New Square Burn Victim Condemns Skvere Rebbe

"This person doesn't have the guts to base his speech on the Torah or humanity" A religious leader of Twersky's stature "should fire himself up with all his might and courage to go out to the community and denounce this as an indecency and immoral act and against the Torah, not to say, 'It's just not our way.'"

  

Rottenberg condemns New Square grand rabbi
Steve Lieberman • Journal News

NEW SQUARE — The man severely burned during an arson attack alleged to have been committed by a follower of the Hasidic village's grand rabbi angrily denounced the religious leader in a recent video from his hospital bed.

In the video, Aron Rottenberg, 43, who says he was attacked for refusing to pray at Rabbi David Twersky's synagogue, calls Twersky's comments condemning violence hollow and disingenuous. He said the grand rabbi's comments disrespected Jewish law and that Twersky is concerned only about himself.

"This person doesn't have the guts to base his speech on the Torah or humanity," Rottenberg says in Yiddish in the video.

Rottenberg, a father of four, said a religious leader of Twersky's stature "should fire himself up with all his might and courage to go out to the community and denounce this as an indecency and immoral act and against the Torah, not to say, 'It's just not our way.' "

In his first comments about the May 22 attack outside Rottenberg's home, Twersky told students last Thursday that violence violated the principles of the Hasidic Jewish sect.

Twersky, the spiritual leader of the worldwide Skver Hasidic community, also said he prayed for the healthy recovery of Rottenberg and of his accused attacker, Shaul Spitzer, 18. The rabbi didn't mention either man by name.

"Violence has never been our way," the revered religious leader said.

Rottenberg's comments on the video were translated by several Yiddish speakers for The Journal News, including Paul Glasser, senior research associate on Yiddish language at the YIVO Institute for Jewish Research in New York City.

The video shows Rottenberg holding a letter in his left hand as he sits up in bed at the Westchester Medical Center's burn unit. He suffered third-degree burns across 50 percent of his body on May 22. He underwent a second surgery on Tuesday, cannot use his right arm due to the burns and is battling an infection.

Spitzer, who slept in Twersky's house and did butler-type duties, is accused of trying to burn down Rottenberg's Truman Avenue house after 4 a.m. May 22.

The family was asleep except for one son who was monitoring a security camera because of threatening telephone calls to the family.

Spitzer suffered third-degree burns to his hands and is being treated at a New York City hospital. A nurse said Wednesday that Spitzer was not allowed to speak with reporters.

Ramapo police charged Spitzer with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted arson and first-degree assault. His brother Jacob and community members posted $300,000 cash bail.

In a previous video, Rottenberg said he started praying at Friedwald Center because a friend there was being treated for cancer.

Rottenberg had walked the mile to the New Hempstead nursing home so his friend would be able to pray with 10 Jewish men as required under Jewish religious practice. He said the New Square community sabotaged a shortcut by taking down lights and digging a 3-foot-deep trench.

Staff writer Jane Lerner contributed to this report.

[HAT TIP: 613ENFORCER.]

Comments

[Apikorus Al Ha'esh]

Why aren't reporters allowed to approach Spitzer?

[anuran]

Because they don't want to interfere with the prosecution and trial

[jancsipista]

theese squarers are a diseased inhuman species i think they belong in the woods there separated from civilation.

[Luke]

"He said the New Square community sabotaged a shortcut by taking down lights and digging a 3-foot-deep trench."

What is next- land mines and trip wires? My friends in NS do relay how bad things are but they can not think of leaving. Mostly because they are too heavily invested financially (house/property) and they would never get the money they deserve for their homes since all deed transfers involve the Rebbi. That in itself screams a civil rights issue.

[Luke]

It is interesting though. Years back I would visit NS for marketing and alike, enjoying each visit with friendly exchanges with the shop owners and residents. I stopped about ten years back when during two separate visits I was treated poorly by a new shop owner and some teenage boys. I guess the "community" has changed over the years. Now I limit my visits just to friends' homes.

[seymour]

vin

has not pasted any of rottenburgs videos
and anything about the funds for royyenburg

who know how much pressure the rebbies are putting on him

still no comments from any major rebbies

for shame

[ah-pee-chorus]

the new square neighborhood and its disgusting monarch are answer number 43 to the question....

even if religion is man-made , why is it a bad thing?

43. NEW SQUARE AND ITS REBBE/PATRIARCHAL MONARCH.

[ah-pee-chorus]

i sincerely hope mr. rottenburg has a full recovery. he and his family are suffering greatly due to the actions of very sick people.

[Q]

http://the-thinking-jew.blogspot.com/2011/06/you-sicken-me-skver.html

[Jeff]

In a previous video, Rottenberg said he started praying at Friedwald Center because a friend there was being treated for cancer.

That's why he was doing it? And these people had a problem with it?

Unbelievable. Makes me wish there were such a thing as divine retribution.

He said the New Square community sabotaged a shortcut by taking down lights and digging a 3-foot-deep trench.

This is Branch Davidian territory. We need another Waco. The government needs to go in there and kick some Hasidic ass.

I know these people have a wagons-in-a-circle mentality, but still - you'd think this would be beyond the Pale, that at least a few of the other rebbes would call this guy and say, "Seriously, you need to at least appear publicly to be doing teshuvah."

[SM]

In a previous video, Rottenberg said he started praying at Friedwald Center because a friend there was being treated for cancer.

That's why he was doing it? And these people had a problem with it?

Unbelievable. Makes me wish there were such a thing as divine retribution.

He said the New Square community sabotaged a shortcut by taking down lights and digging a 3-foot-deep trench.

This is Branch Davidian territory. We need another Waco. The government needs to go in there and kick some Hasidic ass.

I know these people have a wagons-in-a-circle mentality, but still - you'd think this would be beyond the Pale, that at least a few of the other rebbes would call this guy and say, "Seriously, you need to at least appear publicly to be doing teshuvah."

^^could not have said it better

[Deremes]

My comment is not for the usual posters.
It is for Mr. Rottenberg and family and the people who live in Skever.

Its needles to say that what happened to you is horrendous and evil. Its beyond any sane persons imagination how a human being can do something like this to another.And of course a Jew against a Jew. We are all ashamed by it,Boishnie Mikol Om.

From the bottom of my heart i wish you a Refuah Shleima.

I am not a Skever and i never met the Skevere Rebbe. Ive heard for a while what is going on in Skvere and by now everyone heard and saw.

But it seems like the people in NS are loosing their minds.

Whats the purpose of running around to the media and posting comments all over with details about your own community?
If you think that this sad story is damaging the Skevre Rebbe only,you wrong.
This is an opportunity for all who hate anything about Orthodox Jews,to defame all orthodox Jews not only Skevre. They cant get enough of this story. Each time they see a post from someone residing in NS they are licking their chops.

As long as you are frum orthodox Jews they don't like you. So don't think for one minute that they are concerned for the people in NS.
Something is seriously wrong that all who left skvere or the Orthodox way of life and went of the derach are working on your behalf.

Are you really proud that ex-chassidim/skevrre organized a bike parade? do you really want that these kind of people should come to your defense?

Look at all the comments and you will see that its all about the fruuma this and chassidim this,the orthodox this and the Torah this.
Please don't loose your minds you are hurting not only Skvere or the Rebbe you are hurting frum Jews general.

[Shmarya]

Posted by: Deremes | June 02, 2011 at 02:31 PM

NONE of the gedolim have commented on the attack against Rottenberg or condemned it.

And so far none of them have visited him or done anything to help his family.

When the rabbinic leaders of the ultra-Orthodox world are silent about this, it is understandable that people will blame ultra-Orthodoxy as a whole for what happened to Rottenberg.

That you do not see this silence in the face of such a horrible crime as being a problem shows that you care about nothing, really, but protecting the reputation of your group.

[seymour]

Deremes

what Shmarya said, By not speaking up they are condoning such actions.

not a word from anybody no call for anything find do thushva or whatever.

Rottenburg would get more sympathy from the powers to be, the robonum if he would have been convicted of major fraud.when a frum get arrested for fruad or even molestation the machine get going right away. We need money, donate, a concert for their benefit, tehiliem what ever.

however, in this case for a a jew who just wanted to Daven in an old age home and got burned for that action

complete silence

[S.]

Good for him for speaking up for himself.

At first I was thinking "Good for him, but on the other hand, the way things work, it's a pity that the mere fact that he's saying such things will be taken as proof that he is biased (imagine, a man with burns on 50% of his body has taynas!) and dismissed. To a certain type of person this just confirms that he is out to get the rebbe, which is the worst sin anyone ever dreamed of."

But then I rethought it. No, good for him. If he doesn't say it, no one will and, worse, people can even claim that even he doesn't feel this way.

The rebbe spoke to Ami, but did he speak to the Yiddishe papers? There's no regret whatsoever. Furthermore, as far as I can tell no other rabbonim of stature has made a peep. No wonder he is standing up for himself and his family.

[Jeff]

The problem is that in their world, the mere act of standing up for himself will be seen as brazenness, and therefore proof of his heresy. Remember how outraged so many of them were when Slifkin had the gall to actually defend himself.

[Jeff]

Rottenburg would get more sympathy from the powers to be, the robonum if he would have been convicted of major fraud.when a frum get arrested for fruad or even molestation the machine get going right away. We need money, donate, a concert for their benefit, tehiliem what ever.

however, in this case for a a jew who just wanted to Daven in an old age home and got burned for that action

complete silence

Seymour, you're absolutely right. It's an obscenity.

That entire subculture is simply no damn good.

[jay]

Deremes: what an eloquent and hateful diatribe. Yasher Koyach! In just one posting you validated all the stereotypes that exist about Hasidim.

[S.]

>The problem is that in their world, the mere act of standing up for himself will be seen as brazenness, and therefore proof of his heresy.

That's just what I said. But the alternative is that he is silent and that doesn't help him. If he doesn't say anything, the world could assume that the rebbe's tepid remarks in English translation made the whole problem go away. But this guy is still in horrific shape, his kids still don't have schools (and may not even be physically safe for all I know), and he still owns a home he can't sell for a fair price in a community in which he and his family can't live. So the better alternative is to talk, I think.

[Loshon Hora]

A new spin all the communitty will gather to pray for him on Sunday.
http://www.bhol.co.il/article.aspx?id=28319
I guess the pressure is up.
Another point they shot the messanger, the stupid kid who firebombed the home & himself, is being left like a wounded soldier in field. Like Israel left Pollard when he was no longer of any use & became a liability.
I hope that sends a message to all other shluchim lidvar aveirah.
The only problem is one who sends a flame in the hands of a shoiteh is chayav.
Maybe the the kid will have sense & speak, to get himself a more cushy sentance.

[Deremes]

++Posted by: Shmarya | June 02, 2011 at 02:37 PM++

I said it to begin with to whom my comment is meant for.But i will still reply.

I mentioned it before and i will say it again.I am not saying it in a negative way but its a fact that you don't have any real knowledge about the inner of the chassidic and frum way of life.
And you don't know much about the differences between chasidic groups.
Whatever you know is only what you read by secular historians,books and blogs written by of the derach people,the forward,Jewish star and your own experience with Chabad. Many poster have told you that you cant link anything chabad does with the entire orthodox Jewry. Its almost like linking together Chinese,Koreans,Japanese.

Therefore,
You don't understand why raboonim are visiting frum Jews who are in prison for child molesting.
You don't get it why when someone was released from prison for stealing, rabbonim will go to a festive and dance with him.
You don't get it why frum Jews think that Rubashkin was railroad and brought down and donating money even though you claim that he has money stashed away.
You don't get it why frum Jews are against informing on another frum Jew even on a child molester,unless a heter from a competent rav.
You don't get it why many things are banned.
The list is too long how many things you don't understand about frum jews.
One word,you just don't grasp it and you need to be part of it to understand.

When and if you will ever understand anything about life within the frum community,you will also understand why NONE of the gedolim have commented on the attack against Rottenberg or condemned it. And so far none of them have visited him or done anything to help his family.

[jancsipista]

deremes- youre thinking is so warpt there are no words to describe but i still try di bist a farrikter beheime youre whole being is warpt you cant think straight anymore you need massive therapy get it before its too late.

[Garnel Ironheart]

Think we can get Sholom Rubashkin to help this Spitzer guy out? How long before Matzav runs ads about how helping him is Pidyon Shevuyim?

[yossie]

if most of the people in square town or other such taliban territory ie meah shearim etc would work all day istead of beng busy on their cellphones with tallis and tephillin at 12 in the afternoon all this crap wouldnt happen as normal people who go to work everyday have no time or arent thinking about this crap

the same goes for all those yeshiveshe guys that drive the rabbonuim crazy with the latest nonsense ie wigs filtered water ladies on cellphones is because we have encouraged a lifestyle of healthy grown men doing absolutley nothing all day besides pullung their own and others chains

[David]

He said the New Square community sabotaged a shortcut by taking down lights and digging a 3-foot-deep trench.

Digging a trench? That sounds like W-O-R-K. They must have paid someone to do it.

Anyway, isn't "putting a stumbling before the blind" a gross violation of Halacha?

[Loshon Hora]

Remember Sunday at 20:30 in main Shul of New Square a gathering of prayer & Waking up for the recovery of Aaron Rottenberg. Guest speaker Rabbi Unsdorfer of Montreal.
See link in my post above from BHOL.
The PR machine is working overtime, but also over due.

[seymour]

Remember Sunday at 20:30 in main Shul of New Square a gathering of prayer & Waking up for the recovery of Aaron Rottenberg. Guest speaker Rabbi Unsdorfer of Montreal.
See link in my post above from BHOL.
The PR machine is working overtime, but also over due.

Posted by: Loshon Hora | June 02, 2011 at 04:32 PM

and everybody must show up or else

[jancsipista]

WHOM ARE THEY TRYING TO DECEIVE THIS TIME ITS TOO LITTLE TOO LATE.

[deremes is sheker]

deremes. you claim we JUST DONT GET IT. because we are not part of it. well im assuming that you are part of it so why dont you give us an explanation about all the things you mentioned including dancing with a thief and molester. im sure u are capable of explaing it.

[seymour]

deremes. you claim we JUST DONT GET IT. because we are not part of it. well im assuming that you are part of it so why dont you give us an explanation about all the things you mentioned including dancing with a thief and molester. im sure u are capable of explaing it.

Posted by: deremes is sheker | June 02, 2011 at 04:59 PM

us against them
asov sona yakov
tribal mentality

[jay]

Deremes prefers to forget that a number of us were part of it and chose to leave. He prefers to forget that we know full well why these things are done He prefers to forget that we see through his dissimulation and deception.

[aron]

deremes
I think I can help you understand your problem with why chasidim act like they do.
Why they visit these r'shoim in prison is because they arent any better.
why they have a festive dance because they originally enjoyed his ill gotten gains.
Why they dont like informers ditto they arent any better.
Why things are banned like the net which you dont keep is because to stop us finding out about them.
Why they havent commented about skver or visited him is because they all to terror to a certain extent. They are jealous of skver of having perfected the art. Most of the rebbes today are his brothers in law. All the same as him, not one a tsadik apart from the monsey rebbe who has spoken against him often. NOW deremes lets hear your side to it.

[Deremes]

Thats why i said that my comment was not intended for the usual posters who are self hating Jews.
By those people, frum Jews are considered the lowest of all human beings.
Frum Jews cant do anything good.
Just so you should know,it is the greatest compliment when frum jews are condemed on a daily basis by you guys. The minute we are complimented that means we no more frum. So please keep up the good work.

Skever called now for a prayer rally,FM has a heading of "Too Little Way Too Late"
They only doing it because a PR guy told them.

You dam if you do you dam if you don't.

[Barry]

Deremes,

Someone who undoubtedly had a real knowledge about the inner of the chassidic and frum way of life was Rabbi Yitzhak Nachum Twersy of the Shpikov Hassidic Court, a great grandson of the Zaddik Yitzhak of Skvira.

In his famous confession made a century ago to a maskil author prior to his forced marriage to the daughter of the Belz Rebbe (whom he had never met and knew nothing about) and in his misery at having to join his father in law in Belz ( 'If ten measures of extreme religious fanaticism, Ignorance, and vulgar stupidity came down to the world, Belz has received nine, and one the rest of the world')

he wrote:-

BEGIN QUOTE

"....[M}y ancestors did not leave after them sons like themselves, men of understanding and intelligence, who might influence and impart of their spirit to the congregation of Hasidim.
[Their sons were] either men who, though indeed great masters of Torah and pious, proficient in the works of Kabbalah and Hasidism, were weak, exhausted, and uncivilized in all their ways. Little knowledge...have they of the world and of men, they lack any sense of beauty; ugliness rules all their doings, their clothing, their speech, all their motions;
Or they were common men, faceless and nondescript, neither masters of Torah nor knowledgeable and virtuous in the ways of the world, their only claim to fame being their ancestry.

"...And a new generation of Hasidim, who do not recall the “founding fathers” and will make do with the sons, has not arisen, for the new generation is far removed from Hasidism.
In short, that first Hasidism, whose name at least was fitting, has wholly perished. Instead, a new Hasidism, which might more precisely be termed “wheeling and dealing,” has appeared. For the new Hasidism is little more than shop-keeping. A Jew who enters the Rebbe’s house does not come to be admonished, to learn some virtue, to hear a good word, for such Hasidim are no more; they come to the Rebbe in his capacity as a wonder-worker, begging him to demonstrate his miracles
for them, to save them from misfortune, in exchange for the money they pay him for the miracle.

"And it is self-evident that such people are most brutish people, whose very boorishness is their Hasidism. For lo, the great legacy our ancestors bequeathed us, all the virtues of that heritage—albeit for those who considered these qualities as virtues—all its splendor and magic, have been totally swept away. And this alone the house of the Rebbe in our parts retains as a heritage from our ancestors—all the refuse left over from its ancestral customs. All the wretchedness and ugliness, the idiotic costume, all the wild motions and customs, these alone remain to them, they are sacred and untouchable to this very day. Such is the state of Hasidism in our time and in our province, such are the Hasidim, and such is the image of the house of the “Rebbe.”

END QUOTE

If Rabbi Twersky thought you could not get worse than Belz than he found himself mistaken because the Belz court fled to Munkatsh in the Carpathians, where they fell into a bitter dispute with Munkatsh Hasidim, led by the extremist Hasidic rebbe Hayyim Elazar Shapira This controversy escalated from mean-spirited nitpicking into a war of false accusations and slander and the Belz Court found it impossible to remain there. Munkatsh are closely related to Satmar which I believe is Deremes' Chassidus seeing that he is a great fan of Joel Teitelbaum.

[Shmarya]

The list is too long how many things you don't understand about frum jews.
One word,you just don't grasp it and you need to be part of it to understand.

When and if you will ever understand anything about life within the frum community,you will also understand why NONE of the gedolim have commented on the attack against Rottenberg or condemned it. And so far none of them have visited him or done anything to help his family.

Posted by: Deremes | June 02, 2011 at 03:38 PM

I understand. And that's your real problem.

[jancsipista]

barry- after leaving munkach the belzer rebbe went to ratzfert where he was very welcome im not bragging but the belzer rebbe stayed by my gg grandfather who even built him a mikva.:)

[WoolSilkCotton]

Deremes, you once said that self-hating Jews are those who worry about what the goyem will think.

And yet your biggest concern here is what goyem will think if they read Failed Messiah.

You want us to cover for frumma criminals like Al Sharpton was for black criminals in the 1980's.

You must have really admired Al Sharpton, because he was to ignorant ghetto blacks what a rebbe today is to his ignorant ghetto hasidim.

Educated blacks felt that Sharpton was an embarrassment to the cause of equality and justice. We here feel that you and your fellow frumma criminals are the same embarrassment.

Deremes, you are the real self-hating Jew. I am not even so sure you are Jewish, concerning all the negativity you say about so many other Jews. Shame on you.

[itchiemayer]

The good news is that I think the Grand Rabbi of New Square knows he messed up this time. He's feeling the heat. I'm still confident he'll come out of this unscathed....in olam hazeh (this world).

[Jeff]

One word,you just don't grasp it and you need to be part of it to understand.

In other words, we need to be as deluded and as terrified of reality as you are.

No, thank you.

[Jeff]

@S: So the better alternative is to talk, I think.

Yes, I think you're right.

[former masmid]

Rebbes do not have immunity from legal action, just ask the spinka rebbe. That should make grand mamzer twersky shake in his gotchkes a bit...