Ultra-Orthodox Jews who believe that the Internet threatens their way of life held an unprecedented gathering on Sunday at the New York Mets' stadium to dissuade followers from using modern technology in a religiously inappropriate way. More than 40,000 ultra-Orthodox Jewish men packed Citi Field for Sunday's gathering on the dangers of the Internet, and an overflow crowd gathered at nearby Arthur Ashe Stadium. Discussing the planned event last week, Eytan Kobre, a lawyer who is the spokesman for the event's organizers, said "It's going to be inspiration and education about using technology responsibly in accordance with Jewish values." Kobre said the rally's purpose is not to ban the Internet but to learn how to harness it. "There is a very significant downside to the Internet," he said. "It does pose a challenge to us in various aspects of our lives." He cited online pornography and gambling as well as the risk of social media undermining "our ability to pray uninterruptedly, to focus and to concentrate." The rally was organized by a rabbinical group called Ichud Hakehillos Letohar Hamachane, which means Union of Communities for the Purity of the Camp. Published reports have put the cost at $1.5 million. Kobre would not confirm that amount, and he said those who financed it prefer to remain anonymous. Spokesmen for the Mets and for the U.S. Tennis Association did not immediately respond to phone messages seeking information about what the rally organizers paid to rent the stadiums. Women were not permitted at either stadium but the meeting was broadcast live to audiences of women in schools and event halls in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods. Kobre said live hookups were also arranged elsewhere in the U.S. and internationally. The organizers are leaders of ultra-Orthodox sects that reject many aspects of modern life. Women dress modestly and wear wigs after marriage, while men wear black hats and long beards. Children are educated in Jewish schools, and Yiddish is the first language for many. Television is banned or discouraged, but Kobre said many ultra-Orthodox Jews use the Internet either on computers or smartphones. "There's a spectrum of usage and there's a spectrum of how people are dealing with it," he said. Samuel Heilman, a professor of sociology at Queens College who has written widely about ultra-Orthodox Jews, said community leaders are worried about "seepage of the outside world into their enclaves." "The problem of course is that they can't keep it out because the Internet has become ubiquitous and also important for them," he said. Heilman said many ultra-Orthodox Jews use the Internet for online trading or to run businesses from their homes. But the "seemingly innocuous device of a telephone or a computer" provides an opening to the outside world that the ultra-Orthodox have long shunned, Heilman said. "They think that world is so seductive and so dangerous and so base, that it's the greatest danger," he said. The lineup for Sunday's rally included prominent rabbis speaking in Yiddish and English, with the Yiddish portions translated into English on Citi Field's big screen. A group urging more support for the victims of child sexual abuse inside the close-knit community held a counter-protest outside the stadium.
New York's ultra-Orthodox hold mass rally on Internet risks
Spokesperson Eytan Kobre says purpose of the event was not to ban the Internet but to learn how to harness it • Women not permitted to attend the event at New York's Citi Field stadium, which was broadcast live.
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