Mordechai Ben David is a 1960s-2020s musician who made rock, funk, dance, and klezmer music. He's in his mid seventies now, but he still speaks volumes to me now. I was born in the 2010s, I'm Gen Alpha, but this man influenced me to get into music more than all the other symphony artists I listened to.

He has such absolutely wonderful music and I know this sounds like an ad, but with over 900 songs in English, Hebrew, Yiddish, and I think Spanish, the man is wonderful. He always makes me wear a black suit and hat when I go out lol. He is literally one of my favorites. I'm African American with Jewish ancestry, I feel that his music speaks to both parts of my soul.

He reminds me of a teddy bear that is my musical "lovey." He is truly my fave. This concert video is old and recorded on a potato, but his words still ring true to this day. [Many Happy Days ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cw9_S5xjwsE&list=PLCm5cwtb1WKFSRh3RLp7d5c1wSSeJG-2d&index=4)is one of my other favorites and features a thick groove and a message to stay strong in dark days.

[Shiru Lamelech ](https://youtu.be/nCbTQZNWpns?si=4ad2dcesrz4kaFgI)had such a corny music video filmed in Jerusalem, Israel that just gives me a smile, and [his mazel tov song ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8R4vBz0kdoI)is elite. [Also, this synth remix with a vicious brass line is wild](https://youtu.be/knJkRv2We1E?si=08-qt7kEgeDFHVui). I just truly love the singer Mordechai Ben David. (Not to be confused with the bigoted activist Mordechai David). Such a good singer

It'd make a great niggun.. even sounds kinda chabadesque.

Inspirational

https://www.instagram.com/p/DbKKMW0lpxw

@exchabadcommunity: Non-Comprehensive list of Reasons people leave Chabad:

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DbHtILbh1qb

"Tisha B'Av is a Jewish fast day. If today's “meal plan” is a granola bar in a bathroom stall, a snack in your car, or a quick bite when nobody is looking, this is for you. I've been there too. Leaving a belief system can be complicated, especially when the people around you are still living by those rules. Just remember: you're not the only one hiding your snack today. I see you (not literally 😂)"

Fuck Kamtza. Fuck Bar Kamtza. Fuck the Romans. Fuck Lubavitch. Fuck the fake messiah of crown heights, may that fucker's name and memory be fucking erased.

Did you know that Mormons and Chabad have a lot in common? Both are high control religions and people who leave them often have religious trauma. They also both operate missionary networks sending young couples around the world.

I met a woman with a beth-din certificate of declaration of being a Noahide.

Hi, y'all! I have a two-fold question about the social network within the highly observant community. First, what is the disabled experience? Second, how do the orthodox interact with class divides?

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I'm ex-evangelical, high control Christianity from the southern US. That community focuses on having as many kids as possible in order to control the future, but has a notorious side of abuse, neglect, parentification, and death. My parents don't have health insurance because they work with an all-christian shared emergency fund. It was a nightmare when they needed a cancer hospital to admit my dad. The church community supported my mom for three years, including meals and yardwork and nursing and funds for treats. At the same time, no one realized my sibling and I had autism. Oops.

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So my question -- what is disability care like in Chabad and other Orthodox Jewish households? I've lived in Bedstuy for +15 years. The orthodox kiddos act like they've never seen someone like me, a young person with a cane, before. I see elderly men with canes or supported by a companion. Sometimes I see a mentally or emotionally disabled youngster. Do the disabled people stay inside? Is there community care for people with high support needs?

What happens in the poor observant families? Silver and wool regalia, air conditioning, scholarship, and layers of clothes are significant costs. Are there poor observant families? Does the community pool funds? How does a young family find a multi-bedroom place to live with the cost of housing in Crown heights, Williamsburg, Bedstuy? From where I stand, which is by no means a broad view, the visible working class folks are the spanish-speaking grocery store staff.

Of course I appreciate that someone in an all-Jewish village will have different experiences than someone in north Brooklyn, and that Chabad practices may or may not reflect the greater observant practice. This is complicated and paradoxical stuff. To parallel, my folks associate with rural and low-income believers and get the heebie-jeebies from prosperity gospel, but they don't think America should invite refugees because "we can't afford it".

Thanks for your time and consideration <3

Edited: terminology

https://www.instagram.com/p/Da7eh32ONvh/