Op-Ed: Yes, It’s Our Community Funding This Chaos
Over the past weeks, and especially during the Yomim Noraim, our community has been pushed to a breaking point. We have watched, often in silence, as a group of visiting Israeli bochrim has treated our central shul, 770, not as a beis medrash for davening, but as their personal fiefdom, and it’s time we recognize who is enabling them: we are.
These aren’t isolated incidents. It’s a pattern of escalating aggression. It’s the constant, defiant shouting things during davening. It’s the open fighting with our Rabonim. It’s the physical violence, like the horrifying attack where hot soup was poured on the face of one of our shul’s gabbaim. Most of this never reaches the wider community’s ears.
But what happened on Rosh Hashana cannot be ignored. Just before davening, hundreds of seats in the shul—seats that baalei batim have sat in for years and paid a hefty price for—were forcibly removed and thrown outside. For what? So these bochrim could have more space. They made sure to throw out the Rabonim’s table as well. As hundreds of these bochrim blatantly ignored the Rabonim’s directions in real-time, it became clear: these people feel they have no accountability here.
And why would they? Let’s ask ourselves the hard questions.
Who is hosting these individuals? We are. Where are they eating? In our homes, or In the lunchrooms of our mosdos. Where are they building their sukkahs? On our school grounds. Where are they sleeping? In trailers on land provided by our community members, and in our own homes.
Who is paying to keep the lights on in 770? Again, we are. The very seats we pay for, which constitute the main income for the shul, are the same seats they feel entitled to throw out. They are literally attacking the source of the shul’s upkeep. We are funding our own destruction.
We need to put an end to this. WE must demand that our mosdos no longer enable those who cause such disruption. WE must refuse to host individuals who are actively fighting our Rabonim. WE cannot allow our community to be destroyed by people taking advantage of our goodwill.
To those who will say, “but they are not all like that,” you are right. But the innocent are being used as human shields by a belligerent minority. The best way to help them is to remove them from the toxic environment these animals have created. It’s time to rethink how we invite guests into our community.
This is not to undermine the importance of hachnosas orchim which the Rebbe strongly encouraged. But let’s be clear: individuals who actively fight the Rebbe’s own Rabonim and are mechallel his shul are not his “orchim”. They are not guests; they are invaders coming to destroy what we have built.
To our mosdos, to the Vaad Hakohol, and to every individual community member: Let’s stop the flow of resources to those who seek to tear our home apart. It is time to protect our institutions, our Rabonim, and the amazing community we have.
A chossid
The seats are by no means the “main source” of income for the shul.
The issue is simple: why should these guests abide by any rules if the people in charge don’t? Tje gaboyim are in the 20th year of a 3 year term (sound familiar? think p.a.) if they would follow the rules the people in the community IE “We” wouldn’t allow this…
YES
Elections NOW!!!!!
The current “gabaaim” cooperate with these terrorists!
Chossid
There’s a huge difference between politics and violence. Just because the gabboyim are in situation doesn’t give these people the right to think they can go and do what they want.
Yankel shpritzich
It didn’t start with shomrim 6 but that for me is the most recent time were we shot ourselves in the foot.
We are left with no one who is capable to be also interested in actually addressing the problem.
The speeches the erv yomtov vnotes all are a game….
I did my piece.. I made my statement… I’m done my part and… Now I can move along and say it someone else’s responsibility
It's 100 degrees
It’s getting hott… Anyone want ICE?
haha
lol
Protest time
The following are all those who blame each other. No good deed from them should go unpunished.
The Rabonin
The Netzigim
The Vaad hakol
The Gaboim
Tomchai Tmimin
Aguch and Merlos
Tzfas Yeshiva
Ashel hachnosas orchim
Kabakov inc.
How fast would the issue be addressed if we listed all the names and cell numbers of those incharge of these groups?
It's not only that
While I agree with the author, I would like to point something out:
It is not only the orchim that do this.
This is the day-to-day reality in 770.
Yes, during Tishrei the problem is much worse, but it is also there the rest of the year.
To effect real change, something has to be done about kvutza. But even that won’t be enough, because some of them are American.
The Shul needs new management.
Chaim
What does Aguch say?
Anonymous
Guest should be paying a fee to come. Why are we feeding them and housing them?? I would never just show up somewhere and expect to be feed and housed. There are so many struggling to make ends meet and then to be asked to take this on too. There should be a place to sign up, and pay and a list of expectations. If you are not behaving you will be asked to leave immediately.
A Yungerman
The Bochurim who go to the Vaad Hatmimim, pay a fee, have a list of expectations and supervision, and are not involved in this. It is high time the organization is recognized and emulated.
Meaningful change
If we want real change in 770, the community needs to come together to make that happen. There are too many fighting factions right now, as you can clearly see with the Aguch litigation.
If Aguch, Gabboim, Rabbanim, Askonim were all on the same page, then 770 would start looking like a respectable Shul once again. (And certain wealthy funders fighting Aguch need to stay out of this).
A jew
BH as a local resident , I am happy to see that people are standing up for the honor of the Rabonim. It’s about time. I hope that these individuals will continue and start to stand up to the slander against the rabonim on the so called “chabad news websites” as strongly as they are writing over here.
yankel
Last year when the boys took off the stickers of the seats so that people wouldn`t know where where their seat is, the boys took over the seats. I spoke to the Gaboim and told them to look at footage of the cameras so they will know who did it, they didn`t, they are too busy.
This year they took out 7 benches, if nothing serious is done to them, next year they will take out 14 or more benches
A mommy
If they would only deport these boys,, one time,, it would all stop. These koo koos are a bunch of bullies. We cower, and then say we must stop it,, we demand change, but we really dont demand change,, and we know it. If this was happening in our private houses, we would do something,, but talk is cheap,,
Yechi hamelech
The gaboim took away their standing places first
Ahemmm
Sorry, but you are part of the problem.
Please don’t gaslight us.
Local therapist
Unfortunately, change in these situation to only happens when something very serious takes place. We might just have to wait until that happens unfortunately
But
What happened until now *is* serious. For some strange reason people don’t seem to realize that