Chapter 14: The Rico Act – Mesirah on an Unprecedented Scale
‘‘Any controversy which is for the sake of Heaven will have an abiding result; and that which is not for the sake of Heaven will not have an abiding result. Which is a controversy for the sake of Heaven? The controversy between Hillel and Shammai. And which is not for the sake of Heaven? The controversy of Korach and all his faction.” (Pirkei Avos 5:17).
The story of Korach’s rebellion provides us with an excellent moshel for understanding the “holy war” waged against Rabbi Fischer. Korach had everything that a person could possibly want in life. He was extremely learned and had Torah wisdom. He had been chosen as one of the carriers of the Aron. He was a member of one of the most important Levite families, and he had fabulous wealth. Yet, he was consumed with envy for Moshe Rabbeinu because he was the leader instead of Korach.
Korach’s envy obsessed him to the point of compelling him to lead a rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu. Korach realized that he could never succeed in rebelling against Moshe Rabbeinu if he let it be known that he was doing so because he wanted to be leader himself. He therefore had to obscure his true goal and pretend that the rebellion against Moshe Rabbeinu was lesheim shamayim.
Korach invented a rationale for the rebellion that said that there ought to be equal rights for everyone who was worthy of holding honored positions. Moshe Rabbeinu, he claimed, had no rights to hold himself above the people because in the eyes of Hashem every Jew is equal.
This rationale served to cloak Korach’s jealousy of Moshe Rabbeinu in a garb of holiness and in this way he gained followers.
Moshe Rabbeinu went to Hashem and asked Him to open the earth and swallow Korach and his faction. Why would Moshe Rabbeinu, who had great love for every Yid, ask Hashem to punish these Jews? Moshe Rabbeinu understood that if this machloykes were allowed to continue it would eventually involve all of Klal Yisroel. Moshe Rabbeinu saw that the only way to prevent the machloykes from spreading was by asking the Hashem to stop the rebels who were perpetuating it. Moshe Rabbeinu had to ask Hashem to punish the few to save the many.
Like Korach and his rebels, we can see how Rabbi Fischer’s enemies obscured their all consuming jealousy of him by pretending that the machloykes against him was lesheim shamayim – a “holy war”. Similarly, with the terrible prospect of the Rico Act being invoked against Rabbi Fischer, we can see how this machloykes has the potential to engulf all of Lubavitch-G-d forbid! The few must be stopped to save the many!
Invoking the Rico Act against Rabbi Fischer and other Yidden from our community is not merely one single act of mesirah but it is in actuality an act of multiple mesiros. The Rico Act has far reaching effects and there is no telling how many people may be touched by this case. This law was used to successfully put Mafioso John Gotti away and when they were finished with his case there was virtually nothing left of his empire. Rabbi Fischer’s enemies want his empire destroyed to the point of not caring if innocent people get hurt in the process. Even innocent bystanders who were not involved with Gotti were investigated. This is not to imply that we are, G-d forbid, in the same category as John Gotti. It is only mentioned to point out that the Rico Act is a law that is subject to excesses. Under the Rico Act the excessively zealous government can put anyone of us, including those of us who had nothing to do with Rabbi Fischer in any way, individually or organizationally, under comprehensive investigation.
Even though Lubavitchers are honest law abiding people and in theory have nothing to fear, we are all aware of how the media dislikes religious Jews. We can all think of examples of how the media twists around the facts to present Chassidim in an unfavorable manner. Even non-religious Jews who are merely suspected of crimes are given front page headlines that are sensationalized. Imagine what the anti-religious and anti-Semitic press can do to our public image if even one Jew is implicated from either side of the conflict? What potential damage could this have on the International Campaign to Bring Moshiach? Is this what the Rebbe Shlita wants after forty-two years of working to create a positive public image for Lubavitch? (May Hashem protect us!)
Even if G-d willing, the case has been revoked by the time you are reading this pamphlet, the fact still remains that we have a Vaad HaShechunah that is guilty of mesirah, not only against their enemy but against all of us as well. What is worse is that the Vaad brought this case against Rabbi Fischer in our name, in the name of the entire Crown Heights community without asking our permission. One wonders if this were done during the summer months on purpose while most of the kehillah was away in the country behind our backs. What gave them the audacity to believe that we would stand for this?
We also have a Vaad that is guilty of lying to us. They have told people that this case will get millions of dollars from Rabbi Fischer for the community. The fact is that the (this case based on the RICO Act) case implies that any money won against Rabbi Fischer in this lawsuit goes to the government. Is the Vaad doing this for money or pure revenge? The Vaad stated in their lawsuit that even if the Statute of Limitations for what the government is owed has passed, they want the government to go after Rabbi Fischer anyway. Doesn’t this seem to be only for revenge?
Another lie told by the Vaad is that the case has been revoked. Ask any of the people named in the case if this is so. By law they must be informed of this. If it were indeed the fact then they certainly would have made it known.
The Vaad also makes the preposterous claim that the Rico Act will not hurt anyone else besides those named in the case. Just read excerpts from the enclosed article from the New York Magazine (See pages72-74) or ask any lawyer about the far reaching effects of the Rico Act and you will see this is just another of the many lies told by our Vaad!
We have until earlv September to have this case revoked. We must all demand from our Vaad and our Rabbonim that this Chillul Hashem be stopped immediatelv. We must demand, for the sake of the Rebbe Shlita’s health that this mesirah be stopped immediately! Do we want as a community to greet Moshiach with such a blemish on our kehillah? We must stand up and say in a resounding voice that we will have absolutely nothing to do with this diabolical act of mesirah! We must stand up and proclaim that we are not a communitv that condones such actions!
A Crown Heights Story 