By COLlive reporter
Riots erupted in the Israeli city of Arad during the funeral procession of its Chief Rabbi Benzion Lipsker Thursday.
A group of Sudanese refugees, led by local missionaries, began to violently protest the thousands of Chabad Chassidim and Jewish residents gathered to pay their respects.
The late Chabad rabbi who passed away Wednesday at the age of 65, was at the forefront of the battle against missionaries and was even beaten by one in the past.
At the funeral, several policemen, including the commanding officer Yuval Paz, were injured.
Police took into custody Rebecca Fry Fnzord and Barry Fnzord, said to be two missionary operatives in the city.
“We can say about Rabbi Lipsker – he loved his fellow beings and brought them close to the Torah,” Kfar Chabad Rabbi Shmuel Ashkenasi quoted from Mishna Avot.
The Mayor of Arad Gideon Bar Lev and Yeshaya Ungar of the Benzion Synagogue spoke at the ceremony before heading to Jerusalem.
Rabbi Yaakov Mendelson, who will be taking his father-in-law’s position, said the rabbi’s last words were “I love you all.”
His siblings Batsheva Feigenson, Zehava Perlow, Tzivia Grossman and Eli Lipsker are sitting Shivah at 822 Montgomery Street, Brooklyn, NY.
Another brother, Shliach Rabbi Zalman Lipsker is sitting at his home at 2136 Vista Street, Philadelphia, PA.
His children will be sitting shiva in Arad.
just to make it clear i am referring to the missionary aggression in arad. May the Rov’s neshomo have an aliyo
Hashem permitted the creation of the Jewish State of Israel. Zionism or not, it does not matter! After Two Thousand years we have a JEWISH homeland. Get it! Understand that! The Rebbe O.B.M. loved his Jewish people wherever they were and loved Israel. Lubavitchers just do not like the fact that Hashem is not at the center of the Zionist movement. (I make it very clear that this is MY opinion and reflects what I believe is at the heart of a misperception and belief that Lubavitchers are anti Zionist. Secular government absent Hashem, yes, Hatred of Israel as a… Read more »
i DITO NYUMBER 15 YOU GUYS ARE ALL ARGUEING OR WTVRING FOR NO REASON THIS MAN WAS A TRUE TZADIK AND DID SO MUCH FOR ARAD HE TOUCHED SO MANY PPL AND IF YOU READ ALL THE OTHER ARTICLES YOU WILL SEE JSUT A PINCH OF WHAT THEIS TZADIK DID IN HIS LIFE! WE WILL MISS HIM DEARRRRRRRLY! HE IS LEAVING BEHIND A LOT OF PPL WHO L♥VE HIM!
MOSHIACH NOW!
i go with 13
you obviously dont no my uncle Rabbi bentzion, bec if you did u would not say “just another 65 yr old” he was a big tzaddik!!! just look at all the people that are there, so many different walks of life, he touched sooo many people in ways that we will never know, and whos going to be able to continue what he did,
so before you say anything just make sure you know what u are talking about and who you are talking about,
When missionaries can pay Sudanese refugees to disrupt a rav’s levaya, which would never happen outside EY, we see how Zionism is an abject failure. We do not need the state, and we never wanted it. Unfortunately, it did come to be, however, and we have a responsibility to Jews living there and to uphold the kedusha of EY which is often destroyed by the government of the state. That is all. As for the flag, it is best ignored altogether. It is, as Rav Chaim Miller described it, a “schmatte on a stick” and as such not worth reacting… Read more »
YOUR ALL CRAZY! how can YOU WRITE SUCH THINGS!!!!- I NEED TO ARGUE JUST FOR THE SAKE OF ARGUING B/C I HAVE NO LIFE!
It false bc most of NK live in Israel and have homes without any help from the Medinah. So I don’t see what you’re talking about. When we say that we are as antizionists as NK doesn’t mean what we think it means. Zionism is against Torah and the Rebbe made clear that the creation of the state has nothing to do with Ischalta d’Geulo bc it will be Moshiach’s job to restore the Kingdom of Yisroel. Now, the Medinah is a reality and the Rebbe teaches us that giving back the conquered territories was wrong bc it endangered Jewish… Read more »
WHH The real question here is how do you define Zionism? I believe it is the return of Jews to their divine inheritance to the Holy land of israel. If you define zionism according to this definition than the true “zionists are the Zealous, who believe this should be accompanied by Torah and Mitzvos. The Israeli government in a grotesque imitation of American pluralism believe that non-Jews should determine public policy in the Holy land. They also actively participate in the eradication of Torah and discrimination of the worst sort towards those who are interested in keeping mitzvahs. The Lubavitcher… Read more »
The modern state of Israel would not exist if not for Zionism.
Stop trying to pretend that Lubavitchers are living in Israel, independent of the Israeli government and its people.
Zionism is responsible for the defense and hundreds of millions of shekels doled out to Lubavitchers living in Israel.
If the Lubavitcher view of Zionism were indeed the same as the Neturei Karta, thousands of Lubavitchers would be stateless and homeless.
will collive please keep us updated with the situation in arad? ive been following it for awhile now (along with many people). The gurrer chassidim of arad are at the forefront of their aggression.
what are you saying: “JUST bec. a 65 yr old passed away”
how do you talk?!
we need moshiach for any reason! we just need it!
your right that he worked for the GOV and thats why he needed to have the flag there but you totally of with the whats wrong with the flag theres a lot wrong with it in fact chabad is as against Zionism as the NK we just have a lot of ahavas yisroel thats why we work with the GOV
your right that he worked for the GOV and thats why he needed to have the flag there but you totally of with the whats wrong with the flag theres a lot wrong with it in fact chabad is as against Zionism as the NK we just have a lot of ahavas yisroel thats why we work with the GOV
The sudanese should be sent back to Sudan and the missionaries thrown in jail for along time, this is insanity! In a Jewish country ! All of them would be dead if they did this in Iran.
why becuase a 65 year old passed away. isnt the holacuast a better reason. or beucase its been thousands of years ect.
to#2 becuase he worked for the israeli gov as a rabbi, so the law is they need to have a flag. whats wrong with a flag anyhow??? this is a jewish state be proud of it. finally after thousands of years we have our own land.
Christians, leave us alone!!! Moshiach NOW.
An other thing: an Israeli flag???? Why????
MOSHIACH THIS INSTANT!