deconstructingchabad

[deconstructingchabad]

Most cults don't look like shadowy secret underground demonic rituals and concrete compounds and mass suicides. Most look like seemingly friendly outreach groups, charitable organizations, interest groups, and alternative spiritual movements.

[deconstructingchabad]

That photo I shared is taken at "The Ohel"- the grave of Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson, the sixth Chabad Rebbe, and Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the seventh Chabad Rebbe, first of all.

The Trump family and Donald Trump himself have extensive connections to Chabad.

Here's a really extensive article covering a lot of it. While I don't endorse all of the language used, it's still an accurate and thorough reporting:

This article was written in 2017, and so connections have only run deeper since then.

Ben Shapiro also has connections to Chabad, publically endorsing them and speaking at Chabad events.

Presented without comment

[deconstructingchabad]

Actually I think if you haven't grown up Chabad yourself you shouldn't tell people what they can and can't say about Chabad. People should be allowed to talk about their experiences growing up within Chabad in the same way people from every other Charedi sect and/or cult should be allowed to talk about their experiences, and their words shouldn't be misconstrued as a condoning of antisemitic violence. Survivors of abuse shouldn't be forced to be silent because their words don't fit the narrative you've constructed in your head about the communities they come from.

And if you think Chabad is nothing but a perfectly benevolent organization that just wants to help every single Jew without prejudice, then their propaganda is working on you. Individual Chabad shluchim can have the most lofty of intentions, you could have had the most positive experiences with individual Chabadnikim and Chabad houses, but that doesn't change the fact that the organization itself is predatory and harmful.

[deconstructingchabad]

Well I created this blog because I was getting fed up with progressive and queer Jews on Tumblr thinking Chabad is somehow progressive and in any way their friend, when it absolutely is not.

Presented without comment

[deconstructingchabad]

Something I noticed when moving to the region I live in now was that the Jewish Federation (actual umbrella organization for all the Jewish organizations in the area) had the URL "jewish[county name].org"... and that Chabad had the URL "jewish[county name].com." This seemed exactly like phishing or like the practices of "crisis pregnancy centers" to me.

Yeah I hate to say it but it's probably intentional, Chabad will also usually claim domains like "[insert university name] Jews" or the like, despite the fact that there are other Jewish organizations on college campuses and despite the fact that college campus Chabad houses are very often not "officially" associated with the colleges they're established at so they don't have to deal with official university regulations and codes of conduct (this also means that many don't have access to university allocations for student organizations and have to rely on alternative sources of funding). Then again, sometimes it's not intentional in the beginning, since there's only so many combinations you can do for a URL, but.....yeah.

Another note in case you didn't know:

.org is a domain extension typically denoting an organization, often a non-profit one.

.com is a domain extenstion typically denoting a commercial business (though nowadays it's used for most website domains whether they're commercial or not).

So. Not saying this means that these specific Chabad houses aren't nonprofit organizations, since nowadays nonprofit organizations can have the .com domain extension.... but it does mean you should look into them a little further.

[deconstructingchabad]

It shouldn't take being queer for people to realize they can get out. It shouldn't take being traumatized and ostracized for people to realize they can leave.

[deconstructingchabad]

I have to say I'm very tired of the all-or-nothing view people have of cults and cult survivors and deconstruction. It feels like the only people talking about surviving and deconstructing from religious cults are those who took a completely hard turn in the other direction towards atheism, areligiousity, and even anti-theism. But I'm still a very proud Jew. I'm still an Orthodox Jew, and by for intents and purposes I'm still as frum as I was when I was in Chabad. I don't hate Judaism, I don't hate Orthodox Judaism, and one of the reasons I'm so passionate about talking about how harmful Chabad is because it's such a very real threat to Judaism. I love Judaism and being Jewish- that's why I speak out against Chabad.

[deconstructingchabad]

One of the things I hate so much is how much a foothold Chabad has in Jewish affairs and how well they hide who they actually are. When I talk about how they're a cult and how much they traumatized me and so many I know, people treat me like I'm crazy. They've so successfully monopolized Judaism, so many people think they're a wholesome outreach organization, and even if they acknowledge some problematic elements of their ideology, they'll treat them like harmless kooks instead of the highly organized and powerful cult that they are. It's so isolating.

[deconstructingchabad]

They already do, it's the Tzivos Hashem child soldiers

Chabad anime mascot when

[deconstructingchabad]

Songs of my childhood

I've been pretty busy with the Yamim Noraim and personal matters, so I haven't had the time to make really big deep-dives lately, but I still want to post on this blog, so I've decided to start a series breaking down the songs from my childhood in Chabad and the harmful messaging in them. Since each post will only be one song, they won't take as much work as a really extensive deep-dive on one specific topic.

So, to start off strong, we'll start with "A Child Alone on the Shore". From a cursory search, the first online published lyrics of this song I found from a compilation of Chabad camp songs in 2008, and in a blog post from 2009, I found it attributed to the album "Oh Rebbe 2", an album released in 1998 by Mendy Chanin and Meir HaLevy Eshel. So, this song has been around for at least 25 years. It's no surprised that it first sprang up after the death of Rabbi Schneerson, since it contains really heavy Messianic overtunes and allusions to his "bodily death", as believers put it, and the belief of his return. So, without further ado, here is the song:

A child alone on the shore, Waving a light up so high. To signal a ship that no one can see, In the rough open ocean and vast darkened sky. As every sailor passed by, They questioned the boy with the light, 'Why little one do stand at your post, There is nothing and no one in sight?' The young boy looked up, his face all aglow, And waved his small lantern above and below. 'Please wait here with me, the ship we will see,' 'Dear child explain to us how do you know?' 'I'm firm in my faith, the answer is clear, I'm so very certain the ship will appear. The captain has told me and promised he'll come, Of course I believe him, for I am his son.' The Rebbe, our captain, his promise will keep, Knowing a chossid's emunah proclaims. 'I'm firm in my faith the answer is clear, V'hu Yigolainu - Omein.'

Notes:

Chossid- word for follower of a Chassidic movement, in this case, a follower of Chabad Chassidut and specifically of Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson

Emunah- Hebrew word for faith

The last line is a Hebrew transliteration and translates to "And he will redeem us, Amen".

Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson and his wife, Chaya Mushka Schneerson, never had any biological children of their own, and a common sentiment in the Chabad community is that "the Rebbe didn't need an heir because we are his children". The idea of being the spiritual children of a spiritual leader isn't really a Jewish value- we're all descended of Avraham Avinu, the first Patriarch, and we certainly are Bnei Yisrael, the children of Yisrael/Yaakov, but that's because from a cultural and ethnic perspective, we literally are- Judaism is a descent-based ethnoreligion, so we are most of us descended from a single entity. But you'd be hard pressed to find followers of any other Rabbi call themselves his children.

The idea of referring to your spiritual leader as your father is, well, something you see a lot in Christianity, especially in denominations where the clergy take a vow of abstinence and thus would not have biological children of their own. But Judaism has no such thing- sex isn't the sinful thing it's treated as in Christianity, and spiritual leaders especially are encouraged to lead by example by marrying and procreating.

We don't know why exactly Menachem Mendel and Chaya Mushka Schneerson never had children- whether it was a choice or because they struggled with infertility- and it feels wrong to speculate or ascribe judgement because, well, at the end of the day, whether it was a choice or not, it's still very personal, and they themselves might not be alive to hear the way we talk about them, but other couples might. Having children or not having children is morally neutral.

But what's not theologically neutral is assigning divinity to a human being, something that is explicitly forbidden in Judaism. You'll also notice that any mention of G-d is absent in this song- it's the Rebbe that's the father, the Rebbe that's the redeemer. If not for the last stanza in the song, I could totally see it be a song about the Jewish people's relationship with G-d as our Parent and our yearning to be ingathered from our exiles with the coming of the Messianic age. This would not be a foreign theme- Avinu Malkeinu, a prayer recited on public fast days and on Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur, literally translates to "Our Father, our King", and is exactly that- an expression of longing for connection with our God. Which is what makes "A Child Alone on the Shore" all the more, well, spiritually icky. It takes the relationship we have and yearn for with G-d and replaces G-d with a human man. A human man, mind you, that was dead at the time of publishing this song.

I'm sure you all know where I'm going with this......

(Spoiler: It's idolatry)

[deconstructingchabad]

Man, I'm kind of bummed Chabad turned out to be yet another high control cult that abuses its members. I'm a very very lapsed Jew trying to figure out what to do and while there are two synagogues near me, both are pretty much entirely descended from the initial handful of families that founded them in the 40s and 50s and not super welcoming of newbies. The only Jewish organization doing any sort of outreach or catchup courses is the local Chabad house. If they're gonna push any messianic crap though, I might as well just avoid them. I get enough of that crap from the Jews for Jesus newsletters around town. Oh well.

Yeah, it really sucks because I maintain that Chabad does provide an invaluable service to the Jewish community, often because it's the only resource available in many places (this is by design, often it'll outcompete other Jewish organizations and establishments). I wish there were other Jewish organizations with as much reach as Chabad that weren't culty and borderline idolatrous.

I will say though, in my personal opinion, if you have to choose between not being able to practice or connect with your Judaism, or use resources Chabad provides, I think you should choose using Chabad's resources, but going in there aware and taking a lot of what they say about "the Rebbe" with a grain of salt. I wouldn't want anyone to not have any lifeline to a Jewish community, especially now when antisemitism in on the rise and connection with other Jews is so important. I myself engage with the Chabad in my area not because I support them (I obviously don't), but because it's where I can go to see other Jews (who are not Chabadnikim, just regular Jews who use Chabad's services because it's the only place there is).

I know there's some Jews who would call for a total boycott of Chabad- these Jews are usually in a very large and connected Jewish community, like New York City or places in Israel- and those Jews are coming from a place of privilege to be able to say that. I don't think you or any other Jew should let their Judaism suffer, and if getting matzah from Chabad or going to services at Chabad is what you need to do- do it. Just go in there with the awareness of who they are and what they stand for. The congregants at outreach Chabad houses tend to not be Chabad themselves, anyway.

Have a wonderful Sukkot, Chag Sameach!

[deconstructingchabad]

Chabad very much is an organization. They literally identify themselves as such in the very first paragraph of their 'about' section:

You can read their 'about' yourself here if you don't believe me.

She Sukkos on my Shmini Atzeres until I Simchas Torah

[deconstructingchabad]

This is just unfortunately Normal Chabad happenings when you have a high control international religious organization that relies on donors and real estate holdings and recruitment, except it's a sect of Judaism so the recruitment is only limited to those who are already Jewish (unlike Christianity and Islam which can proselytize to non-Christians/Muslims), and so the market is already extremely saturated, leading to turf wars such as this. I personally have experienced this in numerous communities I've lived in throughout my life.

She Sukkos on my Shmini Atzeres until I Simchas Torah

[deconstructingchabad]

Presented without comment

[deconstructingchabad]

I was wondering, what percentage of Chabad would you say views the Rebbe as the Messiah? Also, do you view the aim of trying to get secular Jews to practice Judaism as a bad thing that they do?

Thanks for responding if you choose to!

I wish I had data on your first question, but from my research there hasn't been a polling specifically on that. From anecdotal evidence from my own and others' lived experiences, I would estimate that a majority of people who identify as being in the Chabad movement believe to some extent that the Rebbe is Mashiach, although there is a spectrum of belief ranging from "the Rebbe had prophetic powers and was ushering in the Messianic age but wasn't Mashiach the person" to "the Rebbe is Mashiach and while his body is deceased, his spirit is still alive and able to communicate with us". A conversation on Mi Yodea has some anecdotal responses, for example, and one response estimates that around 60% of Chabad believe that the Rebbe is/was Mashiach. The thread concludes, like I do, that there hasn't been an official polling, which is unfortunate. As soon as there is, I will rush to examine the data, but until then, we really can only rely on anecdotal testimonies.

As for your second question, I don't believe the aim to increase Jewish observance to be a bad thing. I think increasing Jewish observance and pride is a good thing, especially in today's society that seeks to suppress Jewish expression and practice. I think Chabad does provide an invaluable resource for Jews in areas without a solid Jewish support network, especially on college campuses and more remote parts of the world, and I myself still utilize Chabad's resources when I need them.

But that's part of the issue- when Chabad is the only resource available, when Chabad takes advantage of the fact that they're often the only exposure to Judaism for a good number of Jews and non-Jews alike to promote the idea that they are the archetype of Judaism. Messianic beliefs aside, I have an issue with Chabad presenting itself as the ultimate authority on Judaism. I don't like the monopoly Chabad has exercised over Jewish life. If they were just a fringe sect that didn't seek to dominate all of Judaism, I would still think they had concerning beliefs, but I wouldn't consider them to be a considerable threat to Jewish diversity of thought and practice. The issue with Chabad is the way it seeks to homogenize Judaism into a single way of thinking and practicing, when Judaism has always been diverse, going all the way back to the fact that we started out with twelve tribes.

In short- educating less-involved Jews about Judaism and seeking to increase Jewish observance and Jewish pride is not a bad thing. It's a good thing! The only problem is that Chabad generally doesn't give the whole picture of Judaism to those they educate and promote only their brand of Judaism specifically while suppressing other Jewish traditions and communities.

[deconstructingchabad]

Chabad isn’t Christian but there are a few too many similarities for comfort. At least to early Christianity when it was still predominantly Jewish ethnically and for the most part culturally and religiously but with clear divergence.

Yes, all issues aside, it's a very interesting case study on perhaps getting a glimpse on the beliefs and dynamics of pre-Christianity Jewish followers of Jesus of Nazareth. I think what has kept Chabad, and certainly the most fringe mishichistim and tzfatim, from diverging into a different religion entirely is a couple of factors:

-Chabad-Lubavitch is still quite young as a movement. The Lubavitch branch of Chassidism as a whole is only about ~250 years old (founded in 1775 by Rabbi Schneur Zalman of Liadi), the movement under Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Schneerson is only 104 years old (he began his leadership in 1920), the movement under Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson is only 73 years old (he began his leadership in 1951), and it's only been 30 years since Rabbi MM Schneerson died (he died in 1994).

-Chabad-Lubavitch still identifies as Jewish and the majority of the Jewish world considers them as such. They still follow the core tenets of Judaism, such as the observance of Shabbat on Saturday, Kashrut, and circumcision, and while the question of Avodah Zara (idol worship) is a bit more complex, every other aspect of Judaism is still followed, quite strictly, by Chabad-Lubavitch. Additionally, Jewish conversions that are overseen by Chabad-Lubavitch are generally recognized as valid by the greater Orthodox Jewish governing bodies. In contrast, Early Christianity diverged because of its acceptance of non-Jewish converts and their conversions not being recognized as valid by the greater Jewish authorities of the time, especially since they stopped requiring basic Jewish tenets such as circumcision, Shabbat, and kashrut.

Whether these two factors will change in the next few decades or even centuries remains to be seen, I'm not a prophet, so I don't know for sure whether Chabad would ever diverge into an entirely different religion entirely. Judaism is a very old religion and culture, and so changes within Judaism happen much slower than perhaps in younger religions such as Christianity and Islam, where the former especially seems to develop changes relatively quickly in the timescale. But who knows, perhaps Chabad will one day be in a position similar to Mormonism, l'havdil, where it began as an offshoot of Christianity and still somewhat considers itself Christian, but a lot of other Christians do not claim them anymore due to how fringe their beliefs are.