The motorcyclist's body had just been carried away from the smoldering wreckage when a fight erupted a few yards away.
Orthodox Volunteers’ Grisly War
The motorcyclist’s body had just been carried away from the smoldering wreckage when a fight erupted a few yards away.
On one side of the yellow police tape stood green-vested volunteers from Chesed Shel Emes, a nonprofit that handles the gruesome task of collecting body parts and fluids for burial in accordance with Jewish law.
On the opposite end stood blue-vested Hasidic volunteers from Misaskim, a scrappy start-up with the same mission.
“They were screaming at us to get out of the scene,” a longtime Chesed Shel Emes volunteer said of last April’s late-night fight on Kings Highway and West Sixth Street in Flatbush, Brooklyn.
The police were called, and, in a rare display of unity, the two groups scanned the scene for droplets of blood and fragments of flesh and bone.
But today, they remain locked in the ultimate death match — waiting for the next cleanup call and the race to the scene.
Misaskim leader Yanky Meyer was once recorded berating a Chesed Shel Emes volunteer who had helped transfer a body from a car crash to a New Jersey funeral home.
“Once you drop this deceased off in Lakewood, you’d better disappear,” he can be heard saying, “because if I find out you’re in the procession, I’m telling you right now — I’m going to cut your [..] off.”
Meyer says he was just trying to get the volunteer “out of the way” so Misaskim could finish up.
On Aug. 19, both groups rushed to the Flatbush wine store where ex-hip-hop exec and converted Orthodox Jew Yosef Robinson was shot dead.
“We got there first,” said a volunteer for Chesed Shel Emes (Hebrew for “true kindness”), which paid for the funeral and flew a minyan of 10 volunteers to Jamaica for the required prayer service.
Rabbi Mendy Rosenberg created Chesed Shel Emes 25 years ago. Its hundreds of volunteers handle about 300 burials and cleanups a year.
Misaskim (“helpers” in Hebrew) also monitors emergency calls on handheld radios. Its 11 delivery trucks transport special stools and prayer books for mourners sitting shiva.
Peace talks? The rivals won’t even consider them.
“It’s a freaking shame you and I have to talk about this,” said Assemblyman Dov Hikind (D-Brooklyn), who has repeatedly tried to broker a sit-down. “I have a lot of respect for both.”
Misaskim All The WayI
I am very good friends with Yanky M., he is a pious Yid, not the kind that would utter the libelous words asserted in this biased article.
This article contributes to nothing, but more machloikes………AD MOYSAI? MOSHIACH NOW!
hi
OMG This is teribal
go-ds right hand man
it is the apex of racism is zionism and it must be remembered that rabonim and communities are dependent on a structure of agreements and “laws”
if y’all act like tow truck drivers you will be arrested for violating a scene that your only right to is from the torah..
flat tires can be equally distributed…..
this is america and there are laws……..
chatzkel
I never knew Misaskim does that. I always thought that their mission was helping Avelim with chairs, siddurim, sifrei torah, water coolers and the like. I always had a very positive opinion about them, now I don’t know anymore. Sad, very sad these types of fights.
Chillul Hashem
Hashem Yishmor! You are the people who are dealing with the most awesome task of all..collecting the remains of the dead..how can ANY of u be trusted when u can’t even respect the living!!
sinas chinam-chilul shamaim
and everyone wonders why there is so much hate. grow up people. relieved to hear it’s not only in ch but other frum areas as well. can’t people put their differences aside for the sake of peace, at least in public. it is such a chilus shamaim
none
i dont get it
To Dov Hikind
it was like yesterday that you Dov Hikind sat at a Meeting in a private home to discuss the local security issues here in crown heights. i remember sitting there and hearing very similar words talking about the 2 local patrols in crown heights.
I remember you saying these words.
S____a has agreed to sit down, While Shomrim have yet to agree. When I approached you after this was over to discuss this, as I know your statements were false, you refused to talk details just saying there is “a lot of hate” Yes I know Dov all about this hate… its hate that you are a part of. You pick and choose when to get involved and when to show up and talk to the media.
Dov, you failed in Crown Heights due to your 1 sided propaganda, and you will fail there too.
You failed to listen and act when there is “6 Jews in court” over something they didnt do, and you have failed to act when Chesed shel emes were accused for leaving around medical waste just a few months ago.
both Shomrim through out brooklyn and chssed shel emmes know you, and your political motive for trying to “Sit down and talk”
crazy
im i missing something? what exactly are these 2 groups fighting over??? The right to scrape up dead bodies?? sounds like their egos have got the better of them…please sdtop this circus!!!
A shandeh un a charpeh
MONEY MONEY MONEY It’s all about money not kindness and not help just MONEY and who will get the bigger donations.
A shandeh un a charpeh.
Levi
Mendy Rosenberg (founder of chessed shel emes)is an emesdike man with a heart of gold. I met him on a number of occasions and was very impresssed with his selflessness and kindness
cc
I wanted to know why this sickly thing has to be. I see some of the comments, and i guess I know enough….or too much.
Please, these problems have hit an all time LOW.
We can only move up from here……
ceo
personally, if I was one of those brave and strong people who could do this chessed, i would just back out of it, or stop being part of it altogether. Its not even chessed shel emet if there is such fighting. haShem yishmor, uch.
dont belive
this is 1 private person from cse who seems to have some private jealousy issues and he went to reven blau to write up this article,misaskim & cse r gr8 organzions.
& to u crown heights info which chabad is none for ahavas yisroel y u even post such an article that has no good in it only promotes sinas chinom ?????
UnJudged
Whenever I hear of situations like these, I always try to imagine what Reb Levi Yitzchak of Barditchov would say. You can all give this a shot: dont judge, look for the incredibly positive side!! These people are doing incredible mitzvos, and fighting like Rabbi Akiva’s students. Look, Hashem, at how eager your children are to do a mitzva of true, unrepayable kindness!!
a simple yid
how pathethic!!! As far as I recall and everyone else in my lowly little shtiebel its CSE that does “that” work, and missakim does all the pre-levaya/Levaya stuff. I don’t know when this changed but its wrong. Why do we always have to split??
Or is it a bunch of guys just wanted to get a car with more lights?? What an impossible stupid move – altogether one wonders why this is needed altogether???
We did not have it for decades and decades – why now?
The peace maker
Let us not need either of them!
Anti maclokest - Pro Life
I thought maclokes was uniqe to Lubavitch!
PATHETIC
1 word i have to say IMMATURE!!!!
The Guy with the Dog
I don’t see the point of this article unless CH.info has some kind of agenda against Misaskim. This article doesn’t offer any useful information, but only serves to pit Yidden against each other.
While B”H, I’ve never had direct dealings with Chesed Shel Emes, I have unfortunately dealt with Misaskim, and I found them to be a wonderful organization.
I’m sure both of their intentions are good, as nobody goes into that line of work for funsies.
Look at it this way!
It’s people’s job to just give money. Look, no regular person wants to do this mitzva so quickly, so why not just look at it as two who race to do a mitzva. And anyways, we all know competition helps!