all every single one of us need to unite yes woman and men.
    We shouldn’t need problems to unite we should do it on our own will

  21. The Chfetz Chaim didnt expect to change Klal Yisroel from speaking lashon harah so freely overnight either, why do we expect to do it? We are so used to instant results that if we dont see the immediate change its considered a flop. Its not a cleaners that when u drop off ur suit in the morn. u get it back totaly clean in the afternoon. Patience & resilience will do it. Wasnt that the opening remark from Rabbi Waxman? Didnt he mention that we were still in 48 Shaar Tuma on day 1 of Sefirah & yet we started the process toward Kedusha..?

  22. (What I will be saying is not trying to be negative against the asifa it just brings out the truth especialy after being in a basebal stadium)so after this asifa who one the game the yetzar hora or the yetzer tov? your choice

  23. I am one of the oldest in my family, I come from a yeshivish home but I am the “black sheep” and you want to know why? Its because they all think they know what’s best and think that by telling us WE ARE NOT ALLOWED ON THE INTERNET OR MOVIES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT is what makes us want to explore.. And when a parent catches their child not following there rules we get PUNISHED and then you guys ask why we hide from you and lie?!? Is because you look down upon us and ur ashamed we didn’t turn out like you.
    What the parents and rabbis have to understand is that THIS IS the generation a generation of technology that’s just going to grow and in your words (be a bigger problem) as the years go so instead of banning us and punishing us, WORK with us UNDERSTAND us by allowing internet but in safe ways

    its sad to say but it’s the truth and only my generation can understand this:
    There are a lot of yeshivish of families who have children going off and most totally off because they were deprived and didn’t know the outside world and when they had a chance to get a look at it they grabbed it
    and then there are families who are frum but have no problem with internet or TV or cell phones with texting and from my view and MANY people I have had these kind of conversations with AGREE that the percentage of yeshivish children going off the D is much higher then the frum families who allow these things but safely because there not deprived….
    So Rabbis and Parents you have to learn and realize that this is the generation (moderated).

    * if any adult has criticism about what I said then don’t bother to comment because if you do that just goes to show what I said is true how your not us or our generation so you don’t understand so please save it to someone who wants to hear!

  24. im a little confused as to how to feel about this event and i woild appreciate someones opinion. I will explain what i mean. I was witness to much of the interviewing that was going on beteween Eytan Kobre the spokesperson and the media. At the time i thought it was a tremendous kiddush hashem. Eytan was extremely well spoken with his remarks and it seemed as if he represented the cause in a way that it would look positive. However after reading a number of write ups on the event it seems like the media made a mockery of the whole thing pointing out the irony that there was internet usage in the making of the event terming it middle ages harping on the fact that woman werent allowed (even though Eytan clearly explained that it was purely a logistical reason) Is this considered a massive chillul hashem if the world views this as a lagughingstock?

  25. #34 – great questionwondered about that too. Here’s what I think but it’s probably a question for the gedolim… Of all the mockery of the asifa, the worst has been coming from within, from yidden who are looking at us like we’re entirely out of touch. I think if you’re doing the right thing, you can’t worry about what it looks like. The goyim mock our levush as well, but we don’t take it off to make a kiddush Hashem. I believe that most people making fun have missed the entire point of the event, and we have to not focus on their reactions but on our own path to the emes, to self-improvement, to yiras shamayim. We have to dig deep within and ask ourselves what I individually can do to heed the words of the gedolim and bring more kedusha into my home in a way that keeps my children fulfilled and happy (that’s for you #32). And if each of the 50,000 attendees can make one small change from the inspiration garnered, that’s 50,000 families, unlimited generations, the kedushah and morality brought to the world will be the greatest kiddush Hashem, regardless of what anyone else in the world might think.
    I hope this helps.

  26. #32
    You may be right & I pefectly understand your point, but now you must find a Rav or someone who can help guide you in the right path. The torah was given for every generation & we must keep it no matter what the nisyonos are. I am not part of the camp you describe just a working member of Klal Yisroel who goes to a shiur every day & strugles with the same nisyonos everyone else in todays generation does.

    So as they said at the Asifa find something to replace the enticement & lure of the world for something possitive & fullfiling & you will grow every day & be a happy individual. And Hashe3m will help you in the path that you choose.

    Chazak Chazak Vinischazeik!!!

  27. To # 34..
    The words Chilul Hashem are one of the most abused and misused terms bandied about liberally.
    True Kiddush or chilul hashem is primarily for the nation of Hashem. When jews do the right thing between each other and towards hashem – thats what its all about. As a secondary aspect- we should also look good and righteous in the eyes of the nations.

    When we do something positive – that is true kiddush hashem. If through those good deeds there will be material for scoffers of yiddishkeit to poke fun at- that is of no concern to us at all. We measure the quality of our actions with what is inherently positive or negative though the eyes of the Torah.

  28. # 36 i dont need any rav every rav i have been to just says the same thing its bad bad bad ya i dont need to hear that anymore what they need to do is start being on our side and work with us for the safety of internet not banning it and punishing us for going on it by them punishing us and telling us its bad bad bad they just keep pushing us away….

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