Bolivian police forces raided a Chabad center in the northeastern town of Rurrenabaque a number of times in recent days, ordered its closure and arrested a number of Israeli tourists who were staying there.
The police reportedly refused to give a reason for the raid, but rumors throughout the town have linked the police activity to an assassination attempt on the Bolivian president last week.
Rabbi Aharon Fraiman heads the center, which is not an official branch of the Chabad-Lubavitch movement and is not recognized by Merkos L’Inyonei Chinuch.
On Wednesday, after the center temporarily resumed activity, Fraiman, who was almost arrested himself, said this was nothing more than a local dispute: “An anti-Semitic restaurateur who thinks we are hurting his livelihood is doing everything to get us out of here,” the rabbi said.
On Thursday, however, the multiple arrests, closure of the center and the local media’s coverage of police activity in the area, led the rabbi to believe it was something more: “Apparently it’s not him, but something bigger. He doesn’t have this much power”.
“Rumors floating around say that it has something to do with an assassination attempt on the president,” the rabbi said. “But on the other hand, the media is reporting all kinds of other things, like that the Chabad center here is involved in dealing drugs and the like.
“Meanwhile, I hired a lawyer here to handle the case, but this is not a law-abiding state, and so far, no one has told us what the commotion is about. They also haven’t showed us any closure injunctions.”
The emissary told Ynet about one Israeli tourist who was arrested by the Bolivian immigration police, taken to the airport in handcuffs and deported from the country. He also said there were a few others still under arrest.
“I am working to have them released from custody, and am also trying to contact the Foreign Ministry or some kind of Israeli representative here. So far, I’ve had no success,” he said.
Rurrenabaque is one of the central tourist attractions for travelers in Bolivia, including many Israeli backpackers. The town is a center from which tourists leave for trips to the jungles and swamp areas in northern Bolivia.
b”H this weeks jem video rebbe is begging people from ch to go on shlichus… I think the more bais chabad the better
I have plenty of people in my neighborhood complaining about the Shluchim who are part of the system and they are “official” and headquarters will do absolutely nothing at all.
So its much of the same all around. Welcome to the new world of Chabad
sounds very childish. let’s not forget what happened in mumbay. we can’t try to undrstand or make any cheshbonos, period
I am on shlichus in S. America and Im sorry to say that i constantly hear reports of the chilul Hashem going on there. I have had backpackers asking me how come the central chabad office dont do something about it. They turn people off all the time, pushing yechi 24 hours a day, all yidishkeit is a yellow flag and chai vekayam. Many of the backpackerws are traumatized after visiting them and i have to dedicate so much time to do damage control and explain that they arnt chabad, and their philosophy is agaisnt the official chabad policy etc..… Read more »
Why cant u look past the fact that he isnt under merkos but the fact that he is a fellow lubavitcher having mesirus nefesh living in Bolivia? Such ahavas yisroel! wow! get a life!
NO MUSHROOM soup there as the hashgacha in a meshichist one. Rocks bls
Do they serve mushroom soup there?
so he’s a mushroom, then?
#1 I have a good dr for you, where the h… is your ahavas yisroel
The Rebbe Helped many many Mosdos and Individuals. Thats what the Rebbe did constantly. These institutions and individuals don’t automatically become Chabad Mosdos or shluchim. In Order to obtain such a status, the Rebbe Himself put a system in place.
some very confused people out there…….
The Rebbe actually helped save yeshiva torah v’daas and that is also not under merkos. The Rebbe felt it was his achrayus. Your comments stink!
Being that its NOT recognized as a Chabad Mossad, he may be doing Hafatzahs…. but is NOT Shliach of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, and there for is not under the Rebbe’s Achrayus, P.S. it dosent mean that we can decide this is a punishment Chas Vsholom.
This is not a Chabad House that is recognized by Merkos.