October 29, 1999

As the nation continues to grapple with the aftermath of the violent acts perpetrated against children earlier this year in their schools and summer day camps – places where they should have been safe from harm – a newly released Orthodox Union publication tackles the issue of violence and attempts to identify its origin by asking the question: "Does what we see influence what we do?"

Sponsored by the OU’s Pardes Project, the pamphlet cites biblical and talmudic sources on the impact of watching acts of violence. The guide asks whether witnessing evil – even fictitious portrayals of evil acts – can cause the average person to internalize and act out what they have seen.

An open letter on the subject to President Clinton from Rabbi Yaacov Haber, creator of the Pardes Project, begins the booklet: "Despite the high quality of American education, a gap remains between our minds and our hearts. It is a gap that is starving to be filled with emotions, spirituality and meaning… Only when the gap remains empty, can Hollywood fill it with blood and guts – real and imagined," Rabbi Haber writes.

The source book will serve as a springboard for discussions to be held by Jews around the world on what can be done to inoculate ourselves and our children against these horrific scenes and "fill the gap" with images of goodness and hope.

The Pardes Project, a monthly educational program, enables Jews of all backgrounds to explore centuries-old wisdom on contemporary issues through informal, non-judgmental, home-based discussion groups.

Since 1995, the Pardes Project has revitalized the world of adult Jewish learning. In living rooms, senior centers, college campuses and synagogues in 15 countries around the world, including Australia, Singapore, South Africa and Germany, more than 15,000 people are participating the Pardes dialogue. Previous Pardes topics include spirituality, ecology, terrorism, friendship, gender and guilt.

The Orthodox Union, now in its second century of service to the Jewish community of America and beyond, is the world leader in youth work, advocacy for the disabled, synagogue services, adult education and political action. Its kosher supervision label, the OU, is the world’s most recognized kosher symbol and can be found on over 200,000 products in 62 countries around the globe.

www.ou.org

###

Comments? Requests? Questions?

Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America Department of Public Relations Sharyn Perlman, Director Main Office: 11 Broadway, New York, NY 10004 Phone: 212-613-8321 Fax: 212-564-9058 E-mail: media@ou.org

OUPR Archives Recent statements to the press Articles and statements from 1998  are available here...