A prominent Jewish organization is cutting ties with a longtime Massachusetts rabbi for actively promoting anti-vaccine views and strident opposition to public health efforts to rein in the coronavirus pandemic.
Central Massachusetts Chabad said Thursday it dismissed Rabbi Michoel Green as a representative of the organization, which oversees Jewish community centers in the region, on Jan. 27.
Green has run the Chabad house in Westborough, which is a suburb of Worcester, New England’s second-largest city, for nearly 20 years.
Rabbi Mendel Fogelman, director of the Central Massachusetts Chabad, said in a statement that Green has been warned multiple times that his activities, statements and other personal pursuits are “contrary to the organization’s mission” of providing meaningful ways for Jews to learn about and celebrate their heritage.
“Some of his public pronouncements were extremely reckless and potentially dangerous, and he has repeatedly been hostile and offensive to those who did not agree with him,” Fogelman said. “Our organization is about lovingly reaching out to every Jew.”
In a lengthy statement to supporters Thursday, Green called the decision “ill-advised” and expected it would be reversed.
He stressed his center will continue to operate even though the Chabad Lubavitch movement has terminated his status and removed his center from its database of recognized Chabad houses.
Green said his center is incorporated as an independent, nonprofit house of worship and doesn’t receive funding from any Chabad organization.
“They did not ‘fire’ me from my position of rabbi and director of Chabad of Westboro, nor do they have any jurisdiction over our shul altogether,” he said in part. “Our shul will continue to serve our community as we have faithfully for nearly two decades.”
Green, who describes himself on Facebook as “not just anti-vax” but “consistently anti-pharma,” has been highly critical of the COVID-19 vaccine rollout.
He’s claimed the vaccines are “experimental injections” that could lead to “death, lifelong injury and infertility.” In fact, there is no evidence that COVID-19 vaccines result in sterilization. The vaccines approved for use in the U.S. have gone through large trials and intense scrutiny with thousands of people having received one or both shots at this point.
Green has also been critical of basic virus safety guidelines such as wearing a face mask in public. In one post, he encourages people to “take off the mask. Slow the spread of tyranny.” That’s also inaccurate — the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says masks are a simple but highly effective way to slow the spread of the disease.
In a follow-up statement, Green stood by his prior comments on the vaccine and virus safety.
“This is not about me personally, but about censorship, suppression of dissent, and kowtowing to medical tyranny,” he said in part. “If your doctor or rabbi pressures you to get this experimental injection, find a new doctor or rabbi.”
Orthodox Jewish communities in the New York City-area have bristled at government efforts to slow the pandemic, which has hit their enclaves particularly hard.
Some Jewish leaders complain the measures are discriminatory, while others have urged their faithful to heed social distancing and other public health rules.
An order by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo temporarily limiting the size of religious gatherings in certain coronavirus hot spots this past fall prompted protests and legal challenges in Brooklyn and other heavily Orthodox Jewish areas of the state.
(AP)
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25 Responses
I know Michoel for close to 30 years. He is very sincere in his Yiddishkeit, but misguided, in my opinion, about the vaccine issue. It’s too bad that he didn’t just stay in his lane, namely, spreading Yiddishkeit, and keep his anti-Pharma message only for his immediate family.
is this the beginning of a place where we do not belong to go____i salute Chabad for this decision___wreckless behavior is a violent surge in an area where we are people of the book and not war.
well he has a point. Vaccine testing may have been thorough in the context of what was possible, but by all standards it was rushed and not according to normal guidelines. The large majority of vaccines have unknown side effects that only present themselves years into the testing rounds, and some even after public release. Masks haven’t shown a statistically significant impact on the virus already a year into the pandemic, and some suspect that trapping the virus in the fabric of the masks lead to prolonged exposure to the wearer thereby increasing infection chances giving a net-neutral result when combined with the cough-block benefit of the masks.
I agree with ChaimTovim he should stay in the area of his expertise and not try to push a foolish opinion on people.
I always relied on ywn to get secular news from secular sites (such as ap even though most readers hate their narrative) But to take Jewish news from AP? You can do better than that
What about this article is not blatant lashon harah? I can quote the exact parts that I think are the worst, but then I would be doing the same thing
Loyal Jew punished for saying the truth because the truth hurts the liars! Pfizer’s witches brew concoction contains no antigens = not even a genuine vaccine! The Rebbe, OBM, would never allow such a disgraceful nekama against a pure Rabbi just for saying what he believes is best for one’s health!!
Meilech Firer, possible the biggest medical expert, has published sound evidence that trials were not rushed but due to various favorable circumstances years could be saved. He insists that vaccines are safe and so does Reb Chaim Kanievsky shlita. Some of the anti-vax statements I read were just ludicrous and conspiracy, nothing serious.
Very disturbing that an organisation like Chabad is getting into self-censorship out of fear of displeasing some people. I understand the logic behind it, but in these times we have to confront the onslaught on personal freedom and allow freedom of expression whether we agree with the statements or not.
They are experimental pharmacological agents, not vaccines.
They are only approved for “emergency” use.
Upon injection the recipient is signed up for a follow up trial.
Watch the video, Dr. Simone Gold- the Truth about the Covid 19 “Vaccine.”
He can do for himself whatever he wants but for the public he is required to listen to the advice of the doctors as stated in Shulchan Aruch by Shabbos and Yom Kippur otherwise he is endangering them.
As a private individual he is entitled to his opinion. If his congregants are not bothered by it and keep on coming that’s their business. If Chabad as an organization doesn’t feel he fits their picture of a shliach fine, take of the name. That shouldn’t stop him from continuing with his shul and community work. This is not soviet Russia and just because people disagree doesn’t mean it’s a “place where we don’t belong”.
Meant, take off the name
Ywn
Please don’t let this be the main headline!
This guy is still human, he might have a crooked opinion, but he still a Jew, & probably has family.
Perhaps the statement of Chazal that this is an עלמא דשקרא has been especially evident in our world today.
https://www.yahoo.com/lifestyle/no-evidence-covid-19-vaccines-cause-death-epidemiologists-say-225955258.html
Is religious Rabbis gonna be censored now like the Republicans? Is Chabad funded by Silicon Valley that Rabbis are NOT allowed to express their opinion?
I always knew that Chabad welcomes every and any Jew No matter where they come from and are being welcomed at every Chabad house.
Maybe Rabbi Green went too far with his opinions but did he get a Warning from Headquarters ?
Did Chabad consult a Bes Din if this dismissal is according to Jewish Law.
Somejewiknow and G-dbless… said the truth.
To ADD to their points:
How can anyone state that a vaccine which has had ONLY EUA (emergency use authorization) is definitely safe?
EUA by definition means “we are doing the best we can” because of the PANDEMIC…
The FDA states on its website that there are 22 known “serious side effects” including 2. Convulsions 12. Death 13. Problems with pregnancy 22. Getting Covid worse than without the vaccine.
Is anyone going to say that the total death toll is anywhere near a pandemic, especially after some 15,000 were put into nursing homes by the governors and (nebach!) Jewish doctors of NJ and NY, causing the highest rate of deaths in the world?
(Point of interest, I am a Lakewood talmid -6years- from Rav Shneur, zatzal)
“This guy is still human, he might have a crooked opinion, but he still a Jew, & probably has family.
Yes, and so are those among the many stressed and undecided about vaccination and somehow endow this guy’s “crooked opinion” with some credibility because he is a “rabbi’ and until now, affiliated with chabad. He should be named and shamed so that no one takes seriously his mindless and fear-based blather. If saving even one person whoe foregoes a vaccine or is infected because of not wearing a mask, and ends up hospitalized or c’v dies from Covid, this is not lashon horah, this is the biggest possible mitzvah of pikuach nefesh.
Too many frum yidden have gotten sucked down this mans rabbit hole of lies.No censorship, just responsibilty to human life and safety.
Why is this story on AP?
It most be because they care about the safety of Jews!
Hmm 🤔
Well I have good news for rabbi green, reb Avraham yehoshua from brisk agrees to you 100 percent, you can now switch from the chabad banner to the brisker banner.
I don’t like the way AP tied the general Orthodox community into all this. And it is important to remember that the whole business with Gov. Cuomo started way after the Orthodox community HAD ALREADY been hit very hard through no fault of their own (who knew anything mid March when Shuls were packed and life was still normal?). It happened in the period after the community was “hard hit”, when there was a period of at least 4 months of not a single Covid related hospital transport by Hatzolah of BP (though there was an uptick later when people came back from all the different places they had gone to during summer vacation and some high risk people may have also been more complacent).
It’s sad and not the Jewish way to cancel someone because he disagrees with you. All our teachings teach us to have constructive debate But here I see people ready to throw a Rov out because his research and opinion doesn’t agree with the mainstream that attitude would put you in Cherem in the drum world. But today it’s acceptable. Very sad. I applaud this Rov for standing by his opinion. If you disagree with him, present you proof and hash it out. Cancel culture is dangerous and is leading us down a slippery slope where eventually they will come after all of us like they have in the past.
What’s his medical background?
……….
Anyone?
Anyone??!?
That’s what I thought!
If you wanna know what this clown really thinks, take a look at his Facebook page!
What a self righteous lowlife!