61 Comments

• confeused

  i really dont get why this whole election happened

• Chaim

  Interesting Observation:

  It seems from the outcome of the elections that the whole "Schwei Camp" blowing off steam consits of merly 75-100 people!

  (I thought they were more)

• Yankel

  If 926 people voted how come Rabbi Zirkind received 811. It means that 115 people voted for no one!

• Berl

  If not for the 400 families strong of the "Corprate Lubavitch" – they wouldn’t have won.

• HOPEFUL - So Hopeful (and Blind)

  Mazel Tov, may it be that they bring all 100% of the community shalom!!

• MAZAL TOV

  MAZAL TOV TO THE NEW RABONIM

  YAARICHU YOMIN AL MAMLACHTOM

• CT

  4 extra days of election generated 300 more votes, half of what was casted on the first day.

  Good job. Now we have Beis Din we can trust.

• only good

  Mazal tov may the New Badatz that was elected by a cross-section of the community only work on community matters not machlokes and Lubavitch work

• C.H. Resident

  Mazel Tov!
  I’ve just heard over the C.H. Hotline (212-461-8877), that Moshe Rubashkin spit in the face of Rabbi schwei.
  Does anyone have any info about this?

• chaim

  If we would see the Rebbe now, do think he would agree and support such a "Democratic" elections?
  Just think about it.
  THE REBBE WANTED DEMOCRACY!!!

• aj

  this is just the begining.
  A rov with diamend cuff links.

• mazel tov

  thats means most of ch voted in this election

  nobody can come and say its was not a good elections

  its as if we had a vote if we should have elections this is what the community wants

• Toshav Hashchunah

  What an embarrassment to Rubashkin & Co.!!!!
  Less than one half of our community voted, disregarding the voting irregularities and the un-orthodox methodology of extending the voting over 5!! days. The extra 4 days of voting netted 300 additional votes. Whoooppeee. Isn’t that something to be proud of?

  Come on guys, let’s not fool ourselves. We ALL know that a significant number of voters were people with an "anti-Rabbonim" agenda. These people, under normal circumstances, were anti-Beis Din of Crown Heights from the Fisher days.

  (It was just convenient that they were aligned with Rubashkin who has an agenda opposing Rav Schvei.)

  No one got as many votes as Rav Schvei did when one was permitted to vote "NO" against Rav Schvei when he was elected. Is that NOT an embarrassing result to those who tried to ram these farcial elections down our throats??

  I am hopeful that at least Rabbi Zirkind has some self respect and would not agree to serve under these circumstances. He couldn’t even garner enough votes to match Rabbi Schvei’s results. HELLOOOO, we didn’t even have the ability to vote NO here. All he needed were more than 900 monkeys to mark the spot next to his name on the ballot. He couldn’t even get that!

  And it wasn’t Rabbi Zirkind’s "fault" at all. If there was a fair election, I’m willing to bet he could have exceeded that amount. But alas, Rubashkin embarrassed even an erlicher yunger man like Zirkind.

  I’m sure this Mickey Mouse election will be challanged, at least in the minds of the residents of Crown Heights.

  Now we have a Rov of every flavor to choose from for Seder Kiddushin, l’chaims, etc. We’ll have more Rabbonim to look into our kashrus issues. Maybe even someone will show up in Postville every once in a while too, what do you think?????? Maybe even on the farms of upstate NY and see if our mashgichim are present at least at the beginning and end of each milking. Maybe we’ll be able to rely that the tuna fish marked "kosher for Passover" is free from kitniyos, at least for next year?? Hey, we have a larger staff of Rabbonim now. Let’s have a kashrus unparalled in the frum world!! Go get’em boys!

  Bottom line: There is an Aisbishter in the world. Let us demand of Him that the Rebbe be revealed NOW NOW NOW and take us out of this dark dark golus.

• Toshav Hashchunah

  Hey Chaim: The "Schwei Camp" as you say, were the other 1,000+ or so people who DIDN’T vote.

  And Chaim, I’ll let you in on a secret. The 926 was probably a bit more than the number that actually were entitled to vote. But, let’s mach nisht visindik about the irregularities, ok?

• Total # of eligible voters in CH ???

  what is the total amount of eligible voters in Crown Heights?
  According to Chaims letter there are only 100-of the Schwei Camp amd 926 of the other camp wich is a total of 1026. between both camps.I think there are more than that amount of who could of voted especially a election for FIVE days.
  Waiting for someone to answer with the honest numbers.
  and GOOD LUCH and HATZLOCHOH to the NEW RABBONIM. hope things work out.
  Moshiach Now!!

• rachmono litzlon

  first, half of the community is today over 1100, so the mayority did not approve this election especially that from the 926 there is invalid and blank votes of intimidated people that had no choice and had to go show their faces. Interesting that they dont say how many invalid and blank vote were there. or maybe there isnt any blanks because there were filled in!
  why didnt they had an open counting where people can observe? why didnt they let observers while voting to see everything is kosher and transparent? where were the ballots stored after every night? many question many irregularities, corruption, fraud no wonder the shows is being run by a criminal meshugener a shed (m’shedim yehudoim) – a klipa never heard in the history of chabad – lubavitch. wait and see there is a lot more to expect! wake up yidn!!!

• fair and balanced

  After 5 days of voting (It finally ends)
  with women being allowed to vote
  and with ballots being brought to people’s houses
  and calls to whom ever had not voted yet
  They could not get 50% of the schuna to vote as with rabbi scwei election
  being that the woman are allowed to vote the total
  possible votes would be around 2,800 aprox.
  How can any sane person accept this election.

  I hope when the new Vad Hakol gets elected we can have another election!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

• Yitzchok

  Most eligible voters followed followed Rabbi Schwei and made sure not to vote.

  This means the Schwei team won.

  The majority who refused to violate the Halacha which forbids this election will contest it and the machlokes will now become greater than ever before.

• Zalman

  Let’s face it:

  The entire election was a big waste of time and energy on a machlokes which serves no purpose.

  The election was not for Rabbonim (The Vaad can’t even pay the existing Rabbonim, how are they going to pay 3 more? What a joke).

  The purpose of the election was to be referendum between R Osdoba and R Schwei.

  If most people respect Rabbi Osdoba then most eligible voters would vote.

  If most people respect Rabbi Schwei then most Eligible voters should stay home, which they did.

  Now what’s the point anyway?

  Since the vote was divided amongst party lines, each party will continue to support their own Rav anyway regardless of the outcome.

  The only way Peace, could have been achieved would be if it was a Bi-Partisan Election with the approval of both sides.

  Now CH is hopelessly deadlocked forever in a continued Machlokes!

• Lechayim Velivrocho!

  Mazal Tov! Mazal Tov! Mazal Tov!

  Let’s hope that this will herald a new page for CH and the new Rabbonim will inspire by being a dugmoh chayoh and by demanding from the kehilla that this kehilla represent the image the Rebbe wanted that our residents convey to our children and the world at large.

  and obviously they will raise the level of Halacha and the learning of Halacha as they are people who diligently study those areas and master them.

  Mazal Tov for the Kehilla!

• Toshav haSchuna

  Rabbi Schwei got elected with 933 votes, that is only 122 more votes then Rabbi Zirkind. Mendy Hendel, Kraus, Hertzog had a big blow after the community showed them that no one cares for their stupid and corrupt causes that they are fighting for. Also, don’t forget that when Schwei was running every guy that was married and lived in the community was allowed to vote, no matter what their age was. I was under 30 and I voted, and so did everyone else under 30.

• TRM

  You people are all so pathetic.

  Voting irregularities, this guys camp, that guys camp, standing outside of the voting station trying to scare people off.

  Soon we will hear that its all one big conspiracy.

  Why cant people just let things happen, and take the results the way they are.

  If you like it or not there was a vote, instead of trying to scare people off, they should have let the vote happen, so that if 900 people show up we will know that 900 people voted, and that it can be called a true election, instead you have one side trying to convince us that its a fraud, that there are irregularities while at the same time they stand outside and do voter intimidation.

  While the other side would have you think that anyone who wanted to run could have.

• Moshe

  I commend all the members of the CHJCC.
  You did a great job with this election.
  You should all merit to bring total peace and harmony to this community, which will surely help to bring the Hisgalus of The Rebbe — now!
  Chazak Ve’emotz!

• TRM

  If you were involved in this election in any manner, from trying to get people to vote, to trying to convince your friends not to vote, ask yourself the following questions:

  What time do I daven Shachris on the average day.

  Do I spend more time talking about CH politics, then I spend with my kids.

  If the first answer is after 9:00 am and/or the second answer is yes, GET A JOB, SPEND TIME WITH UR FAMILY, AND LEAVE US ALONE.

• LOL

  THis may sound stupid

  But regardles of the election Rabonim are needed so "its a good thing"

  anywyas Toshav hashcuna you wrong there is only bout 200-300 in the schwie camp

  and another 500 bais shmuel type guys who dont give a ……..

• Dovid

  Toshav Hashchunah: How could people who are not entitiled to vote have voted? They had OUTSIDE moderators there to make sure this doesn’t happen. Whatever they do the ones who want to be against it will be! At least the 926 people who care about CH will have three more Rabbonim to go to now!

• In the Who-s Kidding Whom Camp

  Are the linkers who voted in the "Osdoba Camp????!!!!!?????"

  Are Fischernikim who voted in the "Osdoba Camp?????!!!!???? They must have one heckuva color war in that camp.

  By the way, when do they remove the seruv – motzoei Shabbos?

• Honesty in Badatz

  This is one of the biggest scams in history. Keeping ballots open for 5 days and unsupervised with the final tally of numbers being announced by none other than Moshe Rubashkin himself!! The public is not stupid and realize that this is a fraud being perpetuated on them and therefore do NOT recognize any of these so called candidates as members of our Beis Din whatsoever. Now lets have some REAL elections!

• numers

  "Tosahv haschunah" you write:

  "Hey Chaim: The "Schwei Camp" as you say, were the other 1,000+ or so people who DIDN’T vote."

  yet R’ schwei himself ONLY recived 933 votes in the afirmetive!

  So if you claim there is another 1000 eligible voters that are in the "R’ schwei camp" then by definition R’ schwei did NOT WIN HIS OWN ELECTION! where he had to recive over 50% of the voters affriming!

  So according to you we are back to square one and R’ OSDABA is the ONLY Rav (leaving R’ heller aside for now)!!!

  [unless that is your postion and we might not really be arguing]

  further you write:

  "And Chaim, I’ll let you in on a secret. The 926 was probably a bit more than the number that actually were entitled to vote. But, let’s mach nisht visindik about the irregularities, ok?"

  A claim based on nothing.

  furthermore THIS election as opposed to the "previous election" DID have an outside company running and taking care of the election to make sure everything was done properly.

  [And before you start going on about the company (the ESC) you might want to learn more about them you can start with their web site if you like]

  a Final question, are you not ashamed to write what you did it just does not make any sense.

• concerned yungerman

  I know of unmarreid people that voted and that women also voted so the fact that there wer under 1000 people in the entire election is a big disappointment because more Rabonim are needed now more then ever I just think it should of been done with hands and feet in a way that would make everybody happy and we should not discrimante everybody after shlichous for bochurim and seminary girls because they will also be affeted by the outcome of these elections

• MAZEL TOV

  MAZEL TOV

• The Rebbe spoke about it

  I hope the Gabbai will give them Aliyas this Shabbos.

• Chaim

  Chanina can huff and puff
  Leibush can rant and rave
  Yosel Motchkin can kick and scream
  But now we have a Beis Din to put at rest these unruly pests!

• to yankel

  it does not mean that 115 people voted for nothing cuz not every person had to vote for R’ Zirkind the could have voted for segal and raitport, thank you

• BADATZ

  One thing is clear. The fact is that from the three Rabbonim of the Badatz (Osdoba, Heller and Schwei) only ONE took part on this "election". I think it’s a statement. THE BADATZ OF CH WAS AGAINST THIS SO CALLED ELECTIONS

  NOTE: ALL THE RABBONIM PARTICIPATED IN ALL PREVIOUS ELECTIONS –

• Certification

  I wonder why there isn’t an official announcement from the Vaad Hakohol with the official certification by ESC.

• chaims neighbor

  You can all Huff, Puff, Rant, Rave, Kick, Scream but the Rachmonos is on all of us and expecially our children.
  this election was dishonest, corrupt, hand-twisting and is a disgrace that this happened the way it did.

  I agrre that we needed the election and as both rabonim agreed they were supposed to be the 22nd of Sivan.

  Instead the election will go down in history of corruption and not honest. Thank You Moshe………..

  Hashem should protect all of us and lets focus on building rather than destroyong.

  Shabatt Shalom ,0

• Equal rights in the schuna

  "Fair and balanced"-I didn’t know that women were finally given the opportunity to vote. When was this announced??? Can’t understand why they are not allowed to vote anyways. But my vote wouldn’t have mattered anyways as my choice still won. Hatzlocha to you all.

• Anarchy rules!

  Yankel wrote:

  If 926 people voted how come Rabbi Zirkind received 811. It means that 115 people voted for no one!

  Use your brains please!!!
  Shall we use some simple math here? R’ Z. got 811 votes out of 926. That means that 115 people didn’t vote for him but voted for another candidate instead. Not that 115 ppl didn’t vote at all.

  judging by the intelligence of some of the posters here (from their comments), i am beginning to have doubts whether democracy is such a great idea after all.

• Itzik_s

  While I fear that some people will continue to make trouble for the new rabbonim, I hope that finally we have a functioning Beis Din and that this in turn brings an end to at least some of the machloikes.

• Itzik_s

  Chanina can huff and puff
  Leibush can rant and rave
  Yosel Motchkin can kick and scream
  But now we have a Beis Din to put at rest these unruly pests!

  ________________________________________

  But sadly in Crown Heights there are some
  Whose Yetzer Horo they cannot overcome
  Will the Beis Din stifle the noise
  Of this unruly group of boys?
  Or will their nonsense go on unabated
  While we suffer from what they created?

• CT

  to Anarchy Rules:

  You logic has similar flow as Yankel’s. Just because his argument is wrong does not make a point for unfair election.

• a girl-obviously...

  anarchy-good point! i think that everyones brains are geared in the wrong directions these days, that no one is even thinking logically anymore. I no its imp. to know whats happening in ones community, but i dont think ANYONE, is informed enuff on the going ons to make their rash decisions, leave that up to god.
  Amen

• A gut Voch

  It was interesting to see and hear the "schwei people" over shabbos. They looked like the wind was taken out of them.

  Some 900 plus people came out to vote despite the "issur" and intimidation.

  Just imagine how many would have come out with the the intimidation. Thats exackly waht the Scwei people didnt want the election. This was a clear referendum against Schwei. Everyoenone sees clearly he is a ball machlokos and the peopel around hime escpecially Hertzog, sandhause and Kraus are the lowest of the lowest people in the kehilla.
  Now we will go forward and have a Beis Din the will function ltova the shcunah.
  If the Scwei people are not interested in joining forces they can go somewhere else.
  may Aron or Zalm leib tetelbaum need some good hentch men who can make machlokos.

• Ra-Bonim-Gate

  Osdoba can huff and puff
  Brook can rant and rave
  Boimelgreen and Eichler can kick and scream

  But now we have Pruven and Documented (By Eli Polterac) the Charade of a Fraudulent Election – all sanctioned by the big "Rav"!

  Wattergate is small potatoes compared to this Rabbonim-Gate

• clarification

  I couldnt agree more with what A gut vach wrote.
  We don’t need Schwei in the Beis Din. We need compitant rabbonim with backbone and yiras shomayim and lamdonim, non of which which displays

• lets stop fighting and start patroling

  you know what is sick

  the crime in crown heights only is going up as the fighting goes up

  why dont you all take the amount of time you took to to vote to the time you waisted involving your self with all this fighting and go volenteer to potrole the streets of our naiborhood

  i think we would all be better off.

  Oh you dont want to risk your life by patroling
  no problem walk into 71st pres.. and lodge a offisial vocal complaint about the crime. (we all like to be vocal)

  there where a average of 80 – 100 people by the voting booths for the hole sunday

  if you all stayed a patroled by each intersection in crown heights do you know what type of persentage we would be talking about…

  you do the math, there are about 120 intersections in the shchuna

• Clarification

  Lets now see if the"Sholom camp "of Schwei and his gang will try to make sholom. Or will they try to make more trouble?. Now would be the ideal time for them to win the hearts of the whole community by extending a hand to the newly elected rabbonim and say Ad kahn we need sholom.
  Lets see what they do…………………………….

• FACTS

  There is no question that 926 is less than 1/2 of our community so the results of this "referendum" (without taken into consideration the extension and house voting etc.) is CLEAR: THE PEOPLE WERE AGAINST THIS ELECTIONS.

  I think Rabbi Osdoba should realize by now that after 20 years he should expect much better results. The reasons why we all know and out of respect they don’t need to be spelled out.

  Beside the above I agree that if 2 out of 3 rabbonim did not go to vote it’s clear that this elections were not accepted.

• Zirkind

  Until now we felt that Zirkind was an honest person. After what happened with the zigzag (which is par for the course for Osdoba) we are puzzled concerning his integrity.

  How can he be so friendly with the two most "honest" people in the community? Brook/Rubashkin?

• Peace and harmony

  If Zirkind accepts this position , he will be responsible for an everlasting Machloikes. Everyone knows that this was not an election of the people. If he wants peace in crown heights nhe should tell Moshe Rubashkin that he refuses the position until open elections are held. That is the way to make peace here. However , people like clarification think peac comes by throwing out the most respected Rov in CH.

• Arafat - Mr. Peace

  What did Arafat say to Israel after he sent Bombs into Israel and didn’t want them to retaliate back?

  Answer is what Clarification wrote:

  Clarification wrote:
  Lets now see if the"Sholom camp "of Schwei and his gang will try to make sholom. Or will they try to make more trouble?. Now would be the ideal time for them to win the hearts of the whole community by extending a hand to the newly elected rabbonim and say Ad kahn we need sholom.
  Lets see what they do…………………………….

• crooked rabbonim

  Osdoba has shown that whatever he is no trustworthy and has no integrity to refuse to honor his legal and halachic agreement to delay the elections.

  Osdoba is teaching a lack of integrity to our youth that we can all trick our business partners by making deals and then not keep our promises.

  Zirkind, was the instigator to not honor Osdobas agreement and he had the chutzpah to claim that osdobas contract was a forgery while zirkind knew good and well that Osdoba signed the deal.

  All I can say is that they all frauds themselves.

  I don’t understand why we need elections to elect unethical and untrustworthy crooks for rabbonim?

• Reply to FACTS

  FACTS Herzog caused the machlokos and that according to Channina 300 lefties voted.Thet are no friend of Rabbi Odoba but the see Schwei as a first class and they want some intergraty in the kehillah. They rather have Rabbi Osodaba with Brook and Rubaskin then Scwei with herzog Krausa and Sandhause. Yes but some 930 people voted despite the “issur” of Schwei.Thats the reason you didnt allow the vote. You were dead scared that Scwei would be completely destroyed.

  Sorry Schwei camp we are going to have three new rabbonim who will help make some seder here.

• concerened resident

  why can’t we have elections in a fair way ?
  whose money was used for the elections ?
  rumor has it that over $ 100,000 was spent on it on whose conscience will this rest people are struggling to pay their bill on Yeshivas and Seminary’s summer camps and here some person goes and blows that much money without the entire or even a small majority of the commounity agreeing I cannot agree with it in anyway and I’m sure most of the Crown Heights Residents would agree with me and if there was some way or something we can do about it please post I want an accounting and somebody should take the blame here the City allotes almost 2 Million dollars to our Commounity where what who nobody knows can somebody shed any light into the dark that most of us are living in at this time

• yay

  This entire community is upside down!!!
  the whole world is in chaos, moshiach is here!!!!
  that is the only solution!

• Clarification

  Arafat You got it all wrong. Rabbi Osdoba has been waiting for peace for 3 years now he has been attack daily and now he has taken things finally the way it should be ELECTIONS. You guys are so afraid of them. Now we will have a Beis Din that can work in harmony. Zirkind will not tolerate the shenanigans of the Schwei camp. Watch out guys The peace train is on the move.

• peace and harmony

  clarifications idea of peace is to fight and go to war. I wonder what his definition of war is in that case. He says Rabbi Ozdoba was waiting for peace for 3 years. You be the judge.

• Interesting

  We always taught that a Rav especially a dayan is a fair person. Yet everyone seems to expect that Zirkind and company will automatically side with Rubashkin/Osdoba. Is this the true personfication of a dayan? Someone who we already know what he will pasken?

  SInce Ribashkin/Osdoba personally called people to vote therfore everyone is positive that these three "Rabbonim" are in their pockets.

  "Fir the elecetions were honorable elections".

• Itzik_s

  At the end of the day, do our lives, our interactions, our friendships, our children’s friendships circle around whether we are in R’ Osdoba’s or R’ Schwei’s camp? Except for the rabbonim themselves, their families, and a hard core of hmmm…30 or so politicians, (20 of whom are probably borderline nutcases), I for one doubt it.

  And how many of us even define ourselves by where we stand on this issue? How many of us really are in one rov’s "camp" or the other? Just because we ask one particular rov shylos does not define us as Jews, or as Chassidim, or as anything else. Just because we voted or did not vote, for five minutes last week, does not determine who we are.

• Reb Dov

  TO : Ra-Bonim-Gate wrote

  You write with so much hate Loshon Harah & Rechilus about our Rav Shlita (Avir Shbeavirim). Why don’t you write your name and tell us why you have so much hate.
  Did you loose a Din Torah?
  Do you realize the grave sin of writing Loshon Harah & Rechilus about our Rav Shlita?
  Why don’t you write something positive?
  Don’t you have a Yetzer Tov also?

  Our Rav Shlita happens to be a great Gaon and Talmid Chacham. The Rov explained all his actions according to Halacha.
  Who are you to disagree? Did you go thru the whole shas yet?

  I am very grateful to all those who went out to vote for great Rabonim Talmidei Chachamim.
  Now that we have three new in depended Rabonim let’s hope that their will be only peace in our community.