Three of the Lakewood Roshei Yeshiva have banned a separate seating concert in Lakewood scheduled for Friday, Lag Baomer. The event was to have singer Benny Friedman perform as well as a storyteller.
Interestingly, an event to be held on Lag Baomer night — scheduled to be held in the same exact location — was not banned.
That event was being hosted by “Minyan Shelanu” of Lakewood.
The letter reads in part: “our community has a longstanding policy that disallows concerts in the city of Lakewood, since it is a form of entertainment that runs contrary to the spirit of Torah scholars and greatly undermines the Torah atmosphere of our community….
“Running any event in the First Energy / Blue Claws Stadium is itself a serious breach of our community’s policies. Since the stadium’s opening, a stringent ‘fence’ has been established: not to enter or make use of the stadium for any purpose – whether for a sporting event or for a privately run program…
“a concert in Lakewood, and in particular in this stadium, is an unprecedented breach of our community’s policies, which is likely to initiate a far-reaching erosion of Lakewood’s unique Torah atmosphere. We therefore urge parents not to bring their children to this event, nor to support it or participate in any way.”
(YWN World Headquarters – NYC)
Join the official YWN WhatsApp status
54 Responses
So you can report on this with such a sensationalized headline but you can’t report the agunah protests?
Modertors Response: You mean like these and the other 20 published on the YWN Instagram page?
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/featured/1957782/another-agunah-has-been-freed-following-public-pressure-campaign.html
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/featured/1956370/arrested-in-flatbush-man-who-kept-wife-agunah-for-17-years-arrested-by-nypd.html
https://www.theyeshivaworld.com/news/featured/1956985/breaking-in-flatbush-jeff-hafif-gives-wife-a-get-after-seventeen-years-as-movement-grows-to-pressure-husbands.html
I don’t think you can compare the 2 events. the Minyan event is really attracting a different clientele, which the Roshei Yeshiva of aware of and obviously hold they should have their event.
Although YWN may be raising a valid point, one must be extremely cautious when doing so taking great care not appear to be Mevazeh Talmudei Chachomim.
The new event featuring Benny Friedman that the Roshei Yeshiva שליט”א came out against, a project of Chabad-Lubavitch, is different than the local Minyan Shelanu event, which has been going on for years.
In the Lubavitcher event, Benny Friedman singing concert-style is the main attraction. There is good reason why he is featured most prominently on the poster, of all the performers. On the other hand, the other event (for a group that works with youth at risk), is a bonfire with accompanying music, with no particular singer in the advertisement. That is not the same as a concert. I think it is also significantly smaller than the Lubavitcher event.
P.S. Why is Lubavitch hiding that it is behind the Benny Friedman thing?
I see that ywn must have something against the roshei Yeshiva if they make a headline for this when one is a concert in a stadium while the other is an event in the parking lot!!!
I don’t think a bonfire in the parking lot is the same venue as a concert in the stadium.
Many, many events have taken place in the parking lot and not the actual stadium
You may feel that you wish to disagree with the Roshei Yeshiva shlita but please don’t misstate facts to make them appear contradictory.
this is so reminiscent of ponevezh yeshiva during the beginning of a long winter zman long winter nights of just straight learning nowhere else to go nothing else to do and a ruckus always breaks out in the first few days about the longstanding fight there, same goes here you should come for yourself to lakewood to see how the zman began with just straight learning with roast chicken and rice for supper thats it and now the satan came and made some hock . nu nu .. maybe they should ban you ywn just for being so boring , havent we seen banned concerts in the last 10 years, what so exicting about this? that you need to post it? theres nothing sensational at all. b
I am not from Lakewood, but from the add it seems that the mayim shelonu event is not in the stadium rather outside. I’m not sure why YWN seems to publicly imply that the Rabonnim don’t know what they’re doing. The statement explains their stance clearly & just because you don’t understand it doesn’t mean it’s wrong.
SO MAKE IT IN JACKSON OR TOMS RIVER OR HOWELL OR MANCHESTER OR ANYWHERE ELSE 🙂 Sorry my friends but the ‘Lakewood’ or more accurate the yeshiva isnt the majority in Lakewood anymore. For the better or the worse. Thats the facts on the ground
There is a very big difference between Minyan Shelanu and the concert. The concert is trying to attract all kinds of people including young students that are sitting and learning in the Bais Medrash.
You called the concert “seperate-seating”, however, you know the real truth that a concert is never 100% seperate-seating.
Again it looks like the editors of YWN have a reading comprehension issue.
The “ban” states very clearly that the issue is “concert” (mixed crowd) “in the stadium” while the other event is a bonfire with some music (a guy playing the keyboard). the Minyan event has been going on for years, they deal with teens at risk, and most of the parent of the teens not at risk already know to keep their kids home.
Could it possibly be, just possibly, it is banned because of its Lubavitch connection? I’m just asking! Just maybe!
@Lemayseh: What does Lubavitch have to do with this?
No one is hiding. It was arranged by diffrent people who are chabad. It was not made to be a chabad event. The siuym was an event for everyone. Lag Baomer is for every yid. Last I checked saying tehillim with thousands of kids is not unique to chabad. Last I checked, The Rashbi predated the Bal Shem Tov. Last I checked, telling jewish stories is not a chabad thing. All of these are all inclusive activities. So while yes a few people making the even are chabad the event is a Torah event for all Jews. When the Torah was given it didn’t have any names on it either. Chabad was and is not hiding they are behind it. Chabad did not make the fake robots calls that went all over Lakewood today. Those were made by people trying to make machlokes.
This letter was put out today to families of Lakewood. It a terrible terrible lie. The program in a large part was being arranged by Chabad people in this city and the surrounding areas. The intention has and always was to mark the holy day of Lag Baomer, the Hillula of Reb Shimon Bar Yochi. No mention needs to be made of what Meron looks like the night of Lag Baomer. Lakewood has never had a strong event during the day. Of course at 1:30 on a Friday afternoon, when kids are out of school, it would be a terrible sin for them to get together, IN A PARKING LOT, sing yiddish songs, say passukim of torah, hear a yiddish story, and speak about the Tzaddik Reb Shimon Bar Yochi. As it is such a terrible sin, a big “askin” in Lakewood, went to Rosh Yeshivas and told them terrible terrible things are taking place! Our community is being overrun by people making a concert in stadiums and they want all the kids to come. Of course, no two sides of the story were discussed. Of course, only one side exists. Let’s end this terrible sin. AT ONCE! Today a letter was put out to parents advising them not to let their holy children be ruined by such a horrible event. A story of such Ahvahs Yisrael (during the time when we are supposed to be reflecting on this theme the most). Work is underway to correct this terrible lie. Its not just a lie. Its an attack on the Rashbi himself. He called Lag Baomer his special day. Holy Yidden are trying to mark this day in a special way and people with amazing ahvahs yisrael, openly lied to the Rabbanim of this town, for personal gain. The event will not be a concert. It will not be held in a stadium either. Though the Syum Hashas was in a stadium with singers and live music and every Lakewood Rosh Yeshiva was present. Please share this message with friends and family and let’s show that achdus is stronger than hate.
This article is so misleading!
Having no knowledge of either event prior to reading this article, after reading it, I came away with the understanding that they were both concerts in THE SAME VENUES!
The fact that one is a full fledged concert in the stadium and the other is a kumzitz in a parking lot is (almost purposely) hidden.
Shame on you
So sad don’t understand the problem of a concert for kids by Benny Friedman Not chas vesholem coming to say things against the roshie Yeshivos I think there are people behind the Rabonim giving false information.
@moderators: I was referring to reporting on the current protests, like the one outside the “beis din” this week. I don’t see mention of that on Instagram either (though I may have missed it).
So sad I don’t understand the problem of a concert for kids by Benny Friedman Not chas vesholem coming to say things against the roshie Yeshivos I think there are people behind the Rabonim giving false information.
Do you embrace slander and machlokes and want to encourage ppl with Daas Baal habayis- which is opposite of Daas Torah, to be mevaza big men some of the greatest we have left, who are some of the greatest ohavei Yisroel as well.
What about the Chuni Hertzka Purim concert?🤔
I’m not following the story – the Rabbis don’t want the concert going forward because it’s in a particular stadium?
maskildoresh, a lakewood news outlet said the same thing as you. It is not advertised as a concert but as a lag b’omer event. Also it’s not in the stadium but in the parking lot.
Cancel culture. It’s very easy to assur everything. It’s easy to be machmir. It’s easy to impose chumros. It’s no kuntz. Takes very little effort and thought. I’m frummer than you. I’m more powerful than you. I have better/more chashuv michutanim than you. I have a better/more chashuv shteller than you. Etc etc…
We still never heard the real truth of who was behind the last minute canceling of the Pesach bein hazmanim kumzitz in Lakewood in 2019, and why.
Seems the event is taking place in the parking lot not in the stadium. Also does not seem like a concert, more like an event. Either this letter is forged or the roshei yeshiva were taken for a ride by these…..
the Roshei Yeshiva were not aware that its not in the actual stadium. but its not their fault. if someone wants to make a citiwide event,its their responsibility to check with Rabbonei Hair and tell them details. obviously this wasn’t the case here.
they also didnt tell the roshei yeshiva that their recorded msg starts with Yechi Hamelech
I don’t know the details of either even so I’m not commenting on that. But I don’t understand the general stance against events in stadiums. Isn’t the siyum hashas in a stadium? The internet asifa was also in a stadium.
Well let’s simply reschedule this event at same time & place on יום ירושלים הבא עלינו לטובה
I like your response to that first strange comment.
Keep up your good work.
The Minyan Shelanu was organized for Teens and Young adults who grew up in Lakewood and live in Lakewood who for whatever reason are not in the regular Lakewood Yeshivos
This is a Lag Beomer bonfire celebration primarily for the people of the Minyan community just like many Shuls and Chassidic groups make Lag Beomer Bon fires
It is not a concert or a show it is a regular bin fire with some food served and some dancing just like Jews celebrate in Eretz Yisroel and America and all over the world
The fire used to take place closer to the center of Lakewood up until 5 years ago and was moved to a larger venue with more parking on New Hampshire ave a few years ago
There is nothing indicating that this event was arranged by or has anything to do with Chabad
Benny Friedman was hired because he is a singer
The reason for the ban is because Lakewood Yeshiva etc. Is against Concerts in Lakewood
2 years ago Bain Hazmanim when the Bochurim were trying to organize a Large Concert the Roshei Yeshiva and Rabbonim banned it also
Why was a stadium even built in Lakewood ?
context;
each community in klal yisroel has its own nuances ,as an example i spent my sunday in williamsburg and its a land of its own
what is ruchnius & a mitzva in one neighborhood can be a slip in another
now to lakewood .. lag baomer rallies is a chabad thing.. generally chabad is tolerated in lkwd bizman hazeh , but still a very diff derech… so by allowing it you are basicly giving whoever is on stage an audience of thousands of ” mainstream kids” ( the organizers mean well this is what the rebbe taught)
the minyan shelanu event is understood as a bedieved for a group of bochurim & askanim they do good work we need them but nothing main stream
ofcourse arguments can be made pro rally… but before you judge you need to really understand the nuances & context
The recorded message that went all over Lakewood saying Yechi Hamelech was a scam and put out by the same people trying to put out this letter. It was not made by the organization
Basically what this is doing is embarrassing the people involved in the concert and causing them financial loss. Absolutely assur. They did nothing wrong. This letter written in poor Hebrew gives no explanation for the ban either. To ban another Jew? How is this “Torah”? It is absolutely the opposite.
Depriving communities of entertainment has no good consequences.
מפני שלא נהגו כבוד זה בזה………..
*לזה
What have we come to? What is this post trying to say?? Are you chas v’shalom trying to show a double standard here??? Have the secular news outlets seeped into ours so much so that it’s ok to talk about Roshei Yeshiva!! Gedolim of our generation! as chas v’shalom showing hypocrisy??? HOW DARE! If one learns the halochos of shmiras haloshon it is very clear that the sin for speaking lashon hora about talmidei chachomim is extremely grave!! I respectfully ask that this post be taken down to avoid even ONE person making a negative comment about a talmid chochom chas v’shalom. Whatever they wrote in the letter is a directive for their own town. Every person can make their own decision to go or not but it need not be a world discussion!!!!!!! At a time like this we are looking for zechusim to bring the geulah! I don’t see how this post and discussions can help in that way. PLEASE TAKE DOWN THIS POST!!!!!
I get what the Rabbonim are trying to do- they’re trying to bring Lakewood back to the ir hatorah it once was. There’s still a section of Lakewood that still lives that way but let’s face it, there are just as many working families in the lakewood, Jackson, TR, Manchester areas as there are learning/klei kodesh families. Lakewood is known as a “with it” town. “with it” and “yeshivish” are on opposite ends. I go to Lakewood when I want more luxury shopping and admire the mini mansions as I’m driving around. You want the latest party planners, interior designers, clothing, whatever…. you’ll find it in Lakewood. Not that there’s anything wrong with that. Just Lakewood is way past the point of being the yeshivish town it was in the 90’s and unless many other things are banned, banning this one concert won’t suddenly transform the town back to it’s hey days.
Docelisheva — probably for same reason a stadium was built in Yerushalayim….
In case the Roshei Yeshiva want to know why the number of OTD kids is going up dramatically in Lakewood, it is quite simple. Kids need to be entertained if you make all the Yidish entertainment asur, they still have that need for entertainment but will satisfy it elsewhere.
amazing how busy the roshe yeshiva are they find the time to worry about the ruchniyos of the town
what about the eateries,latest fashion dress strores,???
or are they just worried about the children getting exposed to benny friedman racmono litzlan???
Chabad has so much Ahavas Yisroel That they are desperate to spend tens of thousands of dollars to helped out the poor Lakewood children to make them happy for one day. As we know how Chabad has always been donating to the poor in Lakewood helping them cope with day-to-day needs they are always just looking out to help us, all they have in mind is our good.
Really? !
Sell it to some fool not to me.
Missionaries is what they are, they always were. They should get the message we are not interested in their hippy -wild -messianic -drunken way of life. They should go to Africa to try to sell their religion there, maybe they will find more interest.
And honestly speaking for all this ‘Ahavas Yisroel’ talk, it isn’t really an act of love to deceptively try to influence and Proselytize to children of a community that you know are absolutely uninterested in your religion it is actually quite hateful and nasty.
Ahavas Yisroel is the way the Lakewood community put their differences aside and Went above and beyond to help a staunch Chabadnik as Rubashkin.
Stop with this hateful messaging the Lakewood RY are well within their rights to protect their way of serving the one and only Hashem! (Yes we care deeply about our monotheistic faith, so much that we would give our lives for it in a nanosecond).
BTW you should appreciate the thoughtfulness of the RY that they left all the above out and made it sound as simple as a stadium- concert thing. Another example of Ahavas Yisroel!
Please share this message with friends and family and let’s show that achdus is stronger than hate.
what’s the connection between l’ag b’omer and a music concert?
“Why was a stadium even built in Lakewood ?” – maybe because not every resident of Lakewood is a Jew?
The Roshei Yeshiva are right, saying Tehilim for Acheinu Bnei Yisroel and listening to Jewish music is detrimental to the חינוך of our תשב”ר which might lead to carrying in the Eruv on Sunday.
All these people against Chabad and writing these hateful comments are true reshoim. You have no idea what it means to leave your country, your family and go live in a foreign land to brink Judaism to the people there. Reading this article and comments, I don’t know who’s right and who’s wrong. But it’s clear if these people were wrong, the whole of Chabad can’t be blamed for them. So stop going against us and stand with us because you are the ones we help when you’re stranded in a foreign country with no kosher food and in need of help.
BIRUR April 28, 2021 3:43 pm at 3:43 pm
Chabad has so much Ahavas Yisroel That they are desperate to spend tens of thousands of dollars to helped out the poor Lakewood children to make them happy for one day. As we know how Chabad has always been donating to the poor in Lakewood helping them cope with day-to-day needs they are always just looking out to help us, all they have in mind is our good.
Really? !
Sell it to some fool not to me.
Missionaries is what they are, they always were. They should get the message we are not interested in their hippy -wild -messianic -drunken way of life. They should go to Africa to try to sell their religion there, maybe they will find more interest.
And honestly speaking for all this ‘Ahavas Yisroel’ talk, it isn’t really an act of love to deceptively try to influence and Proselytize to children of a community that you know are absolutely uninterested in your religion it is actually quite hateful and nasty.
Ahavas Yisroel is the way the Lakewood community put their differences aside and Went above and beyond to help a staunch Chabadnik as Rubashkin.
Stop with this hateful messaging the Lakewood RY are well within their rights to protect their way of serving the one and only Hashem! (Yes we care deeply about our monotheistic faith, so much that we would give our lives for it in a nanosecond).
BTW you should appreciate the thoughtfulness of the RY that they left all the above out and made it sound as simple as a stadium- concert thing. Another example of Ahavas Yisroel!
Please share this message with friends and family and let’s show that achdus is stronger than hate.
Really- achdus. It sure seems like a lot of achdus in your comment. But it’s all right. YOu’re not too far yet. You can still return to your nation. Just come to Chabad and well welcome you with open hands regardless of who you are.
Sorry, I accidentally put Birur’s comment in there.
So why don’t the authors of this letter simply chain the bochurim to their shtenders and only allow them to leave the beis medrash for meals, a few pre-approved asher yatzar breaks and perhaps to go home for shabbos. Anything else such as c’v an hour or two of Yiddeshe-themed “entertainment” would clearly be bitul torah and put these impressionable neshamahs at risk.
I wonder how many more people will go because of the ban.
I think the rosh yeshivas were misled. The event is not IN the stadium, it is in the parking lot. It is NOT a concert, they say tehilim, play games, see entertainment with music. And no where is the name Chabad mentioned.
who gave the misleading info to the rabonim? They have made a per ver sion of Torah!
BIRUR you obviously are not an imbecile but I’m quite sure that you come from the talmidim of Rabi Akiva who perished. Your arrogance is quite telling and you should do some serious introspection (which I’m not confident will not happen but I daven that HKBH have rachmanus on you)
Zm- BIRUR is about as far away from being the talmidim of Rabi Akiva who perished, as white is from black. How dare you compare someone like that to tzadikim!
BIRUR is clearly an imbecile if that’s what he thinks about Chabad. Or maybe I shouldn’t say that. Rather he was brainwashed and fed lies and cannot think clearly anymore.