EVERY SIGNATURE MATTERS - THIS BILL MUST PASS!

EVERY SIGNATURE MATTERS - THIS BILL MUST PASS!
CLICK - GOAL - 100,000 NEW SIGNATURES! 75,000 SIGNATURES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED TO GOVERNOR CUOMO!

CLICK!

Thursday, March 21, 2019

Another Naked Man Dies In Jump From Borough Park Office Building


From The UOJ Classics - More relevant today than in 2005

A naked man darted from a car into a Borough Park office building at lunchtime yesterday and then jumped to his death from the top floor, officials said.

The man double-parked in the 4800 block of 13th Av. about noon, bolted from his still-running gray 1980 Chevrolet, dashed past a crowd on the street and ran into the lobby of an office building, witnesses said.

Police were still trying to identify the man yesterday and to determine why he jumped. Witnesses also were trying to sort out what happened. The man had no apparent connection to the building, according to people who work there.


"He didn't even have shoes on," said Zalman Teitelbaum , who was working as a temporary security guard at the building until the Satmar mess gets straightened out. Sitting behind the security desk, Teitelbaum first saw the man from the waist up and thought maybe he was a rather strange jogger. But then I stood up and saw the rest of him, and realized he was very Jewish. "I was even able to recognize the mohel, (rabbi that performs the circumcision) by his unique cut", said Teitelbaum. "This man was definitely bent out of shape."

The man told Teitelbaum that he was "desperate and broke," asked him for 50 cents to make a phone call and then spoke incoherently, mumbling something about not being able to support his son in-law in kollel, Teitelbaum said.

Then the man ran to an elevator. Minutes later, he emerged from a stairwell on the top floor. The fire alarm had been set off, presumably by the man, and the office doors on that floor were open as people began to file out, witnesses said.

The man pushed his way into one of the offices, where he said "kollel, kollel, kollel," several times while charging toward a window, witnesses said. He smashed the glass and jumped through the window, falling onto a parapet between two buildings. Some local workers and shoppers saw him fall.

Borough Park firefighters and emergency medical service personnel arrived at the scene, and police quickly cordoned off the block. Women with baby carriages were visibly upset that they could not continue shopping.


Three women with hats on top of their wigs cried out loud, "he could have waited until the stores closed."


Workers in the top floor office said they had not seen the man before and did not believe that he had ties to the offices there. They didn't hear anything he said other than "excuse me, I need money to support my son in-law in the Lakewood kollel" a witness said.

Before it became apparent what was taking place, the city's parking enforcers reacted to the abandoned car, which had badly torn seats, New Jersey plates and no sign of clothing inside other than a beat up Borsalino and a jacket with a shatnes label. They slapped a flyer on the windshield inviting people to attend a parlor meeting for the Lakewood Yeshiva.


The police met with all the various Bobover Rebbes and was told that the man had seven married daughters and was acting strange as of late. Recently the man was seen in shul naked except for a towel on his shoulder, screaming why they moved the mikve.

These acts of desperation have become rather common in the Orthodox Jewish community, since fathers with daughters are expected to support their sons in-law whether they have the ability or not.

Many social workers in the community have noticed a dangerous increase in mental disorders particularly by men over fifty.

We interviewed eight young men who were in the local pizza parlor, all of them noticably obese. We asked them about their reaction to the increase in mental and emotional disorders in men over fifty, particularly by the men with daughters.

 

We had similar reactions by all eight young men. One fellow said it was "not my fault that the poor putz doesn't know how to make enough money to support thirty people. Summer camps, expensive houses, cars, jewelry, Pesach in Cancun, and tuitions are a father in-law's obligation, even if he has to work three jobs, or steal from his employer." They're just a bunch of whining lazy bums."

Another young fellow said "I am sick and tired of hearing these BS stories from fathers in-law. If they produce the kids, they MUST support them, period, no excuses." This fellow who was not more than twenty years old, was wearing a gold Rolex. I complimented him on his watch; he turned angry and said "he told the shadchan that I would get two Rolexes, one for daily use and one for Yom-Tov, and the SOB finked out on me; what a piece of garbage father in-law I wound up with. If I would have known that, I never would have married his meeskite (extremely ugly) daughter." He said he had to leave, and drove off in a brand new Cadillac Escalade.

The reaction by the others were similar, ranging from anger to dismay about the lack of appreciation and gratefulness to God exhibited by their fathers in-law. They all felt that they could have married anyone in the world, and if their father in-law ever decided to stop giving them "serious" money they would return their daughters to them in a heartbeat, blackmail the family in order for him to give a Get, and get a father in-law who really understands what a catch they are.

Particularly interesting was how they all agreed that they never intended to ever get a job, regardless of how many fathers in-law jumped off buildings. They saw it as a dirty trick and didn't believe the guy was really dead." I find it very interesting that these shameless fathers in-law would go to any lengths to avoid their obligations to us", said the fellow who was the most obese, weighing about three hundred pounds and was not more than five foot three inches tall.

Calls to the rabbis of the Lakewood Kollel were answered by a taped recorded message.


"If you are attempting to join our prestigous institution, the only requirement is that you must be proficient in filling out lengthy government aid forms. These forms are available in all languages and can be filled out at any Lexus dealer in Borough Park or Flatbush; or available on the Internet by the shgatzim uremasim (low-lifes) who have Internet access."






92 comments:

Anonymous said...

If it wasn't tragic, it would be hilarious. The joke is on me.

Anonymous said...

Who's the Washington putz? Neuhoff's brother?

Anonymous said...

That old beat up Borsalino is mine! Can I get it back or is it in the police evidence room?

Paul Mendlowitz said...

Neuhoff has a "brother" in Washington who works for the Agudah. His name is Abba Cohen, the guy in charge of screening women at the airport for "what's under the wig?"

Anonymous said...

There was a yungerman who was promised "full support". About 15 years ago, his shver fell on hard times and lost his money. The selfish eidim said "full support means full support" and forced his wife to drive to Passaic every day to teach. The women in town were cursing him out, noting that the poor wife was getting skinny from her long daily trek.

Anonymous said...

Vos hockste a tcheinik Shafran? Tze nisht poshut. I tayne the hat is mine. Kol d'alim govar.

Anonymous said...

Unlike some fantasies that guys make up in here, this story is actually true. There were guys who demanded 100 grand from prospective shvers. They were usually at least solid learners. Usually. One loser who amounted to nothing managed to get away with it too. The shver found out after the chassuna what a gornisht he is and reneged on the deal. Believe it or not, the eyedim is mazmin the shver to beis din. The shver hires rabbi Assaf who sits down next to the yungerman in beis medrash.

So yungerman, you mistomma know Shas? Nope.

So which masechta do you know? Zippo

WHich blatt do know with Rashi & Tosfos? Nada

How many parshiyos are there in Chumash? Dunno

SO WHAT MAKES YOU THINK YOU ARE ENTITLED TO 100 THOUSAND DOLLARS??!!

Blank stare like a deer in the headlights and end of the din Torah.

Anonymous said...

Kolko vaz in court yesterday but mein tayerrra freynd Tverski used his connections to keep it out of da papers.

Anonymous said...

Dan l'kaf zchus on the naked man. A yid told him clothes were shatnez, so he took them off. He died al kiddush H'.

Anonymous said...

That poor shver. He called that haymishe suicide crisis hotline and asked to speak to the Novominsker. The Novominsker said there was nothing he could do unless the guy actually lives in Boro Park. That's what pushed him over the edge and led him to pick 13th Ave of all places.

Anonymous said...

Me and the other Bubba-Clinton came up with this idea about being able to get bald-headed women into private rooms at the airport. Novominsker thought we should check the net-access, he meant the stockings.

Anonymous said...

To UOJ
Your eventual reward on behalf of the poor and defenseless children who were so brutally attacked and as equally shunned by the Establishment probably cannot be measured in dollars.
Your current posting whereby you now launch against the core establishment structure is a horse of a different color. You are opening a Pandora's box. You ehhibit great courage in this endeavour as well but you will attacked 100 times as hard as you are with the situation of the abused kids. Believe me, there are many many people of nominal means who go with the flow as they feel tht do not have any alternative.
I wish you much Hatzlocho.
I had the privilege to learn for many years with a big Talmid Chochom who had attended on e of the great Pre war Litvish Yeshivahs. he used to tell us that Kollel was only suited for the top boys who had the potential to become great leaders and educators. The average person had the achrayus to get properly educated and then go to work and learn in the early morning and/or evening.It was not the responsibility of parents to support children for years after marriage.
This bubble will eventually burst and it is not going to be a pretty scene.

Anonymous said...

"This Box Outside Your Home Says A Lot About The Inside of Your Home."

It also says a lot about the inside of your HEAD.

Anonymous said...

Avi Shafran asked us to keep this quiet, so this an anonymous leak. Bubba Cohen has just been deputized. Effy Wachsman is requesting that anyone who makes fun of him be prosecuted under the Patriot Act provision of interfering with flight crews and air transportation.

Anonymous said...

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Plans by the federal Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to start operating x-ray security scanners at US airports has prompted Agudath Israel of America to raise concerns with the Department of Homeland Security – TSA’s parent agency. Experts claim that the controversial devices – which beam low level x-rays through people’s clothing — can produce clear images of passengers’ bodies.
According to Agudath Israel Washington Office director Rabbi Abba Cohen, plans to deploy the scanners were first announced two years ago. “At that time, DHS assured us that religious objections would be adequately addressed.”
One suggestion was offered during subsequent testimony before a House of Representatives committee. A spokesperson for one of the two manufacturers of the scanning devices introduced its “cloaking” software that, he maintained, would make images of bodies less explicit.

For many passengers, however, the religiously observant among them, “less explicit” may fall far short of an acceptable standard of modesty — a concern voiced by the Agudah representative during recent communications with DHS officials in the wake of the agency’s announced plans to begin testing the device at specified airports. “They again assured me that, in their opinion, the software does a good job of blurring the image,” Cohen said.
This, however, remains a matter of dispute. And there are related questions regarding abuse of the technology and misappropriation of the images. The American Civil Liberties Union, with which Agudath Israel has been in touch, has called the scanners a “virtual strip search.”
DHS officials responded to Rabbi Cohen’s concerns in a positive fashion and said they hoped to be able to allay Agudath Israel’s concerns.
This is not the first time issues of religious sensitivities have come up in the context of homeland security. A problem came to the fore when heightened airport security checks after September 11 required Orthodox Jewish women to remove hair coverings or certain articles of clothing in a manner that would violate Jewish laws of modesty. Other religious communities also complained about demands to remove turbans and other religious garb.
As a result of these complaints, TSA has required the provision of separate rooms where religious adherents would be able to follow security procedures in a private setting in the presence of security personnel of the same gender.
“The Orthodox Jewish community is extremely supportive of the Department of Homeland Security’s efforts to protect this country and its citizens,” says Rabbi Cohen. “And we are especially gratified by the agency’s willingness to work with us when those efforts conflict in some way with religious practice or sensibilities.
“We are confident that the DHS will be responsive to our concerns in this situation as well.”

Anonymous said...

What up? Any dumb lummox who plays football knows that the Agudah ignores the welfare of children and then tries to get in do-good spotlight with issues that are like this:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hail_Mary_pass

SHowcasing a few kids at the Agudah convention was a sham because they diss all the rest and let perverted homeboy rebbes abuse them.

Yo dogs, this is one political football that UOJ isn't gonna let you get away with.

Anonymous said...

Was Shafran trained as a trial lawyer or Clinton operative? He's the sleaziest spinster I've seen since James Carville.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for the pitch, UOJ. Margo follows this blog in real time and immediately called to hire me as an advisor.

Anonymous said...

UOJ,

Any word as to what is up next with regard to Kolko/Hussbaum, etc.?

It seems odd that you are going to the archives so often. You need to be on air for at least 5 years before you begin showing the re-runs.

I agree with the other poster who said that Neuhoff and crew are holding you hostage and have hijacked the blog's password. the tone is too soft. Plus the line about regretting posting Beuhoff's phone number. Only Neuhoff hinmself or Kleinman could have written that one. Next, there will be a "UOJ" comment saying that I was wrong to go after Margo/Kolko.

Anonymous said...

The shver also had his account looted at Olympia Mortgage. We told him he's a sucker who's not getting his money back and suggested he call the Novominsker. Everyone should know he died for a good cause. That would be lining our pockets.

Anonymous said...

...the situation is ridiculous and it's about time someone speaks out. I recently married a learning boy and take NO SUPPORT! he didn't even think of asking for a dowry because he was "naiive" and was learning Torah in order to enrich his life, not to bid himself off in some shidduch market. He WILL be working also in order to maintain stability in his home sorry we won't be as "frum" as the neighbors who proudly have their hefker kids running around doing mischief everywhere making a "kiddush Hashem" because Totty is in koillel and Mommy has no koiach so the aibeshter will just watch over them just "have bitochon" and they'll stay on the derech and will not chas visholom earn a living. This orthodox frenzy has turned innocent children into immature unrealistic selfish bench warmers who are just in it for the "kavod". And by the way don't think that the wives are not "embaressed" if their husband "nebach" hasto do the terrible 4 letter word W O R K!...

Anonymous said...

Book your flight tickets for the oppurtunity of a lifetime! Molester extraordenaire A M Leizerowitz is marrying off a child in Israel Cum show your support for the guy who introduced countless Gerrer boys to the art of hard-ons and orgasm (The Rishonim specificaly permit the embarassment of a molester's children) Care to join in this huge Kovod Ger / Kiddush HaShem? Details to Cum in the very near future

P.S. I'm new to this and intend to give *Leizerowitz Victim Forever* a run for his money as chief Leizerowitz attacker.

Anonymous said...

who is Hussbaum?

The New York Post is doing a big story on Kolko tomorrow

Anonymous said...

on wednesday february 14 schmuel schlesinger gruba lipas son in law will be honored at the dinner hashnusi of the alesk bais medrish located on ave. f and east 2nd.
lipas son in law is being honored with the keser torah award and im sure gruba molester enabling pig will be there

Anonymous said...

to the anon at 6:33
this is a crime that has to be stopped, lipa will go there especially after they mention him by name, "son-in-law of Harav Hagaon Lipa Marguilles, Rosh Yeshiva of Torah Temimah and Yam Hatalmud."
if there is anybody that can stop this please do so.
the gabaim's names are aaron dovid weinberger and yeshaye goldberg.
P.S. DONT FORGET THIS GUY IS A ROSHA MIRUSHA.

Anonymous said...

There are countless stories of young women and their fathers who get squeezed by their good for nothing banque-kvetchers.

They deserve it!! If girls boycotted the Kvetchers, and looked instead for G-d fearing, but WORKING young men (girls, take note: this includes pulpit Rabbis and mechanchim!) who are "kovaiah ittim", who attend minyanim, etc., they will be happy, they can still be frum (imagine that!!), and the Orthodox world will stop its internal bleeding.

Read the large paragraph u=in the Shema. Note the promises therein. If we are good, the rains will come for our fields, the animals will be able to eat, etc.

In short, we are promised that G-d will help us in our worldly pursuits. We are not told anything about support from our Fathers in Law. Definitely nothing about programs either!!

Remember, Yaacov was a shepherd, Elisha was one, too! So was King David!! Yirmiahu took care of his vineyard, Nehemia had a job at the imperial court. Find me a kollel guy in Tanach!!

Anonymous said...

UOJ, We have to organize a blockade of that dinner and refuse safe passage for Lipa Margo to the event. Details please and lets get a call for action going.

Anonymous said...

I have to say I am truly excited by this article. On monday when I head back to school, I am juts gonna pack up my room, tell my rebbie (R. Meir Goldwicht) goodbye, and head to Lakewood. Why bother with the rigors of YU when I can just coast in Lakewood and be supported for the rest of my life!!!

They told me that I'd get an education in YU, they told me I'd be able to understand the workings of the world while living a life of torah, and I have. The way of the world seems to be Kollel, for an easy life and a Shver you only have to deal with a few years....then hell jump! So, maybe its worth it to sacrafice my freedom and become a comfortable sheeple in the barn of the Lakewood Yeshiva Community.

Anonymous said...

Y.U. is looking better every day.

Anonymous said...

SHAFRAN- GET THE HELL OFF MY TURF!!!

Anonymous said...

Hazeeta! Too much sketch with this Agudat Yisrael. Instead of dealing with pikuah nefesh they are saying fadal to each other and stuffing their faces at the convention. I have to tell Haham Raful and Eddie Betesh not to let themselves get used by these Itchee.

Margo is a hrram and I should tell him what it's going to be like soon to lose his real estate empire.

Anonymous said...

Someone asked earlier about Manhattan Beach. If you look at the geography on a map or go down there, you can see why R' Moishe might not have assered it. It's largely cut off and surrounded by water. The only entry points are from either Brighton Beach or from East 16th St or thereabouts. I would assume that Sea Gate is even easier because it's walled off save for a single access road guarded by an NYPD checkpoint.

Anonymous said...

"Find me a kollel guy in Tanach!!"

Shevet Levi.

Shevet Zvulon.

That's the point though, you see that the Torah allows for Yissacher & others to pursue capitalism.

R' Boruch Ber shreibt in Ksuvos that Rav S.R. Hirsch's shita of Torah im derech eretz was only a horaas shaa to be matzil Yekkishe from shmad. That's possible, but I don't think der Kaminetzer rosh yeshiva would approve of all the heintiga batlonim parking themselves in yeshivos.

Besides batlonus there is the issue of huge choivos. A Philly yungerman in Lakewood nebich committed suicide. R' Elya apparently didn't farshtay the choymer when the kollelman cried to him. That mayseh spooked the heck out of R' Shneur. Someone joked earlier about the loser yungerleit who Rav Kotler tried to push out to work. This was exactly the gorem.

Anonymous said...

OK, I got the metaphor, but is it really that bad? Are shvers really being pushed to commit suicide? The MO world I live in, out of choice, seems closer and closer to Gan-Eden on earth when I read the stuff in this blog.

Anonymous said...

Let me please ask my question in different words. Is the Charedi world really that close to hell as you guys are describing it? Did Rav Kotler really manage to drive so many people insane so that they would buy into such stupidity? Don't you paint this world in too dark colors?

The picture you describe is too insane to be true. There is a famous saying about that you can fool one man all the time but you could fool all the people only for part of the time. If the Charedi world was that bad people would be leaving en droves and I do not see that happening.

Guys, and mainly UOJ, this can't be true! I need a proof that you are describing things as they are and if so, please give a plausible explanation. I won't buy into an argument such as that all Charedi people are insane. Otherwise, you sound more and more as Shmaryah and that mean you are not authentic.

An outsider

Anonymous said...

The "Rav" was a Godol.

Unfortunate and symptomatic of the Krum climate we live in that it's not PC in certain precincts to say so, but it's a fact.

Anonymous said...

One can easily assume this presentation is being held as a result of Colmer moving in. Kudos to the Rabbonim who are doing something about it & not "sweeping it under the carpet". Perhaps, David Mandel can redeem himself from the YTT fiasco he attended last year.


The Entire Passaic/Clifton Community, “Mothers and Fathers- ARE INVITED to an important presentation:



How To Keep Our Children Safe: Preventing Unwanted Touch



Presented by: David Mandel-Chief Executive Officer Ohel Childrens Home and Family Services

and Hillel Sternstein, LCSW Coordinator, The RESPECT Program on Abuse at Ohel



Our children are unfortunately not immune from social and cultural problems occurring within the larger community.



· Unwanted touch and abuse most often occur by an individual known to the child.

· How can parents speak to their children?

· What can a community do to be safe?



This program is supported by:

· Rabbi Menachem Zupnik, Beis Torah U'Tefilah

· Rabbi Shlomo Singer, PTI

· Rabbi Yonason Sacks, Agudah Yisrael

· Rabbi Aharon Cohen, Tiferes Israel

· Rabbi Shlomo Rybak; Adas Israel

· Rabbi Ron Yitzchok Eisenman, Ahavas Israel

· Rabbi Shachne Weinberger, Shomrei Torah

· Rabbi Yosef Abrams, YBH

· Rabbi Dovid Hirsch, Beis Yosef

· Rabbi Heshie Hirth, Yeshiva K'tana

· Rabbi Yakov Glasser, Young Israel

· Rabbi Davis, BMT



There is no charge for this event and no solicitations will be made.



Ahavas Israel-181 Van Houten Avenue Monday Evening, February 5, at 8:15 pm

Anonymous said...

Not a word about sex
By Yair Ettinger
Haaretz - January 26, 2007
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/817458.html

For more information on the case against President Moshe Katsav
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Katsav_Moshe.html


Had the president's aides wished to spare him some grief over breakfast yesterday, they would have given him a copy of the Orthodox daily Hamodia.

Under the main headline about transferring funds to the Palestinian Authority, the Agudat Yisrael mouthpiece published various stories on housing for Gush Katif evacuees and news from the Jewish world.

The attorney general's decision to indict Moshe Katsav was not mentioned, nor were the charges being drafted against him or the political scramble to find a successor.

The newspaper's editors were hoping to spare the readers, and did not print the crude nature of the charges against the president.

The Lithuanian ultra-Orthodox daily Yated Ne'eman, however, deviated from its self-imposed censorship on the affair, publishing the following headline at the bottom of the front page: "Katsav expected to proclaim he is temporary incapable of fulfilling his duties."

The report itself, appearing on page 10, explains: "Yesterday the attorney general decided to indict him for a series of criminal offenses, such as using state funds for personal needs and obstructing legal procedures." Not a word about the main charges.

Editors of the ultra-Orthodox newspapers say the censorship is intended to protect their readers, not the president. They know their public is aware of the scandal's sexual nature, but prefer their readers to learn about it elsewhere. It is more important to keep the newspapers "clean," they say.

The religious radio station Kol Hai's news bulletins have been covering the Katsav affair since the attorney general's announcement Tuesday, but broadcasters, reporters and commentators have been ordered not to mention the nature of the charges or say words like "sexual harassment," "rape" and "abuse."

Interviewees are also warned not to use those terms on the air.

The channel did not broadcast the recent news conferences live, but only after offensive phrases had been deleted.

"When a father sits in his car with his children listening to the news, my job is to protect the children and not use terms alien to the children's pure world," said Mordechai Lavi, the radio's main news broadcaster.

The ultra-Orthodox editors say they will set the extent of censorship based on developments, but in any case the embarrassing sexual details will be excluded.

Anonymous said...

OUJ thanks for sharing that story of the naked man I recently heard from a mechanech - a REAL one that there's this mitzvah out there ever heard of it? Maybe it's a secret well I'm not shutting up and I'd like you all to kow that I'ts a mitzvah to be mefarnes your family(not the shver or the wife). Again, IT IS A MITZVAH FOR A MAN TO BE MIFARNES HIS FAMILY.
There was this young girl who comes from a very well respected frum family who claimed they deserve only the best because of their yichus. She married a bachur who was tops in learning. The girls father promised to help so he sent his daughter off traveling to the best paying job with a frum s'viva so he doesn't have to foot the whole bill. Shortly after her tiring trips she became pregnant. She continued her commute, thorwing up on the way wasn't an unusual accurance. 9 months later she gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She went straight to her parents to "rest". The noise level in the house needless to say, was quite high being that she was from a very large chashuve family. She was unable to get the rest she needed. Most of her time there she pleaded with family members to please keep it down so that she can rest. a few wks later she went back to Lakewood unrested.
Shortly afterwards, she started back at her well paying job so that her husband can continue to learn and the Shver can say he's "helping". So off she went to the babysitter and then to her 40 minute commute. She was losing wait, falling asleep during the day and so her father went to invest in an ice cream machine so she can gain her weight back- after all noone should know what's really going on, so why not cover it up with some milk shakes? Then with all the milk shakes and encouragement to eat and eat the pressure caught up with her and she started feeling depressed. She cried daily to her parents. Soon the cries turned into crying fits in which her parents finally decided that their daughter must be "crazy" and called it post pardum depression. They continued to selfishly send her off to work daily until one day she collapsed. That's when her parents and husband convinced her that something is wrong with HER, (not them of course) and off she went to a psychiatrist who prescirbed all kinds of medications with intolerable side affects. At that point the husband sadly realized he was doomed to go to work. He became financially succesful. The young wife was alone in her depression and kept being convinced by the family that it's all post pardum and it's because of her one thing she cherished- her baby. Lack of emotional support, disabled this young wife to recover and eventually the husband asked a shailah to a rav and returned her to her parents, taking sole custody of their daughter. This woman till today, even though she's doing much better because she learnt to be on her own, has still no chance of ever having the gift of life a true bas yisroel deserves. I cry for the churban her parents inflicted on her by using and abusing our Torah hakedoshah.
May we find comfort in taking control of our own lives, by using our brains to reconstruct that which was destroyed.

Anonymous said...

It's the corruption, stupid!

Anonymous said...

Hey Mister Carville, what makes you think you have the right to call me studpid? Cause you missed the point?
DAAAAh it's the corruption- her parents are the stupid ones to fall into it! Maybe you should think about responsibility as parents or is that too scary for you? You just want to sit back do as you please and blame the corruption? We can't keep blaming "the corruption". How about doing what OUJ does and start changing things? Parents are responsible adults and MUST step up by using their brains to stand up and protect the new generation from this corruption! From yeshivos who harbor molestors, from so called gedolim that mislead us, from mechanchim who shove things under the carpet,from perpretrating these warpt ideas of yidishkeit! You better get off your tuchos and start treating your kids better-

Anonymous said...

Ok Einstein, so let's say the whole world doesn't learn in kollel. How do you make sure they act ethically in business?

Anonymous said...

Thanks for speaking up, Boog. I've been waiting 4 your comeback a long time. Get back in the drivers seat and give us some road kill! If we only would've listened to the RAV all this time............
But we still have Rabbi Blau, UOJ and the few and the brave. That includes u Boog and Victim Forever.

Anonymous said...

Ethics in business according to these rectal Gedolim is stealing from your fellow jew and Uncle Sam. Then giving a sizable chunk to Lippy the Pippy Margo or his cohorts at Agudah.

Anonymous said...

"The Rav" may have known a velt of learning but it didn't make him the gadol hador.

Nobody knows better than you guys. If a 90 year old rabbi who knows Shas & poskim at his fingertips can issue the penetration psak it proves there are other qualities needed. I'm not chas veshalom saying that Rav JB would do anything that evil, but there have been other types of complaints.

I heard this not from anyone in the yeshivishe realm, but from an old German rabbi, an immense talmid chochom, who learned in pre-war German yeshivos. You have to look at the end result and fruits of labor and there is much that emanated from YU that is less than desirable. I don't know if it's true, but I heard the rebbitzen did not cover her head and wore pants. This woman had a profound influence on him. The old rov said that maybe Rav JB found some kind of minority opinion to be mattir, but a leader of the generation is expected to rise above that.

Anonymous said...

Shut up Grossman! Do you want UOJ to shut down Frankel's shul or something?

Sha!

Anonymous said...

On behalf of Margo who still has a lotta fight left in him, I'm happy to announce that THIS IS WAAAAARRRRR !!!!!

Anonymous said...

Abramczyk, UOJ might not target everyone at Frankel's shul, but for sure the ones that go to Luxor.

Anonymous said...

"Parents are responsible adults and MUST step up by using their brains to stand up and protect the new generation from this corruption!"

Starting with the LOSERS who send their kids to YTT.

Anonymous said...

Oh great, now UOJ & friends are going to beat up on Luxor as another Hungarian slime pit. How do we get rid of all this unwanted attention?

Anonymous said...

"Solomon"

Stop posting on the hazeeta ogblays and fire your chedama...maybe then you'll be able to afford to pay back all the money...face it: you lost your biz and you're just a nishach i-gay with a serious lack of floose - pull your idkays outta Magan and ship 'em to Ateret...hazeet!

Anonymous said...

To anon @1:36,

That comment wasn't directed at you. If you know anything about American politics you would know that I ran Bill Clinton's successful 1992 campaign with the slogan "It's the economy, stupid!". I am now running UOJ's campaign with the slogan "It's the corruption, stupid" to counteract those apologists that constantly criticize him.

Anonymous said...

Everyone's crazy out there. I have bli ayin hora a few married sons who are in kollel. They are very big masmidim and we don't support them and neither do their in laws. They do get some help from both sides from time to time, but, for now, their wives work and they have whatever they get from kollel. I am sure that when necessary they will go out to work, just like their father did and not expect their wives to keep up supporting the family. They are not living the life of Riley, but, they are happy with waht they have. B"H none of them live in Lakewood.

Anonymous said...

http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/articles/2007/01/25/community/letters_opinion/shafran0125.txt

That lie-ridden, smart alec letter from Avi Shafran has also been printed by the Cleveland Jewish News.

Please contact the paper and tell them that Shafran is a liar and does not represent Orthodox Jews who by and large are tired of Agudah cover ups of crimes.

Phone: 216-454-8300
Fax, Editorial: 216-454-8200

Rob Certner CEO rcertner@cjn.org

Cynthia Dettelbach EXECUTIVE VP AND EDITOR cdettelbach@cjn.org

Anonymous said...

There must be software that hides your browser cache.

http://yudelstake.blogspot.com/2007/01/uez-monies-lake-terrace-hall.html#3699736836756710531

Anonymous said...
I heard if you want to get an ishur for the internet they come to check if you if you visit the blogs they dont like

Anonymous said...

UOJ,

I was wondering why in the last 2 days you briefly posted 2 major news flashes before deleting them. In case you mind, I won't be overly explicit.

http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2007/01/brooklyn_pedoph.html

Shmarya posted the same story you did except he left out the name & location.

There was also a report from the DA's office about cutting a deal to get the big fat fish.

Did you come into possession of conflicting information or are you going for the element of surprise?

Anonymous said...

Here's some background on the posts last week regarding Julie Whiteman vs Margo. I'm told the story goes like this: Steps from the roof were wet and Whiteman slipped down the stairs and was badly injured. After Margo refused to help out, Whiteman said he's going to sue to pay for all his medical care so Margo had him fired.

The old building was a mess (when it rained it leaked on the stairs and that’s how Whiteman slipped) but Margo wouldn’t admit it (or he’d lose the case).

By the way, does anyone know what the outcome was? It would be pretty funny if Margo lost even with a half dozen law firms fighting it.

Paul Mendlowitz said...

PEDOPHILE ALERT.................

Yeshiva boys commonly accept rides from strangers who appear to be “frum.” However, appearances can be deceiving and this practice has lately proven to be extremely harmful.

Recently, a Jewish male in his 40s, had been offering rides to Yeshiva boys waiting at bus stops on Coney Island Avenue and other Flatbush and Boro Park venues. One of his regular passengers confided to his father that the driver had exhibited unusual behavior. The boy’s father decided to accompany his son and confront the driver. The driver fled the scene when he saw the father. It has since been discovered that the driver had been previously arrested for endangering the welfare of a child and second-degree sex abuse.

Because of early intervention, no crime was committed this time. However, this predator has escaped incarceration and remains free to prey on unsuspecting boys. The authorities are investigating this matter.

The pedophile has been identified as follows:


Name: Yaakov Borchardt
Address: 1452 41st Street, Brooklyn, NY
Vehicle:* Blue 1987 Chevy Caprice – New York license plate no. AXX-800
Age: Early to mid 40’s
Height: 5’ 11
Weight: Approximately 220 lbs.
Facial hair: Clean-shaven
Color: White

*Please note that he may have access to more than one vehicle.

We urge you to caution your children never to accept rides from strangers without your explicit permission. Instruct them to immediately report to you any strange behavior displayed by any adult in their lives.

We must be proactive about containing and preventing these incidents in our community. Please pass this information on to everyone you know. Please advise anyone who suggests this falls into the category of loshon horah, that they are mistaken. A pedophile is a rodeph and we have a halachic obligation to protect our children and the children of our community from harm. The Torah asserts that we are forbidden to sit idly by while others are in danger (lo samoid al dam re’echa). As Harav Shalom Yosef Elyashiv has ruled, we are obligated to report known pedophiles to the police.

Keep your eyes and ears open and insist that your child do the same. Help keep our children safe and healthy.

Paul Mendlowitz said...

In Suspense:

There are serious efforts being made to have Lipa Margulies arrested, I do not want to jeopardize those efforts.

I re-posted the pedophile alert, I wanted to double-check something.

Anonymous said...

Is that the Yanky Borchardt who is administrator of Yeshiva Derech Chaim? I remember him having a beard. He is related to the Rabbi Borchardt from the Agudah. R' Gross reported last year that he was informed of a molester counselor in Camp Agudah, and unlike the cover up gang, had him fired.

http://www.petersons.com/UGChannel/code/instvcprint.asp?inunid=9792&sponsor=36

Admissions Contact
Mr. Y. Borchardt, Administrator
Yeshiva Derech Chaim

Anonymous said...

It is definately true that Rav's
wife did not cover her hair,about the pants I don't know. Nonetheless, she was a very righteous person and supported the Rav in his Torah initiatives to the hilt. The Rav used to learn for
10-12 hours non-stop and his wife
would take care of the rest. I remember a story of her lambasting
studnts at YU for watching a baseball game instead of learning in Bais Medrash. She was a righteous person for sure!

Anonymous said...

I don't know why Borchardt doesn't show up on the NY State offender registry if he has a background, but another Boro Park offender pops up who attacked a 10 year old girl:

http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/cgi/internet/nsor/fortecgi?serviceName=WebNSOR&templateName=detail.htm&requestingHandler=WebNSORDetailHandler&ID=55416709

ZIMMER
First Name: DAVID
Height: 5'10"
Middle Name: Weight: 160
DOB: Nov 17, 1971 Hair: Blonde
Sex: Male Eyes: Hazel
Risk Level: 2 Corr. Lens: NO
Photo Taken Prior to: May 17, 1999

Reported Address: 1333 51ST STREET

Offense Description:
Actual Sexual Intercourse
Actual, MoreThanOnce Sexual Contact
Attempted Patronizing/Promoting Prostitution

Anonymous said...

http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/cgi/internet/nsor/fortecgi?serviceName=WebNSOR&templateName=detail.htm&requestingHandler=WebNSORDetailHandler&ID=538559900

KOHN
First Name: YISUCHER Height: 5'08"
Middle Name: Weight: 250
DOB: Aug 10, 1969 Hair: Brown
Sex: Male Eyes: Brown
Risk Level: 2 Corr. Lens: YES
Photo Taken Prior to: Feb 6, 2006

Reported Address: 23 KORITZ WAY
APT 77
City: NEW SQUARE

Female, 7 Years

Probation Sentence: 10 Year(s).
Incarceration Sentence: 6 Month(s), Local Jail.

Additional Names/Aliases:
Last Name First Name Middle Name
KOHN BARRY

Employer Info:
Status Street City State Zip
Current RTE 59 SPRING VALLEY

Vehicles:
Lic. Plate No. State Vehicle Year Make/Model Color
999999 NY 2004 Honda Odyssey Blue

Offense Description:
Actual, MoreThanOnce Sexual Intercourse
Actual, MoreThanOnce Deviate Sexual Intercourse
Actual, MoreThanOnce Sexual Contact

Anonymous said...

http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/cgi/internet/nsor/fortecgi?serviceName=WebNSOR&templateName=detail.htm&requestingHandler=WebNSORDetailHandler&ID=340576729

OBERLANDER
First Name: YOEL Height: 5'11"
Middle Name: Weight: 160
DOB: Aug 29, 1980 Hair: Brown
Sex: Male Eyes: Brown
Risk Level: 2 Corr. Lens: YES
Photo Date: Jun 8, 2006

Reported Address: 240 KEARSING PARKWAY
APT 1D
City: MONSEY

Female, 11 Years

Employer Info:
Status Street City State Zip
Current 45 SOUTH CENTRAL AVENUE SPRING VALLEY NY 10977

Vehicles:
Lic. Plate No. State Vehicle Year Make/Model Color
BNG1645 NY 1995 Pontiac Grand AM Green
61992JP NY 2004 Mitsubishi Unknown White

Offense Description:
Actual Sexual Contact
Actual Kidnapping/Unlawful Imprisonment
Relationship to victim: Stranger

Anonymous said...

Anonymous said...

who is Hussbaum?

The New York Post is doing a big story on Kolko tomorrow

4:00 PM, January 25, 2007

I believe this person is referring to ruthless and unrepentant Child Molester; 'Rabbi' Yehuda Nussbaum
who is still teaching in Yeshiva of Brooklyn (and checking Shatnez).
DAMNED IS CHILD KILLER 'RABBI' SHLOMO MANDEL for allowing Nussbaum
to be around children and for sweeping these crimes under the rug for over 20 years.

Anonymous said...

rabbi Marguelis knows of another Rebbe in his school whose own son was sexually molested by a cousin and the Rebbe covered it up for years. How can this Rebbe be teaching young children and protecting them when he didn't protect his own son?

Anonymous said...

Is that the Yanky Borchardt who is administrator of Yeshiva Derech Chaim? I remember him having a beard. He is related to the Rabbi Borchardt from the Agudah. R' Gross reported last year that he was informed of a molester counselor in Camp Agudah, and unlike the cover up gang, had him fired.

I was referring to R' Boruch Borchardt, Executive Director, Agudath Israel of America. Good memory, by the way...

Anonymous said...

If it's the same Borchardt from "Derech Agav", that yeshiva is a branch of Torah Ohr. They're Scheinberg's boys. Both yeshivos are very strange. They have this weird shita that everything has to be dumbed down in case no one understands the shiur. The beis medrash shiruim range in depth from 5th or 6th grade to 12th grade level. Torah Ohr also runs a third remedial yeshiva in Israel that's even more dumbed down than that.

Anonymous said...

For all these creeps, search the website by zipcode, county or name to see their pictures

http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/cgi/internet/nsor/fortecgi?serviceName=WebNSOR&templateName=detail.htm&requestingHandler=WebNSORDetailHandler&ID=55405969

ROSEN
First Name: SHIMON Height: 5'06"
Middle Name: Weight: 125
DOB: Apr 29, 1969 Hair: Brown
Sex: Male Eyes: Green
Risk Level: 3 Corr. Lens: YES
Photo Taken Prior to: Apr 17, 1996

Reported Address: 4 LEON DR

City: MONSEY

Sex Offender Type
Designation: Lifetime Registration

Male, 12 Years
Male, 7 Years

Sodomy-2nd Degree

Vehicles:
Lic. Plate No. State Vehicle Year Make/Model Color
Y745WU NY 1988 Ford Escort Black

Special Conditions: PSYCHIATRIC THERAPY.

Offense Description:
Actual Deviate Sexual Intercourse
Relationship to victim: Stranger

Jewish Survivors said...

Read about Rabbi Alan J. Horowitz being on America's Most wanted:

http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/01/rabbi-and-child-psychiatristrabbi-alan.html

Anonymous said...

The State registry has this guy living in Staten Island (Richmond County) but when you click on his listing there's no information. He may have moved out of state.

http://archive.recordonline.com/archive/2005/07/27/brf994.htm

A convicted sex offender who has been living on the street in the Monroe area for the past month has been charged with neglecting to report his whereabouts to state authorities, Village of Monroe police said yesterday.
Avrohom Goodman, 37, was arrested about 11:30 a.m. Monday and charged with failing to register as a sex offender, a misdemeanor. He was arraigned before Town Justice Jack Rosenthal and sent to the Orange County jail in lieu of $500 cash or $1,500 bail bond.
Goodman was accused of sexually abusing 6- and 7-year-old children in Brooklyn in 1997, police investigators said. Two years later, he was convicted of first-degree sexual abuse and sentenced to 1½ to three years in prison, according to police.
Goodman has been classified a Level 2 sex offender, meaning he poses a moderate risk of committing another sex offense. State law requires he register annually as a sex offender for 10 years and notify authorities whenever he changes addresses. His last known address was on 47th Street in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, police said.

Anonymous said...

"A convicted sex offender who has been living on the street in the Monroe area"

Monroe is not Kiryas Yoel. There is a small Litvishe kehilla there that's a 20-30 minute drive away. Rabbi Laskin, formerly of Woodbourne is the rov. I think they are mostly baal teshuva types. I speculate that Goodman may have played on them for chesed which would explain what he was doing there.

Anonymous said...

There is a yeshiva ketana & a few shuls in Yonkers that borders Riverdale to the south & Scarsdale to the east.

http://criminaljustice.state.ny.us/cgi/internet/nsor/fortecgi?serviceName=WebNSOR&templateName=detail.htm&requestingHandler=WebNSORDetailHandler&ID=272820953

BERNSTEIN
First Name: JACOB Height: 5'08"
Middle Name: Weight: 180
DOB: Jan 31, 1947 Hair: Brown
Sex: Male Eyes: Hazel
Risk Level: 3 Corr. Lens:
Photo Date: Oct 18, 2006

Reported Address: 407 SAW MILL RIVER RD

City: YONKERS

Male, 12 Years
Female, 7 Years

Offense Description:
Attempted, MoreThanOnce Deviate Sexual Intercourse

Anonymous said...

You should send those cases to Vicki Polin at The Awareness Center. I'm sure she'll add them to their site.
vickipolin@aol.com

Ahavah said...

To: An outsider (Anonymous poster)

Wednesday, January 17, 2007
Show me the money

From an article that appeared a few days ago on Ynet:

How much would you pay for a groom?

The ultra-Orthodox world is in uproar, this time it’s not because of gays: Parents of unmarried young women are refusing to pay for fancy apartments, five-star weddings in order to get a groom from prestigious yeshiva.
Chaim Levinson
Published: 01.14.07, 20:19

...A daughter’s wedding should be one of the happiest events in a parent’s life, but it’s become a nightmare because sought-after grooms are demanding that the bride’s parents buy the couple an apartment, and preferably in a desirable location. “It’s a known thing in our community that you have to give the whole package to get a good groom, that is, to pay for the entire wedding and buy an apartment and furniture," Says A. “My two older daughters have husbands from good yeshivas, and each of them got two thirds of an apartment from me. "I spent my entire savings on that, I took a second mortgage and loans. Now I need to buy at least half an apartment for my third daughter, and I have no money. My daughter wanted a God-fearing guy, not a guy who works (as opposed to studying fulltime in yeshiva). That’s a problem. How will I pay back more loans? And what will remain for my younger daughters?”

...Among the Lithuanians the price is based on how smart and how good a student the groom is. Among the Hassidim, the price is based on the groom’s family’s prestige. When families started going bankrupt there was an outcry against the heads of yeshivas and the grooms who make excessive demands.

...In order to finance all of this, parents take out many loans and insane mortgages. The loans have to be paid back, and the interest is high, so the parents make use of free loan societies. But even they have to be paid back, so the parents take more loans from other free loan societies. Another solution is to go to the U.S. or Britain and ask for money from wealthy Jews. Before the wedding the terms of the match are negotiated. The ultra-Orthodox Bakehillah newspaper, which writes a lot on this issue, has published the price list for a groom. For a prodigy in a prestigious yeshiva such as Kol Torah or Hevron in Jerusalem, Or Yisrael in Petach Tikvah or Bet Matityahu in Bnei Brak, you have to pay for the whole package.

...“Sometimes you have several offers, and the money the family offers is definitely a significant factor in the decision because then you can sit in yeshiva and study the way you ought to,” says D., a student in a prestigious Jerusalem yeshiva. It’s a market thing, supply and demand. Of course you have to pay for a high-quality groom. At our yeshiva we’re the elite, and people are prepared to pay a lot for a groom.”
Why do the bride’s parents have to take a loan in order to pay for your apartment?
“It’s painful to see parents taking loans, but in order to sit and study in a yeshiva you need funding. You can’t buy an apartment on a yeshiva student’s salary. That’s why the parents need to take money. It’s a wheel that can’t be stopped.”

*******************************************
My comments:

If you thought arranged marriages and dowries went out with the dark ages, you're wrong. The practice is still alive and well in the cheredi communities, and it's still barbaric and ridiculous.

It also explains the extremely high incidence of wife and child abuse, because these young men have no real love or attachment to their wives or offspring - it's clear from the above quote that these young men have been brainwashed by their cult to only value sitting in yeshiva all day. They have no concept of any responsibility to support their family, or even take their family's needs into any sort of consideration. Their world is selfish and lazy, and entirely ego-centered. The consequences of their actions on others means nothing to them. Their inflated sense of entitlement and superiority is dangerous and they have an entirely unreal and imaginary idea of how the world really works.

The question is whether or not this wheel can, in fact, be stopped - and it can. It is clear that this needs to be a grass roots rebellion, however, since the article goes on to describe how the rosh yeshivas actually command the young men to keep doing this irresponsible practice because it increases the prestige of them and their yeshivas. It makes it appear that all their students are wealthy and successful - when they're not. It's false advertising. The rabbis want it to look to outsiders that God has blessed them and their students for wasting their lives sitting on their rear-ends doing nothing to contribute to the community's economy or their own family's welfare. This practice makes it appear that they are living the way God wants them to and has taken care of all their needs.

But God has done no such thing. God has not endorsed or approved their actions, and their facade of success comes from extortion, plain and simple. This cancer eats at the young men and their marriages, because nothing based on lies and deceit has a foundation that can be built upon. When their marriages and financial situations fail to meet their unrealistic expectations, their egos and inflated sense of entitlement drives them to turn to violence, or to adultery, drugs, porn, and whatever other diversion from their miserable, unfulfilled lives they can find.

One father above I think now realizes the error of his ways when he taught his daughters that men with market-rate employment and careers were not the types of husbands that they should aspire to wed. But it's too late, of course. Now if he withdraws support for yeshiva-student grooms for his other daughters, he will be accused of falling from the faith and spreading "un-orthodox" heresy. It's a trap from which he now cannot extricate himself without a major upheaval of his life and community. And if he tries, the result will be ostracization, threats, and even violence against him and his family, because the rabbis brook no dissent or competing ideas. The fact that the parents cannot afford this medieval and barbaric custom of buying a marriage for their daughters does not matter. The Rabbis benefit from the money these poor parents are having to fork over, so there's no chance they will willingly give it up.

So the only way this is going to stop is when parents tell their daughters matter-of-factly the economic realities of life, and stop spreading the lie that God approves of and blesses a man who refuses to support his family. The only way this is going to stop is when parents start insisting on young men with a job for their daughters. The only way this is going to stop is when the orthodox society realizes it is the duty of both sets of parents to equally support young families, and not just the bride's side of the family. And if the grooms and their parents will not conform to these requirements, then let them remain unmarried.

And last but not least, how rich your parents are is not, and has never been, the basis of a successful marriage relationship. That comes only from mutual respect and trust, which grows to love when consideration and devotion are demonstrated by both parties. Without this real and enduring basis for a relationship, a marriage will never, ever be fulfilling. And when a man gleefully impoverishes his bride's family and gives no consideration whatsoever to his wife and children's welfare and support, no one is ever going to respect him, especially not his wife - even if he ends up being the greatest scholar of his generation, which frankly, I don't see any real danger of that coming from modern yeshivas.

As long as the cheredi worship money more than God's commandments (which Pirkei Avos clearly shows being for a man to learn a trade and earn a living) then the yeshiva culture is not just flawed but perverted and disgusting. Godly marriages cannot happen in this culture. If you want God's blessing on your life, you will never find it here, class. This culture is sick beyond repair.

Labels: abuse, judaism, marriage, orthodox, wedding

Anonymous said...

TO: Yisroel Grossman Jan 26, 1:53 pm

You said "ok Einstein so lets say the whole world doesn't learn in Kollel, how do you make sure they act ethically in business?"

Are you for real?? You think the only place that teaches people ethics in business is Kollel? I'm not sure if your question is serious or not but in case it is...
what about yiras shamayim? Ever heard of a g-d fearing jew that's not in Kollel? well I've got news for you- IT"S POSSIBLE!
It's found in 3 words: THE HOME, THE HOME, THE HOME!

remember also I'm not saying and I don't think OUJ is saying either, to abolish Kollel. Kollel is for yichidum, certain individuals that are entirely commited and devoted to it, not having it both ways- ask OUJ what REAL kollel is all about- maybe he can explain it better- can you UOJ?

Anonymous said...

ok Mr Carville, so you're in politics- wow, no corruption there I'm sure -
Oh & if someone doesn't g-d forbid know that MR JAMES CARVILLE! "shlita"! is in politics! that also warrants them to be called stupid?!?! after all politics as I mentioned earlier of course doesn't have any corruption.- uhum,- whith all due respect, Mister Carville Politician, if you're wasting time anyways, you won't be board if you'd campaign against corruption in politics- you'd be surprised- there's lots of work there.

p.s I'm no apologist-

Anonymous said...

Geeez... must be a slow news day out there.

Arthur said...

Still Nervous
by Jonathan Rosenblum
President Obama is now safely sworn in. Even the few curmudgeons left who have not been completely won over by the new president felt a surge of pride in their country as they watched a black man take the oath of office. That could not have happened in any of the European countries that view themselves as America’s moral betters.

The new president had an impressive two months between the election and the swearing-in, during which period he succeeded in winning over half those who voted for his opponent. Conservative columnist Charles Krauthamer’s assessment of Obama, after his cool in the face of the financial meltdown, has been more than borne out. Krauthamer updated Harry Hopkins description of FDR as “a second-rate mind with a first-rate temperament,” calling Obama “a first-rate mind, with a first-rate temperament.”

If anybody has been disappointed with America’s new president in the months since the election, it has been his left-wing supporters. His cabinet appointments were mainstream in the extreme. He delivered his major economic policy speech at George Mason University, the last bastion of free market economics, supped with conservative columnists at the house of George Will, and reached out generously to his defeated opponent John McCain. He even told a television interviewer that there was a great deal of wisdom in former vice-president Dick Cheney’s advice he should first understand the bases for the Bush administration’s national security policies before seeking to dismantle them.

President Obama’s Inaugural Address was filled with bones for the conservatives: He described the wealth producing power of free markets, warned terrorists around the world that “we will defeat you,” acknowledged the determinative role of individuals, not just government, in the improvement of society, and mentioned G-d frequently.

Clearly, then, the hysterical pre-election portrait of Obama as the acolyte of ex-Weatherman terrorist William Ayers has proven comically overblown. And yet I remain concerned about the new president’s likely approach to Israel.

Those concerns are not based on anything that President Obama has done or said. His quoted comments on Hamas missile attacks on Israeli towns were eminently sensible: If someone were shooting at my daughters, he said, I would do everything in my power to stop them. That commonsense, human response was notably absent from much commentary on the war.

No, my concerns about the Obama presidency derive primarily from his membership in the class of graduates of elite Ivy League universities. Much has been made by The New York Times about all the degrees from elite institutions Obama’s staff possess. And that scares me.

Those fears are pretty much summed up in the statement of the new presidential envoy to the Middle East, former Senator George Mitchell. “There is no conflict without an end.” That remark captures a common mistake of brainy folks: the assumption that they have the answers to all the world’s problems. In 1996, Professor Robert Lucas, an Nobel laureate from the University of Chicago, boasted that economists now possess the tools to end the threat of worldwide depression forever, a claim that appears less well-founded by the day.

The belief that to every problem there is a solution is not just naive but dangerous when applied to Middle East peacemaking. It is predicated on the assumption that peacemaking is no different than negotiating a union contract. Both sides are jostling over the size of their piece of the pie.

But there are things that many people care about much more a larger slice of some material pie, and one of them is religion. That is something that smart technocrats commonly miss. Because religion plays no part in their own lives they fail to grasp its importance to others.

The repeated Western request that Hamas recognize Israel’s right to exist is an example of that failure. Hamas would have to stop being Hamas, and renounce its religious belief that Israel exists on Moslem holy land, in order to recognize Israel’s right to exist.

Peace between the Palestinians and Israelis does not depend the renunciation of this or that demand. It depends on the transformation of an entire culture of hate that has only intensified in the years since the handshake on the White House lawn. To attempt to suggest or impose “solutions,” without first changing the human material reflects a detachment from reality. Even the Northern Ireland peace negotiations, in which Senator Mitchell played a major role, were only possible because of the emergence of a Protestant leader, David Trimble, eager to put aside old hatreds, and a radical change in the attitudes in the leadership of the IRA on the Catholic side.

Only those who believe in souls can appreciate the difficulty of changing cultures. But souls are not the province of those who think they can devise a solution to every problem. If man were nothing but a rationally calculating homo economicus, could most disputes be settled around a negotiating table with skillful slicing of the pie. But he is not.

The scary noises coming from Washington D.C. derive from a misplaced confidence that a solution to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict is close at hand. Practically President Obama’s first act in office was to appoint Senator Mitchell as his Middle East envoy. It is unlikely that the new president would have given such high priority to the Middle East unless he thought that he could show some achievements.

That confidence is heard in the oft-repeated phrase “the general contours of the final solution have long been known to all the parties,” as if a solution can exist apart from the societies upon which it will be imposed. In fact, the basis for an enduring peace is farther away than it was during the last phase of activist American peacemaking, under President Clinton. Gaza and the West Bank are today functionally independent, which vastly complicates everything. More importantly, Israelis have learned both in southern Lebanon and Gaza that every territorial withdrawal only makes them more vulnerable.

As an older friend always tells me, “The longer I live the more I find that brains are greatly overrated.” Recognition of that fact may be the beginning of wisdom in the Middle East. Unfortunately, it is wisdom that is only likely to come slowly, if at all, to the smart fellows of the new administration.

Anonymous said...

We are in full agreement with your above sentiments.

We have seen the most vile pieces of garbage exploiting their affiliation with a kollel, in order to advance their personal agendas. We have witnessed a former kollel fellow supported by the community, criminally pursue innocent members of the community for no apparent reason.

We have seen enough!

Kollelim and mosdos must enact the following measures to prevent ruining their reputations:

1] No kollel should allow a yungerman into their institution unless his middos are sterling.

2] Kollel should reassess yearly the return on investment from each kollel yungerman. Community members input should be paramount, especially when they pay the bils.

3] As soon as a yungerman veers off the path of sterling middos he is to be terminated. Derech eretz kadmah la Torah was said for a reason. A menuval masmid, is foremost a menuval, and can't be tolerated.

4] Kollels should remove the status of a former kollel fellow who acts like a menuval, and becomes a menace to society. The reputation of the kollel becomes tarnished as a result of their behaviors, and should not be tolerated.

A kollel should be an asset to a community. When a kollel yungerman and/or kollel alumni declares themself A SPECIAL ASSET and harms society, the kollel bacomes a community LIABILITY.

In the current economic environment, funds for community liabilities will stop flowing.

Anonymous said...

naked jumpers are all honorable people

Anonymous said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/04/technology/internet/04myspace.html

February 4, 2009

MySpace Turns Over 90,000 Names of Registered Sex Offenders

By JENNA WORTHAM

MySpace provided two state attorneys general the names of 90,000 registered sex offenders it had banned from its site in response to a subpoena.

The figure is 40,000 more than the amount previously acknowledged by MySpace, according to Attorney General Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut, who along with Attorney General Roy Cooper of North Carolina are among officials pressing social networking sites to adopt more stringent safety measures.

“Almost 100,000 convicted sex offenders mixing with children on MySpace — shown by our subpoena — is absolutely appalling and totally unacceptable,” Mr. Blumenthal said in a statement. “For every one of them, there may be hundreds of others using false names and ages.”

Last year, MySpace, owned by News Corporation, and Facebook.com agreed to set security standards after the Web sites were criticized for not doing enough to protect minors from sexual predators lurking on social networking sites.

Facebook, a privately held company based in Palo Alto, Calif., said the company was still working with Mr. Blumenthal to respond to a similar subpoena.

The disclosure renews the debate of whether social networking sites are a haven for sex offenders. “This is just the tip of the iceberg on MySpace,” said John A. Phillips, chief executive of Aristotle, a company that supplies identity and age verification technologies for companies like the New York State Lottery, breweries and film studios. “These are just the convicted sex offenders” who used their real names.

MySpace’s disclosure follows a report by the Internet Safety Technical Task Force, a panel created by 49 attorneys general, that said the issue is overblown. It concluded the problem of bullying among children, both online and offline, was far more serious than sexual solicitation of minors by adults online.

Mr. Phillips, who served as a member of that task force, has been critical of the report. Ernest Allen, president of the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children, said the figure was “disturbing” but that there is no way to know how large the presence of online predators really is.

“We don’t know if that’s 80 percent of the population targeting kids on the Internet or 1 percent,” Mr. Allen said.

He commended MySpace for removing convicted sex offenders from its site. “This clearly reinforces the fact that there are a significant number of people who seek access to kids online,” Mr. Allen said.

Hemanshu Nigam, chief security officer for MySpace, said the company had spent the last two years purging problem members from its site.

“The reality is there are 700,000-plus sex offenders living in the streets of America,” Mr. Nigam said. “What we did was build cutting-edge technology to figure out where they might be living on the Internet and remove them from our site.”

MySpace reported that its community grows 10 percent year over year but has also reported a 36 percent drop in the number of registered sex offenders trying to create profiles.

John Cardillo, chief executive of Sentinel Tech Holding, the company that makes the software MySpace uses to find the sex offenders, said that Facebook had become a haven for convicted offenders blocked from creating accounts on MySpace. Mr. Cardillo, who has approached Facebook about using his technology, said he could find 8,000 offenders on Facebook.

Barry Schnitt, a spokesman for Facebook, said that Mr. Cardillo’s figures were inflated. He also said the company actively monitors its Web site and users for suspicious activities.

Anonymous said...

I am against molestation through networking websites of any kind.

Anonymous said...

Record 19 Million Empty Homes

Wednesday, February 4, 2009 9:52 AM

By: Greg Brown

The number of empty homes — for sale or rent — has hit a record 19 million, the U.S. Census Bureau reports.


As foreclosures mount and banks seize properties, the number of them sitting empty rose by 6.7 percent from the fourth quarter of 2007. The number of homes for sale rose to 2.9 percent of all homes, the highest since the agency began tracking data in 1956.


Home ownership, meanwhile, has fallen to 67.5 percent, a low not seen since the housing boom began in early 2001.


All this has prompted politicians to recast the stimulus bill working its way through Congress as a home rescue bill as much as a jobs bill. Republicans in the Senate want tax breaks for buyers and up to $300 billion in new mortgage subsidies, while Democrats seek to rewrite existing contracts and provide up to $100 billion in direct aid to stop foreclosures.


“Most people recognize that housing itself is at the root of the current economic downturn,” Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell told The New York Times.


“We should fix this problem before we fix anything else.”


It could get worse before Congress can act.


Already, one in five home sales were due to a foreclosure in 2008, according to real estate Web site Zillow. Another 11 percent were short sales, where the bank voluntarily gives up principal in order to move the property to a buyer.


Up to one-third of borrowers who see a decline of 20 percent or more will eventually abandon their homes, predicts real estate expert Norm Miller at the University of San Diego.


We're already there. The latest S&P/Case-Shiller housing price index shows prices fell 18.2 percent in the year ending in November, the latest report available. The 10-city index declined 19.1 percent.


"When you're underwater and prices continue to fall, you tend to walk," Miller told Bloomberg News.


"It's a downward spiral that's tough to stop because it feeds on itself. Foreclosures encourage other foreclosures and falling prices discourage buying.

Anonymous said...

A decent Parnasah is so important for Shalom Bayis (see Bava Metziah 59a).

Currently, so many Yeshiva Bochurim assume that the correct thing is for them to learn in Kollel indefinitely, without planning toward becoming the primary breadwinner of their future families. When they are simply unable to manage, and their Shalom Bayis is falling apart, they ask a Sheilah as to whether they are permitted to leave Kollel.

My dear brothers, please listen to someone who cares: this is not the way it’s supposed to be. Because the Kesubah requires the husband to support the family, which is the Derech HaOlam, the Sheilah should be asked the other way around. That is, Bochurim should be asking an impartial Rav for guidance as to whether and how they should be preparing to support their future families. The Sheilah should be whether it is appropriate for them to defer their Kesubah obligation (assuming their wife consents) and, if so, for how long.

Most Rabbanim are well-aware of the need for the husband to support the family. Many Roshei Yeshiva are aware of it too. It seems, however, that when anyone says anything that implies that most people (or even some people) should not be learning full-time, they are attacked by so-called kanaim (zealots). My assumption is that the kanaim themselves have a decent source of Parnasah, otherwise they would be too busy struggling to engage in acts of “zealotry.”

Anonymous said...

Outrageously funny, thanks I needed that badly today.

Anonymous said...

On February 2, the Commission filed a complaint in the United States District Court for the Southern District of New York alleging that Forest Resources Management Corp. (Forest), Chaim Justman (Justman), William J. Reilly (Reilly), and Pinchus Gold (Gold) defrauded investors, and reaped approximately $800,000 in unlawful profits by fraudulently procuring unlegended, purportedly free-trading shares of Forest stock, and then selling these shares to the investing public after Forest's false and misleading material misrepresentations and omissions about its business operations artificially increased demand for that stock. The Commission alleges that Forest is and was a public shell company that at all relevant times had no income or assets.

The Commission further alleges that Justman, Reilly and Gold sold more than a million shares of the improperly unlegended shares to the investing public, after Forest, Justman, and Reilly began issuing a series of false statements to the investing public regarding Forest's assets and commercial prospects. For example, Forest, through Justman and Reilly, misrepresented in a filing with the Commission and in press releases that Forest, based on a share exchange agreement that it had purportedly entered into with a company called Opus Management Group, Ltd., held valuable timber properties in Central and South America. These statements were false because Forest had not entered into any signed agreement with Opus, and because Opus had not direct or indirect ownership of timber properties.

Reilly is a New York City attorney living in Boca Raton, Florida. Justman and Gold both live in Brooklyn, New York.

Anonymous said...

http://www.boston.com/news/local/breaking_news/2009/02/fbi_searches_ho.html

FBI agents and State Police investigators today searched a Cambridge apartment that is the long-time home of a leading suspect in the unsolved 1982 deaths of seven people from cyanide-laced Tylenol capsules in the Chicago area.

But authorities declined to say whether the search of the apartment belonging to James W. Lewis, 62, of 170 Gore St., was linked to the killings that remain one of the most notorious unsolved crimes in the last generation.

"All I can tell you is we have conducted a search on Gore Street in Cambridge, and it's connected to an ongoing criminal investigation," said Gail Marcinkiewicz, an FBI spokeswoman.

She later confirmed that authorities also searched a storage facility in Cambridge but declined to say where or why. "We don't talk about what we're looking for in searches," she said

Lewis has lived at The Pavilion apartment complex since around 1995, when he was freed from federal prison after serving more than 12 years for trying to extort $1 million from the painkiller's manufacturers.

The seven victims of cyanide-tainted Extra-Strength Tylenol died after taking capsules that had been purchased from drug stores and groceries in the Chicago area. The killer was never identified.

Lewis, an out-of-work accountant, was widely described as a prime suspect at the time, but was never charged with the deaths. He has lived in the Gore Street apartment with his wife, Leann Lewis, since he left prison.

He was sentenced to prison in June 1983 for demanding $1 million from Johnson & Johnson, parent of Tylenol maufacturer McNeil Consumer Products Co., "to stop the killing." Johnson & Johnson was his wife's former employer.

In 2004, Lewis was arrested on charges of rape, kidnapping and other offenses for an attack on a woman in the apartment. But prosecutors dropped the charges the day the trial was to start in July 2007 -- after he had been jailed for three years -- after the victim refused to testify, according to the district attorney's office.

Several neighbors said Lewis is known around the building as "The Tylenol Man" and described him as a tall, thin man who jogged often and had a computer programming business They said he often carried a suitcase and recently lost a lot of weight.

"A completely unremarkable-looking man" was how a neighbor, Colleen Bryant, described him. "He probably seems perfectly normal, but everybody knows who he is."

Arthur said...

In this finstere golus some candles still burn.

Rivky Holzberg's Shlichus Lives On

Submitted by Dena Gottlieb of Modiin Ilit, Israel
Sometime during the shiva for Rivky Holtzberg Hy"d, a young woman came into the Rosenberg home. She told Mrs. Rosenberg that she had something for her, and handed her a small package. Curious, Mrs. Rosenberg opened it and gasped. Inside was Rivky's diamond ring and one of her nicer Shabbos dresses.
"How did you get these?"
The young woman gently told Rivky's mother, "Let me tell you my story."
"I had been traveling in India. Somehow I ran afoul of the law and ended up in an Indian jail. You cannot begin to imagine what an awful, horrible, primitive place it was... The only redeeming factor is that the jails there are quite disorganized, and those who are in charge are corrupt. Somehow I managed to escape.
"The first place I ran to was, of course, the Chabad House. Everyone knew that that's where you went when you needed help. Rivky welcomed me, fed me, and told me that it was vital that I get out of the country. I knew that - but I was very afraid. What if they would check me, check my passport? Then Rivky gave me one of her Shabbat dresses and her diamond ring. 'If you look very dignified, a well-dressed married woman with a ring on her finger, they won't look too closely at you. They will leave you alone. A woman with a diamond ring is in a different class. She's a respectable woman. She's not a criminal, someone who has escaped from jail. They won't bother you.'
"I took the dress and the ring and as you can see, I got out safely. And now I have come to give you Rivky's dress and her ring that she lent to me."
Rivky's mother took the possessions of her beloved daughter. Then she told the young woman, "I recently saw Rivky and noticed that she wasn't wearing her ring. When I asked her about it, she told me 'zeh b'shlichut.' It's on shlichus."

Anonymous said...

Had I not tears in my eyes from the private and public stories that I've heard and witnessed regarding shidduchim I would be rolling on the floor laughing until drowning in tears. The mirror reveals a sad bunch of underachieving wannabes who attempt to squeeze out the last vestiges of honor for themselves. I wanted a very simple life. A job. A wife that was attentive, kind and welcoming. Children who would respect tradition and recognize the authority of the Father in Heaven and at home. I wanted a truly observant Jewish life. Not Orthodox. Observant. I am in tears. My family is no more. I'm alone. It is my fault, they say. I wasn't doing enough. I didn't find a job or didn't get a better one. I was too harsh. I was too soft. I disciplined inconsistently. I didn't rip off my wife's clothes for 14 days in a row. I have no words to describe my co-religionists who demand the rewards of this world and who believe they are entitled to the rewards in this and the next world. Who entitled them? Hashem? He entitled no one. You have to bust your butt to get to the head of the line. And there is no guarantee that the head of the line is your place. You just have to strive to get there. You don't get to be the first amongst equals - it doesn't shtim.
I don't want sympathy I will come out on the other end of this leg of the journey a stronger and better person. It may work out yet. Life is not reel, it's real. Your friends may be lying to you to cover up their own issues, count on it. To be continued on the next UOJ post.

Anonymous said...

This has got to be parody. If true, it is tragic.

Professor Ryesky said...

As Chesterton observed, "A man is angry at a libel because it is false, but at a satire because it is true."

Who gets angry over this one should be very telling.

פורים שמח