By Nechama Dina Krinsky, Vilna
Yes, a criminal case has been lodged against me.
Many people have asked me about the criminal charges I’m facing; what caused them and what they can do to help.
Allow me to share a little behind-the-scenes insight into our almost 29 years of our Shlichus in Lithuania, perhaps you will get a fuller picture.
A Brief History
My husband and I first visited Vilna for Purim 1994. A tiny advert in the local paper brought over 600 people to the Shul for a lively Purim celebration. That sealed our decision to become the Shluchim here.
We were ready to work hard. Vilna had been a bastion of Yiddishkeit for generations but by this time the local community had been decimated by communism – which had all but finished off what was left after the destruction of World War II.
We were ready for challenges. Intermarriage and ignorance were rampant and many local Jews didn’t even know they were Jewish.
But we weren’t ready to have to handle the corruption and deceitfulness inherited from 50 years of Soviet occupation. At first, we were in for the shock of our lives! To this day, as we think we’ve seen the worst of it, we discover how much lower people can fall. Especially when there is money on the line.
Since moving here later in 1994, just after Gimmel Tammuz, our activities faced abuse and attacks. In 1995 our kindergarten was shut down forcefully for one month; in 1996 a prosecutor hauled my husband in for questioning to try to intimidate us not to start a school. The health department was weaponized against us, resulting in us being forced to pay $10,000 to destroy 2 containers of perfectly good food. And these are just a few of the more significant of the insidious and devious tactics we encountered.
We were admittedly a little naive, we had expected hard work, we hadn’t expected mob tactics and criminal behavior to be directed against us. It was a harsh introduction to the culture in the former Soviet Union, where perceived competition is destroyed, using any possible underhanded method.
Who was behind it all?
We realized almost immediately that something wasn’t right. Soon after moving to Vilna the formal organization known as the Lithuanian Jewish Community (LJC), the entity who had initially asked Lubavitch HQ for a rabbi, asked my husband to help them take over the Shul.
This raised red flags; the Shul was an independent organization. They were a secular, cultural organization – for what purpose did they want to control the shul?
Well, as they say, follow the money. We soon discovered that their effort to subvert and take control of another local independent Jewish organization, the Shul, was so that they could gain control of the soon to be restituted pre-World War II Jewish property that the Shul was about to receive from the Lithuanian government.
They were very disappointed to learn that we came to Lithuania for one purpose only: To rebuild Yiddishkeit. And certainly not to get embroiled in their fight. Instead, we started a summer camp; we founded a kindergarten and soon after, a school. We built a Chabad House, a Mikvah, a soup kitchen and established ongoing programming in smaller cities.
Their fight for control never interested us and we focused on our work. BH, we performed many brissen.
In 2001, our school had the very first 12th grade graduating class of a Jewish school in this country since the Holocaust. A number of our school graduates are making an impact in Jewish communities around the globe as Shluchos.
In 2004, there was an expectation that the Lithuanian government was going to imminently create a restitution fund to distribute millions of Euros in lieu of returning communal religious property (such as Shuls, schools, etc.).
Due to our ongoing impactful work in the local Jewish community, which was impossible for them to hide, the LJC leadership became terrified that we were going to end up with the restitution money they so desperately wanted. Their logic made sense; after all, we were the only ones spreading Yiddishkeit around Lithuania. However, instead of working with us, the LJC began to do everything in their power to try to shut us down.
This even led to their perpetrating violent attacks against us. In one instance, my husband was accosted and physically thrown out of the Shul, which the LJC had since managed to take over.
The “Good Will” Foundation
It took longer than expected to receive the restitution money. In 2014, the “Good Will Foundation” (GWF) restitution fund was finally established, headed by the new LJC leader, Faina Kukliansky and Andrew Baker of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). At that point, the attempts to undermine all of our activities skyrocketed.
Every request to the GWF for funding for Chabad or our School, or any other funding request, was summarily denied. They did their best to ignore our requests and when they couldn’t they would employ subversive Soviet style tactics to undermine and try to force the closure of the school and cause an end to all Chabad work in Lithuania.
Criminal Case with Huge red flags from the onset
This just about brings us to where we are today. In August of 2021, twenty or so investigators, police and firemen descended on our school looking to take me in for questioning, sawing through a bullet proof door to force their way inside (I was not there). A few days later as I was in a government office filing some paperwork, I was arrested and taken to prison for 30 hours.
At this point, I still had no idea what this was about, but from the many years of experience, I was quite sure who was behind it…
At a hastily arranged court case the prosecutor asked that I be jailed for two months – over Tishrei! The judge rejected the prosecutor’s request, but instead subjected me to partial house arrest (6 PM to 7 AM) and forced me to wear an electronic monitoring ankle bracelet for three months. After the three months ended, this prosecutor (who is also the prosecutor in my criminal case) asked that these degrading restrictions be continued, but Baruch Hashem they were not.
What was the accusation?
In 2017 financial struggles threatened the school’s continued existence. We tried valiantly to raise emergency funds which is not easy due to the lack of wealthy donors in Lithuania. The GWF was again approached with requests for urgent funding, which were again denied and ignored, forcing the school’s closure.
As the director of the school, they are now accusing me personally of intentionally causing its closure in 2017. While there is no crime in closing the school, the allegation is that it was done intentionally. This is considered a criminal offense, which carries a possible prison term.
Corruption! Why was I being treated like a violent criminal – for doing nothing wrong! The allegations are completely unfounded.
Yet, the judge in the criminal case has continued to plow forward with the case, seemingly ignoring this evidence. In fact, her aggressive attitude towards me has now led to her denying me the possibility to travel to the Kinus HaShluchos!
This entire case has been prosecuted as if I was guilty until proven innocent, while I am simply a Shlucha trying to do the Rebbe’s work under increasingly challenging circumstances!
In fact, the current criminal case began a few months after an unsuccessful attempt to open other bogus criminal cases against my husband and I in connection with three young children that we’ve adopted. Boruch Hashem that case was closed before it reached court. But it still cost us a lot of time, gezunt, money, and most importantly took away from our Shlichus and our family!
I hope this helps you understand the circumstances that we’re facing. It is certainly the most painful and difficult period of our shlichus. And while we don’t know how it will all play out, we’re confident that the Rebbe’s brochos which have kept us going until this point will continue to protect and guide us going forward.
Appreciation
I’ll conclude on a positive note. The outpouring of love, donations, Tehillim and support we have received since this has gone public are a huge comfort to me. To know that you care so much, is beyond words. It is so deeply appreciated! Thank you so much to each of you for whatever you have done and are doing; I feel the strength of your tefillos, your love and your support, which with the Rebbe’s brochos – and Chassidim ayn mishpocha – will see us through to victory!
Thank you so much,
Nechama Dina Krinsky
P.S. If you are interested in more details about what I wrote, here is a link to my husband’s blog: rabbikrinsky.blogspot.com
Wow what a crazy story! And it’s still going on.
Thank you for clarifying all these details.
Hashem should help that it should all go away and you with your husband will be able to grow your shlichus and happily continue raising your beautiful family
Don’t be afraid of them! You are so much higher than them! They will fall lower and lower and you will rise to the top in a dramatic victory! The alter Rebbe received a guarantee that in all disputes it will be יד חסידים על העליונה
Feel for you so much and davening for you!
Dear Fellow Chasidim, Lets do something CONCRETE to help Mrs. Krinsky. No Yid and certainly not a Mommy of 11 Children should sit in jail in third world country. Can you even imagine the emotional toll this situation is taking on the family? The fear the children need to live with waiting and hoping for good news to come for their mother.Please lets do something to shake the heavens and beg for Rachmei Shamayim. Take on a Kabalah of No Lashon Hara on Whatsapp for an hour, Say pesukim on Shabbos with Your children. DO something. If you can donate… Read more »
This is so sad. Bezras Hashem you will have a Didan Natzach.
I still think its important not to hide facts. From other websites it seems like they fell behind paying taxes ( as they were relying on the restitution) and thats what the case is about. Write all the facts or it looks like you are hiding something…..
Should be a real Didan Notzach..
That is not a jail sentence, it would just result in late penalties. As Rabbi Krinsky explained on his voice message that was not the issue.
But closing a school “intentionally” is a jail sentence??? Sorry doesn’t make sense….
Late penalties will only be administered if the taxes are not being being paid stam, because then one can claim that it was a mistake. But if it was done with malicious intent, then that is what we call tax evasion, a crime. Here the prosecution is alleging that she “officially” closed the school so as to not have to pay the property tax associated with it, but behind closed doors she would keep the school going. Now I happen to not think that’s true, because as she explained in the article, the reason they closed the school was because… Read more »
It’s no secret that they were behind on the taxes, and like stated in the article it’s not criminal to close the school for that reason (in Lithuania) it’s illegal though to do that to avoid paying the taxes – meaning that you have the money (or able to get it) and are not doing what’s needed to to pay.
And the krinsky’s proved in court that they did all in their hands to try getting those funds.
And who said that those sites had all the facts…
I think they’re just referring to the letter posted on COL recently that stated that, due to money being tight, they got behind on their taxes, and the letter requested that the Shluchim be helped with this.
Because this sentence ” While there is no crime in closing the school, the allegation is that it was done intentionally. This is considered a criminal offense, which carries a possible prison term” doesn’t make any sense…. You ARE allowed to close a school anywhere in the world, you don’t go to jail for that, obviously there is more to the story! The idea that a big amount of taxes was not paid and they are accusing them of closing the school so as not to have to pay taxes, that makes more sense….. (when you hide facts, it looks… Read more »
Perhaps she has to be very careful about how she expresses it so that nothing can be used against her ch”v.
That is a very good point. Anything can be used against her in court.
That’s she wasn’t so clear when she wrote: “While there is no crime in closing the school, the allegation is that it was done intentionally. This is considered a criminal offense, which carries a possible prison term” which doesn’t make so much sense.
If you go to her husband’s blog for which she provides a link above, the full explanation and info regarding taxes is there.
If you were in such a situation you would be such a stickler on every nuanced detail!!!!!!!!
Wishing you tremendous Nissim in a revealed manner today!!!!
You have all our support and tefilos for a full and final win!
May you see the ישועת ה’ כהרף עין
This is the the time when every Lubavitcher should get behind the shluchim and support their lifelong mission of shlichus. This is what Mesiras nefesh is and therefore we have the obligation to help
Where is Lubavitch Intl.in all of this.why does such a campaign necessary all together?Are Shluchim totally on their own when they run into a problem? Is there no so called legal fund for these type of situations ?
I think we are Lubavitch International. Aren’t we? 🙂 The world over, there are two groups: (1) the Shluchim, and (2) those who support the Shluchim. Seeing the way they work for us literally 24/7, 365, and the way they sign on FOR LIFE, I think we have the easy part of supporting them. Yet, still, they have to spend so much time fundraising to provide for all the events they put on for us year-round. THEY BLOW MY MIND! I love you, Shluchim! Please Hashem, overflow us so that we can help them to the point that their minds… Read more »
After what Lithuania did to Jews during Shoah they should be funding all Shuls Keder s for eternity.
My grandparents escaped from Kovono Ghetto there now Kaunas .
A shande!!!
תודה רבה שלום
No matter what, if a Yid comes and asks for help, a Yid helps. How much more so if they are going to be imprisoned without the help? We help! May we see miracles including MOSHIACH NOW and including true, perfect, and eternal peace between the Yidden harassing the Shluchim and the Shluchim. And may this overflow to all Yidden and our enemies to where they become our helpers and best supporters. Is there a site where we can take on a good deed for this?
… for a clear summary of a long and confusing story that we’ve been reading about for years.
As for taxes, trumped up tax charges are used to harass people all the time. Doesn’t mean much.
It’s a scary situation, and they deserve all the respect in the world for staying and standing strong.
Moshiach now!