Gabo’im Charge Beggars $5 Fee to Collect Inside 770

NY Post

It’s pay to pray at one Brooklyn synagogue. Down-on-their luck panhandlers at the Chabad-Lubavitch world headquarters in Crown Heights have to follow the 11th Commandment: Fork over $5 for the right to beg inside.

“If you want to collect, you have to pay. If you don’t pay, you go on the street. It’s very simple,” said one outraged panhandler. “Poor people collecting money have to pay? It’s like extortion.”

The beggars either position themselves by the stairwell, in the lobby, or inside the prayer area of the monolithic, four-story brick temple, which stands alongside the original Lubavitch synagogue.

All said they are unemployed, live nearby, and sometimes attend services at the bustling temple, where hundreds come to pray from morning until night every day.

They say their right to panhandle in the house of worship comes from a higher authority — Jewish law, which allows begging in synagogues and public events, including weddings, where food is set aside for beggars and uninvited guests.

But instead of a helping hand, Rabbi Avrohom Holtzberg, a synagogue administrator known as a gabbai, looks for a handout, the panhandlers said.

“It’s like graft, payola,” charged a second beggar. “It’s embarrassing that you have to beg, and the fact they won’t help you is embarrassing — you’d think your rabbi would help you.”

“I can’t afford it — I only make about $40 a day,” the man added, saying he refuses to pay up, and instead stations himself outside the Eastern Parkway synagogue.

If they don’t comply inside, they’re shown the door and warned that if they don’t leave, the police will remove them, beggars said.

The policy has left the beggars with a sour taste in their mouths — and less cash in their frayed pockets.

“They feel like we use this place a lot, so they want a percentage,” said Steven, a third beggar, who would only give his first name.

Synagogue administrators did not respond to a Post inquiry, but some congregants denied that such a policy exists.

“It’s a lie from top to bottom!” said worshipper Mendel Drizin. “These rabbis are not poor people — they don’t need the $5 for people to beg inside.”

Beggars told the blog Failed Messiah that they were being slapped with a $5 fee because the congregation is “losing too much money” to the panhandlers. The policy has been in place for at least a year and a half, but only recently began to be enforced, beggars said.

“There are some of these guys who are legitimate, but a lot of them are disrupting the congregants,” a worshipper who wished to remain anonymous told The Post. “These [beggars] stay here for 12 hours. They don’t want them there.”

44 Comments

  • these people are crazy - not the beggars

    does that include legitimate collectors like for CSSY & KSCVK?

  • What a chutzpah

    Stop giving these people money we bring them in to our shul and this is they way they repay us??????????????

    Next time you go to shul and want to give tzedaka put it in one of the many lubavitcher organizations Pushkahs they can use it more then these drug addicted beggars.

  • Outrages

    Only 5$ they charge for every pushkah in 770 15$ a month and the pushkahs don’t bother us inmiddle of davining. They should charge them more, if they don’t like it let them go get a job!

  • um?

    Sorry but I cant see the Rebbe giving a smile to poor people being charged money they dont have.

  • shul goer

    I personally think it is a great idea they also should do it in the women’s section because there are continuous women beggars in there also. I think you also need to make sure during tishrei there should not be ANT luggage OR BEGGARS
    in the shul. the women’s shul is always a MESS.

  • Zalman Notik

    Is this true????????

    What have we become??? SEDOM??

    It does sometimes get annoying however I thank god that I am in a position to give and do not need to beg!!!

  • Insane!

    They shouldn’t charge anything, like it used to be. Not for people, not for pushkas!

  • R- Shlomo In Eretz Yisroel

    I think the Gabbaium of 770 or any other shul have “STOOPED” TO A REAL LOW LEVEL!! Let the people who davern in any shul determine who they want to give their own tzedaka, gelt. Anyone who sticks out his palm, hand, out for charity; DESERVES IT AND NEEDS THE CHARITY! Who are we to determine who deserves or not!? The giver gets the mizvoh; for we are entrusted with this money on the merit of GIVING TO ANY PERSON WHO BEGS OR REQUESTS. PERIOD!
    For 770 to impose this $5.00, five dollar, rule. I’m EXTREMELY AND GREATLY ashamed and embarrassed.

  • J O E T T

    Do what Rabbi Nelken does in Toronto… Make them pay for a Laminated Teuda validating their authenticity. Of course why not… it’s a good business.

  • Sometimes daven there and always give

    B”H
    Has anyone ever really figured out how much someone can really collect being there the whole day?
    I personally give a quarter to each tzedakah collector which usually means about $1-$2 in total.

  • Montrealer

    I cringed when I started reading this article! By referring to them as ‘beggars’, your headline is both embarrassing and hurtful (whether the story is true or not). It is a measure and reflection of our kovoyd habreeyois and ahavas yisroel how we show respect for all people, and not only for the rich, famous and powerful.
    Could you not perhaps instead refer to them with a less-prejudicial and more neutral term such as ‘tzedokoh-collectors’ or the like?
    Sadly, I am certain that you could ask many of our community members, who will tell you that it is only bechasdei Hashem that we are not in their shoes. Anybody could be – Hashem decides! – and none of us would ever ever appreciate being called a ‘beggar’!

  • Tzeddak the Correct Way

    The Gabboyim are not TOTALY wrong!

    What should be implemented and endorsed by Rabbonim in all Shuls especially in 770. Is where an individual is appointed to collect on behalf of all “unfortunate” and at the end of the Tefillah the funds should be equally distributed. First, we as the Misspalelim will not be interrupted multiple times during our Tefillas and second, the Shuls together with the unfortunate individuals would properly receive their equal share. It may sound “selfish” however, it is difficult to properly Daven when there are multiple individuals who request Tzedaka and sometimes they could become nasty.

    Just a thought………..

  • shlomo as always with bad English

    some city in usa require license to beggars ,they should prove, that they really needed.
    2. when i first time come to 770 i put my luggage inside and go to find place. today it impossible same gabay’m throw it outside.when i need to find apartment i put small add on 770 and find place. today it $40. what about this last years gaboim want turn 770 to museum, and sale tickets. like it own business.
    i knew one rusian shlemazel, that want to do brith in 770. only money that he found it for mohel and like $100 for drink and cold-cut. but when he come goboim ask him for $300 only for place.!!!!! it huge money for never working man+6 but they was very hard. only after 2 hours someone name AMNON COHEN (G-d bless him) that was praying in this time pay $300 and only after they permit to brit.
    did somebody believe that this situation was possible when REBE zcl was here? and all this people are moshihistim……

  • times are changing

    To no 12. I was recently in CH. gave two different beggars a quarter—they gave it back!! didn´t need it, they said…..only a dollar will do.

  • our evyonim nkeeim

    Every coin given to many of the regulars as a reward for disrupting dovaning and learning on a daily basis is funding achilas treyfes, chilel Shabos etc. This is what’s called being an ENABLER. These “evyonim n’keeim” are already milking the social services system (paid for by our tax dollars) to the max. Better save your coins and give them to CSSY for the struggling families in our shechuna!

    “Beggars told the blog Failed Messiah…”. How did they get to our “good friends” at FM? Maybe FM gives them a few dollars to encourage them to loosen their lips? There were Jews in the Soviet Union that also came to shul every day, not to dovan and not to learn, v’dai l’mayvin.

  • And now we have Personal Pushkas too!

    And now we have to deal with the latest scam which I recently heard about….“personal pushkas.” Some enterprising young man- but not ambitious nor honest enough to get a normal job – places his own pushkas in shuls throughout Crown Heights and then collects their contents on a regular basis. Netting up to $2000. total per month!! Apparently medicaid, food stamps, section * and all the tzedaka organizations were not providing him and his family the standard of living which he wanted.

    The tzedaka situation is out of hand and I no longer know if I should even give the quarter or dollar to the people on the street or who come to my door. I believe that most are not Jewish or are using “collecting tzedaka” instead of getting a job or doing something legitimate with their time and that I am enabling the wrong things.

    We are facing an irrational situation and I don’t think that we can judge the gabboim for trying to manage an unmanageable and unimaginable situation.

  • TO ---------- ZALMAN NOTIK

    thank god youre in position to give.

    how much did you give to 770 the rebbes shul in the past year.
    its warm in the winter, its cool in the summer, the 24 hour free coffee service is good, do you & others who are such ‘tzadikim’ have the decency to put 0.50 cents in the 770 pushka when you enjoy a coffee.

  • standards

    a) they do NOT live neartby. they arrive on subway from all over

    b) steven is young and able enough to get a job. He can be a delivery boy, a janitor, whatever, he isnt old or infirm

    c) ths is the problem we have. We put these beggers in CH as personalities who are able to give speaches. the gaboim need to decide their standard

  • THIS IS CRAZY????

    HELLO?!?!?!? IS THIS NORMAL POOR PEOPLE DON’T HAVE MONEY NOW YOU WANT TO MAKE THEM WHATS THE MEANING OF THIS?!?!?!?!?!?!?

  • yanky

    Get them out. Maybe charging the tzfattim to daven there will have the same effect. I don’t daven in 770 anymore, it is impossible. people drive you mad during shmoneh esreh, waving their hand in front of your face.

    770 needs to be reset.

  • shlomo as always with bad English

    other side. it some place in CH that all needed can get good kosher food. BUT! you never see beggar from 770. and people, that need for food never begs for money in 770. paradox? if somebody want help and give tzdaka ,better to give in place, that really help to people

  • no one special

    Would it not be better to prevent them from coming in? Charging them, as reported in the article, reads like a chillul HaShem, especially by those who preach Ahavas Yisroel.

  • subwaynut 1

    i just became unemployed and going to the shlu is not the answer. there are programs that can help them paying 5$ to go to beg inside is taking money away from them i understand they are down on there luck and need the help. if you give them asscess to a web site to link them to city agencies then
    they would not need to show up at the shul pay the 5$ you so desperatly need. times are very tough you would not like it if the shoe was on the other foot now would you

  • Yankele

    I don’t davenport in 770 any more shacris in the morning do to this reason they don’t let you live and all the rushian beggars that ar in 770 for years and go thru all our local Shuls very morning should be oust they can all get jobs the enjoy what they do it’s time they don’t let anyone to collect. And p.s rabbi holtzberg is the only gabbai that actuly is always putting away seforim he will pick u a paper from the floor if he sees so g-d bless him

  • the fee is fine

    l just added 40 x 26 =1,260 wow that’s a lot of money for a month,there’s nothing wrong with the 5 dollar fee,my hus band brings home 3,000 a month and it’s not enough,we cannot get any gov help,the job takes off taxes on everything,we struggle

  • happy

    im in shul 6;15 in the morning these guys can be a pain you can be in the middle of shema or the amidah and they just stand in your face and dont move till u give them.then again hashem says somone opens his hand you got to give.

  • Rabbi Holtzberg, you-re an honest guy

    The people who legislate and enforce things like this put themselves at risk. When Eliahu HaNavi gave the people of a city a bracha they should never give Tzedaka to a deserving person, it was indeed a bracha.Since they would be giving chesed to the undeserving, HaShem would deal with them in the same way, even if they were undeserving.Are any of us super perfect Tzadikkim we don’t need HaShem’s chessed to us when we might not deserve it? We all know we get more from HaShem than we deserve all the time. Would # 17 call HaShem Chas V’Sholem an enabler. Or are we given a chance to pull ourselves together and do our job in this world as we should. Will # 17 ask HaShem to give him only what he deserves?Always give when and where you can, and when you can’t, give a smile and maybe warm word or two.
    Reb Avrohom, ur a good guy with common sense, but u r wrong here. You know no one would have dared to do something as terrible as this when the Rebbe was in 770. You know that we still write to the Rebbe and get answered. Why not do that, and if u made a mistake, so do we all.People will think a lot of more you, and I know you’re an honest guy.Remember the incident with Eliahu HaNovi.

  • LETS BE REAL

    If this is true, it goes against the essence of our moral code and believes. How ever, lets be real, this is obviously a bogus claim and story. Think about it. Most of the beggars in 770 are immigrants. They are new to American cutler, and overall system. Its unfortunate, but they are not educated. I do not believe any of them have enough knowledge and welling to go ahead and push a small story like this to a media outlet such as the NY-post. This is obviously a story that was given to the post by an educated man which had a personal vendetta against Rabbi Holtzberg. Secondly, we all know beggars in 770 make more then 40 dollars a day. Not that I’m complaining, thank G-D I am not in that position, and thank g-d I have money to give to charity. However, let’s be real beggars in 770 make a nice amount. If they made only 40 dollars a day, I doubt they would come day after day. Obviously 770 is an attractive place for business. Last but not leas, I know Rabbi Holtberg personally. Some people may not agree with some of his views and position. I know personally what a kind and giving person he is. I know people he helped for years, and the length he has gone to help a person in need. Any claim saying he is a corrupt person that would steal form a begger I do not believe.

  • Professor Mendy

    This is the most horrible thing I have ever read out of Crown Heights. I could hardly believe my eyes and ended up reading this three times to be sure I was understanding.

    Based on this article, and some of the comments, I now know that I will no longer give tzedakah to anything Crown Heights related. Scoff at me now, but when you come begging for more, you will understand.

    I can now say that I USED to be a major Chabad funder.

    I am sick to my stomach. We have truly played into a popular stereotype.

    May Hashem have mercy on anyone who even touched or merited from the fee charged to a panhandler.

  • Get a Psak from a Rov

    Issues like this come under the jurisdiction of a Rov. Once decided on, it then needs implementation in a organized fashion.

    This is not preventing a “collector” from collecting but rather enhancing & helping him in his chosen vocation.
    They should be happy to get “accreditation” from the appropriate Gabai. Mispallim can be assured that there is a appropriate disbursement to the shule to accommodate them

  • disappointed

    To all those that think it’s wrong to charge these schnorror’s take a real look at the reality of the situation. Some of them are actually goyim many of them make more money per day then us working stiff’s & it’s tax free.They use the facilities just like us.Many of us pay for seats, membership lockers donate to the shul etc. why should they be any different?As stated previously those organizations who want pushkas in 770 pay a monthly fee for that.Some of these so called beggars are rich or at least have more then enough money.I seen one arrive in a nice car he parks a few blocks away so no one should see!/before you cry & complain about the schnorror’s take a look at the expenses of the shul.If you want something to complain about there are real issues to do so about.Next time you take a cup of coffee or have the cookies they put out be kind & contribute cheapskate!

  • moishie

    They’re going to call the Police on them, and remove them if they don’t pay?!?!?!!?
    R:L !!!
    for shame!!

  • To #28 - Who Taught You Math?

    40 x 26 = 1040. Anyway, what is “40” and what is “26”? Please explain!

  • Charlie

    None of those so called beggars are poor. They are working. Just like many other people, like doctors, like plumbers, the only difference they are beggars. This is the oldest trick on the books, known for hundreds of years. People would even make themselves look dirty and poor and will panhandle any place where people congregate. Synagogues and churches are preferable. I would not be surprised to find the same beggars in 770 and in the church down the street. I see same face for years. I bet they are doing better than I do, because theirs is all cash and my salary is subject to taxes.
    Not only they should be required to pay, they should be reported to authorities, because I am sure they are collecting welfare checks and this is their tax free side job. Basically they are stealing from honest people.

  • Safety First

    Forget about charging $5 – beggars should not be permitted in the synagogue at all.

    At the Kosel, begging and pan-handling got out of hand and the police and security now remove anyone who is caught trying to shnorr. Did you ever hear of beggars being allowed into l’havdil churches or mosques to roam freely and accost the worshipers?

    As Jews we give charity freely, but why should we abandon basic principles of decorum and respect for a Shul. The halacha is clear on how tzedaka should be given and Aniyay Ircho come first. Think if every beggar raises $40 dollars a day multiplied by 30 beggars times 6 days a week you have around $250,000 per year. This money is leaving the community and a portion of which is surely being spent on drugs, trayfos, gambling etc and it could and should be going to families who need help with tuition and food for shabbos.

    Lets also not forget that these outsiders are a real security and safety risk. Who knows what a mentally unstable person is capable of – does anyone check them to see if they are carrying knives or weapons. Are any of them registered s** offenders? Couldn’t someone pose as a beggar in order to gather information on 770?

    The gabboim’s responsibility is first and foremost for the safety and security of those who come to daven and learn. Those who need to collect money for any reason are free to do so outside of the shul.

  • shlomo as always with bad English

    other side. i come with friend from Israel to empire grill. meat was very good but instead grill and good conversation we found well known ugly fat shnorer from Ariel. that scream all time, that all people MUST give him money. he simple disturb to eat. weak after, another friend- same story. owner both time was on place, but do not prevent so nasty behavior. so i understood, that empire grill don’t want my money and never more visit them. it enough place to eat in CH.

  • Dont give them

    These “Beggers” have a lot more money then you and me, I have seen one of them with a Stack of cash 50$ and 100$

  • To # 30

    #30 People have limited resources. Where should those resources go, the deserving or the undeserving? According to your logic, the more undeserving, the better. Why don’t you take your money and dole it out to the beggars on the subway that will use it for their next vile of crack? Do you think you’ll be judged favorably for throwing your money down the sewer while the deserving suffer from lack of funds? Don’t be a pious fool.

  • sum guy

    $40.00 X 6 = $240.00
    $240.00 X 4 = $960.00
    $960.00 X 12 = $11,520.00

    $5.00 X 6 = $30.00
    $30.00 X 4 = $120.00
    $120.00 X 12 = $1,440.00

    $11,520.00
    -$1,440.00
    =#10,080.00

    They are still coming out ahead by over TEN THOUSAND DOLLARS per year – (which they don’t pay taxes on anyway)…
    If it has to cost them to be able to do absolutely nothing and get $5.00 an hour!? So be it!