By COLlive reporter
A video clip of a Hebrew speaking woman ranting about a person putting on Tefillin in an airport with the help of a Chabad chossid was widely viewed and shared on Facebook.
Gad Kaufman, who posted the clip, wrote on Sunday:
“An amazing event took place this morning in the airport when I was politely asked by a Chabad man if I want to put on Tefillin.
“I answered in the affirmative and then a woman with a crazy look (on her face) jumped up and began to curse, harass and disturb!!!
“It is really shameful to be a Jew in Israel – it is being pursued by leftist bohemians. If I was a Muslim or a Christian, would that have been more legitimate for her?!…”
The post received over 5,000 likes and shares with over 3,000 writing their opinions about the incident in the comments – both pro and against what has happened.
“How much hatred, polarization and division exists in our Jewish people!” wrote Ofri Amitay. “Sad, painful, shameful, and worrying!”
David Farkash from Monsey posted a photoshopped photo of the disruptive woman on the iconic image of Nazi soldiers laughing at a Jewish man standing with Tallis and Tefilin.
Others, such as Liraz Miller, said that if the Lubavitchers “would have remained in their booth (they’ve been given by the airport authority) this wouldn’t have happened. The problem is that they came to the benches (at the gates).”
Chabad has a booth in Terminal 3 of the Ben Gurion Airport near the Duty Free shops. Offering Tefillin, Shabbos candles and Jewish information, it is open 21 hours a day, from 4:00 AM until 1:00 AM. Chabad has similar booths in JFK Airport in New York and the Larnaca International Airport in Cyprus.
Rabbi Uriel Vigler, Director of Chabad Israel Center of the Upper East Side in New York City, posted the following response on Facebook:
Dear “Lady irked by Tefillin”
I just watched the video of you upset by a Chabad rabbi helping a fellow Jew put on Tefillin in Ben Gurion airport. I received this video multiple times from many of my friends.
My friends were all disappointed in you. I am excited for you!
Let me explain:
In the video you are clearly enraged and infuriated that there is a Jew praying right next to you – how dare he!
Your actions prove that you are a Jew who has a G-dly soul on fire deep inside of you. Your Neshama is desperately yearning for something spiritual. It is burning to cleave to G-d and to also pray. Because if your soul was not on fire you actually would not care. If your soul was dead then you would simply ignore the Jew praying next to you. You would not scream in protest.
You yell because your soul is in pain. Your soul wants to pray but it does not know how. It bothers you so much because your soul is thirsting to connect.
So here is what I suggest. This Friday night at exactly the time of the onset of the Shabbat, light candles and talk to G-d. This will feed your soul. This will allow your soul to unite with G-d in Heaven. And then during the week go online and study some Torah. You will feed your soul. You will give it the nourishment it so desperately desires.
And if you have any further questions please reach to me or your local Chabad rabbi.
VIDEO:
Why can’t she mind her own business?
What would she care if people put on tefillin?
more will now put on tefilin because of this video
She has been identified as Dr. Pnina Peri and is a professor at the University of Maryland
Her email is pperi@umd.edu
You can email the university to decry the morality of such behavior from a professor: contact@umd.edu
Checkout Israeli news sites
You got it!!!!! This woman is not self hating. She is screaming for yiddishkeit. Her neshama deep deep inside is starving and thirsting. She is a such a holy Jew who is experiencing a famine from any nourishment of Torah. Anyone who does mivtzoyim witnesses all the time the spark of the Jew who puts on tfillin and accepts Shabbos candles…… and the spark of the Jew who becomes on fire from the very sight of the Yiddishkeit their soul has been denied and has been begging for. It’s wonderful that both sparks were captured on video at the same… Read more »
Unfortunately she’s a self-hating Jew and unfortunately the same things happen in the USA and the surrounding areas with the same anti-Semitic Israelis….. Big Chillul Hashem……
listen to her laugh she is obviously not sane so she is not a leftist or anything else. she needs a rofeh mumche
The leftist Jews are the biggest problem for the Jews. HaShem please help!
We have been our worst enemy before
Pray for her mental health
I think he did very smart by ignoring her. it was like a punch in the fas
Lo l’hisbayesh mipnei hamaligim
…ומלוא כל הארץ כבודו
Agree with you 100%!
You are right on the mark!
I posted comment # 8 in anger & righteous indignation, but if someone knows who she is, and can reach out to her, or can find someone else to do it, that would be the very best thing possible. משיח כאו!
Israeli Drech Eretz
Beautiful response. I hope it ignites this woman’s soul. But I’m sure many other people will be inspired by it as well.
she looks like she needs a quick refua from hashem. i said kapitel chof
ישראל אף על פי שחטא ישראל
its horrible disgusting!!!!!!!!
She is probably a difficult person 24/7 – this bochur just happened to wander into her unhappy world …
maybe she’s not really Jewish, real rachmonas on her if she is, completely self hating! In a perfect world she would be arrested for disturbing the peace and taken off to an insane asylum. Of course this cannot happen in the Messianic era anyway.
“…posted a photoshopped photo of the disruptive woman on the iconic image of Nazi soldiers laughing at a Jewish man standing with Tallis and Tefilin.” It is important to remember how the Rebbe teaches us to look at every Jew; as the most precious diamond with a shining, pure core. Though at times this may be hidden, the essence is utterly pure. There is no telling what her background was or the struggles she may have been through, perhaps mental illness, etc. The proper way to view this precious Jew is with pity borne out of the greatest love and… Read more »
She objects with that insane laugh that it’s not over there , but interfering with her. There is so much room, and they didn’t tell her to move
disgusting!
The bochurim who are part of the booths are very careful to keep to the airports rules. The Chabadnik in this video probably had a ticket for a flight and had the right to do his mivtzoim in that area.
She obviously looks mentally ill. They should daven for her with the teffilin.
she is clearly a disturbed person.
There’s a booth in Newark airport too