In-fighting plagues Gold Coast shuls

A DISPUTE between two rabbis has erupted in Surfers Paradise over who should represent the Chabad-Lubavitch movement on the Gold Coast.

Rabbi Nir Gurevitch of Gold Coast Hebrew Congregation, who has been in Surfers Paradise for 18 years, is the longest-serving Chabad rabbi in the area and was personally sent to Surfers Paradise by the late Lubavitcher Rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson. Rabbi Moshe Serebryanski from Chabad of Gold Coast and Northern Rivers has been in the region for the past eight years.

While senior Australian rabbis have called on the pair to work side-by-side, Rabbi Gurevitch has sought a ruling from a beth din in New York.

Rabbi Gurevitch said that while he had no personal problems with Rabbi Serebryanski, he could not be a shaliach for Chabad.

“There can’t be two shaliachs because Chabad headquarters [in New York] don’t feel he is the right person that can represent them,” Rabbi Gurevitch said. “The official Chabad policy is that when there is a Chabad rabbi in town, whether he is a spiritual leader or employed by a synagogue, then he is the official Chabad representative.”

But Gold Coast Hebrew Congregation’s acting secretary Luana Gross said she expected Rabbi Gurevitch to work full time for her congregation, which was not affiliated with the Chabad-Lubavitch movement.

“We don’t mind if he is the head contact as long as he does his full-time job for us and as long as he is nothing more than a contact,” Gross said. “We have asked him not to be the shaliach because it’s not fair to Chabad or our members because it’s a time-consuming role.”

Rabbi Serebryanski said he was not interested in a fight with Rabbi Gurevitch. He said there were 5000 Jews on the Gold Coast and both should be able to represent Chabad.

“There are three congregations here, temple [Temple Shalom Gold Coast], Gold Coast Hebrew Congregation and Chabad, and we each serve different needs,” Rabbi Serebryanski said. “There is plenty of room for everyone and I’m not fighting over anything.”

Melbourne’s senior Chabad shlichim (emissaries), Rabbi Joseph Gutnick, Rabbi Chaim Tzvi Groner and Rabbi Aaron Serebryanski, Rabbi Moshe Serebyanski’s uncle, issued a statement recommending that both rabbis remain as shlichim.

“Rabbi Moshe Serebryanski is the shaliach of Chabad of the Gold Coast. Rabbi Nir Gurevitch is the rabbi of the Gold Coast Hebrew Congregation (and a recognised Chabad shaliach). Both parties should work in harmony and not to duplicate activities and show open support to each other’s activities,” the statement read.

But Rabbi Gurevitch has not accepted the recommendation. He appealed to the Chabad Beth Din in New York and The AJN understands that case is continuing.