Badatz: Forbidden to Participate in Landmark Forum
Activists from Landmark Forum – an organization labeled by many leading Rabbonim as a ‘cult’ and which many suspect was a model for Call of the Shofar – have been attempting to made inroads into the Crown Heights Jewish community through Facebook invites to a planned seminar. Swift reaction by the Crown Heights Beis Din lead to the event’s cancellation.
The seminar was to be delivered by Rabbi Ilan Feldman, who leads Congregation Beth Jacob in Atlanta.
Landmark Forum is a self-help-styled multi-day seminar that closely resembles the Call of the Shofar Program, and uses many of the same methods and techniques. In fact, many say that Call of the Shofar was just a repackaging of Landmark that was tailored to target the Chasidic community.
Members of the Crown Heights community, which is still reeling from the fallout in connection with the recent scandal of the Call of the Shofar and its infiltration into our community and educational institutions, were outraged that another attempt was being made to recruit members of the community into an organization that was declared to be against Torah and Halacha by leading Rabbinical authorities.
Back in 2007, all the major Rabbonim of the Montreal Jewish community, including Rov of the Chabad community Rabbi Yitzchok Hendel, OBM, released a Psak Din that it is Halachically forbidden to attend any program or seminar delivered by Landmark. The letter (see below) labels Landmark a cult, and its teachings as Avodah Zarah.
This morning, a similar Psak Din was released by the Crown Heights Badatz (see below) reiterating that Landmark is Avodah Zarah, with sources in Christianity and Buddhism, and that it is forbidden to attend any of their programs.
Due to pressure from leaders of the community, the organizers of the event were denied their planned venue on Eastern Parkway, and event was cancelled. However, sources believe that the organizers are looking for a new venue and plan on going forward with the program once a suitable location is found.
