The Rebbe says: "You need a rebbe"

To AJN WATCH

This past Shabbos, amongst the half-a-dozen Chabad publications found in Shuls was this one - a relatively new project trying to teach Chabadniks some basic Yiddish, by translating the rebbe's Sichos in a (grade 3-4 level) user-friendly form. As someone who speaks, loves and reads Yiddish, I applaud them for this most belated undertaking - after decades of almost 'criminal' neglect for the language of the Chabad (and all other) rebbes.

But what amazed me was the front cover of this "Extended (I think they meant 'expanded") ג' תמוז Edition" where in large font we are told about "THE NEED FOR A REBBE".

Are the publishers hinting something here? Is there something happening in the Chabad world to seriously consider the possibility of appointing a new rebbe? Every single one of my Chabad friends dismisses such a possibility, but then most of them are not too high up in the organisation to really know about such matters. But if such a move is  completely out of the question, how does that jell with the rebbe's view that there is a need for a rebbe?

I know for a fact the your blog is very well read amongst Chabadniks in Sydney and Melbourne as well as overseas. So maybe one of them could advise us if my speculation has any merit.

And thank you AJN WATCH for a most interesting and relevant website (despite the fact that I may sometimes disagree with your viewpoint).

Chabad - Betar surprise shidduch!

Old-timer writes:
I was a bit surprised to read that Central Shul-Chabad will be sharing its new building with the Betar youth group.

I cannot recall other times that Chabad and a Zionist organisation have combined. I realise that Betar is one of the few Zionist groups that is not anti-religion, however to the best of my knowledge Chabad was always officially non-Zionist and even anti-Zionist.

Would the Rebbe have approved? I doubt it, (though I would be relieved to hear that he allowed such partnerships in his lifetime).

Did our Vaad Ruchni give their approval to this? If so, what about inviting Bnei Akiva and even Hashomer Hatzair to open branches in Yeshiva - or at least in the new Chabad Youth building?

The Matzah Wars

If our readers think that it is only here in Australia that the rabbis are squabbling over the Kashrut of Matza, let us assure them that there are far bigger battles going on in other parts of the Jewish world. The two major Chassidic groups, Satmar and Chabad, are split internally over the manufacture of Matzot under supervision of their respective rabbis.

The Satmar Chassidim – followers of Rav Aharon Teitelbaum of Kiryas Joel have for a number of years been producing Matza with flour made from Arizona wheat. This does not have the approval of the other Satmar Chassidim who follow his brother, Rav Zalman Leib Teitelbaum – who have made a number of claims about the inappropriateness of Arizonian wheat.

Both sides have published articles, rabbinical letters and booklets proving their POV (and have probably not convinced anyone from the other side to change their mind…)

Anyone wanting to delve into this controversy may start by looking here, here, here, here and here.

Meanwhile an recently introduced innovation re kneading the dough has caused ructions in the Chabad rabbinical world, again with letters and booklets etc – and as it seems also not getting anyone to change their minds.

Meanwhile we have received a fair bit of correspondece and commentary regarding the Australian version of ‘soft’ Matza. Due to the harsh and unforgiving language used by the protagonists (and antagonists) on both sides, we are withholding from publishing their materials on our site – at this time. Maybe at some later stage we’ll again take a look at this controversy and try to make some sense of it.

And here is an advertisement published in Israel offering ALL possible versions of Matzot - hand, machine and soft laffa-style - produced under a variety of hashgachot:

Meanwhile, our advice to all is, when considering Matza and all other products that you will be using over Pesach, follow the advice a knowledgeable Rav – one who has no personal ‘conflict of interest’ in any aspect of the product.

And, of course, you will not go wrong by following the Mesorah (traditions) of your parents and grandparents.

Haaretz article puts AJN to shame! (Is Julius Streicher REALLY dead?)

OR???

The shekel drops -  
               Missionaries in Ramat Aviv
                                                                                    By Nehemia Shtrasler HAARETZ

The battle raging Ramat Aviv isn't just about the neighborhood's character. It's a battle over Israel's image.

The sight was elevating: 800 neighborhood residents took a break from what they were doing and went out to demonstrate. Their goal: to protect their homes. They weren't asking for much: just to maintain their way of life, the character of their neighborhood, their values, dignity and right to educate their children as they see fit.

Nobody was paying them. They had no political party or foreign sponsors. They collected the money to fund their demonstration themselves because they knew that if they didn't, the missionary group Chabad could continue to slowly take the neighborhood over, just as is happening in Migdal Ha'emek, Beit Shemesh and Jerusalem.

[AJN Watch comment: So when was the last time that these Tel Aviv residents protested against genuine missionaries? It's so obvious that the only religion that they fear is Judaism.]

A few people set up a counter-demonstration against the 800. They believe that the people in question are merely "good Jews" who just rented a few apartments to preach Torah there. All they want is for us to put on tefillin a little, to light candles on Friday night. What charming simplicity.

They don't realize that it's a well-organized plan to take control of the neighborhood. They aren't even aware that a yeshiva opened in the neighborhood staffed by "messengers" who are prepared to sacrifice their souls for their Rebbe.

These "messengers" have one explicit goal: to return the people of the neighborhood to Judaism. The more Jews keep the Sabbath and follow the mitzvoth, the faster the Messiah will come.

[AJN Watch comment: Scandalous indeed. The chutzpah of these 'messengers' who try to promote the Jewish religion in the Jewish state!]

Though actually he already did come, in the form of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, according to Chabad. The Rebbe has died in the meantime, but he lives on - their belief system is a mystical, un-Jewish thing, about which the Rabbi Shach commented: "Chabad is the cult closest to Judaism."

[AJN Watch comment: So sorry about our earlier comment. We misunderstood. These protesters are actually demanding "genuine" Judaism and not mystical un-Jewish Chabad stuff. They simply want their children to follow the ways of Rabbi Shach...]

As in every neighborhood, here too they identified the most vulnerable point: the young. That's why every Friday they ply the grove by the Alliance school, trying to persuade the children to put on tefillin and drop by the Chabad House for a "conversation." At night they lurk among the trees and on benches for the teens, offering refreshments and sweet talk.

[AJN Watch comment: Now had these 'messengers' been offering their kids drugs, alcohol and various options of perversions that are available all over Tel Aviv, there would've been no demonstrations. But tefillin, refreshments and 'sweet talk' - that's something that must be stopped. And here you have the Stuermer depiction - making similar complaints about the Juden:

They cunningly tell these kids, "You have the soul of a righteous person," and don't cavil at saying that their mothers and fathers are sinners. They even whisper that people who don't honor Shabbat are doomed to hell.

[AJN Watch comment: Pure, utter garbage. Anybody who knows anything about Chabad knows that this has never been their way. Only an ignorant, Chabad-bashing Torah-hating secular journalist would make such a statement.]
 
Puberty is a vulnerable stage and some of these kids, who want to rebel against their parents anyway, listen. The nice people of Chabad have no problem taking in a youngster and destroying a family in Israel.

[AJN Watch comment: Yep. Keeping their kids away from drugs and alcoholism will destroy their families. Here's part of a speech we found on the net - on the Israeli PM's website about these problems amongst Israelis:

Address by Acting Prime Minister Israel to the Anti-Drugs Authority Tel Aviv
Distinguished Guests,

You heard the statistics: there are 300,000, some even say 350,000, drug users in the State of Israel. There are 20,000 to 25,000 addicts – what we call hard users. The amount of money we refer to per drug addict, is approximately $3000 per day. Perhaps this is not a lot of money, but it is over and above the average salary in our economy.

[AJN Watch comment: "Not a lot of money!?" That's over $60 million a day!
The figure seems wrong as that would equate to $22 billion annually! But whatever, they would be far better off giving a fraction of that amount to Chabad and would save themselves a lot of heartache and a lot of money. Oy, but then you would have even more demonstrations by tel Avivians concerned that Chabad is giving their kids refreshments.]

Usually, drug addicts do not work, so in order to be able obtain their daily dosage, they are dragged into various criminal acts, including damage to property, and often involve physical injuries. That is, a full circle of social perversion and crime becomes an inseparable part of the life of an addict and also involves those who are not addicted to drugs. There is no simple and easy way to deal with this problem. (More here)

Where are the police and the municipality as strangers badger children among the trees at night?

[AJN Watch comment: Probably arresting and jailing other kids -  those who are drinking and doing drugs or involved in other violent and criminal activities.]

The Chabadniks understand that the middle class is groaning under its burdens. So they opened a few kindergartens in the neighborhood that charge little and give much, including a hot meal. Some parents succumbed to the temptation - and lost their children. This neighborhood sorely lacks kindergartens without religious affiliation. But the city allows Chabad to open one kindergarten after another, even at the expense of a building that had been a cultural center until two years ago.

These Chabadniks with their butter-wouldn't-melt smiles have no problem flouting the law. They rent apartments and turn them into studios. They build without permits, establish hostels and mikvas in violation of municipal ordinances, but the city doesn't block them. Mayor Ron Huldai did denounce Chabad in Ramat Aviv, saying they were harassing the residents. But his job is to stop the harassment, not just talk about it.

Imagine what would happen to me if I went to Kfar Chabad, rented an apartment and dared to open a class to teach a modern interpretation of the Bible, or women's rights or Darwinism. In the evening I'd go out and roam the neighborhood, trying to persuade their children to visit my home on Shabbat to see what a nonobservant Jew does on the day of rest.

Soon enough you'd have to visit me at the burn ward at Ichilov Hospital, if not worse.

And if all that happened, the good souls among us would say: Why did he have to interfere in their way of life? Why provoke them?

But when they come from Kfar Chabad to Ramat Aviv, these same good souls say, in the name of an artificial, suicidal liberalism, "We should understand them," and, "We mustn't oppose others because that is unenlightened racism."

Only they are allowed to sell their rotten goods, rife with ignorance, superstition, terrible discrimination against women, bottomless hatred of Arabs and Gentiles, and nonsense about the Messiah.

[AJN Watch comment: Let's repeat Nehemia Shtrasler's Stuermer-style rant:
   "... their rotten goods, rife with ignorance, superstition, terrible discrimination against women, bottomless hatred of Arabs and Gentiles, and nonsense about the Messiah..."
Had that infamous Nazi publisher, Julius Streicher (yemach shemoy) not been strung up by the Allies, no doubt he would've found himself at home at the Haaretz, where, presumably, the front page banner would have declared: "Die Chabad sind unser Ungluck!"]

We may not even protect our values of humanism, education, rationalism, equality, literature and the great inventions of science that changed the face of mankind.
The battle in Ramat Aviv isn't just about the neighborhood's character. It's a battle over Israel's image, and the 800 residents who got up and left their homes and went out to demonstrate last Monday are just the harbingers.

Guest Post: Rabbi Kupchik a Mushroom? And why does he have to talk like that?

Guest Post from Upset Lubavitcher:

Take a look at this piece on Chabad Info (taken from Yeshiva World News):

Then read the comments section in the YWN - including the following:

Dear YWN Editor,

Kupchick is NOT an official Chabad Shliach. he is what is called in Chabad a “Mushroom”, someone who sets up shop on his own and calls himself a shliach. he is not listed anywhere on chabad.org which list all official chabad houses and locations.


It would probably be best if you deleted that article from your website as it will only spread false information to the general jewish public who may not know the difference. The only thing that article will accomplish is spreading Motzai Shem Rah on a group of Yidden who put their lives on the line every day to spread the message of Torah and Mitzvos.


See link for listing of all OFFICIAL Chabad Locations in India.

Does Kupchik think that he is doing the Rebbe or Chabad a favour by talking like he does?

Aussie Echo - Alav Hashalom

Guest Post from Melbourne Chabadnik

AUSSIE ECHO - GONE

http://aussieecho.blogspot.com/2009/12/so-long-and-thanks-for-all-fish.html

Originally, we, especially Chabadniks, expected Aussie Echo to develop into a strong voice in the community. However, except for a few posts which got the crowd out and involved, it was pretty lame and simply served up material which it copied and pasted from other sites.

So, no great loss, but really a pity that it didn't bloom. Heaven knows that the Frum community neds every single 'voice' it can raise..

There is definitely room for another enterprising blogger to establish noisy and clear Shofar for the community. (I doubt that AJN Watch would have any objection.)

So where are all those chaps who have opinions on everything every Shabbos in Shul? Here's your chance to be heard on the other 6 days of the week.

AJN report: "New Chief Rabbi for Victoria"

Guest Post from a Victorian Rabbi:

Like others in the community, I too was surprised to see that front page banner in last week’s Jewish News telling us the earth-shattering news about our new Chief Rabbi.

Of course, when turning to page 13, we soon realised that this was another AJN beat-up in their usual cavalier and careless editorial approach. New boy Zeddy obviously has yet to make any impact towards creating a believable and responsible newspaper out of this rag.

Having attended the reported AGM, I must say that I was quite disappointed that a prominent and long-serving member of Melbourne’s rabbinate, Rabbi Philip Heilbrunn was so easily defeated for the position of president by a relatively inexperienced youngster. (I have no doubt that Rabbi Glasman will eventually emerge as a respected rabbinical figure, but at age 30, the presidency is a bit premature.

Of course Rabbi Heilbrunn didn’t have a hope, seeing that the majority of RCV members are Chabadniks and they weren’t going to allow an “outsider’ have the top job. We knew this all along. By standing and losing, simply Rabbi Heilbrunn proved it again.

It was extremely “charitable” of them to allow Rabbi Ralph Genende win the consolation of vice-president. They and we all know how little that means. After all, ask anyone who the previous vice-president was and you’ll get blank stare. That position means nothing and does less than nothing.

Despite all I this, I personally think that Glasman is a ‘good bloke’ and will hopefully do our community proud. I wish him all the best.

A few comments on the published remarks of the outgoing president Rabbi Kluwgant:
“We are the envy of rabbinical associations across the world...”

Please, MS, don’t exaggerate. There are dozens of cities in the US where there are far more successful and productive rabbinical groups than our RCV. And have you been reading about the achievements of European rabbis groups? If not, check it out.

As to your comment: “That killed me” (regarding the so-called abuse claim in the community); as far as the average person is concerned that was a joint AJN-RMSK campaign against a non-member which eventually came to nothing. I for one would not have mentioned it. (And even if I had, I would not have used the language like: “That killed me”.

Anyway thanks for your efforts – the $190,000 government funding is not to be sneezed at – and you can take life a bit easier now.

Guest Post by Kosherman: A Concise History of Kashrut in Post-War Australia

The following post was submitted by "Kosherman" as a l-o-n-g comment to our post Australian Kosher News or Australian Treif News?

"Kosherman" seems to have more than average knowledge about the workings and recent history of Kashrut in Melbourne and Sydney. He has taken the time to give us so many interesting and unknown facts on this important topic that we feel it deserves a post of its own. Therefore we asked and received his permission to publish it as a Guest Post. (With the approval of the author, we have edited and made a few changes to parts of this post for clarity etc.)

We shall be more than happy to receive further information and comments from readers who have familiarity with the subject matter.

To introduce myself, I am a lifelong Kosher consumer who has resided in both Melbourne and Sydney and have for personal, communal and business reasons ‘stuck my nose’ into Kashrut matters.

My aim, one of these days, is to establish a blog specialising in all aspects of Kashrut in Australia. There is much to be recorded, believe me.

Often discussed is the cost of Kosher products, including meat and poultry, and why these are so much higher in Sydney than in Melbourne. It is no secret that caterers in Sydney pay more for supervision charges than those in Melbourne. While I can accept that certain Sydney Simcha Kashrut standards may be somewhat more stringent than Melbourne, the difference in charges seems extreme.

The KA website states:
Function Charges http://www.ka.org.au/index.php/Function_Charges.html

Functions up to $19.99 catering charge per guest - KA charge $1.20 per guest
Functions from $20.00 to $69.99 catering charge per guest - KA charge $4.27 per guest
Functions $70.00 and over catering charge per guest - KA charge $6.60 per guest
Kiddush - KA charge $180.20 flat fee

(I understand that there is also be an additional fee to pay for the Mashgiach/Shomer.) The above indicates that having catered Simcha in Sydney could cost an extra 10% for supervision.

In Melbourne as far as I can ascertain the fees are substantially lower. However for some reason Melbourne’s Kashrut authorities are not as open as the NSW KA and do not publicly state there charges. (If anyone knows, I would like to hear what these charges are.)

The reason why Melbourne’s fees are lower is obvious. Melbourne has more than the one single Kashrut authority. Competition is GREAT for us consumers. Does anyone doubt that if Kosher Australia or Adass didn’t have concerns about each other (and to some extent, Rabbi Meir Rabi’s “Kosher veYosher”), they too would consider higher charges?

The same goes for meat. Because Melbourne has 3 Kosher meat suppliers/hashgachot, the consumer benefits - by each one keeping the others honest. Interestingly,I hear that dozens of Sydney families purchase their meat from Unfanger in Melbourne. Why? Obviously his quality is excellent, but how much better than the Sydney butchers? The reason obviously has to do with price. For a large family, a few dollars per kilo adds up quite quickly and can make a huge difference in the budget.

Thus, the answer to the AJN’s recent Vox Pop question on whether we should have a single Kashrut authority in Australia must be a thunderous NO!. In fact consumers would be better off if there was even more Kashrut “competition” in all cities.

But to give credit where it is due, the NSW KA publishes a Directory which I recall is very reasonably priced ($10 or $20). But even better, their entire directory is available on-line – free of charge. That is definitely a great boost for Kosher consumers on tight budgets. It also comes handy when people travel on holidays and forget to bring along the directory. Just hop on-line and get all the info you need. A valuable resource which we should all save in our Bookmarks. www.ka.org.au/index.php/component/option,com_kosherdb/Itemid,60

Melbourne’s Kosher Australia, who charge $55 for their directory (the most expensive such booklet on the planet?) could learn from their Sydney colleagues.
(See: http://www.kosher.org.au/KAFB Renewal Blank 2009 Form.doc )

Here’s a potted (post-WW2) Kashrut history for the younger people reading this blog. Most of us oldies will have heard a lot of this.

Sydney originally had a Beth-Din-operated Shechita. (The BD also approved a few other products. Anyone remember McWilliam Wines?) A few additional items were produced under their label for Pesach use. This changed with the arrival of the “frum” Hungarians, ie, Sydney’s Adass community whose first rabbi, Rav Bernath, had been a Shochet in Budapest. They established an independent Shechita which I have been told even “exported” meat to discerning customers in Melbourne. (This was prior to the Melbourne Adass shechita being established.) Following the Adass/Yeshiva split, the Yeshiva too established a shechita, which went on for a number of years until, as I recall, both realised the stupidity of the double expenditure, and they joined forces, but still ‘competing’ with the Beth Din. Eventually it all became one and the Kashrut Authority came into being. These days, as we know, they are the only game in town.

Here's a differing POV - from the NSW KA website:

Why is there only one certification body in NSW?

Prior to the establishment of the KA (in 1990) there were numerous certification bodies in NSW. This was the cause of much angst and divisiveness within the community. People accepted only particular hechsherim, and so were unable to eat at each other’s tables and functions. The community together with the Rabbonim decided it was preferable to have a united body with a universally acceptable standard

In Melbourne, meanwhile, they had competing Batei Din/Shechita during and post-war years when Rav Gurevitz of Carlton established what was considered to be a higher Kashrut standard. However that didn’t last too long and the Melbourne Beth Din won the day. In the late 40s Melbourne’s Adass was established and they immediately brought out a shochet, the well-known Rev M S Rosenbaum. For a while they also had the services of Rav Betzalel Wilschansky. Old-timers tell me that most of the community’s “frum” newcomers and even a number of pre-war Carltoners - would only buy meat and poultry from one of the 4 (!!!) Adass supervised butchers and/or 2 poultry suppliers. Interestingly, for many years all were located on High Street (now St Kilda Road) St Kilda!

That was the situation until the 70s, when Chabad established a shop in Carlisle Street. That was followed by Solomons (who had previously sold poultry - under a different name - in Acland Street -supervised by the Melb BD) opening large modern premises in Glen Eira Road under the Mizrachi Kashrut. This shop eventually incorporated the Chabad butcher shop.

Some time later, Continental Butchers in Glenferrie Road which had been under the Melb BD (not a very popular Kashrut seal to most religious families) transfered to Mizrachi supervision. Allegedly this upset the owners of Solomons who promptly dropped the Mizrachi and asked the late Rabbi Groner z’’l to become their supervisor. By this time, Melbourne which used to have many Kosher butchers, was reduced to 3 – each under a different hashgacha. Pretty amazing in itself.

Meanwhile Mizrachi were growing in the Kashrut field and began producing their popular directory while at the same time promoting themselves as the Australia’s foremost authority (which they possibly are, though doubtful if the NSW KA agrees). To be more acceptable to the 'religious' community, as well as overseas Kashrut authorities with whom they liaise, they dropped the “Mizrachi” tag, as in many places this is seen as less than Mehadrin. They became “Melbourne Kosher” and at a later stage “Kosher Australia”. (I have heard speculation that when the name “Kosher Australia” was created, some were hoping to swallow Sydney as well… Of course that never eventuated. But I often wonder who was the Chelmer chacham who slipped up and so unoriginally replicated the NSW authority’s long-established “KA” label. 2 KA’s in our small Kosher consuming society! Definitely a bit strange. I was thinking, how it would be if the Adass Kashrut decided to call themselves “Kosher Adass” and also take on the “KA” initials… And then why not a “Kosher Adelaide” as well?)

Besides the Adass, Mizrachi had no real competitor. That is, until the arrival of Rabbi Mottel Gutnick from Sydney, who had for some time been in charge of that city’s Kashrut Authority gaining experience in the field. In addition to his position as rabbi in Doncaster, Rabbi Gutnick quickly established his own independent, or rather, private, label and was ‘in competition’ with Mizrachi. By that the time the Kashrut division of the Melbourne Beth Din (ie Rabbi M’s uncle, Rabbi Shulem Gutnick) was slowly expiring.

Some time later, Mizrachi, still hoping to become the undisputed authority in Melbourne, made Rabbi Mottel ‘an offer he couldn’t refuse’. (This was despite bad feelings by some – not least of all their rabbi at the time, Rabbi Baruch Zaichyk , who found it difficult to forgive Rabbi Gutnick for his hurried approval of Glick’s bakery after it was thrust aside by Mizrachi. However the Mizrachi leadership calculated that the long term benefit of being in charge of Melbourne’s Kashrut made it worthwhile to forget that affair. Thus Rabbi Gutnick was placed at the helm of Mizrachi’s operation and into the deal delivered his collection of establishments. There was also the matter of Rabbi Yanki Barber of South Caulfield who also had a couple of shops under him. Mizrachi took care of him similarly - offering him a position and thus removing another competitor. It was said at the time that to attract more “Haredim”, Mizrachi hired Kollel Beth Hatalmud’s Rabbi Nachman Sofer - adding his name to their growing and impressive rabbinical inventory.

Meanwhile Rabbi Chaim Gutnick, continued to supervise Ungar catering on behalf of Elwood Shul (which after his passing transferred to Kosher Australia). The late Rabbi Rudzki also approved a number of caterers. (Those seem to have been taken over by Rabbi Meir Rabi.)

Adass Kashrut has also been around for yonks. In the early years it was only butchers and poultry shops, chalav yisrael, oil and a limited number of products. This has over the past couple of decades expanded to caterers, food producers and shops, as well as the checking out of major companies eg Kellogs, Fosters etc on behalf of local consumers and overseas authorities. It is generally accepted by most, that the Adass standard is the highest in Australia and the important overseas Haredi Kashrut groups such as the Edah Haredit in Jerusalem and Kedassia in London work hand-in-hand with their rabbis.

In the past months we have seen Adass drop a number of establishments - for whatever reasons. These were immediately snapped up by Kosher Australia. Thus, unless one insists on Adass kashrut, those establishments are still there for us consumers. Another advantage of multiple Kashrut authorities.

This is all I have time for right now, but I hope to return and offer further facts and thoughts on the continuing evolution of Kashrut in Australia. Please note that the chronology may not be 100% accurate. I welcome comments and especially corrections.

Shmuley Boteach: Not enough space between the 'eyes'...

The ‘Hesped’ on Michael Jackson by Shmuley Boteach [AJN 3/7/09 http://tinyurl.com/mbofub ] probably says as much about Boteach and his family as it does about Jackson.

Rather than being embarrassed by his close relationship with this notorious weirdo, menuval and alleged paedophile, Boteach tells us that his daughter burst into tears when learning of Jackson’s demise.

How can a so-called ‘orthodox’ rabbi and indeed one that calls himself a Lubavitch chosid, allow his children to be exposed this bizarre and creepy individual whose live-in partner was an ape?

Is Boteach proud of the fact that his friend’s friend was a chimpanzee?

The question many ask is - is there truly no level that Boteach won’t sink to for the sake of publicity and self-promotion?

Talking of self-promotion, perceptive AJN readers would have become aware of Boteach's serious blemish, ie, not having enough space between his eyes. Or rather –“I”s.
Yep. No less than 21 times does Rabbi Shmuley use the word “I” in that short obituary of his mate. One could be forgiven for thinking that he was actually eulogising himself…

*****
A quick Google search also brought up the following – which require no commentary.

Jackson was loving and attentive father, many say
By JOCELYN NOVECK AP National Writer

NEW YORK (AP) - When Rabbi Shmuley Boteach brought his children to play with Michael Jackson's kids at Neverland Ranch some eight years ago, the rabbi's youngsters naturally made a beeline for the fabulous rides - the Ferris wheel, the roller coaster, the bumper cars. But when Jackson's own kids asked to go on the rides, he gently reminded them of the family rules, according to Boteach: The rides were only for birthdays or special occasions.

"He was very concerned that the kids grow up with the right values," says Boteach, Jackson's former friend and spiritual adviser…

"To the extent that Michael Jackson's kids COULD have a normal life, he wanted them to have it," says Boteach, who eventually fell out with Jackson.

"Listen, I'm not here to whitewash the sins of Michael Jackson - he was accused of some abominable things," says the rabbi, referring to the pop star's trial and acquittal on molestation charges. "But when it came to being a father, there was much to admire."
…Of course, even Jackson's closest friends are at a loss to explain what for many is the single most memorable image of Jackson as a father: the shocking moment when he dangled Blanket, then an infant, over a hotel balcony in Berlin, showing the baby off to fans with a delighted grin. "What made that incident so inexplicable was that he was an OVER-protective father," Boteach says. http://wtop.com/?nid=114&sid=1710445

***************
Michael's Messages

"Jew me, sue me.....kick me, kike me...." Lyrics from a 1995 Michael Jackson song

"They're like leeches....the Jews do it on purpose..." Recorded phone message from Jackson, 2005

These quotations, coupled with the report from Panorama magazine that Jackson had followed the lead of his brother Jermaine and converted to Islam, would seem to indicate that the late singer was essentially hostile to Jews and Judaism.

Yet, equally credible reports indicate that he was a frequent Sabbath guest at the home of Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, who toured with Michael Jackson in 1999 and brought him along to the Carlebach Shul in Manhattan that year.

I do not understand the connection between the two men, who had very different outlooks.
Perhaps Jackson then felt a need for a rabbi in his life, and Boteach felt the need for a rich homosexual pedophile in his. Go figure!

Most bizarre of the connections between Michael Jackson and the Jewish people is that his second wife Debbie Jean Rowe (Mrs Jackson 1996-1999), the mother of his two older children (Michael Joseph and Paris Michael Katharine), is Jewish! According to Jewish law, the children are Jewish too, although they may not know it. http://glazerbeam.blogspot.com/2009/07/michaels-messages.html

Aussie Echo post

Watch this Blog

I was just made aware of a new blog, AJN Watch, which has been setup to counter the perceived anti-orthodox bias of the Australian Jewish News.
As an observant Jew I must agree that the AJN certainly seems to do its best to highlight any negative issues that the community has and appears to emphasise stories when a frum individual is accused of doing something wrong. Case in point was the disgusting front page in last week's paper of a Rabbi who has been accused of wrongdoing. Despite a one's personal feelings this rabbi has not been tried and found guilty yet. Maybe the Jewish News and others know something we don't but I always thought that one needs to be found guilty by a judge before he is sentenced.
I also find it frustrating that the AJN journalists know very little about the frum community and often have incorrect reports, quotes etc in articles that pertain to us. I put this down to the fact that there do not appear to be any frum journalists (except for Yossi Aron who seems to be confined to one particular area of the paper) and also that the paper does not seem to care about our segment of the community. Until the Jewish News editors and management make a concerted effort to understand the frum section of the community I cannot see this changing.
The solution the writers of the blog propose is to purchase the Hamodia. While I do like this paper it has nothing to do with our local community. I certainly enjoy reading news about frum communities overseas but I would also like to know what is going on in our community. I know that there is a segment of frum Melbourne who care nothing for the less frum but most of us want to know what is happening in the Jewish community. Until there is someone who wants to invest in another newspaper for the Jewish community of Melbourne (or Australia) I cannot see the Hamodia taking the place of the AJN.
If I can offer a defence of the Jewish News (at my peril)...I am sure that we understand that the orthodox community is only a small section of the Melbourne Jewish community. The fact that the overwhelming majority of the journalists are not frum, the owners affiliate strongly with the Liberal/Progressive/Reform (whatever it is being called today) movement and the prevailing culture is extremely secular leads to articles in that paper which have very little Jewish content apart from the fact that they are about Jews or written by Jews. I cannot see this changing.
In any case I am looking forward to reading future posts on this new blog and honestly hope that the owner(s) can encourage a positive change to the Jewish News which will satisfy the majority of the Orthodox community..
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We appreciate Aussies Echo's publicising our new blog but at the same time feel that his comments need to be addressed. So here goes:

Aussie Echo:
The solution the writers of the blog propose is to purchase the Hamodia. While I do like this paper it has nothing to do with our local community. I certainly enjoy reading news about frum communities overseas but I would also like to know what is going on in our community.

AJN Watch:
First of all, the Hamodia welcomes reports submitted by every single frum organization and shul. All they need to do is get someone to write about your organization and it will be published – including photographs. Unlike the AJN which cuts submissions to tiny threads and allows only a few words – if that – to be ‘yotzeh’.

OTOH, do you or any other frum Jew really need to know what is happening at the Temple, Betar, Kadimah, Skif camp or the Mt Scopus debutante ball? Will having this muktzeh machmas mius newspaper add to the Yiras Shamayim or Chasidus of children reading about these topics? Or indeed, letting them see a “Jewish” newspaper advertising chazir-treif and mechalel-Shabbos restaurants? Is this the price you are prepared to pay because you “would also like to know what is going on in our community”?

Aussie Echo continues:
I know that there is a segment of frum Melbourne who care nothing for the less frum but most of us want to know what is happening in the Jewish community.

AJN Watch:
Really? Even if the price for your inquisitiveness is that you and your community be abused and vilified continuously as well as exposing the family to anti-religious and anti-Torah content?
FYI, most of the segment of the frum community who don’t allow the AJN into their homes actually DO care about the less frum – but not at the price of bringing toxic trash into their homes. One can care about less frum people without taking such risks.

AE: Until there is someone who wants to invest in another newspaper for the Jewish community of Melbourne (or Australia) I cannot see the Hamodia taking the place of the AJN.

AJN Watch:
Eh? That is EXACTLY why the Hamodia was established. To be the newspaper of record for the entire frum community. But it needs our support. Otherwise you are automatically increasing the strength of the AJN and it’s chazzir-treif restaurants.

AE: “If I can offer a defence of the Jewish News … The fact that the overwhelming majority of the journalists are not frum, the owners affiliate strongly with the Liberal/Progressive/Reform movement and the prevailing culture is extremely secular leads to articles in that paper which have very little Jewish content apart from the fact that they are about Jews or written by Jews. I cannot see this changing.

AJN Watch:
No, of course it won’t change – unless the frum community asserts its powers. It can be done – but their needs to be a will and leadership of our rabbis and layleaders. At the moment this is sadly lacking.

"Charged"

While most members of the Australian Jewry were appalled and sickened at the sensationalism of the front page of last week’s newspaper, many religious Jews just shrugged their shoulders and stated the obvious: “Nu, what can we expect from our self-hating anti-semitic mamzerim”. After all, this is not the first time that the Jewish News has done all in its power to besmirch and slander the face of frum Jews and if nothing is done about it - neither the last time.

As one prominent rabbi stated: “The Zionists have Antony Loewenstein and we have the Jewish News”. While both are outstanding examples of Jewish self-hatred, the AJN in constantly attacking Loewenstein is also guilty of hypocrisy and duplicity.

For the so-called voice of Australian Jewry to so recklessly and idiotically supply fodder to every Nazi and anti-semitic website in the world is simply sickening - even according to their bottom-scraping standards. Check out the Jew-hater's websites and you'll find most of them gleefully linking and quoting from the Australian Jewish News - helping them confirm their hate-propaganda about Jews and rabbis being swindlers and thieves. If the AJN is aiming to increasing anti-semitism worldwide, it is indeed being very successful.

If Chabad communities all over Australia - as well as the orthodox Synagogues - had any pride or self-respect, they would place a ban on all advertising - communal, business and personal on the AJN both their own and of their constituents - until the accepted minimal standards. It is a colossal Chilul Hashem seeing "Stuermer'-style rabbinical vilification on one page and advertisements placed by religious/Chassidic organizations on another.

The AJN ought to be ashamed of itself, but the orthodox community should not sit back and turn the other cheek.