Rockland County, NY – Residents who defy this Hasidic enclave’s spiritual leader say they live in fear of a band of thugs who sometimes violently defend his edicts — and they cite a recent arson attack as the latest example of the group’s work.
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Described as “jihadis” by those who fear them and “hotheads” by some village leaders, the group numbers up to 40 men and boys between the ages of 15 and 35, current and former members of the community told The Journal News.
Ramapo police Sgt. John Lynch said he’s aware of the allegations, but that detectives have no proof the young men operate as a unit or that they receive guidance from village leaders.
More than two dozen people spoke to the paper, most on condition they not be named, saying they feared retribution from group members and village leaders who shun mainstream media.
Lets hope everything comes out now about what was going on there
OK Skver haters, now what? Do we believe media and hate Skver, or do we deny what we don’t wish to hear, and still hate Skver? I have no faith that the community in NS functions without blemish. It has grown too big to be free of problems, and we have witnessed one – a big one. There’s much more to learn about it, and none of the commenters here really knows the whole story. Let it be investigated, let NS be transparent, let guilty pay. I will never defend wrongdoing.
But the bulk of responsibility might not lie where these commenters-haters want to put it. I’m not even claiming that we have to be “dan lefak zechus”. Let’s just not judge at all, until we know all the facts. Meanwhile, there is no one here who can fix the current situation. But what can we do? Here is a suggestion.
We stand just days away from Kabolas HaTorah, merited to the achdus reported in “Vayichan Yisroel neged hohor”, explained by Rashi “ke’ish echod beleiv echod”. How about undertaking to improve our interactions with others, be it with friends, neighbors, family, spouses, etc. Let us make achdus our theme. May this serve as a zechus to undo the evils that emanate from lack of achdus.
how many more stories need to come out before some finally realize something is seriously wrong in Skver. And yes it starts with its leader
I definitely agree that it’s the fanaticals and zealots who perpetrate the acts. BUT, since the leadership has such strict control in all other areas of the residents’ lives, they can’t simply claim ‘it’s not us’. In fact, unless they can prove they have taken proactive steps to stop these fanatics and zealots, I hold leadership reasponsible. What about when the yeshiva bochrim were locked in the building and they hired a private security firm to enforce that no one is allowed in or out! Those kids were treated as prisoners and convicted felons! What about all the vandalism? What was the leadership doing to stop this. I’m sorry, you can’t just blame it on zealots when you have demonstrated over again that you turn a blind eye, yet exact utter control and authority in all other areas.
Have you realized how VIN lately twists all the headlines in favor of New Square? Sounds like the Skvere PR Campaign has good connections with VIN..
Hey Skverers,
You do yourselves no service when you talk to the urinal news. They do NOT have your best interest in mind!
I believe that the jihads are responsible, but when the rabbi and the community sit silently for years and enjoy the dirty work done for them.
If my neighbors kids keep onthrowing rocks, at some point I will hold my neighbor culpable, especially if the violence escalates to an attempt to torch my house.
I fully feel for the victim, and I wish him a speedy recovery. Such a think shouldn’t have happened. But you guys who are busy only to spread hatred, and speak loshon horah on the skvere rebbe, stop and think for a minute, one day, one day we will all have to give din v’cheshbon, what’ll you answer for being metzaer a rabbi who has zchus avos? His father will stick up for him, you people are in my eyes the same as the yiddish capos in the 2’nd world war, shame on you, do teshuva while you still can, and I’m not a skverer,
Chazal tell us that Hashem puts us into a similar sittuation that we are going through, to see how we would judge ourselves. Just like in Eretz Yisroel, we say there is no moral equivalent when a terrorist kills Jewish civilians, we get upset that the world judges the civilians the same as the terrorists; so too we are now in this position to judge ourselves to see how we would look at it. Do we look at Square and say well there’s two sides to every story and nobody is perfect, or do we stand up for justice? If we do not stand up for Justice in this situation, it can be chas vesholom a kitrug on us. why should the world stand for justice against terrorism in Israel if we do not do it ourself?
To all of you righteous people who are slandering the holy skvere Rebbe, I have 1 message for you. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Koirach also had great reasons for making an uprising against Moishe Rabbeinu, and according to his calculations he was also a hundred percent right…. All you spreading hate and slander may be part of ‘adas koirach’ , I would watch what I say and do…
It’s ironic how we’re debating what the skevereh rebbeh knows or doesn’t know, knew or didn’t know. If anyone knew, how much control he has, on every aspect of skvereh peoples lives, how much control of skver worldwide shuls he has and knows exactly who comes for yom tov or to tishen’, this debate would would be dead.
Ironically, Skvereh Rebbeh is personally involved in running the current media campaign of how little he knew what was going on with his own owned people. (hello rebbeh, are you reading this?)
Also, all those singing the song of how terrible those “Skver haters” are, should ask themselves; why in the world would such a holy, harmless rebbeh have so many internal haters.
Jihadi? Oy! All Jews lose when the media starts calling New Scare residents by horrible names. You think a goy can tell the difference between a NS resodent and any other frumma yid’. We should all potest these anti-Semitic name calling by goyishe media.
Why didn’t the Ruv show up last night for the service? He could have at least spent fifteen minutes at his own Shul!
Just carry on arguing and bickering.
The actions of this misguided idiot, Shpitzer, and the cold-hearted, ruthless, calculating people who sent him on this ‘mesima kedusha’ have reverberations far, far beyond New Square.
Even my LOCAL weekly newspaper in England, published by and for a goyiske readership, has picked up this story. The comments on it were NOT at all complimentary – far from it.
This so-called “”sanctification of G-d’s name’ in ‘JewLand'” is causing terrible and lasting damage to foreign Yiddn way beyond Rockland County.
But you guys can carry on. Just remember that the goyim also use – and read – the internet.
In the meantime you are all stoking the fires of anti-Semitism.
I am all in favor that we speak respectfully about leaders, though we might do well to remember that they are human and imperfect. We are expected to view our leaders as similar to Moshe Rabeinu, though the true inequality to Moshe is clearly stated in the posuk ולא קם נביא עוד בישראל כמשה.
The volume of rage here is hard to tolerate, but it should be easily understood why people are angry. What happened was tragic, and risked being far worse. This did not happen in a vacuum. Leaders must take the heat,and examine their communities to fix what went wrong. Recognizing that is not being like Korach. It is being honest. Degrading tzaddikim is blasphemous. Let’s deal with this humanely, in the way our baalei mussar would want. None of them would stomach the disgrace being showered in any direction.