Economic Terrorism



There is a very disturbing trend, witnessed in Eretz Yisrael, that seems to have hit the shores here in America recently. You don't have to go back further than the past two months for two examples of what I would only consider economic terrorism: the threats made to a wig store on Coney Island Ave and the cancellation of a concert dubbed "The Big Event."



The wig store story is bad enough. What is purported to have went down with "The Big Event" concert is just downright scary, even if you have little interest in pop Jewish music, don't ever plan to take your kids to a J-Music concert, or prefer a "goyish" philharmonic concerts as I do. Stories of Economic Terrorism in the frum community should concern you greatly.

The short of the long, based on what I can deduce, is that a concert was scheduled for March 9, in Madison Square Garden, featuring two singers, Lipa Schmeltzer and Shlomie Gertner with a charitable beneficiary (Simchat Zion, that makes weddings for orphans). Some Askanim (one by the name of Asher Friedman who reportedly heads a different charitable organization that gives tuition assistance) set out to shut Schmeltzer down and convinced nearly three dozen known rabbonim to sign a Kol Koreh.

All involved in the concert (tickets had already been purchased and advertisers had paid for space in the booklet) where unexpectedly rear ended. Lipa backed out of the concert first. Shortly after, he announced he was doing "teshuva" and turning a new leaf with his music. Next, he backed out of yet another already planned concert in London. Shortly after, the show was completely cancelled. Hundreds of thousands of dollars have been lost to the concert organizer (interviewed here), to say nothing of what was lost to the charitable beneficiary.



The whole thing is a massive train wreck. Down payments were made, services were procured and completed. Money has been lost and more money will have to be found to reimburse advertisers and ticket holders. Judging by the interview of the Concert Organizer linked to above, there is some sort of money that will be made available somehow to even the score. OBVIOUSLY since money doesn't grow from trees, if/when money is raised to reimburse those who lost money, less money will be available for other causes. [I don't have the play-by-play nor do I have time to get the play by play, but Chaim Rubin seems to have most of it].

The Jewish Star interviewed signator Rabbi Shmuel Kaminensky, who says that “[the request for a ban came] from rabbis in Eretz Yisroel. We didn’t want to differ with them," "[The request was] from mouth to ear and everyone went along with them,” "They [presumably the community activists/busy bodies] said was that it was a request from Rav Elyashiv and Rav Steinman. I didn’t confirm that,” and "Usually we meet together. This time, with time pressing, we did not get together. And maybe it was not the right thing.”


Yeshiva World commenters are praising Lipa for listening to Da'as Torah (practically crowing him the next "gadol hador") and praising Rabbi Kaminensky for his 'anivus.' The Concert Organizer is begging everyone not to blame the Rabbis and saying just how helpful they have been. Others are saying the entire Kol Korei was a fake or doesn't make sense (Rabbi Shafran), But, no matter what, there is a lot of damage is done.

I'm glad some can find the positive in all of this because I am REPULSED by what I have read and listen to, and I've only skimmed the surface and have no contacts. Others might be able to find the positive, but I have pieced together an ugly story of deception, sloppiness, and economic terrorism. I am repulsed that mafia men are allowed to run wild terrorizing Rabbonim, businessmen, and musicians, endangering others parnasah. If there is a need for change (and there probably is a need for change), this is clearly NOT the way to bring about change. I am repulsed that these mafia men have the tools to terrorize, and unfortunately the tool of choice is these Rabbonim who seem to be holding a rubber stamp. I am repulsed that Rabbonim appear to be used again and again and have yet to create (or called on others to create) a better system to disseminate information. I am repulsed that Rabbonim take their rubber stamp without doing their own homework. I spent a number of years in auditing and learned that you can't be too trusting, even when the person should be someone trustworthy. You always must do your own homework. I'm sorry to be so harsh, but where is the concern for other people's parnasah? Where is the concern for the community's money?

And what about others who make their parnasah partially or primarily through working with other people in the community. Would you want to go into business in this environment? Fortunately, I'm only an observer living outside of NY and Eretz Yisrael. But who knows when heavy handed economic terrorism will hit other large frum communities (I can think of examples of smaller terrors).

Ultimately, no matter who pays who, you can't "even the score." No matter how you play with the numbers, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been taken from the klal.

(Please do try to keep it civil, even though that IS asking a lot. I will be away from my computer starting tomorrow).

More Economic Terrorism

I find the economic terrorism coming out of the Chareidi community to be particularly infuriating, especially in light of recent reports regarding the employment and state of poverty in this community. The Chareidi entrepreneur and business owner does not just have to deal with the usual headaches of red tape and tax. The Chareidi entrepreneur has to deal with self-appointed Vaadim that look to enforce standards of tzniut through duress. I believe this would be a bigger headache than dealing with just about any other red tape. Even if the business owner has secured permits, completed legal paper, and paid their taxes, the businessman always has to watch their back as idle and unstable men with plenty of time on their hands look to "enforce tznius standards."

Since I've started this blog, I've seen so many stories of businesses attacked by these self-appointed Vaadim. Anything relating to women seems particularly susceptible. In Israel, we've seen stories of clothing boutiques being threatened and even set on fire. A popular vocation for kollel wives in Israel is cosmetician services. But don't dare advertise your business in Modiin Ilit! The kehilla committee, has told publications that they are not to publish advertisements for eyebrow shaping, even if the ad is text only. Pharmacy and grocery stores in Israel face special challenges regarding kashrut demands and specific opening hours. Under normal circumstances the market would dictate things like opening hours or even having separate shopping hours or areas for which feminine products are to be secluded. But the Chareidi business man or the business man looking to establish a store in a Charieidi area knows that demands must be met even if the market might dictate a different policy. American pharmacy owners in areas like Boro Park or Lakewood also face similar challenges.

Even in America, a boycott was announcement when the owner of sheitel shop on the same street as Yeshiva Chaim Berlin refused the demand of some man to remove framed pictures (I guess this is better than requesting the removal of real live women walking around in the same sheitels).

So what is the newest report of economic terrorism? It regards an ice cream store (!)-- not a sheitel shop, not a women's education program, not a call center manned by Chareidi women, a cosmetician advertising eyebrow shaping services, a women looking to sell clothing, a woman looking to teach the arts to other women and girls, or a pharmacy being told to keep the pads out of public view or remove/cover a picture of a teen star (in a sheitel of her own no less).

As per this report published today, a new ice cream and candy store, Zisalek of Geulah, has found itself in the middle of a hashgacha battle and has faced protests regarding tznius, hashkafa, and ruchniyus. The store owner met with protesters and agree to institute the following to appease them:

1. The store won’t sell on Erev Shabbos after 1 p.m. ice cream that can be eaten immediately, such as ice cream cones, and will only sell at that point packaged ice cream that can be bought for families for Shabbos.
2. The store will not open on Motzoei Shabbos.
3. The store will close at 10:30 p.m. each night.

The store owner wouldn't agree to have female employees only sell to females and male employees only sell to males. (The quick way to bankruptcy!)

Running a business and making a profit is very difficult work! Profit margins in nearly every industry are normally very slim and adding demands that increase the most costly area of business (payroll) is sure to topple a business. To place demand upon demand upon Chareidi entrepreneurs looking to support their families in dignity is nothing but Economic Terrorism. The market will decide if it is in the best interest of a store to close at 10:30pm! The market will decide if it is in the best of the store to have an employee scooping ice cream after 1pm on Erev Shabbat!

I think it is obvious that self-appointed tzniut vaadim aren't the least bit interested in the financial health of their communities. (I'd argue that being self-supporting is integral to tzniut/dignity. "Hustling" certainly lacks dignity). Leaders, both lay and Gedolim, who are interested in the financial health of the community MUST tackle this issue with courage and allow businesses to function and prosper.

Economic Terrorism II

I finally got a chance to listen to the entire interview with concert organizer Shaya (Shia?) Mendlowitz and Lipa Schmeltzer. I had to do it in small incriments. Towards the end of the interview with Lipa, he mentions he is going to raise tzedakah money for some of the losses incurred (presumably the losses incurred by others, no himself. . . but he talks so fast, I can't really understand him. The radio host, Zev Breener, basically says "how nice."

Frankly, I don't think it is so "nice." If the show would have gone on (even this one time), no money would have been lost and a real tzedakah would have gained. I would say that the case must be fought out in court, blame must sit at however many numbers of doorsteps in lies at, and those responsible for causing this multi-car pile up should be the only ones paying the debt. And, perhaps if they had a taste of their own medicine, these things wouldn't happen on a regular basis.* Destroying someone else's parnasah because you have an inkling is just unacceptabe.

Now that my memory is expanding beyond the past 2 months, I am reminded of another terrible case of "Frum" Economic Terrorism. Approximately 3-4 years ago, Mashgichim with differences in a mid-west facility ran advertisements in the Jewish Press and elsewhere accusing the Star K and its Rav HaMachshir of lax supervision over the meat company Zalman's (or something else with a Z). There were accusations and defenses. But, the fight didn't last long. Zalman's soon went under, as few resturants and caterers would place orders with this company, as no one wanted to take a kashrut risk (I will admit to being scared to purchase the product) and other hashgachot needed to play it safe.

But, back to the idea of collecting tzedakah for the lastest train wreck. . . If tzedakah collections are taken up, those responsible get off free, tzedakah funds are stripped away from *real* tzedakah causes (the pot does have a limit), and I can't even see how the money given would actually count as tzedakah in a halachic way.

If I have a business and someone vindictively destroys it causing me to breach my own contracts with vendors, why should the community have to be the one to pick up the pieces when there are responsible parties? For more on breached contracts, see MO Chassid's post on the sanctity of contracts. He asks, "Why is inducing breach of contracts made in good faith less of an issur than having a concert? Why is inducing a breach of a contract with gentiles less of a chilul Hashem than putting on a concert? Why is tortuous interference with another man's contract acceptable? Is Choshen Mishpat no longer part of the Shulchan Oruch?"

I have an additional question: Why does Kashrut seemingly always win out over Yashrut? Tzadikim and halacha have always been concerned about the money of individuals and the community. What has happened? And what can we do to put the scale back into balance?

I will be away. Please keep the conversation respectful, yet honest.