The planned visit by R' Steinman and the Gerrer Rebbe to Montreal has been cancelled due to fears of protests by Satmar, etc. This is being reported all over the press (Haaretz Hasidic protest in Montreal scares off UTJ rabbis' visit, the Jerusalem Post Orthodox in US to protest rabbi's visit, etc.)
What exactly are they protesting?
They are protesting against R' Steinman, a 93 year old Rosh Yeshiva whose whole life is Torah.
His strong support for the Tal Law and the Nahal Haredi [a special army unit for haredi soldiers] made him a lot of enemies," said a source in Degel Hatorah, the Lithuanian faction of United Torah Judaism.
"The zealots express themselves in an unbridled way," added the source. "But their basic argument is accepted by a lot of people in the haredi community."
Unfortunately, the cancellation just gives more power to the extremists. The trip was cancelled to avoid a chillul hashem, however, all this publicity has created a chillul hashem in any case and exposed the huge problem in Charedi society today, no one is willing to take on the extremists. Basically, everyone is cowed by Satmar, Eidah Chareidis, etc. This phenomenon explains why it is so difficult to change anything in Charedi society and how it is so easy to ban books.
8 comments:
"This phenomenon explains why it is so difficult to change anything in Charedi society and how it is so easy to ban books"
yeah.
R Steinman deserves tremendous credit for his stance on charedim and army service.
Rav Steinman is 93, frail & doing a lot of traveling. When he was in Boro Park a few years ago there were large protests. He really does not need to be nor probably can not physically be the person to deal with these protestors.
As far as I am concerned, this vindicates all that the Gaon did to eradicate the evils of chassidus. That those filthy vermin can behave that way to an older man, and great talmid chochom, defies the most basic derech eretz that one would expect of the lowest rungs in society. Shame on them. And shame on those who don't blot them out.
Not to defend those who took part in the aveirah... but I don't think we can blame all of Chassidus for what happened. (I mean, can you extend that to Gerrer Chassidim? The Gerrer Rebbe himself was there with R' Steinman!) And I don't think that the Gaon's argument against Chassidus had anything to do with demonstrations.
But I can tell you that today at the last second the trip to Montreal was brought back, and I just came back from it.
-- A Montrealer
JW,
Great point.R.Steinman a chareidi himself decides with sechel about nachal and the Tal Law,and is treated as if he's akoer.I hope he goes to montreal and not give in to the extremists.
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