I prefer a good swimming pool or the beach!

This isn't about Judaism. It's about ego and political muscle. Feh!

Who can spit furthest is not contributing to Yiddishkeit nothing but will lubricate the faces of those involved quite a bit? We are in golus because we were engaged in those activities "just before" Bet Hamikdash is destroyed. Most of us I hope know story of Hamsa and BarHamsa it was a story of baseless hatred, but perhaps more importantly inaction of the LEARNED RABBIS to prevent it. I believe firmly why we are in such a PRIMORDIAL mess is simple.. extremely simple. Learned people sometimes are to busy looking at the heavens while walking over their brethren. I believe that DNA of all mitzvas is YAD-YAD (Hand to the hand to the fellow in need..) mispercoton of 248 positive commandments is 2+4+8=14 Yud Dalet YAD, of the 365 negative commandments is 3+6+5=14 YaD now 14+14 is 28 Koah Life 2+8=10 ten fingers of both hands. All mitzvas 613 6+3+1=10. When Kohan preys for Israel he extends two hands to do blessing of Israel. Palm-yad is generally kabalistic symbol, but has immense practical application. Person is born at one time or another within 28 days of either one of 14 positive or one of 14 “negative” days so in PARTNERSHIP with other fellow Jew all the days are good because EACH SHARES. Also when Jews are counted each one is counted WITH a HALF Shekel. So if Jew looks to find the answer for what is the purpose of “life” just look for the fellow JEW and both of your will find it. I believe that every second in our lives count, I believe that what one did in the past is not much he can do about but chuva perhaps, or what will happen in the future also there is not much one can do but to increase its statistical “adds” perhaps? But what one does NOW determines EVERYTHING was your past worth it, or WOULD YOU HAVE A FUTURE.. so when you see a fellow Jew smile when you say HI! And YES you will matter. I pray that our Rabbis will teach us HOW to matter to EACHOTHER more than how unworthy are “they” those other JEWS. We don’t need golus and POGROMS to bring us closer we need answers to give to our fellow what Torah has to OFFER .. “HONEY” IS THERE; but there are bees as well, we experienced quite few “bee” bites for the last 2,000 years, it would be nice to bring to the children of Israel some “honey” as well. There is so much “honey” but we should look a bit around us with whom to share.. Looking at heavens will not bring us any closer to them, but to look after the needs of a fellow Jew will bring those heavens closer to US! We lost the Beit Hamidash because we failed to CARE, we lost nation because we failed to see each other as the ultimate answer where we all going to end to. The same “QUESTION” begs for solution. In 1945, 48, 56, 67, 73, 80 Jews which came from Auschwitz, Treblenka, Riga, Buchenwald with the scars from the ovens walking over the ashes of 6 million loved ones which pawed the road all the way to the Israel, they knew they could not cry to the world for help, because they did just yesterday but no one would listen their cries.. SO! Yoni looked Moshe, Shimon, Gershon.. so they were his only hope, so his only answer would there be a tomorrow for him was look at a Moshe was breeding, is Shimon still all right does Gershon need help.. they were in trench with few bullets but will to be was unquestioned will to persevere was without question and source and prayers of all his hopes were directed at his fellow Jews. Then, today and if we hope for future answers will ALLWAYS DEPEND on well being of our your neighbor. G-d love’s his children so you should to.

That Chabad is not Orthodox or somehow not "Jewish" of course I don't know whether that's incredibly ironic or hysterically funny that the Jewish homeland, which maintains that the diaspora doesn't exist would turn around and say its own Chabadniks aren't Jewish. At this point I'm willing to conceded that Israelis aren't Jewish in any identifiable way. Good riddance.

what unity? chabad wants unity under their soverainty. no reason for that. they are not even kosher . unity, unity, why do they have to break everything they come across? to make everybody fall for their moskiakh in a black hat? by the way, are you jewish? this is what they do, they send their kids to shopping centers to whisper to everybody under their crow hats, are u jewish? are you jewish? psst, psst, are you jewish? did you put on tefillin today? i wonder why only mitzvot asseh? why don't they ask? did you steal, did you embarass others? Much like J for J, they are only interested in harassing jews. moshe gershon shimshen and all the rest!

B"H I am not understanding the article very clearly. On one hand, the article states: "Hassidim from the Chabad movement in Elkana who seek to build a mikveh with two immersion pools faced opposition from the local religious council," ... "The religious council, in turn, said that it is guided by the decisions of the community rabbi and the Chabad movement is not part of the Jewish Orthodox group and therefore it can not use the facilities of this group." ... "The two sides failed to reach a compromise and the High Court will have to decide whether the Chabad movement is part of the Jewish Orthodox group" What is not clear to me is who owns the land and who is paying for the Mikveh. In the United States, Chabad would be building its Mikveh on its land that it owns using its resources. The state builds its swimming pools on its land at public parks and it pays to maintian them. It seems like it is an important issue to get resolved for the community. If Chabad is paying for its use for its community, I am not seeing why there is interference, because Chabad should own the pool of water at that point. If someone else is paying for it and the land, I am not sure why it would be mandatory that it adhere to the Chabad custom, as long as it is kosher which it sounds like it is by both accounts. In other words, YNET, I expect serious articles like this to have the key facts inside them. It really makes it very confusing for the reader to determine fact when the article does not contain the relevant information.

You have all missed the point. "The High Court will have to decide whether the Chabad movement is part of the Jewish Orthodox group." Why is this article entitled "Is Chabad part of Orthodox Judaism?" when the much more glaring question is "Is the Israeli High Court part of Judaism and should it be allowed to rule on Jewish matters at all?" The Israeli High Court has for a long time maintained a militantly secularist stance on matters far beyond it's ken, ability, understanding and jurisidiction. The real travesty is that a bunch of gay-activist Jew-hating "judges" in Israel are trying to define Judaism for Jews everywhere. If religion and state were properly separated, then the court could rule on things they actually know about and have authority over and Rabbis could do the same in their own territory. The current situation, in which Rabbis can only offer religious rulings at the pleasure of those who hate all that the Rabbis stand for, more resembles Roman and Inquisition rule than enlightened democracy. It's high time to move the Israeli courts out of religious matters where they do not belong.

thank you for explaining this. As a supporter of Chabad, I now feel much better.

Upon a college visit to the holy of holies (the Lubavitcher Rebbe's shul in Brooklyn), I pressed my way forward to kiss the Lubavitcher Rebbe's Torah, only to have my ear pulled violently by another Hasid. Maybe the Lubavitcher Rebbe was Jesus returned to earth? His death was a lot more peaceful, however, and extremists of all religious varieties will continue to dwell in absolutes and intolerance for ever and ever and ever, amen.

I understand that the Ny police guard at the Rebbe's grave in Queens was recently doubled. Seems there was a threat against his life.

Read what R' Schach zt"l had to say. There are MANY Orthodox communities who think that Chabad doesn't even count as Jewish. Belief that their dead Rebbe is the Moshiach and will rise again, or even might, is enough to disqualify them.

Chabadniks are truly great people. They live the life of G-d's servants. I never met a Chabadnic I didn't like. They welcome all Jews even us secular jews. As for other Orthdox Jews well may G-d bless them even if some of them do not know how to behave.

There are a million "orthodox communities" with a million and one opinions. Rabbis are not Hashem and they cannot judge who is a Jew and who is not. These so called orthodox rabbis who are against the Chabad are probably jealous because they are have not done 1/100 of the things Chabad has done for the Jewish people.

It strikes me that the basis of our holy Torah is to love your fellow jew and as Hillel Hazoken said "the rest is just an explanation" regadless of which sect one belongs too, I wonder why some people writing here have such a problem with that?

#43 - at most the concept that the Rebbe is or was the messiah is a vaguely expressed minority opinion. It in NO way speaks for the majority of Chabadniks - you are the one who are ignorant.

We don't have enough trouble with the Arabs that we have to perpetuate fighting among ourselves? I am a Reform Jew that has learned much from the Chabad. While I don't agree with everything they say I do believe that they understand the key message of Torah better than any other Jewish group with whom I have had close contact. Take care of the widow, the orphan and the stranger the Torah teaches. The Chabad does just that NO QUESTIONS ASKED. It makes no difference if I am observant, whether I keep kosher or not (although they would prefer that I do) I am accepted as a member of the group, welcomed with open arms. The insane infighting among Jewish groups must stop. Jews are Jews are Jews. My advice to the religious council, stop being so damned stiffnecked. You don't have to go to the Chabad mikvah but you must let them build wherever they settle.

Not only is this the opinion of the shulchan aruch harav, but it has been excepted by almost all chasidic sects and many safardi rabanim. Not just Chabad. And as far as i am aware every body agrees that it is kosher, if not far better than the side by side structures

Let's hope so because virtually no Orthodox authority endorses that ridiculous concept.

meshichists are a minority of"chabad"(that is even if they can be considerd chabad)they are not chabads face,they are crazy nut jobs,and give chabad a bad name.and chabad arent zionists.

#1why dont you harras non chabadnicks for doing kiruv?#2why dont you admireb them for doing mivtzoim,sending their kids,asking if there jewish and like to do a mitzvah,is there anything wrong?are you defending the goyim for the inconvineance? i actually asked a ger if he was ever aske d if he was jewish,he said yes.i asked himif it botherd him or his freinds,he said no not at all i actually admired him.also,you cant stop someone from doing a lo saaseh,also,i dont care if he did a lo ssaseh(unless he is truly dangerous),what harrasing jews??????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

rav shach hated the rebbe for no reason.its not fair to bring him as a rayah.he was aginst the lubavitcher rebbe's teffilen campign.why? he hated the rebbe.