Note No. 1: I (Tzemach) haven't been inside this world for a long time. When I listen back to the podcast, I discover that I mixed or misspoke some names, perhaps even facts. Some characters I no longer remember. It should not distract from the conversation.
In regard to our friends S. Taub and the Jacobson brothers (called them Simpson, a slip), they enter the obvious vacuum of the spiritual leadership. Confirmation bias business is the best there is, turbocharged with the emotional and financial booster of selling the divine. But without any touch of the real power or corporate legitimacy they remain, as I said, the standup clowns. YY Jacobson maybe literally.
I am curious to know who are the mentioned “Russian Hasidim” who kept surveilling Barry Gourary’s house, I must have known them.
There is more to say…
Correction No. 1: Regrading the disdain for the Chabad military terms. I didn’t speak to Berl Lipsker, I spoke to Avrohom Lipsker.
Update No.1: The name of the man who authored Subbota is Lazer Nannes.
Nitpicking No. 1:
1. Merkas Le’inyonei Chinuch was in charge of “shlichus” under the Rebbe from the get go, the first shluchim to Morocco were sent already in 1951.
2. That included those summer shlichus for bachurim (aka “merkas shlichus”).
3. Tzach was governed by a Vaad (still is). Raskin was the first chairman of the vaad. Butman replaced him. Tzach does have a “territory”, it manages — NY state. With a small carve out for Sahloh (the Hecht’s organization). The rest of the shichus in the world is under Merkas, at least technically (meaning that Israel might have its own hard-to-understand structure).
4. The Hechts do have a bunch of organizations they run: Camp Emunah, Hadar Hatorah, Machon Chanah (until recently, I think it is now split into two), the shlichus in Park Slope and a few other places. Release time is still active too.
5. ALL the achei tmimim yeshovos in the out-of-town communities had nothing to do with Rashag. It was all under the auspices of Merkaz Le’inyonei Chinuch, starting in 1941-42 (the organization was founded when the Rebbe arrived here in 1941 and the Rebbe was put in charge of it from day one). The schools under Merkas also include Beth Rivkah.
Nitpicking No. 2: Chanzin was not elected alone, he was originally elected as one of three: Chanzin, Marlow, Osdoba. After the Rebbe told Chanzin to stay in Petach Tikva, there was a run-off election between Altein and Heller, in which Heller was elected.
Nitpicking No. 3: Mendel Futerfas is literally single-handedly responsible from turning Chabad of Israel from the focus on avoda to the focus on the hiskashrus to the Rebbe (maybe this explains why Rebbe picked him?) .
Sound No. 5 - Sholem Aleichem: HR Department of Menachem Mendel Schneerson