With Rosh Hashanah rapidly approaching, there is a growing confusion in Eretz Yisrael in the Breslov community regarding thousands of subsidized tickets to Uman to the tziyun of Rav Nachman.
Just last week it was reported that Rav Eliezer Berland Shlita signed on the dotted line, guaranteeing 8,000 subsidized tickets to Uman from Rosh Hashanah to be sold by the נחל איתנים travel agency.
Chassidim are blaming Rav Berland’s gabbaim, first and foremost the rosh yeshiva’s son, Rav Nachman Berland.
According to reports on Sunday, 15 Elul 5772, chassidim who purchased tickets from the travel agency have not received a refund as promised and expected, adding Rav Nachman Berland continues to promise but there is nothing happening.
Kikar Shabbat quotes a chossid, Nosson, who explains he purchased eight tickets and awaits his subsidy refund.
Kikar reported on Monday night that 6,500 chassidim are still trying to buy tickets, without success.
Rav Eliezer Berland announced on Sunday that he remains confident that at the end of the day, there will be tickets for everyone.
In the meantime, it has been learned that last week, the travel agency sent letters to clients stating that much hard work was put into the project during the summer months but at the end of the day, the funds necessary to subsidize the tickets in question was not raised and as such, there will be no subsidy on tickets.
The letter continued “To our sorrow, zero hour has arrived and we are already standing here erev Shabbos ‘כי תצא למלחמה’, 13 Elul 5772 and we have reached the understanding that we have no alternative but to let the tzibur know what the situation is.”
The letter continues, explaining that while efforts succeeded in the past, it appears this year it will not happen, adding all the monies paid in advance will be returned.
Efforts to obtain a response from Rav Nachman Berland were unsuccessful to date.
(YWN – Israel Desk, Jerusalem)
6 Responses
Global economy is faltering, Jewish homes are attempting to cover Yom Tovim & tuition expenses…where will the subsidies come from?
You mean, nebech, they’ll have to pay full price like the rest of us? What a shanda!
Anger? People are angry at the ba’alei chesed who have graciously provided them with free vacation packages in previous years? Why? Because they can’t afford it this year? BOO-HOO! This recession has hurt a lot of people. Some of those baalei chesed can’t afford their own tuition payments anymore. Some are having difficulty putting food on the table. There are grandparents supporrting their kids in yeshiva who have grandchildren they have never seen because they can’t afford the airfare to or from Eretz Yisroel. These chasidim who want to go to Uman have some nerve thinking it’s just coming to them! And to have taanos when it doesn’t come through?!?!?! I have never seen such a warped sense of entitlement. Stay home with your families in Eretz Yisroel for Yomim Noraim. It’s possible to daaven here too. And there are far better causes for the money of those g’virim in this tekufah than to provide a subsidized European holiday vacation for whoever wants one.
Just wondering – what is the toelet in naming names here that it should be permissible to do so…?
It’s their chance to show how much they really beleive in davening in Uman. If they really had Emunah and really believed in the power of Rebbe Nachman, then paying full price would still be a bargain.
I think the Balei tzedaka finally realized that these tickets to uman are NOT tzedaka why should they pay for these guys to go hang out drunk and nutty in the streets of uman creating a chilul Hashem it might just be tzedaka for their wives to get a little break from them