B"H
Last Shabbat, two different kinds of Pakshivilim (flyers) were laying in the streets of Ge'ulah and Mea Shearim. Both actually had the same context: Letting everyone know how bad and what kind of an intriguer Chassidut Gur (Yiddish: Ger) is.
No one will forget that easily how they treated Me'ir Porush, the haredi candidate for Jerusalem's mayor position. By ordering his Chassidim to vote for the secular candidate Nir Barkat and thus causing his success, the Gerrer Rebbe Yaakov Aryeh Alter, drew lots of criticism upon himself. Not only from the secular but especially from haredi society. Other chassidic groups such as the Slonim (Jerusalem). One Slonimer Chassid even stated that he would rather marry off his daughter to a secular Jew than to a Gerrer Chassid. Additionally many Gerrer Chassidim are simply being avoided and sometimes don't even get a ride anymore. One Chassid stopped his car because he saw another Chassid looking for a ride. As soon as he realized that the person was a Gerrer Chassid, he closed his door and told the Gerrer to look for another ride.
Those cases were all mentioned ten days ago in the weekend edition of Israel's secular daily MAARIV. And it was the whole MAARIV article someone copied and turned into a flyer being thrown into the streets of Jerusalem's ultra - orthodox neighbourhoods.
The second flyer accused the second Gerrer Chassid after the Rebbe, Knesset member Yaakov Litzman, to have sent out Yeshiva students to attack political opponents and thus desecrate Judaism. All of them brought impurity to Jerusalem. The Gerrer Chassidim do everything for their Rebbe, even if it is against Jewish law and any ethics.
As a revenge, every subscriber should cancel his "HaModiah" subscription. The "HaModiah" is one of the biggest haredi newspapers in Israel and mostly ruled by Chassidut Gur. However, papers, like the "HaModiah" or the litvishe "Yated Ne'eman" as well as "HaMishpacha" have been banned by the Edah HaCharedit for a long time. But for different purposes.
"HaModiah" is facing severe difficulties at the moment, as actually many Haredim do cancel their subscription.
The criticism and anger is still going on and no one will forget that easily what the Gerrer Chassidim did to others during the election campaign in Jerusalem.
Monday, November 24, 2008
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Hello Miriam
ReplyDeleteIt seems to be a hard bad time for gerrer chassidim. I know that there is some opposition inside Gur against the current Rebbe. Some chassidim would prefer to have harav Shaul Alter (the son of the pnei menachem, who was the previous rebbe) as head of the sect. Do you think that the current rebbe made a huge mistake in not supporting Meir Porush and that could lead to a split inside Gur ?
B"H
ReplyDeleteHi Meny,
The Porush family just doesn't go together with the Gerrer Rebbe. The secular Israeli author Amnon Levy wrote a book on the haredi world ("The Haredim"). The book was published in the early 80ies and already on the first page Levy is describing an event where Gerrer Chassidim beat up Me'ir Porush's father because he had made a remark that the Gerrer Rebbe (not the present one but the previous) is old and you never know for how long he is going to make it any longer.
Gur saw this as a capital offense and beat up father Porush who then was in his 70ies.
There are also further incidents within the haredi party "Yahadut HaTorah" where there are always fights between the different fractions. Yaakov Litzmann from Gur is the most powerful guy in Yahadut HaTorah and Me'ir Porush was their Knesset member as well.
The Gerrer Rebbe made a mistake. How does it look to everyone when a chassidic group is purposely voting for a secualr candidate. First we all thought that this is just a threat and a bluff.
Instead that Rebbe could have set up his own candidate or stayed away from the elections. But voting for a secular ...
It is always dangerous criticising Gur but I quote from what I heard from other Chassidim (not Gur members):
The present Gerrer Rebbe is not the brightest indeed. This is why Yankele (Yaakov Litzmann) is doing all the dealings behind the scenes.
I don't know if this is really true but this is what the haredi world claims about Gur. And not only after the elections in Jerusalem but way before.
Do we know if the supporters of rav Shaul Alter voted for Meir Porush ?
ReplyDeleteKol Touv
B"H
ReplyDeleteI have absolutely no idea !
As I see it from Chutz Laretz Mr Porush is a fantastic Bal Maclokes and he has been nominated for a Maclokes Nobel prize. He has done everything in his power to tear apart klal yisroel in widening the split between Chasidim and Misnagdim. It will take years for this maclokes to die down.
ReplyDeleteJerusalem needs a Mayor to bring klal Yisroel togrther not a Bal Maclokes. Peace comes before anything else. Was Mr Porosh's slogen "vote for me because I am a man of peace?" No he expected to get away with his maclokes becaues he is a Shomer Shabbos with a long white beard. He forced all the Rabonim to play to his tune - because "I am a shomer Shabbos." Thank Hashem the Gerrer Rebbe sew through his evel scheeming and put an end to his evil deads.
No, Yerushliem does not need a professional bal Maclokes as a mayor.
B"H
ReplyDeleteI agree that Jerusalem doesn't need a Baal Machloket as a mayor. But then, neither Nir Barkat is the right person.
In my opinion, Uri Lupolianski should have stayed. If he had, he would have won. Maybe not all Haredim would have voted for him but, at least, enough to become the mayor.
BH
ReplyDeletePolitics should never split a sect of Chassidim. It seems there are issues that lie under the surface and people are using this as an excuse.
It seems Gur needs to sit down and work on the future
B"H
ReplyDeleteThe issue may be that, I think it was Me'ir Porush's father, years ago said and referred to the Gerrer Rebbe at that time of not having so much time to live anymore. Porush's father meant that the Gerrer Rebbe was old and anything could happen.
I think this incident happened at the beginning of the 80ies. The Gerrer, however, took Porush's remark vey seriously and beat him up.
I dare to claim that Gur is not looking too much into itself in order to change. Not as long as the Rebbe doesn't order to do so.