The new English COL has some interesting photos from Erev Yom Kippur at 770.
This group is vaguely amusing and sort of ties in with my erev Yom Kippur post below. In a more serious vein the photos here are quality pics which give a nice feel to the Tishrei events in and around Crown Heights.
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The Frierdiger Rebbe signing US citizenship papers in his officeI roll into 770 about 12:45 for the occasional late night Maariv. After successfully finishing yesterday's, today's and tomorrow's Rambam we manage to scratch together a Minyan Metzumtam and begin Davening. Standing next to me throughout is this elderly gentleman with a prominent white beard who looks as if he could have been from 'Nevel'. The Chazzan completes the last Kaddish and the assembled begin to disperse. It was then that I notice this 'Eltereh Yid' frantically turning around as if looking for something. I move a little closer to see if I can be of any assistance. He stands there with his hand, open palm facing upward, outstretched in a gesture of combined disappointment and demand and asks me 'nuu Yekki'. I had to muster all the dignity I possessed within me not to burst out laughing in the poor man's face. The once vivid image of him Davening long hours in Nevel starting to fade, being replaced with one of him fighting in 'Nam'.
Rabbi Klein next to the Rebbe's desk
Part of the crowd downstairs in 770
Shmais and CrownHeight.info have reported on the new light on the omud at 770 to let people know whether or not to say tachnun that day. The light was sponsored by our own Michael Goldhirsch which makes it newsworthy for me. Of course, this type of system has existed in Yeshivah Shul for many years.
Check out the comments on CrownHeights.info - some are quite amusing.
I saw this on Apple 770 (they have some great videos) and couldn't resist posting it. Being so close to Pesach it reminded me of how, as children, we watched to see if the wine rippled when Eliyahu Hanovi came to visit. As I got older I found that it was just my grandfather bumping the table - maybe these guys will also grow up one day.
Shturem featured this photo of our Rabbi Groner in 770 speaking to Rabbi Shimon Goldman. I figure it was taken 10-15 years ago but if anyone has a better idea of what year this is from please let me know.
Reports from Shturem and CrownHeights.info tell the story of Reb Yoel Kahn being verbally abused by a bochur with acute psychiatric problems. It appears that when Reb Yoel went downstairs to deliver his weekly shiur in Inyonei Geluah UMoshiach this bochur screamed at him to leave 770. Reb Yoel, being a true chassidisher yid, left the scene quietly and proceeded to relocate the shiur to the upstairs zal.
The situation in 770 is going from worse to terrible. I blame the so-called normal people who learn and daven downstairs who are letting these incidents pass without reacting. This crazy bochur was reportedly an Israeli who should either be locked up in a hospital ward or sent back to Israel. The fact that nothing is done by the leaders "downstairs" and the leadership in Crown Heights is worse than criminal. The meshichisten have seen that the mainstream of Lubavitch laughs at them and they are now turning to violence. This violence must stop even if it means deporting the troublemakers.
For the most part the shluchim are doing the Rebbe's work with incredible self sacrifice while the crazys do nothing but sing one song and dance around the bima.
I am still proud to say I am a Lubavitcher but am sick of having to explain away the antics of a fringe group to family and friends.
The Real 770 - photo by Robbins/Becher
Hanging out in Postville - photo by Robbins/BecherThe plant employs 350 workers, many of whom are ultra orthodox Jews and mostly Lubavitch, making Postville the home of the largest number of Rabbis per capita in the United States.
The Hasidim that came to work in the slaughterhouse brought their lives from Brooklyn and established a modern shtetl in a small corner of Iowa. They set up a synagogue, two schools including a Yeshiva, two ritual baths (one for men and one for women) as well as the first and only kosher market and restaurant in the state of Iowa.Robbins/Becher's photos have a snapshot quality and, to me, are not particularly artistic but I suppose their point is to show reality rather than a stylised version of what they see thru the lens.
COL has posted these two great photos of Reb Chaim and Reb Arel Serebryanski in their "Picture of the Day" segment.
The final verdict was just issued in the court case between Agudas Chassidei Chabad and Congregation Lubavitch Inc. The Order and Judgement of Federal Judge Ira B Harkavy can been seen on Shturm.net here.
From my limited understanding of legal documents it appears that Aguch has been granted control over the 770 shul and the plaque outside. Whether this actually stands up and the divisive elements that have effectively taken over "downstairs" can be tamed is still to be seen. I would like to think that this is the end of the problems in 770 and that all can live and daven together in harmony - but,unfortunately, I cannot see this happening any time soon.
I originally this report on COL here.
In a related matter, I have recently seen this letter of Rabbi Yosef Avraham Heller of the Crown Heights Beis Din on a few blogs. The letter is supposed to be a translation of a letter that Rav Heller wrote to someone in 1995 to explain his take on the "Moshiach issue". I find the opinions interesting but am not sure that I agree with all of what he says. As Rav Heller says at the end of the letter, these are his personal opinions and he does not expect everyone to agree with them - "A Dayan can only judge a case in accordance with his understanding."
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The judgement and the letter from Rav Heller are pdf files. If you can't read them you can download Adobe Acrobat Reader from here.
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Some of these photos of Hoshana Raba in 770 on the COL site are really good.
See them all here.
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I love this photo from Shmais. It brings back memories....
For the 770 deprived these guys are "tzedokah collectors" having a well earned break from their labours.
