Great Neck, NY – Like biblical plagues raining down on them from an angry God, the white-bearded, black-hatted rabbi laid a string of curses upon the unsuspecting suburban partygoers. Banging a siddur on a table and screaming “Shema Yisrael,” the rabbi, accompanied by a four-man entourage — all of whom had burst into a Great Neck home — lit into those gathered for an evening of celebration, mixed dancing and traditional Iranian fare in honor of a little girl’s first birthday.
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After “shrieking Hebrew oaths,” the “uninvited” rabbi launched into a “lengthy diatribe” during which he told those who chose to remain at the party that they would be cursed with “illness, bankruptcy and tragedy for eternity,” according to a petition signed by some of those in attendance.
“They just came right in like a storm, inside the middle of the party,” said a woman who attended the December party but, like many others contacted by The Jewish Week, asked to remain anonymous because she fears for her safety. “They started to curse everybody, saying — ‘You’re going to have tragedies, everyone who stays here.’”
Guests and their children were allegedly so frightened by the rabbi’s intrusion that many left, while others stood shaking and crying, according to those in attendance.
This is not representative of our Rabbonim in general, so please let’s not have all of the usual anti-Torah commenters ranting about “Taliban concert-banning Rabbis”.
as my late parents of blessed memoray used to say . there are three sides to every storey , A , B , and the truth
I am sure a family member asked him to come. I know Rabbi Aderet, I can easily see him giving such a tirade but not to just randomly crash a home. He has done tons of work with the community though.
There’s got to be more to this story…
There must be more to the story. Rabbi Aderet is a well known and respected Rov who is a Rabbi a shul great Neck every other Shabbos (he takes turns with someone else.)
B”h we still have people doing the right thing
Only by Sephardim Can you have this scene of “Guests and their children were allegedly so frightened by the rabbi’s intrusion that many left, while others stood shaking and crying,”
very good chazak chazak
Chazak Vamatz. May those who left recieve a divine blessing. PPL are still doing the right thing. no room for political correctness in Judaisim,
he has helped shape the greatneck community and many people now cover their hair go to the mivah and keep shabbos because of him,
halivey we have these rabbis in our ashkanaz world that we would shake
What’s so good about this? is this way to reach yidden? Only through love, not through intimidation and fear…is this our yiddishkeit?! This is definitely not the way chabad lubavitch would ever act!
Nice to see a Rabbi who says the right thing and NOT what is not politically correct. This is what rabbonim would do in the “alter heim”
Let his try that with the SY’s in Brooklyn and see how far he gets.
He is a chasuv Rav and I have spoken to him personally before. There is more to the story and it would be unfair to read a Jewish WEAK article and assume that this is the whole story.
There is a mitzvah of “hochai’ach tochiach es amisech vilo seesa oluv chait” this is brought lihalacha in shulcchan aruch, orech chaim s. 608:2. Not like some MO think that dina dimalchusa allows mixed dancing so who is this rabbi to mix in? Halacha is always the bottom line and MO ignorance of shulchan aruch is not an excuse. Kudos to Rav Aderet. Chazak vi’amatz
A nowdays Rabbi Yockov Yosef Herman (All for The Boss) thats what America needs. He broke up a mixed dancing, about time so Rabbonim practice what they preach!!!
Typical Anti-Frum unJewish Week article. I am sure there is more, as in THE TRUTH – which this farshultina rag wont cover.
After reading the “story” in the unJewish Week, I think the Rabbi should be honored at the next dinner of every major organization. Someone has to tell these people the way it is instead of sugarcoating it all the time.
MO do not allow mixed dancing.
And while it is true that they have somewhat distorted the meaning of dina demalchusah they have never used it as an excuse to be oiver halocho.
Don’t be silly. He did not “shriek hebrew oaths”.
Who has a party for a one-year-old that goes until 10pm?
I’m sure Rav Moshe a”h would have handled the same situation the exact same way. Reb Yaakov a”h too. And Rav Pam a”h. And Rav SZ Aurbach a”h.
What I heard, was that the party was held on a fast day (perhaps asara bteves). A lot of Persians (sfardim) were raised very traditional, and then they decided that they have to be more like us frei ashkenazi’s and they went very downhill. That really saddens the Rabbonim. Not justifying trespass, but just adding some perspective to it.
there must be a lot more to the story.
Since in most cases in a rov would storm into a party that the people did not know him well would just laugh and not take him seriously. people shaken up, crying, they must really respect him.
Too bad he did not storm into a room when people where money laundering
Wow! What a beautiful story! B”H Loi Alman Yisruel!!!!
I find it hard to believe this article that Rabbi Aderet CURSED “they would be cursed with “illness, bankruptcy and tragedy for eternity,” . On the other hand Rabbi Aderet could sue for gross slander if it is not true – there is likely a cell video somewhere of this event – would be interesting to watch.
All I can say is that if I was shaky in my orthodoxy and a Rabbi would take this (alleged) approach I would run as far away from orthodoxy as possible.
Am I missing something here ?
If this is true I can understand guests being freaked out and upset. Most of us are creeped out by cursing (not bad words) even if we don’t admit it. There’s superstition in everyone to one degree or another, we’re all aware of ayin horos, & it must have been very unnerving. IF it’s true, which until we hear from someone who was there we don’t know.
Baloney. We Jews do not curse our fellow Jews. We leave the cursing to a higher authority.
And no, the Rabbonim of old would not have G-d forbid cursed a fellow Jew under these circumstances. Hocheyach Tochiyach? Yes. L’afrushei M’isura? Of course! V’sikallel? Nope. Never. Promising tragedy and other catastrophe upon ‘sinners’ is not our way. Period. Though of course in Afganistan it works just fine…
Is Rav Aderet Ashkenazi like the article claims? I always thought he was a Sephardi.
If only us Askenazim had such kavod for chachamim that even the frei among us could be humbled by a rav’s words.
The standards of Kedusha in Jerome were far higher than this! My Rebbe would have slapped the host in the face if he hosted a mixed dance on asara ba tevet, and placed him in herem until he did teshuva! The community in Great Neck has been corrupted almost as much as the SY community in Flatbush, the difference being that this Rav had the courage to step up and speak out. There is a place for Jews who want to behave like goyim, just not in our community.
Never let it be said about the Jewish Week, if there is an issue where the Haredi, or orthodix Community does something bad, or improper the Jewish Week will point it out. It is the NYT of the Jewish world.
Since when to we trespass in homes uninvited and threaten people? There are laws against that in the United States.
Modern Orthodoxy needs to be eradicated. We should pray for them to do Teshuva, and until then, for Hashem to protect us from it and those infected by it. We can love the diseased people but still we have to protect ourselves form the disease.
Rav Aderet there were other avenues available besides crashing a party. The many yirei shamayim rabbanim of Great Neck are able to handle and educate their community, thanks but no thanks.
Hashem bless this upstanding Rabbi who still in this day and age can stand up for the right thing