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Review of the book "Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America" (Harcourt, Inc., 2001), by Jewish author Stephen Bloom (Bloom's indictment of a racist, chauvnisit, seclusionist Chabad community that is taking over an Iowa town)

Subject: Michael Samuels Reports On Media Blackout. Quebec Government Funds Racist Jewish Cult That Claims All Christians and Muslims Are 'Evil,' MSA News (Moslem Student Association), October 16, 1999
[cached at google.com]
"My name is Michael Samuel. I am a former professor in the Judaic studies department of Concordia University, Montreal, and I have a question for you: What would you do if a racist cult tried to build its headquarters in your neighborhood? What if the cult targeted specifically young people, teaching them that all Christians and Muslims are:- 1. evil, Satanic creatures from birth (making all Gentile babies "little demons"); 2. no better than worms; 3. not really living beings at all, but already 'dead;' 4. all to be forcibly converted or subjugated by the 'Messiah,' whose arrival it is their sacred duty to hasten. These are just some of the racist teachings of the fanatical messianic cult named 'Chabad-Lubavitch.' This cult, masquerading as 'authentic Judaism,' has been promised nearly one million dollars in funding by the government of Premier Lucien Bouchard of Quebec in order to build its new religious complex in Cote St. Luc, Montreal. Why should you care? Because Chabad-Lubavitch is not just our problem, it may be yours as well. It is an extremely powerful, worldwide organization. Its power has until now intimidated the media, who are afraid to expose the evidence of racism produced here to the public, lest they be accused of anti-semitism. We desperately need your help in breaking this media blackout. Chabad-Lubavitch preys on young people in search of religious identity and meaning. It is aggressively missionizing and spreading its religious bigotry around the globe, especially on university campuses. Chances are, there is a Chabad-Lubavitch presence in your city already. Here are three typically racist passages taken from the basic textbook of Chabad-Lubavitch called 'Likute Amarim' or 'Tanya.' It is one of the primary texts used in their indoctrination or 'outreach' programs. Please note that I am using their own, officially sanctioned English translation (published by their 'Kehot Publication Society' New York -- London, 1973). In the very first chapter of this work, we read: 'The souls of the nations of the world (i.e. all Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, etc.), however, emanate from the other, unclean `kelipot' (evil forces) which contain no good whatever" (page 5). Further on, we read: "However, the `kelipot' (evil forces) are subdivided into two grades, one lower than the other. The lower grade consists of the three `kelipot' which are altogether unclean and evil, containing no good whatever. ... From them flow and derive the souls of all the nations of the world (i.e. all Christians, Muslims, etc.), and the existence of their bodies, and also the souls of all living creatures that are unclean and unfit for consumption' (chapter 6, page 25). Thus, Chabad-Lubavitch lumps non-Jews together with pigs, snakes and worms, and all other 'creatures that are unclean and unfit for consumption.' The third passage leaves absolutely no doubt as to their racist and religious bigotry: 'To elucidate still further, it is necessary to clarify the meaning of the verse, `The candle of God is the soul of (neshamah) of man.' What it means is that the souls of Jews, who are called 'man,' are, by way of illustration, like the flame of the candle, whose nature it is always to scintillate upwards... Now this is a general principle in the whole realm of holiness... This stands in direct contrast to the so-called `kelipah' (evil forces) and `sitra achara' (the other, evil side), wherefrom are derived the souls of the Gentiles... Therefore they (the Gentiles) are called `dead'..." (chapter 19, page 77 and 79). This text makes it clear that for Chabad-Lubavitch, only Jews are considered human ('called man'). They teach that non-Jews are sub-human creatures who barely even qualify as living beings (they are called 'dead'). If you would like to receive photocopies of these quotations which are taken verbatim from the Chabad-Lubavitch textbook (Hebrew original with their own official English translation), please send me your mailing address. If you would like to learn more about the hatred preached by Chabad-Lubavitch via email, especially about the theoretical (Kabbalistic) underpinnings of their 'metaphysical racism' please write me at: Michael Samuel ... Email: micsamu@total.net"

Sin City Shaliach,
Jewish Journal of Metropolitan Los Angeles, November 16, 2001
"Rabbi Shea Harlig, father of seven and founder of the Desert Torah Academy, is first of three Chabad shlichim (emissaries) sent here, and he doesn’t find anything unusual about living in the center of Sin City ... Now, the center of Vegas Chabad is a $1.5 million building, which was donated by Sheldon Adelson, owner of the luxurious Venetian on the famous Strip. This building houses the school (complete with a state-of-the-art computer lab, physical education instruction and 120 students), a mikvah, offices and a shul. On any given Shabbat, one finds a surprising number of men sporting black hats and long beards, and the services are spirited in a way that is reminiscent of shteibls in religious enclaves like Crown Heights — not hot and sunny places where palm trees line the streets and bright lights beckon to reckless endeavors. There are also two other Chabad houses in different suburbs, as well as various social, welfare and community services ... Yet, in true Chabad style, Harlig imagines that all problems will be solved with the coming of the Messiah. 'I envision when Moshiach will come, all the [Las Vegas] hotels will be big yeshivas [orthodox Jewish religious schools]. All the rooms will become dorm rooms, the big dining rooms will be where we will eat and the casinos will become learning halls. That is why I think these hotels were all built — so that they can become yeshivas."

Russian Rabbi Confident in Putin, Washington Post, November 14, 2001
"The chief rabbi of Russia [who is a Chabad] flew home Wednesday convinced that Russian President Vladimir Putin intends to fight anti-Semitism and 'eradicate it completely.' Rabbi Berel Lazar led a delegation of a half-dozen Russian and American Jews that met with Putin Tuesday night at the Russian Embassy. 'The meeting proved to me the commitment of President Putin for the well-being of Russian Jewry, his commitment to fighting anti-Semitism in any form in Russia and letting Russian Jews travel freely and retain their dual citizenship [i.e., Russian and Israeli citizenship],' Lazar said in a telephone interview from his airplane ... 'Jewish identity is our biggest problem,' the rabbi said. 'Seventy percent of Jews haven't come forward to identify as Jews. They used to be ashamed of being Jewish.' But now, Lazar said, 'there is a pride in being Jewish,' although it has not reached Jewish communities in remote areas of Russia. Synagogues are being returned to Jewish control and religious schools are being built."

A Messianism Some Call Heresy, Jerusalem Post, October 19, 2001
"Chabad is a potent force: 2,600 institutions around the world, large numbers of English-speaking rabbis, control of most of Judaism in Italy as well as the chief rabbinate of Russia (its Russia budget alone is $20 million a year). It is an organization with immense world-wide financial resources ... In fact, Chabad is a movement of monumental importance. Observant Jews are profoundly dependent on its emissaries all over the world, it plays a major role in kosher food preparation and supervision worldwide, its rabbis dominate or are poised to dominate Jewish communities in a startling number of countries."

Haredim, Shas, NRP and Chabad, All Under One Zionist Roof,
Haaretz (Israeli newspaper), January 2, 2001
"What's really important," [Eliezer Sheffer] went on, 'is that 60 percent of Jewish education in the former Soviet Union is provided by Chabad, and much of the rest by other Haredi organizations.' He noted that tycoon Lev Levayev, himself Orthodox and a guest of honor at the event, 'brings hundreds of youngsters [from there] to Israel. Religious Zionism only has one school there.'"

In Defense of Dr. Laura, The Jewish Homemaker
"It was at this time that, as she humorously puts it, she [famous radio talk show host 'Dr. Laura Schlessinger], [husband] Lew, and [son] Deryk elected to 'upgrade' their Jewish status. Having become aware that a Conservative conversion did not pass muster in the eyes of traditional Judaism, the family flew to Canada, where Rabbi [Reuven] Bulka converted Laura, Lew, and Deryk k’halachah, in accordance with traditional Jewish law. Deryk now attends Shalhevet, a yeshivah in Los Angeles. This summer he went to Israel with Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis. Today the family makes its spiritual home at the Chabad of the Conejo, in Agoura, California, and has developed a close relationship with the synagogue’s leader, Rabbi Moshe Bryski. Dr. Laura recalls their first visit to the shul. 'The first person we saw said, ‘Welcome. Would you like to come to our house for lunch?’ Everyone was just so nice. We all liked it a lot, so that’s been home.' She says of Orthodoxy: 'I’m enthralled with the mentality' of people actually living their beliefs."

Jewish Fundamentalism in Israel,
Washington Report on Middle East Affairs, March 2000
"Common to both the Talmud and Halacha, Orthodox religious law, is a differentiation between Jews and non-Jews. The late, highly revered Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson, the 'Lubovitcher Rebbe' who headed the Chabad movement and wielded great influence in Israel as well as in the U.S., explained that, 'The difference between a Jewish and a non-Jewish person stems from the common expression: ‘Let us differentiate.’ Thus, we do not have a case of profound change in which a person is merely on a superior level. Rather, we have a case of ‘let us differentiate’ between totally different species. This is what needs to be said about the body: the body of a Jewish person is of a totally different quality from the body of [members] of all nations of the world…A non-Jew’s entire reality is only vanity. It is written, ‘And the strangers shall guard and feed your flocks’ (Isaiah 61:5). The entire creation [of a non-Jew] exists only for the sake of the Jews…' Rabbi Schneerson always supported Israeli wars and opposed any retreat. In 1974 he strongly opposed the Israeli withdrawal from the Suez area. He promised Israel divine favors if it persisted in occupying the land. After his death, thousands of his Israeli followers played an important role in the election victory of Binyamin Netanyahu. Among the religious settlers in the occupied territories, the Chabad Hassids constitute one of the most extreme groups. Baruch Goldstein, the mass murderer of Palestinians, was one of them."

Lubavitcher Annual Telethon Creates an Enduring Mystery, Jewish Bulletin of Northern California, September 3, 1999
"One of the enduring mysteries of Los Angeles Jewish life is Jon Voight. Each year, Jews turn on their televisions to see the Oscar-winning actor, who isn't Jewish, dancing the hora with a Chassidic rabbi, appealing to viewers to give money to the rabbi's cause, and generally looking like a yeshiva bocher on Simchat Torah. And each year, Jews turn to one another and ask: What's that all about? And it's not just Voight. Anthony Hopkins, Whoopi Goldberg, Tony Danza, Edward James Olmos and Carroll O'Connor, among dozens of stars, turned up Sunday at the studios of the annual Chabad Telethon to show their heartfelt support to West Coast Chabad founder and telethon creator Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin. It aired in the Bay Area on KTSF-TV, Channel 26. This year, Vice President Al Gore added his voice to the fund-raising appeal via a videotape. For weeks before the telethon, Los Angeles is awash in giant billboards that feature a stylized image of the dancing rabbi. One year, he popped up on every Vons grocery bag. It's a level of publicity beyond the dreams or abilities of most Jewish organizations in town. Come telethon time, the high profile pays off with big bucks. Sunday's telethon brought in more than $4.7 million, according to Chabad Lubavitch. But along with the high profile comes, of course, the carping. As much as people love to love Chabad, there are those who love to hate it. The whisper campaign of allegations can be deafening. It's important to note that none of the worst charges that have arrived on our desk comes with any hard evidence ... If 20 years ago a devout, bearded rabbi had asked you whether a relatively small group of Jews in traditional black garb who adhere to an Orthodox, non-egalitarian interpretation of Jewish practice could raise millions of dollars on television and attract Hollywood and music industry stars, you would have said, 'Yeah, right, and how about an Amish game show while you're at it.' But Cunin pulled it off. And this is how: His organization knows how to convey its passion for Jewish life."

Netanyahu Woos LA Jews,
Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, January 18, 2002
"In Los Angeles this week — at the Chabad of the Marina and the Golan Fund Humanitarian Award Dinner — [former Israeli prime minister Benjamin] Netanyahu didn’t comment specifically on plans to run, but he did speak generally about security in Israel and the world. In an eloquent speech to some 600 friends of Chabad of the Marina at The Regent Beverly Wilshire hotel on Sunday night, Netanyahu focused on refuting the Palestinian claim that 'the Jews have stolen our land' from a historical, legal, political and demographic perspective. The event was dedicated to the deeds and teachings of Rabbi Menachem. M. Schneerson, and Netanyahu recalled a conversation he had with the Lubavicher Rebbe in the 1980s. 'He urged me to light a candle of truth in the House of Lies, by which he meant the United Nations,' said Netanyahu, who closed his address by exhorting his listeners to 'light a candle for truth, for the Rebbe, for Israel and for the future of our people.'"

Ari Fleischer: Reform Lubavitch, by James Besser,
Baltimore Jewish Times, 10/26/2001, V.262, N.8, p. 30
"Like that of most high-ranking White House officials, press secretary Ari Fleischer's life has been an exhausting blur since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks. But he took a few hours off last week to pick up an award from American Friends of Lubavitch, and to help boost the group's extensive Jewish outreach efforts on Capitol Hill -- efforts that Mr. Fleischer, a former congressional staffer, has supported from the beginning. He was given the group's Young Leadership award and Sen. Joe Lieberman (D-Conn.) was the night's honoree at a dinner that drew hundreds of Washington political bigwigs, Capitol Hill staffers and Washington money people. Mr. Fleischer was an early leader and co-president of Chabad's Capitol Jewish Forum, which brings together lawmakers and congressional and administration staffers for Jewish events study ... In a show of bi-partisanship, both Mr. Fleischer and Mr. Lieberman lavished praise on the active Chabad effort that emphasizes the army of young staffers in government and political jobs."

Rabbi vs. Rabbi,
Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles, March 22, 2002
"Last Monday night, shots were fired into the front window of the Living Judaism Center (LJC) in Marina del Rey and into a car belonging to center board member Harris Toibb. Toibb is a major supporter of LJC, which is involved in a public legal battle for control of the property at 2929 Washington Blvd. in Marina del Rey, currently occupied by LJC and formally known as Chabad of the Marina. The struggle has pitted two charismatic leaders against each other, and brings into question the right to dissemination of Chabad Torah teachings in Los Angeles. At press time there was an active effort within the Chabad community to bring both parties to a mutually agreed beit din (rabbinical court), which will bring a resolution between the sides. If both parties agree to go to the rabbinical court, all civil litigation will be revoked. The skirmish between Rabbi Shmulik Naparstek of the LJC and Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin of Chabad of California has been percolating for some years. The trouble began in October 2000 when Barron’s magazine published the article 'Unholy Gains: When stock promoters cross paths with religious charities, investors had best be on guard,' in which Naparstek admitted that he received a gift of stock from Australian financier Joseph Gutnick. (No charges were ever filed against Naparstek, and he denies any wrongdoing.) For the next year, Cunin and Naparstek traded letters over the matter, and in January, Cunin fired Naparstek. Naparstek then filed for control over the synagogue, and on March 4, Cunin’s legal team filed a counter-complaint in the Los Angeles Superior Court accusing the Chabad of the Marina of ties to 'an alleged international stock manipulation scheme.'"

Bush Meets Lubavitch Rabbis to Mark Rebbe's 100th Birthday,
Haaretz [Israeli newspaper], March 26, 2002
"U.S. President George W. Bush hosted a delegation of 10 leading rabbis and officials from the Lubavitch Hasidic movement at the White House yesterday. The 90-minute meeting took place in the framework of events organized by the movement to mark the 100th birthday of the late Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson ... Bush added his signature to a document declaring the late Rebbe's birthday 'The day of education and charity.' [Avraham] Rabbi Shem-Tov thanked the president for his support of Israel and presented him with a Passover Haggadah."

In Israel, Distressed Signals from Ethiopians,
Christian Science Monitor, May 22, 2002
"The gap between black and white Israelis seems, with some exceptions, to be growing. For Ethiopians, it is visible in impoverished neighborhoods, soaring unemployment, and the highest high-school dropout rate of any Jewish group in Israel. Twenty-six percent of Ethiopian youths have either dropped out or do not show up for classes most of the time, raising concerns that the community's current difficulties may become chronic. Drug use, including glue-sniffing, is on the rise, and criminal activity, hardly known among Ethiopians before they came to Israel, has been growing ... to Asher Elias, a staff member at the Israel Association for Ethiopian Jews (IAEJ). 'Ethiopians have lots of motivation to become Israelis, but they are not accepted,' he says. 'In jobs, in education, people feel they are discriminated against because they are black. I'm not saying it is right or wrong, but it is what we are feeling, and that is enough.' A low point in the relationship between Ethiopian Jews and Israelis came in 1996, when it was revealed that Israeli hospitals had thrown out all blood donated by Ethiopians. "These were donations to help other Israelis," Mr. Elias says. "[Ethiopians] said to each other: 'What do they think? That we are not humans?' Habad, one of Israel's stronger orthodox religious groups, doesn't recognize Ethiopians as Jews or allow their children into its kindergartens."