The Truth About Chabad In Vilna

The Baltic Times has coverage of the dispute between Chabad and the official Jewish Community of Vilna. Note that the Baltic Times report seems to support the Jewish Community of Vilna's claims of Chabad misbehavior.

As I pointed out two weeks ago, the key to understanding this dispute is as follows (I paraphrase):

Chabad has been in Vilna for ten years. During those ten years it has held public events and adult education classes. Check and see how many of these events commemorated the life or yartzeits of the Vilna Gaon, R. Chaim Volozhoner, R. Chaim Ozer, and other non-Hasidic leaders of Vilna's past. Then check and see how many of these events commemorated the life or yartzeits of Chabad rebbes. If the two are not equal, if the commemoration of Chabad-related figures and events far outnumbers the others -- and this clearly appears to be the case -- then you can understand what the Vilna Community is worried about. Chabad has a sordid history of this type of bad behavior, but it also has done much good. The Vilna Jewish Community did not seek to evict Chabad from the city or to curtail Chabad's educational efforts. But the Community is trying to stop Chabad from running roughshod over the long-established traditions of Vilna and from taking over community property and institutions that do not now and never did belong to Chabad. In this effort, the Jewish Community of Vilna deserves our support.

   

http://www.baltictimes.com/news/articles/10785/
Quarrels keep Vilnius synagogue closed

Sep 02, 2004
By Milda Seputyte

VILNIUS-The only practicing synagogue in Vilnius was closed on Aug. 30 for the third time this year due to unresolved arguments between the Jewish Community of Lithuania and the Chabad Lubavitch organization.

On Aug. 25 the Vilnius synagogue opened to host an evening memorial for Moshe Kouscevitzky, a famous Jewish cantor, in connection with the second World Litvak (Lithuanian Jewish) Congress. But immediately after the concert a new row broke out between Chabad Lubavich followers and members of the Jewish Community of Lithuania.
"Chabad Lubavitch does not obey the maxims of the synagogue. The young people stamp their feet during the service and insult Chief Rabbi Burstein with unquotable words," said Simonas Alperavicius, chairman of the community.
Clashes between the two Jewish communities began in May, when the Vilnius synagogue was closed for the first time. The roots of the resentment are embedded among unsettled rights to Lithuania's Jewish heritage and quarrels over the position of chief rabbi in the country.
"Civilized people leave the synagogue after it's closed. When the alarm was turned on, they were hiding in the synagogue - therefore our guards had to use physical force to take them out," Alperavicius said.
Chabad Lubavitch, however, saw things differently.
"After the concert was over, people went down to pray and suddenly they were literally carried from the synagogue," said Mariam Levina, a representative of Chabad Lubavitch.
According to Alperavicius, the hostility was incited by Rabbi Shalom Ber Krinsky's ambitions to become a chief rabbi in Lithuania and take control over the Jewish Community's restituted property.
For generations, members of the Vilnius Jewish community were known not only as followers of Gaon, the renowned commentator of the Talmud and the Torah, but also as strictly opposing the Chassidic movement.
Therefore, during the interwar period, Chassidic followers had almost no property in Vilnius that they could nowadays reclaim.
Finally, in 1994 Rabbi Krinsky established Chabad Lubavitch, the first Chassidic community in Vilnius.
But traditional Gaon followers in Lithuania claim that Krinsky wants to gain similar powers to his Russian equivalent.
"Chassidic positions are much stronger in Russia, where Jewish traditions are lost. Therefore, President Vladimir Putin appointed the Chabad representative as a chief rabbi in Russia, and Krinsky wants to achieve the same in Lithuania," said Alperavicius.
Meanwhile, the Chabad Lubavitch community blames Alperavicius for intending to overtake the restitution of Jewish property.
The government is currently preparing an amendment to regulate the compensation of Jewish property. According to proposed amendments, the property will be assigned to a new foundation that includes various Jewish organizations and communities.
"Alperavicius is not even a religious person. He wanted to become a chairman of the religious Jewish community in order to become the only person in charge of the restitution," said Levina.
Although this new religious group has their own premises for prayers, the traditional Jewish community is allowed to pray in their synagogue.
According to the Jewish Community of Lithuania, Krinsky started calling himself chief rabbi about three years ago on the Internet and in the Lithuanian media, despite the fact that no elections were held to elect him.
Still, the Jewish community refuses to recognize Krinsky as their rabbi. Over 500 Litvaks signed a document strongly disagreeing with the Chassidic rabbi's candidacy.
"We have suggested that our rabbi and Krinsky could take turns in celebrating mass. However, he did not want any compromises," said Alperavicius.
In February a group of Krinsky's followers gathered secretly to elect a new council representing the Jewish community. The documents were later sent to the Ministry of Justice for registration.
"Where and when in the world did one organization [Chabad Liubavich] have a right to re-elect the leaders of another organization [Gaon followers]?" wrote Milan Chersonsky, editor of the Jewish community newspaper Jerusalem of Lithuania. "Fortunately, their intents failed because the Ministry of Justice realized the legal null of the documents."
During the Litvak congress, while supporting traditional Gaon followers' positions, Litvaks from 13 countries signed a resolution declaring that the actions of the Chubad Lubavich leader are a matter of great concern.

Comments

[S rosenberg]

Why do you waste your time doing these stupid postings?

how bout start a new blog of chidushei torah? we will see how active you will be with that! (i think torah is more important than all you "saving the world from lubavitch"!!!!!

[mike]

hi i used to go to a chabad house to pray, but now after seeing your site i no longer go to pray, i even stopped keeping kosher because i see that chaabd is fake, and religious jews are fake.

thank you for opening my eyes to the eviel i was about to get myself into, i was almost thinking of becoming a baal teshuva, but thank you for this site because now i will go back to enjoying life! pork chops yum!

now i know that when he told me to keep kosher it was not for my good it was for chabd good.

thanks!

[Zalman Alpert]

May I repectfully ask the 1st critic who demands that Chidushei Torah be posted on this site, why, he also does not email the Chabad leadership in many states and countries and try to influence them to use the Chabad fund raising telethons to disseminate Torah studies, and in particular of Chabad chassiduth on cable TV for the many hours its on Television instead of the "puste hevel havolim" of dancing with Hollywood actors and aktrisses,. lechatchila ariber ! If its Chidushim he wants whats he doing on this site lechatchila ? B"H there are many Torah oriented sites on the web.
Keshot atzmechoh
Your second critic should not take all this criticism and discussions that seriously. These are family arguements. And the Torah stands above all of these.Most Lubavitchers are good Jews ,mean well and disseminate Torah in a terrific manner. Their chief problem is the inability to accept any criticism even if its just elementary. So if you are serious do not give up on Judaism , if Chabad turned you on , don't leave them , give them another chance. have a Great New Year. Gmar chasimah tovah to all.

[ladron]

"hi i used to go to .... pray, but now after seeing your site i no longer go to pray, i even stopped keeping kosher because i see that ... religious jews are fake."

And is this a proof that you are right ?
Don't bother , your prayer was no prayer , the meat was not kosher ; as to religious Jews , some are fake -like you sound- & others are not .
You probably keep going anyway where you went !