Schmeltzer was at one point popular with Hasidim, but, after pushing the envelope a bit too far —dressing exotically, rapping, and generally emulating the goyyishe style— he became shunned by Hasidim, at one point, whereas the modern Orthodox would shell out a good fortune for the privilege of being entertained by this Hasidic pop superstar. A group of rabbis had banned a concert of his, and he had been expelled from New Square. But the mark he has left on the Hasidic milieu turned out to be profound and indelible. His synagogue in Airmont, now defunct, had become emblematic of a new
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