[Avodah] R. Hirsch as a Modern Orthodox Leader

[Prof. Levine]

At 09:02 PM 6/29/2011, R. Saul Z. Newman wrote:

>3-- The more interesting question would be where would be the comfortable
>fit in the haredi community;  in the post-Slifkin era would he be
>self-censoring?
>        Or is emes a greater  midah than capitulation?

I have a friend who is a BT and was for many years very close with R. 
A. Miller and davened in his shul. He has a master's degree in 
physics and works as a computer programmer for a bank in Manhattan. 
He never attended yeshiva, but he has and continues to spend time learning.

About 3 years ago he moved to Lakewood, because many of his children 
and grandchildren live there.  Several months ago he sent me an email 
complaining that there is no one in Lakewood with whom he can have an 
intelligent conversation.  He did not mean an intelligent 
conversation about Torah topics, because there are many people in 
Lakewood with whom he could converse intelligently about Torah 
topics.  He meant a conversation about secular matters and, in 
particular, about a certain book dealing with non-Torah topics that 
he had read recently.

In light of this I have a feeling that RSRH also would not be too 
comfortable in Lakewood. If he mentioned Schiller, how would he be 
looked upon?

In fairness, I am sure that RSRH would be comfortable with someone 
like Rabbi Yaakov Yosef Reinman, co-author of One People, Two Worlds: 
A Reform rabbi and an Orthodox rabbi explore the issues that divide 
them, who resides in Lakewood.  YL
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