Cute title, huh? To set the stage, let me go back in time for a moment. When I was a kid growing up (I'm not THAT old!) twenty years ago (Okay, maybe I am old!), the bulk of Jewish literature was comprised of one of two fundamental themes, by which I mean, of course, Holocaust and ba'alei teshuvah (returnees to Orthodox Judaism). This is probably one of the core reasons I found my way to Steinbeck and Hesse. But I digress....

Today, thankfully Jewish literature has become a lot more varied and even exotic (I highly recommend Targum's new novel, The Morning Star, by Meir Uri Gottesman, a phenomenal writer!), but there is a new genre that has exploded, pardon the pun, on the scene which is disturbing to me. I am referring to Moslem extremist/terrorist literature. Here are some excerpts of this emerging genre--all from books geared to kids ages 9-12:

"Will the trio be able to stop the evil terrorists from destroying Bais Yaakov of Bloomfield?!"

"Will Havaja Jamil Abdul El Majnun Chamarah get his long-awaited promotion?"

"The boys want to help prove Alhami innocent by getting the real terrorist, Alwari, convicted. Meshulem has announced his plan to et Alwari back to America from Pakistan to stand trial."

And then, of course, there's a new comic strip where pint-sized FBI agents are nabbing Arab furniture deliverymen in a sting on what they believe is a shady operation.

I have two objections. The first is the articles I have read on sites like JPost and Arutz 7 about how terrible it is that Palestinian children are being indoctrinated with anti-Israel and anti-Semitic rhetoric. It always makes me feel slightly nauseous. So why is it okay for us to push the same kind of doctrine to our children? Are we not "above" such petty and virulent tactics?

And secondly, Islamic extremism is an enormous, gaping threat, not only to the Jewish People but to the entire world. Innocent men, women, and children have been murdered in its name. Does it not belittle, cheapen, and even exploit this terrible monster when we peddle Islamic extremism as a sensationalist, exciting plot for kids' novels? What message are we really giving our children through books and comics like these?

What do YOU think?

My community awoke this morning to the conspicuous addition of flyers, taped to nearly every tree along the streets, declaring that Rav Elyashiv has said that sheitel-wearing is assur. As reported by my husband who actually took the time to read these signs, one man asked Rav Elyashiv if he should divorce his wife for wearing her sheitel, to which the Gadol replied, "Don't divorce her, but try to convince her to stop."

I don't know about you but I don't generally take my hashkafos (outlook) from trees. I understand the intent of making a public service announcement and inviting the community to rethink the habit of sheitel-wearing. But I also really offer a prayer of thanks to Hashem that I am blessed with a Rav who I can speak to about sheitels (if I dare!).

Although this post was intended to be a slice-of-life look at tree posters and castigated sheitel wearers, I guess I may as well put in a plug for da'as Torah. Tonight, I had the opportunity to avail myself of the brilliance and clarity of the Rav of our neighborhood. I wasn't asking a halachic question; rather, I was asking him advice on a business proposition. His erudition in every matter is astonishing. I cannot help but laugh (or cry) at those individuals who bitterly denounce our sages as incapable of giving direction in areas other than strictly Torah matters. Torah is the foundation of all existence; those who are immersed in it to the point where they have achieved a certain sublime unity with Torah bring that sparkling truth and incisive, God-like perspective to any issue, be it finances, politics, or what have you. A rag saturated with water will wet anything and everything around it, whether it's a counter that needs cleaning or a homework paper that would not conventionally be wiped with a rag.

I think I admire the people who spent time and money printing up those fliers and faithfully stapling them to the trees even if I disagree with their point of view.