Leading Rabbis Denounce Fraudulent Letter Against Vizhnitz Hasidic Community
A controversy erupted after prominent Torah scholars and rabbis issued unequivocal clarifications rejecting a letter circulated against the central Vizhnitz Hasidic community. These clarifications were compiled in a special advertisement published in ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods, displaying the rabbis' statements alongside images of their letters and signatures.
Among the strongest denials was from Rabbi Avigdor Nebenzahl, who explicitly stated, "I did not sign a letter against the Vizhnitz community." Rabbi Shriel Rosenberg, head of the Bnei Brak rabbinical court, also clarified that his signature was not on the published letter. Rabbi Shmuel David Cohen Gross accused that his signature was fraudulently obtained, writing, "The signature was taken from me deceitfully," and declared any previous signature null and void.
Other leading rabbis, including Rabbi Azriel Auerbach and Rabbi Moshe Sternbuch, confirmed that their intentions were not against any Hasidic community and that their signatures on the letter were invalidated after clarifications. Rabbi Pinchas Shuv expressed regret over the letter, calling it a mistake, while Rabbi Natan Cohen Kopschitz and Rabbi Amram Offman also stated they did not sign or that their signatures were void.
The advertisement emphasized that the Vizhnitz community had refrained from responding for a long time but decided to publish these clarifications to counter what they described as an attempt to deceive leading rabbis and use their names to persecute a holy community. It stressed that the publication aims to halt the defamation campaign and prevent misuse of the rabbis' names to harm the community and its adherence to the Vizhnitz Rebbe and his path.
Ahead of the Days of Judgment, the notice called on the public to reject the falsehoods and dissociate from divisive actions. Senior ultra-Orthodox figures concluded that the rabbis’ clarifications clearly show the letter does not represent their views, with some explicitly invalidating their signatures or denying signing the letter altogether. They expressed hope this would end the ongoing persecution saga against the important Vizhnitz community and its rabbis.
