Rebbes running scared (Part I)

There's a new star in town, and he shines a bit too bright for some people. His name is Reb Avrohom Tzvi Kluger. He's the head of the Nezer Yisroel chaburah in Ramat Beit Shemesh. He fuses Chabad and Breslov and comes up with a very unique brand of Chassidus, one that is very attractive to hundreds of yungeleit. Most of those yungeleit are members of other groups, such as Belz, Toldos, Vizhnitz, Sanz(-Klausenberg), and so on. Most of those Rebbes are quite unhappy about this phenomenon, namely that he's siphoning off yungeleit from them. This hasn't really been expressed until recently, when some 150 yungeleit traveled with him to Uman for Rosh Hashonoh, some of them without complete wife consent. There are conflicting reports as to what happened next, but most reports agree on the fact that several yungeleit and their families were unceremoniously sent flying. Their families means that the little ones were chucked from the mosdos as well. This has brought the chaburah to the forefront, and a major discussion of what happens there and whether or not they should be put miChutz L'Tchum is going on all over the web.


page 1 of a recent quasi-Pashkevil against him


page 2 includes quotes from Rebbes as well as other Chassidisen

I must tell you I'm surprised at the reaction, even though I understand what makes them uneasy. If there's one thing Rebbes don't like it's losing members. They may not go around and proselytize, but they want the numbers to go up, at least natural growth. Losing families is never a good thing. Chabad was always - at least in America - an easy target, maybe since there was never a worry that one day they'll have to meshadech with them, since the Rebbe had no kids... OK, scratch that thought. But Chabad was distant, you didn't feel guilty about attacking them at Shalisheedes Toyreh. But to call out a group and bash them for over an hour during an Ushpizin tish, which is what the Sanzer Rebbe from Natanya did, is downright peculiar. Why bring attention to a group that is seemingly no different than you are? They look just like you, which means that yungerman has no problem being seen there. There's nothing inherent that would keep him from going and seeing what's so terrible there. Which means that you're basically shooting yourself in the foot here.