By COLlive reporter
Elections now or elections later. That is the current hot topic in Brooklyn’s Crown Heights section (maybe just a bit less popular than the usual gripes about the economy, education, tznius and shiduchim woes).
Local Shuls have been flooded over the past few days with letters from two individuals, each claiming to be the Chairman of the N’tzigim – delegates of the neighborhood synagogues.
The first is Yanky Sufrin, the “official chairman” reconized by Rabbi Avraham Osdoba and the coalition in the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, or Vaad Hakohol.
Yisroel Best, on the other hand, is claiming the same role and is representing Rabbi Yaakov Schwei and the opposition, known to be mostly ‘messianic.’
In a May 3rd letter sent to COLlive, Best said elections for the Council and Gabboyim of the 770 Shul will be held on Rosh Chodesh Sivan 5769 – May 24, 2009.
Sufrin, in an April 29th letter, called Best a “renegade unelected and certified group” and declared that “the Bais Din has forbidden anyone to conduct elections at this time… as long as we have Rabbonim who overturn the results of these elections.”
He was referring to coalition-led 5766/2006 elections for three new rabbis that Rabbi Schwei publicly opposed.
As a counter attack, the opposition has cited a 5746 comment from the Rebbe after rabbis disqualified candidates. “It was unheard of…” the Rebbe wrote then.
But Sufrin says the bylaws that govern the Vaad Hakohol, written by former chairman Reuvain Brenenson, state that N’tzigim and Vaad members “will accept the authority of the Beth Din of Crown Heights in settling any disputes.”
“I’m the first one that wants elections,” Dr. Harvey Lang, a current Council member told COLlive. “I want to go back to my medical work. But we have to let the rabbis work the issues out first.”
The problem is that the Bais Din cannot speak in one voice, as Rabbi Schwei does not recognize the three colleagues, and as a result Rabbi Osdoba does not communicate with him.
Best is determined to plow ahead, and on May 4th released an in-formation list of candidates: Avraham Bialestock, Fishel Brownstein, Zev Meir Cadaner, Yosef Keller, Yoseph Mochkin, Elie Poltorak, Yaacov Rogalsky, Mendel Shagalov, Chanina Sperlin (incumbent) and Yitzchak Tamir.
And for Gabboyim: Gershon Chaimson, Mordechai Chein, Zalman Lipskier (incumbent), Uriel Niasoff, and Yosef Boruch Spielman.
A coalition member told COLlive in response: “Mark my words: there won’t be elections on these terms. We will get a court order.”
three hurays for poltorack. eli . he allway finda a way
to insert himself into every isuue and make life interesting for us.
although he is fresh out of school and inexperienced
he found a way to hide behind the skirt of a real attornet
ed rudoffsky, and file legal papers in the case. thus making himself “important”
Why are the Rabbonim’s letters about elections dated more than a year ago?
A Rav with a backbone should issue a psak din to the community, today rather than “leak” a private document written to yechidim more than a year ago.
His “psak din” is not binding on the community since it’s not addressed to the community. It’s addressed and affects only a handful of disputed netzigim.
make a junta or troika
Rabbi Schwei wrote a reply letter to the letter publish here, form Rabbi Osdoba.
In the name of fairness, it’s only right that we hear both sides of every story.
Rabbi Schwei REPLY letter, can be seen here:
https://collive.com/files/0.80402340234_118305.pdf
ARE YOU CRACKED IN YOUR BRAIN?!
NO MATTER IF YOU ARE MISHACHIST,TZVATI,ELOKIST OR ANTI YOU DO NOT APOINT A NEW REBE! AND IF GOD FORBID WE WOULD WHO WOULD IT BE?! RABBI KOTLASKY,RABBI KRINSKY OR RABBI SHEMTOV?!!!!!
should the Rebbe apologize too?
maybe Rabbi Morlow also?
yup, your the ONLY smart one, you and Fisher!
Enjoy the company!
by the way, i herd Fisher is looking for investors, maybe your interested?
The Vaad Hakoal and the Rabbonim of Crown Heights will continue to have machlokes until they apologize to Dovid Fischer and his family for what they did to them. Maybe Osdoba and all the other hacks should think about their previous actions.
I have no respect for any of them. I feel sorry for the people of Crown Heights that they are left with such idiots to run the community.
Im here since 1972 and and voted in ebery single eleccion beside the false one. looks like you do not have what to answer so it easier to say there is no point to answer etc. Regarding Rabbi Osdobas hachtore as a Rav I don’t see the big deal that he had a separate one he was away at his sons wedding in the contrary it may be seen as not so bekovedik that they didnt wait for him. regarding abir shebeabirim is not a chidush from the rebbe its a gemore and applys to every ‘parnes al hatzibur’ but… Read more »
Thta will solve all the problems
should be new Rabbi
Beis Shmuel should take over the crazies in 770
why does there always have to be fights?!
why cant we alljust unite and be friends?!
u ppl r all crazy!!!
http://www.machnemenachem.com
only best can save us now
Rabbi Best is the real MAN!!!
you right he is not against the elections he is against the people running bcs they not his ppl so therefore he has no other chance then stoping it.
You seem to have been born after Gimmel Tammuz (literally or as far as mushrooming to politics and a desire to leadership). Your misrepresentation of facts show your lack of knowledge. So there is no point in regurgetating facts that you will continue to deny. I have been there from day one and I witnessed every fact as presented in #49. As far as which Rav did what, is not mine or your concern. A Rav has the right to do what he does (even if you think he’s wrong according to your knowledge of Halacha), and you have no… Read more »
Rabbi Osdoba is not against the ELECTIONS
No one is capable to see something that was never there so pls let every one see once for all the Rebbes answer.
Regarding Harav Chodakov pls go to kolel and ask Rabbi Heller what ever happened then. Rabbi Chodakov spoke to him. You have the facts wrong.
thank you!
You write: Short and sweet: RAV MARLOW Z”L DIDN’T ALLOW ELECTIONS FOR GABAYIM AND VAAD HAKOHOL FOR 9 YEARS AND THE REBBE NEVER ASKED FOR NEW ELECTIONS! ========= Your facts are wrong Rabbi Marlow did not mixed in. the elected gabboyim dicided to step down after they served for a very short time. After few years Rabbi Marlow told them to take their position back for 3 years and then elections were conducted. You write: Before Gimmel Tammuz there was only one election in 1986 and only after Gimmel Tammuz, 8/9 years later were elections forced on the community by… Read more »
The purpose of this vote is:
1) Weather Rav Osdoba will remain in his office together with Rav Segal, Rav Zirkind and Rav Reitport. Or if they will be physically thrown out from their offices and Rav Schjwei and Rav Kraus, Rav Sandhaus & Rav Herzog will take over.
2) Will any of the Rabbonim (including Rav Schwei) continue to get paid at all.
Getting programs and help for the community, is the last thing on anybodies mind.
Welcome to the real elections.
Are we voting for rabonim or for a Vaad Hakohol that will function in getting our fare share from Govt programs and etc…
You ask not to confuse people with the facts. But you are a little confused about the facts yourself. Short and sweet: RAV MARLOW Z”L DIDN’T ALLOW ELECTIONS FOR GABAYIM AND VAAD HAKOHOL FOR 9 YEARS AND THE REBBE NEVER ASKED FOR NEW ELECTIONS! Before Gimmel Tammuz there was only one election in 1986 and only after Gimmel Tammuz, 8/9 years later were elections forced on the community by court order! The difference? Then Paltiel and Shpielman were in. Now Paltiel, Shpielman & company are on the out. That’s why then it was ok that Rav Marlow stopped the elections… Read more »
You never saw a Copy of the Rebbe’s handwritting about Gaboyim? You never saw the booklet wher it was printed all conversations between Rav Chodokov and rabbi Paltiel (of the Vaad Hakoel at that time) AGAINST the elections of Gaboyim in 770?! That is why after 2 weeks they were dismissied. It seems that some people have NO IDEA about this!!
THE BOTTOM LINE IS: ELECTIONS ARE DUE AND THE REST ARE ONLY EXCUSES
Never a true word said. COL has in the past shown a baised angle of another report too. In short, don’t belive everything you read from the media.
As long as these lunatics are allowed to run 770 we will still have terrorism from the Tsfatim to the elections.
GET RID OF LIPSKER ETC. Get Rabbi Schwei to stop dividing CH in two.
I’m far from a Rabbi Osdoba supporter, but I want to know why these two egotists can’t get along. If the BD can’t agree on anything, what hope is there for the rest of the community having achdus?
But as long as we scream Yechi all will be well. NOT.
There is too much water under the bridge. When it has reached this level, there is no other choice but to start all over again. We need new Rabbonim and new community representatives who will have the respect of the entire community. Only then will our community begin to look like a Lubavitch community which can make the Rebbe proud!
SUFRIN, “You bet we is sfufrin”.
kol zman you dont bring proof that the rebbe was against you can’t and you shouldn’t talk. there is ad hayom haze no tzetl no siche etc that can proof it. on the contrary we were all witnesses that it was an election and the Rebbe did not stop it besides the azkir al hatziyun when they wrote that elections for gaboyim of 770 will take place. dont say thing in the Rebbes name with out proof you playing with fire.
Rashi in chumesh brings a gemoro that says that a Dayan that you have to call to a din torah in order to collect from him claimed monies and the psak is that the Rov has to pay even he does listen to the psak he can’t seat for the rest of his life as a dayan. Kal vochomer for a Rov that agrees to listen to the psak of a bais din and not liking the outcome he decides to take the dispute to erkos shel hakum kal vochomer that he can’t be a Rov for the rest of… Read more »
you are dead wrong! Rabbi Shwai HAS the HALACHIC right to appose adding someone to the Bais Din (there are many halachos on adding a member to a bais din, one of them bieng that EVERY member has to agree!). whereas Rabbi Asdobo has NO right Halachicly to oppose election for the VAAD! as the Rebbe (yes Rebbe) wrote to the Rebbonim (there is a Ksav Yad) that because the Rabbonim are only “Memale Mokom” from R’ Z.S. dworkin, therefor they can not take more power then he had, and he never mixed in to the VAAD! that is what… Read more »
I think instead of your site writing against Rav Schwei (who was elected by Anash), you should interview him (if he will agree to an interview). I think that one of the problems that Rav Shwei had with Moshe Rubashkin was the mixed seating at the Purim seuda. The problem with the bais din is that there were supposed to be three Rabbanim on the bais Din and there had only been two active ones. Rav Heller was elected as a member of the bais din but was publicly inactive. He should have probably given permission to have an election… Read more »
Why dont you try your tactics on you brothers in Ponovitch???
Doesn’t seem like “limud hatora” brought much shalom there!!!
Are you kidding? He gave a haskama to the idiotic book “Shaliita”.
I love how everybody uses the Rebbe when it suites them. The Rebbe asked for elections and we had elections in 1986. Shpielman & Paltiel were in, then there were no more elections for 9 years! The Rebbe said nothing about any elections. The key was in Rav Marlow Z”L’s hands and he stopped any attempt to have elections for whatever reason. It took a court order in the end of 1994 to force elections against the wishes of the Rav. So stop this nonsense of falsely claiming that the Rebbe demanded elections every 3 years. Never happened! There was… Read more »
From your comment – it seems that you were just born (and have NO IDEA about this)!
Welcome to Lubavitch.
u have some nerve to make jokes like that…chutzpah!!!!! ppl like u dont belong in CH
STOP the Loshon Harah!!! It is bad. Bad for each one of you. Don’t you people know ANYTHING? This is ALL loshon hara. It is all TREIF. Stop!!
Loshon hora is a spiral that draws you deeper into the blackness of hopeless dispair.
It is high time that Crown Heights imported real Yeshivish Rabbonim. There simply is an improveshment of Torah requiring outside assistance. If it must be chassidishe Rabbonim, chose from Mochom l’Horaha (Monsey), but ideally, Litvish Rabbonim is the way to go. (I heard the Bal HaTanya was called “The Litvak”). The current state of affairs invites the youth to have rifyon attacks, placing them R”L at risk. It encourages the women to disrobe from the traditions of modesty. The lack of sholom on the streets penetrates the sholom bayis of the individual home. Cease from speaking Loshon Hara!!!! That is… Read more »
No one is talking about delaying the elections. Lets call a spade a spade. They dont want any elections, they just want to preserve their own power. Why is making an election a machloikes? where does this distorted logic come from? There were always elections in this Community. The Rebbe clearly fought for elections and clearly told the Rabonim to but out! For all your information out there, Best and his group reached out to the other side and offered them to join in the process and put up whoever they want. they refused, because they want the status quo… Read more »
rabbi scwei should move to mumbei.
The article quotes a member of the coalition saying there will be a court order to stop it. Who will give them a heter to go to court? Will it come from rabbiOzdoba who gave a heter to maser on ezagui? The same rabbi Ozdoba who encouraged his son to go to court against a psak din from the same Beis Din that he brought his din torah to. Doesnt he have any shame?
We had elections for Vaad hakohol 4 years ago. R’ Schwei fired 3 of the elected members (Rubashkin, Lang & Plotkin) because they didn’t tow the line. To his chagrin they had the majority & the backing of the JCRC so it didn’t work. But as far as he & his people were concerned they were illegit. We had elections for gabayim 4 years ago, R’ Schwei didn’t like that Gerlitzky didn’t tow the line, so he fired him. We had elections for Rabanim 3 years ago. R’ Schwei fired them and put a N. on them. And when called… Read more »
Behashgacha Pratis the date of the elections was set for Rosh Chodesh Sivan — a day that the Rebbe singles out as a day of Ish Echad Belev Echad. Let us hope that, whatever our opinions, the debate should be conducted without personal attacks and only based on ideas and a true desire to know what is correct al pi torah , as the Rebbe explains it to us.
another young professional, i heard he was running..
Obviousley the root of the problem is lack of Torah study. Here in Lakewood we have many Rabbonim, but we are all machshiv limud haTorah and that brings shalom in our midst. Come visit Ir Hakodesh for a day or two and breathe the air of Torah. it will clear your heads and make you realize the emes. Some of you may want to move here permenantly. to them, a bruchim ha’bo’im. But when you return, you will bring the aura of shalom back to Crown Heights with a heightened respect for Tora v’Lomdeha.
There are some names worth looking at, most intriguingly Zaki (Yitzchak) Tamir, A young professional guy.
There will only be Machlokes from an election that is opposed by many. whoever is part of such an election is part of the Machlokes.
Everyone agrees that there are 2 sides. Those who legitimise this elections and those who don’t.
Obviously, this election will not be accepted by many resulting im more Machlokes. Let everyone ask themselves honestly: Does the Rebbe (who wants Sholom in this neiborhood more than anything) want such an election??
How can he by in netzgim when he does not represent a shul?!
The one on Crown st closed down and the one he opened is an evicted basement cease to exist
Never happened!!!
thank you
Please, don’t mix in yechi and moshiach. Yechi is a wish and a hope – agree or disagree with it This whole fighting has nothing to do with it. Rav Schwei is no meshichist as Rav Osdoba is no anti All this is pure politics and has nothing to do with Hashem, Torah, Rebbe, Chabad or chasidus. The Rebbe cares so much about Crown Heights and all the residents have done was to undermine him and embarrass Lubavitch (if they ever cared about the Rebbe they would have been on Shlichus or doing the Rebbe’s work or doing something useful… Read more »
There will be a stale mate for a very long time.
The Rebbe FORBID elections for Gaboim in 770 – let us not forget that! Just because it’s after Gimmul Taamuz – it doesn’t mean that the world is Hefker!!
Why does a letter he wrote last year apply now???
And why did sufrin not sign his letter??? Doesn’t that qualify as a Pashkvil???
1) the Rebbe said that the Rabbinim should not mix in, (there is a Ksav Yad on one of the letters)!
2) the bylaws say there must be elections every three years!
it seems to me that the sufrin group are dictators that don’t want to give up power.
the reporting in this article so biasedaly one-sided. It bobviously oppses the elections and makes this democratic activity sound ‘messianic’. Mesianic or not, it is time that this community be runned by a council and not hijacked by one family. The state of our community today is quite sad. Perhaps a new election will make a difference.
Bylaws cannot go against Halacha. You can write 100 times in the bylaws that disputes should be resolve by the Bais Din but if the Rabbonim are nogea bedovor they are forbiden to deal with it and they cannot rule on it. The all issue here is not the elections for Vaad the question here is: the new elected officials will they be on this side or in the other? Therefore this issue cannot be brought in front of any of the Rabbis. The Rabbis have to disqualify themselves from resolving any dispute regarding the elections, this is a the… Read more »
can’t wait till i get married and go live down south in florida and not here this junk any more
At least Suffrein is listening to Bias Din Of Crown Hights which we all eat there Hashgocha in Milk and Meat and other important community functions like our Mikvah ECT. When will this Community wake up and say enough to all these Bali machlikies who are going against our Rebbe’s Bais Din??? How dear you best shame on you.
New rabbonim!
There should be a rule you can not run if you are over 50 and if you have a white beard
WOW LOOK AT THE LIST OF PEOPLE RUNNING FOR ELECTIONS. NOT 1 NORMAL PERSON, WHERE ARE ALL THE NORMAL PEOPLE? WE NEED YOUNG FRESH BLOOD!!
yanky sufrin is the man
We are all with you bro. Keep it up
A member of N’tzigim
There are 2 netzigim.
Best writes Yechi
Sufrin does not
There are 2 Bais Din:
Schwei does Yechi
Osdoba does not
Soon there will be 2 Vaad Hakahal:
One that says yechi and one that does not
This is totally insane – why don’t these people think how much sorrow the Rebbe would of had from such a schuna?!
We need to wake up and put this nonsense behind us asap
it appears, disappears, then ultimately shows up in a different font… seems like this follows our community’s pattern of integrity (or lack of it) — hard to to discern and define…
what use are the signatures of non-elected (of any sort) community members on a so-called (high-horse riding,) non-partisan letter aimed at swaying public opinion?
then again, maybe they’re endorsing the Yechi?
or perhaps the Yechi font?
what’s most heartwarming is that Itchke’s Shtiebel is breaking from it’s sister shuls (the other community chaos refuges that have sprung up in recent years) … independence is always nice…
why cannot the 2 rabbis agree ?
we should have elections to upgrade them to useless or maybe make the 2 rabbis so great that have no say in community like the president in israel and let us get new rabbonim that can wok with each other