Chapter 15: The Vaad – A Six Year Power Struggle With Nothing To Show

“One hour of repentance and good deeds in this world is better than all of the World to Come” (Pirkei Avos 4:17)

In waging their “holy war” against Rabbi Fischer the Vaad HaShechunah made many complaints about him. In retrospect if one looks back over the past six years since this Vaad has been in power, one can see that many of the things that they accuse Rabbi Fischer of doing are things that they are guilty of doing themselves.

The Vaad complained that Rabbi Fischer had too much power. They said he was a one man operation. Who runs the show VAAD today? One man in particular – Rabbi Squealman – who has an inordinate amount of power. He seems to make many of the important decisions completely on his own without consulting with anyone at all. Is this man capable of running our community? What accomplishments does he have to show us for the past six years of work? Has he built or fragmented?

There has been no development of affordable housing for our kehillah in Crown Heights since Rabbi Fischer was thrown out. On the contrary, some buildings were lost to the homeless exposing us to the dangers of people with AIDS and drug addicts.

When Rabbi Fischer was here he helped to keep the Shmirah well funded and they were fully equipped with radios. Today, it is an entire year since the pogrom and there are no funds for Shmirah. The Shmirah does not have the radios it needs to effectively protect us. Is the Vaad concerned with our personal safety or are they too busy trying to win their bitter machloykes over money, power, and kovod with Rabbi Fischer?

When Rabbi Fischer was in Crown Heights he made sure that the hotel did not get into the hands of a low element of people. He searched very hard for a buyer and when none could be found he put himself at great personal risk and borrowed the money to buy it. Now the Vaad has the audacity to claim it belongs to them. If it were left to them it would be a school for children of another religion today (like another school on President Street that they did not allow Rabbi Fischer to handle). The Vaad had nothing to do with the hotel and for years they were unaware of its status while Rabbi Fischer worried about its fate.

The Vaad demanded Rabbi Fischer open his books and ledgers for them. Will they open their books and ledgers for us? Where is all the government money that is coming into our community going? Will the Vaad show us their income and expense statement?

What happened to the coalition built up over the years by Rabbi Fischer in the local Democratic Club? This Vaad has alienated all of our politically moderate friends and instead they support dangerous anti-Semites like Clarence Norman (ex-campaign manager for Jesse Jackson now running for District Leader). Why does the Vaad support politicians who are as much our friends as the P.L.O. are our friends? Why is it that when there were Yidden who recently wanted to run for District Leader the Vaad emphatically discouraged them?

Why are there no public meetings called? Why is it that we only hear from the Vaad when they want money from us but they fail to notify us when they take out a lawsuit in our name?

Why are there no elections in over four years when they must be held every two years? The guidelines set up by the charter also stipulate that there are to be elections every two years. Is this an illegal Vaad?

The following episode further exemplifies the abuse of power on the part of the Vaad:

The Rebbe Shlita expressed his wish for a hotel and a hachnosas orchim house in the community on several occassions. Rabbi Fischer had established a hotel in 1985 but there was still no hachnosas orchim house. Rabbi Fischer notified the Vaad that he had an opportunity to buy a property that would be an ideal location for a Hachnosas Orchim house. The Vaad agreed to raise funds jointly for this important project.

Rabbi Fischer, some Vaad members, and private people raised the funds and began inside demolition on the building. There were plans drawn up for the building of a new, modern men’s mikvah, something that was and still is sorely lacking in the kehillah. One hundred thousand dollars in funds were expended which was raised from people both within and from without of Crown Heights. Agreements were reached with the government sector to grant funds for this new mosod.

When the new Vaad came into power they not only discontinued this project, which was done to satisfy the Rebbe Shlita’s wishes and to give him nachas, but they lost the government grants as well. They then sold this building to a private individual for the purpose of making it into condominiums. The project was effectively killed and all of the tzedakah raised for it was abused without a Din Torah. There is a clear cut halacha that charity raised for a specific purpose cannot be used for anything else, and definitely not for business purposes.

Did the Vaad bother to ask the permission of all of the people who had donated tzedakah to this project in the memory of their beloved ones if they could kill the project and instead make condos? Who gave them the right to do this? Did the Vaad get paid for the sale of this building that did not belong to them? Can we see their books and ledgers to find out if they were paid for this sale and if so how much?

This is another illustration of the Vaad’s disregard for halacha, their lack of concern for the kehillah, their unwillingness to take responsibility to help build up the kehillah, and their blatant disregard of the Rebbe Shlita’s wishes. They are guilty of all of this only for the purpose of their “holy” cause of dismantling Rabbi Fischer’s plans.

If someone asks these and other questions they are immediately branded as an agent from Rabbi Fischer. They are accused of fighting the Rabbonim and even the Rebbe, G-d Forbid! Rumors are spread about them. No one can dare question the authority of the Vaad!

The Vaad does not feel that they have to answer to the people of Crown Heights. They feel that they are not only above the Rabbonim but even the Torah itself! They have used fear as their modus operandi. They tell the kehillah to mind their own business because they are in control.

We, however, as the citizens of this kehillah not only have the right but also the obligation not to mind our own business. The Vaad is an elected body and as such they must answer to us and not vice versa! They are not the Zayan Tuvei Ha’ir and it is time to put an end to this climate of fear and psychological intimidation!