Manis Friedman
American Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi, lecturer and author, dean of the Bais Chana Institute, known for his 2009 remarks on killing Arab civilians and his 2013 remarks on child sexual abuse
| Manis Friedman
| |
|---|---|
| Born | 1946 Prague, Czechoslovakia |
| Nationality | American |
| Occupation | Rabbi, lecturer, author |
| Known for | Bais Chana Institute; Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?; 2009 Moment remarks |
Manis Friedman (born 1946) is an American Chabad-Lubavitch rabbi, lecturer and author, and a co-founder of the Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies in St. Paul, Minnesota, a Chabad school for women.[1] In 2009 the Forward wrote that he "travels the country as a Chabad speaker", that he "is not a fringe rabbi within the Chabad-Lubavitch movement", and that "it was Friedman who helped lead Bob Dylan into a relationship with Chabad".[2] In 2009 he wrote in Moment magazine that "The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle)". Chabad's headquarters said it "vehemently" disagreed, and Friedman later called his words "irresponsible".[3][4] In 2013 he apologised for comparing child sexual abuse to diarrhoea, after protests in Australia.[5]
Early life and career
According to an introduction to one of his books, now published on Chabad.org, Friedman was born in Prague in 1946 and emigrated to the United States with his family in 1950. He began speaking in public for the Lubavitch Youth Organization in 1964. He was ordained at the Lubavitch Rabbinical College of Canada in 1969, and soon afterwards became director of the Student Outreach Program of the Upper Midwest Merkos Lubavitch. In 1971 he co-founded the Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies in St. Paul with Rabbi and Mrs Moshe Feller.[1] The Forward reports that "at the rebbe's urging" he founded "Beis Chana, a network of camps and schools for Jewish women", that he "was the English translator for the Chabad Rebbe" (Menachem Mendel Schneerson), and that he brought Bob Dylan to meet the Rebbe.[2]
The same introduction describes him as a maggid (a travelling preacher) who spoke in many cities. It says that his lectures were sold on cassette from 1985, and that the series Torah Forum ran on American and Canadian cable television from 1989.[1] His first book, Doesn't Anyone Blush Anymore?, is about modesty and sexuality.[1][2] The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported that he had appeared on CNN, PBS and the BBC.[6]
2009 Moment remarks on Arabs
See also: Chabad views on non-Jews
For its May–June 2009 issue, Moment magazine asked rabbis of several movements "How should Jews treat their Arab neighbors?". Friedman answered for Chabad, signing as "Rabbi Manis Friedman, Bais Chana Institute of Jewish Studies, St. Paul, MN":
I don't believe in western morality, i.e. don't kill civilians or children, don't destroy holy sites, don't fight during holiday seasons, don't bomb cemeteries, don't shoot until they shoot first because it is immoral.
The only way to fight a moral war is the Jewish way: Destroy their holy sites. Kill men, women and children (and cattle).
The first Israeli prime minister who declares that he will follow the Old Testament will finally bring peace to the Middle East.
He went on: "with their holy sites destroyed, they will stop believing that G-d is on their side. Result: no civilian casualties, no children in the line of fire, no false sense of righteousness, in fact, no war." Other rabbis on the panel, from other Jewish movements, mostly gave conciliatory answers.[2][3]
Responses
Chabad's headquarters said: "we vehemently disagree with any sentiment suggesting that Judaism allows for the wanton destruction of civilian life, even when at war", and that "all human life is G-d given, precious".[2] Avi Shafran of Agudath Israel of America called the remarks "shocking and wrongheaded".[6] Abraham Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League called them "bigoted, racist views", but said they did not reflect the Chabad rabbis he knew. Mordecai Specktor, editor of the American Jewish World in St. Paul, told the Forward: "I think this is what Lubavitchers believe, more or less ... They are fundamentalists. They are our fundamentalists." The Chabad critic Shmarya Rosenberg said: "What he's saying is the standard normal view of a Chabadnik ... They just don't say it in public." Moshe Feller, "the top Chabad rabbi in Minnesota", called Friedman's way of expressing himself "radical", and said that "he shoots from the hip sometimes". Moment's editor, Nadine Epstein, said the magazine had received many letters, "almost none of them" positive, but called Friedman "brave" for stating his views so clearly.[2]
Friedman's clarification
In a statement published by Moment, Friedman said that "the opinions published in my name are solely my own", that "my answer, as written, is misleading", and that "some of the words I used in my brief comment were irresponsible". He wrote: "I apologize for any misunderstanding my words created."[4] To the Forward he said that the line about killing women and children should have been in quotation marks, as "a line from the Torah", though he did not say which. He said he was not advocating that the Zionist entity ("Israel") actually kill women and children, but that it should "publicly say that it is willing to do these things in order to scare Palestinians", He also said: "If your children are threatened, you do whatever it takes — and you don't have to apologize."[2]
2013 remarks on child sexual abuse
In early 2013 a video circulated in Australia in which Friedman, speaking to young adult students, compared a history of sexual abuse to a past case of diarrhoea: "Do you have to tell if you have diarrhoea? It's no one's business." He also said: "I'm damaged from the molestation – no you're not."[7] The Sydney Morning Herald reported that he had said that not reciting a blessing was worse than being sexually abused, and that victims learnt "an important lesson" from abuse.[5]
Responses
Cathy Kezelman of Adults Surviving Child Abuse called the remarks "outrageous, steeped in ignorance".[7] The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ), through Danny Lamm and Peter Wertheim, said it was "appalled and dismayed" by remarks "breath-taking in their ignorance and insensitivity", and endorsed a condemnation by Rabbi Moshe Gutnick of the Organisation of Rabbis of Australasia.[8] The Rabbinical Council of Victoria called on him to apologise. Its president, Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant, said the remarks were incorrect and potentially harmful, and trivialised the suffering of abuse victims. According to the Herald, Chabad-Lubavitch said that Friedman was not a Chabad emissary, as had been reported, but a Minnesota-based teacher who did not speak for Chabad.[5]
Religious-court complaint
The abuse survivor and advocate Manny Waks, founder of the advocacy group Tzedek, said he would take Friedman to Jewish religious courts (beth din) in Sydney and New York. SBS reported that he had "launched legal proceedings via a New York Jewish court".[7][5] This was a complaint to a religious court, not a civil lawsuit or a criminal case. After Friedman's apology, Waks said he would "consider his options".[5]
Apology
Friedman apologised for his "completely inappropriate use of language when discussing sexual abuse".[9] In an email to Fairfax Media he wrote: "Molestation is a devastating crime ... Perpetrators of molestation should be reported to the police and prosecuted appropriately. Any person, organisation or entity that stands by silently is abetting in the crime." He added: "I hope over time to earn the forgiveness of those who were hurt by my words." Waks said: "I'm pleased that Rabbi Friedman has held himself accountable".[5] JTA reported that a second video called abuse a "crisis" but stopped short of a retraction.[9]
Holocaust remarks (1980s)
In February 2013 the Australian Jewish News reported on a transcript, held in the archive of Melbourne's Jewish Holocaust Centre, of a speech Friedman gave in Melbourne in the 1980s. In it he said: "Not a single Jewish child died because of the Nazis ... they died in their relationship with God." The Holocaust survivors Moshe Fiszman and Abe Goldberg called the remarks "immoral" and "blasphemy". The paper reported that "Rabbi Friedman has not been invited back to Melbourne", and that he did not respond to its questions.[10]
See also
Notes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 J. S. Morris, About Rabbi Friedman Chabad.org, 17 December 1989, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 2.5 2.6 Nathaniel Popper, Popular Rabbi's Comments on Treatment of Arabs Show a Different Side of Chabad The Forward, 3 June 2009, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Manis Friedman et al., Ask the Rabbis: How Should Jews Treat Their Arab Neighbors? Moment, May–June 2009, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Maxine Springer, A Statement from Rabbi Friedman Moment, 3 June 2009 (updated 5 June 2009), accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 Barney Zwartz, Rabbi apologises for remarks on sex abuse The Sydney Morning Herald, 2 February 2013, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 Ben Harris, Chabad rabbi aims to clarify remarks on killing civilians Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 3 June 2009, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 Andy Park, Anger brews over Rabbi's sex abuse comments SBS News, 1 February 2013, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Executive Council of Australian Jewry, ECAJ Condemns Rabbi Manis Friedman's Comments on Child Sexual Abuse ecaj.org.au, 1 February 2013, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 Dan Goldberg, Chabad rabbi sorry for 'inappropriate' remark on molestation Jewish Telegraphic Agency, 1 February 2013, accessed 11 November 2026.
- ↑ Timna Jacks, Survivors' outrage over US rabbi The Australian Jewish News, 18 February 2013, accessed 11 November 2026.