While everyone talks about the positives after the allegations against Harvey Weinstein and the #metoo hash tag, we need to wake up to a reality that cannot be ignored.
Shlomo Carlebach is the love child of postmodernist left and right wing Jews. A brilliant man with oodles of charisma, his only defence against potent and cogent #metoo is that the dead can’t defend themselves.
The cloud over his activities though has been ignored by the sanctimonious left #metoo for whom his songs appear to be the ‘holy of Holies’
It is hard for me to understand how the egalitarian ones at Shira Chadasha and the Open Orthodox types still continue to regale in his production. How dare they preach while they choose to ignore #metoo #rebshlomo
The Lubavitcher Rebbe z’l clearly said that Carlebach material should not be used in any Chabad Shule and, when Shlomo was still alive, he said efforts to bring him to Repentance should take place, but not within Chabad.
Another link in this old chain was published in the forward.
It’s time to call out the tree huggers and right wingers who cleave to his music as if it is the pinnacle of ‘spirituality’.
Is Carlebach beyond #metoo?
If so, why so?
#iambaffled
pitputim 
R Chaim Dalfin heard from an eyewitness that R Shlomo did teshuvah just hours before he passed away. If so, he died a tzadik and his songs should now be kosher.
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Rabbi Dalfin was also ready to write a book about Shlomo. He pulled out of the venture when people vociferously objected. I know some of those people. Rabbi Dalfin, in my estimation, admittedly based on one of his books, starts with an agenda, collects all the sources which support his agends and the strains sensibilities to overcome contradictions. The eye witness has a name. He ought to be open to scrutiny even if he was the only one. That being said, where people are involved, am I to believe that this person became a messenger who transmitted this apology to each of those who alleged impropriety? In Melbourne, we have 2-4 Minyanim who believe that turning Carlebach into a Davening sing song, is spiritually uplifting. Lehavdil, some of the Southern Baptist singing is also very moving and likeable, but it stems not from Kedusha. Given you have easy access to Rabbi Dalfin, and I know he occasionally reads my blog, I look forward to the information he gathered. Most importantly all those in Melbourne who will continue the Carlebach style, will also continue with davening outside (this is, to my recollection something frowened on by Shulchan Aruch as well). At the end of the day, I think all this sing song leading to heights of spritualism is misplaced. One needs to prepare before davening. All Chassidim, spend lots of time preparing. Then one needs to know Pirush Hamilos. One should come on time, and not consistently week in week out, be learning Chassidus while the Kohol is already at Yishtabach. There are no Ovdim, as we knew them, certainly in Melbourne. The last I saw was Rav Perlow z’l. I’m digressing and being nostalgic. I’ve written to arguably the most left wing Rabbis in Melbourne, Rabbi Genende and Rabbi Caplan, both of whom have allowed “women’s shabbos mincha services”, something I struggle to undertstand and where Men are banished to an area where their Minyan is unable to allow participation in a Davar Shebikedusha for the women. I feel that Women’s learning should be enhanced in response to demand. We do not, however, go out and encourage people to learn in the beis hamedrash like men. Rather, this is something, that some women will enjoy. No woman should feel she must do this to ironically show she is egalitarian as opposed to boring old Orthodox. Learning and the Beis HaMedrash are the corner stones of identity, not davening. Mizrachi do it very well. They have a vibrant women’s group who love to learn. There is no pressure on women to conform to this lifnim Mishuras HaDin. Any of the egalitarian types should attend the Mizrachi Beis Midrash, say twice a week and enjoy the shiurim. One gets much more from Talmud Torah. The Chafetz Chaim, Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Soloveitchik and others never suggested one go out and seek to enlist women. Rather, those who are motivated by Torah and not some extemporaneous egalitarian ideal which forces them to attend Shiurim with or without males, are not the ones who are germane here. There is fresh baked cake. We make it available now to those who are hungry for it and have a taste for it. Those who do not, should not feel they need to do anymore. They can daven two Shemoneh Esres, Shachris and Mincha and fulfill their requirements 100%.
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He was escorted to an Australian airport after sustain allegations were made by young women. In the atmosphere we now live in SC would have been arrested and charged.
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There is little doubt, that if SC tried to enter Australia today, then the Minister woud be lobbied not to issue a Visa. Even if he was deluded and/or allegedly drug affected and meant well, this is not the type of person who is a shining example. There are plenty of Carlebach sycophants and copiers who mould their music amd daveing around his tunes. We are capable of making up new catchy or mournful or whatever, amd yes, they are capable of spreading this. Rav Motti Elon is a genius at transmitting Torah to those not yet religious. Today, he is sidelined. I met him once at Yeshivat Hakotel, on Purim, and he was a tad touchy feely. That’s not a crime in of itself.
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Since you reference an article in the Forward, here is another from there with a somewhat different take: https://forward.com/opinion/389110/should-we-still-be-singing-shlomo-carlebachs-songs-in-the-metoo-era/?utm_content=bufferd39bc&utm_medium=social&utm_source=plus.google.com&utm_campaign=buffer
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I hadn’t seen that article but it does nothing for me. If someone told me that some married man who ran after women other than his wife, or some pedophile had a good approach to a different issue, it does not mitigate the veritable storm of allegations against him. Indeed since publishing, I’ve had contact from Australian females whom he attempted his vile hyper sexuality upon.
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