This past Shabbes marked the first one after the Rabbis and their associated community organisational heads of Chabad of Melbourne, Australia declared a state of apartheid in all their shules and institutions. Proof of Covid19 vaccination status has now become the requirement for a Jew to be permitted to daven with a minyan. The main Chabad hub, known as Yeshiva Centre, hired an outside professional security service that posted a guard at each of its entrances. Each guard held lists of names of Jews, who had, prior to Shabbes, submitted their proof of vaccination to the Yeshiva Centre. The guards checked off their names, and those not on their list were not let through the entrances onto the premises.
This exclusion of Jews from entering an institution and shule that prominently displays the name Chabad along with the Rebbe's visage and name, is a disgrace and an affront to everything the Rebbe taught us to believe in. The juxtaposition of this scene of a gentile security guard with the authority to deny entry of a Jew into his shule to pray to Hashem, against the backdrop of the Rebbe's picture and name, leaves one feeling chilled with shame and disgust. Such a sight is reminiscent of the oppression against our people by Nazis, Soviets or so many other gentile anti-Semites. However, this time the oppression is being carried out by Jews, by those who define themselves as Chassidim of the Rebbe, against their very own fellow Jews and Chassidim.
Those carrying out this apartheid against their fellow Jews have many rationalisations for their policies. First, is that of the survival of the institutions which rely heavily on government funding. They have no choice but to make sure they follow government regulations, otherwise they will be forced to shut down. This argument is the most understandable one and the easiest justification to accept. From a pragmatic point of view this is actually correct, as a shut down could occur. One can empathise with the organisational officials' impulse to do everything possible to keep the institution viable and sustained. However, one must ask, sustainability at what price if the soul of the institution has been destroyed?
There are numerous halachik arguments used as well, such as the concept of pekuach nefesh. This was previously used during lockdowns to justify the cessation of all communal Jewish practice, and is now being used to justify the exclusion of a certain newly defined underclass of Jews. This argument is easily dispelled however, by simple scientific facts and statistics, a topic that is out of the scope of this article. Suffice to say, contrary to the government and media propaganda, there is no danger to anyone's health from the unvaccinated. Besides, why do those who are vaccinated fear being made ill by those who are unvaccinated, unless they do not believe their vaccinations actually work to protect them?
All these rationalisations and justifications, while on the surface may seem reasonable and fair, all have some common underlying aspects to them. They are all coming from the yetzer hora in a silk kapotah, or the evil inclination dressed up in a silk kaftan. This famous centuries old analogy describes how even the most well meaning Jew can engage in the most wicked and unholy actions while dressing them up as good and pure.
What are the unintended consequences, from a spiritual perspective, of engaging in this apartheid? Is a Chabad centre even worth its name if it creates an underclass of Jews, if it intentionally separates Jews as outsiders, as those who are not entitled to be given access to fully engage in Torah and mitzvos, as is their G-d given right? Does it reflect the ethos of its namesake anymore? Can this institution even be defined as being one that is on the same path as the Rebbe's mission? One can only sadly conclude that is does not.
One can certainly sympathise with the conundrum that organisational heads find themselves with during these dark times. Nevertheless, a Chabad institution that betrays the foundational theological principles of Chabad in order to sustain itself, has ceased to be a Chabad institution and has morphed into a hollow building with Chabad window dressing. These are burning issues and questions that this community must contend with. The Rabbis and officials are showing callous indifference to the suffering of their community as they refuse to be challenged. They behave as dictators doling out orders without explanation. Much of the suffering is exacerbated by these policies, but especially by the present apartheid, which will surely not bode well for the future of this community, or bring blessing upon those who are imposing it.
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