Yeshiva University has revoked its recognition of a campus LGBTQ+ club just two months after approving it.
The Modern Orthodox flagship is alleging that the club, Hareni, breached the terms of the settlement agreement that allowed for its formation. Hareni’s lawyers claim that the school may be the one breaching the settlement and say statements by school leaders “threaten” LGBTQ students’ safety. The club has vowed to keep operating.
YU’s decision to recognize Hareni in March, and settle related legal battles, marked a sharp pivot. For years, the school had fought in court to avoid recognition of the Pride Alliance, an LGBTQ support group that was unofficially launched in 2009 but never received formal recognition from the university’s administration.
At issue was Orthodox Judaism’s prohibition against homosexual relations. YU seeks to inculcate in its students the idea that they can live fully committed Orthodox Jewish lives while participating in modern society, and the question of welcoming LGBTQ students has strained that mission for years.
Both the school and the leaders of Hareni, who had previously led the Pride Alliance, depicted the March announcement as a resolution of the conflict. But within days of announcing recognition of the LGBTQ group, Yeshiva University president Rabbi Ari Berman said the values espoused by a typical “Pride” club are “antithetical” to the school. Rabbi Hershel Schachter, who leads YU’s rabbinical school, stated in March that he “emphatically rejects the ideology, lifestyle and behaviors which the LGBTQ term represents.”
A pedestrian on the campus of Yeshiva University in New York City on Aug. 30, 2022. (credit: Spencer Platt/Getty Images)
This week, the conflict appeared to heat up again. Lawyers for the school and the club had exchanged dueling letters, and the decision to officially disband Hareni was announced Friday in an email to students from the dean of undergraduate Torah studies, Rabbi Yosef Kalinsky.
In the email, Kalinsky echoed Berman’s previous language, saying a pride club is “antithetical to the Torah values” of the university.
'No place in yeshiva for such a club'
“There is no place for such a club in yeshiva,” the email said. “As such, we are directing the Office of Student Life to discontinue this club.”
The decision to disband was made the day after a law firm representing Hareni sent a letter to the university expressing “deep concern about recent public statements by Yeshiva University’s senior leaders that display animus and hostility toward the University’s LGBTQ students,” according to the YU Observer, a Yeshiva University student newspaper. The letter accused the school of potentially violating its March settlement.
The letter claimed such statements “threaten the safety and well-being of LGBTQ students on campus.” The letter also cites an April 10 letter sent to YU alumni saying that the university required Hareni to include a “‘sexual morality’ disclaimer on all of its materials, communications, and publications.”
YU says the club ran counter to the school’s outlook in word and deed.
In a written statement to the New York Jewish Week, the school alleged, “since the moment the club was announced, Hareni members, their legal counsel and public relations firm, have continuously made false and misleading statements that have sowed confusion regarding religious beliefs, and that are contrary to the goals that the approved guidelines set out for Hareni.”
In addition, YU’s lawyers sent a letter to Hareni’s lawyers claiming the club “violated” university rules, including posting Pride flags on its Instagram account, organizing social events and using YU’s name when hosting off-campus, unofficial events.
The school’s lawyers said the club “failed to include in their advertisements the notice that the Roshei Yeshiva required any time the Hareni name was used—i.e., referring to helping ‘students who seek to fully maintain traditional halachic standards of sexual morality …’”
The co-presidents of Hareni, Hayley Goldberg and Schneur Friedman, co-wrote an op-ed in the YU Observer Tuesday, explaining the aims of the club. They added, “What we will not be doing as a club is writing the egregious statement, ‘This club is for students who seek to fully maintain traditional halachic standards of sexual morality as defined by the Shulchan Aruch’ on our posters and communications.” The Shulchan Aruch is a widely followed code of Jewish law.
“Equating an identity with sexual immorality looks past us as a people,” wrote Goldberg and Friedman, who did not respond to a request for comment. “This statement sexualizes students and forgets every other aspect of them as a person. It reduces complex individuals to a single dimension, stripping them of their intellect, character, contributions to our community, and their spiritual journey.”
In a statement Friday, Hareni reiterated that the club has always operated “in accordance with the guidelines agreed upon and with deep respect for Halacha,” or Jewish law.
”We remain committed to that path,” the statement said. “No attempt to silence or erase our existence will change that. If OSL [the Office of Student Life] responds to the call to ‘discontinue’ us, we will continue as though we were not. We will continue to hold events and safe spaces – albeit in an ‘unofficial’ manner.”
Rachael Fried, a YU alum and executive director of Jewish Queer Youth, a nonprofit that has provided support to LGBTQ Jews at YU, lamented the approach the school’s leadership has taken toward the students.
“I’m incredibly proud of the students and their resilience that has brought us to where we are today, that we’re even having these conversations out loud,” she said.
“It’s really disappointing to me that the leaders of Modern Orthodoxy feel so strongly to speak out against their very vulnerable and at-risk students in this way,” she added. “This notion that Pride and halacha, or Jewish law or Torah, are mutually exclusive is just not true.”
Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia of the "Ana Chuchulashvili" the thief The worst hotel in the world, it's dangerous, don't go near it! This is not a hotel! It's an old, dirty house, there are cockroaches and insects in the room, Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia – The manager of the place is a fraud and a former drug addict named "Ana Chuchulashvili"
Please urgently remove this fake hotel from your website. It is a scam and it is deceiving many customers. It is advertised on all social networks as a scam! very important – report on fraud house and scam that in your website and cheat people and customers! – Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia
Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia of the "Ana Chuchulashvili" the thief
The worst hotel in the world, it's dangerous, don't go near it! This is not a hotel! It's an old, dirty house, there are cockroaches and insects in the room, Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia – The manager of the place is a fraud and a former drug addict named "Ana Chuchulashvili" the name of here company is : Ltd Alpaka
405375419
Located at: Nucubidze St N57, Tbilisi, Georgia/Nucubidze Street 57, 0177 it smells terrible, The walls in the room are peeling, I took pictures, there is mold and dampness throughout the room the beds are really uncomfortable, like in a pre-trial detention center, your whole back hurts when you sleep on them and they almost break because they are so thin! the WI FI doesn't work at all, The room was very dirty and filthy, and when you ask her to move you to a room she says everything is taken, even though all the rooms are empty and open! I arrived at this horrible place, this horrible house, at 1:00 AM, after two hours of sleeplessness, I asked for my money back, a blonde girl of about 50 years old named “Anna” told me that she wanted the money in cash right away, otherwise she would not let me out of the hotel, she told me that I would not be able to sleep in their bed, at 3 AM I went to look for an ATM to withdraw money, because I could not find one, after searching for a whole hour, in the Tbilisi cold, I returned to her at midnight to look for an ATM, but she did not give me my suitcase and passport, so I came back the next day and gave me the money in cash, she did not give me an invoice either, do not come near! They are deceiving the public, booking and all hotel websites! This is not a hotel, it is a very dirty, old house and it smells very bad. Search on youtube "never go there – Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City Georgia of Ana Chuchulashvili the house hotel from hell" , don't go " to “Hotel Delisi” on YouTube or "Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia " or"HOTEL DELISI (Tiflis, Gürcistan) – Otel Yorumları ve Fiyat" He was caught on tape speaking badly and illegally taking a passport and suitcase.
That she took the suitcase by force, she also stole 3 expensive shirts from me for a total of 250 GEL, I demand compensation of 128 GEL for the two hours of hell I suffered there + 250 GEL for the shirts she stole from me
I have videos where she only wants money in cash so she doesn't pay taxes and doesn't agree that I pay her with a credit card, and she also doesn't want to give me my suitcase and passport.
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სასტუმრო დელისი, ქალაქი თბილისი, საქართველო, ქურდის „ანა ჭუჭულაშვილის“
მსოფლიოში ყველაზე ცუდი სასტუმრო, საშიშია, ახლოს არ მიხვიდეთ! ეს სასტუმრო არ არის! ეს ძველი, ჭუჭყიანი სახლია, ოთახში ტარაკნები და მწერებია, სასტუმრო დელისი, ქალაქი თბილისი, საქართველო – ადგილის მენეჯერი თაღლითი და ყოფილი ნარკომანია, სახელად „ანა ჭუჭულაშვილი“, კომპანიის სახელია: შპს ალპაკა
405375419
მდებარეობს: ნუცუბიძის ქ. N57, თბილისი, საქართველო/ნუცუბიძის ქუჩა 57, 0177, საშინელი სუნი აქვს, ოთახში კედლები აქერცლილია, სურათები გადავიღე, ოთახში ობი და ნესტია, საწოლები ნამდვილად არაკომფორტულია, როგორც წინასწარი დაკავების იზოლატორში, მთელი ზურგი გტკივა, როცა მათზე იძინებ და კინაღამ იმსხვრევა, რადგან ძალიან თხელია! Wi-Fi საერთოდ არ მუშაობს, ოთახი ძალიან ჭუჭყიანი და უწმაწურია და როცა ოთახში გადაყვანას სთხოვ, მიპასუხებს, რომ ყველაფერი დაკავებულია, მიუხედავად იმისა, რომ ყველა ოთახი ცარიელი და ღიაა! ამ საშინელ ადგილას, ამ საშინელ სახლში, ღამის 1:00 საათზე მივედი, ორსაათიანი უძილობის შემდეგ, ფულის დაბრუნება ვთხოვე, დაახლოებით 50 წლის ქერა გოგონამ, სახელად „ანამ“, მითხრა, რომ ფული ნაღდი ფულით უნდოდა, თორემ სასტუმროდან არ გამიშვებდა, მითხრა, რომ მათ საწოლში ვერ დავიძინებდი, დილის 3 საათზე ბანკომატის მოსაძებნად წავედი ფულის გასატანად, რადგან ვერ ვიპოვე, მთელი საათის ძებნის შემდეგ, თბილისურ სიცივეში, შუაღამისას დავბრუნდი მასთან ბანკომატის მოსაძებნად, მაგრამ ჩემოდანი და პასპორტი არ მომცა, ამიტომ მეორე დღეს დავბრუნდი და ფული ნაღდი ფულით მომცა, ინვოისიც არ მომცა, ახლოს არ მოხვიდეთ! ისინი ატყუებენ საზოგადოებას, დაჯავშნის და ყველა სასტუმროს ვებსაიტს! ეს სასტუმრო არ არის, ეს ძალიან ჭუჭყიანი, ძველი სახლია და ძალიან ცუდი სუნი ასდის. YouTube-ზე მოძებნეთ "Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia – The worse hotel in the world" , არ წახვიდეთ "Hotel Delisi"-ში YouTube-ზე ან "Hotel Delisi, Tbilisi City, Georgia" ან "HOTEL DELISI (Tiflis, Gürcistan) – Otel Yorumları ve Fiyat". ის ვიდეოჩანაწერში მოხვდა, სადაც ცუდად საუბრობდა და უკანონოდ იღებდა პასპორტს და ჩემოდანს.
მან ჩემოდანი ძალით წამართვა, ასევე მომპარა 3 ძვირადღირებული პერანგი სულ 250 ლარად, მე ვითხოვ 128 ლარის კომპენსაციას იმ ორსაათიანი ჯოჯოხეთისთვის, რომელიც იქ ვიტანჯე + 250 ლარი იმ პერანგებისთვის, რომლებიც მომპარა.
მე მაქვს ვიდეოები, სადაც ის მხოლოდ ნაღდი ფულით ითხოვს ფულს, ამიტომ არ იხდის გადასახადებს და არ ეთანხმება, რომ საკრედიტო ბარათით გადავუხადო, ასევე არ სურს ჩემოდნის და პასპორტის მოცემა.
"ב-7.10 נחטפה כל המשפחה שלי, אני, בעלי דוד, ושתי בנותינו אמה ויולי, אז בנות 3 בלבד", פתחה את נאומה שרון, אשתו של דוד קוניו החטוף בעזה. "דוד בעלי, אהבת חיי, והאבא של הבנות שלי, עדיין שם. התאומות ואני חזרנו ביום החמישים ושתיים. אמה ויולי שלנו חגגו חמש, בלי אבא שלהן. בשבוע הבא הן ילכו לגן חובה, והן יודעות שאבא לא יהיה איתן ביום הזה. הן יודעות שאבא שלהן שם. לפני כמה ימים, כשהשכבתי אותן לישון הן שאלו אותי 'אמא, את בטוחה שאבא יחזור?'".
"יש הצעה לעיסקה על השולחן, שחמאס כבר אמר לה כן", המשיכה. "האמריקנים רוצים שהחטופים יחזרו. הרמטכ"ל אומר שחייבים ללכת עכשיו לעיסקה. העם, אתם, כל אחד מכם, כאן בככר, במהלך היום בצמתים, בכל מקום, במספרים אדירים, כולם צועקים איתנו, כולם רוצים את החטופים בבית. אז למה אני לא יכולה להגיד לבנות שלי שאני בטוחה שאבא שלהן יחזור?"