By COLlive reporter
Following an altercation that broke out during a children’s program in 770 Eastern Parkway, a Crown Heights resident has set up a petition calling for new leadership of the Shul’s day to day operation.
The event, scheduled for Motzei Shabbos, was meant to be an evening of learning for parents and children, gathering to listen to a video of a sicha of the Rebbe, part of the Connection Point program by JEM and Tzivos Hashem.
Before the event began a group of individuals began to vandalize the large screens. As the event got underway, they continued to disrupt the program, attempting to disconnect the videos and making noise and being generally disruptive, all while the children watched the violence, witnesses said. A scuffle by bystanders attempting to stop them led to violence, with phones and glasses being broken and a person being injured with pepper-spray.
The police were soon brought in to restore order, and the program continued uneventfully.
Both parents and children were horrified by the incident, with some parents saying they will not allow their children to attend any more events in 770 until the issue is resolved.
“What happened last night crossed the line!” Mendy Pellin, a parent who brought his children to the event told COLlive. “This should be used as a tipping point for change. Children were crying, shaken up…it was terrible. I personally am not allowing my kids to go to 770 anymore until major changes are made. The environment is unsafe and toxic,” he said.
Rabbi Yehoshua Lustig, Menahel in Oholei Torah, informed parents about the incident, saying he felt “compelled to write this message.”
“Tonight, sadly, there was a group of bochurim that intended to disrupt the program. There were some very disrespectful scenes and unfortunately some of our talmidim witnessed screaming and fighting,” he wrote.
“Your son may have come home confused and upset. I am so sorry that our talmidim were exposed to this.”
In response to the incident, the latest of many in the past few years in which chaos and violence has broken out in the main Chabad Shul, a Crown Heights resident has called for new Gabboim to be elected to “oversee the shul’s day to day functioning and, most importantly, to stand strong should there be any efforts ch”v to undermine their authority.”
“Everyone is asked to sign the petition and share with others, encouraging them to sign as well,” organizers said. “We must speak up, and demand that the status quo is unacceptable.”
Currently, there is only one active Gabbai, out of the four Gabboim elected ten years ago. According to the community bylaws, elections are to be held every four years.
The full petition reads as follows:
770, the Rebbe’s Shul, is the heart and soul of the worldwide Chabad community and the spiritual home of every Chassid and Jew.
We the undersigned find the current situation unacceptable and agree that a crucial first step toward reinstating order and respectability to 770 is to appoint responsible leadership who will oversee the Shul’s day to day functioning and take a stand against the unfortunate status quo that has lasted far too long.
In light of the above we call for immediate elections for new Gabboim in 770.
In my humble opinion, before signing the petition, one should know who’s behind this campaign.
To whom will it be delivered?
Who will pursue action on the basis of this petition?
The question is: is this a real campaign or undercover political shtick?
Perfect comment
Now that the rabbonim are United there is no excuse
Finally. We must protest the status quo.
Everyone should sign and encourage others to do so as well.
http://chng.it/B6kTr2zX
Crazy how for so long crown hightsers had no control of 770.
Being run by a bunch of 20 year olds making it a mad house.
Those days are over.
lets make this happen!
Electing competent gaboim
The gabboim come and go but the leadership is always the same. The same people will be in charge of everything. The place needs guards and they need to close it after 7-8pm so the craziness stay away
You clearly haven’t been to 770 in a very very long time. There is actually a yeshiva that runs in 770. Night Seder Chassidus goes to 9:30. How does it make any sense to close 770 at 7pm? Should we Lock the bochurim in the building? And in the summer there shouldn’t be any moinyanim for mariv? Please think before you post.
Get rid of the yeshiva. And ok in the summer they can close after maariv. There’s no reason to have the place open as a homeless shelter all night.
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
Until Aguch takes over the day to day of the shul it will be a mad house.
Enough is enough.
This has been going on for 20+ years. To think that this will change now is laughable.
Are the the ones who need to do this. Not the Crown Heights Beis Din. This is the well known policy of the Rebbe.
The Rebbe was very clear that the beis din are the main authority. Etc.
by the Rebbe, via Rabbi Groner, that he will not agree to any renovations/expansion in the shul without written permission from Agudas.
Don’t allow these Tzfatim into America, who signs their affidavits , they are the ones responsible for this madness .
And that’s for either side. There is alot of stereo typing about tzefatim that is conpletely off.
Who is allowing these thugs to stay in the us and terrorize us all ? Send them back to israel and let them terrorize the arab terrorists over there
I am a Lubavitcher who lives in a non lubavitch community I not long ago prayed in 770 main shul and was horrified at the great lack of respect for the Rebbe s shul. Most were talking all through davening and ignored anyone who told them otherwise it a big chilul hashem
I now will not daven there only in other CH shuls
Look where we are heading????!!!
There isn’t a shul in this neighborhood, unfortunately, that doesn’t have uncontrolled talking at all points of tefillah. The chaval is that was the bottom line of the Alter Rebbe’s Tanya, we read it every year without effect.
How dare you malign us? Our shul is quiet, Baruch Hashem.
Just pointing out the facts ma’am. I’m guessing your shul isn’t in Crown Heights, if it is, please name it, I’ll visit it this Shabbos and report back here.
The women section is also hijacked by a bunch of homeless women. Even the police can’t end this . Under each bench is filled with these ppl junk . It’s disgusting and embarrassing
People who get involved are clueless to the extent of problems caused by that jungle habitat. So why do they get involved?
Let the right people get involved!
The fact that bochurim acted wrong and the fact that 770 needs new gabboyin has nothing to do with each other. Bochurim act stupid, and that could happen with any gabboyim. And as was mentioned in the first comment. Think who is behind this gabboyim canpaign. Some people who have an agenda already beofre hand are using this as an excuse. But Hashem is the one who is in control. And the Rebbe is the one who leads Lubavitch ( no matter what political side one is on). So truth prevails. We saw this with elections for rabbonim. And we… Read more »
The person who signed this campaign is non partisan. He is doing it for one reason only. He was sprayed with mace last night. Elections for Gaboyim are supposed to happen every 4 years. This is not an ‘excuse’. This is part of the democratic process that is an integral part of yiddishkeit. Without elections, there is no incentive of whoever is in charge to uphold the rights of the people. Aguch is not the answer either as that would further undermine the democratic process. If they want to have a say, they have the option to run through the… Read more »
It’s about time to remove the violence, take down the signs, stop using 770 as a platform to hang up signs to vilify people, and make 770 a place where all people feel comfortable with.
Let’s see from now on
Every shabbos night
The jem video played in 770??
That would be the litmus test.
Can you explain the connection to playing a Jem video?
I feel sorry for everyone who had to witness this, but it isn’t the first time that something like this happened and it most likely won’t be the last. MOSHIACH NOW!!
What’s the full story? Why did these bochurim feel the need to do what they did?
I know many Lubavitchers who are fed up with the way 770 is run. We need a big change. Not just some little statement to satisfy the people.
Bachurim can and do, sometimes act without judgement. However, after seeing and reading all the comments – one can very easily perceive the underlying anymosity towards moshiachistim and anything related to those who believe in the Rebbe. “Take down the signs”…Why does it bother you if another says yechi, thinks yechi, etc..? Can he/she not believe in the Rebbe according to your perception?
But when one side continuously shows violence, disrespect, and immaturity….were compelled to view them in a certain way.
I daven at RAYIM AHUVIM…THERE IS NO TALKING.