Chasidic rap singer Nissim Black visited HaGaon HaRav Chaim Kanievsky on Monday.
In an interview with Menachem Toker on Radio Kol Chai, Black explained the cause of his visit is because his children have not yet been accepted to schools due to the dark color of his skin.
“It was an amazing opportunity,” says the rapper. “I went to Rav Chaim and asked him for advice on what to do, they do not accept us to school because of the color of my children, they tell me that explicitly.”
Black declined to elaborate on the full conversation, and only said Rav Chaim’s eyes said everything, and that the first sentence Rav Chaim told him is “being ‘Black’ is your Mayla (Virtue) not a Chesaron (Lacking)”- “להיות כהה עור זה יתרון ומעלה, ולא חיסרון”.
Black added that “for a second it felt like the whole world stood still”.
An eyewitness reported that Rav Chaim gave Black a warm bracha.
“People know me as a rapper, but I’m on the road all the time for Klal Yisrael,” said Black. “I heard from many people before that it would be a problem because I was dark, but I responded that I was strengthening people precisely because of my skin color.”
Black’s said his children do not know that their skin color is the reason why they have not yet started school.
“My children were at home and not at school because there was no school that received them … We tried to get our 10-year-old into a school that fits our Hashkafa and they rejected us because of our skin color. They can ask my Rav about me, or even say it’s because of my profession. But to reject us for our skin color, is unacceptable.”
“God forbid, the children will know,” adds the rapper. “We do not tell our children and in the meantime they think we are still looking for the best school for them.”
Just before Rosh Hashanah and at the end of the month of Elul, the rapper said that he is not angry at the school principals and those who do not accept his children, and he promises that he will continue to look for the best school in terms of Hashkafa and those who will not see him and his children only in their color, but rather as human beings.
It's funny. I just spent time in Yerushalayim and didn't see any Jews of color. I saw JEWS!!! Ish Echad Belev Echad. I guess some people need to put their heads on straight.
ReplyDeleteUnfortunately Reb Chaim will not be able to help him,because he is part of the problem,he represents the so called Lithuanian yeshivish community who themselves are the biggest racist's,they blatantly discriminate against our Sefardi brothers and sisters,if you remember a while back the secular courts in Israel had to force some of the yeshivish schools to take in sefardi children
ReplyDeleteForget for a minute what he looks like. I think his music is impure & many people agree with me. So the same thing would happen if the White rapper Eminem was megayer or if a heimishe FFB got into that music scene.
ReplyDeleteWhy is Mr. Black going to the Litvak R. Chaim shlit"a, when he is Hasidic?
ReplyDeleteMr. Black the Hasid should complain to Hasidic leaders. What type of school did he want to send his kids to anyway?
Presumably if he is Hasidic he would want such a school.
Black is a big fan, a 'Hasid' of Rebbe Moshe Weinberger from Woodmere. Why doesn't he go to him to complain?
There are different 'shvatim' in Klal Yisrael.
ReplyDeleteWhy do Sfardim want to go to an Ashkenaz yeshiva when they have their own? They should stay with their own mesorah and shevet.
Those that make and run institutions with great toil can decide who they want to admit.