Ultra Orthodox Jews rally at Citi Field to discuss ills of Internet

Who’s afraid of the World Wide Web? Well, plenty of Ultra Orthodox Jews. That’s why tens of thousands of black-hatted Jews filled into Citi Field Sunday: to discuss the ills of the Internet.

From the NYT:

The organizers had allowed only men to buy tickets, in keeping with ultra-Orthodox tradition of separating the sexes. Viewing parties had been arranged in Orthodox neighborhoods of Brooklyn and New Jersey so that women could watch, too.

For the attendees, many of whom said they came at the instructions of their rabbis, it was a chance to hear about a moral topic considered gravely important in their community: the potential problems that can stem from access to pornography and other explicit content on the uncensored, often incendiary Web.

Inside the stadium, a dais was set up by the back wall of center field, where rabbis led the packed stadium in evening prayers and offered heated exhortations to avoid the “filth” that can be found on the Internet.

Of course, plenty of Ultra Orthodox Jews use the Internet. I mean, it’s not like they’re sending nothing but snail mail.