Speaking Out Against Shlomo Carlebach and "Carlebach Minyans"
From: Vicki Polin
There's a comment on your blog that I think everyone should read regarding Shlomo Carlebach and conducting a "Carlebach" minyan's.
I think the points that Batdina brought out are excellent. I ask that you forward these comments to every rabbi you know.
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Batdina said...
This is something that deeply troubles me as well. At my shul there's a "carlebach" minyan on friday nights. It's very popular. I don't think people realize what he did. I feel like standing up in front of everyone at the minyan and talking about it. Many people are enamored of carlebach for some reason (he was charismatic, his music is catchy) and are reluctant to hear these things. Others say, he's dead, why talk about this?
Here are some reasons why:
- To not cause additional anguish to his survivors. They have suffered enough.
- To not cause additional anguish to survivors of other Jewish figures.
- To preserve the holiness of the synagogue, it is not fitting to name a minyan or something after him.
- To condemn such behavior and show that there is zero tolerance to it in the Jewish community.
posted by Jewish Survivors at Monday, February 20, 2006
6 Comments:
Thank you BatDina for posting these excellent comments. I agree with you 100%.
I'll be honest with you, I stopped going to services when there are these minyans. I felt so uncomfortable and out of place. You spoke the words I wish I would have.
i too cannot for the life of me understand why this character is being canonized.i'm 60 years old and used to hagout with him backin the 60's.i can tell you from personal observation,he could not control his hands in the presence of young girls.
I have to be honest - I lead Shlomo minyanim and I participate in them wholeheartedly and enthusiastically. And I know plenty of women who do the same.
In my 30+ years of Jewish life, I have yet to find a more meaningful or uplifting prayer experience.
So, is there something wrong with me? Is Shlomo's music tainted and impure and sullied and spiritually bankrupt?
Or was he a gifted and talented and brilliant man who had some difficulty with his sexual urges? Kind of like EVERY SINGLE MAN I KNOW, myself included?
What's the answer, here? Is it that I don't have any 'survivors' yet, so I haven't reached the level of predator and victimizer?
Are you going to deny the thousands of people who've benefited from Shlomo's influence the right to celebrate their mentor's teachings?
Why did people allow him to touch young girls and women? I heard everyone seemed to know about his hugging and kissing.
I have no problem with people doing these sorts of things.
The issue I have is that if he was an orthodox rabbi, then what was he doing touching a woman he wasn't married to. What sort of messages that send out?
What someone does in public, is often minor to what they do in private.
mike da kike,
How about us starting Michael Jackson Minyans? Hey he's gifted and talented.
I have no problem with people singing songs of a sex offender.
Look at Peter Yarrow of Peter, Paul and Mary. He's a convicted sex offender who got a presidential pardon. Rumors have it that it was because he was married to a senator's daughter. Everyone loves "puff", why not start having a Peter yarrow minyon too?
The idea creeps me out. Why are we honoring a man who caused more women to go off the derech then any other one individual. How many of his survivors ran as far as they could from Judaism? How many more survivors will run away, because we are not honoring or respecting them and their needs??
J Hershy Worch learned his "kabbalah" from Carlebach, supposedly. They both apparently engaged in late-night phone sex with various women.
Wonder if Worch learned all his "techniques" from Carlebach?
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