OpEd: To My dear Fellow Lubavitch Sisters Around the World

I am saddened by the fact that some of our sisters were taken advantage of. They were vulnerable. Just like many of us are, we have lived life, which means we have experienced pain!

These women went to a public speaking workshop and then were coaxed into sharing and dramatizing a personal story. They didn’t and still do not realize how a man went past a personal experience and dug much deeper to a place of tragedy. He charged them almost two thousand dollars to expose their vulnerability and didn’t offer any tools to cope or overcome their pain . The exposure accomplished the opposite of help! Where is Rosh Lowe to offer the tools after the aftermath? Nowhere! He is filling the bank with all the money he is draining us of! Just like with Chava, Adam followed. Women can be very powerful.

His “fame” began with taking our leaders,our Rebbetzins! I feel that many of our beautiful girls were taken under. At this time she our sister is in the “zone”! She doesn’t realize or know yet how wrongfully she has been mistreated and misguided. Vulnerability is a beautiful trait Hashem gave us. However, it is delicate and doesn’t deserve to be mishandled!!!

Rosh is representing Chabad. However, this is not Chabad. Sharing one’s thoughts and experiences should be handled in a warm, loving, caring environment where there is someone on the other end to support and give tools to help you overcome your challenge.

Anyone who charges you money to share your story is a red flag. It is very easy to fall into this “quick fix” trap. To all my fellow Lubavitch sisters. I write this letter with warmth and real concern.

A fellow sister

This Op Ed reflects the views of the writer, and does not state the views of CrownHeights.info.

21 Comments

  • i was waiting for this

    I had the same exact feelings. these women were led on to believe that they were given a “voice” by a MAN! they allowed themselves to be vulnerable to and be taken advantage by a MAN!

  • One dimenaional story telling

    There are so many facets to each of these women, and it’s a shame that their stories were boiled down to one point in their very dynamic and full lives. Everyone needs to make a living, so I don’t begrudge Rosh that chance- but I dont see the value in devaluing a dynamic life.
    A personal story evolves over time- writers spend years constructing memoirs to bring out the dynamic part of their stories and I think he really misses the boat in the name of sensationalizing people’s lives.

  • Thank you

    CrownHights.info thank you for taking the lead in fighting this terrible injustice that has been done to our women. They will feel good for 5 minutes, or a week, and then the new challenges of life will come along, and they will feel just as bad as before they told the whole world all of their problems.

    Better to focus on accomplishing good things in this world, and not only will they will feel good, they will have something to show for it, without bringing untold damage to themselves and their family.

    I no longer go on collive, unless they apologize publicly to all those they caused harm because of this and to the Rabbonim whom they openly apposed.

  • And this is the alternative?

    How can you publish an op-ed like this without a name attached to it, while they are making unverified accusations? Isn’t that what the comments are for?

  • WHAAAAAAAT!!!

    I’m sorry…have you spoken to the ladies involved? Are you getting your opinion from their mouths? DO you know FOR A FACT that they feel taken advantage of, or are you just assuming that that is the case? So because Rosh Lowe is a man, and is teaching a skill (public speaking and storytelling), and charging for it (most businesses or services charge you for said products and services) that is now considered TAKING ADVANTAGE of someone!
    Do you not think that these women have enough brains in their heads to know when they’re being taken advantage of and when not?
    It sounds to me like you may be the problem here.
    Who are you to judge these women for what they’ve done! Who are you to say if this was effectively healing for them or not! Why not reach out to them and actually find out what they got out of the workshop and speaking engagement. Why not reach out to Rosh Lowe and Eli Nash and find out what it is really all about.

  • Chaya

    It’s interesting to insinuate that a woman is being victimized when she willingly pays for a service.

    • Yaakov Shlomo

      Many of people pay and are victimized., hence the elderly that taken advantaged of everyday. Just as people through medicine have been victimized thinking they been sold a miracle drug.

  • Leah

    Thank you!!
    Dear shlucha, thank you for clarifying this horrific micdrop fiasco. I did not feel comfortable with it at all. Now I am certain!

  • Larry

    I think someone is just Writing this just to strengthen what Rosh Lowe was saying. I don’t think there is someone actually crying right now.besides how the heck would someone even think of standing on a public platform for the whole world to see and talk personal things commonsense people

  • Leah E.

    Thank you for your article. I can hear your genuine sensitivity to those who spoke.
    I saw two of these Mic Drops and decided not to watch anymore.
    I feel these individuals were made to share loshon hara about themselves, which is forbidden al pi halacha.
    I feel sorry for the people who got up and I hope this does not cause them pain.
    May Hashem protect us from this and any c”v future scams.
    P.s. I too heard that every participant had to pay money to join.

  • Anonymous

    K everyone, if you have an opinion, write an op-ed. Don’t just bash the person who wrote this one (or any other one)

  • YMSP

    Thank you for your courage and forthrightness. Your sentiments show thought and concern for others.

  • Good guys bad cuase

    Roshe law ans Eli Nash are actually good guys.
    The mic drop idea is bad..

    If somoene feel the need to have a conversation of this type. They should seat with freinds and have a chasidik fabrguen. (not dirking party)

    Woomen should also have fabrguen amongst themselves

  • Yaakov Shlomo

    Rosh Lowe is making money and he knows his crowd. He was a news caster and learned how to twist, edit, and emphasize certain words so it hits people like listening to the news. At the end of the day none of this is giving honor , praise, or glory to Hashem. I watched the videos, why would a wife want to take her own credit, and in truth her and husband are one? Then a woman degraded the mitzvah made by her families kindness providing a kosher meal for a guest, suggesting she was neglected, abused, and even more outcasted by the community hidden in closet? When does mic drop stop becoming anti-Semitic, and start speaking of all the good the community, the teachers, the Rabbi, etc. and give light to our audience, inspiration, and most of all Praise to Our Creator.

  • I really appreciate this article

    As a fellow sister, I feel exactly the same way.

    Though I don’t believe the founders had malicious intentions, it’s all part of a desensitivity our community is struggling with that unfortunately leads to such absurd situations where the victims themselves don’t realize they are being taken advantage of.

  • anonymous

    this op ed is disgusting. speak to the rebbitzens who spoke. they are all powerful, well spoken , successful and did not let anyone take advantage of them. nor did they pay to speak. they paid 100 for more then 7 hrs of workshop in order to better their public speaking skills. he did not give them a voice .they already had it and spoke willingly in the forum they were given on order to inspire. its as simple as that, before u judge get tour facts straight….

  • RE: "Anyone who charges you money to share your story is a red flag"

    Just to set the record straight: There ARE appropriate venues and circumstances to share one’s story in an appropriate way of sharing that is not lashon hara on oneself or others. One example is writing an autobiography book, with proper haskamah and daas Torah.

    If someone has an interesting life story they feel should be heard, but needs help writing it down, editing it, etc., it IS going to cost money to hire an interviewer, maybe a ghost writer, a transcriber, an editor, a proofreader, and a layout/designer, as well as possibly marketing and distribution costs.

    It IS legitimate to pay the above professionals to help a person write an appropriately written autobiography that includes consulting daas Torah.

    So I just want to set the record straight: What I just outlined above is a circumstance in which it is NOT a “red flag” when someone “charges you money to share your story.”

    –from someone LEGITIMATELY in the writing/editing business