Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Go, Levin, Go!


AP photo

Ya gotta love Yehuda Levin. He tells it like he sees it, or at least like he tells us he sees it. Yes, he's obsessed with Oso Dovor, but so are many other people. Not with that issue, but they're still obsessed. What makes people like me like Levin is the fact that he makes the shvitzers nervous. While the "askonim" suck up to anybody who throws a few dollars their way, he doesn't allow himself to be bought. That's not to say that he wasn't getting paid from Paladino, or that he doesn't get money from the Evangelicals. But I think that happened later, meaning he wasn't looking to get paid from them and chose those topics just to make it worth his while. The money probably came later. I'm old enough to remember his appearances on talk radio years ago, and I even remember his campaign against Koch for Mayor of NYC in '84 or '85. He shakes things up and he keeps the Friedlanders and the other knackers of the world on their toes, defending their alliances with the worst that New York Politics has to offer. If anything, the fact that he lets it be known that we - meaning Torah Jews - do not support the anti-Torah agenda is a major Kiddush Hashem, no matter what they tell you. If we vote just like the Libs on the UWS how are we any better? How do we tell people that we lead pure and holy lives if we support candidates that openly condemn our values and "from the 12th Century?" I'm juuuust a bit bothered by his SPC press conference yesterday...

let the attacks begin!

24 comments:

Anonymous said...

he changed his hat to rosh yeshiva hat with a wide brim, he used to wear a fedora with a short jacket.

Anonymous said...

$$ he is running competition with chuck schumer as to who can give more press confrences. thats it. $$

Phlegm said...

Mr. Tzig claims to love Levin because he is anti-Establishment and because he has in own radio show (not just a blog), and because he has many different Rebbeim and doesn't push a specific path in Judaism. Those are just pretexts and smoke and mirrors. The real reason for the adoration is that Levin has a very big heart and welcomes all Jews; including, or especially, those who don't have any other place. He has a large heart.

Anybody knows what his day job is?

Anonymous said...

media whore

haaderes said...

1)i never saw such a big joke he makes a big denouncement he is withdrawing his support little do the politicians know his support is worth maybe 5 votes him and his family
2) how much time does the man have on his hands... he has abslotuly nothing to do ...so he got a new frock and hat
3) he t6ook paladino for a good ride he gave him a script to read like bilaams chamor he was just reading what levin needed to unload on the rebbes and he got paladino as his shammos to read and roths to clap
good job levin

Twistelton-Twistelton said...

"I even remember his campaign against Solarz in '84."

I remember his campaign aginst Koch in 83!!

voiceoftruth said...

ok Hershela, 7 hours later and not one comment, let alone an attack. Ya gotta ask yourself, "why? why does it seem like nobody cares? what am I missing?" I'll tell you. NOBODY CARES! Levin is so obviously a loser, so obviously not relevant, that talking about him, and discussing his flip-flopping anti-establishment ranting and raving, is not something we wish to subject ourselves to. Did you ever speak with him in person? I have. He literally froths at the lips. He is a good first sell, until you realize that he, like those he chooses to disparage, can and will switch alliances at the drop of a furry up-hat.
Please don't expect us to join you in wasting time over this fool and his nonsense.

Menashe said...

Did you listen to his interview on Zev Brenner? The man is poshut entertaining to listen to. I don't buy 90% of what he is saying but his antics are amusing.

Friendly Anonymous said...

You one of those people that enjoys watching a car wreck?

mekadshei Hashem said...

HT writes:"If anything, the fact that he lets it be known that we - meaning Torah Jews - do not support the anti-Torah agenda is a major Kiddush Hashem, no matter what they tell you."
So The Satmer Rebbe was Right by letting the world know that the Hertzlites operate on an anti Torah agenda ?

Mottel said...

Hirshel, I think you're off on this one.
Levin makes himself seem like a bigger player on the Jewish scene then he is - speaking as if he was a man d'amar instead of a loud mouth with kom kom a minyan of mispalelim in a shtibel. His rhetoric is inflammatory and over the top, and after the recent spate of suicides and violence it frankly comes off as cruel . . . and makes a massive chilul hashem.

B'chlal the issue with mishkav zochor is one of Torah prohibition - not one of physical aversion. I don't eat shrimp because azei hot der abershter geheisen - not because I dislike the taste. (In fact Levin's obsession seems to be almost b'geder "Me thinks he doth protest too much" v"dal).

Anonymous said...

Mipney erev shabbos bekitzur several nekudos:

Democracy means you choose the best of the worst. Sometimes one has to calculate risk vs. gain ("schoroy kneged hefsaidoy" and vice versa). This means that we DON'T agree with much of what the candidate represents, eschews etc.

On the other hand there is a way to go about things with a seder.

We are frum jews, different in myriads of ways from the general society, yet we vote in that society. Our goals are to benefit ourselves first (i.e. representation, aneeyay eercha kodmin) and then society at large (so we shouldn't have to shelter ourselves as much? No! For their
own good and ultimately ours.). Lepoyel in this case the Chilul Hashem was far greater than the Kiddush Hashem, and the ramifications in general, zol der eibishter helfen that they should not be negative, they should be bechesed uberachamim!

Just like "when you ask for tzedaka from a gvir, you don't tell him stop smoiking on shabbos in that conversation" veda"l

YT Sheiny

Azi said...

What Levin does is an absolute Chillul HaShem. Your support for him is a support of chillul Hashem.

Its one thing to be against gay marriage and to even be vocal about it. But to attack people personally and to make claims that there is a mental deficiancy with certain people is beyond the pail.

Levin is an embarrassment to Orthodox Jews everywhere. And now, so are you.

voiceoftruth said...

Don't be a coward

snag said...

Wow, Hirshel supporting a Litvak.

Nice.

Good editorial, yaser keyach.

"Paladino"

אל תיקרי Paladino, אלא Implodino.

Anonymous said...

he brought a chillul hashem that a specific bracket and a specific social item

can leash a candidate for governor of the state of new york of the usa around it brings

anti semitism acute at that
what happened to jobs

Anonymous said...

You seem to be confusing his entertainment value for substance. The man is a nut and a self publicist above all else. If it's on people like him we rely to make a kiddush hashem and enunciate our supposed values is och un vey for all of us.

Anonymous said...

To “Hirshel Tzig”,

I am currently faced with a Chabad-related conundrum, which requires some on-the-ground inside information about the Chabad movement. Naturally, I turn to you and your readers, for some guidance. First, let me introduce myself: I like to consider myself an open-minded and objective fellow, who tries to view everybody and every situation objectively and fairly. Nevertheless, when it comes to Chabad, I find myself in an uncomfortable situation. Since I know almost nothing about them, I find my judgment influenced by the views of my friends and family: Chabadtzkers don’t learn, they want to make everyone Lubavitch, they all think the Rebbe is Moshiach, etc. Additionally, since I live in the tri-state area, my sole encounter with Lubavitchers is when I get accosted by some lost-looking souls, who loiter in the subways distributing Rebbe paraphernalia, awkwardly shaped phylacteries and shove a lemon in my face during the Harvest festival. Be that as it may, I am sure that somewhere out there, there are some normal Lubavitchers, and maybe they can provide some guidance.

A friend of mine, is engaged to a girl whose father happens to be Lubavitch. The fiancée and her siblings happened to not be Lubavitch, although some of them are name Mussa, Mendy and Moshe. Until recently, the shver’s Lubavitchessness was a non-issue – until it came to the Chupah arraignments. You see the shver insits on reading a “Letter from the Rebbe” under the Chuppah. The chosson, has no issue about this, but the problem is that his close mentor backed out from being misader kidushin. The rabbi said, something like “I am sure your father-in-law is a great guy, and he means nothing wrong by reading The Letter, but Chabad has strange practices which I don’t know what they mean, and therefore I can not be associated with such behaviour”. Problem is, my friend desperately wants his Rabbi to “be mesader” and is desperate for a way of convincing him that the letter is innocent. What should he tell him?

The way I see it: to the best of our knowledge, the reading of a Rebbe’s Letter by a wedding is unprecedented in Judaism. In other words, whatever rationalization the Lubavitchers give as to why they read the letter, the question is, how come it was never done till now. Therefore, we have grounds to suspect, that this letter is a symptom of Chabad’s recent glorification and emphasis as the Rebbe as a central figure. Meaning: reading the Rebbe’s letter is not just a nice and innocuous gesture, it is a means of connecting with him. They believe that by connecting with him, somehow that will bring positive energy. Obviously, if that is the case, we view it as a form of idolatry and will be avoided at all cost.

My question to you is: can you explain to us what the significance of this letter is? Can you articulate, in rational terms, what distinguishes Chabad from past generations of Chassidim, that didn’t (to the best of my knowledge) have a letter ceremony under the Chuppah? Can you convince us that this person, who probably had only minimal personal contact with the Rebbe (besides for sending faxes, which he does) feels such a connection to him?

A bruchuch oif dayneh kepeleh

Anonymous said...

To “Hirshel Tzig”,

I am currently faced with a Chabad-related conundrum, which requires some on-the-ground inside information about the Chabad movement. Naturally, I turn to you and your readers, for some guidance. First, let me introduce myself: I like to consider myself an open-minded and objective fellow, who tries to view everybody and every situation objectively and fairly. Nevertheless, when it comes to Chabad, I find myself in an uncomfortable situation. Since I know almost nothing about them, I find my judgment influenced by the views of my friends and family: Chabadtzkers don’t learn, they want to make everyone Lubavitch, they all think the Rebbe is Moshiach, etc. Additionally, since I live in the tri-state area, my sole encounter with Lubavitchers is when I get accosted by some lost-looking souls, who loiter in the subways distributing Rebbe paraphernalia, awkwardly shaped phylacteries and shove a lemon in my face during the Harvest festival. Be that as it may, I am sure that somewhere out there, there are some normal Lubavitchers, and maybe they can provide some guidance.

A friend of mine, is engaged to a girl whose father happens to be Lubavitch. The fiancée and her siblings happened to not be Lubavitch, although some of them are name Mussa, Mendy and Moshe. Until recently, the shver’s Lubavitchessness was a non-issue – until it came to the Chupah arraignments. You see the shver insits on reading a “Letter from the Rebbe” under the Chuppah. The chosson, has no issue about this, but the problem is that his close mentor backed out from being misader kidushin. The rabbi said, something like “I am sure your father-in-law is a great guy, and he means nothing wrong by reading The Letter, but Chabad has strange practices which I don’t know what they mean, and therefore I can not be associated with such behaviour”. Problem is, my friend desperately wants his Rabbi to “be mesader” and is desperate for a way of convincing him that the letter is innocent. What should he tell him?

The way I see it: to the best of our knowledge, the reading of a Rebbe’s Letter by a wedding is unprecedented in Judaism. In other words, whatever rationalization the Lubavitchers give as to why they read the letter, the question is, how come it was never done till now. Therefore, we have grounds to suspect, that this letter is a symptom of Chabad’s recent glorification and emphasis as the Rebbe as a central figure. Meaning: reading the Rebbe’s letter is not just a nice and innocuous gesture, it is a means of connecting with him. They believe that by connecting with him, somehow that will bring positive energy. Obviously, if that is the case, we view it as a form of idolatry and will be avoided at all cost.

My question to you is: can you explain to us what the significance of this letter is? Can you articulate, in rational terms, what distinguishes Chabad from past generations of Chassidim, that didn’t (to the best of my knowledge) have a letter ceremony under the Chuppah? Can you convince us that this person, who probably had only minimal personal contact with the Rebbe (besides for sending faxes, which he does) feels such a connection to him?

A bruchuch oif dayneh kepeleh

Anonymous said...

To “Hirshel Tzig”,

I am currently faced with a Chabad-related conundrum, which requires some on-the-ground inside information about the Chabad movement. Naturally, I turn to you and your readers, for some guidance. First, let me introduce myself: I like to consider myself an open-minded and objective fellow, who tries to view everybody and every situation objectively and fairly. Nevertheless, when it comes to Chabad, I find myself in an uncomfortable situation. Since I know almost nothing about them, I find my judgment influenced by the views of my friends and family: Chabadtzkers don’t learn, they want to make everyone Lubavitch, they all think the Rebbe is Moshiach, etc. Additionally, since I live in the tri-state area, my sole encounter with Lubavitchers is when I get accosted by some lost-looking souls, who loiter in the subways distributing Rebbe paraphernalia, awkwardly shaped phylacteries and shove a lemon in my face during the Harvest festival. Be that as it may, I am sure that somewhere out there, there are some normal Lubavitchers, and maybe they can provide some guidance.

A friend of mine, is engaged to a girl whose father happens to be Lubavitch. The fiancée and her siblings happened to not be Lubavitch, although some of them are name Mussa, Mendy and Moshe. Until recently, the shver’s Lubavitchessness was a non-issue – until it came to the Chupah arraignments. You see the shver insits on reading a “Letter from the Rebbe” under the Chuppah. The chosson, has no issue about this, but the problem is that his close mentor backed out from being misader kidushin. The rabbi said, something like “I am sure your father-in-law is a great guy, and he means nothing wrong by reading The Letter, but Chabad has strange practices which I don’t know what they mean, and therefore I can not be associated with such behaviour”. Problem is, my friend desperately wants his Rabbi to “be mesader” and is desperate for a way of convincing him that the letter is innocent. What should he tell him?

The way I see it: to the best of our knowledge, the reading of a Rebbe’s Letter by a wedding is unprecedented in Judaism. In other words, whatever rationalization the Lubavitchers give as to why they read the letter, the question is, how come it was never done till now. Therefore, we have grounds to suspect, that this letter is a symptom of Chabad’s recent glorification and emphasis as the Rebbe as a central figure. Meaning: reading the Rebbe’s letter is not just a nice and innocuous gesture, it is a means of connecting with him. They believe that by connecting with him, somehow that will bring positive energy. Obviously, if that is the case, we view it as a form of idolatry and will be avoided at all cost.

My question to you is: can you explain to us what the significance of this letter is? Can you articulate, in rational terms, what distinguishes Chabad from past generations of Chassidim, that didn’t (to the best of my knowledge) have a letter ceremony under the Chuppah? Can you convince us that this person, who probably had only minimal personal contact with the Rebbe (besides for sending faxes, which he does) feels such a connection to him?

A bruchuch oif dayneh kepeleh

Anonymous said...

You didn' likee my comments on Erev Shabbos? Were they too rambly?

YT Sheini

Anonymous said...

I don't see why its a chilul hashem to take a stand that is on the same page with a billion Muslims and a billion Christan's, and every normal healthy guy in viginia or alabama, why is it a chilul if we go against the twisted minds of the NYT Jews

yoske said...

Gevaldig. Every "normal" guy in Alabama. I don't want to be in league with someone who's bigoted against every other race, achutz fun d'viseh, who thinks I have horns, ande merrily lynches blacks, just because his preacher told him so
twisted minds are chotsh minds

Anonymous said...

YOu mamosh believe he does it for the cause and not his own name or money? LOL