Vilnius, Lithuania – Here in the former home of the Vilna Gaon, two rabbis have been battling for three years for control of the city’s lone synagogue.
Now one of them — Rabbi Sholom Ber Krinsky, a Chabad-Lubavitcher who arrived in 1994 to serve as the community’s rabbi — not only has lost control of the synagogue but is literally scrambling to keep a roof over his and his family’s head.
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Krinsky may soon become the only Chabad Shliach among the more than 200 in the former Soviet Union to be evicted from his Chabad House premises for non-payment of rent. Krinsky once owned the property but was forced to sell to satisfy his debts.
“The owner was fairly patient,” said a U.S. official familiar with the situation. “Even if Rabbi Krinsky comes up with the necessary funding, I don’t think the owner is interested. It’s too late.”
This is the latest twist in the power struggle between those in the Vilnius Jewish community who support Krinsky and backers of Rabbi Chaim Burshtein, a Litvak rabbi who came to the community in 2004 and shares its traditions and customs.
At stake in the power struggle is which side will benefit from the long-awaited restitution of Jewish communal property, which in Lithuania eventually will include at least 200 buildings and an estimated $60 million in compensation for property that cannot be returned.
Krinsky blames his troubles on the anti-Chabad bias of local and international Jewish groups that he says are trying to shut him out of the restitution process.
But Krinsky’s critics, in turn, accuse him of trying to dominate the restitution process as well as Lithuanian religious life. “What Rabbi Krinsky wants is to be at the front of restitution instead of being a part of it,” said Simonas Alperavicius, chairman of the Jewish Community of Lithuania. “But he cannot be more equal than others.”
Krinsky said he was invited by the local community, which Alperavicius and others confirm. But they also suggest that invitations can be rescinded. [JTA]
for whatever its worth I had business there and actually needed R’ Krinsky’s intervention and hospitality. I have no words for the type of person he is (as are most of the shlichim in every part of the world). No words and needless to say we all know who is really after the money 😉
I was born in Vilnius, Lithuania, and went through the litvishe yeshivas in Brooklyn. Although I am no fan of Chabad in general, R. Krinsky deserves all the credit! He was there first, provided free meals every single day, established and maintained the daily minyanim, had hundreds of people eating by him every shabbos, etc.
The nazis killed over 90% of the Jewish population in Lithuania. After WWII, Lithuania was under Soviet control, till 1990. The Jewish population in 1990 totalled about 12,000 and the majoriy of them came from Belarus and other parts of Russia after the war.
There is maybe 4,000 Jews left there, most of them elderly, as most of them have since long immigrated, (mostly to Israel).
We have to give full credit to Rabbi Krinsky who gave the Jewish population a Jewish identity, and a taste of yidishkeit, so when they move to Israel, they would not totally assimilate with the Israeli chilonim.
To bring the Gr”a into this is nonsense. The Jews there are not even on the level to differentiate between misnagdim and hasidim. This is all about money, and who gets a share of the restitution from the government.
The machlokes of the Gaon was purely lshem sh’mayim.
anyone hear about the litvak center in the town of lubavitch? maybe when the geulah comes…
funny Lubavitch is a lithuanian town so ChaBaD chassidim are realy litvacks hehehehe
to 4:58:
Vilna is just about the last place to be taken over by those that all they want to do is bring other yidden closer to yiddishkeit.
and besides, it wasnt the Gr”a who was against this, but is followers who misconstrued everything he said.
and derech agav, who from the gra’s followeres is left today….
meanwhile whether you like it or not Chassidus lives on….
p.s. i dont mean to bash the Gr”a Chas VSholom, its just that his followeres were way off the mark…
Dont worry!
Yad Chasidim al Elyona!!
The chasidim outlasted the misnagdim 200 years ago and we will do the same today!!
Rabbi Krinsky keep up the great work you are doing, and remeber that you were sent there by the Rebbe, so you have the koach of the Meshaleiach with you.
To 4:27 pm maybe you should consider this:
Get a life!!
Maybe it the koach of the gr”a. Even now he doesn’t want Vilna taken over by chassidim.
my connection tells me krinsky is there to help the folks and everyone else has money in there sights. Krinsky has enough funding and is a great shliach and loved by everyone. What a sham.
I would suggest ‘taiku’ but one of those involved thinks Eliyahu already was here…..
as i hear krinsky was running the shul till that burshtein locked the shul and has not opend it since. the community is with krinsky but the shul is under burshtin. the only minyan in town is by krinsky. so now tell me who is there for the jews and who for the money?