Chabad-Lubavitch related controversies
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- This article examines controversial issues involving the Chabad-Lubavitch movement. For a more complete examination of Chabad, see the main article.
Chabad-Lubavitch is a branch of Hasidism. Its founder Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi was twice arrested by the Russians on trumped up charges, and later opposed Napoleon's emancipation of the Jews; one of his sons is alleged to have converted to Christianity. The conduct of the sixth leader, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchok Schneersohn during the Second World War was criticised by some of his contemporaries. Some interpretations of its seventh leader, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson's theology has been disagreed with by a few of his contemporaries; he felt very strongly that Israeli law should follow Jewish law and ethics, and was criticised heavily by Rabbi Elazar Shach for many of his policies, including his messianic focus. The belief that Schneerson is the messiah and will return or that he never even died has led to some friction within the Chabad community. Since his death in 1994 the movement has fragmented into competing factions. Financial battles have been ongoing between these factions since 1995, and the contested control over the headquarters in Brooklyn has led to strife.
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[edit] Shneur Zalman of Liadi
Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi, the founder of the movement, was arrested by Tsar Paul I on two occasions on trumped up charges but released both times. In the face of Napoleonic invasion, Liadi sided with the Tsar, believing that emancipation and freedom would lead to spiritual malaise.
During his life, the controversies between the Hasidim and Mitnagdim intensified in many ways. Some issues involved in the disagreements were the rules for ritual slaughter as well as the conduct and phrasing of prayers.[1] As a result, Rabbi Shneur Zalman and his followers were subjected to bans, though in part due to the changes made to Hasidic thought this lessened during the lives of his son Dovber Schneuri and grandson Menachem Mendel Schneersohn. Although Shneur Zalman once attempted to see the Vilna Gaon to persuade him to legitimize the Hasidim, the Vilna Gaon refused to speak with him.[2]
[edit] Arrests
In 1798 Rabbi Shneur Zalman was arrested on suspicion of treason on trumped up charges and brought to St. Petersburg where he was held in the Petropavlovski fortress for 53 days.
Again in 1800 he was arrested and again transported to St. Petersburg along with his son Moshe who served as an interpreter, as Rabbi Shneur Zalman spoke no Russian or French. He was released after a few weeks but was banned from leaving St. Petersburg.[3] The elevation of Tsar Alexander I a few weeks later led to Rabbi Shneur Zalman's release.
According to some scholars Rabbi Shneur Zalman's first arrest was not the result of anti-Hasidic Mitnagdim agitators fabricating charges, or officials seeking extortion monies.[4][5] An accusation was made on May 8, 1798 by Hirsh ben David of Vilna accused Rabbi Shneur Zalman of trying to assist the French Revolution, by sending money to Napoleon and the Sultan. It appears that there was no such person as Hirsh and the authorities were attempting to stir up internecine fighting among the Jews.[4]
[edit] Rabbi Shneur Zalman and Napoleon
While some Jewish leaders supported Napoleon or remained quiet about their support, others including Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi openly and vigorously supported the Tsar. While fleeing from Napoleon, Liadi wrote a letter explaining his opposition to Napoleon to a friend, Rabbi Moshe Meizeles:[4]
| “ | Should Napoleon be victorious, wealth among the Jews will be abundant. . .but the hearts of Israel will be separated and distant from their father in heaven. But if our master Alexander will triumph, though poverty will be abundant. . . the heart of Israel will be bound and joined with their father in heaven. . . And for God's sake: Burn this letter. [6] | ” |
Alan Dershowitz argues that Liadi was clear about his intent - suffering was good for the Jews. Suffering would inspire asceticism and bolster the Hasidic cause. Dershowitz goes on to take issue with what he interprets as a view that Judaism requires suffering to survive. [7]
Others defend Rabbi Shneur Zalman, arguing that Napoleon had been attempting to arouse a messianic view of himself in Jews, opening the gates of the Ghettos and emancipating their residents as he conquered. He established an ersatz Sanhedrin, recruiting Jews to his ranks, and spreading rumors about his conquest of the Holy Land to make Jews subversive for his own ends. [8] Thus his opposition was based on a practical fear of Jews turning to the false messianism of Napoleon as he saw it.[4]
Still others argue that Dershowitz's interpretation is correct, but that Rabbi Shneur Zalman's "fears were borne out by the events of the next two centuries. When emancipation did come to European Jewry, it came as a gradual process, and the traditional Judaism had by then developed an array of intellectual and moral responses (most notably, the Chassidic and Mussar movements). Still, the spiritual toll of freedom was high: traditional Jewish life was all but wiped out in France and Germany by the upheavals spearheaded by the French Revolution, and while it persevered in Eastern Europe until the eve of the Holocaust, many fell prey to the winds of anti-religious "enlightenment" blowing from the west. We can only imagine what the toll might have been had Napoleon conquered the continent in the early years of the nineteenth century."[9]
[edit] Dovber Shneuri
The succession of Rabbi Dovber Schneuri to his fathers post was not straightforward as a senior disciple of his father Aharon HaLevi of Strashelye was a popular and respected figure who differed with him on a number of theological issues.
[edit] Strashelye breakaway
When R' Schneur Zalman passed away, many of his followers flocked to one of his top students, Aharon HaLevi of Strashelye. He had been Shneur Zalman’s closest disciple for over thirty years. While many more became followers of the Mittler Rebbe, the Strashelye school of Chassidic thought was the subject of many of the Mittler Rebbe's discourses. R' Aharon HaLevi emphasized the importance of basic emotions in divine service (especially the service of prayer). The Mittler Rebbe did not reject the role of emotion in prayer, but emphasized that if the emotion in prayer is to be genuine, it can only be a result of contemplation and understanding (hisbonenus) of the explanations of Chassidus, which in turn will lead to an attainment of "bittul" (self-nullification before the Divine). In his work entitled "Kuntres Hispaalus" (Tract on Ecstasy), the Mittler Rebbe argues that only through ridding oneself of what he considered disingeuous emotions could one attain the ultimate level in Chassidic worship (that is, bittul).[10]
[edit] Joseph Isaac Schneersohn
The response of the sixth Rebbe, Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneersohn to the Holocaust has been condemned from a number of quarters. Bryan Mark Rigg wrote his PhD thesis on the subject an Cambridge University. He quotes Rabbi Alex Weisfogel, secretary of Rabbi Avraham Kalmanowitz of the Vaad Hatzalah as saying that Kalmanowitz and Aaron Kotler were appalled at Schneersohn's focus on "bringing the messiah" while the war continued.[11] He forbade his followers from leaving Russia in the 1920s and 30s, declaring that those who did were "deserters". Chabad scholar Avrum Erlich writes: In Yosef Yitzhak’s case, the consequences of staying in the Soviet Union were disastrous for the obedient Hasidim; moreover, as there was little for those who stayed to do, their sacrifice was largely in vain. While he prevented his followers from leaving Russia, Yosef Yitzhak himself eventually migrated to the United States, long after it became impossible for many of his followers to escape Communist persecution.[12]
However recently uncovered documents show that Schneersohn immediately began lobbying for assistance to Jews in the Nazis' path.[13]
He petitioned ambassadors and politicians in London and New York for relief packages to be sent to the Jewish communities in the western parts of what is today the former Soviet Union. His letters were co-signed by Rabbi Jacob Rosenheim, the then-president of the Agudath Israel World Organization. [14]
After the war ended, in 1945, he set up a relief organisation to assist the survivors of the holocaust.[citation needed]
[edit] The Malach
Another incident which occurred was with Rabbi Chaim Avraham Dov Ber Levine haCohen, also known as The Malach (lit. the angel). He was the tutor of Joseph Isaac Schneersohn when the latter was a child, but personal differences caused Rabbi Levine to break with Chabad. Torah Vodaas, in order to inspire its students, used to encourage its students to visit knowledgeable rabbis and Rabbi Levine was one of them. Eventually, some of the students styled themselves as Rabbi Levine's followers. This quasi-Hasidic group, known as The Malachim, is antagonistic towards Chabad and only acknowledges the legitimacy of the first four Chabad rebbes. The Malachim themselves did not choose a successor to Rabbi Levine. Today, the Malachim are a marginal group.
The dispute was apparently over the tutelage of Yosef Yitchok.[15] According to the Malachim, Levine caught him reading a secular book and told his father about the incident. Rabbi Sholom Dovber Schneersohn, the fifth Rebbe of Chabad, did not believe that his son would do this and called tutor and tutee to talk with him. When Yosef Yitzchok promised that he had not read the book, the father accepted his word, and Levine resigned his post.[16][17]
[edit] Menachem Mendel Schneerson
[edit] Terminology
In 1951 Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson in his first sermon as the Rebbe he described his father-in-law the sixth rebbe, and Rebbes in general, as being "the essence and content of God, clothed in a body". This is brought down in his collected sermons Likutei Sichos[18] He asks rhetorically: "How can one make a request of a rebbe - isn't that surely a problem of speaking to God through an intermediary?" (Which is anathematic to Judaism.) He notes that while his answer is novel, and not found in other Hasidic sources one must answer that in truth "One cannot ask [this] question. . . since Atzmus u'mehus alein vi er hat zich areingeshtalt in a guf" or "[a Rebbe] is the essence and substance of God enclothed in a body".
In recent years some critics, notably Rabbi Dr. David Berger and Rabbi Chaim Dov Keller, expressed their concern that this is a major innovation by Schneerson that "deifies" the Rebbe, which is contrary to Orthodox Judaism. Chabad writers counter that these reactions are based on misunderstandings of Kabbalistic terminology used by Rabbi Schneerson, and that similar expressions can be found throughout non-Chabad Hasidic and Kabbalistic literature. [19][20]
Defenders point to similar statements attributed to the Baal Shem Tov and the Ohr ha-Chaim. They point to a quote from Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi that "He who breathed life into man, breathed from Himself". Therefore a person's soul is "truly a part of HaShem above". [21] They argue that in the light of these statements Schnnerson's 1951 comments are not a departure from normative Jewish thought. [22][23]
[edit] Schneerson on the Holocaust
When Schneerson wrote a letter[24] rejecting all theological explanations for the Holocaust[25], he was accused of comparing the Holocaust to the amputation of a rotting limb.[26]. Upon further analysis, however, it becomes clear that Schneerson's letter stated precisely the opposite[27]. The "rotting limb" analogy was used only to illustrate how things are often different than the way they first appear.
[edit] Elazar Shach's critique
Rabbi Elazar Shach long-time leader of Lithuanian Judaism was involved in a number of public disputes with Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson the Rebbe of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement from the 1970s through Rav Schneerson's death in 1994. Rav Shach accused his followers of false Messianism. When certain elements in Chabad actually identified Rabbi Schneerson as the possible Messiah, Rabbi Shach advocated a complete boycott of Chabad, its institutions and projects by its constituents. He objected to the call for "forcing" the Messiah's appearance, an idea avocated by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. [28] When once asked which religion was theologically closest to Judaism, Shach responded "Chabad".[29] Pointing to an assertion by the Rebbe in a passage dealing primarily with his predecessor that a rebbe is ‘the Essence and Being [of G-d] placed into a body,’ Rabbi Schach spoke of nothing less than Avodah Zara [idol worship]. His followers refused to eat meat slaughtered by Lubavich shochetim or to recognize Chabad Hasidim as adherents of authentic Judaism.[30]Rabbi Shach also compared Chabad and Rabbi Schneerson to the followers of the 17th-century false messiah Sabbatai Zevi. Chabad representatives dismissed the comparisons, noting that whereas the Sabbateans deliberately violated religious laws on the assumption that a "new Torah" would emerge during messianic times, Chabad preached that only strict adherence to tradition would bring the redemption. Chabad also claimed that its veneration of the rebbe was not at odds with Jewish tradition.[31]
Shach once described Schneerson as "the madman who sits in New York and drives the whole world crazy."[32]
In addition to Rabbi Shach's objections to some Chabad members venerating Rabbi Schneerson as the Messiah (both before and after his death), the two also disagreed on various issues of Jewish law and philosophy, but particularly politics. Chabad strongly opposed peace talks with the Palestinians or to relinquishing any Israeli territory under any circumstance, while Rabbi Shach alternately supported both left and right-wing parties in the Israeli elections. During the 1988 elections, Schneerson encouraged Israeli Haredim to vote for Agudat Israel over Rabbi Shach's newly-formed Degel HaTorah party. In response, Shach's newspaper, Yated Ne'eman, ran several articles documenting various Chabad writings and statements that supported Shach's contention that Lubavitch was becoming a breakaway sect of Judaism focused around Schneerson as the Messiah.
Chabad characterized Rabbi Shach's opposition to Rabbi Schneerson as being personal in nature, and stemming from private disagreements between the two leaders, but Shach's supporters defended his harsh criticism of Chabad, saying the movement represented a very real threat of turning religious Jews to apostasy. There have been similar concerns regarding Chabad Messianism that have since been raised among Haredi and Modern Orthodox communities in Israel and the United States.
In a conversation that he had with an American rabbi in the 1980s, Rabbi Shach stated, "The Americans think that I am too controversial and divisive. But in a time when no one else is willing to speak up on behalf of our true tradition, I feel myself impelled to do so."[33]
It should be noted that in spite of his pitched battle against Lubavitch, Rabbi Shach nevertheless recited Tehillim when Rabbi Schneerson became sick. At the time he was asked for an explanation, and he obliged, “My battle is against his erroneous approach, against the movement, but not against the people in any personal way. I pray for the Rebbe’s recovery and simultaneously, also pray that he abandon his invalid way.” [34]
Shach made clear in his writings [35] that he is not at all opposed to chassidim and chassidus (including Chabad Chassidim from the previous generations [36]) ; he recognized them as "yera'im" and "shlaymim" and full of Torah and Mitzvos and fear of heaven [37].
Rabbi Shach often clarified his stand, both in speech and in writing, that the slander spread against him about his persecution of chassidim was something he could never forgive, for it had transformed him into a baal machlokes, a hate-monger, at a time when he loved peace and pursued it to the nth degree.[38]
In 1980, Rabbi Shach and Rabbi Yaakov Yisrael Kanievsky (known as the "Steipler") protested the Chabad Lag Ba'omer parade [39]. Rabbi Schneerson subsequently accused Rabbi Shach of wearing invalid tefillin [40].
[edit] Other Haredi critiques
Rabbi Yitzchok Hutner was opposed to the personality cult built up around the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and to the public projection of both the Rebbe and the Lubavitch movement, by the movement, through public media—print and broadcast journalism, books, film, and the like. [41]
Rabbi Yisroel Belsky, a Rosh Yeshiva in Yeshiva Torah Vodaas and halachic decisor for the Orthodox Union, said in an interview, "Present-day Chabad has become a personal cult centered on the previous Lubavitcher Rebbe. Everything they do, from beginning to end, revolves around this. They constantly project his image, talk about him and how great he was, how smart he was, how he was a better strategist than all the generals, that he was Mashiach, etc. This is the way people talk about a cult figure. There is no room in Yiddeshkeit for a personality cult in which an individual is deified and glorified. Whether he was great or wasn't is immaterial. There have been many great people in Judaism. The personality cult of glorifying an individual person, giving him unique titles, elevating the shape of the building he was active in, etc., has no place in Yiddeshkeit." [42]
Chabad Rabbi Elimelech Silberberg responded, in a letter to the magazine[43], "I can categorically state that none of the Chabad Yeshivas in any way, G-d forbid, "deifies" the Rebbe. Rabbi Belsky's statement is totally libelous and falls in the category of falsehood and slander. The issue of the role of a tzaddik has always been a point of contention between Chasidim and non-chasidim. A perusal of the works of such Chasidic luminaries as the Meor Ainayim, the Noam Elimelech, and the Tiferes Shlomo, to name just a few, underscores the central role that a Rebbe occupies in the life of a Chasid. Ultimately we have come to respect these differences of opinions between the two communities. For Rabbi Belsky to reiterate this opposition to what he considers to be an improper Chasid-Rebbe relationship only fuels the fires of baseless hatred."
[edit] Chabad messianism
Chabad messianism is a belief by some within the Chabad-Lubavitch Hasidic movement that believe that the late Rabbi and leader of that movement Menachem Mendel Schneerson will be the Jewish Messiah. Adherents to this belief are termed Mishichist in Yiddish.
Before Schnerrson's death in 1994 a significant body of Chabad Hasidim believed that he was soon to be crowned as the Messiah - an event that would herald the Messianic Age and the construction of the Third Temple. Books and pamphlets were written containing purported proofs for the Rabbi's status as Messiah, some of which Schneerson opposed.
Attempts by his followers to persuade him to reveal himself as the Messiah were to no avail. Followers routinely sang the mantra "Long live our master, our teacher and our rabbi, King Messiah for ever and ever" in his presence - a chant that he often encouraged in his last years.
During the later years of his life Rabbi Schneerson's teachings were interpreted by many to mean that he was claiming to be the Messiah.
His death in 1994 did not remove the messianist fervor. Believers soon developed new rationales to justify the belief the Schneerson was the Messiah despite being dead. Some argued that he had in fact not died at all and was still physically present. Others argued that though he was dead Judaism did not rule out the possibility of the Messiah returning from the dead.
The development of this messianism and its impact on Chabad in specific — and Orthodox Judaism in general — has been the subject of much discussion in the Jewish press, as well as within the pages of peer-reviewed journals. Nevertheless, the belief in the Lubavitcher Rebbe being the Messiah, is confined to a subset of the Chabad community and is not accepted by Jewish adherents outside of that community.
[edit] Yechi
"Yechi Adoneinu Moreinu v'Rabbeinu Melech haMoshiach l'olam vo'ed!" is a phrase used by many Lubavitch Hasidim to pray and proclaim that the seventh Lubavitcher Rebbe, Menachem Mendel Schneerson is the messiah. It means "Long Live our Master, our Teacher, and our Rabbi, King Messiah, for ever and ever." The phrase can be seen printed in various settings, it is chanted by many people at the end of daily communal prayers in Lubavitch congregations, including the main Lubavitch synagogue in Crown Heights. In Oholei Torah/Oholei Menachem, the largest Lubavitch yeshiva outside Israel, Yechi is recited during the service, and an administrative directive declared that any student who cannot behave respectfully during the recitation should go elsewhere.[44] Yechi has a complex and controversial history dating back to the mid-1980s and is often viewed as a litmus test to differentiate the messiansits from the anti-messianists or non-messianists.
[edit] Shaul Shimon Deutsch
Rabbi Shaul Shimon Deutsch, a former Lubavitcher, started a new Hasidic group, Chabad-Liozna. He took this title in a ceremony on December 5, 1996 at his synagogue on 45th Street in Brooklyn.[45] He took the name of the town of Liozna in Belorussia where the early Chabad movement was founded with the intent of enticing Chabad followers away from the belief that their late leader was the Messiah. [45] His actions have made him an object of derision within the mainstream Chabad community.[46]
[edit] Weinstock estate
The "Weinstock estate" case, that dragged through the courts for ten years, divided the highest levels of Chabad administration into two irreconcilable camps.[47]
In 1978 Judah Leo Weinstock bequeathed a $32 million estate to the United Lubavitcher Yeshivot (ULY), a body that oversaw the funding of four Chabad yeshivas, under the direction of Rabbi Shemaryahu Gurary. The donation had been solicited for the ULY by Rabbi Nachman Sudak, a Chabad emmsisiary in London.[47] However, Weinstock had asked that the money be used to establish Yeshivas in Israel, something that ULY was not capable of. Gurary ordered that the monies be distributed evenly between ULY and Merkos L'Inyonei Chinuch (MLC) which maintained Yeshivas outside the US. In 1987 a board of trustees (including Yehuda Krinsky) was established that distributed the money on a discretionary basis between ULY and MLC.[47]
In October 1994, a few months after Schneerson's death ULY fell into financial troubles. The directors of ULY requested large sums from the trustees - eating into the principle of the estate. The directors of the MLC (some of whom were also trustees of the estate) objected to the requests, and the trustees of the estate refused to grant the money.[47]
Furious, the directors of ULY began claiming sole title to the estate, based on a strict reading of Weinstock's original bequest. The ULY took the MLC to court, having failed to agree on a mutually acceptable Beit Din. The previously open relationship between the ULY, MLC and the trustees - while Schneerson was alive - complicated the case, as did the ambiguity in the bequest.[47]
[edit] Litigation
Surrogate Judge Michael Feinberg dealt with the case from 1995, when the dispute surfaced until 2000 when he ruled that there had been clear intent to share the money equally between the two organizations, once united but now at loggerheads.[47]
In 1997 the dispute had deteriorated, and a rival ULY board headed by Krinsky claimed to be the rightful representatives of ULY.[47] Feinberg ruled that until the dispute could be settled Mario Cuomo[48] would serve as the emergency receiver,[49] a role he held till 2000. In 2000 Feinberg ruled that since the parties refused to attend any type of Beit Din or arbitration, [49] he had to rule against the original board and for Krinsky since the original board had failed to cooperate with the court-appointed arbitrator. The judge noted that:
| “ | There were no questions about the administration of the estate or the proper recipient of the funds with Schneerson calling the shots. With the rebbe's death in 1994, this consensus broke down."[49] | ” |
The ruling was a major blow for the messianist faction that controlled the board, known as the Vaad,[50] though their lawyers welcomed the decision publicly saying that they could now appeal.[49]
In a final judgement in November 2003, New York Supreme Court ruled that the original course of dealing before 1994 showed intent on behalf of the ULY to share the money evenly with MLC, and that course should continue.[47] Thus, after nine years of litigation, the original ULY board lost their claim for complete control of the Weinstock estate.[51]
[edit] Local controversies
[edit] Europe
[edit] Czech Republic
In Prague in 2005 tensions developed between Chabad members and Rbbi Karol Sidon. The Alt-Neu Synagogue in Prague's ancient Jewish Quarter became the scene of an emotional dispute between members of the Chabad movement and locals backing Karol Sidon, chief rabbi of the Czech Republic. The conflict led to violent brawls and hospitalisations on a number of occasions.[52] Sidon was eventually returned to his post.[53] In 2004 Tomas Jelinek the director of the community council fired Sidon as Rabbi giving the post to young Chadad rabbi Manis Barash. A grassroots campaign from community members led to the deposition of Jelinek as the community director. Jelinek then asked a religious arbiter in Israel to rule on the case who ruled in favor of Barash. Sidon's supporters argued that the case was void since Jelinek had lied to the Judge telling him that the community board had been behind his actions in firing Sidon and appointing Barash. However on 21 November 2005 he was reelected as the chief Rabbi of the city following the protracted dispute with Chabad.[54] Community head Jacub Roth told the press: " this is part of the local Chabad’s striving to take over the community’s religious life. We have seen an ugly foray of Chabad in their attempt to take over the Old-New Shul."[53]
[edit] Lithuania
In May 2004, the Lithuanian Jewish community temporarily closed the Vilnius synagogue following a disorderly dispute in the synagogue between members of the Orthodox and the Chabad Lubavich Jewish groups. The community closed the synagogue again in August 2004, following another disturbance. The Government charged the leader of the Chabad Lubavich community with assault and trespassing in the second occurrence, but subsequently dropped the charges. The synagogue remained closed pending resolution of the community's internal disputes.[55]
[edit] Sholom Ber Krinsky
Rabbi Sholom Ber Krinsky (nephew of Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky) the Chabad emissary to Vilnius has been embroiled in a number of scandals. His soup kitchen was closed down because it served contaminated food. A scandal erupted when charges were made that he had stolen money from donors. Creditors took over the first floor of his Chabad Center to cover unpaid debts, and he remains indebted to his creditors. He collected money to maintain the Jewish cemetery in the city but never paid the $25,000 to the community which was his share in the maintenance.[56] The Joint Distribution Committee stopped providing him with funding in 2004 after they became aware of financial irregularities.
Krinsky styles himself as Lithuania's "Chief Rabbi", though this was not widely accepted. His attempts to become the officially recognised chief rabbi included having Yona Metzger – who has close ties to Chabad – write a letter to the Lithuanian President; he tried appealing to the Lithuanian Ministry of Justice, but this too failed. On February 29 2004, he held a meeting of 30 of his followers within the community and declared that they were the religious Jewish community of Lithuania. These people proclaimed him chief rabbi and documentation of the meeting was sent to the Ministry of Justice, but this failed to sway the government who maintained that choosing leaders was the prerogative of a religious community as a whole.[56] In response 400 Jewish Lithuanians signed a document condemning Krinsky.[56]
When the community appointed a Chief Rabbi, Chaim Burstein in early 2004 Krinsky and his followers began a campaign against him. In May 2004 some of Krinsky's followers attacked Burstein on the podium during prayers, and the police were called to break up what became a brawl. Burstein retreated to his home with some supporters to continue prayers but Chabad activists broke in and continued assaulting the worshippers.[56]
The synagogue closed down and was reopened a few weeks later with security at the door to prevent the ingress of Krinsky and his friends. Krinsky attempted to enter and a brawl ensued.[57] Krinsky told the press that the security made him "feel like I went through a Nazi selection."[56] The synagogue was again closed for the duration of the summer, Krinsky and his Chabad followers maintained an angry vigil at the scene that was covered regularly by the local media.[56]
In June 2007 Krinsky was facing eviction from his premises for non-payment of rent, and was given an ultimatum by the community to "publicly acknowledge the community's ownership of the synagogue and its choice of chief rabbi; cease referring to himself as "chief rabbi"; and submit to "a sound, open and transparent financial management".[58]
[edit] Russia
A bitter rivalry has been ongoing in Russia for the past 10 years between Berel Lazar, chief rabbi for the Chabad-Lubavitch-dominated Federation of Jewish Communities, and Yevgeny Satanovsky, president of the pluralist Russian Jewish Congress, over who represents the Jews of Russia on an official basis.[59] The Kremlin officially recognized Lazar as the religious leader of the Russian Jewish community, pushing aside the congress’s Rabbi Adolf Shayevich, who until then had occupied the post.[59] Since the installation of Rabbi Berel Lazar as the Chief Rabbi of Russia by the Chabad Federation there have been a number of controversies associated with Chabad influence with premier Vladimir Putin, and their funding from various Russian oligarchs, including Lev Leviev and Roman Abramovich.[60] Lazar is known for his close ties to Putin's Kremlin.[61]
Putin became close to the Chabad movement after a number of non-Chabad Jewish oligarchs and Rabbis including Vladimir Gusinsky (the founder of the non-Chabad Russian Jewish Congress), backed other candidates for president.[62] Lev Leviev, a chabad oligarch[63] supported Putin, and the close relationship between them led to him supporting the Chabad federation nomination of Lazar as Chief Rabbi of Russia, an appointment that Putin immediately recognised despite it not having been made by the established Jewish organisation.[64] Some have gone so far as to describe Lazar as Putin's Court Jew; Lazar responded to these allegations:
| “ | I do not know what a court Jew is. There are some people whose only purpose is to speak in condemnation of the government. I try to be objective. The situation in Russia has improved under Putin. People get pensions. The standard of living is rising. There are also negative phenomena, which deserve to be criticized. There is corruption at all levels, though that has been characteristic of Russia in the past 80 years. The reform is in bad shape and there are also many other ills.[60] | ” |
Rabbi Adolf Shayevich, who had been Chief Rabbi of Russia until 1998, argues that the Lazar is merely the appointee of Chabad and that he remains Chief Rabbi. What happened, he explains, "has nothing to with religion and everything to do with politics and business. The president invites him to receptions and does not invite me. I am not offended."[60]
Rabbi Pinchas Goldschmidt who attempted to set up a rival rabbinical college to elect a non-Chabad chief rabbi was expelled from Russia by order of the government three days after he convened the meeting, after having lived in Russia for fifteen years.[65] According to rival oligarch Vladimir Slutsker Goldschmidt told friends that it was Slutsker that had him expelled due to his opposition to Chabad.[60][66] Lazer made no protest at the expulsion of his rival, and within days was appointed to Putin's "Public Chamber", [67] a controversial body that human rights groups have criticised as a window dressing exercise, packed with Putin acolytes to "legitimize the government’s increasingly authoritarian policies".[68]
According to an editorial in the Jerusalem Post the reason why Lazar has not protested Putin's arrests of Jewish Oligarchs and Goldschmidt's deportation is that "Russia's own chief rabbi, Chabad emissary Berel Lazar, is essentially a Kremlin appointee who has been made to neutralize the more outspoken and politically active leaders of rival Jewish organizations."[69]
In 2003 while many around the world criticised the arrest of Mikhail Khodorkovsky Lazar praised the action saying that "The future of the country shouldn’t be in the hands of one man who has money,"[59] Rival RJC chair head Yevgeny Satanovsky said that Lazar’s endorsement of the actions was intended to develop a role as the special Jew for Putin in order to strengthen the position of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement, which he said was built around the worship of Schneerson.[59] Lazar responded that "it’s no secret that I have a very good relationship with the president."[59]
[edit] Darkei Shalom synagogue
The Darkei Shalom synagogue is a major synagogue in northern Moscow. It was affiliated with Chamah, a religious and social welfare movement on behalf of former Soviet Jews with offices in New York and Israel, as well as Moscow. The spiritual leader of Darkei Shalom, Rabbi David Karpov, is a devotee of the late Lubavitcher rebbe, yet over the years he has distanced himself from FEOR, the Chabad rabbinical grouping in Russia that appointed and is headed by Lazar. Kaprov was telephoned by Lazar telling him that the synagogue was being gifted to the Chabad movement by its owners and that he would have to leave the synagogue, and resign his post to make way for the a new Chabad emissary.[70] Lazar suggested that if he fell into line with FEOR he may be allowed to stay. At the same time Kaprov received court orders over various technical and administrative issues, which Kaprov argued were due to Lazar pressuring Kaprov. In an open letter to Lazar, Rabbi Adolph Shayevich and 16 other rabbis wrote:[70]
| “ | We would like to express our deep disappointment and discontent with the recent attempt of FEOR to forcefully capture the Darkei Shalom Congregation, one of the most successful and respected Jewish congregations of Russia. This kind of attitude demonstrated by Rabbi Berel Lazar contradicts the spirit of Torah and is apparently based on typical methods deployed by Russian criminals. | ” |
Shayevich added in a statement to the press that "they already have too much money and power, and are using it to destroy all Jewish organizations which resist Chabad’s total domination of Russian Jewish life."[70] [71]
[edit] Ukraine
Chabad maintain a Chief Rabbi in the Ukraine in opposition to non-Chabad Chief Rabbi Yaakov Bleich. A group of prominent secular Jews orchestrated the appointment of Rabbi Moshe Reuven Azman - a Chabad messianist to rival Bleich and another Chabad rabbi, Azriel Haikin who had been appointed by Chabad in 2002. His election as Chief Rabbi by a group formed by some wealthy Jewish businessmen in October 2005, caused considerable controversy in the Ukraine Jewish community. Azman's election was endorsed by a group of secular Jewish leaders attending a Kiev Jewish conference, but not by any rabbinical authorities.[72] A group of rabbis from the non-Chabad Russian Jewish Congress attacked the appointment describing it as "illegitimate" and "insulting to the feelings of every believer".[72] 150 secular Jewish leaders from 100 Ukrainian cities and towns later protested the vote as well.[72][73]
According to the Baltimore Jewish Times, More than 30 Chabad rabbis affiliated with the federation issued a statement Sept. 15 saying that the election of another Chabad rabbi, Moshe Reuven Azman of Kiev, to serve as Ukraine's chief rabbi was "illegitimate" and "insulting to the feelings of every believer. A chief Rabbi can be elected only by rabbis working in Jewish communities of that country," and argued that the election was invalid.[74]
[edit] United Kingdom
[edit] Gaon Club
The financial troubles at a central London club aimed at attracting professionals, consumed a third of Chabad's total Uk budget. Allegations of financial irregularities led to the directors of the Lubavitch Foundation (UK) filing a Beit Din suit against the club's director rabbis Mendy Vogel and Yosef Vogel demanding that they cease and desist from using the Chabad name.[75][76]
Rabbi Shlomo Levin, director of Lubavitch UK said the Lubavitch Foundation had been "unable to meet its monthly commitments, amassing large debts in unpaid teachers salaries, bank loans and unpaid PAYE." He complained that the Club was responsible for swallowing a large chunk of the movement's budget.[76]
The Gaon club was opened by Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks in 2006 and was located in rent-free premises in the West End of London.[76]
The club was closed and the Beit Din ruled that the Vogel brothers must not use the Chabad, Lubavitch or Gaon Club names for at least 6 months and that they should return any Chabad property that they had in their possession. Rabbi Faivish Vogel the father of the two men, who was the chief fundraiser of the "Lubavitch Foundation (UK)" which brought the suit, resigned following the ruling.[77]
It emerged that the foundation is now £1.5million ($3 million) in dept to banks and other individuals. The Vogel brothers expressed their intent to continue their activities despite the ruling: "We are not going anywhere. Our dedication to Anglo-Jewry, and particularly its young people, was not just a job. It was our life, as taught to us by our father who was inspired by the Lubavitcher Rebbe."[78]
[edit] Rabbinical Center of Europe
Chabad established a rival rabbinical grouping (called the "Rabbinical Center of Europe") to the Conference of European Rabbis, the primary Orthodox Jewish rabbinical conference in Europe since the Second World War. The body is headed by Moshe Garelick a Chabad Rabbi from Milan. The executive director of the "Conference", Aba Dunner complained that the "center" was misrepresenting itself, deliberately confusing people and duplicating their work. Attacked their action as counter-productive he said:[79]
| “ | What are non-Jewish government officials to think when one group has been dealing with them on the issue for years and then suddenly another group wants to negotiate with them on the same agenda? We believe in the old shtadlonus [intercession, lobbying] methods rather than in conferences with low-level diplomats which may provide headlines but accomplish nothing.[79] | ” |
While the organisation was set up as a Chabad group, they removed all references to Chabad after a few months, the Chabad Headquarters in New York still listed it as a Chabad organisation. The sister organisation of the "Center", the "European Jewish Community Center" uses the initials EJCC again similar to the initials of the European Jewish Congress - a major organisation with representatives in over 40 states. Cobi Benatoff, president of the European Jewish Congress siad "We will certainly be confronting Chabad about this issue, this way of misleading people is not the Jewish way."[80]
[edit] United States
[edit] Public menorahs
In 1989, the County of Allegheny with the support of Chabad defended itself in court all the way to the United States Supreme Court from the ACLU in County of Allegheny v. ACLU over the display of a public Menorah owned by Chabad.
The city of Burlington, Vermont denied the local Chabad chapter, headed by Rabbi Yitzchok Raskin permission to erect a Menorah in the city's main park during Chanukah.[81] Raskin appealed the decision on two occasions after an initial hearing 1987 found the display to be unconstitutional under the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment. The UCLA assisted the city of Burlington in a final appeal in the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit in 1991, and the Menorah ban was upheld.[82][83] A similar case occurred in Chicago in 1990, and the court found the same way, [84] as did a court in Iowa in 1986.[85] Another a similar case in Cincinnati had the same judgement, [86] as did a case in Georgia.[87]
A similar case in White Plains led to the Common Council unanimously rejecting the display of a Menorah in a public space in the town with the support of many Jews, affirming a local tradition of keeping parks free of religious and political displays.[88]
In 1988, the American Jewish Congress produces a 28-page report, entitled "The Year of the Menorah", criticising Chabad's Menorah campaign and the litigation that went with it. It complained of the increase in the number of menorahs placed on public lands arguing that it was causing tension both within the community and with non-Jews.[89]
IN 2002 U.S. Supreme Court last ruled that Chabad of Southern Ohio were entitled to light an 18-foot menorah in the city's Fountain Square. Justice John Paul Stevens ruled that the city could not ban the chanukiah and other religious displays from the square.[90]
[edit] SeaTac Airport
In December 2006 a controversy emerged after Rabbi Elazar Bogomilsky complained that the SeaTac Airport was displaying a Christmas Tree but not a Menorah.[91] In response to this complaint the airport management removed the tree, and Bogomilsky was widely criticised in the press for "having the tree removed". After considerable press and TV News coverage, the tree was replaced and Bogomilsky released the following statement:
| “ | "For many people, the Christmas tree is an important symbol of the season. Our goal was to include a menorah in the airport as well so that we could bring extra light with Hanukkah's universal message of hope."[91] | ” |
[edit] Sholom Ber Levitin
In 1989, the chief Chabad emissary to Seattle[92] Rabbi Sholom Ber Levitin was convicted of being part of an international money laundering ring that headed by Israeli Adi Tal. Levitin defended his actions, saying that the proceeds were going to Israel: "I was motivated by my desire to help my brethren in need, with funds being transferred to Israel" Levitin, one of 11 charged, was sentenced to a $10,000 fine and a 30-day imprisonment.[93][94]
[edit] Satmar-Chabad disturbances
On a number of occasions through the 1980s, Chabad and Satmar Hasidim became involved in violent brawls over various issues.[95] In 1983 tensions were elevated and rioting ensued. Chabad spokesman Yehuda Krinsky blamed the Satmars, saying that the attacks were "definitely Satmar. Lubavitch is a victim of brutal attacks by Satmar. Their record of terrorism goes on."[96] In a letter to Time magazine he repeated his allegations, arguing that it was false to claim that both groups were guilty.[97]
[edit] Israel
[edit] Shalom Dov Wolpo
Shalom Dov Wolpo called for the state execution of the prime minister of Israel Ehud Olmert and a number of senior ministers at a gathering of senior Israeli rabbis in Tel Aviv. He argued that they should be "hanged from the gallows" for giving "these Nazis [Palestinian terrorists] weapons and money".[98][99]
Menahem Mazuz opened an investigation into the comments.[98] In comments to the Jerusalem Post Meretz MKHaim Oron called on Defense Minister Ehud Barak to prevent the Chabad movement from providing religious services on IDF bases until it distances itself from Wolpe. Binyamin Netanyahu and Chabad spokesperson Menachem Brod also condemned the comments.[98] Brod argued:
| “ | His irresponsible statements cause the utmost damage to the Greater Israel cause because he gives the mistaken impression that those who are opposed to territorial compromise and to the division of Jerusalem are a bunch of crazies.[98] | ” |
His comments were also condemned by a number of religious MKs and by the Orthodox Union[100] The row threatens to split the movement, with the messianists faction at risk of being distanced from the rest of the Chabad movement.[101]
[edit] Chabad Youth Organisation
The death of the director of the Chabad Youth Organisation in Israel, the de facto hub of the vast majority of Chabad's activities in Israel, Rabbi Shlomo Madaintchek led to a power struggle between messianist and moderates over the control of the group. The messianists were led by Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Wilshansky, the Rosh Yeshiva of the Chabad Yeshiva in Safed, while the moderates were led by Rabbi Yosef Aharonov. Wilshansky took Aharonov to court to prevent him making material changes CYO's foundation documents, signatory rights, directors, and membership, or making any other fundamental changes. The petitioners claim that this is an attempt to illegally take over the group and Chabad in Israel in general.[102]
[edit] Yosef George Segal
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (December 2007) |
Yosef George Segal was a Chabad employee who was accused more than a year ago by Young Chabad officials of embezzling $4.5 million from the organization.[103]
[edit] November 2007 Arrests
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (December 2007) |
Yosef Aharonov and three others are accused of embezzlement, tax evasion and money laundering. The arrests and a Nov. 13 raid on the community of Kfar Chabad follow an eight-month investigation by the Israel Tax Authority and the Central District Fraud Squad.
Arkady Gaydamak, an Israeli-Russian billionaire and a potential Jerusalem mayoral candidate, is accused of donating $256,000 to the money-laundering facilities allegedly run out of Kfar Chabad, according to Israel's Channel 10. He and other prominent businessmen are currently under investigation.[103][104][105][106][107]
[edit] Canada
[edit] Montreal Mikva dispute
In 1982 a new mikva was completed in Montreal intended for use by women and for conversions from Reform, Conservative and Orthodox Jews.[108] The mikva was paid for by all quarters of the Jewish community. Rabbi Itche Meir Gurary, a local Chabad rabbi became director of the mikva. The orthodox community used other, exclusively orthodox mikvas to perform conversions, but pluralist stream were only able to use the community mikva. In March 2007 Gurary announced that the mikva would no longer be open for conversions. Reform and conservative Jews complained that this was merely a pretext to keep Conservative and Reform converts out.[108] Conservative Rabbi Lionel Moses argued:
| “ | This is a Chabad-based cabal, this is a community mikva built with community money...this co-operation still exists between modern Orthodox and non-Orthodox rabbis, and they have gone to bat for us. This is clearly a move by Chabad to interfere with community harmony.[108] | ” |
Gurary responded that the non-Orthodox had "overstayed their welcome. If I let them in, I would have to compromise on cleanliness." Adding that non-Orthodox congregations should construct their own Mikvas.[108]
[edit] Control of 770 Eastern Parkway
In recent years violence and legal suits have surrounded the question of who controls the main synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway.[109] The synagogue is currently being run by a team of Gabbaim who are elected by members of the Crown Height community every three years. For many years these people have been exclusively messianst and have set the tone for of the building. In 2005, following the plaque disturbance (see below), the Gabbaim, who had incorporated themselves as "Congregation Lubavitch Inc." went to court challenging the right of Agudas Chasidei Chabad and Merkos L'inyonei Chinuch to control the building and the synagogue. In 2006 ACC and MLC won the case over ownership of the building[110] and served CLI with an eviction notice, and in December 2007 the New York Supreme Court upheld the eviction. CLI is expected to appeal this decision.[111]
[edit] 2004 disturbances
On December 15, 2004 a disturbance erupted in Crown Heights between anti-messianists and messianists that led to 9 arrests after the official movement attempted to install a plaque, noting that Schneerson was dead. Gil Schwartz explained the reasoning of the messianists: "He's alive - they are writing that the rebbe is dead!" [112] Another messianist, Meyer Romano, the next day said: "The Rebbe is Superman and [Rabbi] Yehuda Krinsky is Lex Luthor, you understand?"[113]
[edit] 2006 disturbances
Further disturbances following the Annual emissaries conference in November 2006 led to a number of injuries and damage to the property according to the senior emissary Dovid Eliezire as quoted in the Jewish Week.[111] He wrote an article on the events that was published in Chabad periodicals and online.[114]
[edit] 2007 ruling
On December 27, 2007 Judge Ira Harkavy of the New York State Supreme Court ruled that the gaboim did not have the right to control the synagogue and gave the Chabad organisations that own the building the right to evict the gaboim.[111] The gaboim expressed their intent to appeal, pending the transfer of a $500,000 bond and an undertaking to maintain the synagogue in the meantime.[111] According to the Jewish Week it remains unclear how Krinsky will exercise the rights the court has given him and some are predicting serious violence if any attempts are made to enforce the ruling. Edward Rudofsky, attourney for the community warned of violence:
| “ | If people are provoked, I guess you can provoke anybody to the point where they don’t do what they should do and would do under normal circumstances. If they’re provoked enough I don’t want to speculate what will happen. I don’t want to sound like I’m condoning it, because I’m not.[111] | ” |
[edit] Citations
- ^ see The Hasidic Movement and the Gaon of Vilna by Elijah Judah Schochet.
- ^ Nehora: Jewish Online Bookstore's Entry on Rabbi Shneur Zalman of Liadi
- ^ On Learning Chassidus, Brooklyn, 1959, p.24
- ^ a b c d Should Napoleon be victorious...": Politics and Spirituality in Early Modern Jewish Messianism, Hillel Levine, Jerusalem Studies in Jewish Thought 16-17, 2001
- ^ Kerem Habad, Kfar Habad, 1992, pp. 17-21, 29-31 (Documents from the Prosecutor Generals archive in St. Petersburg
- ^ Napoleon u-Tekufato, Mevorach, pp.182-183
- ^ The vanishing American Jew: In search of Jewish identity for the next century, Alan Dershowitz, Boston, 1997, vi-vii
- ^ Napoleon and the Jews, Kobler, F., New York, 1976.
- ^ "Is Judaism a Theocracy?" by Yanki Tauber
- ^ Ehrlich, Leadership in the HaBaD Movement, pp. 160–192, esp. pp. 167–172
- ^ Rescued from the Reich, Bryan Mark Rigg, Cambridge University Press, 2005
- ^ The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, Chapter 13, notes, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
- ^ Two Memorials Mark Nazi Atrocities in Former Soviet Union and The Jewish Press Aug 31 2007 page 10.
- ^ Two Memorials Mark Nazi Atrocities in Former Soviet Union and The Jewish Press Aug 31 2007 page 10.
- ^ B. Sobel, The M’lochim
- ^ Ehrlich, Leadership in the HaBaD Movement, pp. 269–271
- ^ Jerome R. Mintz, Hasidic People, pp. 21–26
- ^ Likutei Sichos VOl II, pp.510-511
- ^ Pavzener, Avraham. Al HaTzadikim (Hebrew). Kfar Chabad. 1991
- ^ Frumer, Assaf. Kol Hanikra Bishmi (Hebrew)
- ^ Tanya, Likutei Amarim chapter 2
- ^ Pavzener, Avraham. Al HaTzadikim (Hebrew). Kfar Chabad. 1991
- ^ Frumer, Assaf. Kol Hanikra Bishmi (Hebrew)
- ^ Likutei Sichot (Vol. 21, page 397)
- ^ What the Rebbe Said (and Didn't Say) About the Holocaust
- ^ God as surgeon, Yehuda Bauer, Haaretz, June 13, 2007
- ^ How the Rebbe understood the Holocaust
- ^ Faith and Fate: The Story of the Jewish People in the 20th century, Berel Wein, 2001 by Shaar Press. pg. 340
- ^ Rabbi Shach's political legacy (Jerusalem Post) November 7, 2001.
- ^ The Rebbe, the Messiah, and the Scandal of Orthodox Indifference by David Berger, 2001, published by the Littman Library of Jewish Civilization of Portland. Page 7.
- ^ Summer of the Messiah (Jerusalem Report) February 14, 2001.
- ^ The Messiah of Brooklyn: Understanding Lubavitch Hasidim Past and Present, M. Avrum Ehrlich, Chapter 10, notes, KTAV Publishing, ISBN 0881258369
- ^ Faith and Fate: The Story of the Jewish People in the 20th century, Berel Wein, 2001 by Shaar Press. pg. 340
- ^ Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight - OPINION & COMMENT
- ^ Michtavim U'Maamaromim 5:533 (pg. 137)
- ^ Michtavim U'Maamorim 2:23 (pg. 31) 1986 edition.
- ^ Michtavim U'Maamaromim 5:534 (pg. 138)
- ^ Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight - OPINION & COMMENT
- ^ See Michtavim U'maamarim Volume 1 (Edition 2) page 49, Letter of Protest, signed by Shach and Kanievsky
- ^ Likutei Sichos, Erev Shavuos Eve Of The 5th Of Sivan, 5740. Can be seen in English here: http://www.sichosinenglish.org/books/sichos-in-english/6/04.htm
- ^ From Berlin to Slobodka by Rabbi Dr. Hillel Goldberg, KTAV 1989 (pages 187–188)
- ^ Mishpacha Magazine, April 2008. See also http://matzav.com/default.asp?sourceid=&smenu=181&twindow=&mad=&sdetail=604&wpage=1&skeyword=&sidate=&ccat=&ccatm=&restate=&restatus=&reoption=&retype=&repmin=&repmax=&rebed=&rebath=&subname=&pform=&sc=2222&hn=matzav&he=.com
- ^ http://www.shmais.com/pages.cfm?page=archivenewsdetail&ID=45918
- ^ Dei'ah veDibur - Information & Insight - OPINION & COMMENT
- ^ a b "Dissidents Name 'Rebbe'," The Forward, December 6, 1996
- ^ Heinon, Herb, "Bigger than Death," Jerusalem Post, August 15, 1997
- ^ a b c d e f g h Preliminary hearing, Commercial Division, Part 2 of the Supreme Court of the State of New York, 29th day of October, 2003
- ^ How a Hefty Fee for an Ex-Governor Went Unnoticed, Tom Robbins, The Village Voice, July 23 - 29, 2003
- ^ a b c d Judge Hits Hasidic Group's Estate Claim, Bob Liff, The Daily News, October 02, 2000
- ^ Lubavitch Yeshiva case over, Shamais News Service, September 25, 2000
- ^ Decision of interest, Weinstock Estate, New York Law Journal, November 13, 2003
- ^ Jewish conflict turns violent: Community, Chabad vie to control Prague's Old-New Synagogue, Dinah A. Spritzer, The Prague Post, April 21, 2005
- ^ a b S controversy, Sidon is reappointed as Prague chief rabbi, Spritzer, Dinah A, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, December 9, 2005
- '^ Little Jerusalem' shul battle heats up, Lev Krichevsky, Jerusalem Post, April 13, 2005
- ^ International Religious Freedom Report, US Embassy in Vilnius, 2005
- ^ a b c d e f Developments in Vilna's Jewish Community in the Past 15 Years, Yated Ne'eman, December 12, 2004
- ^ Quarrels keep Vilnius synagogue closed, Milda Seputyte, The Baltic Times, September 02, 2004
- ^ Vilnius Shul Duel Heats Up Over Restitution, Michael J. Jordan, JTA, June 4, 2007
- ^ a b c d e Rival Russian Jewish Leaders Lend Backing to Putin, Nathaniel Popper, The Forward, November 14, 2003
- ^ a b c d No love lost, Yossi Mehlman, Haaretz, December 11, 2005
- ^ Chabad Prize to Putin Spurring Debate Over Russian's Actions, Eric J. Greenberg, The Forward, February 4, 2005
- ^ Jewish media baron arrested in Moscow, Elli Wohlgelernter, Jerusalem Post, June 14, 2000
- ^ Cracked De Beers, Phyllis Berman Lea Goldman, September 15, 2003
- ^ Putin, Making a Gesture to Jews, Slips Into a Factional Morass, Michael Wines, New York Times, September 19, 2000
- ^ Russia’s decision to keep rabbi out for security reasons called ‘absurd’, Lev Krichevsky, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, November 22, 2005
- ^ Russia: Why was Moscow's Chief Rabbi deported?, Geraldine Fagan, Forum 18 News Service, October 6, 2005
- ^ Chief Rabbi of Russia Named to Public Chamber of the Russian Federation, FJC News, October 6 2005
- ^ Putin Names Rabbi To Advisory Body, The Jewish Week, October 7, 2005
- ^ Editorial, Jerusalem Post, June 2, 2005
- ^ a b c Hostile Takeover In Moscow? Critics of Chabad-led umbrella group angry as shul changes hands; AJCongress dragged into controversy, Walter Ruby, Jewish Week, April 1 2005
- ^ Critics of Chabad-led umbrella group angry as shul changes hands; AJCongress dragged into controversy, Walter Ruby, Jewish Week, April 1 2005
- ^ a b c Ukrainian community split over chief rabbi Phoenix Jewish News, Vladimir Matveyev, October 28, 2005
- ^ Recent election of third chief rabbi in Ukraine splits Jewish community, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, October 24, 2005
- ^ Chabad dispute escalates, Baltimore Jewish Times, October 21, 2005
- ^ Going going Gaon, Zeddy Lawrence, Going Going Gaon, December 24, 2007
- ^ a b c Lubavitch gets financial house in order, London Jewish News, January 3, 2008
- ^ Club debacle sets off alarm bells, Geoffrey Alderman, Jewish Chronicle, January 4, 2008
- ^ Chabad rabbis remain defiant, Simon Rocker, Jewish Chronicle, January 4, 2008
- ^ a b The Council of Jewish Rabbis Conference, Yated Ne'eman, July 23, 2005
- ^ Battling for Europes Jews (part 2) -In capital of European Union, Chabad wields great influence, Philip Carmel, JTA, April 20, 2005
- ^ Mark A. Kaplan v. City of Burlington and Robert Whalen (12/12/89)United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit, No. 89-7042; 891 F.2d 1024
- ^ Chabad-Lubavitch of Vermont v. City of Burlington, 936 F.2d 109 (C.A.2 (Vt.), 1991)
- ^ New Twist to Old Fight: Menorah in Vermont Park, Sally Johnson, New York Times, December 20, 1987
- ^ Lubavitch Chabad House, Inc. v. City of Chicago, 917 F.2d 341 (C.A.7 (Ill.), 1990)
- ^ Lubavitch of Iowa, Inc. v. Walters, 808 F.2d 656 (C.A.8 (Iowa), 1986)
- ^ Congregation Lubavitch v. City of Cincinnati, 923 F.2d 458 (C.A.6 (Ohio), 1991)
- ^ Chabad-Lubavitch of Georgia v. Miller, 5 F.3d 1383 (C.A.11 (Ga.), 1993)
- ^ White Plains Council Blocks Electric Menorah for Park, Lisa W. Foderaro, December 3, 1991
- ^ Menorah displays stir jewish rift, Miami Herald, June 14, 1987
- ^ Supreme Court rules on public chanukiot, Joe Berkofsky, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, December 6, 2002
- ^ a b [Christmas trees put back at SeaTac airport,Gene Johnson, Associated Press, December 13, 2006]
- ^ Seattle Chabad website.
- ^ Four global money laundering operatives sentenced, Daily News of Los Angeles, March 18, 1989
- ^ Suspects from Los Angeles among those indicted in New Jersey, Los Angeles Daily News, March 26, 1988,
- ^ Jew cleared in beard-cutting case, Philadelphia Daily News, May 25, 1984
- ^ Attack on Rabbi brings anguish to Borough Park, Ari L. Goldman, New York Times, June 22, 1983
- ^ Letters to the editor, Time Magazine, August 01, 1983
- ^ a b c d Mazuz checking Chabad rabbi's 'traitor Olmert' statements for incitement Dan Izenberg, Jerusalem Post, January 3, 2008
- ^ Rabbi wants Olmert hanged, Jewish Telegraphic Agency, January 3, 2008
- ^ Knesset Members and OU Condemn Rabbi Wolpe's 'Gallows' Remark, Nissan Ratzlav-Katz, Arutz Sheva News, January 4, 2008
- ^ Rabbi's incitement against Olmert threatens to split Chabad, Nathan Jeffay, Haaretz, January 10, 2008
- ^ Lawsuit exposes Chabad power struggle in Israel, Yitzhak Danon and Itamar Levin, Globes, 15 February 2006
- ^ a b Israeli Chabad leaders arrested, JTA, 11/26/2007
- ^ Chabad heads suspected of major embezzlement, Mathew Wagner, Jerusalem Post, November 15, 2007
- ^ Chabad leaders arrested for alleged theft, money-laundering, Nurit Roth and Roni Singer-Heruti, Haaretz, November 15, 2007
- ^ Senior Chabad official suspected of evading millions in taxes, Eli Senyor, Yediot Aharonot, 11.14.07
- ^ Chabad Leaders in Israel Arrested on Fraud Charges, Anthony Weiss, The Forward, Nov 21, 2007
- ^ a b c d Community mikvah closes to people converting, David Lazarus, Canadian Jewiish News, March 21, 2007
- ^ Lawsuit Over Chabad Building Puts Rebbe’s Living Legacy on Trial, Nathaniel Popper, The Forward, March 16, 2007
- ^ Who controls Lubavitch headquarters?, David Berger, Jerusalem Post, April 22, 2006
- ^ a b c d e Lubavitch Non-Messianists Win Court Battle, The Jewish Week, Debra Nussbaum Cohen, January 2, 2008
- ^ Cuff 9 in rabbi row, The New York Daily News, December 16 2004
- ^ Rough and Rebbe Brawler - I fight for Superman, Denise Buffa, New York Post, December 17, 2004
- ^ The Tragedy at 770, Dovid Eliezrie
[edit] Further reading
- On the Spectrum of Messianic Belief in Contemporary Lubavitch Chassidism, David Berger
- Chabad and Messianism, Adam Dickter, Hadassah Magazine and Hadassah's apology for printing it.
- The Once and Future Messiah in Early Christianity and Chabad, Joel Marcus
- Dalfin, Chaim. Attack on Lubavitch: A Response, Jewish Enrichment Press, February 2002 (ISBN 1-880880-66-0)
- Yanover, Yori. Attack on Chabad Is Called Unredeemable The Forward
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