Dangers of Kosherizing Events

A country music festival and kosher values simply don’t align, and frankly, it’s not surprising. A concert held on the sacred grounds of the infamous Woodstock site where history was made but not always for the better did nothing to sanctify or correct its past wrongs. Instead, we witnessed an event promoted heavily across frum media outlets, targeting mainstream Yiddishkeit followers, that ultimately failed to live up to the standards we hold dear.

This was a mixed event that blatantly violated core principles of tznius. Men and women were dancing  in mixed crowds, with no regard for the sanctity of our traditions. Kol Isha echoed loudly across the grounds, completely ignoring the sensitivities of the men and boys in attendance. This is the exact opposite of everything Klal Yisrael has worked tirelessly to uphold to create separation and guard against mingling between the genders. But all of that was tossed aside in the name of a concert, a "music festival," that misguided media editors irresponsibly labeled as a MKY moment.

Let’s be clear this was not a celebration of Tu B'Av, where Bnos Yisroel would dress in their finest to seek their bashert. This was an affront to the holiness of Am Yisrael, a direct attack on the values we instill in our children and live by every day. The real tragedy, however, lies in the mainstreaming of such an event by the so-called "woke" frum media, who were paid to promote it. These editors are complicit in misleading the public, pushing this event as kosher, and in doing so, further eroding the already weakening barriers between us and outside influences.

By sharing clips as if they're newsworthy, these outlets are deceptively presenting mixed dancing, Kol Isha, and pritzus as part of a legitimate frum experience. All in the name of catering to their audience misleading them into believing that such behavior is acceptable within our camp. Some will claim that this event "brought chizuk" or was for kiruv purposes, but that is a dangerously flawed argument. Yiddishkeit isn’t about bending the rules to fit a trend. We have clear guidelines and standards that have stood the test of time. This event was far outside our camp, and it’s shameful that it’s being promoted and validated as part of our world.

What’s even more disturbing is the normalization of these influences. By presenting this as kosher and mainstream, these outlets are contaminating the minds of our youth, convincing them that this kind of behavior is acceptable. We cannot allow this to continue. Kosherizing events like this does nothing but weaken our values and undermine the foundation of our community.