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Tonight: Urgent Gathering over ‘Call of the Shofar’

An urgent gathering has been called by Chabad Rabbonim and community leaders over the recent revelations that members of the community, notably Yeshiva educators and their students, have participated in certain “cult gatherings” that are antithetical to the Chabad Derech.

After a week of meetings and debate, a decision was made by leaders of the Crown Heights Chabad community to host a gathering for all members of the community, men and women, to discuss the situation and rectify what needs to be rectified.

The gathering will take place tonight, Tuesday, in the Oholei Torah ballroom at 8:30pm.

The gathering will be attended by many Rabbonim, Roshei Yeshiva, Mashpi’im and leaders of the Chabad community, including all members of the Crown Heights Beis din.

Rabbi Yoel Kahan, Rabbi Ezra Schochet, Rabbi Shea Hecht, and others will address those present.

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34 Comments

  • How Backwards

    How about an urgent meeting to discuss the “sudden revelation” that not everyone is still drinking the CH koolaid. With “dollars” being given out on Sundays and the likes we have much bigger problems – the root of it all.

  • #1

    Your rite. Let’s hope this is a good begging. Also the ahavas yisroel cult. All these ideas are shifting the youth away from our derech that’s been instituted since the b’al shem-tov

  • yossi A

    Please comfirm that R Shea Hect will speak.
    We need a voice of therapy to attend not just Rabonim (no offence to any Rov). I think that this topic sMUST be addressed by therapists as Shea Hect Twersky Schochat ETC. after the program is indorsed by Rabonim and mashpiem.
    THANK YOU FOR MAKING THIS ASIFA.
    MUCH HATZLACHA TONIGHT.

    • Shea Hecht

      Shea Hecht is a fine man who probably does tons of good. However, he’s been very flimsy on this issue. More so, he is very self-promoting and thus I think it’s more appropriate for only Chassidishe Rabbonim and Mashpiim to speak. No Twersky, no Hecht and no “experts”. Event is not about cults. It’s about the state of Lubavitch today.

  • Yakov Nachman to Comment #1

    Wat is CH Koolaid plz be specific ? R u referin 2 the Kos Shel Bracha the Tzfati do after RH, Pesach & ST. Wat does Reb Yoel Kahn know abt Sound of the Shofar, I know some ppl in CH that went a couple of times & they said it helped them, how can any1 judge (anything) in this case COTS specifically if they never went & didnt experience it. & Rav E. Schochet is flyin in all the way from “Los Angeles” just 4 this, som1 is obviously payin 4 his ticket 2 Bklyn & 4 him 2 spk, y not 1st check out the program then c wat 2 do.

  • Odd

    Anti-thetical to Chabad philosophy? Do they care to mention that She Hecht himself has recently said he sends people there and calls it possibly more effective than therapy.

    Yoel Kahn is now an expert on what goes on in the Call of the Shofar?

    Shluchimi and mashpiim have said it HELPED in their practice of Chabad philsophy.

    They’re threated by what they don’t understand. Simple.

    • Threatend

      The ones who feel threatened are the leaders of COTS who won’t let Rabbonim in to observe and see that there is nothing wrong…

    • dovid

      Anybody that disagrees with you is a nobody (even though they are the irrefutable leaders in chabad) and those that got caught up r”l in cots are respected and revered.

      You clearly drank the coolaid!

  • looser

    Whoever called the meeting is a looser and anyone that goes is a bigger looser. What a waist of time. If ch people felt these ” leaders” where any helpful No one would go to shofar

    • Citizen Berel

      A flash of brilliance let loose in the comment section. You are at at loss.

      Get yourself together all is not lost.

      That voice in your head…you’re not losing your mind.

  • yankel der shlepper

    it is not the matter if it helps or not. the matter is if it is allowed according to halacha and chassidus to go to such places or not. on these real issues, even though majority of CH doesn’t care about nevertheless R” Yoel and R’ Ezra are bigger experts than you and me.

  • In the know

    Anyone that knows the extent COTS has infiltrated our community is breathing a sigh of relief that finally someone is putting a stop to this.

    The question now is how do we bring those effected back into the fold as many Shluchim and Melamdim have already introduced this garbage to their mushpoim.

  • visiting Crown Heights soon

    I’m not sure where all this is coming from. My family has been part of the Lubavitch community for over 25 years. One of my sons’ is a shliach. Two of my younger sons went to “Shofar”. They both came back stronger than ever. They both reported , it was about releasing some childhood baggage. They both talked about childhood hurts. The weekend helped them see that they were seeing everything though these same old hurts.In school he felt”not good enough”, from that point on whenever something didn’t go his way he would have headed right back to that old message in his head”not good enough”. They helped him locate his “old messages”, showed him how to move forward. I have no regret for sending them. They heard about “Shofar”from a classmate. Are you jealous of their success? We are so used to being the only success story.

  • From District Attorneys Benny Forers Facebook Status

    Benny Forer
    about an hour ago ·
    Reflections on the Call of the Shofar controversy:

    I don’t know much about the program, nor do I particularly care. But, ever since the controversy began, I’ve been asking —

    What’s the goal and purpose for writing and bashing COTS?

    Okay, so you feel it might be a cult. Gotcha. But, why are you suddenly bashing this group? Why are rabbis, rabbonim and mashpiim writing articles and calling meetings to discuss this issue? What difference does it make if mature adults make a decision to attend a weekend retreat?

    Is the goal to save souls? Really? Then, I simply ask you, where are these people on the numerous other important and profound social issues going on in Chabad today? Why are there no meetings on sex-abuse by these same people? Why are they not writing articles on the matter and publishing it on all Chabad websites?

    Rabbis – you think it’s okay to motzie shem rah on hundreds of fellow Jews? You think its okay to disparage them? You think its okay to call them idol-worshipers (the worst thing that anyone can ever call a yid)?

    Clearly, it isn’t about COTS or saving souls. It is clearly about power, control and getting your name in the news. Not one of the so-called experts or opinionates interviewed a single COTS attendee to discover what happens, what affect it had and what “hold” COTS continues to have over the member.

    It’s a bloody shame. They want to control our daily actions, our way of thinking and our ability to be independent. These rabbis crave power and control – something they have been losing steadily over the past several years.

    Rabbis – if you truly care about the Jewish soul, then show that you truly care and do something about the more pressing and important issues. And then can we address COTS and its effect on several hundred adults.

    Please comment and share.

    • Dovid

      “I don’t know much about the program, nor do I particularly care”

      How can you be critical about sounding the alarm on this if you dont know much about the program?

      “It is clearly about power, control and getting your name in the news.”

      You clearly don’t know who Rav Heller, Reb Yoel and Reb Pinye Korf are as they are the last ones in the world who can be accused of wanting “power, control and getting your name in the news”.

      You sir, have no business commenting on what goes on in Lubavitch as you have chosen a different path (I know you personally). Please leave these decisions to those that are interested in preserving a genuine chasidishe way of life.

    • Citizen Berel

      It difficult to overstate the degree of sleaze required for a Government prosecutor: noxious mixture of vindictiveness and self-righteousness, that.

      Someone has to do it so milgalgalim chov…

      Lawyer trash talking smack against CH elders.

      FACEBOOK LIKE FOR THE SCORE!

  • Blah Blah Blah

    When these “Rabbonim and Mashpiim” will inspire the masses with Chassidus, Tanya, and Maamorim, then they will have a say in how we have enough of our own teachings, and we dont need to go elsewhere. My husband went, and I have one thing to say,, THANK YOU CALL OF THE SHOFAR!!!! Oh, and my kids thank you too!

  • Shliach

    Hey, it’s nittel! Hope the speeches will reflect the no Torah till chatzeis. Moshiach Now. Really

  • assess

    I say that its easy to pick on something which is on the healing side….good, devoted people, who can take abuse….as opposed to the very fragile and psychotic crowd who are giving out dollars and thinking the Rebbe is giving them. We really have our values mixed up here, no? Not dealing with psychotics who are imagining the Rebbe is really giving out dollars, as opposed to going to a glatt kosher shabbos of healing and davening? I”m not sure here, but it seems that people are uncomfortable with facing the idea that alot of men need healing. That is moshiach tzeit, to reveal to us how each of us can heal from the pain which is caused by golus.

  • guys!!!!!

    shofar not the problem

    its we as a community. we have to love and take care of each other

    we must own our chassidishkiet then there will be the

    shofar haMoshiach and the Geulah Shleima!

  • If the ravs denounce it....

    …then, whether or not COTS is “good” or “bad” for Lubavitchers, the numerous men who feel their Yiddishkeit has benefitted from COTS will be alienated.
    So now, it’s a matter of tactics, not “wrong” or “right”.

  • CHLEAKS.COM

    “You think its okay to call them idol-worshipers (the worst thing that anyone can ever call a yid)?”

    Actually, a Mosser (Informer) is the worse thing you can call a Jews (it’s the worse thing a Jew can do).

  • Nitl nacht

    What will Rabbonim and Mashpiim say other then divre halocho and chsidus looks like they did not think tonite is NITL!!!

  • Larry

    From the Comments you read you already see why people are going to these places.i don’t know were its going all i can say its scary the way it looks its each man for himself. there is problem with the rabbonim with the community counsel the heads of chabad you need connection to get what you should get . moshiac. P.s who runs this cot thing anyways

  • yoseph leib

    It’s not a cult. There’s no central charismatic leader. It’s actually a theraputic framework, run by really good and learned people, closer to and more true to the Derech Ha Baal Shem Tov than the competitive controlling heirarchies often pretending to teach in his name. Hamayvin Yaavin.