On the subject of ongoing legal fight by Simon Jacobson for the Sixth Street Community Synagogue. To understand Simon’s modus operandi is to understand the psychology of a squatter. First obviously is his takeover of the offices above the 770 and now the aggressive ownership mongering on the Sixth Street. When I asked Simon to join me in the Reshimu, he demanded shares in the business. “We’ll draft an agreement”- he said. An agreement for what? For the vague funding promises or the famous writing, well that’s a different story.
Here is a dude who lived his entire life on the same Eastern Parkway block; yet somehow managed to think of himself as the most cosmopolitan person in Chabad. A person who ventures outside of the comfort of the alcohol stained basement only on the condition of an ownership. But the squatting in physical places is just the surface of the problem. The real squatting is the realm of the ideas and imagination. The milking of the proximity to the messianic bimah and the derivate mashups spun as a contemporary thinking, feeling and even “meaning”. No wonder I actually saw Simon’s book in a store advertised as a book by the Lubavitcher Rebbe. Fortunately for Simon the common ignorance about the Jewish ethos is so profound that he can pretty much get away with anything, He, like any shliach, just needs to be a “nice guy”.
Somewhere the brothers Jacobson made an unwritten pact. YY Jacobson supplies the bullshit for the internal consumption and Simon takes care of the outhouse, provided he can own the place. But considering that Simon Jacobson was actually born on Hey Teves, you might say that he was born under the litigious lucky star of the ownership of the buildings, books and ideas that never belonged to him by right.
{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Interesting. Firstly the Algemeiner run by his father also had serious issues in terms of rental. They were evicted several times ending up in the digs of the Young Israel in the Lower East Side. I think others can supply the details .
But I think you are missing the following. there is a fairly well developed plan by the Chassidic group which counts rabbi Simon as an adherent to take over synagogues either abandoned or dying in the USA. I have seen this in ny neighborhood of WH in NYC , in New Haven, CT and have heard about other cases in NYC. And if it were about keeping the shul going , I would support them, but in all cases its about REAL ESTATE. The intent is selling the property and building a new Chabad house which includes a fancy apartment for the shlicah and his family. Any attempts at having a board run the local Chabad group are rejected , its striclty the shliach’s property, so why should a shul be given to these people ?
I have to wonder about this case too/ Anyone who knows what real estate is in NYC today knows its more than about religion and New Age wisdom . is it not ?
Just a suggestion to Chabad, if they intent is really the haggadah (Religion) than why not form local boards to run the Chabad organization that would make things a lot more transparent. The way it is now the shliach is a life time apointee with no checks and balances.Why should anyone give over a shul and property to any one person. As an ex lubavitcher told me tell the shliach to go work for a living.
i don’t know why you are dragging yossie jacobson into the mess, he is a great man and an amazing teacher. i have learnt alot by going to his classes and i believe he believes in what he’s doing and preaching about. if you want to make a campaign against simon, protecting our Chollent night, thats great, but dont drag in innocents on a witch hunt, you are reminding me of Henry the 8th , the beheading of Anne Boleyn’s brother along with her.
Surprising that nobody mentions that Simon caused the Thursday nigh Chulent gatherings to vacate the premises.