'Shuvu' ticket purchases, still waiting for their money

More than two months have passed since the campaign for discount flight tickets to Uman for Rosh Hashana, initiated by the 'Shuvu Banim' community of Breslov Hasidism. An investigation conducted by B'Chadrei Charedim discovered: Many ticket buyers - who paid hundreds of dollars – are yet to have their money back, even though the last few days' funds are being returned, but so far it seems that the funds are being returned only within the community.

Background: The campaign in question began during Chanukkah last year, when the first pre-sale of tickets began – with roaring success, in this sale 7500 people were registered, when the price of an adult ticket was $300, and the price of a child's ticket was $200. Subsidy per ticket was between 400 and 500 dollars, and the subsidy required was of the order of $4 million.

Two months before Rosh Hashana another campaign began: During the early registration 1700 tickets were sold at a cost of $500, with no difference between adults and children. Price subsidy per ticket was $200, and the grand total required a subsidy of nearly 400 thousand dollars.

A few days before Rosh Hashana, when thousands spend their time near the grave of Rabbi Nachman in Uman, the 'Nachlei Eitanim' organization run by the community announced that the campaign for discount tickets to Uman - collapsed. 9000 passengers were left without tickets; whilst the funds they had paid out had disappeared.

Our investigation shows that less than 50 percent of ticket buyers got their money back, despite the promises of community leaders to settle the matter as soon as possible. Complaints received to B'Chadrei Charedim by several buyers that are not part of the community, recently revealed that a secret distribution is being held at the Ungarun Homes in Jerusalem. "The distribution is being carried out in such a way that only community members receive funds whilst maintaining absolute secrecy," says one purchaser.

"More than two months have passed since the campaign collapsed, they promised to return the money and have not returned it," he fumes.

However, sources within the community claim to B'Chadrei Charedim a completely different reality: "Many efforts are being made throughout the entire period to raise money to repay the full amount of funds as promised," he says.

"Recently, it was decided to execute the return of funds to return to the community." The source stresses that the reason this division is not known publicly, "This is not a large amount of money and so we carry out the distribution according to lists."

Benny Machlev, a spokesman for the community of 'Shuvu Banim', said in response: "Some of the claims made in the article are incorrect. Efforts are being made to return the money as soon as possible to all purchasers, without differentiating between one community or another. The division is made according to a list."

'בחדרי' גם ברשתות החברתיות - הצטרפו!