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IN-DEPTH FEATURES
In our issue of parshas Shlach, we published a report
about the problems of the Vilna community in appointing a
rabbi of its own choosing, rather than another person who was
there longer but is not of the community's choosing. Now we
are sorry to say that the situation has not resolved itself,
and so we are presenting this fuller report of the situation,
including the background and later developments. Ho'emes
vehasholom ohavu. Once the Jewish community was able to
resolve differences with its own resources. Now some elements
feel that it is proper to appeal to outside parties, both
Jewish and non-Jewish, to resolve things. People are
concerned with getting their way, rather than with doing what
is right, whatever that may be. Situations like this make us
long for the time when the world will be filled with
da'as Hashem, but we have to live in the present and
push for the proper solutions.
*
The Vilna Jewish community began to organize by the end of
the 1980s, as the Russian bear-hug loosened on the Baltic
states.
In keeping with the tradition that existed in Vilna before
World War II, the 27 existing Jewish organizations (War
Veterans, Ghetto Survivors, Jewish Young Adults, the school,
and the like) sent representatives to vote for the president
of the community. Simon Alperowitz was unanimously elected as
president of the Jewish community, and he also received the
votes of the synagogue board to head the religious community.
(The Lithuanian government insisted on the separation of
ethnic bodies from religious bodies.)
By 1989, the secular Jewish community had founded a Sholom
Aleichem (secular) school, organized social services and
began to function like a pre-WWII Jewish European
kehilla.
The general level of Jewry in Lithuania was very limited.
Only 5,000 Jews lived in five cities in Lithuania, with the
bulk (4,000) living in Vilna. The majority were elderly, and
intermarriage was nearly 100 percent.
Mr. Alperowitz (a descendant of the Rashash, he says with
much pride) tried to bring a spiritual leader to the
community. In the beginning several English rabbis would come
for a few days at a time.
A Decade of Lubavitch in Vilna
In 1994, Lubavitch expressed interest in sending a rabbi to
Vilna, and Mr. Alperowitz agreed. Rabbi Sholom Ber Krinsky
moved to Vilna, and established his own Chabad House. He
prayed in the community's Taharat Hakodesh shul on Shabbos,
and could not put together a minyan during the week. The
community did not offer him a rabbinical contract.
During the ten years he was active in Vilna, Rabbi Krinsky
founded a Jewish school, set up a kosher kitchen, and did
other sundry Jewish outreach.
After ten years of activity, his school had only 30 children
(7 of which were his own), and not one family had committed
themselves to shemiras hamitzvos. A social worker
involved for years with the community informed us that Rabbi
Krinsky had sent two girls to a Lubavitch school in London,
and mentioned that at most Rabbi Krinsky may have influenced
one or two more Vilna Jews to become slightly observant.
Rabbi Krinsky's social services were paltry in comparison to
that of the community: he sent 20 children to a Lubavitch
camp in Estonia, while the secular community sent 450
children to their own camp. Rabbi Krinsky claimed to help 150
people with his soup kitchen, while the general community was
helping 1,500 — including the same 150 helped by Rabbi
Krinsky.
Even more problematic were the scandals that hovered over his
enterprises. Rabbi Krinsky's soup kitchen was closed down
because it served contaminated food. A scandal erupted when
charges were made that he had stolen money from donors.
Creditors took over the first floor of his Chabad Center to
cover unpaid debts. (He is still embroiled in court cases
over debts.) He collected money around the world to maintain
the Jewish cemetery but never paid the $25,000 to the
community which was his share in the maintenance.
Krinsky has less than 30 die-hard followers within the
community, who are mostly beneficiaries of his food kitchen
or other activities. Of these followers, none have accepted a
Lubavitch way of life on themselves or can even be called
religious.
Five years ago, the general community sent its first letter
to the Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) asking them to
recommend a rav to lead their community.
About 3 or 4 years ago, Rabbi Krinsky suddenly claimed for
himself the title "Lithuania's Chief Rabbi" in the Lithuanian
and foreign press, and his own Internet website. Two years
ago, he stepped up his campaign to be appointed the official
chief rabbi of Lithuania. When the secular community refused
to grant him the appointment, he began a campaign against
Alperowitz and everyone who sided with the general
community.
Referring to this, an article in the local Jewish newspaper
Jerusalem of Lithuania writes (April-June 2004),
"Rabbi Krinsky could not and should not have hoped to be
given this position, for in Lithuania it is also a question
of ethics: all Litvaks were and are followers of the Vilna
Gaon, who was categorically opposed to chassidism. To permit
the appointment today of a representative of the Chabad
Lubavitch Chassidim as chief rabbi would be the equivalent of
rejecting the Vilna Gaon and the memory of hundreds of
thousands of his Jewish religious followers."
Attempt to Gain Control of the Community
As part of his attempt to arouse mistrust and to discredit
the executive of the Lithuanian Jewish community in the eyes
of the world Jewish community, Rabbi Krinsky sent slanderous
letters regarding the activities of the Lithuanian Jewish
community to Jewish donors in Europe, Israel, South Africa
and USA.
For instance, Rabbi Krinsky arranged for his followers to
send a letter to the Joint, demanding their assistance to
force the general community to accept him as chief rabbi. The
letter was signed by ten people. Of these, one of them was
his driver, two were people who worked in Rabbi Krinsky's
school, and two had been dismissed from the Jewish community
school and accepted by Rabbi Krinsky to his school.
Rabbi Krinsky also wrote to the Lithuanian government, asking
them to appoint him as chief rabbi, a tactic which has been
used by Lubavitch shlichim in other countries. Rabbi
Krinsky also arranged for Israeli Chief Rabbi Metzger, who
has close ties to Lubavitch chassidim, to write a letter
asking the Lithuanian government to appoint him.
It didn't work in Lithuania. The government openly rebuffed
his initiative, and insisted that the community exercise its
own prerogative and hire their own spiritual leaders. Rabbi
Krinsky tried other legal avenues, including appealing to the
Lithuanian Ministry of Justice. All government authorities
insisted that the community had the right to choose its own
spiritual leaders.
The general Jewish community then turned to the Conference of
European Rabbis and asked them to recommend a rabbi for their
community. But when they suggested that the community hire
Rabbi Krinsky, with whom they had cooperated on numerous
community affairs, the response was an outright refusal.
Rabbi Krinsky then came up with an innovative idea. On Feb.
29, 2004, he made a meeting of 30 of his followers within the
community and declared that they were the religious Jewish
community of Lithuania. An "election" was held in which they
proclaimed him chief rabbi. Documents of this pseudo-election
were sent for registry to the Ministry of Justice.
But here, too, the Lithuanian authorities squashed the
putsch, insisting once again that only the general Jewish
community could decide who its spiritual leaders were. What
Rabbi Krinsky had done, explained one relief worker from an
international organization who was following developments,
was akin to several Reform Jews getting together to decide
who will lead the Satmar chassidim. It was in fact worse
since Rabbi Krinsky was trying to get the government to
interfere in the community's prerogative to chose its own
leaders, a dangerous precedent for other countries.
On the same day that Rabbi Krinsky was maneuvering the
takeover, 400 members of the general Jewish community affixed
their signatures in a petition against him.
A New Rav Arrives in Vilna
Rabbi Krinsky's efforts to become the Chief Rabbi of
Lithuania took a violent turn when, after a long search for a
rabbi, representatives of the five Jewish communities of
Shavel, Memel, Ponovezh, Kovno and Vilna met together in
March, 2004 and decided to hire Rav Chaim Burstein as the
Chief Rabbi of Lithuania. His candidacy for the position in
Vilna was recognized by the Conference of European Rabbis.
Rav Burstein was born in St. Petersburg over 30 years ago. He
had a fleeting experience with Lubavitch chassidim in his
home town when he began studying Judaism, but ultimately
rejected their brand of Judaism. A refusenik for seven years,
he was imprisoned twice for his activities.
Rav Burstein studied in Yeshivas Shvus Ami in Jerusalem, and
continued in Kolel. He was head of the Beersheva Russian
community for a period, after which he took a position as rav
in St. Petersburg.
Shortly after Rav Burstein took office in Vilna in April,
Rabbi Krinsky initiated a campaign of hooliganism against
him. Every time Rav Burstein went to the bimah in the
shul, Rabbi Krinsky's followers began howling, clapping
hands, stamping feet, and shouting insults ("Doberman!") at
him. This barrage of invective was slung at Rav Burstein
continuously, getting more and more violent, until eventually
one day Rabbi Krinsky's followers shoved Rav Burstein off the
bimah. Rabbi Krinsky himself participated in the
invective against Rav Burstein.
Things came to a head last Shavuos, when Rabbi Krinsky's
followers attacked Rav Burstein on the bimah. The
traditional custom for hundreds of years in Vilna is to read
Megillas Rus on the first day of Shavuos. However,
when the congregation began to do so, Rabbi Krinsky and
several of his followers began to yell and disrupt the
services because Lubavitch reads Megillas Rus on the
second day of Shavuos. Later, when Rabbi Burstein rose to
deliver his sermon, they again began yelling.
Community members who were present called the police. The
police came, but were afraid to take action. They hung their
heads and asked in disbelief,"Jews are fighting each other
— what do they expect us to do?" The authorities were
wary of taking action, lest TV crews show up and film
Lithuanian policemen beating up Jews in their own shul.
It was impossible to carry on prayers in the shul. For the
second day of Shavuos, the community decided to conduct
prayers in Rav Burstein's apartment half a block away on
Pylimo street. Rabbi Krinsky and his followers crashed the
prayers in Rav Burstein's house, and began to pummel him.
Police were called again.
The Shul is Closed Down
After that scandalous event, the community directorate
decided to close down the shul to prevent further ugly
scenes. On the few occasions when they opened the shul for
special events, Rabbi Krinsky showed up with his people and
hijacked the affair. They would not let local Jews pray in
peace, so the community was forced to keep the shul closed.
Community members complained that even during the Communist
era, that shul had remained open. No one could come up with a
solution to the Lubavitch hooliganism.
The Lithuanian authorities said publicly that the community
was in the right, and Rabbi Krinsky has to respect its
decision. However, the authorities refused to get involved
more than that.
Having no choice, the community hired security guards and
gave them instructions not to let Rabbi Krinsky in. Rabbi
Krinsky forced his way in, and a melee broke out in which the
guards grabbed him and threw him out.
Rabbi Krinsky was quoted in the Russian press after this, "I
feel like I went through a Nazi selection." As far as the
community was concerned, this was unforgivable. All of
Vilna's elderly Jews had suffered through the Holocaust and
were extremely sensitive of the mere mention of it. They were
family and friends of the 230,000 Lithuanian Jews who had
been mercilessly slaughtered by the Nazis. Glick, the
gabbai who had locked Krinsky out, had himself lived
through the Kovno ghetto, Dachau and Auschwitz, and Rabbi
Krinsky compares them to the Nazis in front of the
goyim!
Rabbi Krinsky had video photographers on site who were
filming the entire fray. Today he shows the film to prove how
he was victimized by the members of the community. The film
doesn't mention that he had attacked the officially elected
rabbi ten times before.
Rabbi Krinsky is an expert in generating media publicity. On
several Shabbosim, he held demonstrations outside the shul
with picketers holding signs "Open our Synagogue" in
Lithuanian and English. In an interview with a BNS
correspondent which was conducted on Shabbos, he whined,
"Alperowitz's people acted like hooligans, creating a scandal
in the synagogue."
To a TV crew and Lietuvos Rytas reporters he gave
lurid descriptions of the local community's gangster tactics
against him.
The community has filed a lawsuit to remove Rabbi Krinsky and
his followers from the synagogue yard where they have been
holding an around-the-clock vigil. His chances to win such a
lawsuit are negligible.
The Question of Restitution
The undertone behind the scandal is that Rabbi Krinsky wants
to be chief rabbi so he can get his hands on the huge amount
of Jewish property that was confiscated during and after the
war and may be returned to the Jewish community. Restitution
is a complex matter with enormous ramifications for the
Lithuanian government. According to some estimates, half of
Vilna, particularly the expensive prime downtown area, was
once owned by Jews.
A joint committee has already been formed between the World
Jewish Restitution Organization and Vilna's community
executive to handle restitution issues with the Lithuanian
government. Lithuania is expected to adopt restitution
legislation which will enable the Vilna Jewish community to
receive dozens of properties seized by the Soviets when
Lithuania was annexed by the Soviet Union in 1940.
Lithuania is the poorest country in the European Union. Many
tens of thousands of Lithuanians are now living in former
Jewish homes and institutions and their eviction from their
homes could arouse public resentment to worrisome directions.
The Lithuanian government has been making cautious baby-steps
towards returning Jewish property to the local Jewish
community, but is wary of arousing the ire of its citizens
and setting precedents that might draw claims from Jews all
over the world.
The constant claims by Rabbi Krinsky to the local media that
the Vilna Jewish community is battling him over restitution
of Jewish property has already aroused rancor among the
locals.
We clarified the exact position of the Jewish community over
restitution with an international relief worker whose
organization is active in Vilna.
He told us that the least credible claim which Rabbi Krinsky
could make is that Mr. Alperowitz is not appointing him as
rabbi so he can take all the property for himself. According
to Lithuanian law, the Jewish community is eligible for
restitution even without a rabbinical figurehead.
The organized Jewish community can not only claim former
Jewish property, but it already has. Some time ago, the
Austrian embassy — which is located in a former
synagogue in Vilna's Old City — paid the community
$300,000 for the legal transfer of rights for the property.
The Jewish community used that money to help shore up its
social programs and community institutions.
The JDC official stressed that while the community doesn't
need a rabbi to get property, the opposite is true: Rabbi
Krinsky needs to be hired by the community if he is to get
any property. This is for the simple reason that Lubavitch
had no property in Lithuania before the war to which they are
eligible for restitution. Lubavitch was not at all active in
Lithuania in those days.
"This is utter deceit, accusing the community of what he
himself is doing," the official said in disdain. He deplored
the fact that Rabbi Krinsky is a smooth speaker and a native
English speaker, which facilitates his PR efforts with the
foreign media, while the local community members are mostly
elderly, and not versed in English.
Lubavitch's Agenda in Gaining the Chief
Rabbinate
In discussions with representatives of various international
Jewish organizations, likely reasons why Rabbi Krinsky
refuses to give up hopes of being appointed chief rabbi of
Lithuania were suggested. There is, of course, the immense
honor of being a country's chief rabbi. There is also perhaps
a motive of achieving communal success in the very bastion of
the Vilna Gaon. But, as the general Jewish community suspects
and as we explained above, overriding these motives is the
issue of gaining control of valuable Jewish property.
It is also important to realize that Lithuania is one of the
few places in the Former Soviet Union (FSU) where a Lubavitch
chossid is not the chief rabbi. In Riga, Rabbi Glazman, a
Lubavitch chossid, shares an uneasy dual rabbinate with Rav
Aryeh Becker, an ex-Lubavitch chossid. In Moscow, Rabbi Berel
Lazar arranged a putsch with President Putin to elbow aside
Rabbi Adolph Shayovich in favor of Rabbi Lazar's appointment
as Chief Rabbi of Russia. In the Ukraine, Rav Chaikin was
whisked over from Brussels to be elected "Chief Rabbi of the
Ukraine" by the local Lubavitch rabbis over the longstanding
chief rabbi of Kiev, Rav Yaakov Bleich. The chief rabbi of
Kazakhstan is Rav Shaya Cohen, also a Lubavitch chossid.
In light of all these Lubavitch successes, Rav Krinsky may
feel he cannot do less than his colleagues, no matter what
tactics are required to accomplish it.
World Lubavitch's Attitude to Krinsky
Shocked by Krinsky's violent tactics, the Vilna community
wrote to Lubavitch headquarters hoping they would take action
to restrain their representative. They never received a
reply.
One astute observer of the scene told the Yated,
"Lubavitch is in a real fix over Krinsky. On one hand,
Lubavitch doesn't want to lose a battle and they have a clear
strategy to have their shlichim become chief rabbis.
On the other hand, they're embarrassed by his behavior.
"A further problem is that Krinsky's uncle is Rabbi Yehuda
Krinsky, one of the heads of Lubavitch in New York, and no
one wants to tangle with him."
The JDC arranged for a meeting with the Lubavitch leadership,
which included Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky of New York and Rabbi
Berel Lazar of Moscow, with the expectation that they would
rein Rabbi Krinsky in. But the most that the high-ranking
Lubavitch leadership would tell the JDC was, "We'll try to
calm Rabbi Krinsky down."
No one would admit to having effective authority over Rabbi
Krinsky, even though Rabbi Lazar could have cut off Krinsky's
funding and Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky could have recalled his
nephew to New York. The Chabad representatives told the JDC
that Rabbi Krinsky's appointment was made by the Rebbe and
therefore they can't remove him or cut his funding.
The meetings with the Lubavitch leadership reached a
stalemate because no one would take responsibility for Rabbi
Krinsky's actions.
An official of a Jewish aid organization told us, "I believe
Rabbi Lazar is upset with Rabbi Krinsky because of the huge
scandal that has developed around him. Rabbi Lazar has been
taking over communities in Russia diplomatically and quietly,
and is aiming for the day when the Jewish world will suddenly
wake up and discover that the Russian empire is totally
monopolized by Lubavitch. What Rabbi Krinsky is doing is
disabusing people of their sentimental ideas of the dedicated
Lubavitch shliach, and exposing Lubavitch's political
agenda."
Why the Vilna Community is Paralyzed
A relief official explained the complex issues besetting the
community which have prevented them from taking more
effective action against Rabbi Krinsky.
The community members feel they are a small cog opposite the
massive, well-greased machine of Lubavitch. Lubavitch can
call on thousands of shlichim around the world and the
political ties they have tethered over five decades to apply
pressure internationally. In contrast, the Vilna Jewish
community is mostly old, poor and lacking influence.
Rabbi Burstein, too, is unable to fight effectively for his
cause. He is an educator who is only interested in teaching
his community, and is not well-connected to powerful
rabbinical circles in Israel, Europe or the U.S.
When the local community hired security guards to keep Rabbi
Krinsky out of shul, Rabbi Krinsky turned that into an
opportunity for publicizing shocking scenes of violence
against him which were transmitted around the world. Whatever
the community does, is skillfully manipulated by Rabbi
Krinsky against them to serve his interests.
Lithuanian government officials who know the issue say
unequivocally that the community is right. But for the
majority of the Lithuanian populace who are unacquainted with
the issues and couldn't care less, Rabbi Krinsky's PR tactics
have brought many to conclude that this is an internal battle
in which both sides have justifiable claims.
The ongoing reports in the newspapers about the violence
exploding in the Jewish community has reinforced the locals'
traditional antisemitism. People smirk, "If Jews can't get
along with each other, how do they expect us to tolerate
them?"
International relief officials expressed the worry that after
a decade of the Jewish community making impressive advances
in receiving recognition and compensation after decades of
oppression, the Krinsky affair may undermine and discredit
the entire leadership and community structure. If Alperowitz
tries to denounce an antisemitic article in a mainstream
newspaper, the editors can now say, "Who is Alperowitz to
talk? He's the hooligan who is fighting his own rabbi."
The ramifications may yet be more dire. So far the Lithuanian
government has been cooperating with the Jewish community on
issues of restitution because of international pressure. But
the authorities could easily take advantage of the assault
against the local community by Rabbi Krinsky to push aside
the issue with, "We can't give back property if the Jews are
fighting among themselves. After they sort it out, we'll
talk."
Due to all these issues, the community is virtually paralyzed
from taking forceful action against Rabbi Krinsky.
Latest Developments During the Yomim
Noraim
The Vilna synagogue remained closed throughout the summer.
Every week, Krinsky staged protests and demonstrations to
generate ongoing media support.
At the approach of the Yomim Noraim, three proposals were
made to Rabbi Krinsky and Rav Burstein. Either they would
both stay out and a rabbi chosen by both would lead the
services, or both rabbis would attend the synagogue quietly
and a rabbi chosen mutually would lead the services, or the
two would take turns leading the services.
While Rav Burstein agreed to all proposals, Rabbi Krinsky
rejected them all.
Rabbi Krinsky said he did not take these proposals seriously
because this would have amounted to him giving in to the
"brutal force" activated against him.
"There is no reason to change the status quo," declared Rabbi
Krinsky, referring to his claim that he is Lithuania's chief
rabbi. He insisted that the only ones who want the change are
"a few individuals and organizations who want to gain control
over restitution funds."
With much regret, the community decided to keep the synagogue
closed on Yom Tov and hold services instead on the third
floor of the kehilla building which doubles as a
synagogue. This was the only alternative to having police and
students stand guard outside the synagogue to keep Rabbi
Krinsky out, in which case Rabbi Krinsky could be relied upon
to again generate a violent scene and have it filmed by
international media.
While the general community prayed in the kehilla
building, Rabbi Krinsky prayed in front of the synagogue's
yard with his followers.
Outsider Comment
Rabbi Abba Dunner, the executive director of the Conference
of European Rabbis, told us about the situation in Vilna:
"I find it very sad that in so many places where there is a
Lubavitch rabbi, we are unable to get them to cooperate with
the local rabbi and work for the common cause.
"We are appalled at the demonstration of hooliganism that is
going on in Vilna. If they want to settle a problem, there
are certainly other ways to do it. Their current behavior is
unprecedented in the rabbinical world."
A representative of an international Jewish organization told
us, "Vilna is a new escalation of Lubavitch against the
mainstream community. This is the first time in the FSU that
the government had to be called in to stop the aggression.
It's an absolute disgrace.
"I wouldn't say that Lubavitch has actually destroyed a
kehilla before, but they're destroying Vilna today.
We've never seen this kind of battle before. What happened in
Vilna is turning people off from Judaism."
Letters were written by the president of the Jewish Student
Organization in Vilna, CER personnel and rabbis of nearby
communities condemning Rabbi Krinsky's actions and supporting
the local community.
Ramifications of Lubavitch Actions in
Vilna
The behavior of Rabbi Krinsky has lit a red light in the eyes
of Jewish philanthropic organizations and Jewish communities
around the world.
The JDC gives Lubavitch shlichim four million dollars
a year around the world and is willing to fund their
activities to bring Judaism to far-flung Jewish communities.
But the recent developments are bringing them to reevaluate
the role of Lubavitch.
An official from another international relief organization
told us, "The problem with Lubavitch is that there is a
policy of monopolizing Jewish life and taking over central
institutions, which causes resentment in communities all
over. I see it happening in Russia and the Ukraine.
"What happened in Vilna is a case of `If you want us, good,
but if not, we will force ourselves on you.' People hear what
happened in Vilna and ask themselves, `What if Lubavitch
comes here?' If I am the president of a small community in
Germany and I heard what happened in Vilna, I won't let
Lubavitch in. I'd be afraid.
"In some places they do it bluntly, like in Prague where they
tried to depose the acting rav. In Vienna, Lubavitch
organized a large congress without coordinating it with the
local community. The community was incensed — they
spoke with the government in the name of the Jewish
community, as if the local Jewish community doesn't exist.
The local community there almost went berserk —
especially in Austria where relations with the government are
extremely delicate.
"It's in Lubavitch's own interest to build their own
communities and get along with everyone else instead of
trying to take over the existing communities. If Rabbi
Krinsky wants something, this is not the way to get it. He's
alienating the little support he has. He's shooting his own
foot. If I were him, I'd try to get some kind of position and
be happy with that. But as time goes by, the community is
less and less inclined to go for a compromise."
The official mentions that 3-4 leaders of middle-sized Jewish
communities in Europe (between 3-7,000 Jews) in Germany and
Central Europe have already told him that they are wary of
the Lubavitch shliach in their town.
"Until now, Lubavitch shlichim were viewed positively
— friendly, devoted, almost in a romantic way —
by most Jewish communities. Lubavitch often got a foothold in
local communities because they would tell the locals, `I'll
bring my own money. I won't cost you a cent.' And the locals
said to themselves, `Why not? What do we have to lose?' The
scandal in Vilna has finally given local Jewish leaders the
answer to `What do we have to lose?' "
"JDC has not brought or paid Rabbi Burstein. JDC is non-
denominational and JDC respects the right of every Jewish
community to select and choose their leaders and spiritual
authorities through legal and legitimate channels. We have no
say whatsoever on who the rabbi should be.
"The reason JDC is being attacked in the world press is
because Krinsky expects us to cut our funding to the
community as a way of putting pressure on the community to
take him as chief rabbi. JDC will not withhold food packages
from poor people to force the community to hire Krinsky.
"We will work with Krinsky or anyone else as we did in the
past, provided that he respects the standards of services
that JDC offers in terms of transparency, accountability,
etc.
"Krinsky claims that the JDC has been instrumental in
removing him from the restitution committee jointly set up
between the World Jewish Restitution Organization and the
local community. The Joint has no say whatsoever in who sits
on that committee. It's a decision of the WJRO and the local
community."
This correspondent spoke to a number of people involved.
Lubavitch Chossid Visiting Vilna
A young Lubavitch chossid studying in a Lubavitch institution
in France who had come to Vilna to provide reinforcement for
Rabbi Krinsky, volunteered Rabbi Krinsky's side of the
story.
These are his words:
"Alperowitz somehow has taken charge of the religious
community. Ten years ago, he pushed the Lithuanian government
to give money and buildings which had been taken away from
Jews. The government said we only give back to a religious
community. So he invited Krinsky to come and open up a
religious community.
"He [Krinsky] opened up a yeshiva and a soup kitchen. He
makes sedorim in cities around Lithuania. On Rosh
Hashana and Yom Kippur, he brings bochurim to lead the
prayers with a translator all over Lithuania.
"So when they began to give back money, Alperowitz felt that
Krinsky was a threat because he wanted the money for
himself.
"[Alperowitz] brought a new rabbi and posted guards in front
of shul to only allow certain Jews to come in. He kept out
150 people and they are very angry. He began to check out
people before letting them into the shul compound. Now they
locked the door and are not letting people in. Most people
are behind Rav Krinsky — obviously, if they only permit
30 people to come in and leave out 150.
"The other rabbi dragged the Lubavitch rabbi out of shul and
hit him. He fell back on something. It's not true that Chabad
got physical.
"Alperowitz lets crosses be brought to the cemetery. He's
totally non-religious and barely comes to the synagogue. It
will be a bad thing to let Alperowitz take over."
"We owe nothing to Lubavitch. They didn't come specially to
us [Vilna] because Lubavitch goes everywhere whether invited
or not.
"Jews in Lita are misnagdim. We follow the Vilna Gaon.
We say you can do whatever you want, but don't try to change
us. Rabbi Krinsky tried to change our davening to
Nusach Ari (the Lubavitch nusach). He brought
in his siddurim and told us we have to daven Nusach
Ari. He calls out what page to follow only according to
the siddur of Nusach Ari.
"When Rav Burstein appears, [Krinsky] has women in the Ezras
Noshim start screaming.
"We had a group come from Bar Ilan University with Chief
Rabbi Metzger in May. Rav Burstein wanted to speak a few
words in honor of him. Krinsky's group made noise and
clapped. It was like a circus here. Chief Rabbi Metzger was
humiliated and he bowed his head.
"Our problem is that Krinsky can't hear that Rav Burstein is
the rav. He wants to be the rav. Krinsky claims he's the
chief rabbi, but only when all the kehillos join and
decide together can we appoint a chief rabbi. Krinsky calls
himself a chief rabbi, signs his name that way, and proclaims
it in the newspaper — but who is he?
"Krinsky told me to my face, `You'll yet see that I'll be
chief rabbi here.'
"We tried to reach a compromise — a delegation of
American rabbonim were visiting and we asked them to speak
with Krinsky. He refused to come.
"The problem is that we're all old people, and he's a young
person — 34 years old. How can we fight against him?
"He was interviewed in the Russian press and told them, `I
feel that I went through a Nazi selection . . . ' Our
gabbai Glick who locked Krinsky out went through
Dachau and Auschwitz and the Kovno ghetto, but Krinsky says
that Glick is making a selection like a Nazi!! This is
mi'us! Mi'us! 250,000 Jews lived in Lita before the
war, and 94 percent were wiped out. People here are extremely
sensitive. They all went through the Holocaust, and now he
compares them to Nazis — Mi'us!
"Lubavitch is arousing much antisemitic sentiment in
Lithuania, because Krinsky claims in the press that the
community wants all the possessions of the former Litvish
Jewish community. He is an American and a Lubavitch chossid
and he has no claims here. From the 250,000 Jews who lived
here before the war, maybe there were 100 Lubavitch
chassidim. He claims the fight with him is all over money.
"We didn't want to do things with force; we like to dialogue.
But there's no one to talk with. I didn't close the shul
myself; the committee decided.
"I have faith it will end well."
The community newspaper, called Jerusalem of
Lithuania, published in its April-June 2004 edition:
"Krinsky's claims to the role of Lithuania's chief rabbi is
based on somewhat deeper and more significant reasons than
those of hollow self-praise . . . The sole lawful heir to
religious-based ownership is the Jewish misnagdim
religious community, so in order to open the way to
restitution of religious property, Krinsky needed to get rid
of the misnagdim community . . .
"Using threats, coercion and sabotage, Krinsky's group is
trying to force Burstein to renounce his post and leave
Lithuania; the group is also trying to show the
misnagdim and Lithuania's Jewish community its power,
and its deep contempt for tradition and for people — to
frighten and force them to stand aside, to ensure that
Krinsky be elected chief rabbi at any cost...
"For many years, the Lithuanian Jewish Community helped
Krinsky, graciously and in every possible way; he was
entrusted with celebrating traditional festivities and with
carrying out joint projects for the good of the entire
community. Such collaboration had certain positive results,
and it could have gone on, had Krinsky continued working for
the well-being of the community of all Lithuania's Jews, and
not sought insidious goals...
"But will the Lithuanian Jewish community want to continue
any kind of collaboration with someone working against
it?"
"I knew I would have problems with Lubavitch because
everywhere they try to grab control of the community, but I
didn't realize the extent of it.
"A soup kitchen is more or less all they have done here. If
you make a soup kitchen in London, does that give you the
right to take over Buckingham Palace? For every person
Lubavitch attracted to Judaism, they pushed off 30 people.
"The only way we can succeed in winning Jews over for Judaism
is by teaching living Torah which Lubavitch can't do. The
proof is the thousands of Russian bnei Torah who have
joined mainstream religious Jewry today. Show me what
Lubavitch has produced which is even comparable.
"We would like to be separate from them. Let them stay in
their synagogue and we'll stay in ours, and then we'll have
peace. Why are they making a jihad against us?
"People here are to a certain extent interested in learning
about Judaism. They never heard the rational voice of Torah,
just Lubavitch `campaigns' which don't build a Jew, and only
provide ethnic identification at best.
"Rabbi Krinsky gets a lot of money from Moscow to fund his
activities. The Lithuanian government doesn't like the
influence from Russia and wants to keep it away.
"It's impossible to talk with the person in charge of
Lubavitch here. He wants only control, so there's no point in
dialogue and we don't see any solution.
"Mr. Alperowitz is not observant but he appreciates Judaism.
He wants people to have religious services and be Jewish."
1) In Yom Kippur Speech Burstein Calls for Lubavitch to Leave
Vilnius
The holiness of Yom Kippur was shattered when Rabbi Krinsky
was reading the Torah (as he had been doing for the past ten
years) Rabbi Chaim Burstein started yelling repeatedly, "I
forbid you to read the Torah". He then took another Torah and
started reading it loudly while Rabbi Krinsky was in middle
of reading the Torah. During the Mincha service, Burstein
seized the pulpit and called for the expulsion of Lubavitch
from Vilnius...
"The services were beautiful and reflected the sanctity of
the day, until Rabbi Burstein shattered the oasis of Shalom
that existed since the beginning of Yom Kippur. Lubavitch has
a long history in Vilnius. Chassidim have been living in our
city for over two centuries going back to the founder of
Lubavitch, the Alter Rebbe, who had many followers here in
Vilnius. We don't believe that there is any place for
provocations of this sort, especially in a shul on Yom
Kippur" said Miriam Levina, a member of the community.
4) August 25, 2004, Rabbi and Rebbetzin Forcibly Removed From
Synagogue
Rabbi Shalom Krinsky and his wife Rebbetzin Nechama Dina
Krinsky were attacked and forcibly removed from the historic
Vilnius Synagogue after a concert held as part of the Litvak
Congress. Mrs. Krinsky was injured slightly in her back.
Rabbi Krinsky stated, "It is a sad day for all of us when
violence and intimidation are used".
6) Jewish Lithuania * Pylimo g. 39 * Vilnius, 03214 *
Lithuania * 370-5-215-0388
[The site lists the community synagogue on Pylimo street as
Rabbi Krinsky's shul, but the phone number is at his office
in the Lubavitch House.]
Let me give you a short synopsis of what is happening:
The local secular community backed by the JDC-The Joint
Distribution Committee - which is funded by the Jewish
Federation system, is attempting to take control of the
religious community so they can monopolize the restitution
funds. The Secular Community, backed by overseas Jewish
organizations, has attempted to seize control of the only
synagogue, import another rabbi so they can have total
control of the Religious community, and thereby have the
total power over the money. Read the details on our
website.
To accomplish their goal they are using violence and
intimidation. Watch the video of their actions. There have
been meetings with the leadership of the JDC in New York, but
to no avail. Sadly the only way we can effect a change in
their policy is by public-grass roots pressure. Your help is
crucial. They get most of their money from local communities
through the local Federations campaigns. You can help in a
variety of ways...
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