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Friday, December 10, 2010

Orthodox Jews Begin to Reckon with Sexual Abuse!


http://www.religiondispatches.org/archive/sexandgender/3258/orthodox_jews_begin_to_reckon_with_sexual_abuse

A manhunt has been underway this week for Brooklyn Rabbi Gershon Kranczer and his 21-year-old son Asher in connection with the sexual abuse of four of the rabbi’s female relatives. Two more of the rabbi’s sons, Yechezkel, 24, and a 15-year-old who cannot be named for legal reasons, have already turned themselves in to police.

The case is certainly odd. 58-year-old Rabbi Kranczer, of Midwood, has 14 children and the abuse, according to the New York City Police Department, has been limited to incidents within the rabbi’s family.

But the hunt for Kranczer comes at a time when federal agencies are taking a more proactive approach to prosecuting abuse in the Orthodox community. In Brooklyn last year, about 25 Orthodox men were arrested on sex abuse charges. This year in Lakewood, New Jersey, a predominantly Orthodox community, the local prosecutor has launched 29 sex crime investigations.

According to law enforcement officials in New Jersey and New York, more Orthodox abuse victims are coming forward than ever before. But perhaps more importantly, sexual abuse itself, once taboo, has become an increasingly talked about issue within the Orthodox world. Just a couple of months ago, two of the country’s largest and most influential Orthodox organizations, the Rabbinical Council of America and the Orthodox Union, co-sponsored America’s first National Jewish Child Abuse Prevention Week.

There’s nothing to suggest that sexual abuse is any more or less prevalent in the Orthodox community than anywhere else; but there are a number of peculiarities to Orthodox Jewish life that have made the reporting of abuse less common than in society at large.

“I think the subject of abuse is probably the same in any religious community,” says Michael Salomon, a Long Island psychiatrist, who has just finished working on an as-yet-unpublished book about sexual abuse in the Orthodox world.

“Different religions use different justifications for not reporting,” he says. “But it comes down to the theory that religious issues should be handled within the religious community, even though the powers that be within the community do not have the power to investigate and to prosecute.”

For many years, Orthodox rabbis have dissuaded victims and their families from going to the secular authorities with their claims of abuse. But as the Catholic Church has discovered at great cost, suppressing abuse allegations only makes the issue more damaging to the religious institution when it is finally exposed.

At the recent sentencing of an Orthodox abuser in Brooklyn, the mother of one victim, who did not wish to be named, told me: “They can’t keep it quiet any more. There are too many people screaming about it.”

Going to Secular Authorities can have Terrible Consequences

In fact, there are many similarities between the way in which the Catholic Church and the Orthodox community have dealt with abuse. Both are closed, conservative communities. Both have a hierarchy and an infrastructure built around the idea that they are responsible for policing themselves. And both are deeply suspicious of the outside world and its values. Catholic and Orthodox officials even joined forces last year to block a bill in the New York State legislature that would have temporarily lifted the statute of limitations on abuse claims.

But the similarities end there. The Orthodox movement is much smaller than the Catholic Church and doesn’t have an overarching figure like the Pope to make decisions. In the Pope’s place are countless rabbinic leaders and authorities who wield enormous influence over their followers.

Mark Dratch, a modern Orthodox rabbi and former vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America, says the influence of rabbinic opinion over everyday life—known as da’as torah—has increased considerably during the past few decades.

“There is a growing authoritarianism in the Orthodox community today,” says Rabbi Dratch. “There is a hierarchy and a deference to rabbinic opinion and these two forces play off each other.”

This means that the success of initiatives to hunt down abusers in the Orthodox community ultimately rests with the rabbis. And if the recent case of Yosef Kolko, a 36-year-old Orthodox schoolteacher, is any guide, the Orthodox world still has a long way to go. Kolko, of New Jersey, pleaded not guilty earlier this year to charges that he sexually abused a boy at a Jewish summer camp. Rather than supporting the alleged victim, the community rallied to Kolko’s defense.

Historically, abuse victims and their families have often been urged—and then bribed or threatened—not to go to the police. Jewish customs and concepts, such as mesirah (not informing on a fellow Jew to the secular authorities), chilul hashem (the desecration of God’s name) and lashon hara (spreading gossip) are invoked to coerce people into keeping quiet. Going to a secular court without a rabbi’s permission can be interpreted as violating Jewish law. Simply speaking out can have terrible consequences.

Last year, Yehoshua Finkelstein, a 20-year-old abuse victim from the Orthodox enclave of Lakewood, New Jersey, died of an overdose in an apparent suicide. After his death, Shua’s parents discovered a letter he had written criticizing the Jewish community for not facing up to the problem of sexual abuse. They published the letter online, reigniting the debate over abuse. Shortly afterwards, their house was destroyed in a suspected arson attack.

The boy who now claims to have been abused by Yosef Kolko also comes from Lakewood. After the boy’s father—himself a rabbi—went to the police, a flier was distributed naming the father and accusing him of making “a mockery of the Torah” and of committing a chilul hashem.

A friend of Kolko’s, Shaul Luban, sent a text message to members of the community urging them to pressure the father not to testify. Luban has since been charged with witness tampering and faces up to five years in prison. Meanwhile, nine leading Lakewood rabbis issued a proclamation telling followers that if they suspect a case of abuse they must go to a religious court, known as a beth din, before alerting the secular authorities.

Protecting Children vs. Religious Concerns

The Orthodox community’s reliance upon beth dins is one of the central stumbling blocks to combating sexual abuse. Typically comprised of three rabbis, they rule on family and business disputes such as divorce, inheritance, and contractual disagreements. Small Jewish communities usually have a single beth din while larger communities, like those found in New York and New Jersey, may have many. These include beth dins that specialize in sexual abuse, though they are few; Rabbi Basil Herring, executive vice president of the Rabbinical Council of America, says there are probably no more than two or three in the country.

Perhaps unsurprisingly, beth din rabbis are often reluctant to speak about their work. Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, executive vice president emeritus of the Orthodox Union, says that a beth din that investigates sexual abuse is usually comprised of rabbis with some knowledge or experience of abuse cases. They may also enlist the services of a consultant, such as a mental health professional or an attorney.

Says Rabbi Weinreb. “It’s very difficult to assess an accusation of sexual abuse. It’s a basic rule in the whole field, especially when children are involved, that it’s hard to know how much credence to give to what they say.”

“However, there are experts in the field who know how to conduct these kinds of investigations and any beth din worth its salt will make sure they have some expert working with them so they can evaluate the situation.”

Rabbi Weinreb says that the Orthodox Union does not have an official policy on reporting sexual abuse. Instead, it directs people to the Rabbinical Council of America, which adopted a resolution earlier this year stating that informing the secular authorities does not violate Jewish law.

Nevertheless, as long as some community leaders insist that the beth din must be informed first, it will remain a route that many religious families take. And only if the beth din deems the allegation to be true will the family be permitted to go to the authorities.

Ocean County Prosecutor Marlene Lynch Ford, who brought the case against Yosef Kolko, is concerned that such actions limit a prosecutor’s ability to secure a conviction. “By having a diversion to a different type of tribunal, no matter how well intentioned the people involved are, it ultimately makes the job of getting a criminal conviction more difficult,” she says.

Furthermore, such practices may be illegal. Reporting laws related to sexual abuse differ by state. But there are few, if any, conditions under which an adult is not bound to report child sexual abuse to the authorities. In New Jersey, any adult with reasonable suspicion of child abuse must report their suspicion to the authorities, says Ford.

However, Ford admits that sexual abuse is a delicate issue and she is under no illusions that victims of all faiths often approach religious leaders for moral and spiritual guidance before going to the authorities.

“This is a type of crime in which people reflect on what the ramifications are to the victim and to their family,” she said.

“But when we are faced with the potential of repetitive and compulsive offenders, who are not amenable to treatment and who may, in fact, be a serial abuser, it’s in the interest of the state to bring to justice and remove these people from the community so they do not assault again.”

“When it comes to abuse, there’s an overriding state interest in protecting children and I think that has to trump religious concerns.”

49 comments:

Anonymous said...

very badly written article. many facts are completely wrong. this writer could have just come to this site to find correct information rather than make up incorrect stuff.

Lubavitcher Ostriches said...

"For many years, Orthodox rabbis have dissuaded victims and their families from going to the secular authorities with their claims of abuse. But as the Catholic Church has discovered at great cost, suppressing abuse allegations only makes the issue more damaging to the religious institution when it is finally exposed."

Tell that to Rabbis Avraham Asdaba and Jacob Shvei of the Beth Din of Crown Heights who issued a letter on December 1, 2010, with the original documents as reported in the New York Times Debate Starts on Crown Heights Rabbis’ Gag Order December 10, 2010:

"To the Residents of Crown Heights...Effective immediately, the following shall be binding on every individual in this community:...

4) No one shall bring to any media outlet, information about any resident that could, if publicized, lead to an investigation or intensified prosecution by any law-enforcement agency.

5) All Police relations are to be conducted only by the designated representative of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council and by no other person
...."

So does that mean if a child is molested or a woman is raped in Crown Heights, or in any one of hundreds of Chabad schools, centers or communities world wide that take all their cues from Crown Heights, that they must first check in with Chabad World Headquarters and its Beth Din to "ask permission" if it's ok to call 911 if an unspeakable sexual offense and crime has been perpetrated to ask for police protection, or file a police report, and to press charges?

What do the wise men of Crown Heights say?

Lubavitcher Ostriches said...

"The New York Times, N.Y. / Region, City Room, December 10, 2010, 2:14 pm

Debate Starts on Crown Heights Rabbis’ Gag Order

By ANDY NEWMAN

A debate on free speech is rippling through the Lubavitcher Hasidic community in Crown Heights, Brooklyn.

Last week, the rabbinical court known as the Beth Din of Crown Heights ordered members of the Lubavitcher community not to speak to the police or the news media on a range of issues related to crime.

The one-page edict (see below) bars members of the community of 20,000 from giving the news media information about another community member that could lead to “an investigation or intensified prosecution by any law enforcement agency.”

It also requires the permission of a powerful social service agency, the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, for any of the following: filing complaints about the police; complaining about the police to the news media; publishing articles critical of the police; or engaging in “police relations.”

Now, a law school graduate and Lubavitcher who lives in the neighborhood has sent a letter to the Beth Din criticizing the policy.

“Besides the fact that this proclamation violates democratic principles and values as well as victims’ right laws and is therefore against Jewish law because Jewish law requires we follow the law of our country, it is demeaning to victims of police mistreatment,” wrote Eliyahu Federman, a 2010 graduate of CUNY School of Law, where he was executive articles editor of the law review.

Mr. Federman’s letter, sent Thursday, is reproduced below, too."

Crown Heights Rabbinical Gag Order

Response to Gag Order"

Lubavitcher Ostriches said...

"New York Daily News, Local, Brooklyn, EXCLUSIVE,

Rabbinical court to Lubavitchers: Quit yer snitchin' about cops, crime to outsiders

BY Simone Weichselbaum
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Friday, December 10th 2010, 4:00 AM

[Caption: The Beth Din of Crown Heights has ordered an estimated 10,000 members of the Lubavitch Hasidic sect not to gripe about cops or blab about crimes to outsiders.]

A Brooklyn rabbinical court has a new commandment for the thousands of religious Jews under its jurisdiction: Thou shall not snitch.

The Beth Din of Crown Heights has ordered an estimated 10,000 members of the Lubavitch Hasidic sect not to gripe about cops or blab about crimes to outsiders.

"No one shall bring to any media outlet information about any resident that could, if publicized, lead to an investigation or intensified prosecution by any law enforcement agency," reads an edict issued last week.

The five-point order also bans talking to reporters about police or posting on websites critical of cops.

The court ruled that only the nonprofit Crown Heights Jewish Community Council can conduct "police relations" on behalf of Lubavitchers.

The rules appear to be so broadly written that they could be interpreted as ordering victims of police abuse not to talk to other investigators or federal authorities.

Zaky Tamir, chairman of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, insisted yesterday the edict is meant only to stop people from going around leaders on issues that affect the entire neighborhood.

"No one should represent themselves as speaking on behalf of Crown Heights as a whole," said Tamir, a criminal defense lawyer.

Tamir said the edict arose after an ongoing beef between rival civilian patrol groups in the neighborhood spilled into the public arena.

Last month, a Daily News story that evolved from the battle revealed that a Hasidic man fled to Israel after he was accused of beating the son of a cop.

The ruling said relations between the community and cops have been damaged "by people who have pursued a personal agenda."

NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said the department doesn't have a position on rabbinical court opinions, but there are a number of ways to report police conduct.

"The Police Department encourages the public to use any one of various vehicles to available to it to file complaints against police, including the independent Civilian Complain Review Board," he said.

The ultra-Orthodox Lubavitchers live under strict rules governing almost every facet of their lives. Some said the new edict goes too far. Anyone in the insular community who runs afoul of the rules faces intense pressure to conform.

"We have rights as a U.S. citizen to complain about the police," said Brooklyn college student Yosef Bergovoy, 23.

Bergovoy groused to a television station last month after cops gave him a ticket for standing on the sidewalk.

One of the foremost charities in the neighborhood, the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council offers helps with everything from food stamps to housing to passports.

It is under the umbrella of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, one of New York's largest social service agencies."

Kranc Iz Er ("sick is he" in Yiddish) said...

The tale of Gershon Kranczer, the Krancer aka Kranc-iz-er, 5

Now that word has gone out that Kranczer der Krancer spent many long years becoming a "true ben-Torah" in the Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin in Flatbush, Midwood, Brooklyn where he lived and worked, and developed the closest of bonds with its head Rabbi Aron Shechter, so much so that when Kranczer left the Chaim Berlin Yeshiva's Kollel Gur Aryeh graduate school to set up his own yeshiva for developmentally disabled boys from Haredi homes, it was none other than Rabbi Shechter who served as his constant "da'as Toireh" and 100% supportive enabler to the hilt, writing the most profuse and flowery haskomas (approbations) and letters of support for the great one, Gershon der Krancer.

After all, someone as "Toiradik" as Gershon Kranczer would never dream of making a move without a "gadol" and no one gets to set up any yeshiva, even one for slow boys, without the green light from the Flatbush, Brooklyn Capo di tutti capi of yeshivas who sits on the elite Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel, and controls its every breath, as he does that of Torah Umesorah and by extension even of the Young Israel and OU, through the octopus financial dealings, connections and holdings of his banker Abe the Knave Fruchthandler, the president of Chaim Berlin yeshiva.

Kranczer is one shrewd dude with nerves of steel. How else can one explain how he could have pulled such a Houdini con-man heist for so long, speaking softly with that calm soothing voice of his, learning like a true masmid, davening like an elevated tzadik, talking like a special yerei shomayim, darshaning like a velt's maggid, openly mekareving anyone who he bumped into, hotly shnorring gelt from the velt, charging grand tuitions, getting Yidden to give him their sons who were damaged beyond repair, yet behind closed doors he was a total uncontrollable sex maniac dragging his sons into his perversions and violating his own daughters on Biblical proportions worthy of the acts of despicable and doomed Sodom.

Kranc Iz Er ("sick is he" in Yiddish) said...

The tale of Gershon Kranczer, the Krancer aka Kranc-iz-er, 6

Gershon der Krancer also happens to be a KOHEN !!!! Yup, a genuine one, and of course, so are his sons. They prayed in the Chaim Berlin Yeshiva every year for the High Holy Days services on Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur, as well as on many other religious holidays and times.

Some of the Kranczer sons attended the Chaim Berlin Yeshiva, from elementary school through high school. It is hard to imagine that none of the supposedly very smart rabbis working there, especially the paranoid Aron Shechter's enforcer Mr. Smarty Pants Yonosan Max, the "dorm mashgiach" with his specially-designed central office that has listening devices implanted in every dorm room and has a network of spies and snoops, besides having a good nose for gossip, hearsay, trouble, could not spot what was going on literally behind the covers of the extended Kranczer clan that had "trouble" written over each and every one of them.

It is not as if the Kranczers were not noticeable. The father and sons took up one whole table to themselves when they prayed in the main Chaim Berlin bais medrash. They were prominent among the Kohanim who went up to duchen (bless) the "oilem" -- imagine getting "blessed" by pedophiles, incestuous, sex-maniac "priests"! -- yet no one in the entire Chaim Berlin complex latched on that something was horribly wrong with this lot? Unless they just turned a blind eye to trouble on the horizon by feeding Kranczer's ego and coffers instead of shutting him down, shutting him up, and shutting him out when they should years ago.

Sure there were rumors, some complaints here and there, some suspicions, but you know, when dealing with lomdisha yeshivisha ubber-Chaim Berliners, they will say you need a hasra'a (warning), two kosher eidim (witnesses, and women are excluded) who see the actual perversions taking place, that must come before a bais din, maybe even take an oath, and then face interrogation. But that is also known by lomdisha perverts like dear old Gershon der Krancer, who can then make up his own twisted and krumme shitas (arguments) to justify raping his own daughters.

And one must assume that what he did was a SHITA, a thought out way of life, and one must assume that he did it deliberately working on some delusional vision of himself and the "special allowances" he had given himself. This is not far-fetched because it's what Shabtai Tzvi advocated, that the laws of sexual immorality (arayos) no longer applied to one as "holy" as he.

It's actually not as uncommon as people think, because this is a common way of life in cults where the cult leader is entitled to ask and receive ANY sexual favors from his cult's members who are there either voluntarily or not.

Gershon der Krancer's hypnotic powers of persuasion should not be under-estimated. He may have goo-goo eyes but he is very friendly, charming and charismatic. A true psychopath of the first order.

Psychopath/y is "the term used for a personality disorder characterized by an abnormal lack of empathy combined with strongly amoral conduct but masked by an ability to appear outwardly normal."

Dr. Bungalow Hundt said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/12/business/12madoff.html?hp=&pagewanted=print

Mark Madoff hung himself with a dog leash? Rabbi Margulies should be put on suicide watch as a precaution.

Shmarya groupie said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/opinion/10iht-edcohen.html

It's about time someone sided with Shmarya!

Anonymous said...

Eli Schmeltzer heading to Toronto.

He was fired from Mesivta in Miami Beach under allegations.

And then welcomed convicted sex offender Chaim Siegal to his kollel.

Twerski Shmerski said...

"The Jewish Press, Letters To The Editor, Dec 08 2010:

Clarification Re Abuse Lecture

In Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum's My Machberes column of Dec. 3, he shared a brief summary of the presentation I gave at the Agudath Israel Convention about protecting children. I need to clarify the very brief statement made, since it can easily be quoted out of context.

This workshop was intended as a health and safety awareness presentation. It was not to address issues of halacha (I am not a posek), politics (I am not a politician), or law (I am not a lawyer). Despite having personal opinions on some of these issues, I do not possess or claim qualification to rule on any of them. There are many poskim who favor reporting any allegations of abuse to authorities immediately. Others differ. My statement about reporting was with regards to immediate danger.

My opinions notwithstanding, there is a halachic issue about whether abuse allegations should involve secular authorities. My consistent response to questions on this is that a halachic authority should be consulted (many of whom urge reporting). The audience at the convention involved people from many locations, so state laws involved also vary, and limiting references to just New York or New Jersey would have also been misleading. Such questions were also handled similarly.

Since the audience was viewed as being comprised of parents, the comments were about how parents could improve safety. There is equally much to say about how our yeshivas and schools could improve safety.

One introductory statement is worth repeating. Molestation is a small part of the greater scope of abuse that challenges the safety of our children. It gets media attention, but is less that 10 percent (according to statistics cited in the workshop). While it should not be minimized, it is unfair to the remainder of abuses to attend only to this.

Benzion Twerski, Ph.D.

Brooklyn, NY"

Rav Moshe Sternbuch said...

Part One:

"Friday, November 12, 2010

Rav Sternbuch's view on calling police

Consulting rabbi before calling social services or police

Excerpt of Synopsis read & corrected by Rav Sternbuch - as printed in Child & Domestic Abuse Vol I pages page 109-100

Despite the fact that the halacha is clear that a child molester should be reported to the police and in fact it is often required by secular law - the poskim generally state that a rabbi should be consulted first. It is obvious of course that if waiting to consult a rabbi results in danger or harm to the child - that the police should be informed without consulting a rabbi.
In the normal case where there is time, however, why should it be necessary to consult a rabbi? Rav Sternbuch commented that where there are serious consequences of making a mistake - it is required that a rabbi be consulted for the sake of objectivity. Even if there is little chance of making a mistake, he said that a rabbi needs to be consulted “so the world should not be hefker (without structure and authority).”

In addition in this area besides the danger of misunderstanding information, there is also the possibility of false accusations. Students who want to settle a score with teachers or divorcing couples whose lawyers advise them to make false accusations to gain custody are a danger which a rabbi can help prevent. In most cases there is no danger to a child by consulting a rav first and if there is concern that there will be then the police should be contacted. It is always best to consult a rabbi who has a lot of experience in these matters and especially once who has close relations with mental health professions and government social agencies and the police. Even after consulting a psychologist or lawyer, a rabbi should still be consulted before going to the police. Not just because of the reasons already discussed, but also as protection against those who mistakenly consider all informing the police as being prohibited. These elements can not only harass those who go to the police but they can cause severe damage to them by their slander and criticism of the entire family."

Rav Moshe Sternbuch said...

Part Two:

"Rav Sternbuch's view on calling police

Rejecting a rabbis psak when he says not to go to the police

One frequently encountered problem is when there is clear evidence of child abuse and yet the rabbi consulted says not to go to the police. He might say that the molester promised never to do it again or that the molester’s family or community or yeshiva might suffer significant financial losses or embarrassment. In other words if the rabbi is saying to sacrifice children for the sake of money or embarrassment or the disgrace to the community, it is clear however that this view has no basis in Jewish law. We don’t sacrifice innocent people for the sake of negative consequences to others. Rav Moshe Sternbuch commented that that any rav who would say such a thing is not practicing as a rav. A rabbi has an obligation to provide protection to the victim. By definition it seems it is an unjust ruling. Any rabbi who makes such a ruling may be ignorant of either the halacha or he doesn’t understand what the molesting or wife abuse causes. Therefore if there is time - another rabbi should be consulted.

However an alternative reason that a rabbi might say not to report the molester is that he feels he can guarantee protection for children against the molester. For example he might threaten the molester with a severe beating or provides supervision or he claims the molester has repented and won’t abuse again. He might also claim he can provide therapy equal or better to a psychologist. While these seem to be logically equivalent to the police, the likelihood that they will be effective is not very high. Therefore one should find a competent rabbi who agrees that the police should be informed in the case of actual abuse. Rav Sternbuch commented that only a known talmid chachom posek can posken these problems."

Media Questions Hynes said...

"Spero news, Friday, December 10, 2010

The duplicity of the media and civil libertarians

By William Donohue

A nun is accused of embezzling $1.2 million from Iona College, a Catholic institution outside New York City. A rabbinical court in Brooklyn orders its members not to report crimes to the police. Two New York stories: one about Sister Marie Thornton, the alleged thief; the other about the Beth Din of Crown Heights. Which one interests the media?

The story on the nun is being carried on the front page of Google's "New York" section, and has been picked up by Yahoo!, the AP, UPI, the Wall Street Journal, the New York Daily News, the New York Post, USA Today, Huffington Post, and dozens of other media outlets. The story on the rabbinical court has been picked up by the New York Daily News and Gomathist.com. That's it. The story about the Jewish court is a week old; the one on the nun broke today.

In an edict to its 10,000 members, the Beth Din of Crown Heights warned against creating bad relations with the police. Fine. But it also said [click here and see #4] that "No one shall bring to any media outlet, information about any resident that could, if publicized, lead to an investigation or intensified prosecution by any law-enforcement agency." In other words, if a rabbi rapes a kid, no one is to report it to the cops.

I am writing to Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes asking him if he would have any objections if the Diocese of Brooklyn adopted the same policy.

Moreover, since it is okay during election years for African-American ministers to endorse politicians in their churches, and it is okay to spend public funds for prayer rugs and foot baths for Muslims, the time has come for Catholic bishops to a) order their priests not to report crimes to the police b) endorse politicians at Mass and c) demand public monies for kneelers and holy water receptacles.

Contact the Brooklyn D.A.:

hynesc@brooklynda.org "

Media Questions Hynes said...

"Spero News, Friday, December 10, 2010

Brooklyn NY prosecutor responds regarding edict by a Jewish religious court

Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments on an e-mail he received from Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes regarding an edict by a rabbinical court in Brooklyn instructing its members not to report crimes to the police.

I am happy to report that Brooklyn D.A. Charles Hynes responded quickly and honestly to my news release on the Beth Din of Crown Heights controversy.

Hynes said, in part, "In the 21 years I've served as Brooklyn's District Attorney I have never been deterred by anyone including the various Beth Dins in Brooklyn from fulfilling my responsibilities as the Chief Law Enforcement Official of Kings County."

He went on to say that "nothing can interfere with my authority to investigate and prosecute any allegation of crime in my County."

This is reassuring. I want to make it clear that D.A. Hynes has the support of the Catholic League—we very much appreciate his forthrightness.

Feel free to convey your thanks, as well.

Contact:

hynesc@brooklynda.org "

Shmarya groupie said...

http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/2010/12/13/us/AP-US-Gays-in-Military-Lawsuit.html?hp

Discharged Gay Veterans Sue for Reinstatement

Moetzes Resign! said...

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/13/paterson-aide-involved-in-domestic-dispute-is-fired/?hpw

Paterson Aide Involved in Domestic Dispute Is Fired

Sonja Kohn said...

http://dealbook.nytimes.com/2010/12/10/madoff-trustee-seeks-19-6-billion-from-austrian-banker/?hp

Madoff Trustee Seeks $19.6 Billion From Austrian Banker

UOJ gets results said...

Filed at 2:58 p.m. EST

LONDON (AP) — A defrocked California priest made notorious by an award-winning documentary on sex abuse in the Catholic church has been detained by Irish authorities on child pornography charges, police said Monday.

Irish police said in a statement that Oliver O'Grady had been arrested in the Dublin area Friday morning but gave few details about the exact nature of his alleged crime. The 65-year-old was made the subject of an award-winning 2006 documentary, "Deliver Us from Evil," in which he spoke openly of abusing more than 20 children as he was shuffled from one parish to another in California through the 1970s and 80s.

Convicted in 1994 of molesting two brothers, he served almost seven years in a U.S. prison before being deported to his native Ireland.

Earlier this year the Dutch Catholic Church came under fire after it emerged that O'Grady had been working as church volunteer in the city of Rotterdam. O'Grady had been living in the country under another name, but parishioners recognized him when "Deliver Us from Evil" was aired on Dutch television in April. By that time, the disgraced cleric had already left the country.

In June survivors of O'Grady's abuse expressed outrage when the northern California's Stockton Diocese announced that he would receive monthly payments totaling nearly $100,000 over 10 years as part of a deal to get him to leave the priesthood.

The Stockton Diocese, about 60 miles east of San Francisco, has been hit with a slew of lawsuits over O'Grady's actions.

UOJ GETS RESULTS! said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/health/policy/14health.html?hp

A federal district judge in Virginia ruled on Monday that the keystone provision in the Obama health care law is unconstitutional

Free lunch for Shmarya and his favorite people said...

More than two-thirds of New York City's public school students will begin getting more nutritious free lunches under First Lady Michelle Obama's pet project.

President Obama signed into law yesterday the $4.5 billion Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act, which expands the free lunch program and requires that schools provide more lunches.

R' Dovid Epstein said...

http://spectrum.columbiaspectator.com/spectrum/prof-david-epstein-charged-with-incest-with-daughter

The Daily News reports that Columbia University political science professor David Epstein, 46, was charged today with having a sexual relationship with a young female relative. He faces a single felony incest count. If convicted, he’ll face up to four years in prison.

UPDATE (8:40 p.m.): According to NYPD, the young female relative is Epstein’s daughter, age 24. He was arrested yesterday at 11 a.m. and charged with one count of incest in the third degree.

Crown Heights said...

It is no secret that the Brooklyn Administration for Childrens Services ("ACS") and the Brooklyn Family Court Judges routinely get pressured by the Crown Heights Chabad Community to either squash or destroy any and all Sexual Abuse allegations or investigations against Crown Heights residents/sexual abusers.

If you are a Pedophile/Child Sexual Abuser, move to Crown Heights, New York.

The FBI, NYPD, and ACS is powerless to either investigate, prosecute, or convict you there.

And Mayor Bloomberg, Governor-elect Andrew Cuomo, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, and Rep. Anthony Weiner will do nothing to help those sexually abused children either.

Rav Moshe Sternbuch said...

Part Three:

"Beis Din: Is it irrelevant?

One of the major issues raised in child abuse cases is the claim that the halacha requires that a Jew must use a beis din and not go to secular courts. This in fact is clearly codified in Shulchan Aruch.

Shulchan Aruch(C.M. 26:1): It is prohibited to have a case judged by non‑Jewish judges in their courts (i.e., fixed chambers where they judge cases). This prohibition applies even when the non‑Jewish judges make judgments according to Jewish law and even where both litigants agree to go. Whoever goes to them for judgment is a wicked person (rasha). It is as if he blasphemed and raised his hand against the Torah of Moshe. Rema: Beis din can place him in cherem (ostracize them) until he removes the authority of non‑Jews from his disputant and similarly he can be ostracized for going. Even if someone doesn’t have a non‑Jewish court judge the case but uses non‑Jews to force another to go to a Jewish court, deserves to be punished by being placed in stocks… Someone who goes to a non‑Jewish court and is found guilty according to their laws and then he goes to a Jewish court – some say that the Jewish court is not to judge the case and others say that it is…and the first view appears to me to be correct.

However, the halacha also states if beis din is powerless to resolve the case than it is supposed to give permission to go to secular courts.

Shulchan Aruch(C.M. 26:2): If the non‑Jews are the controlling power and the litigant is powerful in his own right and therefore the person can not recover what is his by the authority of the Jewish court – he should first summon his opponent to the Jewish court. If his opponent refuses to go – he should obtain permission from the Jewish court and then use the non‑Jewish court to recover what is his from his opponent. Rema: The Jewish court has the right to go to the non‑Jewish court and to testify that one person owes the other money. All this is only if one of the litigants refuses to obey the Jewish court. Otherwise it is prohibited for a Jewish court to give authorization for Jews to have their dispute presented to a non‑Jewish court.

In reality, it seems that when gedolim get involved in cases that they know beis din is helpless they go directly to secular courts e.g., the dispute of inheritance in Satmer or the Lubavitcher Rebbe's attempt to retrieve a libary - or Michael Hersh's absurd lawsuit for $411 million dollars.
One such case is the current dispute between Ponovitch of Bnei Brak and Grodno of Ashdod. Ashdod News

It is important to point out that the requirement to go to beis din is true only when we need a trial and want to establish if someone is guilty or owes money. However, if we are dealing with issues of pikuach nefesh and are concerned only with protecting the innocent victim then there is no need of a beis din at all - except as Rav Sternbuch said, to me, "so that the world won't be hefker." And even that aspect is only true if it doesn't endanger the welfare of anyone."

Rav Moshe Sternbuch said...

Part Four:

"Rav Moshe Sternbuch, shlita - Guidelines for calling the Police

There is a widespread impression that the police and the chareidi world have an inherently antagonistic relationship. There is also a widespread perception that the chareidi world is more concerned with covering up crimes such as child or wife abuse and that pedophiles are given free run. In other words there is a perception that the chareidi community is more worried by adverse publicity then it is about the welfare of the individual.

This Shabbos I had an intensive discussion with Rav Moshe Sternbuch, shlita about these issues.

1) Child Molesters

He stated without hesitation and said that I can quote him - that if one knows that children are being molested that one should call the police. He noted that there is an important distinction to keep in mind. One calls the police when it is clear that someone is still in danger. Thus one does not automatically call the police concerning an event that took place once and is not going to be repeated. In such a case one should first consult with a rav. When I mentioned that many rabbis apparently felt differently – he dismissed such a view as being wrong. He noted also that it is important for the community rabbis to have a good working relationship with the police. That means that the police need to be sensitive to the needs and nature of the chareidi community and the community needs to be understanding of the police. He said that there is such a relationship with many police forces.

The rule is summarized simply – if one knows that someone is being physically abused or will be abused than it is required to call the police after consulting a rabbi who agrees he is a future danger as is common in such cases.


2) Vigilante actions

I mentioned the issue of vigilante actions in the chareidi community and whether they are to be praised or condemned. He noted that there are unfortunately disturbed and misguided individuals in the chareidi community – as there are in other communities. The general rule is not to make a public protest when the problem is rare and insignificant. He said that it only encourages these individuals when their activities are publicized. However if they progress beyond this stage then it is important to take action. He mentioned the Bedatz dealt last year with vigilantes who burned down a clothing store in Geula. I mentioned the recent incident in Beitar. He said he condemned such behavior. If it is clearly not a rare act of a disturbed person then it needs to be dealt with.
[This is also related to the recent outbreak of burglaries in Har Nof where Rav Sternbuch lives. The unanimous ruling of the rabbonim of Har Nof is that one can call the police on Shabbos if one witnesses a break-in as there is also life danger involved. As is explained in Shmiras Shabbos K’hilchosa (41:25-29) – this is because the possible danger associated with these break-ins. See also Aruch HaShulchan (C.M. 388:7). Tzitz Eliezer (19:52) also permitted calling the police in the case of teacher molesting his students. He based his psak on the Aruch HaShulchan.]"

Shloimie Isaacson said...

http://www.philly.com/dailynews/local/20101208_Plastic_surgeon_s_license_ordered_suspended_after_bribe_attempts.html

Richard Glunk, the plastic surgeon who recently lost his appeal of a $20 million medical-malpractice verdict that involved the death of a Delaware County teenager, is still offering free consultations for liposuction and other procedures.

But Glunk's ability to nip or tuck might be curbed for a couple of months because of allegations that he tried to bribe a Hasidic rabbi who is on the state Board of Medicine.

In a ruling released last week, Glunk was ordered to pay a $5,000 civil penalty, relinquish his license for at least 60 days and take classes in ethics, professionalism or related topics.

The medical board's hearing examiner concluded that Glunk had tried to bribe Rabbi Solomon Isaacson, who is also a political fundraiser, with a $5,000 contribution to Bob Brady's 2007 mayoral campaign and another $5,000 to Isaacson's Philadelphia synagogue.

Glunk, whose office is in King of Prussia, had met Isaacson through Gary Barbera, the Northeast Philly car dealer who pleaded guilty in May to filing false tax returns.

The hearing examiner wrote that Glunk, who lives in Malvern, had no interest in Brady's mayoral campaign or the synagogue but that his contacts with Isaacson "were made with the intent to influence him in his capacity as a board member to corrupt the adjudicatory process and influence the outcome of the disciplinary proceeding."

Glunk angrily denies the bribery allegation, saying that the hearing examiner was "extremely" biased against him and ignored inconsistencies in Isaacson's testimony.

Ahnold said...

http://thehill.com/images/stories/aha.jpg

SACRAMENTO, Calif. (KGO) -- A holiday tradition continued Tuesday at the state capitol. Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a group of Hasidic rabbis danced the hora to celebrate Hanukkah.

Anonymous said...

http://abclocal.go.com/kgo/story?section=news/local/east_bay&id=7841022

A San Leandro man molested an 8-year-girl at a Bay Area Walmart store Monday, the second such attack in less than two weeks.

29-year-old San Leandro resident Carlyle Villazon was arrested Friday after two good Samaritans jumped in to help. Police are calling those men heroes. They are also reluctant heroes. One of them did not want to do television interviews to talk about what happened.

Police say predators know how easy it is for kids to become separated from their parents in large stores and they are warning parents to keep their children close during this busy shopping season.

The girl wandered away from her mother for a split-second to look for her little brother. She became distracted in the toy aisle and that, police say, is when Villazon snuck up from behind and assaulted her. He ran for the exit and removed his hat and coat as a disguise, but the girl spotted him near the garden department. Her mother screamed. One shopper tackled Villazon.

Less than two weeks ago, a 2-year-old girl was assaulted by a registered sex offender in a Union City Dollar Tree store. She had been separated from her grandmother for less than a minute.

Disgusting OU behavior said...

The poor mashgiach and his mashgicha wife who the OU lynched for blowing the whistle on kashrus violations at Montefiore hospital have been reduced to begging in front of shuls so that they can pay rent, heating bills and put food on the table.

The OU is lying and even staged a phony "independent" audit to cover up their crimes with a rabbi who they think no one knows is on the OU payroll.

Fressers Incorporated said...

http://forward.com/workspace/assets/images/articles/chart2.jpg

All of UOJ's favorite figures making upwards of $600,000 a year are getting big fat raises during the worst economic times in 80 years.

This is Abe Foxman, Midget Marvin & Ho Ho Hoenlein

Chaim Dovid Zweibel received no raise from $152,000

Torah Umesorah's Tzvi Bloom took a 12% pay cut to bring him down to $108,000

OU, RCA & Young Israel are refusing to provide data for Steven Weil, Pickled Herring & Chometz for Pesach Lerner

Bernie Madoff said...

http://philanthropy.com/article/Two-Dozen-Nonprofits-Face/125702/

December 10, 2010

Two Dozen Nonprofits Face Lawsuits Over Madoff Fraud

Chesed Congregations of America

United Congregations Mesora

Both of these organizations are represented by the same agent in Manhattan.

Chesed Congs. is based at 617 6th St in Lakewood. Did "CEO" invest the BMG's money with Madoff?

United Mesora is Zev Wolfson and his sons in the 5 Towns.

http://www.mccombs.utexas.edu/faculty/clemens.sialm/barrons020507.pdf

The Dow Jones publication Barron's says Mesora is controlled by the Wolfsons and was used by them to pump money into the A.R. Baron fraud.

The biggest single source of funding for the Gateways kiruv organization might be coming from the Wolfsons who also pumped money into the scam at D.H. Blair run by their convicted criminal friends whom the modern orthodox D.R.S. yeshiva in the 5 Towns is named after, roshei taivos Davis, Renov, Stahler.

Anonymous said...

Is Tzvi Bloom at Torah Umesorah related to Shmuel "Boom Boom" Bloom of the Agudah?

Paul Mendlowitz said...

National Briefing | WEST
California: A Holiday When Needed By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: December 13, 2010

An Orange County inmate who disliked salami was able to receive kosher meals in jail after his lawyer cited the “Seinfeld” holiday Festivus as his religious belief. The Orange County Register reported Monday that Malcolm A. King, 38, a convicted drug dealer, asked for kosher meals at the Theo Lacy jail in Orange to maintain his physique. County sheriff’s officials reserve such meals for inmates with religious needs, so a judge demanded a religious reason for Mr. King to get the meals. Mr. King’s lawyer, Fred Thiagarajah, cited his client’s devotion to Festivus, the holiday celebrated on the “Seinfeld” series. A sheriff’s spokesman, Ryan Burris, said Mr. King got salami-free meals for two months before the county got the order thrown out in court.

Paul Mendlowitz said...

WORLD / EUROPE
Netherlands Teacher Is Arrested on Abuse Charges
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (NYT)

A 27-year-old who worked as a substitute teacher for at least two preschools was arrested on suspicion of molesting dozens of very young children, officials in the Netherlands said.

Paul Mendlowitz said...

WORLD / AMERICAS
Mexico: Order Shelves Founder’s Photos
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS (NYT)

The Legionaries of Christ is ordering images of Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado removed from its installations. He was found to have molested seminarians for decades and fathered three children.

Fact Checker said...

How do you know the N. Miami Beach kollel fired Eli Schmeltzer? He went to Montreal, not Toronto, where he received a job offer.

Shea Fishman said...

Does anyone know if Eckstein's helicopter joined the military rescue effort?

Filed at 1:29 p.m. EST

SARNIA, Ontario (AP) — Officials say some 150 people have been rescued from a snow-swept Ontario highway that, at one point, was playing host to more than 300 stranded motorists.

Ontario Community Safety Minister Jim Bradley said Tuesday he has no reports of deaths or injuries among the hundreds who endured the long, frigid night on Highway 402 near Sarnia, Ontario.

Canada's Defense Minister Peter MacKay said up to a dozen of those trapped had been airlifted to safety by military helicopters. Many people are staying with their vehicles. Sarnia is just across the US border, and about 65 miles (105 kilometers) northeast of Detroit.

Drifting snow and zero visibility had trapped about 360 cars since Monday.

Vos zogt UOJ? said...

http://sethgitter.blogspot.com/2007/12/economists-chanuka.html

Do you like these lyrics better than the original from Adam Sandler?

Paul Mendlowitz said...

UOJ zogt gevaldig!

Chazak!

Margo's accountant said...

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/12/15/business/global/15tax.html

Federal prosecutors on Tuesday accused a Swiss banker of advising wealthy American clients to avoid disclosing their hidden offshore accounts held at a small Swiss bank because they were unlikely to attract scrutiny from American tax authorities.

Anonymous said...

nonwithstanding my deep dislike for eli shmeltzer he is not going to toronto but going to montreal. those are the facts
so are these.

he is a man that gave cover to molesters adulterers and drug users who davened in his kolel.including one that served as president. that one gave him his salary

a kolel he transferred to his name and his wifes name and motherin laws name from the community because this was supposedto be a life position for him
now he claims his desire is to teach boys torah . please explain how this is a step up froma rosh kolel to a assistant menahel.

the true reason for his leaving was that after two years of a community paid salary over 100k he was supposed to fundraise and he found that his ego did lot hem ask people with humilty for money . his aarogance let him expect people to give him money .

this egotistical while well learned individual left a coomunity hanging and is a disgrace just like he accepted a job in toronto only to schange his mind when the offer came from north miami beach
but remember that many parents alleged when he was a menahel he behaved innapropriatly with wrestling boys


if you think that montreal wont regret the decision soon your wrong .

5th Ave Synagogue said...

That's very interesting that Lakewood might have a Madoff connection. Madoff super-feeder Ezra Merkin had given token donations to the yeshiva in deference to his relatives on his Yekkish side learning in the kollel which is probably what attracted CEO Aaron Kotler one day to come down to Ezra's hedge fund, sniffing around for the jackpot. Ezra had no interest whatsoever to speak to him, sending his staff out with a message that he's not in.

Anonymous said...

You have to be very careful when spurning a meshuloch. It is alleged that a big gvir once did something that may have come back to haunt him. Rav Kreiswerth ztl used to head a moissad which was very choshuv until it was hijacked after his death by Tropper associates. He came one day to the gvir who sent a message that he cannot see him because he was injured in an accident. There was no accident, at least until after he lied to Rav Kreiswerth when he was in a horrific accident that left him as an amputee.

Bernanke resign! said...

WASHINGTON — The Federal Reserve reaffirmed Tuesday that it was moving ahead with its plan to buy $600 billion in government securities through June.

Moetzes Resign! said...

http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/12/14/espada-charged-with-stealing-from-nonprofit/

Pedro Espada Jr., the outgoing State Senate majority leader who was defeated in November’s election as scandal swirled around him, was indicted along with his son on Tuesday on charges that they embezzled more than $500,000 from the nonprofit health care network they operated in the Bronx.

Federal prosecutors in Brooklyn announced that a grand jury had handed up a six-count indictment naming Mr. Espada, 57, a Democrat from the Bronx, and a son, Pedro Gautier Espada, 37.

Both men were charged with five counts of embezzling money from the nonprofit, the Sound View HealthCare Network, which receives more than $1 million a year from the United States Department of Health and Human Services and millions more in Medicare and Medicaid reimbursements. They were also charged with a single count of conspiring to steal government funds.

The indictment details what prosecutors said were a series of schemes in which Mr. Espada and his son abused their position at Soundview between 2005 and 2009 to divert the nonprofit’s funds for their own benefit and the use of family members and friends.

Mr. Espada, the highest ranking Hispanic lawmaker in the state, founded the healthcare network in 1978.

The schemes, according to prosecutors, included the elder Espada making Soundview pay for his personal expenses by using the nonprofit’s corporate American Express card. Among the charges were more than $100,000 worth of meals for him and his family, window treatments for his home and tickets to Broadway shows and sporting events.

Agudah Coup d'état said...

"Anonymous said...Is Tzvi Bloom at Torah Umesorah related to Shmuel "Boom Boom" Bloom of the Agudah?"

Yes indeed, Tzvi Bloom is the son of Shmuel Bloom the EX-executive VP of Agudah.

Tzvi Bloom obviously got his job at Torah Umesorah with the protektzia of his father, probably Shea Fishman and Nate Segal, the Fruchthandler-Schechter puppets made sure of that.

But then in a twist of "fate" Shmuel Bloom was "let go" from the Agudah, the same time that Nisson Wolpin was "let go" and the venerable "Jewish Observer" magazine was shut down unceremoniously (to add insult to injury, NO refunds were sent to people with remaining subscriptions), and Torah Vodaas-educated layman Gedalia Weinberger took over publicly representing and running the Agudah, with Mr. Zwiebel Esq doing shik-yingel work.

The firing of Shmuel Bloom, the handpicked successor of and groomed by none other than the late legendary Rabbi Moshe Sherer, z"l, was a big blow and slap in the face to the Ner Yisroel Baltimore crowd that claimed both Moshe Sherer and Shmuel Bloom as among its greatest alumni. The long opposition during the lifetime of Rav Ruderman, zt"l to the presence and influnce of Aron Schechter was thus totally broken.

One has to conclude that it was the new Chaim Berlin yeshiva-trained bosses of Agudah and Torah Umesorah, Abe Fruchthandler and his ubber-boss Aron Schechter, their word is "law" at Agudah, that got rid of Shmuel Bloom (he now writes for the Yated and supposedly works for Ohr Somayach yeshiva of Israel and is making the best of his public humiliation) and Nisson Wolpin (who is now a depressed man with nothing to do and nowhere to go), who also earlier approved the appointment of Shmuel Bloom's son Tzvi, without any real-life credentials, to Torah Umesorah.

It has to be that Fruchthandler and Schechter, who are the real "powers that be" at Agudah cynically kicked out into the gutter both Shmuel Bloom and Nisson Wolpin, two very popular leaders among most ordinary Agudists, and shut down the popular "Jewish Observer" magazine, even if it was too frummy, yet many people read it because its editor Nisson Wolpin was basically a very honest, well-liked independent man and a straight shooter.

Anonymous said...

Mr. Agudah ---- nice piecing together of facts. But you didn't explain how Tzvi Bloom would go unscathed in the Chaim Berlin orchestrated purge. If they cleared Agudah of any opposition, how is Tzvi Bloom left standing at Torah Umesorah.

Torah Umesorah Coup d'état said...

"Anonymous said...Mr. Agudah ---- nice piecing together of facts. But you didn't explain how Tzvi Bloom would go unscathed in the Chaim Berlin orchestrated purge. If they cleared Agudah of any opposition, how is Tzvi Bloom left standing at Torah Umesorah."

Good question, and there is a simple answer! It's because Tzvi Bloom amounts to nothing, he is less than an ant, and does nothing (literally) at Torah Umesorah, oh yeah, he helps them put together the Torah Umesorah dinner once a year, a skill he must have picked up by osmosis watching his pappy work on the Agudah's dinners over the years. But under the thumb and watchful eye of Chaim Berlin's and Fruchthandler/Schechter's "made man" Nate the Nut Segal, he is just a play-thing, like a castrated specimen that can cause no harm, a sort of amusing (to them) in-house eunuch.

Tzvi Bloom is just a kid who loves sports, on his desk are tables of the latest football and baseball schedules. He poses a threat to no one. He could be hired as the custodian or super of the building. While his father was much more of a heavy hitter, a genuine talmid chochem who has been through shas and says a daf yomi shiur and someone who learned high-level askonus at the knee of the venerable Rabbi Moshe Sherer who personally molded and trained and took Shmuel Bloom into his confidence for decades assuming that he would be his natural and handpicked successor, but that was not to be, enter the dark manipulative hands of Schechter and Fruchthandler.

The Chaim Berliners, under Rav Hutner yet, when Schechter was starting to come on the scene over 35 years ago, ALREADY performed the same shtik at Torah Umesoarh when they purged and pushed out Rabbi Bernard Goldberg, the handpicked successor of Dr. Joe Kaminetsky at Torah Umesorah and then pushed in the Hutner/Schechter/Fruchthandler backed Shea Fishman instead who then proceeded to take over Torah Umesorah on behalf of Schechter and Fruchthandler until he was forced to resign in disgrace over breaking the confidence of the boys from Torah Temimah who had confided in him about Kolko's sexual abuses and he went and snitched back to his buddy Rabbi Margulies who had bust the bank over at Torah Vodaas years earlier.

So Tzvi Bloom is small fry and harmless. In fact they can laugh at him like a "trophy" they managed to disconnect the "baby rhino" kept in a zoo cage to help the place with window dressing while his big daddy "tough rhino" was pushed out to pasture to write articles that nobody reads and be a another name of some far-off mossad's letterhead.

Anonymous said...

Thanks Mr. Torah Umesorah Coup d'état said. You added a lot of clarity. Almost worth a blog of its own, as this cabal seizes control of two of the most powerful orginizations in the US frum world.

Chaim Berlin Coup d'éta said...

"Anonymous said...Thanks Mr. Torah Umesorah Coup d'état said. You added a lot of clarity. Almost worth a blog of its own, as this cabal seizes control of two of the most powerful orginizations in the US frum world."

Thanks, but sorry, it is already too late they have already seized control of first Torah Umesorah through their henchman Shea Fishman, now continued through Nate the Nut Segal, and then of the Agudah through none other than Aron Schechter backed up by his two buddies Yaakov Perlow and Aron Feldman who still live under the misty romantic mystique of Rav Yitzchok Hutner's days, but in reality they are playthings, putty and puppets in the hands of Aron Schechter and his money-man honcho Abe the Knave Fruchthandler, the greatest gift of deep hypnosis that Rav Yitzchok Hutner ever handed over to anyone, his disciple Aron Schechter.

By the way, they control the Young Israel as well because Pesach Chometz Lerner is a disciple of another late Chaim Berliner, Rav Yaakov Weinberg who was installed by Schechter as Rosh Yeshiva of Ner Israel against the wishes of the Neuubergers and the Ner Israel faculty who disliked him.

They also have input and control of the OU believe it or not, starting from the times that Chaim Berliner Pinchas Stolpet was the Executive VP there and continuing with other monied and communal connections below the radar. Stolper still has plenty of influence at the OU, while most of the time he spends writing the translations of Rav Yitzchok Hutner's books into English obviously with the blessings of the Chaim Berliners.

The question now is how to get out from under this oppressive and corrupting body weight that is functioning as a power unto itself.

Each case of corruption, such as Shea Fishman's disgraced resignation, the fall of Tropper, the disgrace of Michael Hersh and what he did to his own sons, and the new revelations about about Gershon Kranczer incest, all of these are disciples of Aron Schechter and the world is seeing for itself who they are dealing with and it's not a pretty picture to behold!

As for having a blog, who needs it when we have UOJ to host the world's own Torah/Jewish WikiLeaks site, the best there is! Let's give UOJ a big yasher koach!