Video: ‘I Picked a Fight with a Black Guy in the Subway’

Comedian Moshe Kravitzky picked a fight with a black guy on a New York City subway… but in the end everyone applauded.

45 Comments

  • Chillul Hashem

    Why can’t the picture be blurred by the woman’s arms and other parts?
    Change that
    Nutty video and crazy

  • Dave

    Yay Crown heights comments people for lacking humor and fun in your life.

    This was a great skit. Maybe could have been done a bit smoother but definitely brought a smile to the commuters.

    • To Dave - I don't think it's funny.

      Think for a minute.
      You are an elderly lady or gent, or a parent with a young child at your side, or … or ….
      You are trapped in a subway car, and a fight breaks out right next to you.

      For those few seconds before you realize its not a fight, you panic. As a result, maybe someone has a fear induced panic attack, or heart attack.
      Is that fair? Or funny?

      There is funny, and then there is irresponsible.

      And everyone who sees a “proud frum Jew” acting in a way that can cause unwarranted fear in innocent bystanders will think “oh, so this is what Jews are. No wonder they have been hated through the generations”

      And if you think I am over reacting, remember (or ask your parents if you are too young) what happened in camp years ago when some counselor thought it would be “fun” to break out color war with a fake bear attack. It should never happen again, but one of the campers was so terrified that he literally lost his mind. Decades later he still had not recovered from that “fun”, and his live was ruined.

      We have to be more careful about making a Chillul HaShem, and worse, causing distress or physical harm to another.

    • Dave

      I still think your overreacting. And that camp story sounds like a camp story.

      I agree it could have executed a lot better, but it was all in a fun spirit. Just chill and focus on the positive.

  • #4 Train

    Ha ha Gr8! !
    ..but I dare u moshe do that on the #4 train coming from Utica…ha ha ha….
    .

  • chilllll

    this video was very cute and made me laugh just stop finding the bad in everything and enjoy life

  • Lobe this video

    I think we need to teach some lubavitcher to just CHIIIILLLLLLLLLL OOOUUUUUUUTTTT

  • Excuse me!

    Moshe intended to do everything BUT make a chilul Hashem! Wow people are so dull! How can this be a chilul Hashem? Are they talking about something not Jewish? If anything walking around half tznius in Crown Heights is a chilul Hashem!

    • It's Elul. Can't we behave as frum Yidden for a change?

      Who ever said a chillul Hashem has to be intentional? We are all representatives of G-d!

      See Pirkei Avos Chapter 4, Mishna 4
      “Rabbi Yochanan ben Beroka said: Whoever ****desecrates the Name of Heaven**** in secret will be paid back in public. Whether one acts ****unintentionally**** or intentionally, it is all the same [both are accountable] regarding desecration of the Name.”

      And walking around (there is no such thing as half- tznius!) untznius anywhere (not only in Crown Heights), or getting drunk is a chilul Hashem!

  • ATT CRITICS

    IMAGINE YOU WERE MOSHE WORKED HARD TO MAKE THE SCRIPT ETC. THINK AS IF YOU WERE IN HIS SHOES AFTER LETS SAY A WEEK OR 2 ON WORKING ON EVERYTHING ALL YOU GET IS YOUR FELLOW JEWISH BROTHERS CRITICIZING YOU! THINK BEFORE YOU COMMENT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

    Moshe you did a great job LOVE THE HUMOR and your videos keep it coming!

  • At Moshe Kravitzky

    I know you had good intentions, but this one backfired big time.
    Please pull it off the Web.

  • No Rov would approve this

    Very inappropriate and not funny. Everyone is certainly not is applauding. It is a “no-brainer” that such stunts should not be done even if it were to be announced ahead of time to the crowd that it is just an act, and how much more so if as it appears there is no prior warning given. If a question about whether or not to do such a stunt would have been asked to a Rov the answer would obviously be an unequivocal no.

  • To number 6

    Ikr omg that’s so sad with the bear did he ever get married poor parents sent their kid to have fun and he comes back ruined hope hose parents brought that counselor to beis din

    • from #6

      yes, it was horrible. Ruined his life. I have no idea what, if anything, the parents did aside from help their son heal. Or if he got over the trauma as an adult.
      We just have to think through our plans before we act.

  • to most new yorkers

    why is that most of you dont think like a positive as a whole . this compltely makes me want to vomit. somone works hard to make a video and you go and spit in his face if you dont like it don’t comment because new york looks like garbage and as result ppl think like garbage

  • jewish stereotype

    Ouch, Didn’t like the Jews get everything cheaper routine. Reinforcing negative Jewish stereo type. Not good for the Jewish people.

  • To all negative comments

    Preach about chilul Hashem and all. The other “bad” things he did but forget about embarrassinganother in public, which btw is considered like killing someone. All you self righteous people can go live in a ghetto without Internet so you shouldn’t know about all the ‘bad’ things happening out there.

  • SOOOO NICE!!

    Ishar coiach!!!
    Another way to unite people where ever they are!!
    (I wish could’ve been on that train!!)
    You can help stop fights between black and white!!
    Another way to be a shliach!! Soooo nice and fun!!!
    Tznius? Chilul Hashem? OmG’ I think you are all crazy!!
    Go blame those women about the way they dress!! That’s a big chilul Hashem!!

  • Wow don't you read the description of this video before you bash it

    Published on Aug 14, 2015
    My name is Cameron Bhola; a 30 year old Actor, Media Production Graduate, who hails from Brooklyn, and an Uber Driver.

    Acting with me in the above video is Moshe Kravitsky; a 33 year old father of 3 ​from Crown Heights, and a fundraiser.

    Two weeks ago, Moshe and I didn’t know each other. Through divine providence, and my being an Uber driver, I picked him up for a ride. That was the first time we met.

    We instantly hit off an unlikely friendship. Laughing and poking fun at all the stereotypes directed our way.

    When Moshe got in my car, I offered him the “aux jack” and told him he can put on any music he’d like from his phone. So he went to Youtube and found the “Jewiest” version of Hava Naggillah, and cranked it up. We both laughed at how cheesy people can be sometimes; thinking all Hasidic Jews just listen to “hava nagillah on a loop” on their phones….because whatever else would they listen to?”

    Our conversation turned to the issue of racism, and how sad it is to witness the racial tensions spreading like wildfire throughout the US. The long-ago but not forgotten Crown Heights riots came up as well.

    As both of us have a love of acting and inspiring others, we resolved to stage a race-centric argument on the subway that would start off like most others fights, over something small like a subway seat. The fact that I’m Black and he’s White and Jewish — right there, you’ve got all the usual stereotypes at play in the background. But we wanted to end with a curve-ball out of left field. Something that’d show subway riders and the whole world “what’s taking place today in the US – the violence rising between people of different cultures — for whatever the reason — that’s not life. We’re better than that! It’s high-time to start finding out what real LIVING looks like in 2015!

    Directed by Cameron Bhola and Moshe Kravitsky

    Filmed by Shneur Mish & Rabbi Mendy Friedman

    Special Thanks to:

    Chananel Benshalom, Mendel Lipskier, Zev Greenspan, and Reggie
    for breaking out into spontaneous song on 5 different subway cars :)
    Category
    Comedy
    License
    Standard YouTube License

    • very nice.

      But I still think this was way too over board. Good intentions don’t always have positive results.
      What if some dumb kids doesn’t realise this was pre-planned and tries to pick a fight on the train with someone. Will you be there to rescue him?
      What about the fear you put into the passengers hearts?
      As you can see, most of the responses here are negative. Please pull this off the web. it’s awful.

  • Go-dis right hand man

    There should be bartenders with johnnie walker blue label $5 a shot.

    Open uber booze and sell shots of stoli and jack for $2 because uber customers are cheapos!

    Happy Jew year !!

    Hahahahaha
    The checkered flag is black and white
    The Dudes are winners

  • Stupid

    It’s just plain stupid. And big Chillul Hashem. It’s cute at fisrt but then it’s just sooo stupid of him to plan this! I think it’s a stupid idea! Not funny at all!

  • I can't believe this

    The Lashon Hara going on here about Moshe is beyond shocking. This clever guy makes a video and is only meaning for it to be a kiddush hashem, these comments are acting like he did the worst possible sin ever. Please think before you comment, this is disgusting. And guys, imagine if he read these comments, imagine his kids reading these comments. If anyone’s making a Chillul Hashem here its definitely you guys.
    Moshe this video is beyond hilarious. A great Kiddush Hashem. Keep doing what you’re doing.

  • Didn't watch

    Would anyone think of doing all these shtick before Gimmel Tammuz? Before Chof Zayin Adar? Before Chof Zayin Adar I? I highly doubt it. Whatever we do represents The Rebbe. All of us. We are not and will never be private people. It is a zchus and a huge achrayus. We live in a fish bowl. Every one of us is a Shliach.
    We better make The Rebbe proud.
    PS Hava Nagila is a Lubavitcher niggun “kidnapped” by zionists and off our list. Totally.

  • Color War breakouts

    I was the youngest kid in camp, when the color war breakout was staged with a kidnapping, (of my best friend) police, and the works.There was even a chopper overhead. I was scared to death and remember the trauma until today decades later (non Lubavitch camp).

  • amazing

    after reading all these ungrateful comments i have chosen for my self to right one that i enjoyed it and it made me laugh- Moshe good job and continue spreading kindness, happiness and peace to the world! Isn’t that our job too?

  • Wandering Jew

    Thumbs down.

    Although funny, Crown Heights is the wrong place to do be starting fake public fights and this can be used to give license to minority kids to pick fake fights with Jews to post on the internet.

    Although well intentioned, its an idea that is better left as just an idea.

    1) Let’s say others get involved, like a Jew stands up for a fellow Jew, and then gets knocked out by another person who sees it as a two on one fight.

    2) Why do innocent people have to be scared that they are in the middle of a fight. They may switch trains and never know.

    3) Will this encourage others, like kids, to take videos picking fights with an unsuspecting Jew or white person on train, only to say just kidding ? – kids already post fights recorded from their cell phones on youtube

    4) In Crown Heights, there may be some members of the black community who don’t like the idea of a Jew using them as the butt of jokes. – too much much racial tensions to play games like that here.