Chabad Messianists Missionize Little Kids, Parents Throw Fit

Kindergarten kids targets of Chabad coercion.

Kindergarten Parents Call Parade “Religious Coercion”
Shmais.com

The secular-religious divide in Israel reached a new low this week when parents of children at the city-run Elroy kindergarten in Katamon, Jerusalem, complained about a substitute teacher who allowed Chabad volunteers to distribute flyers about last week’s Lag B’Omer parade.

The flyers advertised a fun event with prizes and stated that the children would recite the Twelve Pesukim.

“Involving little children in such a publicity stunt is a scandal,” one mother told local newspaper Zman Yerushalayim. “It’s chareidi advertising inside our kindergarten.”

The incident occurred on the Friday before the parade when Chabad volunteers walked into the kindergarten undisturbed and handed out flyers to the children in front of the substitute teacher.

The flyer advertised a program for Lag B’Omer that included a circus, a juggler, a lottery offering big prizes, and a gift for each participant. It stated that all the children needed to do was recite the Twelve Pesukim. “Yechi” appeared at the bottom of the flyer.

When the Chabad volunteers asked the substitute teacher to explain what was written on the flyer, she did so. The children brought the flyers home to their parents, many of whom have since complained about the incident.

“It was very hard to explain to the children why we didn’t want them to go to the parade,” said the parents. “The children thought it looked like fun, and they would get prizes, so why not? But we won’t allow them to get involved in something like this. We won’t let our children to get pulled into such things.”

The Education Ministry has said that the schools’ inspector will investigate the incident. 
(SOURCE: COL.ORG.IL)

[Hat Tip: Joel Katz.]

Comments

[mkarpas]

I am a patent attorney, I can assure you that patents do no throw fits.

[Shmarya]

Thanks. Fixed.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Imagine if Jews for Jesus did that.

[Yochanan Lavie]

Chabad Company (apologies: Bad Co.)

Chabadniks Always on the run
the Rebbe is the rising son
Oh I was born tefllin on my hand
770, I'll make my final stand

That's why they call me ChaBad company
the Rebbe don't lie
ChaBad company
He didn't die
he didn't die

Till the day I die
Rebbe souls
Brainwashers we are called
Chose the tanya and threw away the torah
Now these kids
They all know our parade
Dead Messiah is our claim to fame

I can hear them say ChaBad company
And I won't deny
Cha- Bad company
the rebbe didn't die
the rebbe didn't die

(SOLO)

ChaBad company
Yiy diddy die
ChabBad company
Schneerson didn't die

And I say it's
ChaBad company Oy vey, vey
ChaBad company
He didn't die, nu?

Tell me that you are not a meschist
Oh But I am
ChaBad Company
It's the way I play

Piety for rebbe
Oh Somebody mitzvah-tanked me
Mitzvah tank
Mitzvah tank
Nu, We're ChaBad company
Kill in Postville

[Shine the light]

YL -

This one tops almost all of your other parodies.

Brilliant!

[Chicago Samson]

I have one word that describes the new faith spawned by Lubavitch: "Chabadanity." It rhymes with "insanity."

[yankele]

While the point of the post is to get people angry at Chabad, what riles me as a parent is how a substitute teacher could allow complete strangers to interact with children. There have been incidents where terrorists have dressed up as "frum Yiddelach." (Can you tell the difference between a Palestinian and a Yeminite convert to Chabadism??) The teacher should be fired and never allowed to work again.

It would be easier for a parent to explain to a child, that like the Easter bunny or tooth fairy, the Rebbe of the Yechinicks is make believe. rather than have to explain to these kids that sometimes murderous terrorists dress up as deluded messianists to kill children.

[Chicago Samson]

Hey, if they put the Rebbe in a red and white outfit around Hanukah, he could be called, "Rebbe Claus."

[yankele]

or black and white and call him a Rebbe (or Emperer) Penguin.

[R]

I don't understand how they were allowed to walk in the classroom un-known by the school. Over here i am not too happy with the chabadniks coming to the schools doing all sorts, but they do the matzah baking stuff and things like that, which is arranged through the school office. They don't waltz in when they please.

[Yochanan Lavie]

STL: thanks!

[gogo]

Not all Chabad include the word "Yechi" on their flyers/posters. This is one meshugena part of Chabad, giving everyone else a bad name.

[Dr. dave]

Hey, if they put the Rebbe in a red and white outfit around Hanukah, he could be called, "Rebbe Claus."

Apologies to Cyrkle

I should have known you'd bring me to farbrengen
There's a shiur to be learned from this and I learned it's not in the tanya
Now, I know you're not the rebbe who lived in 770
If I never sing yechi again, it's all the same to me

And I think I'm gonna learn all night
Yeah, the lies are over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' on the dead rebbe claus

I never cared for secrets you confide
For you are just a meshichist, drownin' in your pride
Always drinkin', never carin', that the drinker's under age
Stealing children from their parents that is what you plan

And I think I'm gonna learn all night
Yeah, the lies are over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' on the dead rebbe claus

Chabad lives in the past with no one to lead
I've got my life to live and I don't need you at all
The haredi ride we took is nearly at an end
I drank my mountain dew with vodka, that's how its gonna end

And I think I'm gonna learn all night
Yeah, the lies are over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' on the dead rebbe claus

And I think I'm gonna learn all night
Yeah, the lies are over now
The mornin' sun is shinin' on the dead rebbe claus

[Office of the Chief Rabbi]

Nice Dr. Dave! (Original co-written by Paul Simon). Keep writing!

[Hometown Postville]

Does this happen in America too?

[Yochanan Lavie]

I don't know the song, but I like the parody.

[Dr. Dave]

YL the song is Red Rubber Ball see:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjYrYLx3TbY

for a live version by the Cyrkle

or

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cy0ja70jz8E

for Simon and Garfunkel's version

[Chicago Samson]

You guys are terrific with the songs!

[Ellie]

Hi, I just discovered this website and have been reading rapaciously... not sure what to make of it all. I have been praying in a Chabad shul because it is the easiest walk from my house. It actually doesn't matter because I am technically Reform, but I don't care to drive on Shabbat and I figure it's a good lesson for me in both Hebrew and the contents of the "real" Siddur. Also, I am an extremely shy person and the people in the Reform and Conservative temples are way too chatty for me. The thing with the Rebbe creeps me out, though. You say the Orthodox let too many Chabad teachers into their schools? Ha! In my previous city, Chabad ran the whole yeshiva, the only one in town. In the lobby of the school there was a larger than life, intricately drawn pencil portrait of the Rebbe, but if you looked closely, his face was actually composed of the figures of hundreds of tiny Jews going about their daily lives!!! Creepiest thing I ever saw in my life.

At the Chabad in my new city I haven't seen any pictures yet. I don't doubt they're there somewhere, but until I read this site I figured "well as long as I they're not where I have to look at them while I pray." Now I'm not so sure. I hate to think I'm getting anywhere near Messianism and idolatry and if that's what it is, maybe I'm better off driving to a Reform place with guitars and everything in English. I must say, I have my doubts about the claim that they are ALL secretly WORSHIPPING him. What I suspect, is that they don't know the difference. I have met people who say things like "he's not the Messiah, the messikhists are crazy, but I was so happy when I got to visit his grave last year and leave a note there." If that's all you've ever known you may not understand why that's not good Judaism. It's sad, really, that they have all this book learning I can only envy, but are, at the very least, a little bit confused on the basic concept of monotheism. But I doubt that it's a big conspiracy, especially since I don't know who you all are that are saying so, and I notice a tendency to dramatic statements and maybe even lashon hara here. (I especially didn't like the attitude about the poor Holtzbergs.)

Count me as on the fence, I guess. If you look at the history of the early Christians, they were running around saying it loud and proud and happily getting killed for it. There was none of this "well, you can't exactly pin them down on it, but...." stuff. So I don't think it's comparable... I really think it's more a matter of confusion and dispute among themselves, not that they want us all to join a cult. But if I do ever encounter one who wants to push Rebbe stuff at me, this site has hopefully given me the courage to throw it back at them rather than just nod and smile.

[Jimmy37]

Soooo what are you all afraid of? That these families might get some kind of religion in their lives?

[Yoel Mechanic]

Ellie, perhaps some more Gemorah study, and history of Sephardic customs based on the Gemorah, along with some history would be helpful. You mentioned concern that you met Chabadniks who were totally normal, but then concerned that they visit the kever of the Rebbe, to leave a note there (they probably also recite Tehillim) This is a standard practice in Judaism, to pray at the gravesites of tzadikim. That is the whole point of visiting the Kever of Abvrahah, Rachel, Rabbi Shimon Bar Yochevai, the Ari Zal, etc etc. This is really quite common; particularly among Sefardim, and for historical reasons the Chassidic movement connected to these Sefardic customs (a common interest in Kabbalistic ideology) I can certainly understand how surprising this might seem at first, but this custom is not unusual.

[Shmarya]

You mentioned concern that you met Chabadniks who were totally normal, but then concerned that they visit the kever of the Rebbe, to leave a note there (they probably also recite Tehillim)

A significant number of those Chabadniks at the Rebbe's grave are praying **TO** the Rebbe, not to God.

[Ellie]

Yoel Mechanic,

Of course people pray at holy and memorable places. And people leave notes at the kotel of course. I am familiar with this. But in the case of Schneerson the question in my mind - given the total context, such as rumors of fortune-telling using the texts of his writings - who is the note *to*?

I'm also not convinced that "ah, well, it's related to kabbalah" is an automatic get out of jail free card. I may not know much, but I know enough to understand that kabbalah is not uncontroversial either.

You know it's just ironic, Reform is supposedly (according to some) such a degenerate form of Judaism, but in a Reform temple we never have the slightest uncertainty about the MONO in monotheism. Even if it's just a shadow of a doubt, it's unbecoming. Just thinking about the kavvanah - that's the only word that fits - it must have taken to compose the hand-drawn picture of Schneerson made up of tiny Jews, I find unsettling to think about any Jew being in such a state of mind toward a fellow human being.