Chasidic Loyalty Gone Amuck

Aron Rottenberg

There are a lot of people that respect Rabbi David Twersky, the Rebbe of Skver. But I am not one of them. Why do they respect him? He has established an enclave of Chasidim that isolates itself from the rest of the world for the purported purpose of reaching high levels of spirituality. The ‘outside’ world is full of immorality and injustice and all manner of enticement towards an immoral lifestyle. The logic is that since we are a people declared by God to be holy, we must strive to act that way. Rabbi Twesky’s aim was to create an environment that will not only enable that, but encourage it.

Shaul Spitzer

While it is probably true as Spitzer claimed – that he acted on his own, there is not a doubt in my mind that he was simply taking to extremes sanctions tacitly endorsed by Rabbi Twersky for dissidents.

Rottenberg said Twersky has treated Spitzer like a hero and urged his followers to pray for Spitzer and ignore Rottenberg. "No one from the community or the family has apologized," Rottenberg said. "They had 3 1/2 years to apologize. Instead, he's become a hero for them and a role model for their teenagers..." 

(T)he religious hierarchy is pressuring (Rottnebrg)to ask Supreme Court Justice William Kelly to give Spitzer youthful offender status, which could allow him to be released from prison. He also said the New Square religious tribunal cursed him in a letter to the community and has been damaging his reputation. 

"No one from the community or the family has apologized," Rottenberg said. "They had 3 1/2 years to apologize. Instead, he's become a hero for them and a role model for their teenagers.They're asking me to ask the judge to give him youthful offender. I won't."