In an urgent letter to Sweden’s government officials, Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar expressed “grave concern” for the wellbeing of Sweden’s Chabad emissaries, Rabbi Alexander and Leah Namdar, and their family.
Lazar wrote the letter to Sweden’s ambassador to Russia after learning that the Namdars, who have raised their family of 11 in Gothenburg, were fined €73,000 as a penalty for homeschooling their children. The Namdars have been serving Gothenburg’s Jewish community for the past 27 years.
“Sweden has until recently been known as a liberal, democratic society that respects individuality and freedom of religion,” Lazar wrote. He pointed to Sweden’s law that permits homeschooling in special circumstances. “It is alarming therefore that the appeals court has not considered their religious concerns and the security aspect at all.” He cited an attack on a local synagogue by young Muslims last December.
The latest development in a saga that has been unfolding over years, the Namdars have been relentlessly pursued by the local government over the Jewish education they’ve provided their children. For both religious reasons and security concerns they have chosen to homeschool their children. Namdar would not rule out anti-Semitism, telling lubavitch.com that “this preposterous fine has shown Sweden to be a very inhospitable place.”
As long as there are Jews in Gothenburg who depend on their services, they plan to stay put, committed to their life calling as Chabad emissaries. Their children speak four languages and enjoy the benefits of an excellent education. “We are passionate about education, and our children have the benefit of a full program of standard studies, in addition to a rich Jewish education. This is not available to them in the city’s schools, where they would be at a real risk in an environment that is hostile to Jewish people, particularly those who are readily identifiable.”
The Namdars have lost their case in the lower and middle courts where they sought to have the hefty fine, the equivalent of a $84,000.00, rescinded. They are now awaiting a decision from the Supreme Court. What hangs in the balance, says Leah, is “whether Sweden will allow religious freedom and ensure the protection of its citizens.”
At Chabad-Lubavitch International Headquarters in New York, Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky said, “We take this matter very seriously. We are reviewing our options.”
(Baila Olidort – Lubavitch.com)
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4 Responses
“……Rabbi Yehuda Krinsky said, “We take this matter very seriously. We are reviewing our options.”…..”
Your only option is to help the Jews make Aliyah.
What !? , you think it’s going to get better in Europe?
Chabad did wonderful work in Chul , but the party’s over , or doesn’t anybody get the message from Above..
Enough kiruv with Shabbatons, kosher food, Chanukah dreidels & latkes, Purim graagers & hamantaschen, mikvahs and re-opening old empty shuls …. Bring the Jews home..
Don’t worry, Hashem will find you parnassah in EY also.
BTW… Look for architects/engineers on how to safely dismantle 770 in Crown Heights, and replant it in Kfar something or other, because it’s gonna happen here too…
In another 6 years for sure…
Stop burying your heads in sand.
Oh sure, come to the geula, eh? Did you know that yesterday the womens’ mikveh in Kiryat Motzkin was shut down by the city mayor (Chaim Tzuri). He’s been having a fight with the Rav here for years, the past year being particularly fierce and trying to (in his own words) “make [the Rav’s] life miserable.”
Why does Chabad stay in chul? Because the Rebbe did not want want to abandon the Jews there. One high government official (I can find you the interview they had with him– I cant seem to remember if he was from the Mossad or not) tells of how they wanted to take an entire Jewish community from some remote country to Israel, but someone who they held in high regard was stopping them from doing so…
Well the Mossad did their research and realized it was the Lubavitcher Rebbe. So they sent their representative to the Rebbe to convince him…
Well the Rebbe was firm in his stance, and explained to them that it was better for the Jews to remain where they were.
I can get into all the particulars of this issue (especially if I felt you would listen to any of it) but from the tone of your comment I am deliberating if it will be worth the effort (please do tell me if I am mistaken and I will grant you a due apology).
I just feel that it takes a lot of chutzpah to so blatantly jeer the well-thought out (!!!) decisions of a movement that fought the original Zionist kofrim (then known as Maskillim) a hundred years before Hertzel was born. And if that is not enough, then being so blatantly jeering in the face of someone with the stature of the Rebbe.
Now if you have what to say about the Rebbe then obviously that’s where our conversation will end; in other words I am mostly basing my stance here on the fact that a gadol b’Yisroel made this decision to keep Chabad centers all over the world (until the final Geula bimheira beyameinu amen). I take issue with your tone on how you treat such decisions by those much greater than you.
Ysiegel.
Let me assure you that I had he greatest respect for the Rebbe, and me with him once, heard his farbrengens countless times..
Now….The world today is different than it was 30 years ago… different from even 3 years ago, so bring up stories from the past is moot. The danger to Jews worldwide is increasing but you won’t admit it because you refuse to see the miraculous growth in EY, and an imminent Geulah…. So as you blithely bucket-throw the word “kofrim” , please do some introspection. As a non-rabbi, non-Gadol, I , a simple Jew believe in it, as did our ancestors but who unfortunately weren’t zocha to see it. If you don’t see seeds of geulah then , look in the mirror.
“….original Zionist kofrim (then known as Maskillim)…”
A piece of 2-bit Revision… Not all maskillim were Zionist , not all Zionists kofrim.
Jews no longer have place in Europe and Chabad, the great organization, should now to turn to getting them to our Holy Land. If that be chutzpah, I’m in.
Are you saying that those greater than me advocate for staying in place despite growing anti-Semitism which will not abate? Then they can’t be great people.
Great people pain for the safety of other Yidden. Do you not see what’s going on there?
Or is your hatred for Israel so great that you prefer to encourage them to stay.
Isn’t that what some “great” people urged before WWII?
“…..(until the final Geula bimheira beyameinu amen). …”
Doesn’t sound your heart is in it.. Just another drasha end…
Finally:
“…..womens’ mikveh in Kiryat Motzkin was shut down by the city mayor (Chaim Tzuri). He’s been having a fight with the Rav here for years, the …..”
Here’s an idea:
Move the Swedish Jews into Motzkin and throw the bum out. Flood the Orthodox European Jews into Tel Aviv and vote the bums out…
Nah, you’re not interested…
Here’s a chutzpah challenge:
Go walk around Paris with a big yarmulkah on your head for say… about 15 minutes…
Then we’ll talk again. Bimheirah beyomeinu..
……You’re so protective of the Rebbe, but you harp back to the old dynastic Chabad rebbes who were ferocious anti-Zionsts.
So you write:
“…….decisions of a movement that fought the original Zionist kofrim ….”
What you omit is the fact that the Rebbe had a warm relationship with many Zionists leaders and thinkers and knew how to talk to them. I was at 770 when he greeted President Shazar & PM begin… warm, warm welcomes indeed.
And he accomplished even behind the scenes.
Other than the” Mihu Yehudi” campaign , the Rebbe was not hostile as his forebears, or you..
Certainly, he never referred to them as kofrim , even if he might have felt it.
So ,Ysiegel, you’re a bit disingenuous when discussing the Rebbe by omitting what you don’t particularly like..
Remember the past, but live in the now..