By COLlive staff
There was a sense of urgency in his voice as Rabbi Leizer Teitelbaum met with some of the old timers from the Jewish community in East Flatbush, New York.
He painfully told them that Oholei Torah wants to sell the Mikvah in East Flatbush, the Mikvah that the residents and rabbonim of the neighborhood had great mesiras nefesh to keep open.
Despite being the son of its founder Rabbi Michoel Teitelbaum OBM and a member of the board of the educational institution, he pleaded with them not to stay silent on their part. “Please speak to Oholei Torah not to sell,” he said.
When people said that it would be wrong of Oholei Torah to sell the Mikvah for financial gain, Leizer Teitelbaum said he agrees with them.
“You have me more or less on your side,” he said, concurring with Rebbetzin Chava Hecht, another long time activist who has been involved with the East Flatbush community.
Rabbi Teitelbaum said he was taken by surprise when he heard the news that a realtor placed the property on the market. He questioned how a Mikvah could be sold, saying, “A regular realtor would look at this and say ‘huh?'”
Rabbi Teitelbaum revealed that he brought up the issue to the board several times and that he cannot understand how it is possible that they could legally have the Mikvah in the name of Oholei Torah.
He told them of how another family transferred a shul to another corporation, “They did some dirty work, and transferred it to some sham cooperation.”
When Rabbi Teitelbaum was shown the papers of how the Mikvah was transferred, he visibly furious.
“If you ask me, you better get a good lawyer to look up those papers, because those papers don’t look good,” he said. “If someone challenges it, you lost it.”
The ever positive Rabbi Teitelbaum says that he hopes that the issue could be resolved without a fight, noting that he wants that when the building will be returned, that they should not only fix “the Mikvah Nashim, they should do the Mikvah Anashim too.”
Reb Leizer, This could you be your legacy. This could be the one thing that you could do for your parents. This could be the zechus that you take with you. Please, do the right thing, make it happen. You could if you want to.
It was sad this had to be the conversation at the yearly Oholei Torah dinner.. it would have been nice if we could have celebrated all the good the school does.
It’s about time a legal firm inspect and investigate the legality of the transfer of the property and verify the true owners and go forward from there
I will donate (and believe others will join) if funds are needed to start and finalize this saga – chillul hashem dragging on!
The “new board” are more interested in the “value” of OT, than in its “values.”
A moisad must be led and run by people like Reb Michoel who were selflessly committed to chinuch. Baaleibatim play an important role, but only to support and not to lead the way.
You obviously have no clue about the facts. The mikva never belonged to r teitelbaum. They let him stay there for free and in return he helped take care of the Mikvah. As things were falling apart they needed someone to take care of the place so instead of teitelbaum taking a pay check since he lived here he had OT pay the expenses where he lived. Nothing to do with OT and it does not belong to them like the other buildings.
If they tried to sell 667 Eastern Parkway and werent using it as a school there would be an uproar.
Why should the mikva building be any different?
Their job is to protect these buildings not sell them.
The building in question never belonged to Reb Michoel.
You come with some premise, which you say yourself, is what you imagined., and then you come to your conclusion. You ask: “No reason OT has the responsibility to maintain and pay for a building that they have no use for. Especially that the community members were offered to buy it. ” You are right OT should not have that responsibility, and they let the building revert to its true owner. Just because OT offered to sell it, It does not mean that the community should buy their own property back. But you of course come with your premise that… Read more »
East Flatbush Board of Rabbis no longer exists and hasn’t existed for a very long time.
They never paid for it, they and their own employee sign a deed making as if he represented the East Flatbush Board of Rabbis, when he in fact had nothing to do with that organization. This is all going to come out into the open either at a Din Torah or in a court of law, should the Rabbonim give permission to go there.
The new board of OT seem to have their own agenda, not in the spirit of its founding principles…. it shouldn’t be all about money.
Does that mean they got 667 eastern parkway as a freebie too? U kidding me? Obviously they got all OT’s properties (and debts) once he passed away.. is that a reason they should give away things for free?!
This was transferred to OT by someone who had nothing to do with the board of Rabbis of East Flatbush, rather it was done by a paid employee of OT who transferred it to his employer in a deceitful manner. All those that are claiming that this was done legally, let me tell you that this fraudulent deed transfer would very easily be undone in a court of law although I think a Beis Din is a better venue for Frum people to adjudicate. To all those that are saying that OT is not in the business of maintaining Mikvaos,… Read more »
I would think that Reb Leizer who lived there and knows the true history of the mikvah who is saying the truth especially since he is on the board of OT
Who else knows more about the mikvah than Reb Leizer
The buildings in East Flatbush were a total freebie that OT got, as a result of of Reb Michoels broader activities, OT has absolutely no rights to them,
They are 100% the rights to East Flatbush Jewish community
the best idea is to make an assembly and gather all the students of oholei torah past and present and tell them that they are selling the mikvah to make money on the cheshbon of the kllal!
surely if they are doing it it must be a wonderful lesson for a mossad al tharas hakodesh! so tell it to your students!
What a bunch of hypocrites all in the name of making a dollar. On the one hand they teach the kids stories of “Mesirus Nefesh” of how in the old country people who would break the ice to go to go to the mikveh, or the famous story of Reb Levi Yitzchok Berditchev and the story that ends “oyb du bist farbunden aroyf falt men nisht arup” what a load bologna. They got a chance to sell and they are grabbing the money and making a run for it. Reb Michoel would go crazy if he were alive to see… Read more »
Who are they? The word is they are taking away money and opportunities from our teachers. Instead of helping the teachers they are making them miserable. Better find another school for your kids with happy teachers.
OT got recently a 30 million donation
Please ,don’t be money hungry and don’t sell this Mikvah
I too am an oholei torahnik through and through. I’m also appalled by this. But I’m willing to assume that the mashpim that inspired us have nothing to do with this decision. So I see it as appalling, but not hypothetical. Jmho
Please do the respectable thing… just don’t sell and be menshlech bh your not hurting for money and this should be important to you and every Jew equally.
Someone please arrange for this to be restored for use by the evergrowing Lubavitcher community of East Flatbush!!
What I imagined happened was that after Reb Michoel passed away the building was legally transferred to OT together with the other property Reb Michoel had (that OT used) in east flatbush. It wasn’t privately owned by him (if it was it would have gone to his kids), it was under his name and then inherited by the (now) legal board of OT.
No reason OT has the responsibility to maintain and pay for a building that they have no use for. Especially that the community members were offered to buy it.
Just my thoughts
Rebuilding East Flatbush , As a Yidishe Neighborhood was most important to Reb Michoel
Things are out of control. The mosdos have no oversight, or checks and balances. They should be investigated!!
I heard the same thing from Reb Leizer, a very special yid, I am glad that he is coming out with this now.
Why should a school own a mikvah?
As a “complete product of Oholei Torah, ~ Diapers to Shiur Daled zal” I am Appalled by the thought of this. Which is screaming “do as I say, not as I do.”
Thank you R’ Teitlebaum for standing up for this sensitive issue!
If this was a Mikva in the ‘Crown Heights’ proper would the board be selling?