Diversified Holdings
A Message to Eiruv Rav/Diversified Holding….
Eiruv Rav Publicly Attacks LostMessiah – Perhaps We Struck a Nerve?
On Facebook, Eiruv Rav seems to have gotten their knickers in a twist by our activities on this site.
From a FB post:
Who is this stupid plagiarist? Literaly copy and pasting entire articles. He/she seems to have bought the “lostmessiah.com” domain to run his/her illegal operation. Fits that it’s a Shmarya enthusiast. The copy and paste skills are a unique indicator of the Shmarya demographic.
Lost Messiah says they “hope to be a source of information, a call for unity amongst the Jewish communities,” I guess in the same way that Saddam tried to build Iraq-Kuwait unity. Moron
So we must ask ourselves: what is meant by that comment? Who is the Iraqi and who is the Kuwait in this scenario? And, while the current Facebook picture for Eiruv Rav has changed from its original iteration, initially it was clear that Eiruv Rav is owned by Diversified Holding, the same entity which purchased the FailedMessiah site. Today… not so much.
So, either that page was a lie when it initially joined FB or the folks at Diversified (FailedMessiah’s owners) are trying to create a ruse. Either way, onward we go. And no; we will not be purchased, not now, not in 3 years from now. Since we likely will not be able to read a lawsuit, we are not concerned about getting served…. public domain and all…
We remain thankful to Shmayra and aspire to be at least partially as accomplished as he was. For the folks at Eiruv Rav, if you are true to whatever mission you seem to be trying to impart, and are not actually Diversified (something we doubt), you might want to consider not shutting YOUR eyes to the abuses and frauds within your community, which Shmayra was trying so hard to uncover.
To Eiruv Rav and Diversified, when you cut a rose in just the right spot, it grows a dozen more roses and far more thorns. You may want to keep that in mind…
Teach Our Children Well….
Photograph of Jewish girl reciting a lesson in the Jewish community school classroom in Fez (Fes), Morocco. The girl stands at front of classroom in front of a blackboard with Hebrew alphabet. The education is multilingual, including French, Arabic, and Hebrew studies, reflecting some of the cultures of the Jewish diaspora. Photograph by Nathan Benn taken February 15, 1980.
Crosby, Stills, Nash and Young… and the Songs of the Jews
“Jewish tradition and Jewish practice are intertwined with Jewish behaviors.”
by LostMessiah, March 27, 2016
In a search for songs in Yiddish and in English that help Jewish parents accomplish the difficult task of teaching our children, and what is expected within the context of that education, we came across, not a song but an article relating to songs. Our takeaway was that Jewish Children are supposed to be taught to be kind, respect others, be well-mannered and appreciative, understand the importance of the Shabbat, understand the notion of learning the ways of the Torah (not to the exclusion of all else) and beyond all else, be good people.
Somehow, these teachings have been lost from the teachings of today’s ultra-Orthodox, particularly evident when there is brazen contempt for everyone behind their own, a hanging of a black man in effigy in a neighborhood which is largely black and Hispanic, a complete and total manipulation of programs intended for the education of children, exploited to the detriment of those same children, the burning of a man who desires to pray in a different synagogue and then the celebration both of the release and then of the wedding of the criminal who committed those atrocious burnings.
Where in G-d’s name, is the kindness in all of that???
What is it, exactly, we are teaching our children??
Are these the values we want to teach our children, anything but Jewish values, but seen by the rest of the world as our justification for our poor behavior??
Are the lessons of today’s ultra-Orthodox, the lessons of the FailedMessiah the chilul Hashem or is the behavior justifying those lessons actually the curse on G-d’s name?
We are reposting the following without permission, and hope the authors will not mind. We feel it tells a good deal about how we SHOULD be teaching our children. Anyone who is not teaching their children these lessons has no business being parents, particularly not of 9, 10, 15 children.
From MyJewishLearning,
“Teaching Your Children about Derech Eretz, how to raise of family of mensches.”
At the playground…at synagogue…at a birthday party…it almost doesn’t matter where, you’ve seen it or heard it. Where are the manners and the values that our parents taught us? Where are the polite, well-mannered kids?
Way of the World
Jewish tradition teaches us abut the notion of derekh eretz, commonly translated as “the way of the world.” Derekh eretz is the code of proper behavior that binds us to each other as human beings and as Jews. According to the midrash, derekh eretz “precedes” the Torah (Leviticus Rabbah 9:3). We can understand this to mean that even before we begin to do important things like study Torah and live in accordance with the mitzvot, we must live with derekh eretz. Helping your child to learn common decency and appropriate behavior is crucial, and one of the most difficult parts of parenting. Here are some easy and not so easy ways you can begin to model derekh eretz in your own home.
Please and Thank You
Many interpret derekh eretz as good manners. Make please and thank you a part of your regular conversation, with every person. When your children see you thanking the service person at the gas station or the server at a restaurant, they learn that each person is valuable, and that each person’s role in the world is important.
The Golden Rule
Life is busy. We don’t often think about what we say when we talk to others. But children are sponges, and soak up every action and every word, for good or for bad. They respond to the way you interact with them as parents, and they respond to the way you interact with their teachers and caregivers. Treat your children with the kind of respect they deserve: this helps to lay a foundation for a mutually respectful parent-child relationship. Additionally, treat your parents with the same respect. Your children will learn how to relate to you by the way you treat your parents.
Table Manners
Some say that the family meal is an endangered species. We’ve lost the way to talk with each other as a family, reflect and share, learn table manners and conversation skills. Family mealtime allows us to create a sacred Jewish space for sharing blessings and giving thanks. Set aside time to begin your meal with hamotzi, the blessing over bread, and recite part or all of Birkat Hamazon, grace after meals. Create other family rituals of giving thanks. Use please and thank you when passing food, and always thank the person who prepared the meal. Setting the table together and cleaning up together can also become family rituals. Derekh eretz also includes the ways we relate to one another, and family mealtime conversation is a part of that. Take time to check in with all family members.
Hakhnasat Orhim: Welcoming Guests
Welcoming guests and making them feel comfortable is one of the most basic components of derekh eretz. Teach your children how to be good hosts by greeting guests politely at the door, sharing toys, and offering snacks. Your children will learn the mitzvah of hakhnasat orhim, and will also learn how to be a polite guest in other people’s homes.
Use the Word Mensch Often
Mensch, from the German, “man,” is someone who is modest, honest, dependable, and kind to others. When you see someone (child or adult) behaving like a mensch, comment on it. When your children behave like mensches, tell them you’re proud. Identify what it is that they have done that is mensch-like, and how pleased you are that they are such good kids. They will love it, and aspire to be mensches more often…and they’ll be able, as well, to identify these traits in others and recognize them as worthy. The key is to catch your children being good, and let them know just how good they are.
Remember What is Age Appropriate
Last week, I was mortified when I found my generally well-behaved son lying on the floor of our shul lobby, where he appeared to be making snow angels in the carpet. I was, however, aware that it was at least an hour past his bedtime, he was hungry, and he is two. So after scooping him up and taking him home, I reflected on the need to identify what is age appropriate behavior, and when we expect our kids to be “too good.” If we aspire to teach our children about derekh eretz, and expect them to be model citizens, we have to provide settings where they can succeed. Children who are tired, hungry, and in places where grown-up behavior is expected often act out. If you can minimize those opportunities for misbehavior, you’ll be surprised by how good your children can be.
Make Shabbat the Ideal
When we experiment with new behaviors, we need a safe space in which to practice. Shabbat can be that laboratory for every Jewish family; the day to aspire to be our most polite, most respectful and best selves. If we wear our most beautiful clothing, enjoy the tastiest meals, and sanctify our blessings with the most beautiful of ritual objects on Shabbat, then we can also be our most beautiful selves by using our most respectful and welcoming language and behavior. Invite guests and practice on them!
In Pirke Avot, the Ethics of our Ancestors, we learn from Rabbi Elazar ben Azariah: “If there is no Torah, there is no derekh eretz. And if there is no derekh eretz, there is no Torah (3:21).” Jewish tradition and Jewish practice are intertwined with Jewish behaviors. One does not come before the other, but instead each one complements the other. By aspiring to lives filled with derekh eretz, we can teach our children that there is always room for change and growth, and that love, appreciation and respect are very Jewish words.
of the World
Jewish tradition teaches us abut the notion of derekh eretz, commonly translated as “the way of the world.” Derekh eretz is the code of proper behavior that binds us to each other as human beings and as Jews. According to the midrash, derekh eretz “precedes” the Torah (Leviticus Rabbah 9:3). We can understand this to mean that even before we begin to do important things like study Torah and live in accordance with the mitzvot, we must live with derekh eretz. Helping your child to learn common decency and appropriate behavior is crucial, and one of the most difficult parts of parenting. Here are some easy and not so easy ways you can begin to model derekh eretz in your own home.
Withholding Proper Education – A Form of Hostage Taking
How Best to Control Free Thought Within a Community? Don’t Teach, Force Poverty and Create Reliance….
“Look to the Talmud again: “What are the three traits of this nation? They have compassion, they have a conscience and they enjoy acts of kindness.” Jews pride themselves in their intellectual powers, as well. Not an unreasonable pride, given the track record.”
LostMessiah, March 27, 2016
[note to Shmayra Rosenberg, we are all aware that the new FailedMessiah is not yours, does not reflect your thinking or what you had hoped to accomplish, but is anything but. You did good over your years of working to uncover the misdeeds within a community. Your voice is lost, but not forgotten.]
The reasons that there exist a whole sector of thought based upon Rabbinic law is knowledge, teaching, understanding. The whole reason why so much of the great learning comes out of the Jewish society was a work ethic that carried from pre-War Jews (religious and secular) to post-War Jews, outside of the new wave of ultra-Orthodox communities.
Poking fun at the crimes within a society, based in large part upon money stolen from children, had E-rate funds been used to teach there indeed, would have been no fraud. Being able to express a brazen contempt not only for law but for the education of a community is anything but Talmudic. It is not conscience and acts of kindness. It is disgusting and it would seem that FailedMessiah found that behavior expressed in a Purim holiday satire appropriate:
After being rocked by hundreds of FBI agents visiting a number of Yeshivas and homes in Monsey and Munroe in NY, searching for documents and evidence of questionable activities, a group of prominent Rebbe’s , Rabbis and Administrators affiliated with the Yeshivas, allegedly caught up in the (non-existent) computer scandal, met and made the following proposals, among many other pressing communal issues:
There is no prescription in Torah Law or Talmudic/Kaballistic notions, Rabbinical teachings of history and the Mishnah and Gemorrah that demands, or even suggests that children are to be educated ONLY in Torah. That they are to be taught Torah study and thereby forced reliance on others for subsistence. In fact, as has been stated many times on these pages, the 3 tenets of Jewish law are “Avodah”- work “tezedukkah” – charity and “acts of kindness”
Pre-war ultra-Orthodox Jews (and by association all Jews) were deemed to be the threats to society, not because they looked different but because they not only were devout in their beliefs (in G-d), making them almost moral to a fault; but also were WELL EDUCATED. Pre-war Jews in Galicia, Viznitz, Lodz, Bellarus, Besserable, Amsterdam, Berlin, etc. were financiers, experts in art, diamond dealers, Jewelry makers, mathemeticians, teachers and they were.. VERY WELL EDUCATED.
Some experts in pre-War history will tell you that ultra-Orthodox Jews of the time did not suffer from, nor were they accused of deplorable behavior of many in the Jewish community of today, (think today’s child molestation, abuse, E-Rate Fraud, Hanging dolls appearing like black men in effigy and the list goes on and on) that created pre-war hatred. They had a moral conscience that the ultra-Orthodox community (represented by the words of FailedMessiah’s current satire) is clearly lacking. There is an admitted moral bankruptcy.
The deplorable behavior of many in the ultra-Orthodox community, enshrouded in secrecy for years, is finally being exposed. But the behavior, not the admission of it outside of the community, is creating post-war hatred and on scales that may ultimately exceed that of Hitler’s Nazi regime, with consequence far worse than before.
And yet, somewhere in the collective psyches of those poorly behaved within the Jewish community, an admission of computers and internet as forbidden within the community is intended to provide humor. It only proves the commission of fraud and the brazenness of the sense of entitled to commit such acts.
While the schools were accepting e-Rate funding to purchase computers and internet, funding intended to provide low income schools with a source for education (something clearly contrary to the control of the community), FailedMessiah.com in its satire admits otherwise, and seems to try to elicit humor in that admission:
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Any of the many forbidden cell phones, I-pads etc., should be donated to Administrators and Rebbe’s Gaboim to help keep the ruse alive, and help warn of impending FBI raids.
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It is imperative that Travel agents are to give priority service to those individuals with questionable activities, who wish to skip the country…In keeping with long-standing tradition, the wise men could not come to an agreement on most things, but said that they were prepared to revisit the blanket Issur of owning IPhones, computers, and the use on non-Jewish photographers on Shabbos.
Before the war, the Jewish community was self-sufficient, as well. This was a huge threat to all of the countries in which the communities flourished because self-reliance created power.
That is not true of today. Today, ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities, like the ones mentioned in FailedMessiah’s current article, are not only heavily reliant upon social services (including the commission of fraud of those services), in the US, in Israel and in many other countries; but with the exception of their leaders, like as an example Rabbi Twersky, the people are largely impoverished. That poverty has had two separate and equally significant consequences. First, reliance upon foreigners for subsistence has forced the masses to rely on the Rabbis, allowed a system of internal controls which keep a society at the mercy of its leaders and has allowed sites like the new version of LostMessiah to find humor in the misdeeds of its communities; and second has created a simply unsustainable economic hardship on every country in which the social services are exploited and there is a growing resentment by secular Jews and non-Jews who see this as unacceptable. The whole situation breeds hatred and mistrust.
Latvia has recognized this problem and is making attempts to create self-sufficiency amongst the Jewish community that is there post-war.
From an article in The Jewish Telegraphic Agency, entitled “Latvian law would return Jewish properties”, from 2006:
Solomon Bukingolts, a Jewish economic adviser to the Latvian president, said the issue is being resolved “according to fair and mutually respectable principles.” Suharenko was optimistic about the outcome, calling the attitude of the Cabinet members involved in the drafting “well-intentioned and constructive.” Since the proposal still being drafted, neither the list of the claimed properties nor the estimated value of the restitution is being disclosed. At the moment, Latvia’s Jewish community heavily relies on financial aid from international Jewish organizations for survival — the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee and Chabad are two of its biggest sponsors. But that may change. If the process is successful, the community plans to establish a trust fund overseen by a board of Jewish organizations to manage to the assets of the restitution, which may be in the tens of millions of dollars. “The Jewish community in Latvia has been on its way to self-sufficiency. If the restitution process goes as planned, the community will be able to fully support itself and also help other Jewish communities,” said Andres Spokoiny, the Paris-based JDC country director for the Baltic states.”
The success of that endeavor remains in question but at least there was a recognition, by both the Jewish community and the Latvian government that self-sufficiency is both necessary and an ultimate goal.
In today’s ultra-Orthodox communities, children are not appropriately taught the subjects that would allow them freedom from subsistence and help both their communities and other.Women are forbidden to drive, because driving would allow them a world view that they are being denied. The humor of the new FailedMessiah, the idea that women drivers (except for baby carriages) is so off the charts it is funny, is in itself contrary to Torah teachings wherein women are supposed to be the key to family and success, the free thinkers. How can a woman raise her children, think freely, be the second set of eyes without a means of feeding them?
To all women within that society, by keeping you chained to babies beyond the capacity of your collective uteruses, and by keeping you attached to baby strollers, your work place in society, is not only in itself a “chilul Hashem” (curse on G-d) (a favorite term in within the hostage keepers of the Hassidic Community) but is keeping you hostage:
I quote from the words of Diversified Holdings, FailedMessiah’s new ownership:
Regarding the issue of women driving moving and mechanized four wheel vehicles
(With the exception of Baby carriages), a committee will be set up to review the issue of driverless vehicles, and if there is any way to charge uses for a Hechsher on such vehicles. A proposal was put forward to give a Heter for women to drive luxury vehicles on condition their vehicle carry an additional insurance sticker against Ayin Haro, which will be provided upon the payment of a Rebbe Gelt fee, still to determined.
By not teaching, by not exposing children to the outside world, the Rabbis in communities like Twersky’s New Square and the Satmar of KJ, and the Belz of Israel, the community is held hostage to what little it knows. In our view, while not expressed in terms of violence and mass suicide bombings, there is little difference between this way of holding your wives and children hostage than that of the Imam in the fundamentalist Islamic communities.
When, FailedMessiah, Diversified Holdings, EruvRav are you going to start insisting that women be adorned in burkas, with only their eyes to be seen? Will that be your next satire?
Will Failed Messiah (Diversifed Holding) Blog Call Out Cruz?
LostMessiah.com, February 29, 2016, citing an article written by Frume Follies by Yerachmiel Lopin
We have decided to publish this article, not because of its commentary on Ted Cruz, a commentary which is only collateral to our questions regarding Diversified Holding, but because Yerachmiel Lopin also questions Diversified Holdings, the new the new Failed.Messiah.com
We are clearly not the only ones who have made these connections and asked similar questions, questions which we will continue to ask.
Will Failed Messiah Blog Call Out Cruz?
According to mega-church, televangelist Kenneth Copeland, Ted Cruz has been anointed by God to be the next president. Diversified Holdings, the new owners of the Failed Messiah Blog, say they will use the blog to do what Hashem (God) wants. They clearly feel as confident as some Dominionist pastors in knowing whether or not Cruz is the annointed (aka, Messiah, Moshiach).
Diversified Holdings, please let your readers know whether Ted Cruz is a false messiah.
When you are done with that give us some more clues about how you understandHashem’s wishes. For example is Rabbi Menachem Mendel Schneerson theMoshiach or not. When you write his name, will it end with shlita (a blessing for long life) or zatzal (a call for remembering the righteous)?
UPDATE 2/9/16-
The above was some irresistible satire occasioned by the news item that Cruz was anointed to be president. Of course I know that Diversified Holdings does not “hold” from that. But there are serious questions I wish you would answer. For starters how will you reconcile a Haredi understanding of loshon horah with you stated goal of exposing those who desecrate God’s name. You speak of wanting to do what Hashem wants. Since prophecy lapsed over two millennia ago according to Jewish tradition, what is your alternative channel. Presumably, it is Daas Torah. But which specific rabbi(s) do you intend to consult for Daas Torah?
The very name of you blog was an attack on the significant number of Chabad chasidim who consider their late Rebbe, the Moshiach. No other orthodox group accepts the claim but some go further and refuse to deal with Chabad for that reason or won’t let them have any role in their institutions. Examples include the late leader of the Litvish world, R. Eliezer Man Shach. The late R. Belsky was also a vigorous opponent of Chabad as are others. So the retention of the name begs the question of where does Diversified stand.
I understand and appreciate that Diversified needs time to complete the transition, but it would be helpful if you could issue a substantial statement clarifying your intentions and the likely thrust of your blogging. Of course, in the end a tree is judged by its fruit and you will be judged by what you cover, how you cover it, and what you choose not to cover.
Similarly, Diversified needs a clear statement of you commenting policy. I agree that comments should be moderated so there is civility while encouraging constructive disagreement. Most frum news sites claim that is their policy as well, but I have regularly seen blatant and deceptive deviation from the claimed policy. I would urge you to struggle with the difficult task of authentically aligning your policy and practice.
As difficult as that task can be, whistle-blowers need to be supported and protected if Diversified is to succeed in exposing those who desecrate God’s name, which is one of your stated goals.
Just one final thought. I often think of Isaiah’s answer to the question of what God wants:
A people laden with iniquity… Children that deal corruptly… To what purpose is the multitude of your sacrifices unto Me?… When ye come to appear before Me, Who hath required this at your hand, To trample My courts? Bring no more vain oblations; It is an offering of abomination unto Me; New moon and sabbath, the holding of convocations— I cannot endure iniquity along with the solemn assembly. Your new moons and your appointed seasons My soul hateth; They are a burden unto Me; I am weary to bear them… Your hands are full of blood. Wash you, make you clean, Put away the evil of your doings From before Mine eyes, Cease to do evil; Learn to do well; Seek justice, relieve the oppressed, Judge the fatherless, plead for the widow.
If that is Diversified’s understanding and you consistently act on it, I wish you well, however much we may differ on specifics and tactics.
FailedMessiah and Diversified Holdings…Eruv Rav
Eruv Rav and Diversified Holdings…
LostMessiah.com, February 28, 2016
LostMessiah wants to know whether the documents for the purchase of FailedMessiah included anti-defamation clauses.
At What Cost to the Greater Jewish Community was FailedMessiah Shuttered?
For many of us in the Jewish community who want to see the “diversified” Jews throughout the world clean shop when it comes to the bad apples within our larger community, the shuttering of FailedMessiah represents a tremendous loss. It demands of us that we sit Shiva, of sorts, wear black, tear our shirts.
For some of us, the first question to which we want answers: who is “Diversified Holdings”? Why has a site FailedMessiah.com, with an extraordinary following, quoted by journalists worldwide for its unabashed criticism of the wrongdoings of those within the Jewish community suddenly a site protecting those very same individuals?
But then it came to us… Eruv Rav, which did not wait until the ink was dry on the contracts of sale to begin criticizing FailedMessiah and its founded and writer, Shmayra Rosenberg, is Diversified Holdings, at least that’s what it says not their FB page. And why is the entity that purchased FailedMessiah, so eager to defame it?
Perhaps, Diversified Holdings, i.e. Eruv Rav has interests that it needs to see protected. Certain Torah, G-d, morality and ethics do not play a role. We hope to find out what does.
LOSTMESSIAH 