To the Woman Who Called at Midnight

To the Woman Who Called at Midnight,

I don’t know who you are, but let me tell you: I regret answering your phone call. But it’s too late to change that.

Allow me to backtrack. In anticipation of our sons’ mesivta’s Purim chagigah, some of the parents on the yeshivah chat were wondering what the yeshivah’s alcohol policy is. Having lost my childhood babysitter to a drunk driver, this is a very sensitive topic for me. Furthermore, as a high school teacher, I’ve had students with alcohol problems and know that the teenage brain isn’t ready for that challenge, so when the question came up, I reached out to the Rosh Yeshivah to clarify the policy, hoping they’d encourage the boys to abstain from drinking on Purim.

The Rosh Yeshivah normally responds quickly, but after a delay, he apologized and let me know he’d gathered the hanhalah together, and they’d decided to make a “no alcohol” policy for all yeshivah events. I was very relieved and appreciative. I then conveyed the information as a simple message on the chat to let parents know the yeshivah’s new official policy.

Then you called, screaming that I’d ruined Purim for your son, and accusing me of pressuring the Rosh Yeshivah not to allow alcohol. You wouldn’t even tell me your name.