Dear Matzav Inbox,
There has been much discussion recently about the prevalence of “cancel culture” and how it is spreading in general society. People are up in arms about it, rightly concerned that canceling others based on their views, no matter how unpopular, has a toxic effect on dialogue and free thought.
But here’s the irony.
While we express outrage over cancel culture in the wider world, we fail to see that our own frum community practices it on a daily basis. In fact, we are some of the most adept practitioners of it, and we do it with a zeal that rivals any of those we criticize.
In the Torah community, it’s not just about disagreeing with someone’s opinion; it’s about silencing them entirely. As soon as someone expresses a viewpoint that doesn’t align with a certain narrative, we rush to “cancel” them. The kannaim—those who claim to hold the line on our values—are often the first to pounce. They don’t simply disagree. They will stop at nothing to destroy someone’s reputation, forcing them into silence, retreat, or retraction.
It doesn’t matter if someone is an established figure in the community. It can even be a gadol, a rosh yeshiva or a rov. It can be someone who has contributed significantly to Torah, to chesed, or to Klal Yisroel in other ways. If they deviate from a certain line, the full force of the “frum cancel culture” comes crashing down. It could be over a hashkafah issue, a view on a halachic matter, or something as minor as a signature on a petition that has become politically charged. Once someone “steps out of line,” so to speak, they’re ostracized, marginalized, and pressured to retract everything—whether it’s their opinion, their endorsement, or even their presence.
Goodbye!
Welcome to frum cancel culture.
And yet, what’s most disturbing is that we don’t even acknowledge the hypocrisy in our actions. We proudly claim to oppose the cancel culture that pervades modern society, decrying it as a threat to open dialogue, tolerance, and understanding. Yet, in our own frum community, we engage in the very same practice, often with more severity. If someone doesn’t agree with certain opinions, if they don’t conform to certain views or a particular derech, we do not tolerate it. We silence them, force them to retract their opinions, and demand that they go back into hiding, as if their right to think independently is something that must be erased.
This tendency to cancel, to shut down any differing opinion, is not just restricted to isolated instances. It has become a way of life in our community. Disagreement is viewed as disloyalty; alternative perspectives are treated like heresy, pure apikorsus. There’s no room for honest discourse, for respectful disagreement, for healthy intellectual engagement. If you don’t agree with “the party line,” whatever that may be on a given day, you are labeled as a threat and your voice is snuffed out.
If the kannaim don’t like you, you’re labeled an apikores and a liberal, no matter how choshuv you might have been the day before.
We cancel people based on their views, based on their positions, and sometimes even based on their willingness to speak out against the tide. The constant need to conform, to adhere to the popular or “approved” narrative, is creating an atmosphere where only those who are willing to toe the line – again, a certain line, whatever it is at a given time, and it’s not always easy to keep track of what that is – have a seat at the table. In the process, we create an environment of fear, where individuals are afraid to voice any opinion. And rather than fostering the kind of community where ideas are freely exchanged and debated, we’re building one that stifles ideas, and, ultimately, the power of Torah and the devar Hashem.
If we are truly concerned about the dangers of cancel culture in the outside world, we must first examine the ways in which we engage in it ourselves. We must hold ourselves accountable for the harm we cause when we cancel, silence, and shame others for expressing their opinions.
Let’s be honest with ourselves: We are the kings of cancel culture, and if we truly want to build a vibrant and healthy Torah world, it’s time we start practicing what we preach.
Sincerely,Don’t Cancel Me
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The opinions expressed in letters on Matzav.com do not necessarily reflect the stance of the Matzav Media Network. The post Matzav Inbox: We Are the Kings of Cancel Culture first appeared on Matzav.com.