Daily Archives: March 16, 2006

Supreme Court Rules: 770 Belongs To Aguc”h & Merkos

In a summery judgment in the Supreme Court by Judge Ira B. Harkavy, he decisively says that 770 belongs to Aguch and Merkos, and that ‘the Congregation’ has no rights to these Properties. The judge went into surprising detail about the Rebbe and Lubavitch and how the ‘Gaboyim’ have no claim whatsoever.

The judge signed of with saying “As result, that part of plaintiffs’ motion seeking a permanent injunction is granted and those branches of the Congregation’s motion to dismiss the TRO, remove any plaques, and reimburse the Congregation and police department are denied. The injunction shall be effective against all named defendants and any other person or entity with notice of the injunction.” And “This court has considered all other arguments of the Congregation and finds them to be without merit”

Granting summery judgment declaring that plaintiffs Agudas and Merkos have all right, title and interest in and to 770 Eastern Parkway (“770”) and 784-788, respectively, and that the Congregation has no rights in these properties, and granting a permanent injunction enjoining defendants from any further acts of vandalism, theft, harassment, trespass and/or nuisance with respect to the premises in general and the new plaque in particular, together with a mandatory injunction directing the Congregation to cease and desist from interfering in any manner with plaintiffs’ effort to maintain a commemorative plaque or otherwise interfering with plaintiffs’ interest in and enjoyment of the premises.

The verdict can be viewed in its entirety in the Extended Article!

USDA Slaps Kosher Slaughterhouse

One of the nation’s largest kosher slaughterhouses was censured by the United States Department of Agriculture for using inhumane methods in its slaughtering process.

AgriProcessors, a Chabad-Lubavitch-owned slaughterhouse in Postville, Iowa, was criticized in an internal report by the Department of Agriculture and later warned about its methods in a letter from the department. Since then, the procedures in question have been changed.

The slaughterhouse drew attention from the government in 2004 after an animal rights organization released an undercover video showing gruesome footage of cows being killed at the plant. AgriProcessors has faced questions from the Orthodox Union’s kosher division and criticism from the Conservative movement’s Rabbinical Assembly. The slaughterhouse has made some changes to its operations, but it has defended its old methods as consistent with kosher law — which aims to minimize suffering for the animal, among other things. The newly released report says the company had “engaged in acts of inhumane slaughter.”

Chabad Outfit To Endorse Military Chaplains

An ultra-Orthodox organization will start endorsing chaplains for the United States military, ending the 88-year-long monopoly on endorsements held by the multi-denominational body that had vetted all previous candidates.

The Aleph Institute, an organization linked to the Chabad-Lubavitch movement previously known for helping Jewish prisoners, was approved last month by the Department of Defense to endorse chaplains. Endorsing agencies provide a required seal of approval for any religious leader who wants to join one of the three branches of the military. The Miami-based Aleph Institute will join the Jewish Welfare Board’s Jewish Chaplains Council, which, since 1918, has been the only body endorsing Jewish chaplains. The chaplains council is run by the Jewish Community Center Association and brings together the Reform, Conservative and Orthodox movements to vet candidates.

The approval of a Chabad-Lubavitch body is particularly notable because Chabad rabbis — known for their eagerness in reaching out to unaffiliated Jews — are currently not able to become chaplains because of a military regulation banning beards. The new body will endorse rabbis from other corners of the Orthodox world, but it is also likely to lead any efforts to overturn the military’s prohibition on chaplains having beards. In the past, Orthodox rabbis have quietly complained that the Jewish Chaplains Council did not seem interested in working to change the rule. The chaplains council also has been under pressure because of a general shortage of Jewish chaplains in the military.