B”H
Chassidut Chabad (Lubavitch) is extremely anti- Zionist. See the Chabad ideology towards the State of Israel HERE !
Now the group is facing an internal dispute reaching its peak tonight.
Background:
Now the group is facing an internal dispute reaching its peak tonight.
Background:
The Chabad Shaliach of Mumbai, Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his wife Rivka (see photo) were brutally murdered by Arab terrorists in 2008. The only survivor was their son Moishe (Moshe) who was saved by his Indian caretaker. Today, Moishe lives in the house of one of his grandparents in Israel. Still together with his Indian caretaker who, in the meantime, received the Israeli citizenship.
Tonight, Israel is going to celebrate its 63 Independence Day and Moishe Holtzberg is going to light a candle at the central celebration event in Jerusalem. Chabad, however, is not participating in any Independence Day events and now Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg, the grandfather of Moishe and father of the murdered Rivka Holtzberg, finds himself criticized by his own group, Chabad. Should a Chabadnik participate in Zionist activities ?
Here is a Chabad opinion on that issue:
Tonight, Israel is going to celebrate its 63 Independence Day and Moishe Holtzberg is going to light a candle at the central celebration event in Jerusalem. Chabad, however, is not participating in any Independence Day events and now Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg, the grandfather of Moishe and father of the murdered Rivka Holtzberg, finds himself criticized by his own group, Chabad. Should a Chabadnik participate in Zionist activities ?
Here is a Chabad opinion on that issue:
http://chabad.info/index.php?url=article_en&id=22736
Today Chabad announces that Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg does NOT represent Chabad but is participating as a PRIVATE person.
See the article on Kikar Shabbat (in Hebrew)
Today Chabad announces that Rabbi Shimon Rosenberg does NOT represent Chabad but is participating as a PRIVATE person.
See the article on Kikar Shabbat (in Hebrew)
The official Chabad announcement signed by Israeli Chabad Rabbis.
B"H
ReplyDeleteA further article can be found on "Chadrei HaCharedim":
http://www.bhol.co.il/Article.aspx?id=27424
And in English: http://chabad.info/index.php?url=article_en&id=23087
ReplyDeleteAnd another one: http://chabad.info/index.php?url=article_en&id=23085
ReplyDeleteHere is a story which illustrates what the Rebbe thought about that, and you will understand much more why Chabad dissassociate itself with HaRav Rosenberg:
ReplyDeleteThe media recently marked the date when the nations of the world approved the "Partition of Palestine," which gave the Jewish people a state. This created a haven for Jews, particularly after the horrors of the Holocaust, when Jews were not welcome in most countries of the world. Yet many saw this step as part of the Geula process, something the Rebbe absolutely negated. * We present two stories which the author heard firsthand, and which shed light on the Rebbe’s perspective.
by Rabbi Yehoshua Dubrawsky
This happened many decades ago. I was working then for the "Shulsinger Brothers" famous printing and publishing establishment. They had acquired a reputation for the number of sefarim they had printed as well as the quality of the printing and binding, "good ink on good paper," which had become the standard in the Jewish world.
The two owners of the printing company, Michel and Shmuel Shulsinger, had a great share in the dissemination of Toras Chassidus Chabad - of the Rebbe Rayatz and the Rebbe nasi doreinu - after the war. At that time, Shulsinger Brothers invested over $30,000 a year, an enormous amount at that time, to print various sefarim (Chassidus, sifrei chinuch, pamphlets etc.).
The truth is that on more than one occasion they really went "all out" in order to do what the Rebbe wanted (for example, printing a book or pamphlet as quickly as possible, and sometimes impossible ... and remember, this was when printing was done with molten lead, not with high speed computerized machinery). Thanks to their efforts, they had the privilege of enjoying an especially warm relationship with the Rebbe Rayatz, and then as a natural extension of that, with the Rebbe.
However, they were "farbrente tziyonim" (ardent Zionists), and as such, they did not manage to absorb the pnimiyus of the closeness they enjoyed with the Rebbeim, which led to the following incident.
ReplyDeleteOne day when I arrived at the printers, the brothers attacked me with complaints and a hue and cry (as though I was guilty for something). Mind you, by nature they were excitable fellows.
Their main point was: we never realized that the Lubavitcher Rebbe is such a kanai (fanatic), even more of a kanai than the Satmar Rebbe!
What had happened to elicit this outburst? It took some time before they calmed down and could tell me what happened.
At that time, the Shulsinger Brothers were pioneers, and for quite some time they were the only ones, who published Jewish calendars. Their satisfied customers were Jewish organizations, particularly those involved in fundraising, that used the calendars for advertising.
Lubavitch had ordered calendars. Rabbi Chodakov a'h would carefully go over every single item under the Chabad name (Kehot, Mercas L'Inyonei Chinuch, etc.). The Shulsinger Brothers always wrote "Yom Ha'Atzmaut" (Israel's Independence Day) for the date 5 Iyar. When they brought the proofs for the Chabad calendar to R' Chodakov, he noticed those two words near the date for 5 Iyar and he erased them so vigorously that not a trace remained of them.
When the proofs were back at the printer and they noticed this correction, they went crazy. They were simply furious and they resolved that this would not be allowed. They set off for 770, went into R' Chodakov's miniscule office, and began shouting: How could he?! They screamed all the reasons why noting Yom Ha'Atzmaut on the calendars was a sacred principle for them.
R' Chodakov, in his usual unflappable manner, heard them out and when they were done, he responded calmly though resolutely, saying that it was out of the question for those words to appear on a Chabad calendar. Without getting into a debate with them, he let them know that if they would stand on their principle, Chabad's order was cancelled.
The brothers realized they had wasted their efforts in the wrong place, because he wouldn't change his mind (one of them said dismissively, "speaking to a Yekke like him is like talking to the wall"), and they decided to go over his head.
ReplyDeleteIn those years it was still relatively easy to get an appointment with the Rebbe, especially for those who had enjoyed such a close relationship. Within a short time they had an appointment with the Rebbe. This is what the Shulsinger brothers told me that day:
First of all, how could Yom Ha'Atzmaut be erased from the calendar? The day the state was established was in the way of "ischalta d'Geula" (the beginning of Geula)! How could it be ignored?!
The Rebbe responded sharply: "Ischalta dGeula"? Chas V'Shalom! It was not the ischalta d'Geula!
The brothers began arguing: Nu, fine, it wasn't the beginning of the complete Geula, but it was still a day of salvation and redemption for the Jewish people! Why should it be erased?
Again, the Rebbe responded sharply: No! It was not a day of salvation and redemption for the Jewish people! (there were some other phrases which I don't remember now).
The brothers remained dissatisfied and even raised their voices (as they themselves told me), and tried to plead with the Rebbe that even if it wasn't an actual yeshua for the Jewish people, it was at least a festive day, and it represented salvation for many Jews.
I think the Rebbe also raised his voice - the talmidim in the yeshiva who sat in the small zal, not far from the yechidus room, said that they could hear the voices of the brothers the entire time, but then suddenly they could hear the Rebbe speaking loudly. This is what the Rebbe said which the brothers repeated to me:
ReplyDelete"Not only is it not the ischalta d'Geula; not only is it not a Yom Tov and a day of salvation for the Jewish people etc. - but this delayed the Geula for such and such a number of tens of years!"
One of the brothers remembered a certain number the Rebbe had said, though he said it with reservations, "I think .." while the other brother remembered a different number, and was also doubtful. It's interesting that they didn't remember the number precisely (maybe due to their emotional state at the time).
(and for me too, so many years later, it's hard to pinpoint what they said, but I think that the number was forty-five years).
That was when the brothers finally understood how the Rebbe regarded Zionism, with a "fanaticism that was greater than Satmar's" - while at the same time, how precious every Jew is to the Rebbe, even those who still believe in Zionism.