Thursday, February 18, 2010

The letter


Well, despite my lawyer's warning (Nemo, I'm blaming you for this) I've decided to upload the letter I received. Since I couldn't figure out how to blow it up so that you could all see it I'm also putting up a link to the original scanned pdf here.

107 comments:

Altie said...

Now I realize why people think of lubavitch as a cult. I wonder what the 'unpleasant measures' would be. I would hate to be the one to find out.

Anarchist Chossid said...

What’s cult-like about this letter? Sounds no worse than request to maw my lawn from time to time that I got from community watch while living in New Orleans.

Rationally pious said...

Satmer, we are ready to join your ranks!

Rationally pious said...

CA, suppressing the right of free speech is not cult-like? It is the first step towards tyranny.

What I find fascinating is the threat. Is there anyway you can find out explicitly? That way, it will be on record so we can all be amused.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Who said freedom of speech is a Jewish value? Freedom of speech is fine, but when it results in pritzus, litzoinus, bittul Torah, chillul Hashem and exposure of people to chochmas chitzoinius, it becomes a dangerous thing.

e said...

1. These people are so arrogant, using presumptuous rabbinic hyperbole like "online 'weblog'" and discussing perpetuation of fires burning at the edge of the camp.

2. I doubt any rabbi was concerned enough about these blogs to do anything. Some "activist" asked the rabbi to agree, and the rabbi agreed. From what I hear, it's not too hard to make the CH rabbanim agree to something. My aunt has horror stories about people who wanted her to print things in the name of rabbanim in her newsletter...

3. Where are the signatures?

4. CA: to a fundie, this situation makes sense.

5. You realize that by publishing this letter you're disobeying their commands--I mean recommendations.

The campaign for real-time TRS---remember me from the good old days of liberty and freedom? said...

disable the damn word verification!

Altie said...

This is what's gonna happen. You keep this up (TRS and yossi) and they are gonna come for you in the middle of the night... (that's an implied ending, meaning, we will never hear from you again.)

Anarchist Chossid said...

Altie, you can’t even ring into TRS’s apartment. I tried, when I thought I’d left my cell phone in it, and in vain, I couldn’t find a bell. And banging on the door had no effect.

Altie said...

Dude, if these people can find him to give him this creepy letter, believe me they can find a way into his apartment. Be afraid, be very afraid.

Anarchist Chossid said...

they can find him because he davens at hogwartz every day.

Anarchist Chossid said...

and by hogwartz i mean future beis ha’mikdosh.

Altie said...

Snort.
a) there are rules about bringing over a conversation. Youre not allowed to do that

and i already told u, hogwarts isnt real. and 770 will only be a PART of the bhm''k not the whole thing.

Anarchist Chossid said...

If you don’t tell anyone, nobody knows.

Just you see.

And a blogger friend of mine got scared enough to close his blog. See what you guys did?

Anarchist Chossid said...

where is b)?

Altie said...

no. he's a sucker.

oh ya. the b) was that hogwarts isnt real. again.

Anarchist Chossid said...

It’s people like you who say that hogwartz is not real, the rebbe is not moshiach, and that 770 is not beis ha’mikdosh that resulted romanian troops going to tahiti instead of haiti.

Altie said...

i dont know what youre talking about. but its the people who say the rebbe is moshiach, 770 is the bais hamikdash and moshiach is already here that starts all the fights.

romanian troops??

oh im so sorry if i ruined your fantasies.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Whatever. Hogwartz and 770 will become BHM, and both the Rebbe and Dumbledore are alive (together with Yakov Avinu).

Altie said...

yakov i can believe. but we all saw dumbledore die in the last movie, and even i am not that stupid.

so nu, when is moshiach coming then? you make it sound so exciting, i cant wait.

Anarchist Chossid said...

When Moshiach comes, you’ll have to choose a House to which to belong to.

Altie said...

uhu. and what are the choices, hogwarts or 770?

Mottel said...

While the writing of the letter seems like someone who knows how to write in the style of a pashkville - the fact that Y's version has the photoshoped signatures of Osdaba and Schwei makes the whole thing seem very suspicious . . . I highly highly doubt the Badatz d'kak has time or interest to run after these blogs, and if they did it would be on stationary etc . . . not cut and pasted into a pashkville.

Which this in turns make the entire idea of the letters rather odd . . . even if writing a pashkville, why would they put the names of the rabbis on them.

I think these are some bad practical joke . . . whoever did it was sloppy with the signatures, and made up some weird organization in the one to "chanan" (the kolel types go by agudas avreichi lubavitch hadoagim l'tovas hashechuna . . . not the some weird take off of NCFJE's name)

theRealPianist said...

Wow, This is seriously worrying me. I think that I'm going to close down my blog.

something like this could be bad for my career haz veshalom... i'm taking my music videos down.
if anyone wants my piano videos email me at pm0550@bcmail.brooklyn.cuny.edu

I hope this is fixed soon...

Just like a guy said...

e: I've removed word verification. You're welcome.

e said...

trs+yossi: who presented these letters to you?

I just emailed one of the anti-mimulo activists, asking him if this is his doing. I shall keep you posted.

Altie said...

wait, mimulos too? when was that? is that why there wasnt a poetry slam in awhile?

Just like a guy said...

I got mine dropped in the mailbox outside my house, no name on it obviously, just my name on the envelope.

Altie said...

CHSP (crown heights secret police)

bonne said...

Well I feel like a rogue already.

e said...

wow. that is really mafia style.

theRealPianist said...

should I delete my facebook?

Altie said...

no, you have nothing to worry about, 'they' are not coming after you.

theRealPianist said...

but they commented one of my videos...

Anarchist Chossid said...

tRP, don’t worry, I have a job for you as a pianist lined up in my uncle’s “bar”. Also, don’t worry about that heckler guy. He’s been taken care of.

bonne said...

Perhaps I shall change my blog name to Pierre.

Altie said...

who are 'they' really?

theRealPianist said...

Bars are not tznius.

Altie said...

Oh no theres 2 of them... CA look what you did to him.

Anarchist Chossid said...

What has Lubavitch come to? Chassidim can’t even write pashkvillim normally. Gone are the days when there was an informer in every minyan, and it was done with professionalism, with style.

Anarchist Chossid said...

What did I do to whom?

e said...

trp: which "they" commented on your blog?

Altie said...

theRealPianist said...
Bars are not tznius.

February 18, 2010 6:53 PM


see what i mean?

Anarchist Chossid said...

I don’t get it. Bars are taken nisht tznius. But my uncle’s bar is for men only. If you know what I mean.

tRP, accompanying girls is also not tznius, but as a musician, you’ve been given a heter. So, worry not.

Altie said...

:) oh can i come? ive always wanted to go to a gay bar.

i was talking about being overly frum. not being able to take things lightly or as a joke.

Anarchist Chossid said...

It’s not a gay bar. G-d forbid. Not that tRP would have a problem with that kind of thing; he goes to a banya, after all.

It says in Gemara one should not laugh before the coming of Moshiach.

Altie said...

where does it say that? ok i rest my case.

usually when someone says 'its only for men, if you know what i mean' there is onlyone thing that could mean. so what did u mean by that?

Anarchist Chossid said...

It’s a place where Russian husbands escape nagging and play durak. Usually it’s done in a banya, but what if you already washed this week? Then you go to my uncle’s bar.

Altie said...

I understood russian, and nagging, but everything else went way over my head.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Use this.

Altie said...

oh yes a very useful tool.

Dowy said...

wait one second did you get this letter in 770 or in the mail?
or is this yossi and trs's joke on everyone?
oops sorry if i ruined anything.

Just like a guy said...

I got it in my mailbox, yossi got it in 770.

That would be a pretty weird joke to play.

Altie said...

how dowy, we should take them both aside and interrogate them separately and see iftheir stories match up. i'll bet we can find a flaw and prove that they teamed up to play a joke.

Anarchist Chossid said...

I bet I could get one of them to confess using my Russian accent alone.

Altie said...

:) ok that i understood.

Altie said...

oh oh oh and a bright light!

Anarchist Chossid said...

Bright light? Do not walk toward the light. I repeat: do not... ah, do what you want.

Altie said...

wow. who knew russians have a sense of humor.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Mongols did.

Dowy said...

well who gave it to yossi?
trs that was a compliment to ur sense of humour, anyway that letter is completely over the top, i mean who speaks like that nowdays?

Just like a guy said...

Yossi wrote a whole post about it-it's somewhere on the blog.

Thank you.

Who speaks like this? No one. But have you seen other pashkivilin out there?

Anarchist Chossid said...

“Somewhere on this blog”? You mean, in one of the five posts, two of which were written by Yossi?

Dowy said...

well its defnitly providing entertainment

Just like a guy said...

CA: http://therealbochur.blogspot.com/2010/02/updates.html

Dowy: Well, at least someone is enjoying this...

Anarchist Chossid said...

So, where is Yossi’s letter?

Just like a guy said...

He has it. He showed it to Mottel.

Dowy said...

oh i hadnt read the first part, but if these things just came in the mail without any face to it why would you take it seriously?

Nemo said...

To be sure, I am not an attorney and did not give qualified legal advice. Whatever I told you, I told you as a friend.

Altie said...

scared of a lawsuit?

Just like a guy said...

Dowy: They knew my address! Who knows were I live?

Nemo: Oh.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Who knows you have a mailbox?

Just like a guy said...

Gasp! Was it you, CA?

Dowy said...

exactly! probaly someone you know and is joking around

Anarchist Chossid said...

I wish...

But then, I have no idea who Yossi is. (Or do I?)

Just like a guy said...

Well, whomever it is, I'd like my real blog back.

Altie said...

wait wait wait!! i found a hole in your story. how come they went after only you two?? yossi is not even that famous (sorry yossi) and trs, ok maybe. but still, suddenly these 'rabbanim' ae going after bloggers, and yet there is only 2 that we hear about. very suspicious...

Just like a guy said...

Officially it's been done before:

http://crownheightsnews.blogspot.com/2009/12/rabbis-are-coming-rabbi-schwei-and.html

Dowy said...

well no that part does make sense, becouse they are the most mainstream bloggers

Nemo said...

Rabbi Gluckowsky from Israel is pretty anti-internet and I heard that he was talking about shutting Lubavitch websites down. I don't know what this is all about or this is even at the behest of the rabbonim, it might just be some kollel yungerleit trying to be smartasses. I got a letter too in my inbox. It was funny ... I could care less.

From what I hear through the grapevine, they believe that it has gotten out of hand. Supposedly some of the prosecution's evidence in the Rubashkin case came from things that community members said on blogs. There were other cases where people lost significant money based on reports on the internet. This is all besides the tznius issue and the obvious chillul hashem of airing disputes in public.

The rabbonim think they can control this by getting everyone off the internet. Wouldn't surprise me if one of these guys starts sending messages around FB in the next couple days.

Good luck!

Anarchist Chossid said...

Someone is not getting enough attention on their “real” blogs.

C said...

OK, I'll admit it. I sent those letters. I rely just wanted to see if any action would be taken...

Yossi said...

wow, I missed lots of comments

Yossi said...

altie- I doubt its because of my blogging fame. all somebody had to do was go to chrudge or whatever and look down the list of lubavitch blogs. Or maybe they did see my blog, who knows?

Yossi said...

Should I try to post my letter, as well? I'm not sure how smart it is to be doing that. Mine is basically the same, but addressed to my blog, and at the bottom are signatures from rabbanim.
mottel pronounced them to be fake. which in a way is a relief.

Dovid said...

"That would be a pretty weird joke to play."

Guys, guys, guys, why didn't I think of this before? clearly e is the mastermind behind this whole thing.......
right?

BTW- at least something good came of this: RP has come back.

fakewood inc. said...

i think its wonderful. weblogging is mamash pritzius worse than dirty magazines.

e. cult is just another word for religion that has become equal to evil religion.

theRealPianist said...

oh no... they left me a voicemail...

theRealPianist said...

also, who is RP?

Rationally pious said...

TRP,

Me.

Dovid, thanks.

Not so sure how you define good, but I doubt my resurrection qualifies. BTW can I paste our convo regarding the age on the universe on my blog?

I read it the other day and was really convinced with my own arguments. LOL

Dowy said...

wats wrong with having a fire burning on the edge of the camp? keeps away the wolves if you ask me.

Altie said...

ok, i just got the same letter as an email. still not convinced its real, but i am flattered that now my blog is a hazzard to society. yay!

Anarchist Chossid said...

Et tu, Brute?

Altie said...

who's brute?

Anarchist Chossid said...

Bruté.

Mottel said...

Brutus - killer of Gaius Julius Ceaser.

Yossi said...

Altie, you got a letter also?!!!

Altie said...

yes. and i replied and asked who they are and if its a joke. they told me its definitely not a joke, and they want me to be helpful and rat out my blogger friends. how rude. u want to see the email?

C said...

Altie-we all do!

Altie said...

u wanna see the letter and everything?

Altie said...

im starting to feel like im a part of some secret underground movement. this is rediculous.

Anarchist Chossid said...

The letter reminds of me a letter I once received from a local rabbi (regarding a different subject); except his letter was much less coherent, used poorer grammar and punctuation, was more rude, in retrospect made more sense, and was equally amusing.

Later, the same rabbi told me I swear too often on my blog.

If I didn’t already (probably) know who is behind all this, I would suspect someone like him.

Yossi said...

you think you know the person behind all this??? give me his name and address, and I'll go knock some sense into him. (Of course not really, I don't even have a baseball bat here..)

Anarchist Chossid said...

I already told Chanan.

Good Shabbos.

Dovid said...

CA- does his name begin with a lower case e?

e said...

Dovid: I often pretend to be who I'm not, but I've never done anything this elaborate.

Anarchist Chossid said...

Even though tendencies to certain behaviors sometimes run in families, I don’t think in this case it’s e.