Fraud in Frum Clothing: The Conspiracy Against Eretz HaKodesh. When the Conservative Movement infiltrated the Chareidi world — what really happened?

Gut voch,

I was struck by the irony of the text of the ad for the Headlines segment on Conservatives funding advertisements against Eretz Hakodesh. The ad asks if the Conservatives have violated geneivas daas. That is pretty rich coming from an Eretz Hakodesh campaign that relies on its voters lying and signing that they support the Jerusalem Program platform that they in truth oppose.
Unfortunately, I believe that the issue is much larger than lying to stop the agenda of reshaim. I believe that there is unfortunately an unacceptable tolerance of lying under the guise of the ends justifies the means.
Books print “true” stories and markets them as “real life” even though they know that many are of highly dubious nature. Many authors and speakers wildly exaggerate tales to create stories of emunah and hashgacha pratis. There is no industry standard to hold bad actors accountable and apparently the publishers and writers do not care enough to do anything about it. (I say this all from multiple accounts of first hand knowledge.)
Respectful tzedakah organizations resort to sheker in order to run slick crowdfunding campaigns.
Additionally all type of financial deceit is ignored if it is excused away by giving tzedakah.
When the masses are told that they should falsely sign a declaration that they support a position that they disagree with, it only reinforces this existing problem. Even if there is some heter (which is not at all clear) there must be a serious cheshbon of the collateral damage of engaging in such hanhagos.
I firmly believe that this issue is one that is not given enough attention, and that the ends justify the means types of excuses have led to the acceptance of sheker as a valid technique to raise money, sell books and strengthen “emunah.”
Sadly. much of frum media is merely propaganda as they refrain from any sort of investigative journalism or serious soul searching or criticism. Worse yet Frum media feeds a monolithic one sided approach to so many issues of the day that it dulls the ability of many of its readers to engage in critical thinking.

Dear Rabbi Wasserman,
I would like to begin by thanking you for your well-researched, well-developed, and superbly presented podcasts. They are always a treat to listen to.
I am a member of the yeshiva community in America (parallel to the Israeli chareidi community you often reference). I’ve long been aware that some sentiments expressed in your shows – both by the interviewers and the interviewees – are not fully in line with the standards of the yeshiva community. I am open to hearing those viewpoints when delivered respectfully, with the speaker being clear about his left-leaning affiliation, be it dati/leumi, YU, Modern Orthodox, or the like.
I was extremely distressed to hear your interview this week with Rabbi Adlerstein. Posing as a member of the yeshiva/chareidi community, he openly questioned the legitimacy and relevance of the American Moetzes Gedolei Hatorah. While acknowledging that the American Moetzes bows to the leadership of Rav Moshe Hillel and Rav Dov – who are widely recognized as the manhigei hador by both the American and Israeli yeshiva/charedi communities – he twisted it to sound as though this renders the Moetzes’ statement invalid. He encouraged people to follow their own opinions or those of their personal rav, rather than ‘blindly’ accept the Moetzes’ guidance. And you agreed with him.
Now, as for advising people to follow their hearts, nowhere do we find that personal opinions are a factor in major halachic decisions. As for following your community rav’s psak, I haven’t yet met a rav in the American yeshiva community who does not adhere to the decisions of Rav Moshe Hillel and Rav Dov. I know of several rabbanim who initially advised people to vote in the WZO election, but after Rav Dov came out with his psak, they unequivocally changed their guidance to be in line with the gadol’s.
Clearly, Rabbi Adlerstein – and you – are not speaking to the reality in the American yeshiva community. Why, then, do you present yourselves as bona fide members of the yeshiva/chareidi community? And why do you market the Headlines show as appropriate listening for the yeshiva community?
I wouldn’t have an issue with these statements if they were coming from someone obviously affiliated with YU or Mizrachi. But to Rabbi Adlerstein, Mr. Lichtenstein, and to you, I ask: עד מתי אתם פותחים על שני הסעיפים? Why do you try to fool your listenership by constantly name-dropping chareidi yeshivos and gedolim that you’ve been affiliated with, and presenting halachic debates in ‘yeshiva speak’, if in truth your hashkafos lean so much more to the left?
Honesty is the best policy.

Thank you,
Chaya Cohen