By COLlive reporter
2 Yeshiva bochurim were arrested on Sunday on suspicion of desecrating the gravesite of Rabbi Levi Bistritzky OBM, one of the Rebbe‘s Shluchim to the land of Israel who served as Chief Rabbi of the holy city of Tzfas.
A police complaint was filed by his son and successor Rabbi Mordechai Bistritzky after visitors to the Jewish cemetery discovered the disrespect.
The suspects, both 15 years old, are reportedly residents of Tzfas and Migdal Haemek.
They have allegedly erased the inscription on the headstone that referred to the Rebbe with the title “Zya,” may his merit be for a protection as is written about tzadikim who passed away.
“Israeli Police takes the case very seriously,” they said in a statement. “As soon as the complaint was received, an investigation was opened that led to the quick arrest of the suspects in the execution of the act.”
Israel’s Chief Rabbi David Lau condemned the criminal act. “I was shocked by the terrible damage to the grave of Rabbi Levi Bistritzky in Tzfas,” he wrote in a letter. “This is doubly serious when this criminal act is repeated from time to time. I do not know how anyone dared to raise a hand to harm the gravestone.”
Visitors to the cemetery later discovered the same act – erasing honorary titles written about the Rebbe – on the gravestones of the legendary chossid and activist R’ Pinye Althaus and Rabbi Leibel Kaplan, Head Shliach of Tzfas.
“This phenomenon must be uprooted,” commented Ami Pykovski, a Chabad businessman and activist. “The Rosh Yeshivas must condemn and denounce these boys until they understand what they have done. It’s like killing a person a second time.”
Terrible, just awful
It brings me to tears seeing this! And to Reb Levi Bistritzky of all people!? He was such a special person!
Shocking!!!!
These boys are clueless as to how the rebbe would denounce such behavior
This unfortunate souls, sadly were mevazeh the Rebbe as well.
This is really much deeper issue that is seeping in to every part of Lubavitch under everyone’s noses. Or worse that the “higher ups” know exactly what’s going on and don’t budge about it!!!
How long are we going to let them roam around our Mosdos and holy places, and let them do as they wish!!!!!
ותמו חטאים ולא חוטאים
It hurts my heart to look at these pictures. Rabbi Levi Bistritzky was such a special person
How could the Chabad education system ever produce such damaged and sick individuals? There needs to be a true accounting made. This is simply a symptom of a greater illness that sadly afflicts many “lubavitchers”. This needs to be eradicated.
Who said those bochurim were Chabad?
they erased the words Zya. which would imply that they think the rebbe is still alive.
Aside from the obvious damage, what kind of messages are these Yeshiva students being taught?
Enough “in- fighting “ and foolish politics!
how sad that theese young boys are getting a messed up chinuch…
It is not called Chinuch
?
I’m very sad to see this. You don’t mess around with these things.
I don’t care what spectrum of chabad your from. So disrespectful.
It really hurts to see that lubavitcher bochurim have the audacity to do that.
I do however believe we shouldn’t be using these titles about the rebbe.
Unbelievable. Use whatever titles you wish, just don’t engage in criminal activity to impose your beliefs on others. Actually, don’t use any methods to impose your beliefs on others.
They were kicked out of the yeshiva
Which Yeshiva
Let the Rosh Yeshiva make a statement
To disrespect and vandalize a person’s grave takes a special brand of ignorance and degeneracy. Having opinions that oppose another’s views is fine, but destroying the resting place of anyone, let alone a truly great person, is way past a line that should not be crossed. Rabbi Levi Bistritzky was a tzaddik, who was attacked during his lifetime, was the target of a murder attempt, and who ultimately died at a young age likely because of this continued harassment. Can you really not let an amazing man, who did great things for the community, rest in peace? Nevermind the law,… Read more »
Family , Yeshiva, Friends… This disturbing/poison “education” clearly comes from twisted individuals who unfortunate are in position of Chinuch/Authority, shame our enemies are within, no Shalom/Achdus/Respect a direct Reflection of R’ Akivas students that perished The goal of learning , if not put into action it becomes TOXIC/DESTRUCTIVE pushing Mashiach far away Wake Up Yiden Time To Unite , REAL learning bring unity May this great tragic actions wake up all those involved all the way back to the source, and bring the necessary Teshuva constructive actions, bringing us all finally to be qualified recipient for The Final Beis Hamikdosh… Read more »
The fact that this occurred is terrible and reflects a deficit in chinuch.
At the same time, collive publicizing this desecration is unhelpful loshon horah.
What, your afraid of the truth?
* that these young mishechistim sometimes take it too far..
So they can continue with their destruction without being disturbed
Do not shoot the messenger, these boys need mental health intervention.
This may help other bochurim to know not to do such terrible things.
I am sure these boys did not do it with bad intent. They were misguided and very in pain. Desecration of any grave is always a serious and shocking act however perhaps we need to understand what would bring such a situation. Rejecting these boys will only turn them further away from our community and then who knows what they would do to get the attention they so obviously crave.
At first I strongly disagreed with this comment, however I think it is important to realize that while this is obviously a terrible event. We really don’t know what is happening underneath the surface. We don’t know if these boys are mentally ill or disturbed, if they come from broken homes, if they are already “on the way out” and wanted to have one final hurrah…honestly, we just don’t know. What I like about this comment is that it really shows a radical compassion, one that I feel that the Rebbe himself has and does show to all Yidden. It’s… Read more »
I just came to the comments to write the same thing.
Not sure what the sudden shock? This is a common occurrences every week in 770.
They are part of the same gang of looters who tear up the Rebbe’s Sichos because of the Rebbe’s holy title
Nothing new here
A few years ago my brother’s Chitas was thrown in the garbage in 770 because it said “Ziya”. Luckily someone found it and called the number he found inside.
How do these kids have the confidence to start messing with these holy chasidim (and maybe even the rebbe)?! These kids deserve to sit in prison or whatever the chasidim “do to them”! How to we even call these kids bachurim they are an embarrassment to all chasidim! Where are theyr parents?! Mashpiim? Or maybe I should be DAN LEKAF ZECHUS that they just have a chemical imbalance and nebach are not with it. Why do we worry so much about the drinking by bachurim when we have these “bachurim” that are doing things hepech everything the rebbe thought us!… Read more »
Hope these boys will receive the mental health guidance they so desperately need.
These are impressionable boys caught in a cult. The true criminals are their teachers who need to be uprooted
I am very sure that in the head of these bochurim, they honored those meisim.
Until they think that all chinuch is pointless. You will tell them how could you desecrate graves, and they will just think, what are they saying, we improved the grave.
It hurts beyond words.
That the leaders of these groups are not held accountable for the Chinuch they have instilled in these children.
On Pesach, in Crown Heights, in 770, on the wall of the Rebbe’s holy room, on Yom Tov, they desecrated the Kehos showcase. No one is held accountable. Not the children who did this and not the educators that educated them.
Ad Mosai?!
You are taking a horrible thing – desecration of a matzeiva, and making it political, to furthur the flames of hate in the middle of yemei hasfira!!! Beaware. The aveira of sinas chinam if the main reson golus is prolonged
Clearly brainwashed individual
Question is by whom ???
It’s also a huge financial burden do replace and still no way to secure it
Will we see an official condemnation of these action from the Rosh Yeshiva of the Yeshiva the culprits attend?.
What action will be taken by the Yeshiva against these young criminals?
We must be careful to educate our children that our way of serving G-d is not the supreme way, We must teach them that our way is just one of many ways to serve G-d.
Impressed with a lot of the comments here re understanding this may come from a deeper place. However I think this uprooting begins with the exact thought process you shared.
They have good intentions they truly believe that the rebbe is alive so it bothered them to see something that they saw as a curse next to the rebbes name ,I am sure that they have a very strong hitkasherus the only problem is that just like the students of rabi akiva they forgot what true ahvas yisroel is.
This was a wrong way to Express a belief,however unfortunately the other side witch calls themselves antis also sometimes act this way ,just this past week siddurim where torn in 770 simply because it hade yechi written on them ,and yechi signs etc have been ripped down in the past ,we need in lubavitch a attitude of let the other live even if he thinks different than you both sides need to practice ahvas yisroel no need to change a opinion however each side needs to love the other side no matter what the opinion of the other is .moshiach… Read more »
Where have we gone wrong? How have our youth reached such a level of disregard for Torah values? Where is the leadership?
HaShem Yerachem
Can someone who is fully familiar with how the Rebbe reacted in similar situations – please explain how the Rebbe would have reacted in this situation?
It is easy to say “throw them out of Yeshiva”. And then what? If they go OTD who takes the responsibility?
Thanks for your help.
Desecrating the grave, let’s call it what it is, is terrible. Having them arrested instead of calling in the mashpiim, the bochurim themselves (even if threat of arrest would be needed to bring them to the table) exacerbates the problem. A chinuch stressing no blitus, no hands is crucial. Part of this and what’s necessary for it to take hold, which can only happen over time, is not to involve the police. We’re Lubavitchers, not some talmidim of a few zealots in Bnai Brak who use hands or chisel graves to make a point. We’re Lubavitchers, not Mordern “Orthodox” biryonim… Read more »