Chabad's "Jewish Hurricane Relief" Fund

Chabad is now publicizing it's so-called "Jewish" hurricane relief fund. E-mails (Download jewish_hurricane_relief_3.pdf) have been sent out through lists, including the list of HonestReporting.com (UPDATE 9-4-05: and the Jerusalem Post). But, other than to provide assistance to a few refugees, Chabad is not equipped to do relief. The e-mails and Chabad's website do not specify where the donated funds will go. In contrast, the Reform Movement has a website that 1) allows refugees to find each other, 2) pairs up refugees with existing aid and, 3) raises money that is distributed to established relief agencies like the Red Cross. Plus, they have full transparency. Chabad does not. Some may recall that Chabad raised tens of thousands of dollars for Tzunami relief and, as far as I know, has yet to provide an accounting of how (or if) those funds were properly disbursed. If Chabad will not provide trasparency it should be shunned. More importantly, it should be investigated by law enforcement.

UPDATE: The OU has a fund – jointly set up with the RCA and YU – to aid families and communities devasted by Hurricane Katrina. The OU does not file a Form 990 with the IRS and has no publicly available transparent accounting system. It does not promise to give money to the Red Cross or other disaster relief organizations, and the fund appears to be in place to primarily (exclusively?) help Jews. It's website promises that all monies raised will be disbursed to help families and communities and nothing will be used for adminstration or fundraising expenses.

If you want to direct your aid exclusively to Jews, by all means, do so. But if you want to help the hundreds of thousands of non-Jews damaged by Hurricane Katrina – as Jewish Law demands – give to the Red Cross, Salvation Army and Catholic Charities as well.

As for the OU, if it does not make its accounting of these monies transparent, it too should be investigated by law enforcement.

Comments

[Mendy]

What are YOU doing to help the innocent victims, other than your usual chabad bashing - that's nothing new for you.

ou bashed chabad when THEY assisted the tsunami vitims, where were you then?!

You bashed Chabad as THEY were there for the settlers while the innocent pioneers were evicted from teir homes for abosolutely no good reason, where were you for them??! Just bashing Chabad. That is the only thing you are good at, as if that is really good. We can tell by your great work how many supporters you have and how many Chabad has.
Now, you continue on your vicious maliging of Chabad.
By the way did Chabad influence your marital status and adult life as well...?! Is it Chabad's fault all of your lifs screw ups, or it just easier to find a scapegot and bash Chabad...?!

[Mendy]

Shame on YOU shmarya "scot". But in Chabad we do believe that "af al pi shechat Yisroel hu", that's provided thatbyour mother is truly Jewish, because you give the impression of being a card carrying member of the eirav rav. However to be dan you lkaf zechus, Elul is a time of teshuva, that you now have the opportunity to return from your bad and evil ways, and ask and beseech Hashem for forgiveness. Perhaps there can be found one good thing hat you may have once doen, or merely for the fact that G-d created you, you will be meritorious of true acceptance of your teshuvah. Rachmanus on you, poor thing.

[Ariel Sokolovsky]

By the grace of G-d
Shalom uBrocha!
The email you posted has a link that redirects to the web site of Chabad of New Orleans which is a non profit corporation legally regestered and operating according to Jewish law , under the federal laws of this great republic and the laws of the state of Louisiana.
One of the fundamentals of both Jewish and American legal system is presumption of innocence and "full faith and credit" principle.
Therefore the only reason a non- profit corporation would have to publish a pricise accounting how the funds are spent is if there would be a criminal investigationof an aleged financial improprietes.
Chabad of New Orleans has existed for many years providing phisical and spiritual help to members of the community both Jewish and non Jewish.
Following the answer of the Rebbe King moshiach Shlit"a thru Igrot Koidesh rabbi Rivkin didn't even leave the city risking his life to help the people (as has been reported on Chabad.info and elswhere).
Your "quasi-halachik" objections to asking questions thru Igrot Koidesh aside, do you really believe that a man like that is a con artist? And if you don't think the shluchim in New Orleans are con artists it would seem the only reason you'd get up on a "high horse" and demand instant transparency and accounting is simply a part of your general anti-Chabad campaign as every normal reasder of this site understands.
Stop immitating Don Kihot's vain and useless crusade to battle the windmills, but do something positive instead.
With respect and blessing.
Ariel Sokolovsky
PS. By the way I just noticed there are:

Emergency Assistance

Relief Offers

Housing Requests

Employment Requests

pages detailing the type of assistance offered by Chabad Lubavitch of Lousiana.
Therefore please promptly publish the retraction to that part of your allegations.
You also claim that Chabad doesn't have facilities to provide relief however since you provide not a shred of evidence to prove this one has to presume it's another baseless allegation.

Long Live our Master our Teacher and our Rebbe King Moshiach Forever and Ever!

[Dan]

I chanced upon an article on yahoo news regarding a rape that occured in 1996 in Minnesota. The violation of the girl was performed by some scott rosenberg, any relation? It seems this man as a violent history.

[Shmarya]

Nope. No relation. I looked for the article you mention but cannot find it. Do you have the url?

[shmuel munkes]

Don Kihot?
that's the best spoonerism Ive ever seen on the web :)
too funny

[ephraim]

thank you for raising these concerns in this forum.

[Herman Douchebag]

Chabad has no business collecting money for this tragedy in any event. They are not involved in disaster relief-they are a proseltzying organization justlike Pat Robertson's 700 club-They should not divert money from legisiimate disaster organizations both Jewish and secular.

[Scott R.]

Herman,

Who the hell are you to decide what Chabad can or can't do. Chabad will not limit their influence and assistance to world Jewy, despite your sole opposition. Besides, read what you wrote, it's full of shit, you haven't got the slightest evidence to back it up - other than your vicious attempt to besmirch and malign them.

If your mind is now thinking, oh another fucking Chabadnik, the answer is no; I'm not Chabad and not even religious. I just can't stand reading people who are full of shit -- you!

[Danny]

Hey, did you hear about the newest Chabad policy maker, he was just hired (rather self appointed). His name is Herman Douchebag (sounds like the German Nazi version of dog bag. Whatever your agenda is dude, you have the prefect platform here to promote it, a wonderful community of lowlifes expressing their grief over their life's screw ups (like their marital issues, etc.) and Chabad is the best vehicle for them to blow their wrath on. Wow, have fun in bed....

[Herman Douchebag]

Danny and Scott:

How do you says "Oral suction me" in Hebrew-I'm sure you know!

[Herman Douchebag]

By the way Rabbi Schneerson could not have been Moschiach-I am Moschiach-That's right-I have as much cliam to that title as any of you nuts and your followers. Perhaps all you Hasidim should form a pro wreslting league-I'el t liek to see the Satmar against the Chabad in the final

[YMP]

You claim to be doing something worthy and beneficial. The test of that would be if you stuck to the truth or if instead you chose to manipulate facts to suit your own agenda.

I'm not going to get into the fact that Chabad took in many people and assisted greatly, providing hands on services to Tsunami victims or that Rabbi Rivkin has been busy contacting families,helping refugees find each other, pairing them up with aid and providing aid first hand, arranging homes for them (much like you praise other funds for doing) and is spending money on food, transportation and other needs of refugees that goes directly to them. Rabbi Rivkin even contacted us, in South Florida, about housing a refugee.

The fact that you bring up the filing of a Form-990 and OU's failure to file same is laughible. Religious organizations are exempt by IRS law from filing such a form except in unusual circumstances (such as their primary mission being outside of the religious domain). As such, few religious organizations, including Reform synagogues and Catholic Parishes file 990s. Official Catholic Charities do, but not the local ones run by individual Churches. The OU is primarily a religious organization who's mission is to increase observance. As such, they are exempt.

Lastly, a personal message to you as I believe that you are well meaning but overcome by bitterness. Richard Nixon, a man who himself allowed those who hate him to cause him to do things he otherwise would not have done and regretted so doing, said "Those who hate you don't win unless you hate them, and then you
destroy yourself." Although no one here hates you, the point is that your bashing and manipulation of facts doesn't serve any useful purpose, in fact the opposite. In this case some of the charities you openly endorse have huge administrative fees with little going to help the actual refugees while you denounce funds that go directly to serve victims of the hurricane and who's efforts are attested to by many refugees. What have you accomplished with all your postings and what kind of great and truly benevolent things could you accomplish if you concentrated your efforts on more noble endeavors? Please grow up.

[Mordie]

On the Lubavitch World Headquarters's Web site (www.lubavitch.com), why is there not one link to any Chabad relief fund for the former Gush Katif residents? Why are there no links there to any organization's relief fund for the former Gush Katif residents?

On that same site, why does a text search find no references at all for the term "Gush Katif"?

[nechama]

Are you still blogging this nonsensence. Don't you think it is time to get a real job and have a real life?

[Seeking the truth]

Interesting that you are suggesting that people should give their funds to the pro-missionary Salvation Army. What do you know about their transparency? You're such a sick, demented and deluded guy/girl? Medication may be the answer or a few years of proper therapy. As Nechama said, get a real job and a real life.

And talking about transparency, why don't you identify yourself.

Just hypocrytical and pathetic

[Shmarya]

And talking about transparency, why don't you identify yourself.

Please.

I've been blogging under my real name with complete transparency for more than 6 years.

Why don't you identify yourself? Is it okay for you to hide behind a screen name as you attack people you dislike?

[Seeking the truth]

You didn't answer the Salvation Army question. I know for a fact that hundreds of Yidden have been 'converted' by these charlatans. Awaiting your reply.

[Shmarya]

You "know" for a "fact"?

Please.

Hundreds of Jews have also been converted to Catholicism, Buddhism, etc.

The point, which you clearly miss, is that Chabad's 'non-sectarian' relief was not really non-sectarian.

People were suffering. They had immediate needs that had to be met.

In 2005, the best choices for sending aid were the charities I listed.

The issue was saving lives – which is what halakha demands we do.

Now, what is your real name?

If you can attack me – erroneously – for blogging anonymously and then not apologize for that, you certainly seem to have an obligation to reveal your true identity.

So, what is your real name?