Urgent Message to Chabad, Part 3

How Merkos unjustly maligned me last year...

Part three of my message to Chabad chassidim and shluchim everywhere.

I provide an accurate account of the events surrounding my unjust termination by “Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch” last year, and why it should be of grave concern to all shluchim and anash. (Transcript below)

https://rumble.com/vyb2z1-urgent-message-for-chabad-part-3.html

This is my third video message for my fellow shluchim and anash.

Chevre, please hear me out.

Over one year ago, I was publicly maligned and terminated by the so-called leadership of Merkos L’iyonei Chinuch.

Sadly, a false narrative surrounding these events are still circulating, so I’d like to share an accurate account of what transpired, and I’ll explain why it should be of dire concern to all of you.

Since the very beginning of the so-called corona pandemic, I consistently voiced my public opposition to halachically unjust and scientifically-unsubstantiated policies that included lockdowns, distancing, mask-wearing, and nasally-intrusive swabbing. Right when the lockdowns began, I promptly notified my local town government that our shul would NOT be locking down or complying with any of the state recommendations or policies. I respectfully explained that תפילה בציבור, gatherings at the ליל סדר, and every other aspect of our religion, are essential functions and are non-negotiable. My local board of health fully respected our position and our exercising of our constitutional rights. Our Chabad House never closed once during the past two years.

However, I watched in disbelief and utter astonishment as local shluchim and anash capitulated and compliantly locked down and later enforced every aspect of covid tyranny. Even worse, I began hearing first-hand accounts of healthy women with no symptoms who were turned away on their mikva night due to covid policy. Jews who wouldn’t wear masks were being turned away and banned from shul. Children whose parents refused to allow their children’s nasal cavities to be violated with dubious sticks, were banned from Talmud Torah.

I asked a local shliach who had banned healthy Jewish women from using the mikva, “היתכן!? How dare you interfere a Jewish woman’s access to טבילה במקוה, to meddle in דברים העומדים ברומו של עולם that affect the very קיום of our people?”

He replied that a secret meeting of 200 rabbonim was convened and secretly instructed shluchim to adopt such policies with no exceptions.

I demanded to know: who are these 200 rabbonim? Where is their psak din in writing? Why the secrecy? To issue such an unprecedented ruling effectively banning טהרת המשפחה , תפילה בציבור, and תלמוד תורה of תשב"ר… with no written psak to provide basis, rationale and precedent for such extraordinary bans on Yiddishkeit!? No names, no peer review, no ability to demand: מהיכן דנתוני!?

All my attempts to contact rabbonei anash were in vain. My emails and phone calls went unanswered. Clearly no one wanted to discuss this matter with me.

This situation was simply unacceptable, so I was obligated to speak out and voice my protest. במקום חילול ה', אין חולקין כבוד לרב.

So I began to question the competence of any rabbi who’d dare enforce such objectionable policies that effectively wage war on everything holy.

When doing so, I never once claimed to speak for any movement, nor did I even make those statements in the name of my own mosad here in Westborough. Instead, I spoke as a Jewish individual who is obligated to be מוחה when our faith is under assault. Which is exactly what I did.

Several shluchim, from Satellite Beach, FL, Cherry Hill, NJ, and Lexington, MA, were incensed by my public statements on social media and demanded that I remove them. One local shliach from Natick, MA, even drove to my house to demand I remove my statements. I replied that I’d be happy to remove them, and even issue a public apology if a competent beis din so ruled, provided that the aggrieved shluchim would agree to meet me in front of a beis din of rabbonei anash, or any beis din willing to hear me out and publicly issue a ruling on these pressing topics.

They refused. They made it clear that they had no interest in meeting in front of a beis din. Instead, they threatened that they’d have the Vaad Hapoel of Merkos remove me unilaterally.

None of these shluchim wield any authority over me. None are רבנים מורי הוראה בפועל by any stretch of the imagination. My own “head shliach,” who doesn’t even have סמיכה, made no effort to call me to discuss the matter, although he made a few silly ad hominem insults against me on social media.

All this took place in the fall of 2020, months before Merkos actually took any action against me. The real reason Merkos finally acted was due to the insistence of a doctor in Crown Heights by the name of Eli Rosen.

In January 2021, I spoke at an event in Crown Heights questioning the safety of the so-called covid vaccine, and questioning the authority of doctors to vouch for a novel technology concerning which they have no training or expertise. I noted that the Rebbe never said to consult doctors about vaccines, since the vast majority of doctors have no expertise in the topics of toxicology and vaccine safety. They simply parrot policies. I also shared the story of one of my own children who was injured by a vaccine, and how he was eventually miraculously healed precisely because we DIDN’T listen to mainstream doctors but consulted with alternative ones.

The very next day after this first event, the shliach from Worcester who inherited his position as the so-called “head shliach” in Central Massachusetts from his late father, hand-delivered a letter to my mail box, but I was away on an extended trip abroad. Two weeks later, while I was still away, he sent me a copy of his letter by email, with an attachment of Merkos’ letter to him demanding that he warn me to publicly apologize to the rabbis or doctors whom I had offended and maligned, and that I cease making public posts criticizing them. That was the very first communication I had ever received from Merkos or my “head shliach” on this matter.

Of course, their accusation was specious and without basis. I had never spoken against any rabbi or doctor in particular. Never had I mentioned anyone by name. I simply called out halachically unjust policies and the incompetence of any rabbis who sanctioned them. I never maligned any specific doctor either. I simply cautioned yidden not to consult doctors who have no expertise in the technology and safety of the so-called covid vaccine, or any vaccine for that matter.

After receiving this email, I immediately had a balabos, a long-time friend of Chabad, contact both the Central MA “head shliach” and Merkos Vaad Hapoel. This balabos is an attorney who has done many millions of dollars of pro bono legal work for Chabad mosdos including Merkos. He notified both parties that I’d agree to a 90-day cooling off period during which I would agree to not publicly criticize any rabbis or doctors, but that during this time, all parties should meet in Crown Heights for rabbinic mediation, which is what I really wanted all along: that rabbonei Anash should publicly take responsibility for these extraordinarily shocking policies and explain their basis for it. My laywer friend notified Merkos that I’d humbly submit to any ruling by a beis din of rabbonei anash.

Shockingly, our mutual friend’s letters were totally ignored. Nevertheless, I kept my part and refrained from public statements calling out rabbinical incompetence. Some two weeks later, my brother and I were organizing a second event in Crown Heights, this time to feature a prominent physician, Dr. Simone Gold and several other expert medical doctors to warn the public against the inadequately-tested technology of this vaccine. A half hour after we had submitted the form to rent Rubashkin’s hall for this second event, Merkos and the shliach of Central MA issued a letter terminating me. This took place four weeks after my first and only communication with Merkos and the “head shliach.”

I learned later that Dr. Eli Rosen was responsible for pressuring Merkos to take immediate action against me as a result of my address at that first event.

Immediately upon receiving their unilateral termination letter, I responded in writing, demanding a meeting with rabbonim, as my attorney friend had requested two weeks earlier.

My letter was ignored as well.

Sadly, the “head shliach” of Central MA turned to the media and made shocking defamatory statements about me, describing me as a reckless “public health threat,” along with numerous other untruths.

At that point, I was ready to be mazmin Merkos and this shliach to a din Torah and had a prominent non-Chabad beis din who was ready to do it. The reason I decided against it is simply because I am familiar with the lawless depravity of the compromised individuals who are currently at the helm of the Merkos L’inyonei Chinuch and realized that they would likely have ignored the hazmono, as they had ignored me. I care too much about everywhere by exposing that those who are supposed to represent our movement’s leadership would have the audacity to be mesarev l’din, so I decided not pursue it at that time.

I have no personal agenda in this, and frankly am moichel on the אייגענע כבוד המדומה. This was never about me, but about defending אידישקייט and the Rebbe’s holy name.

Also, I was hoping that the rank-and-file shluchim would realize what’s going on on their own and start standing up for the truth.

Alas, that has not happened, at least not in a public way.

The false rumor that’s being spread about me that I publicly spoke in Chabad’s name about a politically charged topic…is utterly false. Not once did I ever speak in the name of chabad, or even in the capacity of Shliach or menahel of a Chabad mosad. I simply spoke as a Jew who is required to be מוחה and state the unambiguous truth when Yiddishkeit is under assault, which is exactly what I did and continue to do.

Of course, I appreciate the general attitude of Merkos to remain pareve on politically charged topics, so as not to show any alignment thereby risking to be merachek yidden, etc.

However, by attempting to silence me, and by publicly maligning me, Merkos has done JUST THAT. They demonstrated clear political alignment with the mainstream covid narrative being pushed by the powers that be. They were merachek hundreds and thousands of Yidden who refuse to wear masks, stick swabs up their noses, or take experimental injections.

This is simply unacceptable and unforgivable. Shlepping the Rebbe’s holy name into this unholy political agenda is a Shanda, a chilul Hashem and chilul sheim Lubavitch of the highest degree. By now, it’s strikingly evident to all that Covid policy was and continues to be a political agenda. Shoimu shomayim.

Rachmono litzlan.

And tragically, Merkos’ foolhardy position affects all of you, as the worldwide Chabad movement is now perceived as endorsing the covid narrative and all covid policies, היו לא תהיה.

There is only way to repair the damage: each and every shliach needs to publicly disavow our movement’s perceived political alignment with the covid agenda, as I discussed in the previous video.

In my next video, I’ll address the extraordinary danger looming ahead for our mosdos chinuch and shuls, and what we can do about it.

So stay tuned.