Saturday, March 24, 2007

Sam Chanin's "Schneerson Centers"

I saw a blip in the JP that Mr. Sam Chanin, (Tchanin) aka Mule Chanin, (חאנין) made a Hachnosas Seyfer Teyreh on Wall Street some time ago. He helps disenfranchised youth by giving them skills and finding them jobs. He has a Shul there in the Wall Street area. Very nice. But what's with the "Schneerson Centers?" Why would a Lubavitcher Yungerman (albeit with a trimmed beard and named Sam) name his project like that? I don't think you'd see Teitelbaum Centers in Williamsburg, or Twersky Centers in New Square, now would you?

Help me out here.

19 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lubavitcher Yungerman (albeit with a trimmed beard and named Sam)

for better or worse ( I don't judge anyone) having a beard no longer denotes a lubavitcher yungerman in fact the trend looks like the opposite.

while there was a time once when trimming would make you 'ois chosid' or at least part of small minority (chulenters perhaps) trimmed beards + kapotes nowadays DOES a lubavitcher yungerman make.

does this mean that the chulenters and anarchists will now start to grow long beards?

not sure if the blue shirt + kapote or wedding ring + kapote trend will catch on yet but they are out there

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Havemeyer

the point was not so much the trimmed beard; It was questioning why he would name his centers like that?

He obviously cares about Lubavitch, The Rebbe, young people looking to find their way, and most of all: G-d. So why name your centers like that, it seems a little coarse.

Anonymous said...

Hirshel
Whatever it will do get them them back in the fold has to be done.

Anonymous said...

Doesn't look like he started it, there is an existing Schneerson center for Jewish life (see www.chabaduppereastside.com), under R. Krasniansky.

Anonymous said...

tzig

yes i understand the point of the post. agreed my comment was a bit off topic though it might make a good topic of conversation

H

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Reader

Krasniansky's place is called a Chabad House, just like the rest of them. He just named the building as such, maybe because of the donor. Here the centers are called Schneerson centers, not Chabad Houses.

I understand Mule does tremendous work, I was just wondering about the name he chose.

Anonymous said...

Tzig , they are the unfortunate result of a system where most yungerliet today just can't get a decent shlichus. People get fed up of trying and they open up on their own, ie. outside of Merkos. They are despised by Shluchim and refered to as "Mushrooms". As a Mushroom grows whereever it feels like it..........................

Anonymous said...

Calm down folks, Sam Chanin traveled a long road to where he is now, the beard is an improvement and I doubt he would call himself a Lubavitcher yungerman anyway. He does great stuff with these kids, the article may also have misquoted.

Anonymous said...

some of the do it yourself mosedos supported by those with a gripe against the establishment or moshichist or both use that name because they cannot use chabad but they want to identify with the rebbe with chabad so they use that name like hecht in norwalk ct

Anonymous said...

He does great work? At whose expense! His company certainly does great work ripping off hundreds of small business owners across the country on a regular basis. Beard or no Beard, something is rotten at 125 Broadway.

Anonymous said...

Ah, now we have an unhappy customer. So tell me, what did he do to you?

Hirshel Tzig - הירשל ציג said...

Chanin is a businessman, not a Yungerman looking for a Shlichus, so the idea of including him with the mushrooms is absurd.

Anonymous said...

Sam Chanin has done nothing to me. I just know what goes on at his place of business. It's a dishonest place and I'll leave it at that.

Anonymous said...

You may now be labelled anonymous Rechilus.

Anonymous said...

Hmmm: Are you denying the truth of what I say or not? Call me anonymous Rechilus if you want, but what I say about BPS is the absolute truth.

Anonymous said...

When you come on a site anonymously, commenting on a post that has nothing to do with how he runs his business, and (thankfully) provide no "facts", only an allegation of dishonesty - does it really matter if it correct or not? It is certainly Rechilus. No one is discussing whether to do business with him.

Anonymous said...

Your right, I am anonymous and the post has nothing to do with his business. I was commenting in response to somebody who said how Sam Chanin does great work. Chanin isn't the first one in the frum world to do good charitable work through "unclean" money. Is it so surprising that a bunch of guys from crown heights involved in credit processing and loans are doing some underhanded things? I know no one was discussing whether to do business with him, but I DO think that a man's honesty in business is relevant when evaluating the merit of his charitable works.

Anonymous said...

It isn't, sorry, Go to the back of the class on Rechilus (depending on which anonymous you are, you are already at the back for Ahavas Yisroel).

In fact, if anything, you just made Tzig's post out to be Avak Loshon Hora. I assume you can at least figure that one out.

Anonymous said...

This blog popped up on a google search and i found the posted comments interesting. The name "Schneerson Center For Jewish life" is used in many places where lubavitchers are doing shlichus. The upper east side chabad house was not the first one to name their center the schneerson center for jewish life, nor did it do so because of a donor. As far as BPS goes, it is clear from recent events that things are a bit shady there.