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VIDEO: Ezra Friedlander Hosts Boro Park Tu B’Shvat Seuda in Honor of Speaker Christine Quinn


Yesterday Ezra Friedlander, the eldest son of the Lisker Rebbe, hosted a “TuB’Shvat Seuda” in his Boro Park home in honor of NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn. The Speaker, who is Irish Catholic, seemed to enjoy herself joking “this is going to be a shock but I have never been to a Tu Bshvat seder before.” Several of those in attendance read psukim and other Jewish phrases in honor of the co-ed Tu B’shvat Seudah. Other elected officials in attendance included Councilman Brad Lander & Assemblyman David Weprin.

The Friedlanders were joined by a small crowd that included several community leaders such as Leon Goldenberg of Agudas Yisroel of America, Rabbi Yeruchim Silber of the Boro Park JCC, Sendy Rapaport of Masbia, Joshua Weinstein of Shema Koleinu and Yosef Rapaport of Hamodia. Leading the seder was Rabbi Steven Burg, formerly of the Orthodox Union, and currently an executive at the Simon Wiesenthal Center.

Please see below for a five minute highlight video of the event.

Click HERE to watch this video from a mobile device.

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(YWN Desk – NYC)



20 Responses

  1. When will we start rejecting people like Ezra Friedlander who bring liberals into our community as if they are God like figures who will bring the messiah. Enough with the liberals who are good at bankrupting our state

  2. What a disgusting Chillul Hashem! Making a total mockery of our holy Minhagim! There has never been a pro militant toaivanik that Friedlander hasn’t fallen in love with! This bum is a MICHANEFF of the highest order! One can vomit watching only a few moments of this! Pheh! Shame on all those “askanim” LOL, sitting in that room with these low lifes! This is what happens when you become arrogant and you think you know better than Daas Torah! Thank you YWN for exposing & showing us the true colors of Ezra.

  3. In the article, the words “NYC Council Speaker Christine Quinn” are linked. Did the fellows at this seudah read the linked article?

  4. get over it everyone. if he doesn’t do this you’ll all be crying that the government isn’t helping you waste your life by giving you all the freebies. it’s called shtadlanus.

  5. What shame…first this party and second showing it on YWN….how low are so called frum Yidden stooping for a little kavod!!

  6. To 1,2 and 3

    What to most of us is “disgusting” and “nauseating” are your hateful comments which insult the chashuve rabbonim and ehrliche yidden who attended this event. We live in a pluarlistic society and we don’t judge our public leaders al pi halacha or their lifestyle choices but rather on their leadership skills and policy positions. You should all beg mechila from Councilman Lander, Rav Silber and Rav Burg and the other aksanim who attended. Kol Hakovod to Ezra Friedlander for making this possible.

  7. You left out the spiritual leader Rev. Joseph Potasnik of the Conservative congregation in Brooklyn Heights. Friedlander had to import a Conservative leader to Boro Park for the event?

    The speaker alluded to meeting with Ezra’s father, the Liska Rebbe, before the event. Did she give him a kvittel?

    Tu B’Shvat was on Shabbos, and this event was only Sunday night it seems. Who are they fooling?

    I think the main thing served at the event was sheker and chanifa. Many of the so called ‘leaders’ are clients of Friedlander’s PR business, or otherwise associated with him. Just like Friedlander came out on the losing side when David Weprin hired him running against Bob Turner, because the people rejected the toeivah candidate, despite Friedlander’s attempting to portray it as kosher, so too should emes win in the future, despite his attempts to use the PR tactics of the Friedlander group to make something treif look kosher.

  8. This man is a businessman involved in politics. Bringing in the Lisker Rebbe or anything else to do with Yahadus is a disgrace because that implies a heter/endoresement of the pro-toeiva positions that Quinn holds. And what honor is there in a “co-ed Tu BiShvat seudah”?

    I think Joe Yeshivish expressed well the general sentiment, and that’s without watching the video.

    I assume this was posted on YWN because that’s part of the required chanifus in this dirty game of politics but I was still surprised at the headline and further disappointed with the content. Have you not forgotten that Hashem despises this behavior?

  9. Some thoughts,
    Who made Ezea Friedlander a spokesperson for frum yidden. Stop bringing these liberal politician in. Liberalism is k’neged Torah it’s sheker. And it’s bankrupting this country.

  10. This wasn’t just a political meeting. This was under the guise of a Tu B’shvat Seder, a holy minhag. Yes, we have every right to protest.

  11. Ezra, seriously?

    To get your 15 minutes of fame you make a seudah for a goy and have her read psukim from the torah in English on Tu Bshvat? This is sad. You are sad.

    I expect this behavior from reform Brad Lander but not from a chasidshe yingerman in Borough Park. What a chilul hashem and perversion of our mesorah!

    Nebach.

  12. Gadol hadorah
    Its really sad how off base you are and how low you have sunk. First off, our Gedolim have made very clear that a politicians personal choices, do matter and Reb Moshe Feinstein Zatzal did pasken as such. So yes someone who lives a toevah life style does matter and we should not vote as such. Of course there’s the possibility that you’ll say, you don’t believe in Reb Moshe. Second of all, this was a complete mockery of a minhag Yisroel and very unneccesery. And for representatives of Agudas Yisroel to attend is very troubling.

  13. Mr gadol hador:
    Shame on you for calling someone else with a different opinion shameful, why don’t you read your response, your pathetic….I can bring you plenty of gedolim who share my sentiment.

    Please go back and read my comments that I disagree with their liberal agenda which has nothing to do with her being a lesbian but rather my beilief in small government and if thats a crime, hey welcome to America

  14. I can’t believe they invited her to a Tu Bishvat seudah why did they have to mix religion and politics? I’m sure she would come for a regular dinner and pass on the dried buxa.

  15. To Election 2013….and your point is?? Ms. Quinn was invited as part of a normal political event where public leaders, whether liberal, conservative or whatever label you want to assign them are included. Our gedolim, shlita, routinely invite public figures of both political parties to various events at their homes. The Rebbe, z’tl, was frequently photographed with the leaders of both political parties, many of whom for their time were considered VERY liberal or progressive. We live in America and we should be inclusive of all groups and lifestyles, without necessarily emulating them.

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