By COLive reporters in Crown Heights
Posters have been hung in the last day or so around the Crown Heights neighborhood inviting them to “Meet the Rabbonim” Thursday night.
The signs said it was “an opportunity to meet the candidates for the upcoming elections for the third rov to the Bais Din Tzedek of Crown Heights.”
It said it was going to take place September 2, 9pm “sharp” at the Lubavitcher Yeshiva hall at 570 Crown Street (corner Albany Avenue).
The public invitation was not signed by any organization or group.
The posters led residents to believe that all three candidates – Rabbi Moshe Bogomilsky, Rabbi Yossi Braun and Rabbi Emanuel Chabib (or Habib as it was written) would be attending.
In an email to COLlive.com at Thursday 1:12am, 3 members of the election committee associated with Rabbi Avrohom Osdoba said the event had nothing to do with them and announced its “official cancellation.”
People associated with Rabbi Yaakov Schwei acknowledged they are organizing the event. (Rabbi Osdoba nominated Rabbi Bogomilsky. Rabbi Schwei nominated Rabbi Braun).
Noochie Gross, Yanky Sufrin and Yosef Katzman wrote in a 2 page letter: “This whole idea of a public forum at which the candidates for Rabbonus should model themselves as beauty queens on stage asking for our vote, is in bad taste, to put it mildly.”
They said that Rabbi Schwei’s committee member Sruli Sandhaus was behind the planned event, and that Rabbi Bogomilsky notified the organizers he will not attend.
The idea was mentioned during a meeting of the election committee members, they said, but was voted down for 2 reasons: It will degrade the honor of the position, and a Sicha of the Rebbe (Matos Masei 5746) where he states that only rabbis should decide who qualifies as a candidate.
“To have Rabbonim paraded in a campaign similar to the town dog-catcher before an election is the antithesis to what Torah and respect for Talmidei Chachomim demand from us,” Gross, Sufrin and Katzman stated.
Asked by COLlive Thursday morning if the forum was cancelled, a representative of Rabbi Schwei wrote: “Absolutely not. Their side doesn’t want to participate, but that’s their problem. The forum will take place.”
Sandhaus told COLlive Thursday afternoon: “The election committee was never involved with this forum. They was no meeting and no vote so how can you cancel something that you have no connection to?”
He said Rabbi Osdoba’s representatives tried to lobby Rabbi Avrohom Rosenberg, the Monsey dayan overseeing the elections, “to get involved and stop the event, but he totally ignored them.”
Rabbi Chaviv was seen today in the main shul in 770 Eastern Parkway being courted by political operators and locals.
He told a COLlive reporter that he heard about Rabbi Bogomilsky’s decision not to attend, but plans to show up himself.
“I will be participating,” he stated.
“The whole idea of this position is to serve and be in touch with the residents, so there is no reason why an opportunity to meet residents should be turned down.”
COLlive Rabbonim Election Coverage:
+ Op-Ed: The Wrong Rov for Life
+ Op-Ed: Enemy of Crown Heights
+ Yes Campaign, No Campaign
+ Three to Run for Third Rov
+ Rabbi Mangel Is Not Running
+ Candidates for Bais Din Elections
+ Rabbi Garelik Is Not Running
+ Split Delegations to Satmar
+ Each Rabbi And His Gentile
whosoever idea was to hold such touchy elections right before Rosh Hashana was a genius.
it’s good this is what we’re all busy with days before such an important yom tov, and a week and a half away fro the yom hadin …
I ws there and so was rabbi Bogomilsky in with the rebbe. He was called by the Rebbe and I can prove it and so can he. I dont know what your reading but I dont need your statement to know the truth. Maybe now your gonna say that he didnt play a major part in the return of the Seforim on Hey teveis. Please enough with your B.S.
I see that you are quoting from a an article put out by Yosef Boruch Spielman and published on a different website (same guy who when running for Gabbous 2 months back instead of explaining why he should be elected to that position just launched a vitriolic attack on Shea Hecht). That letter is a shocking disgrace, a personal and vicious attack on Rabbi Bogomilsky, heaping insults upon a man who has been a Rov for over 30 years. No wonder worthy candidates like Rabbis Levi Gorelick and Berel Bell said no way to running in these elections. The whole… Read more »
That is 100 percent oppsite halacha. You can never remove a rov to a different position. And the rebbe emphasized that once a rav is in he can not be removed, therefore the rebbe wanted elections so that when the day comes and someone says we have a problem with this and this rov. The person saying that should know that the problem is with himself as he was the one who voted that rov in.
And what does that have to do with a dayan?
I think 99 percent of crown heightsers know to whom to ask a shaila. The real issue is there needs to be an administrator for the badatz. The real question is who is a visionary, who is a good administrator, and who knows to put a unified front to the bes din.
A false rumor has recently spread that, during the period of mourning for the Rebbetzin in 5748, the Rebbe addressed his shailos to Rabbi Bogomilsky. This is a complete fabrication. Rabbi Groner transmitted all the Rebbe’s shailos to Rabbi Yisroel Yitzchak Piekarsky, the Rosh Yeshiva of 770 and the longtime rav hachotzer (as is evident from Sefer Hasichos 5748, vol. II, p. 568, where the Rebbe, during the week of shiva, thanked him for his replies regarding hilchos aveilus).
just came back from lubavitcher yeshivah… Rabbi Braun did a good job.
we are having the same problem as we did with the vaad hakohol, the old rabonim cant get along, we should move them both to advisory positions but replace them with 3 new rabonim. This is working with the vaad hakohol, we cant have 2 rabonim that dont work together and then ad a 3rd to the mess. I know the rebbe put them there for life but maybe we can learn our of the gemara that says nisparda chavila, since the beis din of the 3 original rabonim feel apart, the rules should no longer be valid and we… Read more »
You probably don’t go to ANY shiurim; that’s why you were never by one of his. From those that DO attend shiurim, close to EVERYONE has heard from him over the years.
Several years ago when I was a “fresh” ovel, I had a question; I didn’t know who to ask. Someone suggested that I ask Rabbi Bogomilsky (or Rabbi Gorelick). I was initially nervous to ask Rabbi Bogomilsky because I didn’t know how he would react to me as I am/was a yungerman. I walked over to him in 770, I had never spoken to him before, he didn’t know who I was, I asked my shaaloh, he listened, treated me with respect, answered my questions quickly, clearly and succinctly. He didn’t hum and haw, and pretend that the Shaaloh was… Read more »
just the fact that rabbi bogomilsky said hes not comming and they still went ahead and posted signs shoes you who we are dealing with. r. bogomilsky has a rite to have his own mind and if he feels he dose not want to be there so let it be this is a chutspe
Several years ago, I had a very sensitive issue with halachic and (lehavidil secular) legal ramifications. Rabbi Bogomilsky was the only Rov that I even considered contacting. His advice (it bordered on psak) was spot on.
AROUND MINUTE FOUR
http://www.chabad.org/therebbe/article_cdo/aid/554682/jewish/23-Elul-5748-Sicha.htm
i agree its degrading for a rav to be put out like some politian.
the bottom line everyone knows rabbi bogomilsky, people know rabbi braun i would admit very few know rabbi chabibi.
let people decide whom is right for them. im personally going to vote for rabbi bogomilsky, as i had a problem and he solved selflessly, without a dime, patience and caring. his knowledge and insight is deep.
ty to all the akanim who provide humur and comedy to us “out of towners'”
u are lucky u live in ch.
any where else u wopuld be banned and shunned.
only in ch can u be named askanim.
thanks for the uplifting
As soon as i read that Eli Cohen made the call, i realized something was wrong.
Full respect to Rabbi Bogomilsky for not bowing to pressure, you have my vote!
look at the end of Ketuvot, last chapter
if you tell a Rabbi that you are going to vote for him, he can not seat never in your Din Torah
All these politicians that hang around these candidates Rabbis cannot have a Din Torah in CH
COL rocks
please, we would like to have this “meet the Rabbonim” live in COL
Please!
thanks COL for posting this!!!!!!
I think that ppl are not ready to vote
we do not know the Rabbis
we only know Rabbi Bogomilsky
I think that since that is a vote for life, we need more time
Rabbi Chaviv is a big talmid chochom
if you are to vote for a meshichist he is the best choice
“a completely neutral poster announcing a completely neutral elec”a completely neutral poster announcing a completely neutral election just shows that you’re terrified of something! Finally, how can you cancel something you didn’t arrange??” Completely neutral? So how comes one side didn’t agree to it? It was after all a 3-3 vote within the election committee whether or not to hold such an event. How comes when they objected their face was plastered all over CH against their wishes? Who arranged it? Some so called independent group that also arranged the elections for Vaad Hakol a year back against the wishes… Read more »
there are too many redheads involved….Katzman, Sandhaus, Haviv, ETC…..I say BAN ALL REDHEADS!!
This community is getting worse by the hour.
The clown show continues………
whoever knows the answer has hope of knowing who to not vote for,
for who to yes vote for you will decide yourself (without help of change)
I sure hope the forum tonight is modorated by a respectoble and smart person to ensure that it is run with the utmost respect for all the rabbonim
We know already: Katzman + Hershkops = Bogomilsky
I for one will participate in tonight’s forum in order to make an educated choice. I hope Rabbi Bogomilsky will attend along with the other candidates so I can hear what he has to say.
LET THE PEOPLE DECIDE. KOVOD AHIN KOVOD AHER. IT SOUNDS MORE LIKE THEY ARE SCARED. WHY?
This smells like the floatilla! Everyone wants to meet the candidates, a peace floatilla, sounds great. But when it is launched by one side to politically smear the other… If Bogomilsy doesn’t show up then the community is upset because how could he not, whats he hiding, whats wrong with him… and if he does show up to a forum of shouting, jeers and accusations among applause and booing by people who want to do nothing but to make him look bad and their candidate look good, he looses too. The people who put him on the poster without asking… Read more »
Good to see a little humor in this whole story. At the end the one that will be the Rov, will be the one that Hashem wants to win. Go Daven, smile a little more. Help your wife before yomtov. Tell your kids some Stories on Reb Levik . May we be zoche to see and hear only good news and to greet moschiach now!
What’s the scoop with Rabbi Bogomilskyand his campaign organizers??
At first they made an excuse that they were not consulted about the forum. When that didn’t fly they used the excuse that it’s not bekovedik to have such an event, now they lie in the Rebbe’s name that it’s forbidden. What are they hiding??
Why are they afraid of exposure?
Today is Thursday. Tomorrow is erev Shabbos and hopefully people will be busy preparing for Shabbos. Then Shabbos itself, and then the election. GIVE IT ALL A REST. Just let it happen, and the result will speak for itself. All you OCD;s out there, you are all a joke to the Aibishter. You forget who’s in charge.
I agree 100% with Rabbi Bogomilsky. Kol Hakovod to standing up to the Lunatics/ fanatics who want to attempt to control the rabonim. To all you who have a problem with Rabbi Bogomilsky not showing up. DONT VOTE FOR HIM. Since realistically you dont want him anyway. To all the other respectable people of CH. If after 50 years of living in crown heights you still dont know him then I would say you havent been living in crown heights nor have you been involved at all. From Running The rallies to even being the only other one to translate… Read more »
DISGUSTING!!!
This is the story based on the actual facts: This meet the Rabbanim forum was set up by community residents desiring to view the candidates in person to assist them in making their choice. Certain members of Rabbi Osdoba’s faction mistakenly understood that this was going to be some kind of debate and question and answer session began to scream bloody murder. For some reason they believe their candidate has multiple skeletons in his closet and were fearful that they would be exposed in public. Additionally, they have the audacity to misquote the Rebbe and cut and pated the Rebbe’s… Read more »
Why does Katzman look like he’s threatening Chaviv? It’s hard to even start with the absurdity of Katzman and Co’s position, but let me just say this one thing: I have never, ever, ever seen a more shameless and outrageous distortion of the Rebbe’s words. In fact, if anything, what YOU and Rubashkin did a few years back DIRECTLY violated this instruction. But a “meet the candidates” forum?? You have to be kidding!!!
Katzman, STOP MAKING MACHLOKES!!!!!!!
Dear yossel katzman,
Are you saying it’s degrading for a rov to attend a meet the community forum and then asking that the rove be on trial for three years?! Are you out of your mind?? It’s unbelievable how low you go. To come out with a letter like this so hateful and venomous in response to a completely neutral poster announcing a completely neutral election just shows that you’re terrified of something! Finally, how can you cancel something you didn’t arrange???
You can’t beat CH politics, it’s the best!
lets meet the rabonim.
lets see them
lets talk to them
let us ask the questions
thank you
anybody recall if rabbi shwei went to a candidates forum before he got elected?. I do remember that rabbis Marlow ,Osdobo, Heller did not. In any case it would have to be organized by an impartial group.
Charlie all the way.
Your post should be a separate article. As someone who was there with you in court, what you said about Rabbi Bogomilsky has convinced us to vote for him.
NOW i know who not to vote for
I do not think the Rabbonim should attend. The forum should never have been called advertising their attendance without their permission.
This is so degrading. I was planning to vote for R’ Schwei’s candidate (Braun), but am EXTREMELY disappointed by this party’s unilateral decision which is just causing more machlokes. Both camps are baalei machlokes. They simply cannot control themselves. And the Rabbonim would do best to distance themselves from all of this…
Before people start ripping into and insulting Rabbi Bogomilsky, they would do well to remember that when the Rebbitzen passed away on Chof-Beis Shevat, the Rebbe summoned Rabbi Bogomilsky to make sure everything was being handled k’halocho and I hear that the Rebbe even asked him some shaylos (perhaps because the Rebbe didn’t want to pasken for himself). If he was good enough for the Rebbe he is good enough for me. In my humble opinion (maybe not so humble), Rabbi Bogomilsky should realize that he has been played here, he has been tripped up by the professional manipulators who… Read more »
yes,its true
just see what rabbi braun did in sydney and you will know what he will do in CH if he is elected. look at his past his actions speak for themselves!! a extremest who divided the community. and i willing to challenge anyone on the facts as i have spent 5 years there so dont say i am just trying to give him a bad name!!
How dare they not invite the most important and widely beloved candidate Charlie Buttons?!?!
Vote for the person who put a smile on the Rebbe’s face
This entire election is becoming a farce. One candidate doesn’t speak English (though he sounds like a nice guy, but you never know, even in Israel most Chabadniks haven’t heard of him), another candidate from a small community and even smaller Shul, nominated by 40 Kollel guys who are moving on Shlichus in a year (and those who aren’t going on Shlichus found a new way to entertain themselves, forming a Tznius patrol to harass women on the streets), funded by the Hendel and that gang. And some of these 40 guys are now saying that they didn’t know what… Read more »
Thank you COLLive for presenting an honest, fair, balanced article, giving the true facts of what is happening, and quoting the candidates and supporters for what they each say, not what they say the other person said.
Not like some of the other websites!
I don’t understand, who is running this community? Who is running this Election!? How did Eli Cohen suddenly get involved? He should be lucky he wasn’t removed from the Vaad Hakohel when his side lost! For Rabb Bogomilsky to get a random call from Eli Cohen who officially has nothing to do with this election (though of course there are all sorts of characters manipulating things behind the scenes), telling him that this event is happening whether he likes it or not is the height of chutzpa! This event should have been discussed by the election committee, Rabbi Bogomilsky and… Read more »
its talking about PICKING CANDIDATES. NOT ABOUT CHOOSING WHO OF THE CANDIDATES WE THE KOHOL WANTS TO VOTE FOR
From the beginning of time potential candidates for Rabbonim in big and small city’s came to be evaluated by the COMMUNITY – to see if the community likes the style etc. of this rov. This was always done and still done in every shul – to be hired as a rov, you need to come for a trial, speak with members of the community, perform on stage (speeches etc.). That said, I don’t believe that the public should be able to ask question directly to the Rov. Either it should be in writing or there must be neutral person moderating… Read more »
katzman seems to really be afraid that we will see bogomilsky for who he is.
in the interview they published there was no hard questions
there is a difference between deciding if someone is qualified to be a Rov which is the province of Rabbonim, and selecting a Rav from the candidates that have been approved by the Rabbonim, which is specifically the responsibility of the community Baal HaBatim! Futhermore: 1) If Baal HaBatim should not mix into the question of who is qualified to be a Rav, why is your campaign literature and your verbal diatribes full of exactly what you say shouldn’t be done? 2) How should the community to decide? By being prevented from evaluating the candidates? 3) What are you afraid… Read more »
Rabbi Bogomilsky has undermined efforts to have all 3 candidates give Shiurim so people can get to know and get a feel of the candidates, claiming that he has already given many Shiurim in Crown Heights (what percentage of the community has ever attended a Shiur given by him? 20% is a very optimistic estimate). He claimed that it might not be respectable to have candidates for Rov ‘paraded’ or campaigning. Yet Rabbi Bogomisly had no problem giving a video interview to websites promoting himself. Is this the most respectable way to present a candidate for a Rov??? Why can’t… Read more »
Rabbi Bogomilsky G-d bless him spoke up against Mesira when no other would. Rabbi Bogomilsky is a loving, caring individual, the best way I can describe the Rabbi is – TRUST! I TRUST the Rabbi with anything and everything regarding my life and families life. I go to the Rabbi for every issue in my life, big or small. When I and my Shomrim Brothers sat on trial and facing up to 15 years prison if g-d forbid convicted, Rabbi Bogomilsky was very much involved in every aspect of the case. Every question we had big or small we asked… Read more »
Please attend the forum tonight.
Let’s hear what they say…
Everyone knows that historically whenever a Rov comes to a community ‘oif probe’ he performs in the shul with drasha, shiur and meeting the community. It is the way it always was and anyone who says it is degrading is simply afraid of what they might expose about themselves.
Whom even doesnt know Rabbi Bogomilsky by know is an idiot. Rabbi Bogomilsky has written many books, is available 24/7 at home, in Shul and on the phone. Don’t be discouraged to come out and vote. The people behind this would love that you don’t come vote, that would mean they have a better chance. And BTW who are the people -above- calling the Rabbi out, could they be the very same people behind this meeting to begin with? About false accusations, unless you have documents proving your false claims, please don’t shut your mouth of like that. if you… Read more »
Be smart choose rabbi chaviv!
GROW UP
katzman’s side will disturb the forum by screaming and intimidating people.
then they will say “we told you so” “we said its degrading”
just be aware of their plans
this meeting was and is just a ploy.
the sicha says “only rabbis should decide who is qualifies to be a CANDIDATE”
once the person is chosen by the Rabbonim, is is the job of the COMMUNITY to choose!
how is rabi Chviv’s english?
better than Rabbi heller?
is he planning to show up?
come on let the community see you!
what are you afraid of???
Katzman knows all to well, that if the comninity has a chance to ask bogomilsky about his years of fighting the Badatz, he will loose hands down.
so he is trying every way possible to stop it!!!
This community is crazy!!! it’s more entertainning then Times square. We should have some off brodway showes here to bring 770 some money, featuring: the rabbanim and the askanim.
its so sad that sandhouse is running this community
Rabbi Chabib is officially being placed by Katzman…
He is an Anti.
Asked by COLlive Thursday morning if the forum was cancelled, a representative of Rabbi Schwei wrote: “Absolutely not. Their side doesn’t want to participate, but that’s their problem. The forum will take place.”
“THEIR side”? So much for Achdus. This is a representative of Rabbi Schwei, presumably he speaks for Rabbi Schwei. Are Rabbi Osdoba’s “side” any better? No.
Now you know that we can expect more of the same. I am out of here as fast as I can, I can’t stand any more fights & machloykes. We’ve had it for over 20 years. ENOUGH!