How Charedi publications often get it wrong when it comes to Lubavitch news...

Hi Hirshel 

Maybe you can post the attached with a comment, something like this: It's strange how some publications never get the facts correct when it concerns Lubavitch. I just read the story in Binah of 2 weeks ago, 25 Sivan 5775, by Suri Epstein, about a couple, where the wife studies medicine, who do so much kiruv work in Debrecin (or Debrecen), Hungary. Really unbelievable. But since I visit that city almost every year for Kivrei Avos, let me fill in some minor facts. The couple has left the city, I believe last year. So if you got the impression that you are reading a report about current life there, then you were fooled. The "Chabad couple" mentioned in the article is Rabbi Shmuel and his wife Rebbetzin Feigin. Rabbi Feigin is practically the Rov of the City, in charge of anything that has to do with Yiddishkeit. He has been there already for a few years with the typical Chabad Mesiras Nefesh. The picture in the article about the "first Hachnasas Sefer Torah since before the Holocaust" is in the Beis Chabad. The unidentified sofer in the picture is Rabbi Feigin's father from Kfar Chabad. The meals for the students mentioned in the article relate to the Seudos Shabbos that Rabbi Feigin and the rebbetzin organize for the Israeli and Hungarian students. So in short, most of the facts are correct, all that Binah missed out is to identify who is behind all this work. Rabbi Feigin and his wife are really doing a great job. Tremendous Kiruv. And I didn't even mention the Drashos in Hungarian that Rabbi Feigin give to the Baalei Batim in the Shul, that's a story in its own...

Thanks for listening.

  New Rabbi in Debrecen

The סוכת דוד says that according to Rav Moshe Feinstein you can be מצרף ANY Jew to ANY דבר שבקדושה, no matter his level of observance.

sorry for the premature crop.

I haven't heard that shluchim necessarily rely on THIS particular psak, but it is nice to see. Maybe this will help shluchim in their hasbarah... I don't see Reb Dovid Kviat as having any particular agenda neither. His Slonimer background and Mirrer education doesn't make for him to want to allow this. But he's quoting RMF. And the vort sounds almost Chassidish; ניצוץ של קדושה - נקודה פנימית, good stuff!

Source: א גישמאקע ווארט

Pravda 2014 - Red Journalism is alive and well in Rabbi Mottel Neustdat's world

A reader writes:

 Reb Tzig: this is a new book revising the history of the Jewish revolution in Russia. There is no mention of chabad shluchim at all. 500 chabad shluchim with mosdos covering all of the former USSR are not mentioned. All chabad chasidim from the era of the Frierdiger Rebbe to the Rebbe are not mentioned. When they did this kind of hagiography about Torah in the USA they ignored the Frierdiger Rebbe and the Rebbe, but at least in the US there is still some logic to such glaring omissions, you still had a big Yeshiva world that will give credit to RAK etc... Rabbi Berel Wein (who is ironically now ostracized by the charedi world) did alot of their farbisene dirty work.. But in Russia, where there all they have is 3 holes on 4 walls... to ignore Chabad... is real old fashioned Pravda journalism. Nothing less. Did Rabbi Matisyahu Solomon know in 1976 how many mikvaos were functioning in the USSR? Was he interested to know how many shochtim there are Leningrad? Did Rav Pam have Jews traveling from city to keep the fire of Torah burning, under the noses of the KGB? Did they stay up nights crying about their brethren in the USSR?.... It's simply shocking that in 2014 such obvious lies should be printed in hard cover form by a Jewish, frum, publishing company. Whoever they may be. But anything goes and no holds are barred when it comes to bashing Chabad, even if it is by omission only.

More of what Chabad shluchim did - and do - while you were asleep...

ידידנו ר' שניאור - (anybody see him lately?) once asked "when did Chabad become the Salvation Army, delivering meals to the homeless and needy after hurricanes or similar activities that they highlight in articles and videos? Truth is, I'm not sure when that happened, but this was somewhat different, you might say. This kid showed up on their doorstep and wouldn't leave. Still, it makes for a wonderful story and should be publicized. In times like these, when scandal is rife and all we see the dark side on an almost daily basis, it's nice to see stories such as these. And to those of you who have a problem with Lubavitch; try and bite your tongue. Maybe chesed organizations need to start working on their PR to the outside world, you know, get the message out, not so much for fundraising, but also for the greater good?

 

נייעס פון אידישען אונגארן

פון "דער בלאט", ערש"ק פ' קרח, ב' תמוז תשע"ב

ווידיאו: הרב ברוך אבערלאנדער מדבר על המצב שמה

....שירבו כמותו בישרא-ל

Reb Avrum Banda (c) posing with Rabbis Berel (l) and Gedalia (r) Shemtov in Crown Heights today, where he and family inaugurated the new Pomegranate Shluchim Suites.  Gedalia founded  - together with his uncle Reb Mendel Shemtov, ע"ה, - and runs the Shluchim Office - a resource and assistance center for Shluchim - in Crown Heights, and his father Reb Berel is the Shliach to the State of Michigan, and has been since 1958. He is the son of Reb Bentche Shemtov whom we discussed in yesterday's post, and a somewhat controversial figure in Lubavitch due to his very unique style of doing mostly everything. That being said we're very proud of the fact that Reb Avrum, a Satmarer Yid, donated this beautiful facility in honor of the wonderful work that Lubavitcher Shluchim do. May Hashem bless him and his family and may they much continued success מתוך שמחה וטוב לבב עבג"צ בב"א.

Matisyahu lessons. (Guest Post)

By Guravitzer

The descent of Matisyahu is a direct lesson for people in power, especially Shluchim who need programs to promote to their communities. The lesson: Never sacrifice an individual for community inspiration. Maybe that's a slight paraphrase of, "When working for Klal Yisroel, don't forget Reb Yisroel" - or in this case, Reb Matisyahu. Shluchim gave Matisyahu his platform. Not just his first platform, but year after year of platforms, which translated into press, and then Sony noticed him. Shluchim on campus noticed his attraction to their college-age crowds and started the trend, then communities picked up on it. Shluchim may believe that they have no responsibility to think through who they bring to entertain or lecture for their community beyond checking that the person is kosher. Shluchim may believe that they have no reason to consider the impact on the performer or lecturer themselves. They are wrong, wrong, wrong.

The first question every Shliach should have asked is the same question they would have asked about their own Baalei Teshuvah and community members - is this right for the Baal Teshuvah, for the person, not is this right for my community. Did no Shliach notice that he was back to doing drugs almost immediately? Did no Shliach realize they were propping him up as an example for their communities, and Lubavitch in general, when he had barely acquired anything of his own to give? The message became, don't follow Torah, Mitzvos and Chassidus, follow the celebrity and Sony contract. Shluchim vet visitors to their Chabad houses from other towns carefully. As they should, there are crazies out there. Witness the firebombing of the California Chabad house. Phone calls, references, some chatting to feel the visitor out, whatever it is, Shluchim check. The same vetting should apply to entertainment, not only for its value to the community, but for the value to the person performing. Matisyahu isn't the first person to inappropriately join the Chabad house circuit, only the most prominent. The problem takes other shapes as well, such as the direction given staff - bochurim or bochurettes - when they come to a community to run camps or programs. I don't know how far down the responsibility goes - rumor had it back then when Matisyahu started his career that his mashpia encouraged him in his path of celebrity, which is outrageous - but we are each responsible for every yid, not only the ones we want to take charge of.

?ליצמאן אדער גינסבערג? ווער האט בעסער פארטיידיגט חרדי'שע אידן

MK Yaakov Litzman walks out on girls' choir singing at some ceremony he attended as Gov't Minister. That makes the news and shows the rest of Israeli society that Charedim cannot be normal. Whatever that means. Or at least not Gerrer with their "Yiddishkeit." This is not the first time that it's happening either. Litzman is following Jewish law to the letter, yes, but is he really? and at who's expense is he doing it? Walking out on sweet little girls because they "attract attention" or "bring to impure thoughts" is perverted, at least in the eyes of the general public. We can debate what Torah thinks of that some other time. So some people would tell הרב ליצמן that if he can't deal with the responsibilities of what it takes to be a Minister in the Zionist Government, that maybe he find another job? It seems to me that even the Gerrer Rebbe's son-in-law, Reb Itche Meir Levin, z"l, a much-more learned and pious individual that RYL, seemed to carry himself better and did a better job at making a Kiddush Hashem than does Reb Yankel, and in the early days of the State that was no easy feat.



At the same time we have been seeing much of what happened when talk-show queen Oprah Winfrey sat down with the Ginsbergs and talked about what it means to be a Hassidic family. This was a first-look into the very "secretive" society that we are, they said. [I know, Lubavitch hogged all the attention, as usual, and no REAL Chassidim were represented... As if that would have ever happened, and hashem Yishmor if it would have.] I say that for at least two reasons. 1) is that it may look a lot better in pictures and film, but this was a sit-down with lots of talking, and some young adults were involved too. No Chassidishe Boocher'l would've sat there and answered her questions like "have you ever touched a וכו', or do you know who "Miley Cirus is." Mendel sat there and answered just as innocently, but he also spoke nicely and eloquently when asked "what it means to be a Hasidic Jew." Mendel, who might have been coached what to say if and when such a question arises, knows what to say because he's been going on מבצעים since he's, what? 11? or earlier? This is his life. 2) This family, despite the fact that their day to day involvement is with Boro Park parents (no easy task) are shluchim to the Boro Park neighborhood of Brooklyn. They're quite accustomed to dealing with questions such as Ms. Winfrey's, and they did quite a good job at it! I'd dare say that many people will become frum because of the Ginsbergs and how they made Yiddishkeit look all warm and fuzzy. and many people may even convert to Judaism!

Frum people may look at some of the questions posed her and wonder in amazement how she dared answer them. They're דברים שהצניעות יפה להם, and she should've politely declined to answer them. To that I say "puh-leez." They did an awesome job of answering the questions so that people get the idea while still maintaining the mystique of it all. Once they agreed to do the interview this was the best that could be done. Of course young children should not be allowed to watch this interview, and it was never intended for them, even if they are Lubavitchers! Now contrast that with some of the shenanigans that the frum chavrei knesset subject us to on an almost daily basis. I'll go out on a limb here and say that if the gedolei Yisroel who send them as their shluchim to the Knesset would see what actually goes on there, just watch unedited video clips, they'd reconsider. And I'm not talking about the statements of "kefiroh" made by the irreligious, I'm talking about the yelling and screaming and general chilul hashem that happens through the childish behavior that is a mainstay at Israel's House of Parliament. There's more to say, just very little time for it.

Kinus HaShluchim Thread

Watch The Banquet Here. Note: We cannot vouch for the quality of the stream.

שועלים הלכו בו - סאדיגורא

Attached are pictures of the current state of the Ruzhiner/Sadigerrer Hoyf in סאדיגורא/Chernowitz, Bukovina, Ukraine. Apparently it has become a "crack house." Woe is to the eyes that see this, and woe is to the blogger whose hands have to type up this post. How did this happen? I definitely remember seeing just a few years ago how the Sadigerrer Rebbe came to Sadigora for a Chanukas HaBayis, and that it had been either bought from or returned by the Government and renovated.It was around 3 Cheshvan, the Yohrtzeit of the Heiliker Ruzhiner, and it was attended by many chassidim from around the world, including Lubavitcher shluchim from the Ukraine. It seems like it hasn't been used since then and this is the result of the lack of use. I was thinking that they probably should've leased the building to the local Chabad Shliach in Chernowitz, which Sadigora is part of. Like Karlin being part of Pinsk. That way everybody would be happy, especially the Heiliker Ruzhiner, upon seeing that Yiddishkeit lives in his hometown and in his palace. Rabbi Glitzenshtein is a fine young man who has accomplished much there, and recently dedicated a shul that he received from the Government. Maybe he could've done the same for the kloyz! I understand that the same has happened in places like Skvira, Ukraine, where they received the shul from the Government, but due to lack of use the place falls into total disarray.

.....על הר ציון ששמם

Its majesty all but gone!

....על זה הי' דוה לבנו

The glory is no more...

On these beams they clamored צו כאפען א בליק פונעם שפיץ שטריימל פון דער הייליגער רוז'ינער....

 












יודעי דבר tell me that this was the home of the Heiliker Ruzhiner...