Political Hack Becomes Chabad Rabbi

Hank Sheinkopf, the political consultant and spin doctor who is currently spinning webs of lies on behalf of the Skvere Rebbe and the Village of New Square in an attempt to keep the Skvere Rebbe and the village government safe from indictment in the attempted murder-arson of the family of a local dissident, is awarded smicha, rabbinic odination, by Chabad.

 

This isn't a career change for Hank Sheinkopf, who now plans to finish his doctoral dissertation in political science – a study of the Catholic Church – at the City University of New York’s Graduate Center.  “My interest is in religion and power, which makes some sense,” Sheinkopf said.

Apparently, to get Chabad smicha, being Shomer Shabbat is much more important than being Shomer Honesty and Shomer Truth.

Details here.

Comments

[p]

Hank Sheinkopf is awarded smicha, rabbinic odination, by Chabad.

Mazel tov!

[a real upper west side rabbi]

this man HANK SHEINKOPF is a total bully and anger filled person HE WORKED FOR THE CATHOLIC GROUPS WHO FIGHT AGAIST TOUGHER SEX LAWS FOR CHILD MOLESTORS

A TOTAL BIG PHONY

[Jeff]

Not a surprise. It's fairly easy to get smicha from Chabad. I'm given to understand they don't make them study much; it's considered more important for them to have the title, so they can impress the frei yidden when they go out to minister to them.

Of course, they look down upon the MO and the liberal Jews, who go through five years of seminary and get university degrees.

[Fed Up]

A Chabad rabbi without a beard? That's a new one.

[a survivor]

Hank Sheinkopf, former fierce lobbyist of the catholic league against laws protecting children from sex abuse, is now representing the Protector of molesters, in new Square. The long-time mastermind of the Clinton Doctrine, Hank Sheinkopf used to make million dollars in the Clinton administration. Now, he is representing all the Bums in New York State, including Rabbi Tendler, a sex offender Rabbi dismissed form his job. Nothing tops the best career move, his choice to represent the Skverer Rebbe in the latest arson case.

Who is Hank Sheinkopf? Why is he so desperate? Was it not fulfilling enough for him to be a major lobbyist for the catholic league, opposing all laws protecting our children from being abused? Did he get burnt out from this hot issue?

Double-crossing his old friends just to make some money, will help pay his mortgage on his million dollar home in the Hamptons, as representing all the molesters in town?

[moshe]

I was ordained over the internet and performed a wedding ceremony. I guess that makes me as much a rabbi as those with chabad smicha.

[ruthie]

omg
on one side....i knew who hank is.
on the other side....he is charging a fortune...for all these people to hire him and have him do as they ask...they are paying a LOT OF MONEY...they must have A LOT TO HIDE.
hank hank hank...i thought better of you!

[Chochom]

Perhaps he'll become assistant "rabbi" with his buddy Mordecai Tendler in the micro-minyan that meets in Tendler's house.

[a survivor]

Hank Sheinkopf candidate Deidra Towns in the hotly contested 54AD came in dead last in a seat which her brother held for a long time. This loss and the fact that he took
the 5th in the investigation of the AEG investigation will not stop clueless journalist from quoting him in their political stories. Peter Weiss and Jennifer Josephs candidate for Brooklyn Civil Court JudgeCheryl Gonzales got smashed by Sharon Hudson. Gonzales had the support of the NYT Daily News and the Brooklyn Reformers. Hudson had the support of Lopez and the political operative Rev. Robinson. Turner beat Weprin 2 to 1 in area covered by the Thomas Jefferson Club. In spite of TJ club inability to GOTV our dummy are still lining up to speak at mighty club.
HANK THE LOSER

[Mike Powers]

If people consider an internet rabbi a rabbi would they also consult an internet educated MD ?
To save Chabad the trouble(but of course their higher ups would lose their fees) every Chabad BT and birther ought to be awarded the title rabbi on birth or entry to the Chabad community.

[jewishwhistleblower]

See: http://www.observertoday.com/page/content.detail/id/551897/Goodell-part-of-report.html?nav=5047

Excerpt:

Aqueduct racetrack slots award goes to prosecutors
October 22, 2010
By MICHAEL VIRTANEN, Associated Press Writer
ALBANY - New York's inspector general said Thursday that top state legislative leaders and the governor's office angled for campaign contributions and political advantage when they awarded a lucrative video slot machine contract for Aqueduct racetrack to a consortium that was later disqualified.

The report was referred to the U.S. Attorney's Office and the Manhattan District Attorney's Office.

Inspector General Joseph Fisch said the selection in January of Aqueduct Entertainment Group by Gov. David Paterson, Senate Democratic Conference leader John Sampson and Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver followed a process that removed lobbying restrictions and let campaign cash flow to decision makers.

"Unfortunately and shamefully, consideration of what was in the public's best interest, rather than the political interest of the decision makers, was a matter of militant indifference to them," Fisch said. Federal prosecutors were already looking into it, he said.
...
According to the report, Senate leaders leaked an internal memo containing competitors' bid information to AEG, originally a low-ranked bidder, helping it move up. An assistant to Senate Secretary Angelo Aponte e-mailed the memo to AEG consultant Hank Sheinkopf, and Aponte, when questioned, claimed not to recall why that was done. Sheinkopf invoked his Fifth Amendment right against self-incrimination in declining to answer.
...

[shimon baum]

I used to have 2 roomates who were getting Chabad smicha. They both watched TV on Shabbos.

[charlie runkel]

a real upper west side rabbi
hey dont pass judgement the reason shmarya has this website is also because he's filled with anger and hate, nothing ever worked out for him shmaryas torah was never accepted so he made his blog. this is just what people do. ya shmarya without revealing names who you would for sure dig into their grandparents closet, iv spoken to people from your past. ya thats the inside scoop, shmarya is a miserable person and his only wayo vent is thru this website t

[devorah]

Charlie, he has possibly saved hundreds maybe thousands of lives and also dollars (exposing fraud) by publishing this website. GFY

[charlie runkel]

devorah like what alot of what he wrote regarding molestation i found on other websites, and in case you dont remember a day or two after leiby kletzky went missing shmarya like a sick bastard wrote a article criticizing charedi families for having lots of kids and loses control over them, of course when there more details a day later i wouldnt be surprised if he took the article down, and if shmarya would get out into the real world lets see him face these challenges to stay honest. oh ya and shmarya is also such a torah scholar that it is even permissible for homosexual relations, ya i could tell he got chabad smicha and how bullshit it is

[ruthie]

charlie, calm down..take a pill
you're losing it.

[Shmarya does NOT have a schein kopf]

Charlie is 1000% correct.

[Chicago sam]

Lakewood s'micha is also not what it used to be. In a past incarnation, when I studied for s'micha in Chabad,we were tested in BT Chullin, the Tur (Beit Yosef) and all the major poskim (Shach, Taz, Pri Megaddim)I added the Aruch HaShulchan to my study regimen as well.

Most importantly, most of us continued our daily study of Shaas and Poskim. Nowadays, Chabad often gives s'micha as an honorific title to many of their shluchim and all they study is "Chitas" (Chumash, Tehillim, Tanya).

[Chicago sam]

Yes, Hank defended sleeze-bag clients and this fact raises a very interesting moral question that is seldom ever discussed: Should any Jew (regardless of whether he is Orthodox, Hassidic, or Reform) defend people who are obviously guilty as sin itself? I am curious to hear what the chevra are willing to say on this topic.

Many years ago, I knew of a Reform Jew who was a public defender and he was so good, he got off every lousy criminal, most of whom went on to do even more heinous deeds. Are we, as Jews, doing the world a favor defending such scumbags? Personally, I would rather see other people of different faiths take the cases.

[andre]

If this is the level of chabad smicha today, then I may consider tearing mine up that I earned respectively bout 30 years ago.

[Chicago sam]

Personally, I wouldn't. Some of us actually earned the s'micha--the honest way!

[Chicago sam]

I think Chabad had a psychotic break with reality after Rabbi Schnersohn died and they have not yet recovered!

[Chicago sam]

BTW, I think Shmarya is a great example of a modern Jewish hero; he has forced the Orthodox\Haredi\Chassidic world to examine its soul. Many important changes have occurred within the frum world largely because of his willingness to fight for truth and integrity. There is so much corruption in the Frum world,how can any frum person act as though everything is normal, when it obviously isn't?!

Kudos to Shamarya.

[David]

A Chabad rabbi without a beard? That's a new one.

Posted by: Fed Up | September 19, 2011 at 07:34 AM

He is a beardless Chossid.

In any case, the frumma are increasingly disconnected rom reality and are making it up as they go.

[Isa]

What kind of Smecha???

There are two main [common] types

Rav maneg [which my MO rabbi considered a fake smecha]

and

Yorae Yorae [which my MO rav has]

[Proton Soup]

so, is this reverend more of a Jackson, or a Sharpton ?

[Chicago Sam]

I received Yoreh Yoreh in 1976, and Yadin Yadin in 1978 from Rav Yisrael Pekarski. I had to learn about a third of Choshen Mishpat, which I was tested and scored quite well. It was a great opportunity to learn the nosai kelim on the Shulchan Aruch; we also had to learn other parts of Yoreh Deah (Mikvaot) and Even Haezer (Agunah), and Hilchot Gittin; each section provided me with a wonderful learning experiences. Although it was not required, some of us studied the other sections of Yoreh Deah (Hilchot kibud av'em, gerim, avelut, etc.).

In addition, I studied the Hilchot Shechitah to better understand how to schecht (I tried it for a short time, it was too much of a cut-throat business!), not to mention the entire OH with Magane Avraham, Mishnah Berurah, etc . . . Over the years, I went through almost the entire Igrot Moshe and other fascinating responsa, and so on . . . I periodically review the material at least once a year.

Education is always a continuous process that goes way beyond yeshiva or kollel (What cheapskates they were! it barely paid for rent in Brooklyn).

The only reason why I mention this is to show that there are many Chabad rabbis and ex-Chabad rabbis who are quite literate in the classical Judaic texts of learning and would probably (depending on the Rav) be highly respected even by the Litvisher yeshivas.

It is amazing how many rabbinical students never saw the insides of a cow.

[Chicago Sam]

Some of my Litvisher friends received Rav v'Manhig (from Torah v'Da'at) and it is a perfectly suitable s'micha for people who have the passion to lead a congregation. Remember: it's the gavra, not the cheftsa that matters.

[Yosef ben Matitya]

this is their ultimate way to capture non chabad orthodox that suspect them.
many do not fall for the 'free' plate of chulent or 'free' hosting at chabad of sikim-india, or free chanuka candles.
they tell them: come & 'study' with us and we will give u smikha.
many fall for it.
why not? they think.
after being chabad ordained, they are not likely to attack them on rebbe's pilgrimages or divinations.
so they are neutralised as potential adversaries.
of course, it impresses everybody else. yes beard no beard has nothing to do. those are not emissaries of the rebbe, they are 'rabbis' with smicha based on shulchan arukh issur veheter.

[Highly Doubtful]

Get over it guys! Every Jew sucks except Shmarya. We've waited a couple of thousand years for another one of these putz's.

[Chicago Sam]

Actually, Yosef reminds me of an interesting practice Chabad used to do. If a student had any eccentricity that differed from the "ideal" envisioned for a Chabad student, they would never give that student s'micha regardless how excellent the student was.

If a rabbinical student shaved his beard, he was kaput! Had they known I would have become a Conservative rabbi, they never would have given me s'micha--even if I could cite the entire Shulchan Aruch ba'al peh!

Of course, you know what they say about money and the matchmaker, "Money can correct all physical problems, in fact the man with money can even sing too!" I guess that would apply to clean shaven faces as well!

BTW, the Chabad rabbis had nothing but scorn whenever anyone quoted a passage or interpretation of Lurianic Kabbalah from the RaMChaL, after all, he shaved!

[Yosef ben Matitya]

Chicago Sam
those smikha studies you took in the 70's aren't in anyway close to those being provided today.
"a third of Choshen Mishpat, Yoreh Deah (Mikvaot) and Even Haezer (Agunah), and Hilchot Gittin; (Hilchot kibud av'em, gerim, avelut, etc.).Shechitah ; not to mention the entire OH with Magane Avraham, Mishnah Berurah, etc . . . Igrot Moshe ?!
None of those, many of those obtaining smikha are even illiterate in hebrew. Little aside from hilkhot kitchen.

[Chicago Sam]

I was always surprised the kashrut they never had the students learn the laws of Hechsher kelim--it is every bit as practical as basar v'chalov

[Isa]

Dear Chicago Sam:

[When I use "Dear" before the name it is a sign of respect]

Besides Rav Manig, Yorae Yorae and Yadin Yadin, IS there a higher Semacha, even though it may be uncommon????

[Chicago Sam]

I believe there might be, but I do not recall what it is called.

[Chicago Sam]

Gil Student posted something interesting about the history of the rav u'manhig title that I am now quoting along with some unusual conditions attached to the ordination of single men:

"It is somewhat unclear how or why this semicha evolved. According to one theory, the Rav Umanhig semicha may have been first created by the Ner Yisrael yeshiva in Baltimore in order to allow yeshiva students to evade the draft during the Korean and Vietnam Wars under the "clergy" clause. After the draft was over, the Rav Umanhig semicha continued for those wishing to enter Jewish communal work, though not necessarily as pulpit rabbis. In this way those in teaching and similar positions could legitimately be addressed as "rabbi" without having to go through the intensity of formal semicha studies and learning the Yoreh Deah material.

There have been sages in the past who would only issue semicha to those over forty years old.[3] In Lithuania, it was common for semicha to only be given to those who were over thirty years old and who had been married for quite some time.[4] In some communities, the local rabbis would issue semicha to a worthy individual on the day of his wedding.[5] Similarly, when the Chatam Sofer would issue semicha to an individual who was single, he would include within it the stipulation that the semicha would only take effect after the individual has married.[6] Rabbi Akiva Eiger acted likewise.[7]"