Shmarya Rosenberg (born Scott Rosenberg)[1] is a former Habad-Lubavitch Hasid, baal teshuva and graduate of Hadar Hatorah,[2] who after opposing Habad's stance regarding the Jewishness of Ethiopian Jews, left the movement, and went on to operate a full time blog known as Failed Messiah.[3]
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Rosenberg was born in Saint Paul, Minnesota.[4] Originally a secular Jew, Rosenberg joined Chabad and became a baal teshuvah. After joining the movement, he asked Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the Lubavitcher Rebbe, to move the Chabad movement to aid in the effort to rescue the Beta Israel of Ethiopia. When he found out that the Rebbe ultimately rejected his suggestion, he became disenchanted with Chabad and its Rebbe.[3] Following his reported experience of corruption at the highest level of the branch of Orthodox Judaism that is Chabad (the Lubavitcher Rebbe)[5], he created a blog [6] with the purpose of reporting on issues in Orthodox Jewry in general that are rarely reported by Orthodox Jewish news sources. His press releases are frequently cited and relied upon in the mainstream and non-Orthodox Jewish press. [7]
Considered by some as "a Baal Loshen Hora," i.e., gossipmonger,[8] the Failed Messiah blog, which states it has been hacked into,[3] serves as a news outlet with the motto Covering Orthodox Judaism since 2004.
Using the blog as a means of reaching a wide audience and covering the largely under-reported Haredi/Hasidic sector, Rosenberg reports as a watchdog, muckraker and whistle blower, uncovering and publicizing scandals including but not limited to abuse, violence, sex abuse,[9][10] and corruption within the Orthodox Jewish community, particularly within its leadership.
Rosenberg also writes a weekly column for Heeb Magazine called "Crimes and Misdemeanors."