Peaceful co-existence in Toledo - no more

Hmmm writes:

The Shliach in question, Rabbi Yossi Shemtov of Toledo, Ohio, and the Rabbi in question, Rabbi Ed Garsek of Congregation Etz Chayim of Toledo, had enjoyed what the Shliach thought was a warm relationship. At times the Rabbi even joked about having Rabbi Shemtov replace him, if he made Aliyah. Until one day, the Shliach finds out that the Rabbi is bringing a Yeshivah of people of not the highest caliber - among their low qualities is their "hatzlacha" in promoting Machlokes, including with Chabad - to Toledo under the auspices of his Congregation.

One would expect that in a true friendship, if a Rabbi had an idea - to bring a Yeshivah to town - he would approach his colleague and friend and discuss this. Perhaps they will bring a Yeshiva of Chabad bochurim. Perhaps they will bring a group of Kollel gentlemen who will be friendly to the both of them. Perhaps even a joint venture, a mixture of various types of rebbeim, including Chabad. Perhaps the Rabbi might think this something particular to discuss with Rabbi Shemtov, as Rabbi Shemtov has brought a Yeshiva of bochurim every summer for a few years to make Torah study available for the Toledo Jewish community.

As the Rabbi did none of this, it was quite clear to the Shliach that their friendship was over, and perhaps had never existed on the first place. He privately discussed this with the Rabbi. He asked him, perhaps begged, not to do it. He never spoke of this publicly.

May Harry Maryles vasayato snag themselves to hell.

10 Teves ל"ו שנה

הרבנית נחמה דינה שניאורסאהן
אביה: הרב ר' אברהם שניאורסאהן מקישינוב
אמה: הרבנית יוכבד.
בעלה: הרב ר' יוסף יצחק אדמו"ר הריי"צ
בנותיה: חנה, שיינא, והרבנית חיה מושקא
אחיה: ר' בן-ציון.
אחותה: מרת מלכה שאסע בעלה ר' פנחס זאניס
סבא: ר' ישראל נח מניעז'ין (מצד אביה), ר' יהושע פאליק שיינברג מצד אמה

נולדה ב- א' מרחשוון ה'תרמ"ב בעיר קישינוב מולדובה
ב – י"ג אלול ה'תרנ"ז בהיותה בגיל 16 נישאה להרב ר' יוסף יצחק אדמו"ר הריי"צ
הסתלקה בשנת ה'תשל"א

My Tzadik.com

Virtual Judaica Auctions

(Announcing the arrival of the Rebbe and inviting the Jerusalem population to greet him. R. Joel(ish) Teitelbaum of Satmar (Satmar Rebbe, 1888–1979), son of R. Hananiah Yom Tov Lipa Teitelbaum)
Bid Here


(Attack on Satmar for inserting an Anti-Zionist ad in the New York Times by Chaim Lieberman (Herman; 1890–1963), Yiddish essayist and literary critic.)
Bid Here


There was a story in COL after the passing of the "ברך משה" of Sighet-Satmar that he came to the Rebbe together with other Rabbonim (The Shoproner comes to mind) after the attack on Satmar began then. This was in the late '50's, and things like that were just not done in those days. They wanted the Rebbe to support their position, and the Rebbe did, even speaking about it at the next Farbrengen!

No. Chaim Lieberman is not the librarian and friend of the Gurarys.

Credit - A Simple Jew

Harry Maryles wants us to "come home."

(His "Rebbe", Reb Aharon Soloveitchik, z"l,)
Photo by Yeshivas Brisk, Chicago

He says we're Poresh Min HaTzibbur

All Kiruv is done just to augment their numbers, He says, They don't have the pure, lofty goals of Aish and Or Somayach. They also disrupt others from doing any Kiruv, just ask his friend from a "small midwestern town." After all, a pure soul like himself surely tells it like it is, and all details have surely been told, right?

"And their successful Baalei Teshuva were all mainstreamed in those days. But no more." I guess that figures, since their Mashpi'im don't teach them how to.

"There is hardly ever a word ever mentioned about Lubavitch or the Rebbe in the publications like Artscroll or Feldheim the two power-house publishers of English language Judaica. There is never any mention about Lubavitch in the classroom. And in private conversations between Rebbeim and Talmidim, if it is ever mentioned at all, it is usually in a negative context." I guess it's Lubavitch's fault that Nosson Scherman chooses to ignore Lubavitch. They should do what about that?

What happens to these people? is it the air in Skokie, IL where Harry Horreved in learning that distorted his train of thought and prevented cohesive thoughts from becoming sentences? I know Reb Chaim Zimmerman certainly had nothing to do with it. Reb Aron Soloveitchik, who he conveniently disagrees with when necessary, certainly had nothing to do with it, so where?

Can you ostracize a community, degrade their Mesorah and Rabbeyim for generations, ridicule all their accomplishments, steal their ideas, and still expect them to join YOU?!

Reb Shmuel Schneersohn HY"D

Of Nikolayev. The Rebbe's uncle, his father's brother.


COL asks "מי מכיר מי יודע" and a reader answered it was Reb Shmuel, brother of Reb Levik, the Rebbe's father. I remembered the pic in the SH and scanned it (see below.) Sorry about the quality, that was the best I could do under the circumstances. It is him! The pic was taken by the Soviet authorities and was discovered in his file that was just located.

Reb Shmuel was married to another daughter of Reb Meir Shlayme Yanovsky, sister of Rebbetzin Chana, the Rebbe's mother. Reb Shmuel hesitated, but The Rebbe Rashab OK'd the shidduch as long as they lived in separate cities. He was killed Al Kiddush Hashem by the Nazis during WWII.


In his prime.
(From Sefer HaTzetzo'im)

Duvid'l Weisz

Rabbi Dr. Weisz-HaLivni as a young lad of 11 years old in Marmures with his Mother Feige, Aunt Ettel, Zeide Reb Shaye, and sister Chana Yitte.

(Photo credit - Columbia, sent by AMSHINOVER)

Mamesh Moleh Chein!

One of the worst tragedies of the Holocaust was that children were exposed to the greatest horrors and later lived for decades without being able to express their emotions. I had 4 grandparents who survived the camps, and the most I heard was names of places, nothing about experiences.

Conservative Vizhnitzer from Sighet

Rabbi David Weiss Halivni is a scholar of Talmud and a Holocaust survivor, originally of Sighet, Hungary. "He studied for a short while in the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in New York. He is the author of Mekorot u'Mesorot, a projected ten volume commentary on the Talmud. He is also the author of the English language volumes Peshat and Derash, Revelation Restored, his memoirs The Book and the Sword and others. Rabbi Halivni also served as Littauer Professor of Talmud and Classical Rabbinics in the Department of Religion at Columbia University. He is the Head of the Metivta of the Union for Traditional Judaism.

A close student (or talmid-haver) of Rabbi Saul Lieberman, he studied with him for many years at the Jewish Theological Seminary of Conservative Judaism. Halivni left the Seminary in the 1980s after the controversy surrounding the training and ordination of women as rabbis. He felt that there may be halakhic methods for ordaining women as rabbis but that more time was needed before such could be legitimately instituted. His disagreement with the process by which JTS studied the ordination of women led to his break with the seminary and co-found the Union for Traditional Judaism." (Wikipedia)

Dr. Weiss-HaLivni is married to Dr. Zipporah Hager-Halivni, formerly of the Chemistry department in Columbia University, daughter of Reb Boruch of Vishiva, son of Reb Menachem Mendel of Vishiva, son of the Holy Reb Yisroel of Vizhnitz, the Ahavas Yisroel. What does that say about Vizhnitz? Absolutely nothing. The typical excuse, not that it's necessary, is that she was a Holocaust survivor, and thus devoid of a Chasidishe education. He has the same excuse for his "source-critical-analysis" of the Talmud, I guess. Let's see if the "how many Frum Schneersohns are there" crowd sees this as a condemnation of Vizhnitz and its great heritage.

Bear Season

Ok, so we have a new candidate for the firing squad, but turnabout is fair play - it's only fair to put DovBear under the microscope; poetic justice of a sort, I guess.

I'm not a DB contributor, but I read him from time to time. I find his approach very sad, depressing really, so I take it only in small doses. Where is the soul in his words? Where is his heart? What is his Yiddishkeit? When I read him, I only hear the cold-water, lifeless voice of doubt. I only see the leftist run-of-the-mill talking head who beats anything that has a little life into submission. Where is the future in that? Where does that lead but down?

For a guy who was exposed to words of the living G-d, I'd expect more. For a guy that does do some good on this world I'd expect more.

Sure, it's fun to be the uber-rationalist, the super-critic, and the smartest guy in the room. It's a great rush to "swing it around," and define yourself as part of the revolution – full with "good guys" (FM) and bad (Chareidim). It always feels good to be the sophisticate with a doting following and a bellicose opposition. I get it. But it saddens me. It saddens me for him and his wife and family. But it makes me wonder, where does it come from? Is it that chinuch that promotes thought leads one down the prim rose path to SoHo Judaism – to the New Age empty platitudes with a salting of high-falutin word and ideas? Is it because rationalism is the sure-fire road to a simplistic 3 dimensional physical universe? Or is it a rebellion; the excitement of coming of age – the sudden realization that words are powerful. Maybe it's all just another example of the base ego and all its drives pumping through the veins of young men across the world, and throughout history. Hopefully he moves on at some point to a more idealistic place.

Ok, so DB got exposed, and in Liberal fashion he apologized so all must be forgiven (yeah, what a bunch of hooey). But DB isn't a bad guy, and I think that all thought IS good – as long as he gets somewhere meaningful one day. Unfortunately, the track record of history shows that many don't. DB, I think this may be your big break. Getting caught with your pants down is a chance to start again.

Hey Teves has new meaning for me

Photo credit COL


Used to be that I thought that the Hey Teves celebrations were a bit much. After all, it's only a Yerushah case, not unlike previous generations. That was before I read up about the case, and most importantly, read what the Rebbe had to say. The case that lead to Hey Teves was, as the Rebbe said, a Milchomoh kegen dem Alten Rebben, plain and simple. It may not have seemed that way from the outset, but what transpired over the years of trial and appeals, and the kinds of people that came out of the woodwork to help the G Family, definitely proved that. Any undesirable character that ever had a "beef" with Lubavitch, and some that just hated Lubavitch for no particular reason, saw this as a Jihad no different than the current one in Iraq, and came to fight the "evil empire."

What started out as a desparate man trying to make a few bucks by selling books (possibly to pay for medication for that back condition he had?) snowballed into a challenge that the Rebbe had never faced, a challenge to the right to the throne of Lubavitch leadership. I believe, that had he played his cards right, and gone directly to the Rebbe, and asked for permission to get some books, he may have been granted limited access. But greed got the better of him, and in the end he made a name for himself as the most hated character in Lubavitch history. In the trial 35 years of greed and jealousy bubbled to the surface, and the vicitims of their wrath were many, including the Frierdige Rebbe, who they claimed to inherit, himself. Truth be told many Lubavitchers could not understand at the time what the Rebbe was so upset about, and why it needed to be aired in public, since it seemed to be an internal family dispute. They too were quick to learn what the real intent was.

So, this year on Hey Teves, when you see others sing and dance, and you wonder what the big Nitzachon was, remember guys like Yaakov Shimon aka Fogel Cohen, and many in the Satmarer community who sprang into action to "help" the G's and embarrass Lubavitch. Realize that their sole intention was to show the world that the Rebbe was Chas Vesholom not the Mamshich of the Shalshelta DiDaHava of Nesi'ei Chabad. That would in turn excuse their existence and the fact that they harrassed and attacked the Rebbe and Lubavitch for decades for absolutely no reason. I too realize this now and have much reason to "celebrate." I went out and spent 150 dollars at the Heichel Menachem Seforim sale, as per the Rebbe's instructions.

an Interview with Reb Avremel Shemtov in Kfar Chabad Magazine about the events of Hey Teves

JEM's Hey Teves Video

Comment Moderation Is On

So I write a few unflattering words about one of their Gedolim and these guys get all up in arms! Cursing like sailors and using the most vile, perverted language known to man. Is that how you stand up to what you perceive as Bizayon Talmidei Chachomim, by profaning your mouth and being Machshil other Yidden by making them see this kind of garbage?

Now I have to turn Comment Moderation back on and hope that I can negotiate with these people. That means no instant gratification for a while, you'll need to wait a bit to see your comments. Hopefully we'll iron out our differences and be back to normal shortly. I thank you for your patience and understanding.

I guess Snags can dish it out but they can't take it. Typical.

DovBear busted!

READ HERE

How fitting that I see this piece of news on יום אידם. Seems like many of the Radical Religious Rightwingers will have a happy holiday after all. Truth be told I had much dislike for the man when I first began to read his works. It wasn't so much the message he portrayed than the way he said it. The total scorn and disdain, without a morsel of common decency or respect was more than I could handle. Then I started commenting there a bit and he responded, and some of the anger in me subsided. He comment-mined my comments and links were exchanged, that also helped give the man a human face despite his writings. (or were they his at all?) My blood still boils when I see certain topics discussed, but now it's a bit less personal with me.

Yet, to my surprise, the joy that should engulf me upon hearing about his being busted for constant plagiarizing has yet to do that. Maybe it'll come soon. I hope he comes clean and admits his faults, and maybe tones down the rhetoric now that he'll have to actually come up with his own material. I always wondered how the man had so much time to write those lengthy posts, I guess it helps to have material ready to go....

Thanks to MB for the DovWeasel link

Pride of Marmures

On sale here is a postcard picture of the Yeshiva in (Ober)Vishiva, Marmures, headed by Reb Menachem Mendel of Vishiva, eldest son of Reb Yisroel of Vizhnitz. 1937 was the year Reb Yisroel passed away, on 2 Sivan, one year to the day of the passing of the Minchas Elozor of Munkacs. Reb Mendele, who was considered the most Gerotene of the children, was visiting with his in-laws in New York when his father passed away, and arrived only weeks later. He thus lost any claim to the Rabistive that he may have had. His father the Ahavas Yisroel would say about him: "A shame that such a Talmid Chochom has a boor for a father!"

Supposedly the descendants of Reb Mendele, who see today that Vishiva has no real continuity, still bear some ill will towards the family of Reb Chaim Meir, a younger son, for "stealing" Vizhnitz from them. They say that since their Zayde was in America at the time the Ahavas Yisroel passsed away they should've waited for him to arrive home before crowning a successor. So some of them sit and sulk. A friend of mine who's Zeide is a Vishiver Talmid, and may or may not be featured in this picture, tells me that his Zayde sees it as a blessing that his Rebbe wasn't chosen to be "official" Rebbe.

"Imagine if he'd have become Rebbe," he says, he would then need to occupy himself with the needs of the masses, and they were many. Requests like "Rebbe, De Ki get nisht kan Millech,", Rebbe, De tuchter vil nisht melken de ki," would be his preoccupation. Although this is part of what the Baal Shem Tov wanted when he founded the Chassidic Movement, Reb Mendelle was "ah shtick Toyreh", through and through, and would much rather occupy himself with educating young men in Torah. This he could do only through staying in Vishiva and running the Yeshivah. Besides, plenty of Yidden from Marmures came to him as a Rebbe anyway, because the Vizhnitzer Hoif now located in Grosswardein, was too far away to travel to. Reb Mendelle passed away in 5701.

Pointless Car Rides

"One morning Rav Hutner took several of his talmidim from Chaim Berlin in his car (with his driver) for a ride to Prospect Park (Brooklyn) on a crisp October day. They got out of the car and walked to the pond in the middle of the park. Rav Hutner instructed the group of 3 bochurim to look at the lake and pointed out that you could see the bottom of the pond. "This mind of the Chazon Ish is as clear as this lake", Rav Hutner said. Then they returned to Chaim Berlin."

(From Modern Uberdox)

Ich Vil Farshteyn, nothing more. I'd like to understand how the other side thinks, what they see as greateness. I know what they don't see.

I asked an intelligent, unbiased friend of mine what the point of his taking these Bochurim there was. He says that if the point was to define the greatness of the Chazon Ish, and to get the Bochurim to understand what he means, then he did succeed, although he could've done the same with a cup of good ol' fashioned NYC tap water. I don't buy that. There was some sort of gimmick here, some round-about way of showing them HIS "greatness" I'm just not sure what it may have been. S'Iz nit Mashma that there was some sort of issue the boys had with the greatness of the CI. I just don't understand why RIH saw the need to do it, and what the great Gadlus is in the story. Why is this a story of a Tzaddik that you recount at his Yohrtzeit? I'm sure of our great ideaologue readers can enlighten me and all of us.

"האלמנה ואחים ראם"

These pics prove nothing as far as religious observance goes in those days,
they're to be used as a reference only, Lesaber es HoEyzen.


האלמנה דבורה ראם


Studio portrait of a young
Dvoyre Rom, האלמנה .



Studio portrait of Menakhem (Mane) Rom,
elsewhere stated as ראובן, a member of the well-known family
of printers and publishers. turn of the century.

A Lange Megillah from the Yated about the Roms. Believe what you wish.
This still says nothing about the Rashash, or his son.

Not Good Enough For The Yated

3 young Bochurim died in Israel yesterday, very tragically to say the least. They were traveling around the Holy Land bringing Simchas HaChag and Mitzvas HaChag to lonely soldiers in deserted outposts and army bases. Yeah, they were "Chabadskers" and therefore unworthy of living in the same country as some of the fine, fine, B'Nei Teyreh, but kids are kids, and a story like that would be tragic anywhere. They left grieving parents and friends. Yet, for some reason the Yated Ne'eman, the newspaper that prides itself on being the "only Newspaper under the direct jurisdiction (for lack of a better term) of "Moronon VeRabbonon Gedolei Yisroel" found it necessary to bury their deaths on page 18 or so, and report it as such:

שלשה צעירים נהרגו וחמשה נפצעו בתאונה קטלנית סמוך לאילת

Not very sympathetic, are they?

This topic is discussed at great length, and my point is not to cut and paste from HydePark's BeChadrei Charedim, but rather to awaken us all to the travesty that has befallen our people. The travesty I speak of is the rise of Snagdism as the dominant force in Israel. Snagdism was thought dead not long ago, especially 30-40 years ago, but we've let it lay dormant and grow. We allowed it to gather its strength and rearm, and now look where it's gotten us. To the point that others who disagree with them are "UmMentschen", and deserve as much mention as roadkill.

Solid Gold

a Shtikkel Hallel Lekoved Chanukah

Credit CMP

Big Aish's problem with Public Menorahs

Yaakov Salomon wants no public Menorahs, and he's got a cockamanie reason for it too. "The whole idea of a public menorah is "counter-intuitive", he says, because Chanukah's about "strengthening ourselves from within." What in the world is that supposed to mean? He asks: 'Do we REALLY need a Menorah at an airport, or at the White House, or in public places? "Is this what Chanukah is all about?" "Let's not try and compare ourselves to other religions." (As if somebody in Lubavitch decided to Ch"V equate Chanukah to other winter holidays.) It's not very often that you hear so much -------- in so little time.

So this genius, whose qualifications include being a PSYCHOTHERAPIST/SOCIAL WORKER for heaven's sake, sees no need for it. Fine. But only a total idiot, and belive me he's an idiot if he's in the Kiruv business and fails to see the value of public Menorah lightings, could totally ignore the point of what great Pirsumei Nissa these things are. So blinded is this man, and the organization that he works for, by hatred towards Chabad, that he feels the need to show the virtual world what a genius he is. And of course, all in the name of "authentic" Judaism.

Now he's getting all defensive in his message dated Yesterday, and uses the "some of my best friends are Chabad" excuse. QUOTE: "accusations that I am anti-Chabad are reckless, misguided, and patently false. I am permitted to dissent with the public menorah policy while, at that same time, appreciate, commend and support their incredible efforts throughout the world on behalf of the Jewish people. I have many friends who live and breathe Chabad philosophy and know many who have benefited from their dedicated Outreach efforts." I guess he couldn't take the heat after all. See my problem with getting my Hashkofoh from Artscroll? Salomon is an Artscroll author, and as much as I like some of their work, much of it is slanted very heavily towards a certain stream. Which is fine, since they ARE a private, money-making venture, with few other motives than to make money.

a Daf a week's all we ask

Listen to HaRav Pinchos M. Teitz z"l of Elizabeth, NJ As he delivers the weekly Daf on Radio WEVD for over 30 years. Guest lecturers included Harav Ovadia Yosef in Hebrew in 1985

Yeshivas Derech HaMelech

"Yeshivas Derech HaMelech is a new Torah learning center in Jerusalem that offers the mature and experienced English-speaking bachur an intensive learning experience, where he can grow into his full potential, in an inspiring atmosphere that stresses diligent Torah study, together with simcha, tefillah and avodas Hashem.

This video includes HaRav Moshe Weinberger, shlit"a, Rav of Congregation Aish Kodesh of Woodmere, NY; HaRav HaGaon R' Moshe Wolfson, shlit"a, Rav of Congregation Emunas Yisroel of Boro Park, Brooklyn, Mashgiach of Yeshivas Torah VoDaas; HaRav HaGaon R' Tzvi Meir Zilberberg, shlit"a, Rosh Chaburas Nachlas Yaakov of Jerusalem; HaRav HaGaon R' Mordechai Zilber, shlit"a, Stuchiner Rebbe of Congregation Toldos Yehudah in Boro Park, NY; Rabbi Dr. Abraham J. Twersky, Ph.D., shlit"a, Founder of Gateway Rehabilitation Center, Pittsburgh, and many others."

[Sounds like a good and way overdue idea, although I can't imagine why it's taken so long. My question is can a Yeshivah like this continue without being too hard on some Bochurim? by "hard" I mean as follows: Can it allow for a Bochur without a beard or hat, who desires to grow in Torah and Yiras Shomayim, to remain the way he is on the outside? Or will he be pressured to conform to other so-called Chassidishe Yeshivos? - HT]

Nazi Archive Made Public

Documents of Nazi atrocities during the Holocaust were kept locked for decades. Now that the archive is being made public, Scott Pelley brought three Holocaust survivors to examine their records.

WATCH VIDEO