The Haredi Rabbis want us to believe that secularism is creeping into our lives, therefore they must ban the Internet and all forms of communicating outside the ghettos we live in.
Punkt farkert! - Just the opposite!
These rabbis are an example of what is wrong with the Jewish people.
They are every bit as corrupt as society at-large, the Catholic Church, their messengers of God; and guilty of the very worst sins heaped upon their flock in the name of God and religion.
When we examine the ruins of our civilization, what factors would you include in the utter destruction of our value system?
1- Theft of money from the government and their flock and hoarding it for their personal use
2-Corrupt use of power
3-Madmen running "religions"
4-The inability of clergy to control their sexual appetite
5-Common sense and common good are non-existent
6-Logic is irrelevant and discouraged
7-Power controlled by the few to the detriment of the masses
8-All heinous conduct is justified in the name of God and His Books
9-All the "commoners" are subject to penalty by the clergy
10-Forcing surrender of all reason to the guy with the blackest hat....................
11- Honoring thieves and violators of their own proclamations at their dinners
Israel Singer was HONORED by the Agudath Israel last year. Forced to pay back money he took under "questionable" circumstances from the WJC, he is not permitted to involve himself in any financial affairs of the WJC. Agudah saw fit to honor this facilitator of everything the previous Moetzes prohibited regarding interfaith dialogue.
Rot in hell, Shafran, Zweibel, Perlow & co.
UOJ
-----------------------------------
From the Yated....
"Here is a report written by a YCT student on March 27, 2006 about an event that took place at YCT's campus in Manhattan.
Today, as part of a World Jewish Congress led-delegation, around 30 bishops and two cardinals came to our school.
The events began with an opening speech by Israel Singer;
followed by a speech by Rabbi Avi Weiss, then one by our rosh hayeshiva, Rabbi Dov Linzer, after which, we broke up into small groups and did some text studying of Berakhos 26b, where there is a discussion of the establishing of prayer.
After about 45 minutes of that, there were, again, a couple of little speeches,
then Cardinal Lustiger spoke for a little bit,
followed by a question and answer sequence, which was ended by lunch. Lunch, however, rather than ending the event, allowed for mingling among the students and bishops to talk. One point that was emphasized was that, although Vatican II has been around for forty years, it has only been in the last twenty that Catholic-Jewish relations have really been progressing.
Rav Ahron Kotler and Rav Moshe Feinstein would be proud of you mamzeirim at the Agudah!
Commenter adds:
UOJ, You're being too kind to Israel Singer. He set up a Swiss bank account with millions of dollars of WJC's funds that nobody in the accounting deptartment knew about. Singer himself sent the money there for his personal use. A deal was struck with Spitzer when he was Attorney General to keep Singer out of trouble; in part, the WJC would do what they could to get Spitzer elected governor.
This is what the Agudah saw fit to honor a minuvel who misused the WJC's money, and a violator of the halacha that Rav Aron and Rav Moshe said was yiharog v'al yaavor regarding interfaith dialogue.
Feel free to add your list of crimes. Be very specific....names and all!
The passuk that pretty much sums it up is Isaiah 1:23:
ReplyDeleteשָׂרַיִךְ סוֹרְרִים, וְחַבְרֵי גַּנָּבִים--כֻּלּוֹ אֹהֵב שֹׁחַד, וְרֹדֵף שַׁלְמֹנִים; יָתוֹם לֹא יִשְׁפֹּטוּ, וְרִיב אַלְמָנָה לֹא-יָבוֹא אֲלֵיהֶם.
Your leaders (lit. princes) are rebellious, and companions of thieves; every one loves bribes, and follows after rewards; they judge not the fatherless, neither does the cause of the widow come unto them.
I think they have interpreted this passuk as positive commandments from the prophet, not as a rebuke. They seem to be fulfilling every part of it with tremendous fervor and kavanah. Our consolation comes later in passuk 26:
וְאָשִׁיבָה שֹׁפְטַיִךְ כְּבָרִאשֹׁנָה, וְיֹעֲצַיִךְ כְּבַתְּחִלָּה; אַחֲרֵי-כֵן, יִקָּרֵא לָךְ עִיר הַצֶּדֶק--קִרְיָה, נֶאֱמָנָה.
And I will restore your judges as at the first, and your counsellors as at the beginning; afterward you shall be called The city of righteousness, the faithful city.
Well done, Steve.
ReplyDelete:-(
Real good Steve! Yasher K.
ReplyDeletebeutiful!
ReplyDeletewhich yeshiva did you go to steve
im speelbound.
LEIZEROWITZ VICTIM FOREVER(LVF)
Rav Abadie's site is great
ReplyDeleteKashrut.org
Read it and free yourself from the kashrut mafia
Anyone eating meat/chicken needs to know the chances of you eating non-kosher are better than 50/50.
ReplyDeletePlease, can someone list the goons that flew to the Leizerowitz wedding in Israel. We must post for posterity the gerrorists and goons that still wont wake to reality.
ReplyDeleteUOJ,
ReplyDeleteI knew Chezi Goldberg, from when he was Scotty to when he donned the hat etc, to when his family protested the fact that the Canadian government was happy to have Scotty in the Armed Forces, but was unwilling to visit the shiva in the west bank. He was through and through a mensch and, from everything I saw, a great guy. He was a few years older than me (so I can't claim I was his close friend). Let me assure you that while he was deeply involved in helping youth he would be very troubled by the nature of many of your comments about many Rabbis. I am not saying I would agree with his feelings about this, but I certainly am not going to start debating someone who has passed on to the olam haemes, hasem yikom domo. But I have a certain hesitation and uneasiness about seeing his name associated with the blog, despite the fact that I generally support what you are doing, if not in all the specific tactics. Based on my knowledge of Chezi (about which I don't want to provide details) HE would feel very uncomfortable with your tactics and language, moreso than myself, for whom this is largely a tactical issue.
This is not intended as mussar, I am the last to offer that, just an FYI which you can deal with how you choose (including of course the option of reading, digesting, and not posting).
•“OU Kosher is the world’s largest and most widely recognized kosher certification agency, certifying more than 400,000 products produced in over 6,000 plants located in 80 countries around the world." ---------------------------------
ReplyDeleteUsing the laws of statistics, probabilities and greed, we are all eating non-kosher!
Frumme Yid,
ReplyDeleteI respect our differences. I have received a vast amount of email commending me on dedicating it to Chezi's memory. You happen to be the only critic; I have no problem at all with you voicing your opinion. In my book, EVERY Jewish voice counts; the rich, the poor, the haves, the have-nots.
You come across very sincere...in difficult times unorthodox methods must be used to be able to correct terrible wrongs.
Honoring a friend
ReplyDeletehttp://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/02/honoring-hero-rabbi-yosef-blau.html
For those of you who don't know who Chezi Goldberg is The Awareness Center has a page on their site dedicated to his memory too. It lists all of the articles he's written.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.theawarenesscenter.org/chezigoldberg.html
Another advocate who should be recognized is Elisheva Buxbaum. She's not as well known as Chezi, yet she too spent most of her very short adult life trying to keep kids safer in Israel.
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Buxbaum_Elisheva.html
I think some one should create a web page honoring all of the survivors and advocates that we lost.
The posuk "Ish Tamim haya b"dorosov" applies to Rav Yosef Blau Shlita.
ReplyDeleteIsh Tamim: dorshin lishvach
ReplyDeleteThe Baal Hafloah wrote 100s of years ago that if you want to guard your neshomola you cannot eat outside your own house.
ReplyDeleteUOJ has a point about the OU but it is also partially the fault of the demanding consumers. The OU has very much shaped up in the last 20 years from being problematic to somewhat reliable. There are still way too many recalls but those are due to manufacturer misconduct which is almost impossible to police on a grand scale. They do have some questionable mashgichim on the payroll from time to time.
As far as specifics in the various locales, that takes a lot of typing so I think I'll leave the honors to the other fellow who knows the sugya better.
Zugt Rashi.... D"A........"L'lamdeccha...sh'ekar toldosahem shel tzadikim maasim tovim"....
ReplyDeleteZugt der pusik vaiter.... V'tshaches h'aretz l'fnei h'Elokim V'tamela h'aretz chamas........
Leib Tropper said...
ReplyDeletehttp://www.quillnews.com/SweeneyExcerpt.pdf
_____________________________________
Leib, thanks for sharing. Verrrrrrry interesting.
UOJ, if you don't mind I'll repost these questions.
What was the relationship between Reb Mottel Weinberg and Leib Pinter.
[1] They were in Eastern Parkway together. What were their positions?
[2] When & why did they leave?
[3] Were they partners in Camp B'nai Torah?
[4] Did camp B'nai Torah change to Horim due to Pinter's legal problems?
[5] Why did Reb Mottel [who had the reputation of being a straight shooter] publicly defend Pinter during his legal problems?
[6]When & why did Reb Mottel leave Chaim Berlin?
[7] Who owned Eastern Parkway?
[8] Why was Eastern Parkway named after Meilich Silber? Who was Meilich Silber?
[9] Who owned Yeshiva B'nai Torah?
[10]Why did it close down?
[11] Where does Klein-Kaufman fit into the picture?
Zugt Rashi Vaiter....
ReplyDeleteV'tshaches...Lashon ervah...ki hishchis kol basar es darko.
Kee hishchas kol basar....
ReplyDeleteZugt Rashi...afilu b'haima, chaya, v'off nizkaken l'shaino minan....
This UOJ entry reminds me of pathetic young rosh yeshiva. I remember this guy from the day and was shocked to hear that he's joined the ranks. He tried to act like he's the velt's Brisker while doing a good job of hiding his baal teshuva background. I was shocked when I learned of that too. He uses his father's tax exempt form from where he is the so called rabbi of a conservative temple. It's used in a way to squeeze every prutah from Uncle Sam. It doesn't matter if he's buying pencils, his car (congregational vehicle) or food. He's also got an angle on every single program from HUD to first time tushwiper grants. I think this Brisker should decide which denomination he belongs to, orthodox or conservative. He also got greedy at one point and invested in those Dovid Schick style investment scams with the money that he's not allowed to have when taking WIC & food stamps. Of course, it didn't take long until he lost his shirt. He flipped out and started using pretty wild tactics to try to get his money back.
ReplyDeleteIt's not a kashya why anyone left or was booted out of Chaim Berlin in those days. The shaayla is who lasted?
ReplyDeleteUOJ, have you thought of bringing the story of the Orthodox community's covering up abuse to Bill O'Reilly? He is obsessed with protecting children and might love to publicize it. I realize their is an issue of Chillul Hashem, but shaming the community might be the only way to change them.
ReplyDeletei raed about this and this is just like what satmar and other heimeshe chassidim do. dont let women drive, they also must sit in the back, and of course these same chassidim think that the laws of tzinius applies only to the women
ReplyDeleteUOJ
ReplyDeleteאני פונה אליך פעם נוספת בנושא נפתלי זליגמן. ראה, מאבקך נגד השחיתות בהנהגה ובחברה החרדית הוא מאבק בונה. קל לראות ממאמרים כמו זה על
UOJ IS THE ROTO ROOTER
שאתה חלק מן החברה ואוהב את כל חבריה. כל מה שאתה רוצה זה לתקן או בלשון בוטה יותר לנקות את הדרעק. נפתלי זליגמן לעומת זאת, בין אם הוא מר ידען או אחיו התאום או שאולי מר ידען הינו כינוי העט של מר זליגמן או להיפך; מר זליגמן מעונין להרוס ולקראת פורים אף אומר להשמיד ולאבד את החברה הזו. אני מוכן להציע לך אתגר אם אתה שולט בעברית. לך לאתר חפש וקרא מה שכתוב שם, כל מה שכתוב שם. אם אחרי זה לא תשתכנע שאין מה לקחת משם - אפילו אם דבר מה שנאמר שם הינו במקרה אמת מחלטת, כי אז אעזב את הנושא בצער רב ולא אטרידך שוב, אך דע כי לטוח הארוך, כל אמינותך מונחת על כף המאזנים
What Chillul Hashem issue do you allude to? Obviously you forgot the issue here is Pikuach Nefesh and the greater Chilul Hashem of allowing this rampant molestation issue to continue to fester.
ReplyDeleteCant you hear the agony in the words of LVF and the others who were molested by rabbis?
Meilech Silver was the dean of Yeshivah of Eastern Parkway.I tought there in the early 1960's.Rabbi Silver was one of the most decent human beings I ever encountered.He was taken away from us way to early.
ReplyDeleteThe yeshiva is named after him.a
Take heart, all victims of rabbinic sexual molestation! Read these wise words of Rabbi Blau Shlita and you will understand how clerical molesters ruin themselves:
ReplyDelete"Most of these people bury themselves. Same thing with the article on Mattis Weinberg. It was the quote from R. Weinberg that was devastating. The arrogance of these people gets them. And they're all arrogant. It's part of what makes them what they are."
As a victim and victims advocate I never saw it in this light. But he is right and shows wiyh this short statement that he has a good grasp of this issue.
"It is obvious that we CANNOT trust the Schinerman's, Pinter's, Konieg's, Finkel's, Gornish's, and tropp's of the world. Who can we trust?"
ReplyDeleteThe Koenigs are polite and all smiles even when putting a knife in someone's back.
While Bill O'Reilly is a very entertaining political commentator, nobody has anything to gain from involving him...
ReplyDeletea) Rabbis will not feel threatened by the idea of a talk-show host discussing an issue that has already been exposed to the public.
b) Bill O'Reilly and his listeners will not be able do or change anything. Ultimately all that would be accomplished is a huge chilul H-shem; the degradation and humiliation of our community on a large scale in the eyes of a largely indifferent group of politically conservative Americans.
Would anyone advocate such humiliation when it will not serve to bring about any change or benefit?
The cost-benefit analysis just does not add up.
UOJ: good luck in your continued efforts to take down corrupt individuals! May H-shem guide you so that you may accomplish only good!
http://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/20786/The_Book_Shelf.html
ReplyDeleteThey've just elevated Gilligan Student to official sefer reviewer. They title him as President of Yashar Books and running a highly popular blog.
In the spirit of journalistic balance (if they even know what that means), they should give a column to UOJ, the CEO of Roto Rooter and the author of an even more popular blog.
http://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/20772/The_Obligation_To_Work.html
By publishing this op-ed piece by Chananya Weissman on work vs kollel welfare state, they are obviously trying to hijack UOJ's ideas as their own.
Publisher Jerry Greenwald must have attended Scheinerman's Yeshivas Connivance.
Der Blatt, the Yiddish weekly published by the Satmar community, reported that Theodore Kheel, renowned nonagenarian labor mediator and philanthropist, has contributed $100,000 to the Institute for Rational Urban Mobility for a study to make the New York City Subway System free. If more people would use mass transit, traffic congestion would be radically reduced.
ReplyDeleteWith the turnstiles completely removed, the cost of running the subways and buses would be derived from tolls on incoming bridges and tunnels. Those driving into the city would benefit from the decreased congestion. Free mass transit would pay for itself by reducing losses in time and productivity, and improving public health.
While the 92-year-old Mr. Kheel is personally chauffeured through the city in a private car because of a back problem, he said he is more than willing to pay for that privilege.
Questions whether the subway system would be able to carry the increased number of passengers can be answered by a review of the subway’s history. In 1943 the NYC subway system carried eight- million passengers daily. Today’s passenger load is less than four-and-a-half million daily. The fare in 1943 was five cents – one nickel.
During the administration (1966-1973) of New York City Mayor John V. Lindsay, the idea of free rides on the subways for New Year’s Eve was introduced. In order to keep drinking drivers off the roads, subways continue to be free on New Year’s Eve and early morning.
http://www.jewishpress.com/print.do/20790/Rebbetzin%27s_Viewpoint.html
ReplyDeleteBy: Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis Wednesday, February 21, 2007
“A Blight On All Of Us” (Conclusion)
During the past few weeks, I published letters that our readers wrote in response to the plight of the woman who is still suffering from the trauma she experienced in high school when she was ousted from yeshiva because of her single/divorced mom’s inability to pay tuition.
I am pleased to share with you a most meaningful letter written to her by the esteemed menahel of the Yeshiva of Far Rockaway, Rabbi Aaron Brafman, Shlita, following which I will conclude by offering my own thoughts on the subject.
Dear Wronged:
I read your story and am heartbroken. It’s hard for me to believe that any real Torah institution would act in the way that you describe. Unless there is another side to the story, you were terribly mistreated and those who acted that way will suffer terrible consequences min HaShamayim - if they haven’t already.
And this is written in this past week’s Parshah in connection with the passage, “Kol almanah v’yasom al t’anun. You shall not afflict all widows and orphans… I shall hear their cry.” (Exodus 22: 21-21). Our Sages teach that this pertains to all people.
The tuition issue is a very complex one. But it is a shame that in our day, when it’s been estimated that one-million dollars are being spent on hotels for Pesach, aside from all the mid-winter vacations, yeshivas are still struggling and need high tuitions in order to operate. But that is a separate issue.
I hope you are able to get past your hurt and should probably go to see Rebbetzin Jungreis and seek her advice as to how to put it all behind you. You are, Baruch Hashem, young, and have a long life ahead of you to create a beautiful Jewish home, which ultimately, you will build for eternity.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Aaron M. Brafman
Menahel, Yeshiva of Far Rockaway - Derech Ayson Rabbinical Seminary
Part II. It’s Time to Wrap Up - My Concluding Thoughts
My Dear Friend:
I empathize with your pain. Indeed, there is no justification for the humiliation and anguish that you and your mom were put through. Having said all this, however, I do not believe that your experience is a typical one. I would like to think that in situations such as yours compassion would be exercised by the administration of every yeshiva. After all, we are “rachmanim bnei rachmanim - compassionate ones and the children of compassionate ones.” And mechanchim - educators, as well as the ba’alei batim - lay people who comprise the tuition committees would reflect such timeless values, to say nothing of the responsibility to make a Torah education available to every Jewish child.
Sadly, this was not the case in your situation. The time has come for you to move on. I ask you to do this for your own benefit, for your own future, for anger and bitterness are poisons that thwart growth, distort thinking and impede living a constructive life - so get on with your life!
I believe that it would prove helpful if you could learn to distinguish between those who genuinely reflect Torah values and those who masquerade in Torah garb, for those people who treated you and your mom so miserably, do not reflect Torah values. There is a story that my beloved husband, Rabbi Meshulem HaLevi Jungreis,zt”l, often related that illustrates this point.
A wealthy soap manufacturer, who professed to be an agnostic, met a rabbi one day and arrogantly challenged: “Rabbi, your Torah is useless. It simply has no effect. Just look at all the nasty people in the Jewish community. I really can’t understand why you continue to teach it.”
“My Torah is perfect,” the rabbi responded. “It is your soap that is useless. If I were you, I would get out of the soap business.”
“What are you talking about?” the manufacturer retorted. My soap is the best on the market.”
“Well, let’s take a walk and discuss it further,” the rabbi suggested.
The rabbi and the manufacturer walked to an adjacent park where they proceeded to watch some children playing in a sandbox. “Just look at those children!” the rabbi exclaimed. “They are so messy and dirty. Obviously, your soap is useless.”
“How can you say that?” the manufacturer protested loudly. “My soap is the greatest! It’s just that those kids haven’t used it yet.”
“My Torah is also the best,” the Rabbi answered, “but those who are mean-spirited, have yet to use it.”
Try to bear this story in mind and don’t put all yeshivas and educators under the same umbrella!”
My revered father, HaRav HaGaon, HaTzaddik, Avraham HaLevi Jungreis, zt”l, often told us that, if it was our lot to undergo a painful experience, then Hashem must have sent it our way so that we might help others and protect them from experiencing that same trauma. Consider starting a support group for single abandoned mothers who are unable to pay tuition for their children. Your letter has evoked much interest, and I am certain that there are manyba’alei batim who would respond to such a worthy cause. Taking a cue from my father, I often say, “If you have broken eggs, don’t cry over them – make an omelet!” Convert the darkness into light, the curse into blessing, and bring hope to those who feel hopeless.
I must tell you that when I read your letter, I was not only shocked by the callousness of your school administration, but also by the apathy of the families of your friends in the community. Wherewere they? Why didn’t any of them protest? Why didn’t they set up a scholarship fund on your behalf? Fill that vacuum, establish that support group, and you will, b’Ezrat Hashem, be able to protect children from such painful and damaging neglect.
I would also suggest that you act upon Rabbi Brafman’s suggestion and come to see me personally. Perhaps I could help you embark upon a new life and even find a shidduch. Having said all this, we cannot deny that yeshivas today are in real crisis. Costs are exorbitant, and most families have all they can do just to make ends meet. At the same time however, today’s American Jewish community is probably the wealthiest in history, and it is deplorable that yeshivas must struggle just to survive because we fail to realize our communal responsibility.
Ideally speaking, if our tzedakahs were properly channeled, every child would be the beneficiary of a Torah education, and we would succeed in stemming the tide of assimilation that is tragically consuming our people. Perhaps your letter will awaken some people and spur them to action, and if that happens, your suffering will not have been in vain.
Please accept my best wishes for a constructive, purposeful, meaningful Jewish Torah life.
Rebbetzin Esther Jungreis
http://www.thejewishweek.com/top/editletcontent.php3?artid=5752
ReplyDeleteDateline Miami Beach.
This is the fault of the parents, not rabbonim & yeshivos.
"The Koenigs are polite and all smiles even when putting a knife in someone's back."
ReplyDeleteSounds like le soup de jour on East 21st St between Aves I and J, home to Kehillas Vyelepol. The concealed weapons at Frankel's shul have jagged edges to inflict maximum injury.
"Forcing surrender of all reason to the guy with the blackest hat"
ReplyDeleteTzvay dinim. There are non-black hats that are not yeshivish, but if it was mayikara black, and then turned gray from being dusty, it still has the din of a black hat.
I applaud Rabbi Brafman for writing that letter but I don't like one message he snuck in. Rising tuitions are often the fault of administrators dipping their paws in the cookie jar. What has he done to address that besides shifting the blame to the family vacation? His math is also off by miles. The figure for Pesach hotels is closer to $1 billion - not million. The complaint here is not against exhausted women who don't have koychos to make Yonteff, it should be against the extravagant Hungarians who spend up to a half million on private island villas with an army of servants. Some of these same pigs don't pay their tuition bill. I would advise these yeshiva heads to get all their facts and priorities straight.
ReplyDeleteI've just been appointed the administrator of a major yeshiva. Yeshivos are about as serious with your hard earned money as a Sesame Street sketch so what's the difference.
ReplyDeleteYa, me eat cookies and your hard earned money.
MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH MUNCH
Agreed. I think another thing these yeshiva admnstrtrs are starting to do, just like ye olde corrupt Medieval tax collector, is find new ways to squeeze you so they can fill their coffers. This assault on Pesach hotels we keep hearing about (Brafman didnt originate the idea) may lead to something like a higher tuition bracket for those who dare indulge.
ReplyDeleteR' Aron Brafman is a good and intelligent man. The problem with the best of the Haredi rabbis like Brafman is that they are totally insulated from the real ugly facts of human behavior, regardless of the low-lifes his brother represents.
ReplyDeleteSo every once in a while he meets up with a real live victim and he's SHOCKED! He can't believe it therefore it doesn't exist!!!!
So he sends them off to people who deal with "nut-cases"..that's how he views them, I know!
Financial mismanagement is one thing. Can you prove that "administrators are dipping their hand in the cookie jar"?
ReplyDeleteHello PG
Please keep in mind the costs involved in running a school besides payroll (maintenance contracts, insurance,cleaning, supplies, equipment). At least in my school the computer equipment are bought in bulk off eBay, and we are in a co-op with other schools for power/gas (just 2 examples). I think you will find that most schools are doing their best to keep costs down, although maybe some places can do better. Some concrete examples are needed here, like I just gave.
I agree on the "Hungarian Pig" statements, which is why we will clobber people like these with %100 tuition bills.
And instead of taking $5000 tax refunds, adjust withholding so you have more $$ monthly. And learn how to budget and not guess at your checkbook balance availability
And we Chareidis look away every day of the year as to what goes on in our schools. By us immoral acts are being acted out upon our children not by our children. If the following article is revolting to you, look within for by us it is far worse. We have grubby molesters preying on our children while WE PAY THEM TO CARE FOR OUR BELOVED LITTLE ONES. IF THIS IS WHO WE ARE WHY DIDN'T HITLER FINISH US OFF ?? Perhaps because we have a few tzadikim amongst us, like Rabbi & DR. Rebbetzin Blau and maybe even UOJ.
ReplyDeleteThis is from the Jewish Week. (The folks that helped expose Kolko, Lanner and Mondrowitz.)
‘Yeshiva Break’: Do You Know Where Your Children Were?
Alisha Abboudi And Debbi Frankel
It has become a tradition for many students at Jewish day schools in the Northeast to celebrate “yeshiva week,” also known as “yeshiva break,” a weeklong vacation in late January, by visiting the Miami Beach area, reuniting with camp friends and hanging out with classmates.
We flew down with our teenage daughters who attend co-ed camps, watch TV and movies, and seem connected to their iPods. We were looking forward to an innocent week of fun in the sun. But what we witnessed was anything but innocent. During several late-night walks we saw hundreds of Jewish teenagers in groups large and small roaming Collins Avenue, the boardwalk and several hotels, drinking and smoking, completely entranced with the goal of getting “high” and intoxicated beyond belief.
The girls, aged 15-18, were so scantily clad that bathing suits would have covered up more. Nothing they possessed was left for the imagination. Thin figured or full, they wore outfits that seemed to say, “I’m here! Come and get me!” The boys dressed in jeans, T-shirts or shorts may have looked fine, but they huddled in groups, beer cans in hand and cigarettes and matches at the ready.
The interaction between the girls and boys was grotesque. Hands and mouths were everywhere. Nothing was private, no body part untouchable. A small boy of 15, walking around in a daze searching for his older sister, was easily deterred from his mission by a “friend” who smacked him on the back and said, “Come on, let’s go find us some chicks!” He followed.
The angelic-looking girl with the long blond hair in a red hoodie was heard pleading with the boys she was with, “Come on, give me the weed, get me some weed … it’s my birthday!”
As we observed the scene, we had one question in mind: Where were the parents of these youngsters? Where were they when their daughters exploited themselves, when their little girls were urinating on themselves because they were so drunk their legs gave out, when their sons drank so much they flung themselves over boardwalk railings and exposed themselves?
Why did parents trust that a week at bubbe and zeyde’s condo without their supervision was permissible? Why did it seem we were the only two parents in Miami Beach that week? Among the throngs of unsupervised teenagers, that’s exactly what it felt like.
These questions and sad thoughts keep coming and we wondered if the principals and rabbinic supervisors of the various yeshivot back home had cautioned their charges sufficiently about the consequences of being part of “the scene” in Miami Beach during vacation week. More importantly, did they follow through on their warnings? If we send our children to yeshivas, is it for the sole purpose of learning math and Chumash [Bible], or is it a place where they learn how to act not only like a Jew, but also like a human being? Do we support our schools in this endeavor or are we taking a back seat?
The week was not without tragedy. A 15-year-old boy from New York died under a cloud of mystery. But anyone who witnesses the raucous behavior of the annual scene realizes it is a recipe for disaster.
One night as we surveyed the late-night goings-on, rumors spread among the teens that we were “spies” from their respective schools. Once they were comfortable that we were not, several boys gathered around us and spoke about their lack of parental care and protection. Unprompted, they shared with us their depression and worries about their futures. They discussed their difficulties in not being able to resist the peer pressure to do whatever it takes to be “cool.” Ironically, it didn’t seem to concern them that speaking with us so candidly would appear “uncool” as their friends walked by. Rather, they relished the attention they obviously seek and crave.
These precious lives need guidance, love and stability. As parents, we bring our beautiful children into this world. They are precious as infants, adorable as toddlers and then, before you know it, they are teenagers. Mouths get bigger, opinions get louder, altercations are a daily occurrence; the tide shifts and parental authority is suddenly in question. Does this mean we throw up our hands and say, “Ah, he’s just a teenager; it’s just a phase,” or, “She’ll outgrow it”?
Rather, it’s our job to speak to our children and hear them as well, to teach them right and wrong, and most of all, show them we are there for them always. Shame on those parents who allow their children a “fun” week in the sun and sand without supervision! Vacation for them does not mean vacation from them.
Go ahead and ask them. Find out exactly what they were up to when they called to tell you what a “blast” they were having. Even if they were clean and sober, they saw plenty. Make them talk to you. Make them listen.
Be a parent.
SOUNDS REALLY FAMILIAR??????
ReplyDeleteIraq Insurgents Employ Chlorine in Bomb Attacks
Robert Nickelsberg/Getty Images, for The New York Times
A truck with chlorine canisters exploded in Baghdad on Wednesday. Chlorine burns tissue in the eyes and lungs.
By DAMIEN CAVE and AHMAD FADAM
Published: February 22, 2007
BAGHDAD, Feb. 21 — A truck bomb that combined explosives with chlorine gas blew up in southern Baghdad on Wednesday, and officials said it might represent a new and deadly tactic by insurgents against Iraqi civilians.
It was at least the third truck bomb in a month to employ chlorine, a greenish gas also used in World War I, which burns the skin and can be fatal after only a few concentrated breaths. The bomb killed at least two people and wounded 32 others, many of them sent to hospitals coughing and wheezing, police and medical officials said.
Iraqi and American officials said the use of chlorine seemed aimed at bringing a new level of fear and havoc to Iraq as a new security plan for Baghdad takes shape.
Lt. Col. Christopher Garver, an American military spokesman, said the attacks highlighted the fluidity of insurgent tactics in Iraq, dominated by militant groups that often notice and repeat attacks that attract the most attention and cause the most suffering.
The bombing involving chlorine gas on Wednesday followed an explosion on Tuesday north of Baghdad of a tanker filled with chlorine that had been rigged to explode, killing nine people and wounding 148, including 42 women and 52 children. At least one other attack with chlorine took place on Jan. 28, according to the American military’s statements. Sixteen people were killed in that attack, in the Sunni-dominated Anbar Province, when a dump truck with explosives and a chlorine tank blew up in Ramadi.
The attacks seem to have been poorly executed, burning the chemical agent rather than dispersing it, but more sophisticated weapons involving chlorine could injure hundreds and cause mass panic.
Though it is widely used in water purification and sewage treatment, chlorine is dangerous because it reacts with water in moist tissue, such as eyes and the respiratory tract, to create acid, which essentially burns tissue. A few breaths of air containing chlorine at a thousand parts per million can be lethal.
Exposures at far lower concentrations, down to two parts per million, cause coughing, shortness of breath, chest pain, burning in the throat, nose and eyes, nausea and swelling of the lungs.
A few hours after the attack, American Humvees and a military vehicle with a nozzle that appeared to be testing the air encircled the scene. Soldiers were not wearing masks, but officials at Yarmouk hospital said they had determined through interviews and tests that chlorine was used in the attack.
Brig. Qasim Atta, an Iraqi government spokesman for the new Baghdad security plan, described chlorine attacks as a “filthy way” to harm vulnerable Iraqis.
Colonel Garver said that the chemical attacks could soon appear again. “It’s no surprise that anti-Iraqi forces or terrorists or whoever is doing this are trying to replicate this kind of attack,” he said. “They perceive that it’s working.”
The attacks on Tuesday and Wednesday also indicated that the Baghdad security plan had pushed the violence beyond the city’s central neighborhoods, the focus of the new plan.
your a navi uoj.
ReplyDeleteIs that welfare basket case the same rosh yeshiva who when in kollel initiated a bunch of frivolous dinei Torah? I remember one year that he didn't learn very much. He was running around like a chicken with his head cut off, either rallying troops against his targets or on the phone with gedolei Eretz Yisroel, hocking them a tcheinek about his various gripes.
ReplyDeleteMy take on R' Mottel Weinberg and Pinter is that R' Mottel was probably concerned more about the huge chilul Hashem that would emerge from a conviction than anything else. People tend to think that way but it's a little misguided. I'm told R' Zelig Epstein holds that people like Pinter should go to jail because it prevents them from stealing and harming people and they will learn a lot because there's nothing else to do in prison. R' Zelig said this in reference to someone else who some askanim were collecting "pidyon shvuyim" for. R' Zelig got angry and said no one should contribute. He along with R' Shlomo Zalman hold that America does not generally lock people up unless they deserve it.
ReplyDeleteI only met R' Mottel briefly a few times and don't know if he was naive to some extent. A very distinguished talmid chochom I know always dismisses that Pinter is even a ganav. He's too temimusdik to even bother finding out what the story was and gets taken in by the professional liars like the Shafrans and Balkanys of this world who will deny that the Earth is round if it suits their purpose.
Shafran, how does a Baltimore boy know how to make such lomdishe Brisker diyukim?
ReplyDeleteTzvay dinim yourself. There are stam shakronim and mushchossim who assist the Agudah in covering up shfichus domim.
I hope me and Belsky don't get "SLAPPed" for filing actions without merit.
ReplyDeletehttp://orthomom.blogspot.com/2007/02/jewish-star-on-orthomom-lawsuit.html
Paul Alan Levy is an attorney with the group Public Citizen, which successfully represented a blogger in Rockland County who was sued after he publicized alleged misdeeds of a well-known rabbinical figure. In that case, the rabbi who brought the suit "was slapped with a twenty thousand dollar attorney fee," said Levy, under New York State's 'Strategic Litigation Against Public Participation' statute, known as SLAPP.
"If I were Pamela Greenbaum I would worry about getting hit with a SLAPP motion," he said, "because it's hard to see the basis for this action.
I just can't have Aron Brafman going around making sincere statements that evil people will be punished. It's not good for my PR. I will get his brother Ben to shut him up.
ReplyDeleteRabbi Blumenkranz died.
ReplyDeletehttp://mooshmoosh-israel.blogspot.com/2007/02/open-letter-to-community.html
ReplyDeleteVictim of Kolko & Margo tells his sorrowful story.
"However they said they will talk to someone about it, and they did. Rabbi Margolis. He assured them that none of this happened, and even if it did it was a long time ago, and they should keep it quiet. Besides, he said, the Rabbi has a family and nothing would be gained by parents making a fuss. There were other things said however I cannot go into it. Needless to say parents did in fact keep it quiet, even from me, and this hurt me and confused me even more. Why, if I was their son did they not act as I now know they should have?"
Rav Motel Weinberg z"l was a rare gem and a huge talmud chochom, who was a chochom as well. They don't necessarily go together as we should know. I knew him and spoke with him on many issues affecting the klal. He was the first to always tell me that he could only advise me based on the facts that he was aware of, and would have no problem changing his mind if the facts were not facts.
ReplyDeleteBoruch Dayan emes...... on Rav Blumenkranz's petirah.
Hey Pamela Greenbaum, how does it feel like to be told you're UGLY? We can say that about anyone, just like Margo is FAT and Neuhoff is a Bungalow Putz. There's no way you can sue, especially when you are a public official.
ReplyDeleteIt takes one to know one!!!!
ReplyDeleteCon Man Tries to Defraud Jerusalem Yeshivas
By Betzalel Kahn
Alert yeshiva managers in a Jerusalem neighborhood led to the
discovery of a professional con man posing as a donor who
tried to swindle several yeshivas.
http://www.shemayisrael.com/chareidi/aconmantrm67.htm
http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/02/murder-of-jewish-college-students.html
ReplyDeleteTerrible story of those two Jewish girls from Long Island being shot to death. It seems like one of them was in the process of becoming a baalas teshuva. I hope the rotzeach named Mendel is not Jewish. The baal chesed here, Rabbi Teichtel is Chabad but his father learned by Reb Shloima Zalman.
In other news, the neo-Nazi who beat up and tried kidnapping Elie Wiesel this week has been arrested and charged with, among other things, elder abuse.
http://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcrim_attorney/AttorneySearchCase#search_result
ReplyDeleteThe court date was pushed off to March 8th.
The charge sheet has also been updated :
http://iapps.courts.state.ny.us/webcrim_attorney/AttorneyCaseDetail?docketNumber=09538-2006&courtType=S&countyId=I2JGMM81mCU%3D&docketId=sDVovpUt%2BBc%3D&docketDseq=dVhNdW86960%3D&defendantName=KOLKO,%20JOEL&county=KINGS&court=Supreme%20Court&recordType=C&recordNum=4334500
D Felony, 1 count, Not an arrest charge, Not an arraignment charge
Description: SX ABS:CNTCT-FRCBL CMPLSN
Indictment Count: 4
Charge added to case on: January 4, 2007
HARASSMENT 2ND- PHY CONTACT
Indictment Count: 3
Charge added to case on: January 4, 2007
A Misdemeanor, 1 count, Arrest charge, Arraignment charge
Description: SX ABSE:SX CNTCT W/IND<14
Indictment Count: 5
D Felony, 1 count, Arrest charge, Arraignment charge
Description: SX ABS:CNTCT-FRCBL CMPLSN
Indictment Count: 1
A Misdemeanor, 1 count, Arrest charge, Arraignment charge
Description: ACT MANR INJUR CHILD < 17
Indictment Count: 6
B Misdemeanor, 1 count, Arrest charge, Arraignment charge
Description: SEXUAL ABUSE 3RD
Indictment Count: 2
Damn! Yudi batchie's updated charge sheet now shows 21 counts total. Where's Fetter Milton? He's going to have to pull a rabbit out of his Homburg or something and make this go away!
ReplyDeleteEven when the Yated reports an avlah for a change, they still can't get it right. They have a chiyuv to publicize the shvantz's name so people can beware of him in general.
ReplyDeleteAnyone know if they are they reporting a name on Hyde Park forum or anywhere?
yeshivish nudnick, I don't get the yated. What are you referring to?
ReplyDeleteMargo: go back to counting money, you can't count indictments. There are only 6. It's true that 6+5+4+3+2+1 = 21, but there aren't 21 charges yet; just 6.
CAN ANYONE VERIFY THIS?
ReplyDeleteAnonymous said...
Stefan Colmer
1778-E15th St
Brooklyn, NY
718-375-2662
Had a Shabbos Group in his home for children ages 7-10.
He molested and performed oral sex on the children.
Last night the families went to R'Rosenbloom and asked him if they should go to the police. R Rosenbloom said they should not tell people about it. R Ginsberg lets him Daven in his Shul. R Ginsberg knows about it. R Ginsberg why does this man need to daven in a Shul? Shame on the families that hesitated and did not go straight to the police. Shame on you R Rosenbloom who said that the person who has the Capital Hotel in Lakewood could be killed, yet you protect a child rapist. Shame on you R Rosenbloom shame on , shame on you.
10:59 PM, June 24, 2006
I didn't know that there are Chareidim living in Liberia.
ReplyDelete_______________________________________
Monday, November 28, 2005 - Web posted at 7:00:44 GMT
Plunge your hand into hot oil: the 'sassywood man' and trial by ordeal
* KATHARINE HOURELD
SANOYEA TOWN, Liberia - Two months ago, Peter Yah's hand was plunged into hot oil after he was accused of stealing $10. The 22-year-old Liberian student and his brother had been previously detained over the robbery, but there was not enough evidence to prosecute them.
Their accuser demanded the men undergo trial by ordeal - a practice in which guilt is determined by exposing the suspects to acute pain and interpreting their reaction.
If there is no injury, or if the wounds heal quickly, the accused is deemed innocent.
"The sassywood man put oil on the fire, said we should put our hands inside and when I put my hand inside I touched the bottom of the pot and I burned," Yah said.
Sassywood is the name given to the man who oversaw the ordeal - a cross between a witchdoctor and a judge.
"I put my hand in there four times.
I was afraid and I just wanted to be free without a problem," Yah added, his fingers still puffy and shiny pink.
Weeping sores have formed around Yah's nails and he cannot fully straighten his fingers or make a fist.
He has not yet returned to school because he cannot write.
Trials by ordeal have been banned in this West African country but many people do not know they can refuse to take part.
In a land where the justice system is in shambles after 14 years of on-off civil war and decades of corruption, where police regularly demand bribes and remote villages are often several days journey from the nearest courts, the brutal system fills a legal vacuum.
QUICK RESULT Liberia's infrastructure was devastated by the conflict, which killed around 250 000 people.
The fighting ended when former President Charles Taylor, a one-time warlord, went into exile in Nigeria in 2003.
Former World Bank economist Ellen Johnson Sirleaf has just been elected president in the first vote since Taylor left, becoming Africa's first elected woman head of state.
A Harvard-trained economist, Johnson Sirleaf has vowed to use her technocratic skills to rebuild Liberia.
In the once-prosperous country, most people struggle to survive on less than US$1 a day and many have been traumatised by the conflict, fought mainly by young fighters high on amphetamines and marijuana.
During the war, painful death and mutilation became everyday affairs.
Although prisons are bursting with inmates and some people have been incarcerated without trial for years, judicial reform is low on the list of most people's concerns and the issue was largely absent from the election campaign.
Diplomats say reforming the bloated and inefficient justice system will be one of the challenges facing Johnson Sirleaf.
In the meantime, many local chiefs prefer using trial by ordeal because it produces quick results.
The practice is most common in central villages, like Sanoyea Town and neighbouring Jagba Town, where there were several cases last month.
"More than 10 people had to put their hands in hot oil," said Daniel Mbonah (28), who sells fuel.
"If you are innocent, you will not be hurt," he said, as bystanders nodded agreement.
Around 40 per cent of Liberians are animists, with a similar proportion of Christians, many of whom would also profess beliefs in ancestral spirits.
POISONOUS FRUIT At the port in the capital Monrovia, some labourers had also experienced trial by ordeal.
Maxwell Clinton, a 25-year-old casual worker, said he had been burned with a hot blade by accusers who wanted to determine who had stolen their money.
"They can put a hot cutlass against you, but for me it felt cool like water," he said.
The man who had stolen the money refused to undergo the test, he said, making it easier to identify the culprit.
The United Nations human rights office tasked with investigating such cases said it had inadequate resources and was often unable to travel to far-flung villages to question witnesses because of bad roads or fears about security.
Adam Abdelmoula, a UN human rights official in Liberia, said his office received about one report per month of trial by ordeal, although they had not yet confirmed any.
"The people who do this kind of witchcraft are powerful locally, so people fear them," he said.
"It's hard to find a victim, a perpetrator or a witness."
He said there were reports of people being forced to eat poisonous fruits, jump into fires or have a hot knife placed upon their skin.
No statistics are available and the police say they have no jurisdiction over the issue.
Yah, who managed to stay at school during the years of war, approached the Foundation of International Dignity (FIND), a charity which offers legal aid, after he found his injuries prevented him from resuming classes.
"It is against fundamental human rights, the constitution and societal norms," said Rosetta Jackollie, a legal adviser for the aid group.
"No one can be forced to do this, but since a lot of people are illiterate, they don't know their rights."
- Nampa-Reuters
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/Meystel_Yosef.html
ReplyDeleteWas there a molestation scandal covered up in Yeshiva of South Bend?
"Feel free to add your list of crimes. Be very specific....names and all!"
ReplyDeleteWhy don't you tell us your name? Or would doing so expose you to a little unwelcome criticism?
I think the Gettingers are Philly products because Philly sent bochurim to help out South Bend when the yeshiva first opened. The ones that I know who learned there are kind of weird, but you can say that about many Philly guys in general.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jewishtimes.com/3078.stm
ReplyDeleteWho is the baal teshuva attorney who was a Shabbos guest in people's homes then brought their kids to his apt to molest?
Phil Jacobs was under pressure from Baltimore's rabbonim for years to never mention anything about Juravel or any other sex abuse case. It's nice to see this 180 degree turnaround on the front page of this week's Jewish Times.
ReplyDeleteReaders:
ReplyDeleteKindly thank Gary Rosenblatt for making this article happen in the Jewish Times:
gary@jewishweek.org
I may not know business as proven by my advice that caused the Enron collapse, but as chief big mouth at the NY Times, I do know newspapers.
ReplyDeleteGary Rosenblatt is the NY Jewish Week. What connection does he have to the Baltimore JT and why wasn't it in his own paper?
I wonder if UOJ will contact me.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jewishpress.com/page.do/20771/MK_Rabbi_Avraham_Ravitz_Meets_The_Press.html
I was one of the founders of the city of Betar, a suburb of Jerusalem. The city has a large number of people devoted to Torah study. Many of these kollel families are now in financial crisis.
I would like to set up an international fund whereby people all over the world would contribute money to be used by these kollel families. There are 21 kollels in Betar supporting 500 families, so you can see that the need is great.
Anyone who is interested in my idea can contact me at the Knesset. I will respond to all inquiries.
When I was in Israel a while, it wasn't just to get signatures against Slifkin. I was providing my expert advice to yeshivos on how to steal from the govt.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/828954.html
According to an audit performed by the Accountant General, NGOs received billions of shekels illegally in 2006.
The audit revealed that in a large number of elementary schools, nearly all in the ultra-Orthodox school system, students were held back a year - but only on record, which enabled the institutions to obtain extra budgeting.
This practice continued for six years, and resulted in a hefty amount - NIS 50 million of ill-begotten funding. In another instance, the principal of a school was arrested one year ago, following a complaint filed to the police, on the suspicion that he had received more than a million shekels from the Ministry of Education by falsely reporting on students and teachers
I just want to fill everyone in on what a LOSER Paul Krugman is. He's also married to a shiksa professor at Princeton. After the WSJ exposed him, Krugman wrote an email to the Boston Globe, badmouthing our reporters and calling them silly names. He figured that a left wing paper owned by the NY Times would agree with him. A Globe reporter who wasn't very sympathetic, published the email and wrote that Krugman is "completely crackers"
ReplyDeleteIf Neuhoff is the Bungalow Putz, Krugman is the Economic Egghead Putz. But he can't even get economics right. The NY Times' own ombudsman, Daniel Okrent wrote in his column that Krugman is a liar that slices & dices figures to promote his political agenda.
Hey ravitz;
ReplyDeleteLet them go out and get jobs.
Enough with this leeching.
Dear Mr. Stein,
ReplyDeleteI don't know how long you have been following this weblog. Many of the entries posted by the author are strongly worded to say the least and it is probably harder to digest for a convert who is usually more sincere than the general population. We live in very difficult times. The Mishna Sotah prophesizes that in the days before the Moshiach's arival, the world will be a terrible place with feckless leaders and even the yeshivos will be corrupted. UOJ's anonymity is necessary to battle the evils that have taken root. Others have tried before him but the corrupt ones mobilized to silence or destroy them. UOJ is on your side, despite his more unpalatable tactics. The evil men being exposed that are disguised as rabbis are the biggest affront to Hashem, worse than anything you have ever realized.
Great article from Baltimore Jewish Times regarding sexual abuse. About a victim of Juravel.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.jewishtimes.com/3078.stm
Out of respect for the family and the niftar, I will not let through anything negative about Rabbi Blumenkranz. Don't even try!
ReplyDeleteHis neshomo should have an aliya.
R' Elchonon was different....he set an example that was wrong for the Jewish people and caused an untold number of deaths to people that could have lived to perform another mitzva, learn another blatt gemora, perform chessed, and raise doros of Yiden!
WE MUST NEVER LET THAT MISTAKE TO EVER HAPPEN AGAIN!
The JT article explodes two myths: One that the internet is to blame for the actions of molesters, and two, that molestation without penetration is harmless.
ReplyDeleteFrom the accounts in the article, you can see that Juravel was molesting kids at a camp long before he got involved with the internet. In fact, if it wasn't for the internet, he may never have been caught.
Regarding the non-penetration issue, the article quotes a clinical social worker named Lisa Frentz:
So Steve was touched on his penis, asked to masturbate in front of another man, and pressured to watch a porno movie.
There are those who might scoff at the notion that these acts constitute sexual molestation. They might also ask why Steve simply can't "get over it" and move on with his life. After all, the sexual molestation could have been a great deal worse. Why is all of this such a big deal? Yet for Steve and survivors of sexual molestation, these actions of abuse, no matter how major or minor, impact them every day of their lives.
Lisa Ferentz, a clinical social worker based in Pikesville, and the creator of a certificate program in Advanced Trauma Treatment, has spent years working with survivors of sexual abuse. Ms. Ferentz believes that "we should never minimize acts of sexual molestation because the experience profoundly affects a child's fundamental sense of trust and safety in the world. Regardless of what is attempted or done to a victim, it can lead to a deep sense of loss. There is the loss of safety, innocence, appropriate boundaries, protection, trust, physical and emotional safety. Having to keep the abuse a secret exacerbates a sense of rage, shame and despair. This can lead to a multitude of inevitable symptoms and problems as the survivor develops. When the pain is overwhelming, many survivors attempt to self-medicate with drugs and alcohol. The experience can be truly life-altering."
Her words have been proven true with the cases of this "Steve" and with countless other cases such as Kolko victim Izzy Tsatskis. These are pure neshamos that were destroyed by "non-penetration molestation".
Again, these predators are reshaiim gemurim and deserve no sympathy. I disagree with Rabbi Eidensohn who claims that they should not be held responsible for their actions. What these molesters have done is tantamount to murder--nothing less. Lock them all up and throw away the key--all of them, with or without penetration.
That baltimore jewishtimes article freaked me out. My rabbi is getting a copy pronto.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteAbove anon., with the "brown eyes" stuff - that was funny, you made me laugh.
ReplyDeleteAnyway, I believe and sincerely hope Rabbi Blumenkrantz will be very favorably judged in the bais din shel ma'aloh.
I also think the negative reaction to him by some is a response to those who are making him into a gadol, a loss that we can never recover from, etc.
I believe he was a good father, good Jew, good person. I don't believe he was a gadol. I think his Pesach book was inaccurate and extreme. I've been in two very normal shuls where the rabbis publicly criticized it. Obviously, many did so privately. I'm far from a learned person, as that term is used, but even I could recognize that the Pesach book was just plain wrong in being so extreme in so many areas. Its not what a Jewish yom tov is all about.
Other parts of the Pesach book were helpful.
Quite frankly, I don't know if I should be saying these things. I don't want it to get in the way of his entry into Gan Eden. I don't know what the rules are at this point, but I do want to defend the people who are criticizing the Pesach book.
That's all. May be the neshomoh have an aliya. May G-d comfort his family among the mourners of Zion and Jerusalem. May his family and klal Yisroel know no more sorrows. May we only share simchos together.
Addendum and correction of typo:
ReplyDeleteMay the neshomo of Rabbi Blumenkrantz have an aliya.
He was a good rabbi too. The Pesach book was a good book, I learned much from it, just too extreme in some halachos. He wrote what he thought was the truth. It was there for everybody to read, and to disagree with, and not follow, if they so chose. He put his name behind it, and its all there to be challenged. That's important.
UOJ,
ReplyDeleteYosef Meystel is the Gabbai of Chessed L'Avraham shul, Rabbi Eichenstein's on Devon.
Chicago you got a problem, lets see whether Rabbi Eichenstein is like his brother-in-law the Novominsker and choose to do nothing!!!!
That's probably the same Eichenstein family as the old Chief Rabbi of St Louis. I think there was also an Eichenstein who was a rosh yeshiva in Torah Vodaath.
ReplyDeleteOf course the Novominsker will do nothing. It's not a Boro Park affair, it's a Chicago affair.
Shame on Rav Perlow. The "Admor" should know that someone tried that lame excuse hundreds of years ago in the heim. He was lambasted in a letter by gedolim who stated the obvious that the Torah hakedosha knows no geographical boundaries.
Let's use the tragedy of the untimely passing of R' Blumenkrantz to educate ourselves and our families of the terrible dangers associated with diabetes. Type 2 Diabetes can be as a result of, and severely aggravated by, obesity (especially around the waist) a sedentary lifestyle, poor nutritional habits, and smoking. It is possible for Type 2 Diabetes to go unnoticed for years; the results of ignored Diabetes can be deadly. Diabetes left untreated (treatment includes medication, DIET, EXCERCISE, QUITTING SMOKING)can cause heart failure, amputation and death!
ReplyDeleteSo, quit smoking, eat healthier and lose some weight. Studies have shown that even a small amount of weight loss can reverse the ravaging effects of this terrible disease. There have been patients that lost 20 lbs and no longer needed to be on medication.
Listen to your doctor or nurse! A small cut on a diabetic foot can quickly lead to amputation - the saddest part is that it is preventable. There is no excuse for neglect. The extra piece of cake or cigarette is not worth your toes or your life! Don't drive to shul - walk (discuss this with your doctor first)
There are so many ticking time bombs walking around BP and Flatbush that I just had to write this.
All I hear is Colmer this and Colmer that. Enough Talk with no action.
ReplyDeleteColmer is an old case. He has been molesting children for years and keeps getting away with it. For your information he moved from Brooklyn to PC sometime in the summer. The PC Community knows all about him but thus far has not done anything.
There are some rumors on the posts about PC buying Colmers house so he leaves town. Is this a solution? Where will he go next?
What we really need is a victim to come forward. This guy is a twisted pyschopath hiding behind a kippa and he will act again if he is not stopped.
--------------------------------
CAN ANYONE VERIFY THIS?
Anonymous said...
Stefan Colmer
1778-E15th St
Brooklyn, NY
718-375-2662
Had a Shabbos Group in his home for children ages 7-10.
He molested and performed oral sex on the children.
The RN knows what she's talking about. Ask David Rappoport from Emporio. He has a special production run in Italy for suits tapered just for the fat boichs & tushes in Brooklyn. You can also bet that at the Chassidisher bekishe stores, the tailors are used to the same pose like when they manoeuver to take Margo's gezunte measurements.
ReplyDeleteDear Honorable UOJ,
ReplyDeleteI'm sorry if my recommendation to honor Chezi Goldberg's memory on this site has caused u some grief. I have heard that the following breaking news article is hard to access online since the site is being overwhelmed now by hits. Perhaps it needs to be posted has a new blog chapter.
Gut Shabbos dear friend and helper. Be blessed with peace.
Peace is still hard for me to acheive after all these years and after all I've tried.
Baltimore Jewish Times
Today, Steve Is 25.
Phil Jacobs
FEBRUARY 23, 2007
Editor's Note: It would be very difficult to write one definitive story on the issue of sexual molestation. With the clear understanding that there are many different, unique stories, we decided to tell the story of abuse through the experiences of one particular victim. This toxic problem is not exclusive to any one denomination of Judaism. It is, unfortunately, pervasive.
But we also understand that there is yet more to tell in the future, so this will be the first of an occasional series............
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ReplyDeleteTuitionScholarships,
ReplyDeleteFirst, I apologize for not answering some of your other posts. I'm just too busy to take on projects now.
Otherwise, this is the info I'm aware of. One yeshiva which is no longer in operation was used as a personal cash cow by one family. Their table was blessed with the most gourmet of foods during the voch that most people do not splurge for on Rosh Hashana. The yeshiva accountant was fired and badmouthed when he would not go along with their illegal activity. Even when their car was broken into, they claimed from the insurance carrier a cornucopia of treasures that were never in the vehicle.
I will also note Lakewood, with the exception of the Olshins. Do you have any idea how many extended relatives live in a house bought by the yeshiva? This is after all the other take home perks like free food culled from the pantry before any bochur gets a crack at it.
A particular gvir somewhere was supporting a few yeshivos. The administrators took advantage but at least only one person was losing. After he stopped being so generous, the board tried to see the books. Not surprisingly, the leeches in charge refused to hand them over, so they were forced out after a protracted battle.
Let me elborate on the Hungarian pig equation. The cost per person at a private island villa with a multitude of servants is 50k per week. This is what hedge fund manager types are paying - without factoring in Pesach kashrus concerns. Some of these Hungarian clans are easily shelling out at least a half million for Pesach plus some extra days. Believe it or not, they also figured out a way to write it off as an expense. It raises eyebrows at the IRS but there is a loophole as exercised by some Wall St firms and Fortune 500 companies.
Phil Jacobs is a good guy who sometimes has to make some tough decisions. I've known him personally for years and in my experience he's way above par for journalists.
ReplyDeleteAs far as the South Bend story goes, I think it must have happened before my son was there. It somewhat surprises me that the rosh yeshiva there would be accused of covering up. I'd expect that more from his brother, the rav, who is more of a politician and ambitious. I got the impression that the RY was a good man, though a bit naive, but maybe I was the one being naive.
There are many good men who are more concerned about their assets then they are about the children they are supposed to be teaching. When a rav covers up cases of childhood sexual abuse what lesson is he really teaching his young students?
ReplyDeleteI think we should all be asking rav Eisgrau (TI of Baltimore) what lesson he is teaching when he throws an eraser the head of one of his students?
you rabbis make me sick. i am not from around here and i live in the cleveland area. what if colmer decides to move to my neighborhood next? or what about the hundreds of other towns he can go to without anyone knowing who he is?
ReplyDeletei am sickended by how this is being handled.
can someone post a picture of colmer so we can be on alert.
rabbis must act and turn colmer in to the police. colmer must be registered as a sex offender and placed under watch.
New Airport X-Rays Scan Bodies, Not Just Bags
ReplyDeleteElaine Thompson/Associated Press
By PAUL GIBLIN and ERIC LIPTON
Published: February 24, 2007
PHOENIX, Feb. 23 — X-ray vision has come to the airport checkpoint here, courtesy of federal aviation security officials who have installed a new device that peeks underneath passengers’ clothing to search for guns, bombs or liquid explosives.
The X-ray image before software was used to blur bodily contours.
The new body scanning machine, which went into use on Friday at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and will be tested later at airports in Los Angeles and New York, will screen only volunteers, at least initially. Transportation Security Administration officials want to make sure the machine is reliable and fast enough to replace the traditional pat-down — and that it does not provoke too many protests.
Security officials examining the head-to-toe images work in a closed booth, hidden from public view, agency officials said Special “privacy” software intentionally blurs the image, creating an outline of a body that is clear enough to see a collarbone, bellybutton or weapon, but flattens details of revealing contours.
Kenneth Johnson, 64, of Mesa, was the first passenger screened on Friday in Phoenix. He said he had titanium implants in both shoulders and one knee that set off alarms at checkpoint metal detectors.
“I’ve been all over the world; I’ve been strip-searched,” Mr. Johnson, who was traveling to Florida, told an Associated Press reporter. “This was very easy.”
The vending-machine-size device, which costs about $110,000, will be used only when passengers are pulled aside for a more thorough check, known as secondary screening, after passing through a metal detector. Other scanning machines will be installed this year at Los Angeles International Airport and at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York.
The X-ray is not strong enough to penetrate much beyond the skin, so it cannot find weapons that may be hidden in body cavities.
“A lot of people aren’t really comfortable with a pat-down,” said Ellen Howe, a security agency spokeswoman, “so they may find this to be an alternative they may appreciate.” She added that the X-ray images would be destroyed immediately.
Aviation security officials are rushing to bring new screening devices to airports because of the London-based plot last summer to use liquid explosives to blow up airliners headed to the United States.
The devices now used at the nation’s airports, the X-ray machine for carry-on bags and the metal detector for passengers, rely on 1950s-era technology that cannot reliably detect liquid or plastic explosives.
It sounds like Ronnie is defending Phil Jacobs when he covered up many Baltimore molestation scandals over the years.
ReplyDeleteI hope I don't arouse UOJ's ire with my Peninim parsha sheet for parshas Teruma. I quoted R' Aizik Ausband that teruma "meitam" is a diyuk that you have to give what's dear to you. I then said over a mayseh with the Bialystocker Maggid who was upset at the working poor for not giving other aniyim nice clothes. I took this a step further and added that if you see a yeshiva rebbe or kollel yungerman with a yeshivishe jalopy car, you should make sure to contribute to get him an updated vehicle.
ReplyDeleteWhy won't Kolko even listen to what kinds of ideas we have?
ReplyDeleteScheinbaum,
ReplyDeleteWhat's your plan for pas bemelach tochal? Do you want my guys zipping around Lakewood in 2007 Range Rovers?
After Scotty came under fire for bashing a dead Rabbi Blumenkrantz while the body was still warm, he came up with a lame excuse or shall I say LIE that the rov "caused hardship to many people." Hmmm, isn't motzee shem ra on someone who can't even defend himself pretty low?
ReplyDeleteShmarya's blind rage at anyone with a yarmulka lately, prompted this:
http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2007/02/more_from_rabbi.html#comments
Sadly, I would also say that the most honest thing for Shmarya to do would be to close this blog with an announcement that he has disassociated himself from "Orthodox Judaism". As it is, he is not doing anyone a service with his misguided ranting.
As successful as Chabad and other communities are in attracting young Jews back to Avinu Shebashamayim, we are not in a perfect world, and there will always be failures of the system like Shmarya.
Maybe he made a mistake and should have chosen a more eclectic and less community standards oriented path than Chabad; maybe he just never found anyone to really serve as a role model, or maybe he was looking for perfection in an imperfect world, but it is clear he really has not found his place in Torah Judaism, and it would be best for him and for everyone else if he just left, even temporarily.
Best of luck to you in your search for truth, Shmarya. Many of us have found it in Torah Judaism, though, and you do yourself a big disservice by bashing what others have held dear since the beginnings of our existence as a people while apparently going through the motions of observance. Of course, Hashem is always here for you, and if you have not found the correct messenger to explain His ways to you, there is always time. It took me a while too, including separation from the community followed by physical relocation away from a place where the culture just didn't match for me, but I know that Torah is the truth even if the occasional naval birshus hatorah happens to cross paths with me.
Gut Shabbos,
Itzhak Schier
Maybe my shver Rabbi Scheinbaum is right. When Zumbach Motors on the West Side Highway had the Range Rover franchise, their motto was "it's a jungle out there." Maybe they were referring to Lakewood?
ReplyDeleteIt sounds like Ronnie is defending Phil Jacobs when he covered up many Baltimore molestation scandals over the years.
ReplyDeleteNot defending him, just saying that he's a decent guy. If you can prove that he's spiked stories about molesters do so.
Range Rovers are definitely the best SUVs in the world. The Range Rover Sport with the supercharged Jaguar V8 goes like stink too.
ReplyDeleteThe other Land Rover products may not be the best in their classes, but the Range Rover is the standard that other SUVs aspire to.
Ronnie, you can check with Jewish Survivors blogger if you think Awareness Center is now compromised. Phil Jacobs never covered any major story in town that had an element of abuse. Even when major arrests were made.
ReplyDeleteAs far as Land / Range Rover, they may be luxurious and have robust undercarriages but they rate miserably on safety and rollover ratings.