Vaad of Flatbush places all BTs in Cherem

Vaad of Flatbush places all BTs in Cherem

By Rabbi Lamech Somayach Meshumad Meshubach
Mashgiach Ruchini Yeshiva Aishes Eish Hatorah

Special to MeshumadMeshubach.Blogspot.com


The Vaad harabbonim of Flatbush has declared cherem on all Baal T’shuva Jews, in a move reminiscent of The Vilna Gaon’s declaration of excommunication on practicing Hassidus.
The ruling declares that anyone who can’t prove at least 15 years of continuous observance is now expelled from the Jewish community and cannot be called to the Toireh or to witness marriages or rabbinical courts. It does not differentiate between the alleged distinction of people born into the religion and those who became religious of their own decision as adults. Instead the focus is on weeding out anyone who isn't toting the rabbinical line of chumra.

“We have had enough of people going on and off the derech and bringing the shmutz of the outside world back into our synagogues. If you haven’t been with us continuously for the last fifteen years, we don’t want you anymore. If anyone is going to take gods name in vain, it is going to be me,” Said Rabbi Yosef Eisen, head of Kosher Supervision for the 5 towns of long Island.

Although widely proclaimed as just what the religion needs to pep things up a bit, others have been less enthusiastic, claiming the decision would make it the religion of old men with gray beards. Others claim that has already happened.

“Fifteen years ago most of my followers were celebrating Christmas and didn’t yet know they could give me money instead,” Said Rebbitzen Ester Jungereis, founder and principal beneficiary of Hineni Heritage Center on the Upper West Side of Manhattan. “With no followers, how I am supposed to pay the mortgage on a luxurious brownstone on the Upper West Side as well as my home in the Five Towns of Long Island?”

Sources confirm that financial modeling was not conducted prior to the gezera and that the impact on revenues could be much greater than originally projected. In a confidential confession, one accountant for a major organization declared “We had no idea how compromised the yechus of our followers was until we started looking objectively. We may have to let go of a few of our rabbis, even ones who have stayed on the derech. This is a major deal. It is almost as if no human could actually live up to even a small percentage of all chumras and halachas.”

Another organization said they were simply shifting their affiliation but continuing to work with the new untouchables of the Orthodox Jewish world.

“Newly Jewish people are our bread and butter. We could never let their revenue stream move elsewhere,” Said Rabbi Mark Wildes, founder of the Manhattan Jewish Experience. “Instead we are going to affiliate with the halachically responsible arm of the Jewish Theological Seminary. We already pretend to dress like conservative rabbis anyhow.”