Chabad has had politically reactionary tendencies from the time of their founding in the late 18th century.
The founder of Chabad, R' Shneur Zalman, at the time of the Napoleonic wars, supported the Czar over Napoleon. Indeed, at one point, he encouraged one of his disciples, Rabbi Moshe Meislish, to serve as a spy for the Czarist government, while working as a translator for the French troops that were invading Russia. As Avrum Erlich, explained it in his book (concerning Zalman), "Leadership in the HaBaD Movement", p. 100: "His followers explained that if Napoleon were to have won the war, the life of the Jews would have improved, but RaSHaZ feared that there would have been a massive secularization of the community due to Napoleon's program of enlightenment. It is also likely that RaSHaZ feared Russian reipsals in the event of Napoleon's defeat. As it happens, RaSHaZ's loyalty earned him Russian favor during the war and assistance for his movement after the war." And from a letter from R' Shneur Zalman to R' Moshe Meisels (translated in Loewenthal, "Communicating the Infinite", p. 209): "If Bonaparte wins the war, the wealth of the Jews will be increased, and their position will be raised. But their hearts will be estranged from their Father in Heaven. However, if Tsar Alexander wins, then although the poverty of the Jews will increase and their position will be lower, their hearts will cleave to and be bonded with their Father in Heaven." See Igros Kodesh of Admur Hazokein, p. 150. In other words, Rabbi Zalman was more than eager to see Napoleon defeated because he feared that if Napoleon had won, then the Jews of Russia would have come under the influence of Enlightenment ideas. And if that happened, what place would there have been for sects like Chabad? And all this was happening at a time, when most European Jews were looking forward to Napoleon being victorious, since he promised the Jews legal and political equality. A promise that he had generally made good on in the areas that fell under his rule. -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=- Groups.io Links: You receive all messages sent to this group. View/Reply Online (#29934): https://groups.io/g/marxmail/message/29934 Mute This Topic: https://groups.io/mt/105557276/21656 -=-=- POSTING RULES & NOTES #1 YOU MUST clip all extraneous text when replying to a message. #2 This mail-list, like most, is publicly & permanently archived. #3 Subscribe and post under an alias if #2 is a concern. #4 Do not exceed five posts a day. -=-=- Group Owner: [email protected] Unsubscribe: https://groups.io/g/marxmail/leave/8674936/21656/1316126222/xyzzy [[email protected]] -=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-
