Letter to the Editor: Klein's return not 'unavoidable'
October 9, 2012
To the Northwestern student body:
Like many (letters) before me, when I heard about Rabbi Klein, I was distraught. I wanted to know how I could get involved and make a difference, so I sent an email to University President Morton Schapiro. Although he had only been the president for one year while I was on campus, he impressed me with his commitment to Northwestern and to Judaism, and I hoped that he might be able to shed some light on the issue.
His response to me was:
"Thank you Matthew, for your thoughtful and very touching note.
This is a most unfortunate, but unavoidable, situation."
What bothered me the most about President Schapiro's response was his use of the word "unavoidable." I define unavoidable situations as those where there is no resolution, where there is only one possible course of action available to pursue. Despite the three letters to the editor, the (columns) in the Daily Northwestern, the emails to President Schapiro and the support Rabbi Klein has received, the administration still believes that this situation cannot be changed, and rather, the course of action they have chosen to pursue is the only one.
Every person knows this situation is not unavoidable. Northwestern's administration can still come to the negotiating table with Rabbi, ask for some changes in the Chabad house and keep Rabbi Klein on campus.
I want to ask Northwestern students to rise up, defend Rabbi Klein and implore the University to change its decision. The students at Northwestern can be a voice for change and help push the administration to make the right decision. I have never been more disappointed in Northwestern University than I am today.
Let's make bringing Rabbi Klein back on campus an "unavoidable" necessity and move for the University.
Sincerely,
Matthew Altman
Northwestern Graduate, 2010
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Thank you Matthew and shame on you Morty! A leader solves problems, doesn't create them. Anyone who knows Rabbi Klein knows that he is as dedicated to nu as anyone else and having been to chabad a fair amount there is nothing but celebration of Judaism going on there. Why is Morty trying to push him out? It's makes him and northwestern look bad and being a student I know it's bad for students. If Morty is a real leader, he should stop this right away.
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Whoever is behind this at Northwestern should be fired. If that's Morty so long president. This is despicable. Nothing dangerous is going on at Chabad, absolutely nothing. For Morty to call this situation unavoidable...he's covering for someone who doesn't like Rabbi, maybe himself, and that's even more despicable.
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This screams anti-Semitism. How very sad that a University with a Jewish President lets this happen. The crazy looking Rabbi with the long beard is too involved and too many students like him so the University finds a problem that probably doesn't exist, hides behind it and won't budge.
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justine (masha chava) Reply:
October 9th, 2012 at 9:38 pm
Totally anti semetic. I love this crazy rabbi!
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Rabbi klien is a blessing to northwestern. He's the kindest funnest livley rabbi I have ever met. I don't understand why northwestern is trying to get rid of him. He lifts up our spirits and helps northwestern jews have kosher meals on campus. The descion to push him off campus is unethical and heartless. Kiddish (wine drinking ceremony) is a timeless tradition of our culture and for northwestern to try to strip kiddish away from us is a horrible power display of a heartlesss institution.
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I didn't know rabbi klein, although I would be able to recognize him after my four years (now going on six, as I am now a student at the law school) at NU.
I only pipe in to say that a very similar thing happened at my high school a couple years after i left. a drama teacher who was beloved by everyone -- past and current students, faculty, parents-- was fired because (IMO, we will never really know due to legal issues) someone in the admin didn't like him, so he was ousted on a trumped-up situation.
the school won the battle, because the drama teacher never returned, even after a storm of support and protest.
but the school lost the war. furious alumni pledged to withhold donations to the school, current and past parents barraged the admin with calls, students protested, and several prominent faculty members "retired" very shortly thereafter. that year was the headmistress's last year, and although over her 20 year career at the school she had done a lot of good, her name was and continues to be basically mud to a significant number of people. this, and this alone, is really her legacy. the school tarnished its name to a lot of people, and did damage to itself that will take a long time to undo. on a personal level, i still support my high school, and plan on giving $$ if i ever have the funds, but the school will always be, in a baseball analogy, "asterix'd"
I only bring this up in case anyone from the NU higher-ups is reading, as a cautionary tale. being inflexible about something/someone a lot of people care about and a situation a lot of people disagree with, may get someone what they want in the short term. but before they reject some kind of "creative solution," as we call it in negotiations class, that can accommodate everyone's interests as best as possible, they may want to consider whether any possible long-term collateral damage is really worth the immediate "win"
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During my time at Northwestern, Friday night dinner with Rabbi Klein at Chabad was something I looked forward to each week - and I don't drink a drop of the hard stuff. On the other hand, walking back from Chabad on Friday night I regularly passed several houses with parties going on late into the night, where the smell of alcohol wafted from the doors.
I can only assume that NU administration doesn't want to crack down on students drinking dangerously with students because this would upset the offending students' (donor) parents. Instead, they are trying to please those same donors by cracking down on Rabbi Klein, who donates his time and compassion to Northwestern's students, but not millions of dollars to Northwestern's endowment fund. Instead of finding a scapegoat, NU's administration needs to find some backbone.
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