A Chabad-Lubavitch organization meant to house and feed hasidim, primarily from Israel and France, who come to Crown Heights, Brooklyn for the month of Tishrei to spend the High Holidays, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret “with” Chabad’s long-dead rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (who many of these Israeli hasidim believe is still alive, even though he died in 1994) has allegedly left many of these visitors – most of them apparently young women – homeless, forcing them to sleep on synagogue benches and in building stairwells – where one of them was allegedly sexually assaulted.
Woman Allegedly Made Homeless By Chabad Charity Allegedly Sexually Assaulted In Chabad’s Main Synagogue – Where She Was Sleeping
Shmarya Rosenberg • FailedMessiah.com
A Chabad-Lubavitch organization meant to house and feed hasidim, primarily from Israel and France, who come to Crown Heights, Brooklyn for the month of Tishrei to spend the High Holidays, Sukkot and Shemini Atzeret “with” Chabad’s long-dead rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson (who many of these Israeli hasidim believe is still alive, even though he died in 1994) has allegedly left many of these visitors – most of them apparently young women – homeless, forcing them to sleep on synagogue benches and in building stairwells, Crown Heights dot info reported.
The unidentified “Hachnosas Orchim” organization appears to be the “Chabad-Lubavitch Hospitality Center Eshel Hachnosas Orchim, Inc.” controlled by Rabbi Mendel Hendel. The organization has long been the subject of accusations and criticism from Crown Heights hasidim, not because of its leader’s theology, but because of its alleged frauds.
The “Hachnosas Orchim” organization that left these women homeless took “nominal” fees from them in exchange for housing and food while in Crown Heights.
But several of these women have reportedly been spotted sleeping on synagogue benches or walking on Crown Heights streets at 4:00 am with their luggage, looking for somewhere to rest.
One of these young women was allegedly sexually assaulted as she slept in the stairwell of the women’s section of Chabad’s main synagogue in Crown Heights by a non-Jewish janitor, who was arrested late last week.
For all its talk of “achdus” (unity; brotherhood) among Chabad-Lubavitch hasidim, many Crown Heights Chabad hasidim have long been dependent on outside organizations for food support and other charitable needs, and Chabad charities meant to help Crown Heights hasidim are very often ineffective or nonexistent. Chabad charities that deal with outreach to non-Chabad Jews are usually much more proficient because that proficiency is a very often a necessary component of that missionary outreach.
[Hat Tip: Chafraud-Depravitch.]