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Tuesday, 2 Adar II, 5784
  |  March 12, 2024

MUST Comes to Crown Heights And Why I MUST Be There

Nechama, like many young teens, wanted a phone. Her parents, like many of their peers, demurred. So Nechama did the only sensible thing she could think of: she polled her friends and reported to her parents that every other girl in her class had a smartphone. Not wanting her to feel left out, they caved. Full Story

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Will there be a Zoom?
May 27, 2021 3:01 pm

COL, please post any Zoom info. TY!

London too, please!
Reply to  Will there be a Zoom?
May 27, 2021 4:41 pm

If this will be recorded – and I have no doubt that it will be – please can you let us know when it will be available for us to watch .. in multiple time zones. This is a brilliant initiative and I applaud the organisers and wish this event – and its repercussions which can only be for the good – much hatzlocha both now and in the months and years ahead. Kol hakovod to every participant and everyone involved here.

Wonderful Endeavor! Rafi Rosenberg
May 27, 2021 3:15 pm

I applaud this absolutely critical endeavor!
I have heard one disturbing refrain from so many people, that the Rebbe was a protagonist of using technology for Hafatazah. What this argument fails to understand is that the Rebbe pushed us to be PRODUCERS of torah content, but I cannot find anywhere that the Rebbe allowed us to be CONSUMERS of technology.
Keep up the good work!!!

out of town
May 27, 2021 4:40 pm

Amazing!!
Will there be a way to take a part in this from afar?

Yes yes yes
May 27, 2021 5:02 pm

Our community needs this

Finally!
May 27, 2021 5:35 pm

Please broadcast live! I will not be able to attend but I am a staunch supporter. My oldest son- no one in his class cared for smartphones and there was 0 peer pressure. My next son, his classmates are on their phones at every opportunity. My son feels left out. I was always very strict about no internet but for the sake of being balanced, I allowed him a bit of freedom. Next thing I know he is using it inappropriately. I took it away and said never again. Let us keep our children healthy and pure. They do not… Read more »

A recent graduate of bais rivkah
May 27, 2021 5:39 pm

One issue (which is partially how I personally managed to convince my parents to let me get a phone, and also part of the reason I wanted one) is that school messages are all sent out on WhatsApp. It’s a given that everyone is part of the grade chat, and anyone who isn’t needs a dedicated friend to pass on every notice. Without my phone, I would not have known about majority of events or programs or literally any information about school. There’s no other way to find out.

Facts
Reply to  A recent graduate of bais rivkah
May 27, 2021 11:25 pm

In Bais Rivka High School there is a wonderful email system, where every student gets to her personal school email. Also, there are multiple announcements during school and flyers.

Not when I was there
Reply to  Facts
May 28, 2021 11:02 am

I was in high school three years ago, and there was no email system. I have a sister in high school now, and she also only finds out about many programs and even sometimes tests via WhatsApp.

Interesting
May 27, 2021 6:57 pm

Sounds like a constructive effort. I just wonder about the adult version of this and adult usage. Parents get to control their kids’ ownership and usage of smartphones. Since however smartphone usage is so addictive, who and what and how can help the parents?

Thank you!!
May 27, 2021 7:14 pm

Yes!! Finally! Thank you for standing up, and putting all the clear truth out

Get a life
May 27, 2021 8:04 pm

This is ridiculous , a strong parent should say no wether other kids have it or not, it’s the kids choice to use it for good or bad, and there’s also filters we could put on to make sure everything safe, there’s monitors to watch exactly what they are doing, there is ways around it if you are willing to find a way. A way around it isn’t saying no phones , each parent has their own rules.

Nope
Reply to  Get a life
May 28, 2021 12:54 pm

You’re missing the point. It’s not about schmutz. It’s about the emotional and mental response to the phone that is causing mental health issues. Depression and anxiety and low self esteem and low social skills. An immature brain is not able to “choose to use it for good or bad” in those departments.

not sure if this is a real response
Reply to  Get a life
June 3, 2021 8:48 pm

but in case it is, I think it’s extremely narrow to make it solely an issue for each family. Many things should be a community wide thing because 1) we are an insular community and the pressures are intense on children, 2) if their friends have access, they have access, 3) I care about your child’s health as I care about my child’s health. I agree FULLY that each parent has to deal with their child’s anger/frustration/sadness at times when they say no but this issue has gotten way out of control in many communities.

The cure to this all
May 27, 2021 8:28 pm

The cure to this
And to those that feel like their missing out on school updates

Schools first of all should not be allowing unfiltered smartphones

And 2nd they should send updates on group me which it allowsthe update to be sent to smart phones and dumbohinew

A suggestion
May 27, 2021 8:51 pm

This sounds great! Much success to all! Here’s a suggestion, in case it could help anyone: When we were kids, we all wanted to taste my father’s coffee — it seemed so cool to drink coffee. He would sometimes give us a taste, mixed with lots of milk and sugar, but that’s all. He explained that coffee stunts kids’ growth and that’s why he wouldn’t give it to us, and that if we wanted to become coffee drinkers, we should wait until we’re fully grown. We protested that he used to drink it as a child in Europe. He explained… Read more »

Thank you for putting this article
May 28, 2021 1:39 am

wish the parents realized how much the kids can do on these smart phones earlier. Beis Rivka shouldn’t be sending out whatasp so girls who dont have it feel left out. Bnos Menachem I have personally heard of many 12 grade filtered phones that the kids know their way around to turn off the filter.
Both schools should only require dumb phone and all the parents should oblidge.

Wish the School administration realized
Reply to  Thank you for putting this article
May 31, 2021 12:56 pm

How much it impacts the children when they see their Principal or Teacher walk down the street with a ‘smart’ phone in hand! This works both ways! I have a dumb phone, but the Principal of my daughter’s school has a ‘smart’ phone? Chinuch is a team effort and the parents should not be blamed for this crisis.

It starts with the Adults/Rabbanim
May 28, 2021 10:42 am

If the Rabbanim, and adults in Crown Heights would take a stance against these phones (instead of saying we can use them for good, chas veshalom), this would be the most important step forward for our children!!! Everyone has twitsted and contorted what the Rebbe said about technology to actually justify, actually walking down the streets staring into these abominations!!! Or worse, bringing them into 770!!!! Do you not remember the advice the Rebbe, shlita once gave to someone regarding televisions? He said “it is better not to learn halacha from someone who has a television in their home”!!!!!! How… Read more »

what about those living away from home?
May 28, 2021 11:49 am

Is it okay if I want to communicate with my child who lives away from home over whatsapp if she has a dumb phone I would not be able to see her…

Kop Doktar
May 28, 2021 4:18 pm

Children mimic their parents. Not just humans, but even off-spring of animals imitate their parents. It is a natural phenomenon. Parents can never succeed by telling their kids “Do as I say, not what I do”. Try telling your kid to learn Chitas when you don’t – bet the message will fail. Tell your kid to eat healthy foods while you load up on cake and chips – simply won’t work. So why do you think parents who use smartphones and the internet, yet are telling kids to keep off phones and technology, will magically work?! It ain’t gonna happen!… Read more »

Children also mimic Rabbanim
Reply to  Kop Doktar
May 31, 2021 12:50 pm

I have a dumb phone, but if my child sees even the Rabbanim and Rebbitzins and her principal walking around on the street with the traife ‘smart’ phones, then my hope is lost. As the prophet says, “Woe to those who call evil “good,” and good “evil.” When we started to justify ‘smart’ phones by using them for ‘good’ we immediately failed our children. We all need to do teshuva for this!!!

What about a simple filter
May 28, 2021 5:32 pm

My daughter lives away from home, I need her to have a smartphone for communication via whatsapp. She has a filter, it is called TAG – she does not have or want internet on her phone, is there still a problem?
Wondering if the maker of this event has children living away from home…

I definitely agree
Reply to  What about a simple filter
May 29, 2021 10:17 pm

a simple filter works
and is this about internet or smartphones
I agree internet is a problem, but if u have a SECURE filter why can’t they have a smartphone with whatsapp to communicate with family etc…

Gut Gezogt
May 31, 2021 11:48 pm

Children mimicking each other, their parents and role models. It’s gotta stop from the top and then trickle down to the bottom of the totem pole.

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