The publisher of the Chadoshoti Newspaper, Yaakov Kind, has filed a NIS 250,000 lawsuit against the Haifa Nadvorna Rebbe Shlita (Rav Dovid Laufer), as well as against a community rav, Rabbi Yaakov Avargil, haredim reports.
The suit claims the rebbe and rav circulated a kol korei which categorized the newspaper as unsuitable for chareidim. Kind explains this resulted in substantial loss of revenue. The rabbonim spoke out against the newspaper’s content as well as its ads. The condemnatory warning was signed by a number of rabbonim including Rav Meir Richnitzer (Belz), Rav Yisrael Rust (Gur), Rav Dovid Zoldon (Seret-Vishnitz), Rav Yosef Yechiel Bamberger (Litvish community), Rav Avargil and the Rebbe. HaRav Situta of the Eida Chareidis did not oppose the newspaper, but changed his view and expressed the new opinion in writing after the other rabbonim published their kol korei.
The report states that the newspaper at one time carried ads from Sheva Shuk, and in another instance, displayed blurred photos of females. Kind was warned it adds, but he did not heed the warnings.
In his lawsuit filed with the Haifa Rabbinical Court, Kind questions just why the rabbonim signed the kol korei without ever speaking to him and without thoroughly investigating the situation. Kind claims damages to his operation amount to NIS 500,000, seeking to recover his loses from the Rebbe Shlita and Rav Avargil.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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9 Responses
Yes, I’m sure they’ll call on the whole tzibbur to read his paper after he wins this case in court.
What exactly is Kind trying to accomplish here? Does this make any sense?
Smart move! Suing Rabbonim in a non-bais din setting will surely impress the chareidi tzibur and convince them that this fellow is worthy of publishing a newspaper that belongs in frum homes!
If by Haifa Rabbinical Court he means the government court, this could be a marketing ploy for frum zionists.
Under western law, expressing an opinion of the nature in dispute is not actionable, but Israel isn’t quite a modern western country.
to #1 and #2:
What does he have to lose if they are not reading his paper anyway due to the kol korei?
If successful (not holding my breath), the gelt would be compensation for the loss his business sustained.
this will generate publicity and get people buying the newspaper! it seems like issuing a fatwa before discussion with the boss isn’t so fair anyway.
If he can sue the Rebbi and Rabbonim, why can’t the mayor of Jerusalem and City Hall sue Rav Eliyashov and Rav Tuvia Weiss for organizing and signing on these protests? I’m sure the city has lost hundreds and thousands of shekels (or dollars)in lost revenue from tourists plus having to pay all of these policemen, etc. The list of possibilities is endless…
The way of BANS & kol kriahs are in effect however leaders want. There is no commitment stating that both sides need to be heard before signatures are wet.
sam rose – there could be a case for that, and protest organisers and participants should maybe consider the consequences of their actions before going wild. I doubt the rabbonim meant harm by the protests, but things did get ugly.
there is a wider point that you can’t win respect by banning things and saying “no” to anything remotley new. Torah is fantastic, and there are differnt more poisitive ways than bans and protests to shine the light of torah within and outside of the charedi community.
the problem is that NO bet din would take such a case (against a rebbe)
and any bet din that takes the case, will not be agreeable to the nit’an(im).
and they’ll never asgree to a zabl”a
so now, the nit’anim will agree to some sort of zabl”a