A recording recently submitted during a hearing on a business dispute between two Gur Hasidim in the court of Rabbi Karlitz in Bnei Brak is shaking up Gur Hasidism.
This is against the backdrop of concerns that the most hidden and intimate secrets of thousands of Hasidim are being documented and preserved for years - and may possibly become public.
According to a report by Aharon Rabinowitz in Haaretz, This is a recording of a personal conversation between one of Gur's Hasidim and Rabbi Yitzhak Broida - the Rebbe's personal secretary. Broida is the one who issues instructions to the Hasidim on a variety of subjects on behalf of the Rebbe.
By virtue of his role, Rabbi Broida is the one who conveys the most sensitive requests and questions of the Hasidim, who seek to consult with the Rebbe about matchmaking, medical, financial matters, and any other personal matter.
According to Rabinowitz's report, no one thought that the conversations on the official Hasidic hotline might be recorded, but such a recorded conversation was presented at a hearing held in the court, in a case being conducted by a relative of the Broida rabbi against another Gur Hasidic regarding a business dispute.
According to Haaretz, the opposing side won the case, but Rabbi Broida's relative did not give up: He changed lawyers, and his new lawyers claimed that they had new evidence. The evidence was the same recording of a conversation from about two and a half years ago that the business rival had, and ostensibly proves that Rabbi Broida's relative was telling the truth.
The conversation was submitted to the court in an official transcript by an external company.
A source familiar with the details told Haaretz that one of those present at the hearing shouted at the new representatives: "How are you not ashamed? You bring up the most personal things that people talk about with the Rebbe. These are the most personal questions in the world.".
Despite the presentation of the recording, the court judges rejected the appeal, after determining that the recording proves nothing.
But according to Haaretz, that's when a storm began: rumors surrounding the recording began to spread by word of mouth and caused anxiety among many of Gur's followers, present and past.
A Gur follower who asked not to reveal his identity told Haaretz that he was going through a mental turmoil: "It's a very difficult feeling. It makes me feel exposed and betrayed. All my personal information, private and sensitive things, went through it. To realize that the conversations might be recorded, and to keep it for years for future use? It's beyond uncomfortable, there's a dimension of threat to it.".
Rabbi Broida said in a conversation with Haaretz that he knows nothing about the recording and preservation of the conversations.
""I don't know about anything like that," he said. "I'm not really involved in my relative's affairs. Someone told me something about it, but I'm not really involved in the details. I don't know that the conversations here are recorded. I don't own the line, I was given a phone number and I work here, I don't know more than that. We don't talk about personal things here, just surgeries, matchmaking, things like that.".
Hasidic Gur told Haaretz: "From an investigation we conducted, it is not possible to make recordings on the line in question.".
Join the Haredim 10 Facebook page >>
Join the X page of Haredim 10 >>
Want more news, videos and stories? Join the Haredim 10 WhatsApp channel >>
