Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein and his Northwestern University Chabad House were delisted as a university-approved organization and Klein was booted off the Northwestern campus after he repeatedly and obstinately served liquor to underage students. Klein and Chabad sued Northwestern and lost, and then appealed that loss and lost again. Four months later, Klein and his Chabad House were honored by the governor of Illinois, the mayor of Evanston and the international head of the AEPi fraternity.
Above: Diana Rauner, Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner, Rabbi Meir Moscowitz, Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein, Rabbi Yosef Moscowitz and Rabbi Avraham Kagan joined to celebrate Chabad's 29 years of service at Northwestern University.
Chabad.org, Chabad's major official website, has a an article about the Chabad House adjacent to Northwestern University headed by Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein. Klein's Chabad House was tossed off campus by Northwestern after Klein was repeatedly caught giving liquor to minors.
Chabad.org makes no mention of this, though. Instead it focuses on that Chabad House's anniversary dinner and the appearance at that dinner by the governor and mayor:
The Tannenbaum Chabad House in Evanston, Ill., celebrated 29 years of service at a gala event on Sunday, complete with dinner, an awards presentations and a concert, which proved especially popular with students of Northwestern University.
About 200 people attended the event honoring the Chabad center, which is directed by Rabbi Dov Hillel Klein, and serves Northwestern students and faculty and members of the local community.
Celebrating with the attendees was Illinois [Republican] Gov. Bruce Rauner and his wife, Diana. He greeted the crowd and congratulated the Chabad House on its 29 years of service.
Honored at the event was Northwestern University Professor Yohanan Petrovsy-Shtern, who took time to speak about Chabad and Klein’s role with students. “He was instrumental in changing the Jewish ethos at Northwestern University. Rabbi Klein is Judaism on campus
“If you ask me who is performing the function of Hillel the elder on campus, you know my answer. Rabbi Klein is a down-to-earth, unassuming, all embracing, and,” continued the professor jovially, “an exceptionally talkative rabbi and teacher.”
Andrew Borans, international director of the AEPi fraternity, which is known to attract Jewish students, noted Klein’s role not only at Northwestern, but on the international scene as well.
“He mentors many of our nearly 10,000 undergraduates each year,” said Borans.
And [Democrat] Elizabeth Tisdahl, the mayor of Evanston, said of the rabbi: “He is such an enthusiastic and brilliant character. The Chabad House is a ‘home away from home’ for a lot of Northwestern students.”
I don't know who is more deplorable here, Chabad or the politicians. Klein fought Northwestern's ban in the courts and lost, only to have two top Illinois politicians treat him and his Chabad House as if nothing was wrong.
As politicians in New York have so often shown, kids' lives – even college students' lives – don't really matter. Power and money, however, does.
As for AEPi's international director Andrew Borans, I wonder what other universities will say about his presence at the dinner or the fact that even after repeatedly being caught giving liquor to minors, Klein is still "mentoring" thousands of AEPi students. My guess is, the next time an AEPi chapter gets in trouble for underage drinking or related issues, that university knowing that Klein still mentors AEPi students after being caught repeatedly (and defiantly) distributing liquor to minors would result in AEPi being suspended or kicked off campus entirely.
And, by the way, Klein is still included by Chabad on Campus as an official emissary and still appears on all mainstream Chabad-Lubavitch listings as one, as well.
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