The Lubavitcher Rebbe wanted Rav Chaim Kreiswirth to stay in Chicago

A few facts:
Antwerp had since WW2 and the liquidation of its Jewish Community not had a Charedishe Rov. In 1953 they had the opportunity to get Rav Chaim Kreiswirth. He was the Rosh Yeshiva in Skokie. [Also known as Beis Mesrish Lo Torah. By the guys at Telshe, etc. Although Telshe-Chicago hadn't been founded at that time] He agreed, provided that the CI give him his blessing. The CI at first said no, because of the Bittul Torah to Chicago that his departure would cause. Before his passing the CI supposedly told his shvogger that he retracts his first decision and know allows him to go to Antwerp. The Antwerp Kehillah was overjoyed and made preparations for his arrival, but Skokie wasn't going to go down without a fight. They were מרעיש עולמות, including writing to the Rebbe, who said that he was not happy that he was leaving Skokie. So the Antwerpeners wrote a letter, which we present here, as well as the Rebbe's response. We all know the end result. RCK did go to Antwerp. From Antwerpeners I hear of many stories that portray him as someone who did not appreciate Lubavitch. But that's all water under the bridge. The PDF is as it was received. You can rotate each page to make it easier to read.

  Rebbes Letter About R Kreiswirth to Stay in Chicago

Harper's Magazine - Warsaw Ghetto Revolt, 1943

Talk of Jews who were loyal to Poland and who felt part of its history and culture. They were tired of being called aliens. Tired of being helpless and pitied. If they were going to die they would do it as heroes, after fighting to the last breath. That would revive the self-respect and dignity of a people humiliated throughout the millenia. Nice of the Poles in exile to finally come through with some arms.

Box.com Link

מאמרי חסידות מאדמו"רי חב"ד ד"ה מזמור לתודה ועליהם מאמר וביאור מכ"ק הר' הלל הלוי מפאריטש יו"ל לראשונה מכת"י מעתיק, י"ז טבת, תשע"ו‎

  מאמרי חסידות על מזמור לתודה

2 recent articles about the Yosselle Schuchmacher saga and the Lubavitch connection

Sholom Shtroks, son of Nachman and uncle of Yosselle Schumacher, recently passed away. He was directly involved in the saga of not returning Yosselle to his parents and even sat in jail for what seems like almost three years, until he was pardoned by the newly elected President Shazar. The following are two articles recently published about Sholom and about the meetings that took place between the Rebbe and a delegation of Satmarer Rabbonim in 770.

  פרשית יוסלה וחבד לפי חומר חסוי שהותר לפרסום לאחרונה

  משלחת סטמר בליובאוויטש

Treasures from the Lithuanian State Archives

The Alter and Alteh from Slabodka...

Reb Moishe Mordche Epshteyn and Rebbetzin...

The Kovner Rov (מח"ס דבר אברהם) and Rebbetzin...

Kovner Rov at an interfaith meeting...

Kovner Rov at some kind of national celebration

The Kovner Orphanage - notice the picture they're holding. I guess we weren't the first or only ones...

פינף און זיבעציג יאר פונעם ווישיווער רב זצ"ל

13 Teves is the 75th Yohrtzeit of the great Gaon Reb Mendel of Vishive, eldest son of the "Ahavas Yisroel" of Vizhnitz. This picture was recently found in the archives of the RIETS and was published in the מבשר newspaper
מקור: עתון "המבשר" פ' ויחי 

דער אטוואצקער "קאזע-אידל" - פונעם פארווערטס

דרוקט דא

?!מה לבעלזער חסיד של ימינו ולקנאות

כ'על אייך זאגען דעם אמת, איך האב אויך הנאה אויסצוהערן ר' מנשה'ס שיעורים פון צייט צו צייט. און אין א געוויסע מאס בין איך אביסל איינשטימיג מיט אים - ווען עס לאזט זיך, און איך בין אין אזא קנאישען גיסטע. איך בין א שטיקל אידישיסט און מיר באדערט אז אידיש איז פארגעסן געווארען ביי די אינגע דור אין ארץ ישראל. אבער לדעתי האט ר' מנשה אן אחריות צו זיינע צוהערער. חכמים הזהרו בדבריכם - מיינט מען אים. יעצט וועלען א פאר צענדליגע אידן אהיים גיין און לאזען וויסען פאר די בני בית, פאר גוטע פריינד, און פאר'ן שאפער פונעם אוטובוס אז עיווריט איז א טמא'נע שפראך, פול מיט מינות און אפיקורסות. דאס איז אפשר גוט ווען דאס ווייב און די קינדער קענען רעדן אידיש, אבער וואס וועלן טוהן די וואס קענען נישט? צוליב וואס האט דאס אויסגעפעלט? סתם געעפענט א פושקע ווערים, לדעתי. ער איז דאך אן אויסלענדער- פון בארא פארק, ווי איך פארשטיי, זאל ער לאזען די הלכות עיווריט פאר די דארטיגער, ושלום על ישראל

מאמרי חסידות חב"ד, ד"ה ויגש אליו יהודה מכ"ק אדמו"ר הצ"צ ובניו הרי"נ והמהר"ש זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע. מאמר ר' ישראל נח מניעז'ין יו"ל לראשונה מכת"י מעתיק, ה' טבת, דידן נצח, תשע"ו‎

  מאמר ויגש אליו יהודה

Wednesday, 4 Teves, 5776

What's up with Rav Tzvi Yuda's dislike of Chassidim?!
An illustrated diary of Reb Chaim Kanievski
Take the London cure with East End Smoked salmon family firm
Chabad Menorahs and the Public Sphere
IRS to require NFPs get SSNs of donors
שלושים נשים מחסידות גור בערד תופרות את המדים של חיילי צה"ל

נפטר געווארען ר' יודל אקערמאן ע"ה

Read More

 Whereas all other websites all took the same recent picture and posted the same few lines about Reb Yidel, we go the extra mile and bring you a few gems from the early years. None of them knew who he was, besides for the paers that have Stoliners among their ranks of writers. The rest just see an article and figure he was an important guy, so they write a few lines. We bring you one picture where he's standing behind a very young Stoliner Rebbe, and the other seemingly in Williamsburg, at a wedding in the early '60s. That's why sometimes things take a little longer to appear on this blog, because we try harder.

Thursday Chanukah 4 Links

הקולפי"ק כובש את החצרות
The Rebbe and the Rav on Chanukah and the outside world
Habad Portraits vol. IV available now!!!
Reifer, Shmuel (1 of 18) The Living Memory of the Jewish Community
Rabbi Yair Hoffman on Public Menorahs
גם בימי המתיוונים היה רבבות מצביעים לגימ"ל

מאמרים רשימות ושיחות על חנוכה ד"ה ברוך שעשה נסים = ליל ג' דחנוכה תשע"ו‎

  מאמר ברוך שעשה נסים השלם

Box.com link

ליל א' דחנוכה ביים אמשינאווער רבי'ן, ר' איציקל זצ"ל אין בארא פארק

Shmuess before Chanukah in Yeshivas Rabbeinu Chaim Berlin, 1955/5716 - ע"י הגאון בעל "פחד יצחק" זצ"ל

סאטמערער רבי און מדינת ישראל - דער טאג מארגען זשורנאל - September 10, 1952

אומלעזבאר, מחמת די קליינע אותיות, אבער נאר פאר די קעפל אליין לוינט זיך עס. און אפשר אויך צוליב די אלע אנאנסען אויפ'ן בלעטל. וואס האט דער סאטמארער רבי דעמאלסט געזאגט אז ער האט עס געדארפט לייקענען? אדער אפשר גאר האט די צייטונג סתם געשריבען פאלנע שקרים און האלבע אמת און אויף דעם האט דער רבי געלייקענט?

....החסיד מבין יותר טוב מהרבי

Hirshel: surely you read about Reb Yoel Kahan's visit to the Belzer Rebbe. And after the visit you must've been surprised to see - and even more so, to hear - that Reb Pinches Friedeman attended a farbrengen with Reb Yoel and spoke (in his Rebbe's name?) about Chabad and Tanya. Anybody who knows anything about Belz knows this are truly groundbreaking events. Belz speaking in praise of the Chabad Derech?! Belz was about Tor/Beis Yosef, not learning Chassidus. Anyway, what got me was how come R' Pinchas the chusid knows very well why Yud Tes Kislev is celebrated vs. all others arrests of other Rebbes like the Holy Ruzhiner, and his Rebbe plays dumb and asks Reb Yoel the difference? can a chusid know better then his Rebbe... the Ruzhiner was very holy,, but the question is shocking for a chuchem like the Belzer. As if he's asking why celebrate Yud Beis Tammuz and not celebrate Spinker Rebbe of BP's release????

For better pictures and a clearer view see here

הגרי"ד הלוי מבוסטון - י"ט כסלו תשכ"ח

Part I (Box.com)
Part II (Box.com)

Despite our ideological differences... if this is what will save Israel, then I cannot sit idly by...

Then it's my responsibility to post it here and do my part. At first it's Uman ראש השנה. But that helps people on a personal level. Helps them get inscribed in the Book of Life, because Reb Nachman is the best lawyer that money can buy. Then we were told that the 10 kapitlach help anytime, but only for the חטא הידוע. Now we hear that it helps all Jews all the time! And it'll beat the enemies of Israel and the Jewish People into submission. So I too will do my part in spreading the good word here. After all, most of you don't see the light poles in Boro Park, so if not for me you wouldn't know about this project. The only problem is, I see now that this took place yesterday already... Oh, well.

a few words from the Stutchiner Rebbe shlit"a that may change your life

Rabbi Lazer Yudkowski is a Rebbe of a different kind. In shul he פראוועס Rebbistive, mitten gantzen Dzikover/Ropshitzer knack, but in real life he saves Jewish lives. He does it by, you might say, lifting up those who have fallen. In a way that "פאסט נישט" for other people of much smaller stature. Here he tells us what kind of craziness people have in their heads and how he's working to change that mindset. How kids and adults that seem to be OTD (or XO) are suffering greatly every single day of their lives. He is introduced by Avi Fishoff.



Link to direct file

Good Reading and a picture for your Thursday (and maybe some thoughts on AIC93)

That's Agudath Israel Convention 93...

Rav Moshe Mordche Epstein and Rav AY Kook in NYC, 1924

Chabad's Oldest Outpost Lingers on in Casablanca 
Muslims and their OTD/Radicalization problem
A Pilot and Holocaust Survivors are Reunited in Brooklyn

The link to the WNYC program about Muslims and their radicalization problem was inspired by this year's convention, which seemed to put some emphasis on our OTD problem. After listening to speeches about Achdus and underpaid Rebbis, we heard lots of talk about OTD, which by the way, is now to be known as XO, for X-Orthodox. This according to Eli Fink. Muslims have the opposite OTD problem. Their youth is being radicalized online, and our youth is going the other way, often quite radically, as well. Especially if you saw yesterday's news...So what we need to do is show our presence online. By our presence I mean normal, frum Jews doing everyday stuff, peeling potatoes for kugel and on Chol haMoed trips, raking leaves and making snow malochim. Stuff normal people do. That'll keep our kids from eating from the forbidden fruit.  Seems like this is Agudah's will to be the solution to every problem pertaining to the frum community under the sun. Soon they'll be providing filtered internet and shoes for Pesach. G-d bless them, if they can do it, but it seems like they're stretching themselves way too thin here. Focusing on too many issues depletes manpower and money. Maybe if they focused on getting money for Yeshivos and busing, and little else they would do a better job at it. From the clipping in the Brooklyn Daily Eagle it seems like some things haven't changed. They did the same thing 90+ years at the 1st KG in Vienna. Except that back then there were no solutions, all you could tell them was that the gates of hell awaited them. I imagine they didn't bring Psychologists and mental health professional onto the dais back then, and didn't talk about hugging kids smoking on Shabbos either....

Gotta run...

Wednesday Links (sometimes it takes 12 days to put together links...)

Walmart's $10 Smartphone
Marrying a Soloveitchik (old)
Satmar Bus Achdus
Lakewood עיר התורה produces votes like no other district
JTS Book Sale (שטיקל שאלה)
Montreal has Monsey-like issues

הרבי ר' מענדל מויזניץ שליט"א חוגג 58

נראים גם כ"ק אדמו"ר ה"אביר יעקב" מסאדיגורא זצ"ל, אדמו"ר ר' יצחק מבוהוש זצ"ל, אדמו"ר ר' ברוך מסערעט-ויז'ניץ זצ"ל, הסבא כ"ק אדמו"ר ה"אמרי חיים" זצ"ל, ועוד

Bostoner Chassidus marks 100 years

Bais Pinchas New England Chassidic Center from Rachel Rynderman Faibish on Vimeo.

פיינע בראסלאווער פראפאגאנדא

  פיר וועלטן    

Box.com link

Ami Loves Chabad!

  Doc 35532420151111103844

מאמרי חסידות פרשת תולדות על ענין ברכות יצחק אע"ה, והם י"א מאמרי דא"ח כנגד י"א סממנים לברר הי"א כתרין דמסאבותא. ב' דר"ח כסלו תשע"ו‎

  מאמרי חסידות תולדות

Box.com link

?וואס וויל דער אייבערשטער פון דיר

 The call to action - as only our Rebbe could. It's not about saving yourself from a psak on judgement day. It's not about just doing your duty. It's so much more. It may be worth learning Yiddish just to understand this sicha.

מאמרי חסידות ביאור הזהר ע"פ ויהיו חיי שרה מכ"ק אדמו"ר האמצעי, מכ"ק אדמו"ר המהר"ש, מכ"ק אדמו"ר שלמה זלמן, מכ"ק אדמו"ר הרש"ב, מכ"ק המקובל ר' לוי יצחק ומכ"ק אדמו"ר זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע

  מאמרי חסידות על ביאור הזהר על פרשת חיי שרה

Box.com link

Thursday Links

Bekeshes in Yeshivishe Baltimore
Isaac's Bakery
Speech, Thought, and Action - A Ma'amar of the Rebbe
הגט באמריקה שמסעיר את עולם ההלכה
Is it permitted to eat Hot Dogs?

ע"ד אשר נשאלתי למה אינני מוציא כרוז נגד המתחדשים של "אופען ארטאדאקסי" וכיו"ב

Credit

You know who you are. I'm truly flattered that you value and request my opinion.

 Other reasons may include

1) not inciting the wrath of their many supporters
2) Not wanting to give their more attention than they already are getting
3) I'm no boki in הלכות שררה לנשים
4) I'm just a blogger.

I'm a simple guy with mostly old-fashioned values. Not that I'm terribly afraid of controversy, it's just that they get petty and call you names. Hater, chauvinist, and מי יודע מה. Somehow you become part of this vast conspiracy to keep women down and in the kitchen. Somehow what they want is so simple and so muttar; just like Shabbos clocks and Kosher lamps. No less. The funny thing is that it's mostly men calling for all this change, at least the ones I see. The women go about their business and do what they wanna do. The men go on FB and make a stink. I suppose that wins them points with the ladies? So I should stand here and call out Avi Weiss or the guys at YCT? What for? So that no Orthodox shul takes a YCT or HIR grad as Rabbi? Besides. it's not just about YCT or HIR anymore. The idea has spread to many more similar circles, especially in Israel, and they could care less what a few old men in a boardroom in NY think. It has joined similar movements that have made much headway in recent years, much to every frum Jew's chagrin, and sometimes the only response is to keep silent. That's all I have to say.

Breaking News out New Square (at least as of six days ago)

Full Story Here

 You might say I got to know Chaim Aron Rottenberg after the attempt made on his life and his subsequent move out of New Square. It started with a chance encounter out of town and continued after that for some time. Most people that went through his ordeal, and you can see this probably is a lifetime of some pain and discomfort for him, not just a period of recovery after the incident, would have had smoke coming out of their ears when speaking of their attackers. This is not the case when it comes to CAR. He's very calm, cool and collected when speaking of his adversaries, you might even get a smile out of him. But he still carries the pain with him and wants what he sees as justice to be served. So I'm not here to judge anybody. The fact that Rottenberg wants Spitzer to serve out his term is his prerogative. Seven years isn't much for what he attempted to do, in Rottenberg's eyes, that is, and at least he should serve what he sees as a light sentence. We don't know what kind of emotional pain and scars he lives with. Even the physical pain is hard for us to imagine. And we surely don't know how we would react if it c"v happened to us. So when we attack CAR and tell him to let bygones be bygones we're being a bit hard on him, since we don't know what we would do if it was c"v our pain and suffering. You might say that he's trying to get back at the leadership of Skver. OK, I hear that point, but still.

As far as our Skverrer brothers are concerned; That's another story. You all heard what the pundits have to say, so there's no need for me to repeat it here. Unless you missed going to shul all week... It's no secret that they lack in the PR department. Yes, they're happy that their friend was released, but somebody should have realized that these days everything gets out immediately and that they'll seem like accessories to attempted murder all over again. So don't give out free coffee and keep the dancing and the Kiddush to a bare minimum. And even then stop and frisk any guy that joins any celebration; so that no video clips make their way to Lohud and the internets. Because they now have to deal with disgruntled MO and Charedi-light people who once again are upset at Skver, even if they were the recipients of good-ol'fashioned Skverrer hospitality, whether in NS or at a local hospital. This is old news by now, so time to move on.

And don't start with the Lubavitch didan notzach analogies, please.

חבקו"ק שבירושלים במיטבו

Children of Jerusalem - Yehuda 

National Film Board of Canada

As you can see from the link posted here, this is a series of documentaries about the children of Jerusalem in the '90s. Yehuda is from what you might call a ChaBaKOOK family with very strong Carlebachian influences. He studies ספר המדות from Reb Nachman page by page and tries to remember it by heart. His father/parents may be Shlomo's mekurev, for all I know. כה נראה לי. אני לא מכיר אותם, אבל מהיפושים ברשת נ"ל שהם חסידי קרליבך. What is clear is that the family marches to their own beat... I doubt they could be told about dress codes and what kind of shoes to wear... Yehuda goes/studies at Cheder Toras Emes Lubavitch in Yerushalayim and is a talmid in Reb Yankel Bloi's class. There the other kids made sure to טשעפע him about his very long peyos. So much so that he cut them short one day and was embarrassed to show his face at home.... But now he's quite comfortable with them and likes to find other kids with similar side locks in the story books that he reads with his younger brother. I'd love to find out what happened to young Yehuda.

מוצ"ש לינקס

Chaim Weiss murder case still open
Yair Hoffman schools Yitzchok Frankfurter
The Jewish Bernie Sanders only Vermonters know...
Your job is literally killing you!
חיים וולדר מזועזע

מאמר כי ידעתיו מכ"ק אדמו"ר המהר"ש, מכ"ק אדמו"ר שלמה זלמן מקאפוסט, מכ"ק אדמו"ר הרש"ב, ומכ"ק אדמו"ר הריי"צ זצוקללה"ה נבג"מ זי"ע - פ' וירא, י"ז מרחשון תשע"ו, שנת הקהל

  מאמר כי ידעתיו השלם

מיטוואך פ' וירא תשע"ו, שנת הקהל

ברוך אמסעל, נכד "הבעל המאור", קריכט צווישען אלטע קברים
מ'האט אנדעקט אמעריקא... חרדים נוצען וואצאפ
כתב סופר שול איז "קם לתחיה", אזוי צו זאגען
ווער איז דער באבאווער רבי און ווער זענען די באבאווער חסידים?
TJW: The tricks of the "trade shuls"
Luc Kordas: Documenting Hasidic Jews in New York

מאנטיקער לינקען

CJR profiles frum newspapers
US Cards finally using fraud-fighting chips
Make this Your convention!
Today's Chassidishe Yungeleit...

Rabbi Shmuel Lew tells us about his life - from Torah Vodaas to London

  Derher - Cheshvan 5776 S Lew Only

Box.com link

מאמר וירד העיט מכ"ק אדמו"ר הצמח צדק ומכ"ק אדמו"ר שלמה זלמן מקאפוסט ומכ"ק אדמו"ר הרש"ב זצוקללה"ה

  מאמר וירד העיט השלם

Box.com link

שלוחי אדונינו - אור לגויים

Young shliach Mendel Hurwitz speaks about growing up Jewish. The fact that this light unto the nations is emanating from Hungary, and is the product of the hard work of a Chossid מיוצאי אונגארן, only adds to the nachas. At least for me. We wish the Hurwitzes much continued nachas from Mendel און אלע אנדערע קינדער. On a technical note, if you're using the IE browser and are prompted to either see all or only secure content, click "show all content." That will bring the videos to your screen. With Google Chrome it does not seem to appear, hence the need for the links.



If the video does not show up in your browser click here for the link



If the video does not show up in your browser click here for the link

Thursday Morning Links - (maybe too much Forverts, I agree)

Groundbreaking reporting in the מאמענט magazine. Racism, bullying. When did we ever see such stories and topics in the Heimishe press? The enlightened English magazines, Mishpacha, Ami, have nothing on מאמענט. Amazing times we're living in. (no link to read, buy it at your local newsstand/grocery/mikveh Yid) Source

פארוואס באשליסט א סאטמארער צו ווערן א ציוניסט?
א יעקע בלייבט א יעקע
Yekke Renewal Project
100 יאר טריפענעם פארווערטס ביי די שפיץ פינגער
Nazi past of LI town
Mayim Achronim, Chova?
Reb Uriel Zimmer's Yiddish Tanya
BDE: Bencraft's Stan Goldstein

Only his turf wars are justified, for some reason.... נאר ער מעג

Click Here to listen to the Rebbe Reb Aron of Satmar's pesichas haZman speech. At least the part that we want to hear. Funny how only he was allowed to be mechallel yomtov to daven at Rodney Street. Not him, of course, but his people. They were allowed to fight for עצים ואבנים in the treyfene Amerikeh, but Jews in the Holy Land, can't insist on davening anywhere, lest they invoke the wrath of those who hate us. And the near justification of the killings - it's just plain sickening. We're not discussing the permissibility of going up to the הר הבית, and in a way neither is he. This seems to be a personal vendetta and agenda that he has, to go after the Religious Zionists and all that they believe in at every opportunity. To discredit their theology and to make it א תאוה ווי אלע תאוות, with no basis in anything Jewish, as were his words in the not-so-distant past. But his motives are all very pure, which is why he's in secular courts all these years against his brother Zalman, right?

Photo Source

POTD - Munkatcher Rebbe, שליט"א, consoling a distraught אלמן

Source

More Photos of the לויה

Update re: unidentified Chossid with Reb Uriel Zimmer

According to his son Mendel, the man pictured with Reb Uriel Zimmer is his father, Rabbi Dr. Doniel Meyers, o"h, then a young man of some 22 years. He was a son of a respected Ashkenezisher family, a survivor of Thereisenstadt at a VERY young age, and later a talmid of the Lubavitcher Yeshivos in Eretz Yisroel and 770. Also a Shliach of the Rebbe in Holland for many years, and of late in Yerushalayim. The Rebbe contacted Rabbi Meyers to greet Rabbi Zimmer at the airport and to have it covered by the media - hence the pictures of his arrival. RUZ passed away some months later, in the fall of 1961. Here's an article from after his passing. Interestingly enough there's no mention of his relationship with Reb Uriel Zimmer in that article... 

It's Aron Modche's 40th Birthday! and other Monday Links

ארבעים שנה להממשיך
"Rebbe of my past, Pillar of my forever"
3 Cheshvan observed, including at the court of the זקן אדמו"רי רוז'ין
בילגאריי הזכרה אין ברוקלין (also see the comment on the bottom)
The House of 20,000 books וכו'
Old Yemenite Beit Knesset Back In Jewish Hands After 77 Years
גילוי היסטורי מסעיר את העולם החסידי: נחשף ביתו של הבעש”ט בעיר קולומייא

Aankomst Rabbi Uriel Zimmer op Schiphol. - Holland 1961

(Arrival of Rabbi Uriel Zimmer to Schipol) I do not know what the conference in Schiphol, Holland in 1961 was for or about. Maybe UN work? RUZ was handicapped and used a wheelchair. Seen also, with the white tichel, is his Rebbetzin, zol gezunt zein, who is currently was later the wife of Reb Tovia Weisz, currently of the Eda HaCharedis. Also who is the other Hasidic looking Jew walking alongside him? If you do have any information to share, please do!

מים רבים לא יוכלו לכבות - אין מים אלא תורה

די גרויסע אהבת ישראל צו אידן האט ניט געקענט פארלאשען ווערען ביים בריסקער רב

מאמר צהר תעשה לתיבה מכ"ק אדמו"ר הצמח צדק ומכ"ק אדמו"ר המהר"ש ומכ"ק אדמו"ר שלמה זלמן מקאפוסט ומכ"ק אדמו"ר הרש"ב זצוקללה"ה‎‎

  מאמר צהר תעשה לתיבה השלם

Box.com link

The Munkatcher Rebbe, שליט"א, has a fine sense of, um, humor

Received via e-mail:

Frankfurter edicated the Sukkos issue of Ami magazine to Reb Burechel Munkatcher. The son Reb Moshe Leib opened himself up as never before, saying that is father was a hero, just as much as Reb Michoel Ber Weissmandl, except he wasn't recognized. He claims his father was not dumped by Munkacher Chasidim after the war, he just was not ready to be stuck with a local chasidus -  Klal yisroel and its  problems were his life now.  It's a very interesting piece. Reb Burechel busied himself finding a answer for the Shoah. Reb Moshe lieb is saying that 2 rebbes were trying to answer the Shoah  The Satmar Rebbe and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.   I don't know which Lubavitcher Rebbe, maybe the Rebbe Rayatz in הקריאה והקדושה.   Reb Burechel was arguing that it's dangerous not to get a answer. It can happen again. היל"ת. The Shoah was a message; if we didn't get the message this time it'll happen again. ר"ל. Reb Moshe Leib is saying that Reb Shmuel Duved Ungar zt"l, the Nitra Ruv, wrote a letter to his father with the title "צדיק יסוד עולם." At the time Reb Burechel was 30 years old. The Munkatcher asked Reb Shmuel Duved's son, Reb shulem moshe, why did his father use such lofty titles when addressing him? He answered: Noach is called tzadik for saving Gentiles,  your father saved thousands of Jews, that's a whole universe. The letter is printed in a pamphlet that Reb Burechel printed for his candidacy for the Tel Aviv Rabbinate. 

So, by "sense of humor" I mean that he doesn't take himself seriously enough. He can do such an interview and not worry about what the world will say. I was as surprised as the next guy when I saw the article. I guess anybody can be rehabilitated these days. מה שלא יעשה השכל יעשה הזמן, as the saying goes. The problem is that - no disrespect intended - the Munkatcher was the one who had a yad in ostracizing his father... Not so the much the Dinover. To be fair the old timers made sure they were fed lies about their father. So it's not that Ami just discovered Reb Burechel and went looking for his next of kin. If you get what I'm saying. Also, Frankfurter most likely, and I'm being very generous here, knows what went on when he was a kid, he knows what they did in Munkatch, he's not someone who grew up outside that circle... They're basically enabling this revision of history that every kid in Boro Park knew about. At least twice a year on Shabbos morning we'd hear that he passed away, and then we'd laugh/cry about the history and how Munkatch skipped a generation. So why now? Beats me. Maybe they've been reading stories and testimony online. Maybe his grandkids asked too many questions? Agav, I like how every picture featured in the article was previously on this blog. Not saying anything, just saying.

  Munkatch Ami mag Sukkos 5776

....אבל אנחנו עמך

HaRav Reb Tuvia Goldstein saw the difference between Chassidim and ליטאים in Siberia....

Reb Tuvia tells us how in Siberia the Litvishe bochurim found excuses and reasons why they were exempt from mitzvos. The Matzos wouldn't have a shiur and it would be too cold to sit in the Sukkah. [He was the pride of Kamenetz and Baranovich before being exiled to Siberia by the Russians in Vilna.] The Chassidim did not seek such excuses and had mesirus nefesh for mitzvos even while in Siberia. He would sing a niggun that he learned from the Lubavitcher Chassidim from Nevel, the Jews who knew not of a reason not to sit in the sukkah, now matter how cold. Reb Tuvia tells us how the Litvishe Bochurim האבען זיך געפטר'ט מיט לומדות.... The Chassidim didn't know of such heterim. He also tells us how the Gr"A and the first misnagdim would never have made the "cherem" if they had seen the (Chabad) Chassidim in Siberia and the mesirus nefesh they had. Something tells me this book doesn't sit well with some in the Misnagdic community.

the cover of the new book

מיכאל אוישי באשרייבט דער שוחט פון זאפאראזשע

Read Here

א געשיכטע פון אידישע מסירות נפש פון דורות אין אמאליגען סאוועטן פארבאנד

Beis Rivkah's "charidy" campaign yields a treasure!

The main Beis Rivkah Girls School in Crown Heights, which educates some 2,000 girls, is having major financial difficulties, and is trying to climb out of it. So they started a Charidy campaign to raise a million dollars in 24 hours. All or nothing. To pay teachers for last year. Nothing else. A noble cause, to say the least. It's tough paying teachers when you have a hard time collecting tuition. They're well on their way as of the time of writing this post. $360k in a few hours. And this isn't pledges to be paid in months/years. This needs to be MITB. Maybe that's TMI for some of you. Anyway, what they found lately was this book, embossed with gold letters, and inside we see an inscription from the Rebbe, זי"ע, who at the time  - Elul 5710 - had not officially the mantle of leadership, ווי מ'רופט עס, of Lubavitch. The Rebbe had been appointed נשיא of the Beth Rivkah schools, among many other public missions, after they had been founded in Elul of 5702. Then too Beis Rivkah, which was basically educating many, many Jewish girls for free, had hit a brick wall and was in major debt. A campaign was launched to clear the debts, and those who contribute to the fundraising campaign would be inscribed in this book. It's not clear to me - מי אני ומי אני - if this book of names would be read on the Tziyun of the Frierdige Rebbe, who was nistalek on Yud Shvat of that year, but it would make sense.

To Donate

The cover of the book

The Rebbe's כתי"ק

Henry Rosenblatt's play-by-play (watch till the end)

Is Ezra Friedlander selling us out for his client Jerry Nadler's sake?

See his op-ed here.

Some surprisingly sensible comments there too.

We don't do politics here much, but this is different. I understand the Satmarites saying stuff like this, the whole baloney "loyal to the government" shtick they do. But Ezra? Does he not worry about our good fortune?! In Jerry Nadler we trust, is it? Just because? Is the Chasidic garb to make me feel better when he says trust Jerry? Or is the "grandchild" of Holocaust survivors" line supposed to calm me down? Maybe some people are just plain alarmists. Granted. Maybe Dov Hikind falls under that category. And then there are those that always take the Ipcha Mistabra route. The one guy in shul. But to do this just to please a client is ewwwwwwww.

Yitzchok Stroh's review on Prof. Marc. B. Shapiro's latest work

On Seforim Blog

Monday Afternoon - we're still here!

COL.org.il on Vimeo.
Chimen Abramsky's Socialist book collection
100th Yohrtzeit of R' Reines
Yiddy Lebovits realizes his dream of living in Eretz Yisroel
Rav Tsvi: R' Chaim Berlin's hesped on his father

R. Zelig Ruven Bengis

May be pictures no one has, R Bengis was R Dov Yehuda Schochet's uncle, married bezivug sheini to his mother's sister, daughter of RYC Ziv.

RZRB
Raizel Rosa Bengis
Rav Yosef Calev Ziv

פיינע אלטע בילדער

ממראות הנחת אבן הפינה לישיבת חכמי לובלין

הרב שמחה פרענקל-תאומים מסקאווין שני מימין

חזון אי"ש

מימין: הבלאזשובער, הגר"מ פיינשטיין, הבאיאנער והנאוואמינסקער בדאטשע

הטאהשער רבי זצ"ל והרבנית הזקנה ע"ה

הגראי"ה והגרי"ח

הגרי"ח וחתנו עם הנשיא מאסאריק מטשעכאסלאוואקיא