After local thugs were hired to lockdown the Isaac Shul in Krakow as part of a monetary dispute between a Chabad shaliach and Jewish community leaders, Minister of Religious Services (Shas) Yitzchak Vaknin sent a letter on the matter to Poland’s Minister of the Interior.

Community leaders decided to oust Chabad shaliach Rabbi Eliezer Gurary as reported by YWN-Israel. Despite the fact that he has a ten-year lease, they demanded a ridiculously high sum or get out. At the end, thugs were brought in to lock out the rav and his followers. They demanded over NIS 47,000 monthly for rent, when in fact, they are paying less than NIS 2000 monthly at present.

Poland’s Chief Rabbi Mordechai Sedrick has sided with Rav Gurary in the machlokes.

Poland’s Interior Minister is responsible for the nation’s religious services, asking him to take appropriate actions to reopen the shul for daily mispallalim until the local court rules on the matter.

In his letter, Vaknin writes, “I was astonished to learn that recently the synagogue in question became the subject of an internal dispute between the leaders of the Jewish community and Rabbi Eliezer Gurary, who gave his life for Judaism in general and for the Jews of Krakow in particular, and I was even more astonished by the fact that until this dispute was resolved in the appropriate court, the synagogue is under lock and key, and the Jews of Krakow are not given the most basic possibility of all Jews around the world to preserve their faith and pray in the synagogue, the most sacred place for the Jewish people of all time.

“I appeal to you as the responsibility of the religious services of the Polish Government to order the opening of this synagogue and to allow prayers to be held on a regular basis throughout the week as it was until the court decided on the financial dispute between the parties.

“The fundamental and democratic right of every person to his or her faith must be preserved in every democratic country, and I am confident that it will be possible immediately for the benefit of all Polish Jews.”

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)