Syndication
Chabad
Chabad in Trouble?
Writing in The Jerusalem Post, former Chabad emissary turned media personality Rabbi Shmuley Boteach expresses concern for the current state of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement:
Chabad is by now the most effective Jewish educational organization in history, and no movement works harder for the Jewish people or caters to more unaffiliated Jews.
But success has brought the usual challenges. Chabad emissaries are becoming more ego-driven and territorial, too often bickering with one another. A seemingly incessant spate of court battles should serve as a wake-up call.
In Crown Heights, the official Chabad leadership seems engaged in permanent litigation with — mostly — Chabad messianic forces, for the soul of Lubavitch. Nearly all of it takes place in mainstream rather than Jewish courts, making them highly public affairs.
In London, an ugly public battle ousted one of the heads of Chabad UK of the past half-century. Sydney, Australia witnessed another ugly public battle for the control of Chabad institutions.
These are just a few examples. The press has reported on many more in places as far away as Russia, Ukraine and Israel.
Using ‘Counterinsurgency’ Tactics, Hasidic Principal Restores Order to Troubled South Bronx School
The heroic educator who swoops in and rescues students at a troubled inner-city school is a favorite Hollywood trope: Think Jim Belushi in “The Principal,” Michelle Pfeiffer in “Dangerous Minds,” Edward James Olmos in “Stand and Deliver,” Morgan Freeman in “Lean on Me,” etc.
This Friday’s New York Times featured a real-life story that is, as a colleague of mine pointed out, stranger than fiction.
Four years ago, Junior High School 22 in the South Bronx was an utter mess. There was anarchy in the hallways. In some classes, few students bothered to show up. The school was classified as one of New York City’s dozen most dangerous. It had gone through six principals in two years.
Then along came Shimon Waronker, a member of the Chabad Lubavitch Hasidic sect. Despite concerns that a Hasidic principal would be a mismatch for a largely black and Hispanic school, Waronker has quickly proven his doubters wrong.
Waronker, it turns out, brought an unusual background to the job — and not only because he is a Hasidic Jew. Waronker is also a native Spanish-speaker (which impressed Hispanic students) and had served as an officer in the U.S. Army. He drew heavily upon his military background in restoring order to the troubled school.
The Times reports:
Who’s Your Messiah?
“If you believe that a dead man is the messiah, does that disqualify you from converting to Judaism?”
That’s the question raised in a Jerusalem Post article about an immigrant from the former Soviet Union who came to Israel under its Law of Return and was interested in converting to Judaism. While the rabbis were impressed with his religious observance, the problem came when they started asking him questions prompted by his affiliation with the Chabad Hasidic sect, which tends toward the belief that its late rebbe is the messiah.
The Post reports:
Bar Mitzvah Smackdown: Chabad vs. Reform
Are Chabad bar mitzvahs a joke? Are Reform bar mitzvahs “institutional extortion”? The JTA’s Ami Eden has the blow-by-blow on the debate over which movement does a better bar mitzvah.
Matisyahu Bids Chabad Adieu
The JTA reports:
Orthodox Jewish reggae sensation Matisyahu is leaving the Chabad movement.
“I am no longer identified with Chabad,” the American singer told Ha’aretz this week during a private visit to Israel. “Today it’s more important to me to connect to a universal message.”
Born Matthew Miller, Matisyahu embraced Orthodox Judaism while studying in a Chabad yeshiva in New York City His virtuosity in reggae and hip-hop, religious lyrics and uncanny garb and antics on stage launched him to international music stardom.
According to to the Israeli newspaper, Matisyahu experienced a “spiritual shift” while celebrating the High Holy Days in Israel. That drew to him to alternative forms of Chasidut such as Breslav.
“What we do is not at all about Judaism and not about Chabad. It’s much bigger than one religion or another,” he said. “It relies on something real that can speak to anybody. It’s about truth and memory.”
While still Orthodox, Matisyahu said he is “searching for freedom from a pronounced identification with one specific group.”
This is not exactly news, but it does add more context to less specific remarks the toasting Hasid had made previously.
