CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — Abundance of joy and Simcha was not a rare sight of the days of Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, but what was were the Hatzalah ambulances which seemed to never get a chance to stay put in front of 770 for too long.
Hatzalah Handles an “Unprecedented Amount of Calls”
CROWN HEIGHTS, Brooklyn [CHI] — Abundance of joy and Simcha was not a rare sight of the days of Shmini Atzeres and Simchas Torah, but what was were the Hatzalah ambulances which seemed to never get a chance to stay put in front of 770 for too long.
Gearing up for Yom Tov Crown Heights Hatzalah ‘borrowed’ an ambulance from the Boro Park division to meet the typical demand that this Yom Tov brings, bringing the number of volunteer ambulances to 4.
Surprisingly, to some, not all the calls were alcohol related. An unofficial source told us that there were many calls for injuries and ailments that did not relate to drinking, and that there were well over 60 calls handled throughout the holiday.
This year most of the Bochurim visiting were noticeably younger and can be an attributing factor to the many alcohol related injuries.
Hatzalah had no official comment, as it’s a private organization that cannot comment on medical issues.
Free disclosure
What’s wrong with Hatzalah giving basic statistics: like # of alcohol related calls out of the total, so we can see if there are serious drinking-medical issues or just your basic barfing in gardens, streets, & garbage cans.
No one is asking for names, addresses, & diagnoses, but I think the public should know how serious the booze issue is. Then maybe the situation can be addressed from a position of knowledge, not speculation.
want to know
wait, when did this happen?
Stop Drinking
They don’t need to comment. All one has to do is take a walk down Kingstone Avenue to see the amount of alchohol consumption. Year after year people get hospitalized, especially the young, due to alcohol intake. When will someone take a stand and stop this madness! Where are the rabanim? Why is there a blind eye to encourage drinking at young age and creating alcoholics. It’s time to clean up CH, its reputation of being a haven for alcohol. Enough is enough!
Confused
“Hatzalah had no official comment, as it’s a private organization that cannot comment on medical issues.”
Huh?!?!?
Anonymous
Underage drinking is illegal and the adults who supply it are ALSO at fault.
CH Hatzalah member
As a Hatzalah member who took in many of the intoxicated bochurim to the hospital, including several who were unresponsive to even pain, it was a horrible way to spend Yom Tov.
To see young teens, 15, 16 or 17, drunk to the point that they would not even respond to even pain, is a unbelievable sight.
That we have created such a culture, that encourages drinking amongst the young, is a sad testament to our idea of “Simchas YomTov”.
Many of these boys come here from overseas after spending $1000-2000 dollars, and all they will have for a memory will be the plane ride here and then waking up in the hospital, with needles in their arms and a catheter hanging out from below their hospital gown.
A large part of the blame falls on the adults, who allow them unfettered access to alcohol. In any other society, these adults are subject to arrest and prosecution for giving alcohol to underage kids.
And unfortunately, one day, when one of these kids will NOT make it back home, due to death by alcohol poisoning, then, and only then, will these adults be prosecuted, and the places where the kids drank the alcohol, shul, yeshivah etc will be sued in a civil court, will there finally be a crackdown.
Till then, all we can do as parents, is teach and warn our own children the risks of drinking, which includes brain injury and death.
May Moshiach come speedily in our days!!
Mortified
Crazy!! As chassidim of the Rebbe, why aren’t people listening to the Rebbe’s directives? The Rebbe instituded a limit on alchohol for a reason. Secondly, it’s not Purim. Only on Purim it says “Ad d’lo yada.” On Simchas Torah it says “V’samachta B’chagecha.” You don’t have to be drunk to be happy. I personally was totally turned off from CH, when I saw a man rolling on the sidewalk on the Kingston part of 770, and he had to be kicked back onto the sidewalk so he wouldn’t roll into the streets. It was absolutely disgusting. Where I live, the alchohol is locked away as soon as they’re ready for Hakafos. It makes such a difference with the simcha – it’s a true simcha.
i was concerned
yeah i wanna know how stupid the neighbors and visitors are
there is no tzadick to gozer anymore
so hakodesh bh has more of a chance to review your errors
miracles at the expense of friends and relatives arent miracles
exploitation of the poor and ignorant is closer to a truthful account of events
oseh niflaos lvaado
me not stupid
you some reel fools
TO Free disclosure
yes but we also dont want other comunitys a #
we have a real prob. we dont need other people or media to know the extent.
Drink like a Goy
How did drinking yourself into a drunken stupor that would embarrass Russian peasants become the way to “rejoice with the Torah”???
A job well done
Yasher Koach to all the Hatzalah members, their wifes and children for the joint effort in helping those that needed assistance.
Something Needs To Be Done
Simchas Torah is a beautiful holiday, but sadly the drinking has gone too far!! Something needs to be done to ensure that people drink in a safe manner that doesn’t jeoperdize their well being.
MAGID MOSARNIK
i would spaculate that if 20% of calls would be booze .
your would hear about that but for all the magidei myshorim and misnagdim musar zagers i would say mashke on simchas tora never hurt anybody. your bnei brakishe shtik hurts everyone .
(including maney injuries from the kingston ave stupid gate)
Parents be aware....
People have to realize that offering a person under the age of 21 a drink of alcohol (in any form) is the same as offering them a cigarette or drugs. YES, it is the same! It is illegal, it is habit forming and addictive. It is incredibly sad in the frum world how alcohol is such an accepted form of abuse. Between Kiddush clubs, l’chaim’s etc. it is made out as if it is perfectly normal for boys to drink at these occasions. Boys die from alcohol poisoning, choking on vomit, etc.
More awareness must be done in the community to prevent this growing trend, Your child’s life may actually depend on it.
surprized
I first would like to thank the Members for their time and work they keep putting in, even though they may not agree with the drinking.
Also, I heard from a guest that he came here to drink, so he will do that even though he was on antibiotics…As far as I read, both the Freirdiker Rebbe and the Rebbe were very against alcohol, especially bochrim and where it may take away from yiras shamayim…It’s just a lousy excuse for some alcoholics to avoid joining AA. I sure would like to see their liver function tests…
Stop Drinking
To Magid Mosarnik: Chasidish or misnagdim, facts are facts. Read CH Hatzolah member’s comments above. Mashke on Simchas Torah does hurt! It affects short term and long term. Don’t be in denial by thinking that a little drink won’t hurt. You don’t know the effects it can do to an individual and their families. To Mortified: Ad d’lo yada does not mean barfing in the streets, passing out and being brought to the hospital! Drinking needs to be discouraged not encouraged! And to Free Disclosure: Don’t you know that Chabad already has a bad reputation of drinking. It’s no secret! “They” all come to Chabad to have the best party in town. This has to come to an end! What is surprising is that it has gone on for so long. The leaders of the community have to do take a stand and do something to save the next generation!
Who suplies the alchohol
How many people are hurt every year because of al the alchohol!
How many times did the Rebbe repeat Against becoming drunk!!
Yosef
I blame them one hundred percent!
As a single father of six I personally spent the whole night fabrengining, but when my daughter who is 8 (my oldest) asked me in the morning “where were you Abba?” I realized that there is takeh ah gut afen velt.
A man must do the right thing and not just rely on miracles, so we also need Hatzalah there as well.
step back and think
BS“D
Take a deep breath and think for one minute.
good.
now lets look at this again.
Yes, drinking is dangerous. Yes it is done excessively and sometimes dangerously so and this must be stopped. Yes the Rebbe discouraged any drinking beyond moderate –
But, please do not for one second connect the drinking in crown heights to what is commonly known as a ”drinking problem”. there is a fundamental difference between Chabad drinking and drinking anywhere else which explains why the big drinkers of ten years ago who had all the kvetchers tearing their hair out, are now not winos as predicted but successful and dedicated shluchim, wonderful parents and husbands.
We drink for a reason, they (nearly everyone else is included here) drink for pleasure. We drink in a context, they drink to party. the drinking is just as dangerous but the result is not only different but the opposite.
Yes, in the short term we must whatch the alcohol consumption to avoid, G-d forbid any tragedies, but if anyone wants to make any real changes in policy, please don’t show me shocking pictures of bochurim vomiting in the streets, show me a bochur who was like that ten years ago and where he is now.
I think that you may be surprised.
???????????
Why does it only become “dangerous” on simchas torah?
How about when 13-14-15-16-17 etc. year old bochurim “farbreng” with “shluchim” on rosh chodesh kislev, and get seriously dangerously drunk!?
What about during the year – on shabbos or at l’chaims and weddings?!
This is an ongoing problem which needs immediate attention.
moshiach now.
how about u put it this way:
parents, let your children die from overuse of alcohol or warn them of drinking it. pick your choice.
to MAGID MOSARNIK
You are clearly an alcoholic trying to justify your self destructive behaviour.
Seek help!
http://jacsweb.org/
here come the excuses
No No No!
This is not real!
It’s all good!
Nobody got hurt!
No fights!
Were dancing and singing like its 5770!
Why so negative?
don-t suffer in silence
never mind crown heights!!
there is a man in the mid west who claims to be a chosid. he spends hundreds of dollars WEEKLY and ‘farbrengs’ with boys who think it’s cool watching him guzzle down a huge glass full of 96 proof!
there are many young men who have become alcoholics because of him. at one point the yeshiva forbid the boys from going to his house, but they went anyways. he promised them a trip to russia if they continued to come, and they did, and he kept his promise! it seems as if the hanhala has no say in the matter, and gave up. the proof of this is that week after week, masses of boys still show up at this individual’s house, drinking friday night and all shabbos day.
where is the hanhala, and where are the parents who should be looking into this? too many innocent girls have married these alcoholic men, and are forced to suffer in silence.
now how chassidish is that??
parents, if you care for your children, do your homework, and save your boys!!
Oy Vey Zmir
I think it starts when they are kids…
Vehamavin Yavin
to Step back and think
You claim that “there is a fundamental difference between Chabad drinking”.
Indeed there is a difference. But it’s not what you think it is.
“They” drink in order to get drunk. “We” ALSO drink to get get drunk.
The difference is that we have “excuses” to convince ourselves the our drunken “farbrenging” and “celebrating” is not only acceptable, but even desirable.
“Drinking makes us better Shluchim” “We are still great parents and husbands when we drink” “We have a purpose and a goal”
Please.
A 16 year old kid in the hospital getting his stomach pumped will make him a better Shliach?? The father of 6 who staggers in to the house at 6:00 AM in a drunken stuper – leaving his wife to clean up the dishes he broke and the vomit he left on the carpet, and the kids scared to be in the same room as he is – is a “great husband and father”??
We may have “better” reasons for drinking then “they” do, but the results are the SAME – people who are disgustingly drunk.
You correctly say that “Yes, drinking is dangerous. Yes it is done excessively and sometimes dangerously so and this must be stopped. Yes the Rebbe discouraged any drinking beyond moderate”
If you believe what you wrote and still insist on drinking, clearly you have a big problem on your hands. It is dangerous. The Rebbe was against it. How can any of the excuses you provide negate those two facts?
Stop Drinking
To Step Back and Think: you would take a chance on getting the kid drunk on the hopes of him becoming a successful shaliach? How ridiculous is that?
All I’m saying is be aware of what’s going on, because obviously it is getting out of hand and no I’m not an alcoholic, Magid, but people like you don’t see the negative affects it can have and think that a little fun, like mashke won’t hurt. Just look around you and try be a good example to your community.
Introducing alchohol at a young age is never a good thing even for a farbrengen and to the single father of 8, I think it’s time to stop farbrenging all night.
Milhouse
This whole discussion is taking place as if in a vacuum, as if Lubavitch was invented last Thursday and we had no traditions to look back to. שאל אביך ויגדך זקניך ויאמרו לך. Did our zeides and elter-zeides farbreng like misnagdim on soda-water, or carefully limit themselves to one sip of mashke “yeitze tzu zain”?? No, they didn’t. We all know how they farbrenged, and what they considered the proper “chanukas habayis” of a chassidisher home, veda“l. We sing ”ober a mayleh, vider a mayleh…“, and that didn’t come from nowhere; nor did the other niggunim our forebears taught us, that extol drinking (nye zhuritzi chloptzi, vos zol men zorgen, stav ya pitu, etc.).
As for those who would demand that young boys not drink ANY mashkeh at all, let me remind you that the Rebbe himself used to give boys mashkeh, and paid no attention to the law about 21 being some kind of magical age. He even offered a sip of mashekeh to 3-year-olds at their opsheren! I’m sure some of our commenters would have called the police on him for that, ch”v. Yes, boys’ drinking has to be with a limit, but we learn our limits by occasionally stepping over them. Bochurim need to be taught how to know when they’ve had too much, which they’ll never learn if they’re being constantly told not to drink at all.