Francine's Interview

Born in 1933, Francine Christophe was deported with her mother at the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp in 1944. Released the following year, she continues to share her experience and memories, particularly with the younger generations.

In order to share this unique image bank everywhere and for everyone,
HUMAN exist in several version : 
A theatre version (3h11) , a tv version (2h11) and a 3 volumes version for the web

Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau in march of the living

Lipa Schmeltzer and the adjacent shul that he built in Monsey is on the market for $2 million.

By COLlive reporter

The property at 16 Murray Drive in Airmont is currently on the market offering 4,700 square feet of quality living in New York's Rockland County.

Adjacent to the home is a fully furnished synagogue at 41 Laura Drive with a spectacular harp-shaped Aron Kodesh and ample parking.

For music fans, this property might seems recognizable as the home and shul built by Lipa Schmeltzer, the popular singer, entertainer, and composer.

Schmeltzer grew up nearby in New Square, NY, as the second-youngest of 12 children in a Chassidic family. He began as a badchan at weddings and worked his way up to fill concert halls around the world as a star performer.

In 2010, Schmeltzer established a synagogue named "The Airmont Shul - Beis Medrash D'Airmont" near his home. Operating on Shabbos and holidays, it emphasized incorporating singing while davening.

The shul attracted locals, music fans and youngsters who once led a frum life. "They accepted me, a warm welcome as they say we have to accept every Jew no matter how it looks, no matter how he behaves," one visitor named Cheskel Lebovits wrote on Google Reviews.

The shul also enjoyed the visits of Rabbi Aaron Dovid Gancz, Mashgiach of Yeshivas Tomchei Temimim Lubavitch in Morristown, NJ, who lives nearby as the director of Chabad Jewish Center of Suffern.

"For years, Rabbi Gancz came every Shabbos to give chizuk and input to the people here," Schmeltzer said in a phone conversation with COLlive.com on Tuesday.

Selling the property is real estate agent Beila Weinberger with Q Home Sales. She said the asking price is $2 million for both the house and the shul.

Schmeltzer cited personal changes in his family and the fact that many have moved away from the rising housing prices in Airmont as the reasons he is selling the property.

"It's hard for me to think about it," he said. It's a hard thing but sometimes, when one door closes, another opens. I put my heart and soul into it. Today it is very hard to get approved for zoning for a shul in the area. It's a beautiful shul and ready to be used."

In May, Schmeltzer will be graduating from Columbia University's School of General Studies with a bachelor's degree in Visual Art and Creative Writing. He has recently taken up painting and said he plans on opening an art gallery in the near future.

Until then, he is doing what he is most comfortable doing and best known for - performing. Whether it is personal videos on social media or singing at the Kosher Villas Orlando of Treitel Ventures over Pesach, Schmeltzer says he's on the road of personal development.

Dec 7, 1929 - Driving Through Broadway At Daytime, NYC (real sound)

I learned a "mussar haskeil" from this movie ....... this movie was filmed in 1929, 89 years ago, which means that most if not all would be 130 years old now .... meaning all the people on this film must be dead ,,,,,

Watch people rushing .....

So I ask you guys...... Where were they rushing to?

Slow down.. guys ..... 

The Holocaust - Why?

Introduction:

Many scholars and philosophers have put forth theories which attempt to explain the Holocaust.

One Charedi point of view focuses the blame on the Reform Jews in Germany who broke away from the Torah. Another attitude blames the secular Zionists for having brazenly established a non-religious settlement in the Land of Israel before the Mashiach’s arrival.

Rabbi Tzvi Yehuda HaCohen Kook had a different understanding. 

These theories, he said, failed to embrace the whole sweep of history. The workings of Divine Providence cannot be isolated to any one moment, or group, but must be seen in the context of the “Divine Historical Plan” which spans generations. 

Accusations that blame this group, or that group, fracture the unity of the Jewish Nation. 

Just as G-d is One, the Nation of Israel is one. Only from this encompassing perspective, which embraces all of Jewish history, can one hope to fathom the Divine Will in the horror of the Holocaust.

Israel comes to a standstill to remember six million Holocaust victims

Israelis came to a halt to observe two minutes of solemn silence as a siren blared, marking the annual remembrance of the six million Jews murdered in the Holocaust.

Drivers exited their vehicles and students at schools stood in ceremonies beginning with the siren at 10am on Wednesday, while outside shops and offices, Israelis stood still, many with heads bowed.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu attended a wreath-laying ceremony at Jerusalem's Yad Vashem Holocaust memorial that night, alongside dignitaries, survivors and delegations from throughout Israel.

Naftali Spiegal with his Terrorist Sons Chase Women and Little Girls Shouting "Shabbos" Because they Use Eiruv in Boro-Park!

There are many ways how some perverts get their kicks, but now we discovered a brand new innovation:

chasing attractive ladies and teenage girls..... and then watch how they run in terror, by yelling "Shabbos Shabbos" because they use the Boro-Park Eiruv.

My mother a"h would say in yiddish "az men lebt, derlebt men allas" "if you live long enough, you will live to see everything."

Naftali Spiegal decided to "educate"  his sons, Moshe & Yisroel Avraham, in the art of terror, so they could be experts in bullying innocent people, all because they don't follow his archaic Judaic approach!

Last week, the terrorist that calls himself Spiegal waited like an Arab sniper, for the Sedreheler Rav to leave his shul, and then attacked him with a barrage of disgusting insults, in a futile attempt to embarrass him in public because he paskened for the Eiruv! 

He brought along his two "lapdogs," Moshe & Yisroel Avraham for good measure.

Good Shabbos ☺

Bnei Brak will Finally Celebrate Yom Hatzmout!

Holocaust Martyrs' and Heroes' Remembrance Day 2018

Neturei Karta Financed by Satmar Meet Abbas the "Murderer of Jews"

ALL JEWS EXCEPT FOR SATMAR REPRESENTED AT KOTEL FOR BIRKAS KOHANIM

Saudi Prince Just Did What Satmar Will Never Do

SAUDI CROWN PRINCE: ISRAELIS HAVE RIGHT TO THEIR OWN LAND

Saudi Arabia's crown prince said Israelis are entitled to live peacefully on their own land in an interview published on Monday in US magazine The Atlantic, another public sign of ties between Riyadh and Tel Aviv appearing to grow closer.

Meanwhile the feuding Satmar Rebbe brothers are still searching for the Afikomen....

Obama’s smear machine mobilizes to destroy Iran-deal critics

“John Bolton is at the nexus of Russia’s interference in our democracy and the NRA’s reckless agenda”: 
The sentence is so bonkers, so pristine in its conspiratorial insanity that it should one day grace a Museum of Natural History exhibit on early-21st-century US politics.

Yet it wasn’t from an anonymous troll, or some Hollywood figure with tons of followers but little common sense. It was tweeted by National Security Action — an outfit run by former top Obama officials.

Described by the Washington Post as a “political strike force,” this NSA is a coterie of veterans from the Obama White House and Hillary Clinton’s campaign, acting as a shadow government to weaponize foreign-policy disputes. It’s a fever-swamp-in-exile.

And it exemplifies everything that’s wrong with top Democrats’ partisan madness in the Age of Trump.

Zionist Monkeys Eating Machine Matzos.... Satmar Rebbis Upset

Both Satmar Rebbes are going ape blaming the Zionist State of Israel for corrupting monkeys, by serving them machine matzos instead of the hand matzos.

The monkeys don't seem to car, because they go with the Chasam Sofer that insisted that the machine matzos have a much higher kosher standard than the matzos done by hand.

The Satmar Rebbes are also troubled because the monkeys are taking funds from the medinah...... 

The Pesach Haggadah ...

by Shmuel Knopfler
The Haggadah commences with words of shame and ends with praise ...

Why are we starting the Haggadah with words of shame?

Wouldn't a nation pride itself with it's glorious past
and erase those parts of its history that may be shameful?

And aren't we  prohibited to remind a convert of his checkered past?

The Maharal points out that in order for a person to ascertain his current position he must look into his past from where he came from.

This is an integral part of Hakaras Tov, simple gratitude.

A third of the Jewish people were decimated 70 years ago.

Today we are resuscitated in our own land with the language of our ancestors.
What a contrast to the abyss we came from.

This is a clear & open miracle of HaShem.

Our physical & spiritual revival manifests itself both
on an individual as well as on a national level.

חג כשר ושמח

The Female IDF Officer That Stopped a Mass Terrorists Action From Egypt

The dramatic moments between the terrorists and the Karkal Battalion Officer, a mother of 3 children, can now finally be revealed!

How Great are the Wonders of Hashem?

Transformation of a kidney bean into a fully-grown plant 

Transformation of a kidney bean into a fully-grown plant is captured in a mesmerizing timelapse

The mesmerizing process of a kidney bean burgeoning into a fully-grown plant has been captured in an incredible new timelapse.

Shot through a soil cross section, the footage shows how the bean first bursts and sprouts roots, before a stem and plant shoots out above the surface.

The amazing video was captured by Lithuanian YouTuber Mindaugas Kriksciukas in a painstaking process that took a total of four attempts.

The footage was shot over 25 days, with Mr Kriksciukas, 27, setting his camera to shoot an image of the bean's progress every nine minutes and 36 seconds.

The result was a jittery but engrossing clip showing just how much plants can move during their earliest stages of growth.

The idea came to Mr Kriksciukas while brainstorming ideas for an interesting time-lapse subject for his YouTube channel GPhase.

The footage was shot over 25 days, with Mr Kriksciukas, 27, setting his camera to shoot an image of the bean's progress every nine minutes and 36 seconds.

The result was a jittery but engrossing clip showing just how much plants can move during their earliest stages of growth.

The idea came to Mr Kriksciukas while brainstorming ideas for an interesting time-lapse subject for his YouTube channel GPhase.

'Seeing the motion, the action, growth itself is definitely the most fascinating thing about these videos.'

Most plants grow from seeds, which come in a variety of shapes and sizes, and the kidney bean plant grows from kidney beans.

Within this compact package is everything the plant needs to grow and reproduce

The outside covering of seeds is called the coat, which protects the baby plant and is split open once it begins to grow.

In order for seeds to grow into plants, they need soil containing nutrients, water, sunlight, the right temperature, room to grow, and time.

If the conditions are just right, the seed begins to sprout roots deep into the soil to collect water, while a stem shoots upwards.

The plant knows which way to grow its roots and stem because it can sense the pull of gravity through the soil - while the stem is grown in the opposite direction, the roots are pushed in line with gravity.

Once the stem has breached the surface of the soil, it grows leaves to collect sunlight.

The plant has specialised cell machinery that means its stem always grows in the direction of the sun to make sure it is pointing the right way. 

Two Uncle Moishys! Monsey Bais Din says its "ok" to confuse the children!

The Machon Le’Hora’ah has weighed in on a dispute about who owns the name “Uncle Moishy,” and who can perform the songs that the performer has sung for 40 years.

The Wikipedia entry for “Uncle Moishy and the Mitzvah Men” says that the group began in Toronto in 1975. The original members included Moshe Tanenbaum, Zale Newman and Chaim Shainhouse. Their first album, according to the website, was released in 1979.

With the trademark Hebrew letter mem affixed to his black fedora, Uncle Moishy has brought joy to children around the world ever since. Uncle Moishy and his Brooklyn-based production company, Suki & Ding Productions, have produced 22 albums and 14 videos.

But some time ago, Tanenbaum’s relationship with Suki & Ding soured, following a dispute over money and who owned the Uncle Moishy character. The case went to the rabbinical court.

In a ruling delivered last October and clarified in the last few weeks, the beis din found that while the songs and music of Uncle Moishy belong to Suki & Ding, both parties may use the stage name “Uncle Moishy.”

Tanenbaum then moved to anther production company, Sonic Duo Productions, and continues to perform and record as Uncle Moishy.

Meanwhile, Suki & Ding found a new Uncle Moishy, Rabbi Yossi Berktin, a long-time Toronto children’s musician and entertainer who goes by the moniker “Rabbi B.”

Read More: CJN

Coins from Second Bais Ha'Mikdash found near Temple Mount

Bronze coins, the last remnants of a four-year Jewish revolt against the Roman Empire, were found near the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.

These bronze coins were discovered by Hebrew University archaeologist Dr. Eilat Mazar during renewed excavations at the Ophel, located below the Temple Mount’s southern wall.

These 1.5cm bronze coins were left behind by Jewish residents who hid in a large cave (7x14 meters) for four years (66-70 C.E.) - from the Roman siege of Jerusalem, up until the destruction of the Second Temple and the city of Jerusalem.

While several of the coins date to the early years of the revolt, the great majority are from its final year, otherwise known as, “Year Four” (69-70 CE). Significantly, during the final year, the Hebrew inscription on the coins was changed from “For the Freedom of Zion” to “For the Redemption of Zion,” a shift which reflects the changing mood of the rebels during this period of horror and famine.

“A discovery like this - ancient coins bearing the words “Freedom” and “Redemption” - found right before the Jewish Festival of Freedom - Passover - begins is incredibly moving,” shared Dr. Mazar.

In addition to Hebrew inscriptions, the coins were decorated with Jewish symbols, such as the four Biblical plant species: palm, myrtle, citron and willow, and a picture of the goblet that was used in the Temple service.

Many broken pottery vessels, including jars and cooking pots, were also found in the cave. According to Mazar, it is remarkable that this cave was never discovered by subsequent residents of Jerusalem nor used again after the Second Temple period. As a result, the cave acts as a veritable time capsule of life in Jerusalem under the siege and during the four-year revolt against the Roman Empire.

The new finds all date back to the time of the rebellion and were found in the Ophel Cave directly above a Hasmonean Period layer that was situated at the base of the cave. 

A more complete report of these findings will be published in the third volume of the Ophel excavations; the second is being published this week.

According to Mazar, the coins were well preserved, probably because they were in use for such a short time. A similar number of “Year Four” coins were found near Robinson’s Arch, near the Western Wall, by Professor Benjamin Mazar, Eilat Mazar’s grandfather. He conducted the Temple Mount excavations right after Israel’s Six Day War, on behalf of Hebrew University’s Institute of Archaeology.

The Ophel excavations are situated within the Walls Around Jerusalem National Park, which is managed by the National Parks and Gardens Authority and the Eastern Jerusalem Development Company. Funding was generously provided by the Herbert W. Armstrong College of Edmond, Oklahoma, whose students participate in the digs.

Black Caucus Members of Congress Support Jew-Hater Louis Farrakhan

Ronald Lauder Stabs Israeli Jews in the Back!

…the Jewish democratic state faces two grave threats that I believe could endanger its very existence…The first threat is the possible demise of the two-state solution…The second, two-prong threat, is Israel’s capitulation to religious extremists and the growing disaffection of the Jewish diaspora. - Ronald S. Lauder, New York Times, March 18, 2018.

Earlier this week the president of the World Jewish Congress, Ronald Lauder, published an Op-Ed in the New York Times, entitled Israel’s Self-Inflicted Wounds.

In it, he made a bewildering claim.

'Holocaust survivor a victim of barbaric murder' in Paris

French-Jewish politician Meyer Habib on Sunday commented on the murder of an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor whose burnt and stabbed body was found in her Paris apartment.

The National Bureau for Vigilance Against Anti-Semitism (BNVCA) said the body of the woman, identified only as Mireille K., was set on fire Friday night. Her charred body also had at least 11 stab wounds. Police have a suspect in custody in connection with her death.

“For the Jews of France, the nightmare continues. 85-year-old Holocaust survivor Mireille K. was stabbed and burned in the heart of Paris,” said Habib.

“While France is still traumatized by the terrorist attack in Trebes, we are discovering today the shocking murder of Mireille K., an 85-year-old Holocaust survivor who was stabbed and burned to death at her home in Paris’ 11th District.”

“I spoke at length this evening with David K., one of the sons of Mireille of blessed memory, to express my condolences and support during these difficult moments. I will meet him tonight or tomorrow,” Habib continued.

“Unfortunately, the number of victims rises but it seems that the story repeats itself: 

Like Sarah Halimi of blessed memory (who was murdered by her Muslim neighbor who threw her out of her window), Mireille also knew the suspect - who is currently under arrest - her 35-year-old Muslim neighbor whom she had known since he was a child.”

“Like Sarah Halimi, in this case as well, the French authorities are very careful about linking the murder to an anti-Semitic motive. The family has no doubt about the anti-Semitic background of the incident,” added Habib.

“For Sarah, it took almost 10 months for the legal authorities to recognize the obvious reality. 

What about Mireille? 

The investigation has begun, but I am afraid that after Sarah, Mireille also fell victim to the hatred of Jews which is increasingly seen in the suburbs, against the backdrop of Islamic radicalization, hatred of Israel but also hatred of France.”

“Like the murder of Sarah Halimi, in this case, as well, I intend to fight along with other Jewish organizations for the sake of justice and truth,” concluded Habib.

With Nothing To Do.. Auerbach Terrorists Protest Violently .... Many Hurt! 28 Arrested

The following are some of the injured:

Jacobson. 30 years old, from Ofakim - broke and bleeding in his right

hand

He is hospitalized at Me'ayanei HaYeshua Hospita  

Muscat. 45 years old from Bnei Brak. Fracture in back. Yehoshua Kruk is 

hospitalized   

  

Markowitz. 15 years old, from Bnei Brak. 21 stitches in the head .. 

hospitalized in the children's department at Maayanei HaYeshua  

Polak. 15 years old from Elad. Stitches on right foot and right hand. 

Pinhas Deri is in the Pediatrics Department of the Maayaney HaYeshua 

. A 38-year-old boy from Bnei Brak was bleeding, he could not see. 

He was sent from Einayi Hayeshua to Beilinson Hospital  

Pinchas Cohen. 35 years old from Jerusalem. Concussion and bruising in the head. Entered the head surgery at Tel Hashomer 

 Haim Furman. A 17-year-old from Modi'in Illit stitches his hands and feet. 

He is hospitalized at Tel Hashomer

How to make perfect "mashed potatoes" for Pesach!

1. SELECT THE RIGHT POTATOES

If you want fluffy, super smooth mash, then use potatoes that are high in starch, such as Russets. These spuds also absorb flavours more easily.

Waxy potatoes on the other hand require more mashing to make them creamy. This could result in sticky potato glue, which can occur as a result of overworking your mash.

2. DON'T MAKE THEM IN ADVANCE

Mashed potato is one of those dishes that just doesn't taste as good after it has been sitting around for a long time.

If you chill your mash overnight to eat the next day, it will apparently taste of 'cardboard,' according to GH.

However if you really need to save time and make them ahead, GH recommends reheating them slowly in a heat proof bowl covered with plastic wrap by sitting them over a pan of boiling water for up to two hours.

You can also reheat them successfully in a slow cooker on a warm setting. 

3. START FROM COLD WATER

Cover potatoes with cold water in a pan on the stove, not freshly boiled water from a kettle.

GH's experts say that adding potatoes to hot water when boiling will make them cook unevenly.  

4. SALT THE WATER

Potatoes absorb water and salt while they cook, which means if you add salt to the water, they will become well-seasoned during the process.

It will ensure your mash isn't bland and you won't need to add much seasoning at the end after you've cooked them. 

If you don't drain your potatoes thoroughly, they may end up tasting watery.

GH's experts advise gently reheating potatoes on the stove after draining to dry them out slightly if you can't get rid of all the water.

6. DON'T ADD BUTTER STRAIGHT FROM THE FRIDGE

Allow your butter to come to room temperature before melting over your freshly cooked potatoes.

You should also let milk and cream come to room temperature before adding these if you like to add richness to your mash.

This is because the potatoes will absorb the flavours much more easily if they are at room temperature, and it won't cool the dish down, ensuring it remains hot enough to serve.

7. DON'T OVERWORK

When you cook potatoes, the starch granules become swollen which means they are delicate.

Mashing them too much or too vigorously can release the starch which is why they can sometimes end up gloopy and more like a potato paste than delicious creamy mash. 

Here's how police tracked the suspected Austin bomber

Investigators believe a man captured on surveillance cameras dropping off two suspicious packages at a FedEx store in Austin on Sunday is linked to a string of five explosions that have rocked Texas in recent weeks, according to a report.

The suspect in the bombings, identified as a 24-year-old white man who killed two people and injured several others over the course of nearly three weeks, died early Wednesday after he detonated a bomb inside his car, according to Austin Police Chief Brian Manley.

The man was wearing gloves and what may be a blond wig when he entered the FedEx Office store on Sunday evening with two boxes, both of which were found on Tuesday, according to sources who spoke to CBS.

One of the two boxes exploded on a conveyor belt at a FedEx sorting facility in Shertz outside San Antonio, while the second package contained a bomb that was successfully intercepted at a FedEx facility near Austin’s international airport.

The FBI confirmed that both packages were tied to the four previous explosions that have terrorized the Austin area starting on March 2.

Sources told the Austin American-Statesman authorities identified the suspect based on evidence that included security video and store receipts, which allowed them to obtain a search warrant for his Google search history while he was traced to a hotel through his cell phone.

While the suspect is confirmed dead, authorities say they are not sure where he has been in the last 24 hours, and warned the public to be cautious as it's possible he left behind other explosive devices.

Yoel Falkowitz Thrown Out of Monsey Shul

From Hasidicnews.com

Yoel Falkowitz was recently ejected from the synagogue and barred by the Rabbi of the Spring Valley, NY synagogue he regularly attends on the grounds that he is an apostate (“kofer”). The Rabbi, Avrohom Yehoshua Retek, accuses  Falkowitz of expressing heretical beliefs in shul and influencing others. He has mocked the biblical story of Jonah and the fish, and has remarked to a fellow congregant that “I’m not so sure there is a creator” –the self-appointed Rabbi said in an interview with HasidicNews.com.

Falkowitz’s embarrassing ejection occurred on Feb, 10, 2018 during the Friday evening liturgy. Approximately midway through the liturgy, right before borekhu, the Rabbi, having previously warned Falkowitz not to attend synagogue that week, approached him and said “it’s my shul, get out!” When Falkowitz refused, the Rabbi went over to the central bimoh and announced that the service will continue downstairs.  Congregants hesitated, but after some moments of intense glaring by the Rabbi they followed him to the other room where the service resumed without Falkowitz’s presence.

For the morning service the next day, the spiel repeated itself. Falkowitz was asked to leave and when he refused the Rabbi directed his congregants out of the room and continued the service elsewhere while Falkowitz remained in the synagogue alone.

After suspending shabbos services for one week while strategizing action, the Rabbi hired guards for the third shabbos to be stationed at the shul’s entrance and prevent Falkowitz’s entry should he attempt it. Falkowitz, learning that some action was being planned against him for that week, did not show up, and has subsequently not appeared at Retek’s synagogue.

In order to punish Falkowitz and deter his return to the synagogue in the future, the Rabbi filed trespass criminal charges against Falkowitz. Around March 1st, Falkowitz received a notice of the second-degree criminal trespass charge by mail and was summoned to answer the charge in court.

In an interview with HN Falkowitz denied all the charges against him, including that he ever expressed any heretical opinions in shul. The Rabbi has a personal beef with him and has tried to instigate congregants against him, he says. When that failed the Rabbi sought to punish him out of spite in order to redeem the Rabbi’s honor and appear victorious. Members of the shul are disturbed at his ejection from the synagogue, Falkowitz says.

Falkowitz has hired a lawyer to repel the criminal trespass charge. He argues that his barring from the shul violates his civil rights since the shul “belongs to the state because it is tax exempt”. His GoFundMe page has raised $2,839 from 70 contributors since its launch five days ago. The prosecution has offered him a plea deal in which it would not seek any substantive penalty if he agreed to stay away from the shul for six months. But Falkowitz has rejected the offer, professing innocence and demanding that the charge be dropped at once unconditionally.

The synagogue in question is known as the “Parkview shul”, after the 64-unit condominium development, Parkview Condominiums at Maple & 45, within which it is located. The developer is a Hasidic individual who availed himself of federal urban renewal funds for the project, and all the condominium’s residents are Hasidim. The synagogue’s Rabbi, Falkowitz, and nearly all of its congregants are condominium members. The Rabbi had apparently paid the developer extra for the privilege of running the shul.

Federal standards for the project require that space in it be designated for a “community room”. However, being that Hasidim eschew secular social activities, the developer instead granted a concession to Mr. Retek to run religious services there on shabbos and be the “synagogue”‘s Rabbi. The room’s use as a synagogue is legally acceptable on its face although the federal standard requires that if it be used for religious purposes, then all religions be granted access equally.

In light of the federal rules governing the “community room”‘s use, Falkowitz appears to have a very strong legal case entitling him to attend services there against the wishes of the rabbi, who does not appear to have a right to exclude someone on religious grounds, even if the heretical charges against Falkowitz were to be true.

Falkowitz is infamous for having taken controversial positions within the Hasidic community. He is one of a select few brave Hasidim who have come out openly in support of Yaffed’s effort to improve secual education in Hasidic schools. He is also a professional actor, having roles in the film Menasheh and the TV series High Maintenance, defying the Hasidic norm to shun all television and cinema.

Nevertheless, in a sign of a general relaxation of strict communal conformity in recent years, Retek’s campaign against Falkowitz, while sincerely held by the Rabbi, has not been followed by any other elements in the community. Falkowitz’s children have not been ejected from their Hasidic school, and he is permitted to attend other synagogues, albeit being located farther from his home.