'Talking fish' stuns New York BBC.com Some Hasidic Jews reportedly believe people can be reincarnated as fish A fish heading for slaughter in a New York market shouted warnings about the end of the world before it was killed, two fish cutters have claimed. Zalmen Rosen, from the Skver sect of Hasidic Jews, says co-worker Luis Nivelo, a Christian, was about to kill a carp to be made into gefilte fish in the city's New Square Fish Market in January when it began shouting in Hebrew. "It said 'Tzaruch shemirah' and 'Hasof bah'," Mr Rosen later told the New York Times newspaper. "[It] essentially means [in Hebrew] that everyone needs to account for themselves because the end is nigh." 'It's the devil!' Mr Nivelo told the paper he was so shocked he fell into a stack of slimy packing crates, before running in panic to the shop entrance and grabbing Mr Rosen, shouting: "The fish is talking!" It is very rare that God reminds people he exists in this modern world. But when he does, you cannot ignore it New York resident Abraham Spitz However his co-worker reacted with disbelief. "I screamed 'It's the devil The devil is here!', but Zalman said to me 'You crazy, you a meshugeneh [mad man]!" Mr Nivelo said. A disbelieving Mr Rosen then rushed to the back of the store, only to hear the fish identifying itself as the soul of a local Hasidic man who had died the previous year. It instructed him to pray and study the Torah, but Mr Rosen admitted that in a state of panic he attempted to kill the fish, injuring himself in the process and ending up in hospital. The fish was eventually killed by Mr Nivelo and sold. God in fish form? Many members of the city's Jewish community are now certain that God, troubled by the prospect of war in Iraq, has revealed Himself in fish form. Ah, enough already about the fish, I wish I never said anything about it Zalmen Rosen "Two men do not dream the same dream," said Abraham Spitz, a resident who visited Mr Rosen's shop to observe the site of the miracle. "It is very rare that God reminds people he exists in this modern world. But when he does, you cannot ignore it." The incident also relates to the beliefs of some Hasidic Jews, who say that righteous people can be reincarnated as fish, the British Observer newspaper reported. New York story Others are more sceptical, with New York comedians already incorporating the story into their stand-up routines and one fish company even contemplating changing its slogan to "our fish speak for themselves". Mr Rosen also seems to have become rather tired of being questioned about his incredible experience. "Ah, enough already about the fish," Mr Rosen said. "I wish I never said anything about it. I'm getting so many calls every day, I've stopped answering. Israel, London, Miami, Brooklyn... they all want to hear about the talking fish." _____________________ Did fish foretell apocalypse or is story a bunch of carp? HoustonChronicle.com By COREY KILGANNON New York Times NEW SQUARE, N.Y. -- And so it came to pass that a talking carp, shouting in Hebrew, shattered the calm of the New Square Fish Market and created what many here are calling a miracle. Others are calling it a Purim trick, a loopy tale worthy of Isaac Bashevis Singer or just a whopping fish story concocted by a couple of meshugenehs. Whatever one calls it, the tale of the talking fish has spread in recent weeks throughout this tight-knit community, populated by about 7,000 members of the Skver sect of Hasidim, and throughout the Hasidic world, inspiring heated debate, Talmudic discussions and derisive jokes. The story goes that a 20-pound carp about to be slaughtered and made into gefilte fish for Sabbath dinner began speaking in Hebrew, shouting apocalyptic warnings and claiming to be the troubled soul of a revered community elder who recently died. Many people here believe that it was God revealing himself that day to two fish cutters in the New Square Fish Market, Zalmen Rosen, a 57-year-old Hasid with 11 children, and his co-worker Luis Nivelo, a 30-year-old Ecuadorean immigrant. Some people say the story is as credible as the Bible's account of the burning bush. Others compare it to a UFO sighting. But the story rapidly spread around the world, first through word of mouth, then through the Jewish press. The two men say they have each gotten hundreds of phone calls from Jews all over the world. "Ah, enough already about the fish," Rosen said on Thursday at the shop, as he skinned a large carp. "I wish I never said anything about it. I'm getting so many calls every day, I've stopped answering. Israel, London, Miami, Brooklyn. They all want to hear about the talking fish." Here then is the story, according to the two men, the only witnesses. Rosen, whose family owns the store, and Nivelo, who has worked at the shop for seven years, say that on Jan. 28 at 4 p.m. they were carving up carp. Nivelo, who is not Jewish, lifted a live carp out of a box of iced-down fish and was about to club it in the head with a rubber hammer. But the fish began speaking in Hebrew, according to the two men. Nivelo does not understand Hebrew, but the shock of a fish speaking any language, he said, forced him against the wall and down to the slimy wooden packing crates that cover the floor. He looked around to see if the voice had come from the slop sink, the other room or the shop's cat. Then he ran to the front of the store screaming, "The fish is talking!" and pulled Rosen away from the phone. "I screamed, `It's the devil! The devil is here!' " he recalled. "But Zalmen said to me, `You crazy, you a meshugeneh.' " But Rosen said that when he approached the fish he heard it uttering warnings and commands in Hebrew. "It said `Tzaruch shemirah' and `Hasof bah,' " he said, "which essentially means that everyone needs to account for themselves because the end is near." The fish commanded Rosen to pray and to study the Torah and identified itself as the soul of a local Hasidic man who died last year, childless. The man often bought carp at the shop for the Sabbath meals of poorer village residents. Rosen panicked and tried to kill the fish with a machete-size knife. But the fish bucked so wildly that Rosen wound up cutting his own thumb and was taken to the hospital by ambulance. The fish flopped off the counter and back into the carp box and was butchered by Nivelo and sold. The story has been told and retold, and many Jews believe that the talking fish was a rare shimmer of God's spirit. Some call it a warning about the dangers of the impending war in Iraq. "Two men do not dream the same dream," said Abraham Spitz, a New Square resident who stopped by the store last week. "It is very rare that God reminds people he exists in this modern world. But when he does, you cannot ignore it." Others consider it as fictional as Tony Soprano's talking-fish dream in an episode of the television series The Sopranos. "Listen to what I'm telling you: Only children take this seriously," said Rabbi C. Meyer of the New Square Beth Din of Kashrus. "This is like a UFO story. I don't care if it is the talk of the town." Whether hoax or historic event, it jibes with the belief of some Hasidic sects that righteous people can be reincarnated as fish. Unnatural occurrences play a part in the mystical beliefs of members of the Skver sect. On the other hand, some skeptics note that the Jewish festival of Purim, which starts Monday night, is marked by merriment and pranks, which might be a less elevated explanation for the story. Some community members are calling the two men an enlightened pair chosen to receive the message. Others have said that Nivelo may have been selected because he is not Jewish. "If this was a story concocted by a bunch of Jewish guys, it might be suspect, but this Luis ... he has no idea what this means," said Matisyahu Wolfberg, a lawyer. "This is one of those historical times when God reveals himself for a reason."
that is funny. But who are we to judge. If you have a talking fish you keep that **** alive. That's your lottery ticket man. I think I just thought of a good practical joke to play.
this point is exactly why this story isn't true. "yeah...the fish told me about the end of the world...it talked in hebrew...so instead of showing it to anyone else, we just killed it and went right about our business." sure you did.
Hmmm... I'm not so sure about that. i had a steak the other night and it talked to me. It just waited until about 3 a.m. after it had passed through my digestive system.
I think Jamie Kennedy put one of those fish on the street and had it miked so they could talk to the street people. I was laughing my ass off.
