At the home of a Persian Jewish family in Great Neck last December, according to the Jewish Week, Ashkenazi Rabbi Mordecai Asheret and an entourage of four others crashed a young girl’s first birthday party. The celebration consisted of “mixed dancing and traditional Iranian fare,” which the uninvited rabbi vehemently opposed. He declared that those who chose to remain at the party would be cursed with illness and bankruptcy, causing many of the partygoers to leave while others stood in complete awe.
Rabbi Aderet argues that his reason for barging into the party was thathe disapproved of the “mixed dancing” that took place and of the fact that people were celebrating on the Fast of Tevet, which marks the siege of Jerusalem by the Babylonians 2500 years ago. Even though Jews are not supposed to “party” on the Fast of Tevet, they were celebrating a young girl’s first party, which is an Iranian-Jewish tradition. Additionally, the people attending the party waited until sundown to eat, and the food that was being served there was glatt Kosher.
Rabbi Aderet is an Ashkenazi kabbalist, whereas the people attending the party were mostly of Iranian-Jewish descent. He and his followers oppose the Sephardic community in Great Neck and pretty much any other sectof Judaism that is not kabbalist. Although Rabbi Aderet entered the house under the pretense of guarding Jewish law, there is no question that he broke several unwritten laws by crashing the young girl’s party. Firstly, entering a house uninvited and being rude to the hosts is prohibited by Jewish law. Jewish law states that when you are invited to another person’s household, you treat the hosts with respect. Secondly, by disapproving of the family’s practice of Judaism, Rabbi Aderet was in the wrong. Judaism strictly prohibits Jews encouraging non-Jews to convert, and Rabbi Aderet’s actions were similar in that he was coercing his beliefs on another sect of Judaism. We cannot accept this.
Tags: fast of tevet, iranian jews, persian jews, rabbi mordechai aderet
If the Rabbi wants to invade my house he risks serious bodily harm.
What arrogance.
What an idiot.
I can’t understand why the police were not called.
Please, Rabbi, apologize.
Use your brain, these are all lies, Rabbi Aderet was invited and he did not crash the party. This was one of his followers house. And he witnesses Chilul Hashem, not only mixed dancing. What he did was very courageous and Kidush Hashem.
Even if the family was among of his followers, in this day and age it is inappropriate to curse someone. It would be ok, not coercive, to gently rebuke the family, if that is in line with the family’s beliefs and the family depends on him as a mentor. At this point, I doubt he could be much of a mentor…
Rav Aderet has many Sfardi followers including myself and is a truely just and kind Rav.
He has insights in this world due to his learned nature and if he came to my party, I would be honored that such a competant Rav graced my presence.
The family should look at this visit as a warning from Hashem that it is time for tsheuva. Hashem must really love this family to send such a message from such a holy Rav.
Mixed dancing is reserved in the Jewish Culture ONLY for husband and wife in PRIVATE. It keeps us holy and our neshamot pure.
Danicing is widely enocouraged because the life of a Jew should be filled with Simcha. Just add a mechitza please
May we all merit to see the coming of Moshiach at the right time, soon, in our days!