Samuel G. Freedman writes in the New York Times:
Leaders of the Chabad movement declined to speak on the record about Mr. Rosenberg, but in general, they say he has exaggerated the degree of messianism in the movement and that he is driven to settle scores. Even they, though, acknowledge he has gotten some embarrassing things right.
“Shmarya often reminds me of journalism in the old days — when editors would sometimes go at one another physically in the street,” Jonathan D. Sarna, a historian of American Jewry at Brandeis University with expertise in Jewish journalism, wrote in an e-mail message. “I know that he is fiercely hated in some Orthodox circles, but he has had many a scoop, and is certainly THE destination for those who want dirt about Orthodoxy exposed to the world.”
There have been a lot of articles written about Shmarya Rosenberg but this is far and away the best one yet. It really gives you a sense of the man, what drives him, and what are his strengths and weaknesses.
The opening of the story is vivid:
