The following is very biased, one sided article, attacking a Chabad Shliach. It has been translated from the Israeli daily Maariv newspaper by Ezra Reichman for VIN News.
VILNIUS, Lithuania — The Jewish community in Vilna refuses to allow the local Chabad rabbi to enter the main shul, even though the rabbi has to say Kaddish and has no other minyan where he can say it.
Shliach Banned from Main Vilna Shul
The following is very biased, one sided article, attacking a Chabad Shliach. It has been translated from the Israeli daily Maariv newspaper by Ezra Reichman for VIN News.
VILNIUS, Lithuania — The Jewish community in Vilna refuses to allow the local Chabad rabbi to enter the main shul, even though the rabbi has to say Kaddish and has no other minyan where he can say it.
Tense, acrid relations have existed between the Jewish community and Rabbi Krinsky since 2004, when the community passed Rav Krinsky by for the rabbinate and chose instead Rabbi Chaim Burstein, a former St. Petersburg refusenik who had studied in Litvish yeshivos in Israel. Despite Rabbi Krinsky living in Vilna and being involved with the community since 1994, the kehilla said they had a tradition of being misnagdim and preferred a rabbi who was a Litvak.
Fisticuffs broke out in the shul between pro-Krinsky and pro-Burshtein factions during Shavuot services in 2004. The fracas was covered extensively by the local and foreign media.
Burshtein was later roughed up by Krinsky supporters during tefillos in the shul. When Krinsky’s hooliganism continued, he and his followers were barred from the synagogue. They countered by holding vigils in the courtyard for months while pouting to foreign journalists about their “victimization”.
The ensuing embarrassment and seeing no end to the conflict caused the kehilla to close the synagogue for more than a year, while services were held in the kehilla building. The community took Krinsky to court, and an arrangement was finally reached where the rabbi had to retreat to his Chabad center. The shul reopened in August 2005, and morning and evening services have since been held daily – without Krinsky, who presides over his own services in a first-floor room at the Chabad center.
The ban against Rav Krinsky entering the main shul means that he cannot enter the shul to recite Kaddish for his mother who passed away a few days ago. His own synagogue doesn’t have a regular minyan of worshippers. Krinsky grumbled, “The doors are closed, and the guards know me and won’t let me enter. How can one say ‘no’ to a Jew who wants to say Kaddish for his mother?”
Rabbi Yosef Aharanov, the head of Israeli shlichim, was shocked. “Banning a Jew, kal v’chomer one who is a rav of a kehilla, is extremely serious. Such a thing is not done except under the most extreme circumstances.”
Mr. Alperowitz, the community president, says, “Krinsky should blame himself that he doesn’t have a minyan. He distanced people from himself.”
Both Krinsky and Alperowitz accuse each other of violence, and being motivated by the long-awaited restitution of Jewish communal property, which in Lithuania eventually will include at least 200 buildings and an estimated $60 million in compensation for property that cannot be returned.
Local observers claim that Krinsky’s attempt to grab control of the Vilna kehilla follows a Chabad pattern to usurp power from local rabbis elsewhere in Eastern Europe which in recent years occurred in Kiev, Prague, Russia and Germany.
Lita has today about 4,500 Jews, most of them living in Vilna.
SAD
such a chilul hashem and chilul lubavitch.
sad
BP Yid
Sorry for the shliach, it is terrible…how about you stop calling litvaks misnagdim to start with? Aren’t they also jews, don’t they have a history? Misnagdish is a VERY offensive term, it is OKAY to be different we are all trying to serve HaSHem.
A Proud Shlucha
I can’t believe how un-supportive the above comments are! Don’t you believe there’s another side to the story?! I have never heard about this place before, but I am CERTAIN that the shliach has a totally different version!
To BP yid, it wasn’t crownheights.info that posted the word “misnagdim”—read! It’s taken from vinnews, translated from maariv. It is a very biased article, a real example of poor journalism.
CHUTZPA BEYOND!
Are you kidding????“ Chabad pattern to usurp power from local rabbis elsewhere in Eastern Europe which in recent years occurred in Kiev, Prague, Russia and Germany.”
UN FREAKIN BELIEVABLE!!!
samuel
BP Yid- for your information, the misnagdim gave themselves the names “misnagdim” as they openly opposed the teachings of chassidus..hashem loves us all
LET-S SUPPORT ONE OF OUR OWN
Rabbi Krinsky does AMAZING work in Vilnius!!! He is one HARD WORKING shliach!! He deserves some support here, not a nasty article about him.
ain mishpocha
Its actually a huge kiddush Hashem knowing that Rabbi Krinsky accomplishes TREMENDOUS things despite living with inhuman opposition.Most of us could not tolerate his difficulties…even for a day-no one should have to.The society in Vilna lives by lying…(and worse)We should daven that this exceptional shliach never have to withstand such difficulties-even to be put in a negative light.Its obvious he has tons of mesiras nefesh.He should be highly regarded and warmly applauded.I feel bad for his opposers- because Hashem knows the truth!!!
zev
My goodness what prejudiced junk this is. This you call journalism? “they countered by holding vigils in the courtyard for months while pouting to foreign journalists about their “victimization””
Anybody who knows the real story knows that this is foolishness that the world who loves to browbeat us would like to believe. Don’t you remember the real story?
How could you post this junk? Don’t you know better? How could you make the Rav “Who came there first” look so bad? I don’t remember the details but I do remember that this is plain wrong!
gavriel
why write stupid things that are probably not true about the rebbes shliach
What is a shaliach
A shaliach should serve a community. A shaliach works where he is needed. Clearly, the community of Villnus does not want the services this shaliach (he can’t even get his own minyan of men to help him say kaddish). Clearly this shaliach is not needed in Villnus (they have a rabbi that they want). He should go to a community that needs a rabbi! Aren’t there many places in the Former Soviet Union that have no shul, no rabbi, no one to meet the community needs?? Shalichus isn’t a “job”, it is a service, and should be treated as such!
So sad
It so sad, Rabbi Krinsky’s mother just passed away. He needs to say Kaddish. This whole story is so crazy.
i was there
After helping at their chabad house and seeing their amazing school and work they do, i am in shock to read such an article. The Krinskys are such outstanding shluchim who i learned so much from, they are honest, good hearted and dedicated 100%.
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It is very telling that after all this time and infighting, R’ Krinski can’t pull together a minyan.
One of the foundations of Shlichus is to invite mikurovim besever ponim yofos and in a darchei sholom. If he doesn’t even have ten people with level of commitment to ensure that there is a minyan…..
Chosid who lives in a litvish/misnagdisc
Misnagdim is a title they ascribed to themselves. Yes, it is ridiculous, and makes them look all the more foolish, but they chose that title.
history repeats itself
In Vilna? Looks like some things never change!!
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B“H
pashut shocked to see such an article on crownheights.info…
Rabbi Krinsky is a true shliach of the Rebbe that does an UNBELIEVALBE job spreading yiddishkeit and chassidus in lithuania and bringing people close to Hashem!
obviously, this is not the true story – how can someone doubt the Rebbe’s shliach????
its a bunch of garbage! (if no one realised yet…)
the ”KEHILAH” spoken of in this article – is NOT the community of Vilna, but rather it is a big group of people that call themselves to be the community and is partially or half way (if not more) made up of non jewish people… trying to cick rabbi krinsky out because of money!!! crazy!
the government wants to repair the damage done to the jews during the war, and therefor they want to return the property to the Jewish people! and who do they see and accept to be jewish – the religious people – KOL HAKAVOD – even the goyim appreciate and see the value of Torah!
seriously – Rabbi Krinksy is an amazing shliach! and instead of yapping – we should all use our koach hadibur to daven to Hashem and ask for Rabbi Krinsky to be able to say Kadish with a minyan!!!!
yoss
what rude and nasty comments. shocking. and disgusting. rabbi krinsky is a devoted shliach!!! how dare you people write such nasty things. shame on you!
Response to what is shliach:
Most of these cities that are mentioned in the article as having conflicts with shluchim have a similar story line: the shliach builds up an amazing network of things there and then once there is a viable community, the community appoints someone else as rabbi, usually a farbrenteh misnaged from israel, claiming their community’s historical traditions which haven’t been in practice since WW2.
this is the story of community after community in europe.
shocking
his mother just passed away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
how rude!! and just beyond words
he is the most upstanding guy out there!!
vilnafan
i was in vilna a couple of years ago, and they run an unbelievable operation! the krinsky’s deserve all our respect and support, i wonder if there’s something the shluchim office could do for them? they don’t deserve this after years and years of hard work and true mesiras nefesh!
Halevai we should be like Rabbi Krinsky!
For all of you out there who accept an article for what it says…. you’ve obviously never had an article written up about you…. Unfortunately people in higher up organizations want $$ & will do anything to get it. They actually PAY people to not go to Rabbi Krinsky so that they can show that he’s unwanted! Do you think the Rebbe would say a shliach should leave because he’s obviously unwanted because people have been paid to stay away?!? What might make the Rebbe happier is if Lubavitchers would stand together & support the Shliach – maybe visit Vilna & talk to people there & be a positive influence! Maybe provide some financial help – for in places like Vilna – people only come to a Minyan if you pay them or provide food! Maybe give the shliach & his aishes chayil some chizzuk! & those of you who have only negative to say – I wonder what YOU would do if you were in his shoes! Put yourself in his place b4 you bash him or beware – things can come & haunt you!
What is a shaliach Responds
TO Response to what is shliach:
You correctly wrote,“the shliach builds up an amazing network of things there and then once there is a viable community…”
Indeed, once the shaliach builds a viable community, I don’t think he should sit on his laurels and shep naches. If he is no longer needed in that community, I think he has a “chiyuv” (obligation) to continue using his G-d given talents to go and build another community.
You, on the other hand, imply that once he did his “job” he can now “retire” – so to speak, and spend his efforts on protecting his turf from “intruders”.
You inflame the issue by characterizing these intruders as “farbrenteh misnaged”, but my observations lead me to assume that the same bitter fighting of protectionism would take place if the intruder would be another Lubavitcher (a.k.a. “mushroom). The misguided shaliach would go to war with anyone who tries to do ”kiruv“ on his turf. I’ve seen this happen in other places, and that doesn’t make it right.
In the business world, that’s EXACTLY how it would work. You own the franchize and you protect it.
But I still believe that shalichus is not a business. Doing the Rebbe’s work does not give you a franchize that gets inherited by your children. Anyone can go anywhere and spread Yiddishkeit and chassidus. No one has a monopoly on doing the rebbe’s work!! La’shem Haretz – the world belongs to G-d, not to the presiding shaliach of that territory.
We live in this fantasy world that tells us that cities ”belong” to certain shluchim. They can exclude other Lubavitchers and even other Yidden (including farbisene misnagdim) from entering those cities and working with the community. We started believing this maddness, and get upset when others don’t follow our make believe rules.
Maybe I am naive but I believe anyone can go anywhere and spread yiddishkeit, even if the shaliach of that city (who has been there since 1994 – making him King of the mountain) doesn’t want the person there!! No permission is needed!!
Response to Halevai we should be
To Halevai we should be like Rabbi Krinsky!
You wrote “Do you think the Rebbe would say a shliach should leave because he’s obviously unwanted…”
Actually, there were shaluchim that were told to leave a city because they were unwanted by… the “Head” Shaliach.
Oh ya – only the head shaliach can tell a shaliach to leave, but the community can’t. Because, the head shalaich “owns’ the community. The community is his property. It pays his salary – and he could do with it as he sees fit.
The make believe fantasy rules are absurd!! But if you want to live by these rules, heck, it’s a free country. Just don’t expect everyone else to follow them. And…don’t pretend they are yashrus and tzidkus. These rules came from the municipal by-laws of Sedom.
Response to Shocking
To Shocking:
you wrote: his mother just passed away!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
how rude!! and just beyond words
For his mother’s passing, my sympathy and sorrow.
But that has no bearing to the issue of right or wrong. The most sympathetic orphan can be wrong, while the most pathetic arrogant creature can be right. We don’t decide right and wrong based on sympathies!
A valid point can be made without adding 35 exclamation marks. An invalid point does not become valid by adding many “!!!!” after it.
Mottel
To all those who disgrace Chabad, the Rebbe and Judaism in general by leaving venomus, cruel and above all ignorant comments about Rabbi Sholom Ber Krinsky – it is shocking that you, in your crass depravity choose to buy the vitriol spewed by the self-titled ‘misnagdim’ of Vilnius, and what is more, attack a dedicated Shliach and true Mentch!
The true story of what has transpired in Vilna in the past five years is well documented for all – that there remain such dolts as ‘what is a shliach’ and his ilk among us is to our great discredit.
People, ask around about the amazing work Rabbi Krinsky and his wife have done in the entire Lithuania . . . the strengthening of Jewish identity and education, the events, school and camps that they run. Being a true shliach is not about big titles and fancy buildings – nisht in dem bashteit unzere shlichus! as mentioned above – if only all of us were dedicated like the Krinskys’.
Response to Mottel
To Mottel: It takes talent to write so much without making a single point. You did not address anything “what is a shaliach” raised. Like a purim gragger – you made a lot noise. In a debate, the one screaming the loudest is usually wrong – he has nothing to respond with but loud screaming and name calling. Makes me wonder if maybe “what is a shaliach” is right!
Shalom
Can you believe a misnagged who writes articles?