When a group within the elections committee decided to make decision on their own, the absurd idea of having a 'Meet the Rabbonim' meeting was hatched, thinking that this is some kind of political election in which you need to meet a candidate, similar to that of the Vaad Hakohol. A late night notice officially canceled the event.
Runaway Election Committee – ‘Meet the Rov’ Canceled
When a group within the elections committee decided to make decision on their own, the absurd idea of having a ‘Meet the Rabbonim’ meeting was hatched, thinking that this is some kind of political election in which you need to meet a candidate, similar to that of the Vaad Hakohol. A late night notice officially canceled the event.
The following is an official statement:
Meet the Rabbonim forum for Thursday night, is officially canceledA poster was hung on all the polls and circulated all over the neighborhood announcing a public forum to “meet the Rabbonim.” The impression given is that this is a neutral event that is sponsored by the election committee which is responsible for all the public activities relating to the elections, similar to the previous two elections held for the Vaad Hakohol only two months ago.
We hereby declare that this event is officially canceled.
There was a meeting held by the election committee, and we voted this idea down for two reasons:
1) Such a forum for an election for a Rav in our Kehila degrades the honor of the position of a Rav, while it will serve no purpose in helping the voter decide on who to vote for. Rabbonim must come recommended by other Rabbonim and you decide whom you trust and vote accordingly.
2) There is a Sicha of the Rebbe where the Rebbe states clearly, that to decide who qualifies to be a candidate for Rabbonus belongs to Rabbonim Gedolei Torah only, and it is unheard of that Baalei Batim should mix into the process of selecting the candidates (Matos Masei, 5746).
To have Rabbonim paraded in a campaign similar to the town dog-catcher before an election is the antithesis to what Torah and respect for Talmidei Chachomim demands from us. Even the candidates who may end up losing the election, still remain to be Rabbonim and they are certainly Talmidei Chachomim who should be treated as such.
Therefore this whole idea of a public forum at which the candidates for Rabbonus should model themselves as beauty queens on stage asking for our vote, is in bad taste to put it mildly.
To add insult to injury, Rabbi Moishe Bogomilsky Shlita was called by Rabbi Eli Cohen, Executive Director of the CHJCC, to invite him in the name of the election committee, to attend this event. When rabbi Bogomilsky asked who is organizing this event, Eli told him it was the election committee headed by Yisruli Sandhaus. When asked by Rabbi Bogomilsky and what about the other members, do they agree? He replied, I’ll get back to you.
At which point Rabbi Bogomilsky said, that he feels that such an event Past Nisht and is not respectable for a Rabbonim election, and therefore he will not attend such an event.
So how are we to relate to posters announcing so innocently that this event is a “meet the Rabbonim” forum, which will include no less than Rabbi Bogomilsky who clearly said that he will not participate? And to rub the salt into the wound, his blaring picture adorns the poster!
This process smacks of total disrespect to Rabbonim. Period.
If any candidate or his supporters wish to sponsor an event to meet their candidate, good for them, just announce it as such. But if you plaster the neighborhood with posters, that all candidates will attend, while knowing that some will not, smacks of an evil plan.
Imagine the entire neighborhood coming to the event to meet all the candidates and one of them doesn’t show up? How will it reflect on that Rav? How will the innocent bystander judge this person unbeknown to him that the invitation was a fraud?
Therefore, we as members of the election committee declare that this event was advertised as a fraud, and is hereby officially canceled. We ask all G-d fearing Jews not to attend this event if the impostor sponsors don’t cancel this event on their own.
If you want to meet any candidate they are very accessible, and some of them have their supporters organize for them events on a daily basis and you can find them there as you wish. Rabbi Bogomilsky is always available to speak to in his office, and in Shul three times a day and you can talk to him in a respectful setting and dignified manner at your convenience.
Just don’t forget to vote this Sunday, 26th of Elul, 8:30 am – 10:00 pm in the basement of the Rebbe’s Shul – 770.
Avrohom Nochum Gross
Yaakov Tzvi Sufrin
Yosef Yitzchock Katzman
Members of the election committee
Historically such an event has never taken place before, the very first time Crown Heights had elections for a Rov was when Rabbi Marlow OBM was elected, followed by Rabbi Osdoba, and then once again when Rabbi Schwei was elected, and in each of those elections there was no ‘Meet the Rov’ meeting.
The election committee is comprised of 6 members, three from each side. Yisroel Sandhaus, Yanky Herzog, and Mendel Schneerson from Rabbi Schweis side, and Yosef Katzman, Noochie Gross, and Yanky Sufrin from Rabbi Osdobas side.
not stupid.
shame on you. the election comittee is supposed to be neutral yet you slyly endorse Rabbi Bogomilsky. the comittee should be disqualified.
I blame the Rabbonim!
All the problems we have in Crown Heights are the fault of the Rabbanim. I blame them, they can’t agree on anything. fish stinks from the head & we don’t have anyone to turn to. How can we respect any of them?
Old timer
I know FOR A FACT (I know one of the parties this concerned) that approx 20 years ago, when the Rebbe was asked about at least 2 potential candidates for Rabbonim who were NOT FROM CROWN HEIGHTS, the Rebbe answered what right does someone have to leave a position they have, and the candidates should be from the Schunah.
How come we weren’t told Rabbi Chaviv DOES NOT SPEAK ENGLISH or YIDDISH. He’s going to use translators. Do we want other people listening to our tsorus & maybe mis-translating as well? We all know how much gets lost in translation.
There’s a Yiddish expression, vu mishteld dem chamor? Basdically, chamor is a donkey and wine. If you put the punctuation in the wrong place you are talking about either wine or a donkey. This is what will happen with translators. How can we even think about electing him?
Be careful who you vote for
A vote for Rabbi Braun is a vote for crazy Moshichisten. You’ll be making the people of Sydney very happy, they want him out of there.
I Smell a dead Fish
It seems again the handlers (The Arumike) are at it again.
They are the same that began the MachLoikes between the two Rabanim.
eli
rabbi chaviv!!!
resident
sorry #1 though i do not see where they are pushing rabbi bogomilsky what i see it says that eli cohen called the rabbi to hear what he has to say … yes the rabbi was picked by rabbi osdoba’s side though such is not said in this letter and is no secret so what is your gripe … as a voter please vote for whom you feel is the right person to be rav … though i would also like to add that #3 has a valid point re rabbi not from our community unless one feels that divrai tzadikim kayomim leholom voed is not a factor in our lives
Do not understand
What is wrong with such a meeting?
Why is it disrespectful to meet potential Rabonim?
Why will it serve no purpose?
If we have to rely on other Rabonim for knowledge about these then why do we vote at all, the Rabonim should vote and that’s it?
This Sicha is being taken out of context, we are not selecting candidates now, that has been done already (by Rabinim) we are voting now, don’t we have a right to find out who they are?
Are we supposed to rely on Mikvah news to learn about the candidates?
CR
“There is a Sicha of the Rebbe where the Rebbe states clearly, that to decide who qualifies to be a candidate for Rabbonus belongs to Rabbonim Gedolei Torah only, and it is unheard of that Baalei Batim should mix into the process of selecting the candidates (Matos Masei, 5746).”
So why have elections at all!? If “daas baalei batim hepech daas torah” then simply appoint rabbonim un g’endik. OTOH, the Rebbe did call for elections to appoint Rabbis Osdoba, Heller and Marlowe. If elections are part of the process then the public needs to make informed decisions by actually meeting the candidates. Filtered, “hechshered” opinion pieces are no substitute.
CR
“There’s a Yiddish expression, vu mishteld dem chamor? Basdically, chamor is a donkey and wine. If you put the punctuation in the wrong place you are talking about either wine or a donkey.”
Given the way we abuse standard havarah in our community placement of the nekudos makes no difference…
Rebbe-s Shul
“elections will be held in the basement of The Rebbe’s Shul 770”
Where is the basement of the Rebbe’s Shul? The Rebbe’s Shul 770 is not a “basement”!
Eliyahu
Can someone please, explain what happened to all those Rabonim that were elected a few years ago. I live in Crown Heights and completely missed it. Are they dismissed?
This is why nothing changes!
Is this all you got to worry about, #10? Rabbonim fighting, kids off the derech, families breaking up, poverty, unemployment, hunger, lousy school systems & so on?
GET A LIFE!!!
The devil is in the details
Having received a printed color brochure about Rabbi Braun (Broin? Which? Why?) I must concede that at first I was impressed by the articles (and turned off by the “selling of a rov” approach.)
But then I stopped to ponder: There have been numerous claims of his expertise in Torah and Halacha. Mention of articles in important Torah journals also. So where is a sample?
Everything in this brochure makes him an excellent and creative candidate for a Chabad Rabbi in a Chabad House.
Is that what Crown Heights is looking for at this election?
Isn’t that exactly what he is doing in Sydney now?
Can he be given more coverage on Chabad.org so that Sydney will not be too small for him?
It may be important to note that the original information had him listed as having prepared curricular material for the government and serving as some kind of adviser there. What happened to the goods? The details. The samples.
M sendel
People vote in our local r bogomilsky un fartig. R o likes and r shway likes him.
What more can u ask for
770
the basement is next to the bathrooms under the shul
chaim
there is a difference between deciding if someone is qualified to be a Rav which is the province of Rabbonim, and selecting a Rav from the candidates that have been approved by the Rabbonim, which is specifically the responsibility of the community Baal HaBatim!
Furthermore:
1) If Baal HaBatim should not mix into the question of who is qualified to be a Rav, why is your campaign literature and your verbal diatribes full of exactly what you say shouldn’t be done?
2) How should the community decide? By being prevented from evaluating the candidates?
3) What are you afraid of? That your candidate will not be able to make a good impression?
Tell It Like It Is
Sruli and his chevra are up to their old tricks. It is hepech halacha as Rabbi Kantor so eloquently put it recently,for a person to campaign for a position as a rav in a community.
WAKE UP Crown Heights and realize how you have been bamboozled for all these years since Rabbi Schwei was “elected” to the BaDatz, It was and still is by them all about politics.
A Proper Forum
To #8
You need to meet the potential Rabanim and are encouraged to. But the place to do it is not a town hall meeting where people will be shouting, boooooing, aplauding and hurling accusations as per the town hall meeting of the Vaad Hahakol. Such a meeting is suitable for politicians not for rabbonim. All three rabbonim are currently in the community and available for people to meet, speak with and ask questions to.
To all the ostriches
To all my fellow “baalei-teshuva”, and believe me,I use the term loosely,who believed that politics was beneath them,and who felt themselves involved in “avodas ha-kodesh” and therefore anything else was chazzer – treif. This is why we are where we are now. Wake up and smell the coffee. Get yourselves in gear, wipe the sleep out of your eyes, and get out and vote on Sunday. Just do it. And Ha-Shem and the Rebbe will do the rest.
TO #12
other people here might be able to explain this better than i could but to the best of my knowledge this is what i think is the reason why the rabonim that got elected 4 years ago got disqualified.during the time that rabbi osdoba & rabbi schwei had nothing to do with each other each rov had elections that the other rov was against.for example rabbi osdoba was against the elections last year for the vaad hakohol & the gaboim & rabbi schwei was against the elections 4 years ago for the rabonim.so since both rabonim had elections that the other rov was against it both elections were cancelled.like the same way last years elections were cancelled because rabbi osdoba was against it so the same thing the elections 4 years ago for the rabonim were cancelled as well.& the same way that last years elections were cancelled because rabbi osdoba was against it. same thing here that,s the reason why rabbi raitport, rabbi zirkind as well as rabbi segal are no longer rabonim because it was done against the other rov,s approval.
other people here might be able to explain it better than i could but that,s what i think the problem was.
wake up
plz ppl of C’h we need unity have mercy on your family and freinds. rabbi bogomilsky can and will bring a bais din of 3 working as 1. wake up wake up
Anon
It might be that in past, the process of placing the Rabonim were candidates that were known. Here when you have two of the candidates that most have never heard of or met… there needs to be some kind of way for the entire public community to be introduced and get to know them. How and Why would someone vote for a unknown?
Total embarrassment
This is sooo sad for CH. It’s embarrassing. Looks like non of the candidates qualify. 3 were just picked out of last minute desperation because no one stepped up to accept the position. The right thing to do if you are unsure , just don’t vote. Once they add up the numbers they’ll see that more credit should be given to CH residents