Posted to Communal Matters on

Tamir Suspends his Personal Blog

Amid a firestorm of allegations, Zaki Tamir closed his personal blog with which he gave unfiltered updates to the community.

Tamir has been accused of ‘running his own show’ and not consulting with the other Vaad members. In his blog’s suspension notice he conceded that the blog was yet another example of him broadcasting messages with the approval of all the board members, he wrote “…instead is a growing sense of mistrust and resentment between my colleagues and myself”.

Here is Tamirs post, from his blog:

Dear brothers and sisters, friends, and fellow residents of Crown Heights,

It is with much regret that I inform you of my intention to suspend use of my web site. I was under the mistaken belief that my direct communication with you through my site would add a sense of confidence and clarity regarding community related matters. The site was intended to increase unity in our community and allow for bare, accurate information to be delivered directly to the public as the decisions were being made. In fact, what has developed instead is a growing sense of mistrust and resentment between my colleagues and myself.

Almost every party mentioned on my site in past few weeks has complained about my methods of reporting and it has caused great strain on my relationships in the Vaad Hakohol. It has always been my position that reporting directly to the public is the preferred method of operation and my position has not changed in that regard.

However, it is beyond my capacity to report directly to you at a time that is premature and absent the consent of my colleagues. This has been my mistake and I humbly request apology from anyone that took offense to my reporting. The financial matters of Vaad Hakohol will be reported to the Nitzigim as mandated in the bylaws as soon as the Netzigim are reestablished.

Additionally, I must add that several matters that I discussed on my site regarding the position taken by others has been inaccurate and I ask the reader to consider that all the information gained thus far from my site has been merely a reflection of my perspective and point of view.

Moreover, I am requesting that the websites remove recent articles associated with the vaad’s decisions to hire or employ any specific individuals because in fact the matters have not been confirmed in that respect and the issues have not been adequately verified by the entire vaad.

It is my sincere belief that we are at the threshold of great change for the better or worse we are in this together, and while reasonable minds may differ on virtually every single topic we ironically share the same goals. We find ourselves in a very delicate time, a time that a foundation must be established and reinforced. The Vaad Hakohol needs support and reorganization and I hereby concede to my colleagues that it is in the best interest of our community to allow for the Vaad to have a break from heavy laid scrutiny.

Crown Heights, you are my home, and it is by your success that mine will be measured and indeed it is for that end, peace, and in your honor that I have welcomed the burden public service upon myself.

Readers are welcome to leave comments on the site but do not expect an update till an undetermined date in February, at a time when the entire Vaad will consent to the content released and at a time when the information represents a unified view point as opposed to fragments of information.

Farewell for now and be blessed.

Very truly yours,
Zaki Tamir

Related Articles

32 Comments

  • Sholom Dovber

    Mr Tamir has made a shocking choice of promotion a “false” coronation of a man who does not have Smicha, he played into the hands of deceiful people.
    Now he will need to deal with the outcome of his inappropriate actions.
    After the Rabbanic Committee header by Rabbi Rosenberg finally exhasts their investigation and once and for all determines that Reb Yosef Braun did not have the official qualification to be deemed a candidate for the third position on the CHBD.
    The position will be declared null and void and a new election will be called.

    Mr Tmir will find himself in an untenable position and will need to resign.
    This sad saga in our history will draw to its unavoidable conclusion

  • oiss vorff

    chanina let him know who the real boss is . i have been here 40 yr in the hood ,, and evry one thinks …oh when i get in to the community council , i`ll do a better job ,, i ll be in charge , ill do it my way ,, sorry kids ,yr all the same , when u get in , to become like evry one else, selfesh- crooked and looking to benifit yr.self yeup ,sad but true,, or some guys cant take the heat and quit, but all none productive 4 the community

  • A gust in shtot.

    Sholom Aleichem. Welcome to Crown Heights.

    It isn’t what was thought to be. You have had a learning experience. At our expense.

    You may note that Governer Abercrombie (of Hawaii) who made a big fuss over the first thing he would do id publicize Obama (his friend) birth certificate. Today he had to admit that “he found something in the archives” but a full form birth certificate is not what he found.

    Zaki, you will find out that the misrepresentations made by those around you, which you accepted so sincerely, do in fact contain -by and large- kernels of truth. The “long-form” version of truth will not be there. Most of the people surrounding you blush when they lapse into a down-to-earth-long-form truth.

  • Rookie Mistakes

    I guess this is an example of a rookie mistake. This is why organizations are not transparent – some of the members don’t want to be, and they essentially hold veto.

    Transparency is much harder than it looks. Sounds like a good candidate question on the next election.

  • not happy

    dont like this guy…. shouldn’t be representing the REBBE’s schuna with a trimmed beard…. very disappointed.

  • A Coverup - That-s the REAL problem!

    There is nothing wrong with Tamir saying he needs the approval of the other members before making public statements.

    There is also nothing wrong with the other 2 members saying that they want to be consulted first on exactly what to say and how to say it, before public statements are released.

    The real problem is though that the other 2 Vaad members, don’t do that either!

    Pirkey Avos says there are 4 Midos Benosney Tzedaka – 4 different ways of how people who give to others behave.

    1) I will give (do) and I welcome others to also give and do as I do.

    2) I will give but no one else may (I want to be the only one doing it)

    3) Pass the Buck and say that Others need to give and do but not me.

    4) I will not give and I want to make sure that no one else will give either.

    Same is here, regarding the Tamir Blog.

    If the other 2 Vaad Members want to have a say, that’s fine as long as they “ACTUALLY do” the same as Tamir did.

    Let all 3 have similar blogs or let them all unite together and issue a joint statement several times per day, just like Tamir did.

    But it seems that the other 2 Vaad Members chose option 4 above in that they don’t want to let Tamir do it, yet they refuse to do it themselves either.

    The Public has a right to know what’s going on behind closed doors in all public matters concerning the community.

    Community matters should no remain behind closed doors unless we want to allow corruption to flourish, (as in the past) which is only possible as long as they keep everything secret and do not report their daily progress or lack thereof.

  • a great leader

    I love this guy! hpnest and open,, and is only in for our benefit…
    all the way zaki, you have my blessings…

  • CAN-T A GUY TALK

    Finally we have someone who is transparent with his actions and intent and he is asked to stop. What is it about releasing information that people are so apprehensive about. If you do the right things and most importantly for the right reasons you have nothing to hide. GO ZAKI TAMIR. YOU ARE THE BEST PERSON FOR THIS JOB. Such humility from an awesome person.

  • Mendy W.

    I am on strike. I refuse to put on my tefillin as long as Sam Chanin is the director of the vaad.

    After all, I am only following sam chanin’s example that he set for the community.

  • Hwye Knott

    Kudos to Zaki for the courage to try something new. Kudos to Zaki for taking the appropriate action when it didn’t work well. You never succeed if you don’t try. You never keep trying without getting things wrong sometimes. A smart person learns from his mistakes and corrects them.

  • Mendy W.

    sam chanin the head of the vaad?

    whats next? leah kleim the principal of beis rivak?

  • One million presidents

    “I’m president of one million presidents.”

    A quote from an Israel president that applies to the CH Vaad.
    How can anybody get anything done when everybody thinks they know how to do it better?

  • to #3

    Why is it that when Sam Melamed was Rosh Hakohol, how come neither you nor anyone else complained abour the Beard issue then?

  • GREAT COMMENT, #1!!!

    It’s just perfect! You’d think a lawyer would know better than to put stuff in writing. That explains why the CHJCC is in the sorry mess it’s in, and why we’re screwed by Tamir & his useless bunch of idiots.

  • @ 20

    I don’t think Sam Malamud was born Chabad, and so he didn’t “reject” our values and customs, he just didn’t take on some of them.

  • Next election for Rav, to be very soon

    What the public wants to know, more than anything else is, if the 3 Elected Rabbonim have ever met together, yet.

    We all hope and pray that the 3 Rabbonim as well as the 3 Vaad Members), are all Team Players.

    The Orignal Psak Din by Rabbi Rosenberg mentioned that as a stipulation that after the elections for the new 3d Rav, they will all sit together, deliberate together and sign things only together.

    The Orginal Psak Din by Rabbi Rosenberg stipulates that if anyone Rav, refuses to work together, then he will be thrown out by Rabbi Rosenberg.

    That means we are expected to have another election in the not to distant future.

  • ch

    zaki we dont quite care about your stupid blog we care about who you have running the vh i think crown heights should protest ,let mulah be in charge of long island were he lives and what ever kind of life he wants to . ps notice col live still only has 25 comments . thank g for the singing contest that sam ch is paying for yipppeeeeee.hey maybe the ahavas yisrael shul is looking for a new rabbi , rabbi mulah. he can do the harmony.lol

  • hyu

    mendy w put on your tefilin who cares about those retards ,we need to pressure the vaad . a public fast day.

  • A dreidel in Chad Gadya arain

    To #24
    You must be having a nightmare.
    It is so simple to figure out.
    There will be a new beis din to judge the old beis din that was judging the shchunah beis din.

    Get it?
    Good.
    Now fast-forward: The new beis din (#) wil say that he is ot fit even if properly elected.
    So the nit will go to another beis din to pasken on the last beis din who paskend on the Zabla bie din agout the CHTs beis din.

    Before they manage to finish, Braun will have a ucratice job in the creative imaging business, so it won’t matter.

  • to #20

    I don’t know what others are thinking but perhaps a difference might be that when Malamud was elected he was already well known.
    when Zaki first ran nobody had heard of him and he was just “some guy without a beard”
    Besides, are you sure nobody complained back then? back then we didn’t have websites like this where every yukel could (anonymously) post whatever BS he wants (myself included)

  • what a joke

    When Sam Malamud was in charge there was Achdus: no Chanina, no Mendel Hendel, no false Rabbonim, no corruption (that we know of.) And most importantly, the Rebbe was here B’guf.

    As far as I know, Sam Malamud is not an oisvarf. He’s Shomer shabbos, shomer Mitzvos, just clean shaven, as are many very frum men. Not our way, but not the worst crime. Eating treif, not keeping Shabbos…those are reasons why Chanin does not belong in any official position.

    The silence from Rabbis Osdoba & Schwei on Chanin’s appointment is DEAFENING!!! But then again, why would they bite the hand that feeds them? He pays their undeserved salary, so he can do what he likes.

  • antimesira

    BLAME THE REPORTING AND NOT WHATS BEING REPORTED…SO TYPICAL.

    BLAME THE FACT THAT YOUR REPORTING IS PISSING PEOPLE OFF INSTEAD OF FACING THE REALTY THAT PEOPLE DON’T LIKE WHAT YOUR REPORTING/WHAT YOU ARE DOING.

  • To # 23, 28 and 29

    Whom do you think you are fooling.

    You can ask even a child.

    Everyone knows this that we all worship the Egel HAZAHAV.

    In English the phrase is “Money Talks”.

    We all worship money, respect money and are contorled by money.

    Hashochad Yeaver – everyone can be bought off, the only difference is that some sell their neshama for just $1 and some will not do so unless offered a Million Dollars or more.

    Money makes us blind to all other faults (no beard for example).

    Who is honored by evey Yeshiva dinner, every Chabad House and even by the Kinus Hashluchim. They don’t honor whoever has the longest beard nor whoever is the most respected Mashpiah. They all honor whoever gives the most money.

    Is that too hard for us to admidt that we worship money?

    The same person honored, if he had NO money, would not even be looked at.

    We are not honoring “the person”. We may think nothing of him. We respect his Bank Account with our selfish motiviation, in the hopes of being able to extract more of his money if we “honor” him.