Utopia 888
(-Sent via email. I would like to remain anonymous, so those who might know who I am…)
Remember, what for most of us was a first thanksgiving dinner? I thought, should I put on a white shirt? Starch my collar? Bring wine? What the fuck is a thanksgiving dinner.
There we were,
Fifteen of us,
Two years before most of us had looked like your run of the mill Lubavitchers.
A few of us, such as I, on that night, were new
to utopia 888.
Two strong scenes mingle with the smell of that turkey, and salads,
We were sitting on the floor in a circle.
music was softly playing, and then somebody shut off.
Somebody else began a niggun, I forget which.
Could have been Tzomo Lecho nafshi
We sang like we never sang before,
at least in this way, without them, without the restrictions, without the angry faces, just us, as we were.
I felt at ease for the first time in years.
A few of us read poems and then each of us gave thanksgiving.
After being at other thanksgiving dinners in the years following, on that night, there was a note of thanksgiving in the air for God allowing us to join with others with like fates
We knew that there were many before us who were not so lucky.
and most of us expresed this, sitting on the floor, inebriated and stoned.
A few of the girls then expressed shock at the rumours about a few of the guys present.
One girl said, "I was told you were a terrible person, and now I see how deep and pnimiyusdik you are.
Most of us have moved on.
Be it, to the frum or secular worlds,
But none of us can deny, the great power of love those days and nights gave us, to the chagrin of all of Crown Heights and their Rabbis.
Judaism.com
July 31st, 2008 at 8:19 pm
awesome letter! in a funny way this mirrors refuseniks experience in Russia. When people would coalesce despite the oppressive culture and feel kinship, god, friendship, closeness and love.
I wonder if you need an oppressive culture to have this experience. I hope not. I still hope not. Despite full me twice. I will never learn.
July 31st, 2008 at 9:02 pm
888 was a wonderful place. I remember the first time I was introduced to the group. IT was a Friday night, our friend who is now a journalist brought me along after we ate shabbat dinner at his aunt and uncles house, yes that aunt and uncle.
It was a scene like no other. For the first time I felt like I could be a “normal person.” I no longer had to lead a bifurcated life where my spiritual needs were met by one group of people, my sense of Jewishness by another, other needs by yet other groups.
It also was the first time I was introduced to the “big city apikores.” The type of person who doesn’t feel the need to reject all trappings of “yiddishkeit” just because he doesn’t believe in the God of his youth. Whether it was a joy in learning gemoroh or chassidus, a joy in singing chasidishe niggunim, etc.
NO judgement was passed against those who kept shabbes, there was no “You mean you still don’t eat shrimp?” 888 was really a nurturing and supportive environment.
I hope Chulent provides the same support.
July 31st, 2008 at 10:39 pm
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I seem to remember that during that Thanksgiving there was a potted plant in the living room, and we wrote notes of out wishes & thanks and placed them between the branches & leaves.
Then there were the “Ailanthus” meetings…the bedroom…the closet…
In a way it was like cholent: a bunch of chevreh hanging out, talking more than doing, comfort zone for some, nebach pit for others.
Where the fuck are the some, the others?
August 1st, 2008 at 6:56 am
Tzemach,
“It is a halacha that Esau must hate Jacob.”
Yalhak
August 1st, 2008 at 10:10 am
Bs’d
Turkey day,
Yeah celibrate sharing before the american killing of all our Native American brothers the Indians, almost all of them.
I too enjoyed the unity, still do
found there is a lot of this stuff out there
It is pretty intense, I found this posted, here it is in “kitzer” :
I have come to believe from my own spirit and others that Oct of 2008 will be the changing date
I had a waking vision about a nuke going off in Calif in Oct. Then I came across pastor Matt and he see’s so much more
He sees 2 EQ’s (earth quakes) out west. The first one is smaller than the second one yet each one has a great wave but the 2nd one is the major event.
He never really puts a timeline on it yet he talks about 2008. I think we can expect to see a major event before Oct to let those that have eyes and ears to understand.
Many other things are going to happen but the 2nd West coast quake that Matt has seen is what people have seen for years. A hugh quake that causes the great lakes to empty in the Gulf and the Mississippi River becomes the gulf!
Here is a link to this stuff, there were before many other gentile “prophets”. You can find them on the net. Most say these same things.
In Tanna dBEliyahu it says “even a goy can get Ruach ha Kodesh”h
Here is one site
http://www.unleavenedbreadministries.org/?page=hmpc2
I don’t obviously put my trust or faith in these words,
Rav Kaduri before he died did talk about disaster from the water at the coasts of North America and begged the Jewish People to leave and return to Aretz Yisrael
Here is another link
http://www.propheticwatchmanvine.com/map.htm
it’s probably nothing
Matt sees a nuke going off in San Diego, Washington or NYC, Denver
For the mercy of Hashem the world should have no more suffering , Please God
SHABOT SHALOM
The antidote to this is at http://godssecret.wordpress.com/
Its called “Great Days”
August 1st, 2008 at 10:17 am
Bs”d
I always liked turkey day. We all got together.
i still do !
Dont care much for celebrating the day they shared with our native american brothers before they killed them all.
Tzemach is right
“It is a halacha that Esau must hate Jacob.”
also
Bs”d
I found there is a lot of this stuff out there
It is pretty intense, I found this posted, here it is in “kitzer” :
I have come to believe from my own spirit and others that Oct of 2008 will be the changing date
I had a waking vision about a nuke going off in Calif in Oct. Then I came across pastor Matt and he see’s so much more
He sees 2 EQ’s (earth quakes) out west. The first one is smaller than the second one yet each one has a great wave but the 2nd one is the major event.
He never really puts a timeline on it yet he talks about 2008. I think we can expect to see a major event before Oct to let those that have eyes and ears to understand.
Many other things are going to happen but the 2nd West coast quake that Matt has seen is what people have seen for years. A hugh quake that causes the great lakes to empty in the Gulf and the Mississippi River becomes the gulf!
Here is a link to this stuff, there were before many other gentile “prophets”. You can find them on the net. Most say these same things.
In Tanna dBEliyahu it says “even a goy can get Ruach ha Kodesh”h
Here is one site
http://www.unleavenedbreadministries.org/?page=hmpc2
I don’t obviously put my trust or faith in these words,
Rav Kaduri before he died did talk about disaster from the water at the coasts of North America and begged the Jewish People to leave and return to Aretz Yisrael
Here is another link
http://www.propheticwatchmanvine.com/map.htm
it’s probably nothing
Matt sees a nuke going off in San Diego, Washington or NYC, Denver
For the mercy of Hashem the world should have no more suffering , Please God
SHABOT SHALOM
The antidote to this is at http://godssecret.wordpress.com/
Its called “Great Days”
August 1st, 2008 at 11:16 am
roger…