The not so subliminal message of Berl Lazar

Reuters photo by Grigory Dukor

During the Kinus HaShluchim Lazar told story about a Leningrad Jew feeding gefilte fish to the young Putin. You never know how acts of kindness will be revealed many years later. The not so subliminal message in the story is that even when you don�t see fruits of your labor you never know what can happened as a result of your Mizvos.

The scourge of Jewish life today in Diaspora is that we don�t have any form of self governance. No elected leaders and most importantly no accountability for our communal organizations. The Federations are networking clubs that do minimal amount of work on behalf of the communities, just enough to have a photo op for the next fundraiser, they have little transparency. No wonder the Lazar�s army calls itself a �federation�. Indeed Lubavitcher Shluchim joined the existing communal bodies in the sad row of self appointed entities that are not elected, and have no shame to speak on behalf of many. Lubavitch today is a rigid structure. If you are not on the Merkoz list you don�t get to go to the Kinus.

The Next Lubavitcher Rebbe is not of the Merkoz list. A Gaon and one of the last true Chaisddim of the Rebbe is banned from the Kunis.


Chief Rabbi of Ukraine No. 3 is on the Merkoz list, he is also in herem by every Chief Rabbi in Ukraine. He attended the Kinus. Go figure.

So suppose we accept that Lubavitch today is a corporate structure it has the price of admission and exclusion. Yet sadly the entity retained the worst aspect of Lubavitch during the Rebbe�s years. I mean refusal by the corporate leaders to proactively get involved in local improprieties and most importantly to proactively build based on a vision not parochial local interests. Every Shliach is still responsible for his won financing. Jews who donate to Lubavitch might ask themselves a question are they getting their money worth? Have there been any statistical accounting of the actual results of the effort. Or perhaps the sustenance of the individual Shluchim is in fact the only goal. Akin to federations who are there to justify and sustain their own existence first and all the rest as distant second.

Did anybody actually done a survey of the number of BTs per shliach in the last decade? Instead Lazar is asking us to consider how important it is to feed a gefilte fish to a goy?

I am not here to discount the mystery a Jewish soul but I always argued that the BT movement in USA peaked with the general religious revival of the late sixties and seventies. Similarly the Jewish Russian resurgence followed the rediscovery of religious values in the post communist Russia across ALL religions. The effectiveness of the effort by the Shluchim is at the mercy of cultural upheavals which begs the question is any form of accountability or transparency for the Jewish communal structures in Diaspora possible? Do tangible results count?