JERUSALEM (VINnews) — A clip by Akiva Gruman and the Malchus choir depicting a kiddush taking place in a Meah Shearim shul has caused significant opposition within the local chareidi community. The clip, which has tens of thousands of views on social media, was filmed in the old Chabad shul in Meah Shearim and shows a typical kiddush taking place with all the participants singing in Shabbos finery, including all the various types of Shabbos garments found within the chasidic community. Many people participated in the clip, including Arele Samet, Meir Adler, Yoeli Davidovitz, Mendi Weiss and many others.
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However already during the filming there were scuffles and violent demonstrations near the shul, forcing the producers to stop the filming and search for a shul in another neighborhood in order to continue shooting the clip.
The Badatz (Beis Din Tzedek of Jerusalem) issued a strong protest against the filming inside a shul, calling its producers mockers and scorners, who make fun of holy Jewish minhagim of a kiddush, a shalom zachar and the birth of a daughter and even dressed in the garb of Yerushalmim with the shtreimels, caftans, etc. The Badatz notes the inappropriate level of consumption of alcohol and meat and wine while singing Shabbos songs – and says that the actors look like the Reform who sang in shul and did things of pleasure there. They call this an unprecedented disgrace and desecration of the holiness of Shabbos, besides the general issue of producing “kosher” movies and videos.
The Badatz also called the producer before the beis din warned him about this and he promised he would not spread his merchandise, but the clip has now been published and therefore the Badatz issued a strong protest against the producer.
It should be noted that Gruman had posted an earlier clip depicting a Sholom Zochor but this was filmed in a small shul in Tzfat and therefore did not arouse opposition as opposed to the Kiddush clip which was filmed in Meah Shearim.
I thought it was well done and entertaining, very much enjoyed watching it with my kids.
Unfortunately most readers of this si
te don’t even understand what could be wrong with such a clip, as it’s the most kosher one they watched in a very long time
its a product of the kimsuitz syndrome era, people can sing for hours [with a couple drinks] but they dont daven with a minyan or with kavanh, tell someone you realy want to connect to rebono shalolem try learning for 2 hours or saying tehilm with kavvanh for 2 hours without any interruption;how many would try that hmmmm not too many i guess have a meaningful Purim my freinds
BH there are some honest holy yidden left like the badatz. This “neo chasidism” that we see indulging in every kind of luxury, travel, expensive cars, ridiculous spending is exactly what the badatz called it a reform movement in charedi clothing. A few more generations all that’s going to be left is the kigel and the chulent like today’s matzoh ball jews.
Imagine if they (ch”v) made a music video showing Kohanim in the Bais Hamikdash dancing and partying while eating shelamim meat and doing the avoda. Sure avodas Hashem must be besimcha, but what happened to “da lifnei mi atah omeid” and “gilu ber”ada”? There is a clear distinction between simcha shel mitzva and hollelus.
Looks beautiful to me and puts me in to the שבת spirit. This can accomplish a lot of kiruv. Very geshmak.
What a disgrace, and I know most people will not see the problem here and the reason is because we are so low already that we have no clue what true orthodox Yiddishkite means, the actual words “what is wrong with it” shows that we have no clue where we are, that is the modern/open Orthodox way of thinking that’s what conservatives and reforms are, they say you can do whatever we want as long as “what’s wrong?” But we hold ourselves on a higher standard we try to keep our yiddishkite to look as the way it was by our ancestors, we try to be different, drum yidden are different than the rest but we just keep on embracing everything from the goyim we can and fit it in to our lifestyle, it is not a question if it’s allowed or not allowed it’s what’s our purpose in life and the picture we are supposed to portrait, music videos is not something that we should embrace at all, this is Goiyishe culture that’s seeping into us.
This is how the kol koreh’s happen in Israel with signatures of many great gedolim. A few real “frumaks” holier than thou run to these great gedolim in a panic, and grossly over-exaggerate or even make up facts that make it look horrible. Probably went something like this. “People dressed like us made a video of themselves Davening and singing And at the same time drinking alcohol and stuffing their faces like out of control. They even had kids involved in it. And they are planning on putting this on YouTube for the whole world to see what kind of chillul Hashem this is. An hour community is going to want to see this and they are going to go on the internet to see it. Etc etc etc, blah blah blah”. Totally would not be surprised if anyone on the Badatz even saw the video. Happens all the time.
I think the issue is the way one dude eyeballs were about to fall out when he say the chulent. This clip seems more like a gross fress situation than a kumzitz. The food connection seems so natural while the singing and so called dvaikos seem so artificial. Atleast had they been good actors the cast would have relayed a more spiritual message. Instead one leaves disgusted of their non-hygenic approach to the ‘achila’
Hi
I see the comments, the back and forth. I don’t necessarily feel either way.
What I will say is,
I davened in that shul for a few years.
It was something unimaginable.
I live in Brooklyn today, and obviously been to many shuls – trust me, this was something else, something vert special.
I knew Reb Moshe Veber Zatzal there (and later his son Reb Ido Shyichye), as well as Reb Shimon Yakobovich AH, my Zeide A”h, and many others there, Rabbi Hertzel Sheyichye, the Gabai Sheyichye, and may others, which I won’t list here.
Which they themselves were the Sheairis Hapleita of a different generation who davened in that shul, such as the mashpia Rabbi Lipkin, and many others, but the walls had absorbed them all.
The video pained me, but I thought it was my personal issue.
The reason it pained me wasn’t about filming in a shul, or the issue of “kosher videos” etc, or the other issues brought up here (not that I’m saying one way or the other) –
It pained me because I felt it tainted the beauty of this particular shul.
This shul was another world (I don’t know about today, because it’s 20 years later now…).
And I felt it desecrated my memories of this unbelievable shul. (Again, this is my personal issue).
Had the video been taken somewhere else, it wouldn’t have bothered me.
I couldn’t bear watching it.
For those who remember the Aryaos Shebichabura, who davened there – although they were all truly humble and didn’t carry an aura around themselves – would know what I’m referring to.
If there are such people on this page, please post your memories.
“inappropriate level of consumption of alcohol and meat and wine while singing Shabbos songs”
I’ve seen plenty of that in many different orthodox shuls. Purim is even worse.
Y would vin post a clip that a Bes din put out an issur?
Maybe this was filmed before COVID 21.
Hopefully it was a Goy who filmed it on Shabbos.
AH Frielechen Purim
These comments are gevaldig!
Amazing how this is a problem but Chabad’s ideology of hatred against other Jews and gentiles is fine.
what a beautiful video, so inspiring and positive.
don’t know what is the problem with filming inside a shul, since most people eat and drink and sleep inside the shul, it does NOT have a din of a beis knesset.
These people (BADATZ) are part of the reason so many are leaving their faith. Crying wolf for no good reason other than to cause discontent and divide.
Doesn’t the Badatz and Co. have much bigger fish to fry then involve themselves in every naarishkeit. Concerning themselves with with such types of stup[idity it’s no wonder frum kids are going OTD.
Ironically beautiful songs about shabbos while desecrating it with: mashmia kol b’kli, borer, giving weekday gifts, etc.
Aside the (משום איבה) resentment of most of the Jewish world who cannot yet participate in such an event, I’ll be dan l’kaf zchus that they’re all fully vaccinated, otherwise this not so sanitary behavior during a pandemic will get someone killed and sick during regular times.
אין עם הארץ חסיד
…otherwise it makes me salivate when I could go back to a shul Kiddush!
So BDATZ wasnt upset at this violation of COVID safety protocol??
With all the bad PR that they are receiving concerning COVID and lack of adherence to proper education advise this stopped stunt only opens up more problems for the local inhabitants acromegaly their press.
Under normal circumstances this might have been funny sorry poor taste and at the wrong time