To understand the illness of various members of the Tendler family you must read this. Was Mordecai sexually molested by the same uncle that his brother Aron was? The illness that has overcome members of the Tendler family, in my opinion, is not isolated to Aron & Mordecai. Mental illness is a genetic defect and is a medical fact that it runs in families. I must warn the public that to associate yourself or your family with any "rabbi" Tendler in any way, in my opinion - having them anywhere near your children and wives... please bear in mind the damage that these sociopaths have done and are capable of doing. I firmly believe - to entrust your children to the care of any Tendler, is to play dice with your child's future, and are putting him/her in harm's way. They can not be trusted in being able to have access to your wives as well. Sociopaths are known to have sexual relationships with many women under the guise of "entitlement". Their judgment is seriously warped. Having Tendler in a bais din setting or in the rabbinate - with no sense of shame whatsoever, has demonstrated to all that care, that they will do anything to feed their illness under the guise of halacha. The RCA has learned their lesson. Will the other bais din learn or will they have to be shamed into it? I much prefer that you wash your own dirty laundry, if not, I will do the job for you!
In case you are not familiar with the ways sociopaths operate...Google "sociopath".
By Caroline Konrad
THE MALIGNANT PERSONALITY:
These people are mentally ill and extremely dangerous! The following precautions will help to protect you from the destructive acts of which they are capable.
First, to recognize them, keep the following guidelines in mind.
(1) They are habitual liars. They seem incapable of either knowing or telling the truth about anything.
(2) They are egotistical to the point of narcissism. They really believe they are set apart from the rest of humanity by some special grace.
(3) They scapegoat; they are incapable of either having the insight or willingness to accept responsibility for anything they do. Whatever the problem, it is always someone else's fault.
(4) They are remorselessly vindictive when thwarted or exposed.
(5) Genuine religious, moral, or other values play no part in their lives. They have no empathy for others. Under older psychological terminology, they fall into the category of psychopath or sociopath, but unlike the typical psychopath, their behavior is masked by a superficial social facade.
If you have come into conflict with such a person or persons, do the following immediately!
Notify your friends and relatives of what has happened.
Do not be vague. Name names, and specify dates and circumstances. Identify witnesses if possible and provide supporting documentation if any is available.
Instruct friends to take such an incident to the newspapers and other media.
-----------
From The Committee of Rabbinic Integrity...
Monsey Rabbonim Identify Mordy for what he is:
Reprinted From the Jewish Week: Monsey Rabbis Call Colleague Untruthful
Seven haredi leaders say Mordechai Tendler unfit to serve.
Gary Rosenblatt - Editor and Publisher
Three years ago Mordechai Tendler, a controversial Modern Orthodox rabbi, met with nine leading haredi rabbis in his community of Monsey, N.Y., who challenged him on a number of his halachic rulings and on allegations that he had acted improperly with women. Since then, Rabbi Tendler has said publicly that he was exonerated by the rabbinical panel, which he has described as a bet din, or religious court. This week a statement signed in May by seven of the rabbis became public through the Internet and in selected mailings, asserting that Rabbi Tendler’s assessment of the meeting was “an outright lie,” and urging people not to seek his advice on halachic matters on marriage, divorce, conversion or family harmony. (One of the original nine rabbis moved to Israel and another said he agreed with the others but wanted to remain private.) There has been little harmony in Rabbi Tendler’s community for some time now, particularly since he was expelled last March by the Rabbinical Council of America (RCA), the largest Orthodox rabbinic association, for “conduct inappropriate to an Orthodox rabbi.”
The case centered on charges of sexual abuse and harassment against the rabbi from several women, and it escalated last week when one former congregant filed a lawsuit in Manhattan Supreme Court charging that the rabbi had induced her to have sex with him from 2001 to 2005, claiming that he was the messiah and could help her find a husband by submitting to his “sex therapy.” Several sources close to the case said that a number of meetings were held in the last week at Rabbi Tendler’s synagogue, Kehillat New Hempstead, and at the homes of its leaders to discuss what, if anything, to do about the latest charges. While the top leadership of the shul appears loyal to the rabbi, others are said to be either wavering or more openly skeptical of his veracity in light of the lawsuit and the statement by the highly respected group of rabbis. Some congregants left the shul after the RCA expulsion.
Rabbi Mordechai Ohrbach, one of the seven rabbis who signed the statement last May 29, told The Jewish Week “we felt we had no option but to respond” to Rabbi Tendler’s claim that the rabbis had found his statements truthful when they met with him three years ago. “He did not come across as truthful, and he said things at the meeting that were borderline absurd and delusional, and totally false,” he said. One copy of the statement, he said, was given to the RCA, which had come under attack from supporters of Rabbi Tendler after expelling him, and another to a bet din in Israel that Rabbi Tendler has appealed to, insisting that he was not given a fair hearing by his American colleagues. Rabbi Feivel Zimmerman, another signer of the statement, told The Jewish Week that although the rabbis did not make their statement public — it is not known who did — “it is authentic and we stand by it.” The material, released in recent days by a group known as the Monsey Committee for Rabbinic Integrity, included a lengthy responsa from Rabbi Benzion Wosner, a respected rabbinic authority in Monsey. It found that that the RCA had “a right … and Torah obligation” to expel Rabbi Tendler, and that “his own congregation thus has a similar obligation.” The ruling by Rabbi Wosner said that “numerous rabbis sat together and heard tapes” indicating that Rabbi Tendler sought to “seduce married (and unmarried) women.” Other rabbis involved in the matter told The Jewish Week that they have seen convincing evidence that would prove Rabbi Tendler’s sexual involvement with women, though none would comment publicly. The rabbis who signed the statement have no direct influence over Rabbi Tendler or his congregants, but several noted that while he has complained that he was being attacked by the liberal element of the Orthodox community — namely, the RCA, an arm of the Orthodox Union — those who signed the statement were haredim. Another irony, they said, was that while Rabbi Tendler has complained that he was not allowed by the RCA to make his case before a bet din, he himself has described his meeting with the Monsey rabbis as a bet din — and they found him to be untruthful. According to several sources, the original meeting was called at the suggestion of Rabbi Tendler’s father, Moshe Tendler, a prominent rabbi in Monsey and biologist on the faculty of Yeshiva University, who sought to clear his son’s name. He was informed a few days later that his son’s explanations and denials had not been believed by the group, someone close to the case said. Phone messages for Rabbis Moshe and Mordechai Tendler were not returned. Mordechai Tendler has maintained his innocence of charges of sexual misconduct. Described as a brilliant, charismatic and generous rabbi, he had been a champion of some Jewish women’s groups, primarily for his help in allowing agunot to receive a religious divorce. Some of his halachic decisions on agunot and conversions drew the ire of a number of his Monsey rabbinical colleagues. When they questioned him three years ago about his rulings, which he said he based on observing and assisting his late grandfather, Rabbi Moshe Feinstein, the leading posek, or arbiter, of his generation, the nine rabbis concluded that he was not being truthful or consistent with Rabbi Feinstein’s decisions. “We found his halachic decisions to be borderline Conservative,” one of the rabbis said. Rabbi Tendler has maintained that he is the victim of an effort by some rabbis with whom he disagrees on religious matters to portray him as a womanizer so as to diminish his halachic stature. He has said that he often dealt with troubled women, some of whom were emotionally fragile, and that rather than being appreciated for taking the time to counsel them, at no cost, he was the subject of vicious and untrue rumors about his moral behavior.
A CALL TO THE ENTIRE COMMUNITY OF MONSEY TO STAND TOGETHER FOR KAVOD HATORAH THIS SHABBOS AND FOR AS MANY SHABBASOS AS IS NECESSARY:
There has been a horrible attack of lies perpetrated on Gedolim in Monsey this week. It is an obligation of every Torah fearing Jew in Monsey to answer this attack and to stand for the Kavod of these Gedolim and for Kavod Hatorah. We are calling for all members of the community of Monsey to stand this coming Shabbos publicly for Kavod Hatorah and to stand publicly in support of these courageous Gedolim of our community. Let us make a Kiddush Hashem. This Shabbos please attend at a synagogue where one of the 8 Gedolim below daven. Thank them personally for their courage and strength. Let them know you will support them and stand for their Kavod and for Kavod Hatorah.Bring your wives and children and anyone that can come. Invite your neighbors. Bring people in from surrounding communities. Bring as many people as you can.
If you can, attend at a different one of the shuls that these Gedolim daven at, for each service on Shabbos. Go to any classes that these Gedolim are giving this coming Shabbos. Let us fill the synagogues of these Gedolim and fill our community with prayer and Torah learning and show those who attack Gedolim will never win. It is an obligation of every Torah fearing Jew in Monsey to answer this attack and to stand for the Kavod of these Gedolim and for Kavod Hatorah.
List of Gedolim of Monsey under attack:1) Harav Hagaon Rabbi Benzion Y. Wosner Shlit'aRosh Beis Din Shevet Halevi Monsey 2) Rabbi Moshe Green, Rosh Yeshivah, Yeshivah D'Monsey 3) Rabbi Yisroel Hager Son of the Grand Rabbi of Vishnitz 4) Rabbi Chaim Halberstam,Rav, K'hal Yoel Moshe, Satmar, Monsey 5) Rabbi Chaim Shraga Feival ShnaybalgRav, K'hal Avreichim, Monsey 6) Rabbi Chaim Leibish Halevi RottenbergRav, K'hal Netzach Yisroel, Monsey 7) Rabbi Sharaga Feivel Halevi Zimmerman Rav, K'hal Bney Ashkenaz, Monsey 8) Rabbi Mordechai OhrbachRav, K'hal Forshay, Monsey.
Attention current members of KNH: We call on every person still attending KNH to ABANDON their shul immediately and rejoin the Torah community this Shabbos. Personally thank these Gedolim and offer your apologies on behalf of your FORMER congregation. Let the world see a Kidush Hashem this Shabbos and for as many Shabbosos it takes to rid your community of the Chillul Hashem and the rashas that have publicly attacked the Gedolim of Monsey.
Please distribute this plea widely throughout Monsey. It is an obligation of every Torah fearing Jew in Monsey to answer this attack and to stand for the Kavod of these Gedolim and for Kavod Hatorah!
This is just the first step required of the tzibbor!
We will see the power of even the smallest acts of kindness that Hashem rewards by greatly protecting all our families and kehilas.
The Rishaim who continue in their ongoing endeavour to give kavod to and support a rasha, will regret their rishus terribly over the coming weeks. Din v'Cheshbon is not that far away.
Harav Wosner Shlita's T'shuvah on Removing a Rav
Please see attached T'shuvah (Psak Din) from Harav Wosner Shlit"a to be forwarded to all Rabbanim and their congregants who are learned enough to appreciate probably the most important t'shuvah on removing this rabbi that unfortunately was necessary to have been written, in the last few hundred years.
IN LIGHT OF TENDLER'S HUNKERING DOWN INSTEAD OF STEPPING DOWN SEE STAGE 2 -- UNMASKING THE TENDLER FACADE -- THE DETAILED CHRONICLE (below)
Rabbinic Committee (CRI) Formed to Expose Mordecai Tendler
A Wide Spectrum of Prominent New York Rabbanim Conclude and Present Herein Their Joint Halachic View that Mordecai Tendler is Unfit to Serve in the Capacity of Rav
In light of this, residents of greater Monsey have formed The Committee for Rabbinic Integrity that strives to prevent Mordy Tendler from continuing on in capacity of "Rav", "dayan" or "mashgiach" and to warn the entire Jewish community against having any contact with him, especially women, many of whom he has abused as well as so many families for decades.
According to the Chafetz Chayim in his vital sefer Shmiros Halashon (klal 4 halacha 7-8,7:65) it is permitted and even obligatory to record and and even a mitzvah--good deed to publicize the information contained herein:
Additionally, in light of the express permission of a wide spectrum of foremost N.Y. Rabbanim, that includes the enclosed summary translation of an important t’shuvah-- responsa expressly written for this issue, this can and must be read by all adults.
1. Summary Translation Responsa of the venerable Rav Wosner, Shlit"a
2.Rabbinic Proclamation of Leading Monsey Rabbanim (translation)
Note: If any halachic material on this site is printed, please discard it properly in shaimos. Thank you.
Summary Translation for the "Responsa" written by
Harav Hagaon Rabbi Benzion Y. Wosner Shlit"a
Rosh Beis Din Shevet Halevi
Monsey - Beit Shemesh
Please note: These are excerpts only from a lengthy and very thorough T'shuvah. This translation has been authorized by Harav Hagaon Rav Wosner, Shlit"a, but has not been translated by him. This is only a summary, not at all a complete translation. One must actually read and study the original Teshuvah in its original Hebrew to get a true understanding and appreciation of this psak (Halachic ruling). All Rabbis in Monsey retain a copy of the original Teshuvah and it is thus available for anyone to study.
Please note: While Rabbi Wosner is a Gaon in his own right, and one of the leading Halachic Authorities for the Monsey Kehilla Mikvah, he is also the son of the venerable Gaon, and world renowned Posek, the author of the multi-volume responsa, Shevet Halevi of Bnei-Brak. (The great Chazon Ish Z"l is known to have recommended the Shevet Halevi as the leading authority in Bnei-Brak 50 years ago.)
The reason this vital information was not presented publicly until now* is that the Rabbanim attempted to give Tendler many chances, with the latest attempts during the Yomim Noraim, to resign as Rav and Dayan before releasing both the t'shuvah and kol-korah proclamation and if needed other very compromising information. Their patient attempts went on completely deaf ears that included his father and brother. The time to declare the Torah view has come. No more chances.
A Short Translation Summary:
Introduction:
This is in regard to an issue whereas numerous Rabbanim in our town (Monsey) have requested that I rule Halachicly, how to deal with a certain Rabbi, who deals with divorces, marriages and kashruth issues.
Unfortunately, there have been rumors about him for years that he has deliberately violated many Torah prohibitions, particularly involving immoral relations with women. To be sure that this was in fact truthful, I summoned and interviewed many men and women who reside in both New Hempstead and who reside outside of New Hempstead, and found all of this to be unfortunately true!
The women testified on his total disregard of Torah prohibitions. For example, he would meet women one on one, on the pretense that he wants to teach them Halachos and counsel them on the ways of life. Once he wins their confidence, he would, for example, forget to bring his book and ask the woman he was seeing if they could learn together using her book, thereby giving him the opportunity to move physically closer to her where they would eventually touch. He would ultimately hug the woman and subsequently perform other immoral acts that I have great difficulty putting to print!
In addition, he has brazenly dealt in difficult Halachic marriage situations, annulling countless marriages (Hashem, protect us).
When asked by a group of Rabbis at a meeting, how he could take upon himself these halachic rulings, he answered that his grandfather Harav Moshe Feinstein Z”l also ruled this way! However, after having inquired from Harav Feinstein’s own children and students, we found that this was a total fabrication!
Now, the inquiry before us is:
What do we answer members of our community and our neighbors, who ask whether to continue under his leadership and teachings, or to leave him?
In addition, this inquiry notes the fact that this Rabbi was a member for many years of a Rabbinic organization, (RCA) and after doing their own investigation decided to oust him from their organization!
This Rabbi has summoned this same Rabbinic organization (RCA) to a (Rabbanut) Beit Din in Israel claiming that they terminated his membership in their organization under the violation of Halacha-Torah law.
For example, he claims that the Shulchan Aruch writes that one cannot remove a “Chazzan” from his position based on a rumor, unless there are actual kosher witnesses.
From his side he likewise claims:
a) there are only women witnesses and he claims women are not kosher witnesses
b) that these witnesses testified without him being present
c) the witnesses are biased
d) the rumors were spread by his enemies!
ANSWER:
This case has absolutely no resemblance to the case discussed in the Shulchan Aruch. The Shulchan Aruch talks about a Congregation that wants to remove a Chazzan from his employment in a synagogue, based on a rumor.
In our case this Rabbi was not employed by the organization (RCA), he was a member like other member Rabbis. We could not find one instance in Halacha that an organization cannot remove one of their members. In addition, every organization can set and change its own rules as they see fit!
Every organization has a right to set rules that their members should not profane HASHEM’S great Name, certainly not to violate outright Halachic prohibitions .
Therefore, since this rumor has been ongoing and the Rabbis of the organization are ashamed and embarrassed of his actions, they not only have a right to oust him from their organization but they have a Torah obligation to do so!
With this action, the Rabbis of this organization are sanctifying HASHEM’S Name!
It is vital to know that, accordingly, his own Congregation has an equal obligation!
(a) In regard to his claim that only women testified:
As far as Halacha is concerned (see actual T’shuvah for elaboration), in a case where a Rabbi has a rumor that doesn’t stop ... (this rumor has been ongoing for multiple years) we do not need any witnesses to remove him.
In our case we actually do have witnesses ... men… who have testified that they actually saw this Rabbi meet women one on one (flagrantly violating the prohibition of Yichud). There are, however, also women witnesses! The victims themselves who came to him for counseling to pour their broken hearts to him!
The Ramah in Choshen Mishpat (Siman 35,14) rules that in a case where only women congregate or in a case (like ours) where only women could possibly testify, (since he meets women one on one behind closed doors) they can and should certainly testify. (Terumas Hadeshen Siman 353 and Agudah Perek 10, Yochasin)
This is also the ruling of the Mahrik, Radvaz, and the Mahr”i of Minz. Even those “Poskim” that would normally not rely on women witnesses, they would certainly agree that in our case ... where there is ample evidence that this Rabbi violated Torah precepts, then even children or women can certainly be kosher as witnesses, as the Chasam Sofer pointed out in his sefer (Orach Chaim T'shuvah 11)
(b) His claim that the witnesses testified without him being there:
There are many Responsa in regard to having witnesses testify, without the defendant being present. The Ramah has already ruled (Choshen Mishpat) that testimony taken without the defendant present is halachicly correct, especially in a case where the defendant has a history of intimidating witnesses (This Rabbi called and threatened many women who testified at the RCA hearing).
In addition, since we are dealing with a person who intimidates, curses and harasses anyone that dare oppose him including respected Rabbis...one may testify without the defendant being present.
The Ramah adds that in such a case (as ours) where we know that the defendant will certainly intimidate the witnesses, the Gaonim (Sages who lived during the years 900 C.E.) long ago established a Halachic rule that one may testify without the defendant being present!
c) He claims the Witnesses are biased: This claim is not true since:
(1) some of the witnesses were actually men who had no previous associations with him
(2) some of the women witnesses who testified, testified not what he actually did with them, but they testified what he did with other women who confided in them (and additionally brought them evidence of this). And even if his claim was actually true, the absurd claim of his ... that these women were biased, it would be irrelevant as far as Halacha is concerned.
According to Halacha, these women would still be believed.
(Please see sources).
Rumors that have not stopped (Kalay D'lo Pasak V'Sanu shomaneha):
In a case such as ours where rumors about this individual have been ongoing for years, the Ramah has already ruled that in a case such as this, even if one individual of his congregation protests his behavior, this would be sufficient reason to remove this Rabbi from his position ... based on a rumor only! See also the Chasam Sofer (ibid)
Even in the case where the Rabbi claims that he is like a Chazzan, where the Shulchan Aruch says that based on one rumor one cannot be removed from his position, in this case even the Shulchan Aruch would agree that he should be removed since there are many people in his Congregation that have protested his despicable behavior (witness how many people left his shul).
The Aruch Hashulchan (Yoreh Dayah 119) writes a rule for all to know, that the Halacha requires his removal even if the rumor never reached a Beis Din!
The Bais Yosef in the name of the R"ash and Rabbeinu Yeruchum rule this way even if the rumor stopped !!
One may surmise from the Rambam’s ruling (source) that even in a case where we do not have clear kosher witnesses, but where we have some basis of fact, and a rumor that doesn’t stop that he has violated immoral prohibitions, one has an obligation to humiliate him in public! All of this without any witnesses testifying!
The Rambam therefore states regarding a person like this: (Sanhedrin chapter 24):
"The Congregation should taunt the one that is transgressing the Torah prohibition of arayos--immoral relations and, in addition, whoever hears about his evil behavior must embarrass him even in front of his own children" (See Rambam source above).
d) Claim ... that his “enemies” have spread the rumors:
All people who have claims against them, always argue that the witnesses are enemies and hate them ... we actually see this on a daily basis with people who go to court!
With this reasoning there would never ever be any court cases whatsoever!
Having said this, the definition of “enemies” is clearly defined by the Talmud (Yevamos 25a) and several other commentaries (e.g. HaHaishiv Moshe 60, Rambam Sanhedrin chapter 23, Otzer HaPairushim 11:33, etc...) and these sources talk about real enemies not people who had some disagreements between each other.
We can therefore reason that his claim that “enemies” spreading rumors about him are not only false, but absurd!
Ruling:
All Rabbis Have a Clear Obligation to Publicly Ostracize Him:
Rashi in Tractate Megillah 25b states that if there are rumors that one is an Adulterer, one may embarrass him!
Rabbis that are quiet and do not chastise this individual cause HASHEM’S Name to be profaned.
It is therefore an obligation on our town’s Rabbinic leaders to do whatever is in their power to ostracize him and separate him from his congregation. This Halacha is brought down by the Rif and this is the Halacha (Yoreh Dayah 334:42)!
No prohibition on speaking Lashan Harah (evil gossip):
The Chofetz Chayim (klal 7:65) rules emphatically that if an individual is a known rasha, for just an example, he is known to have had immoral relations (and is involved in Yichud repeatedly, etc.), one is allowed to listen and speak about this individual!
Prohibited from being a Dayan (Rabbinical Judge):
The Bais Yosef (Choshen Mishpat 34 in the name of the R"osh) rules that one who has been accused of illicit relationships including one who is m'yachaid (meets women alone on a one on one basis) ... is prohibited from ever being witness, and anyone who cannot be a witness can never be a Judge! (Ramah 25, Niddah 49b, Tur Shulchan Aruch Choshen Mishpat Siman 7:69)...
Therefore it stands to reason that one who cannot be a witness or a Judge ... must immediately be stopped from officiating at weddings and divorces! See Responsa Rabbi Moses Feinstein Z"l (Yoreh Dayah Siman 1)!
Final Halachic Ruling Summary:
Numerous Rabbis sat together and heard audio tapes, where this “Rabbi” attempts to seduce married (and unmarried) women (Hashem, please protect us). On one particular tape one can clearly hear a married woman begging the “Rabbi” to leave her alone.
Accordingly, the RCA had every right to oust this Rabbi from their organization, and his own Congregation has the same obligation!
This Rabbi can no longer officiate at divorces, weddings, batei dinim, etc...
No one is obligated to give him any respect such as standing up for him, etc.
He can no longer be a Rav or Rabbi or Dayan amongst the Jewish People!
One should never allow their wives or daughters to go to his classes or to go to him at all including counseling... and all his rulings are null and void!
This ruling obligates all of us according to Halacha as per the ruling of his own grandfather Alah V'shalom, Z"l in his Sefer Igros Moshe ... (ibid).
By doing so we will fulfill the verse in our Holy Torah...
“Destroy Evil Amongst Us.”
Translation of a joint Rabbinic Kol Korah
“Denial & Clarification” letter
issued by 7 Leading Monsey Rabbonim
against R’ Mordecai Tendler of
New Hempstead, New York
Denial (of his claims) and Clarification!
We have gathered together to inform the public that since it has been publicly announced, written and printed that we investigated R’Mordecai Tendler and that we were convinced of the truth of his statements. We are hereby forced to publicize that this is an outright Lie!
In addition, we want to publicize our opinion that after thoroughly investigating the matter in his presence and after a thorough examination of the issues, it is our opinion that one must not seek any advice in any area including Shalom Bayis, and certainly not in any Halachic matters pertaining to Divorce, Marriage or Conversions!
On this matter we are affixing our signatures on this the 20th day of the month of Iyar* in the year 5765. Here, in Monsey, New York
(In order of Hebrew Signatures)
Rabbi Moshe Green,
Rosh Yeshivah, Yeshivah D’Monsey
Rabbi Yisroel Hager
Son of the Grand Rabbi of Vishnitz
Rabbi Chaim Halberstam,
Rav, K’hal Yoel Moshe, Satmar, Monsey
Rabbi Chaim Shraga Feival Shnaybalg
Rav, K’hal Avreichim, Monsey
Rabbi Chaim Leibish Halevi Rottenberg
Rav, K’hal Netzach Yisroel,Monsey
Rabbi Sharaga Feivel Halevi Zimmerman
Rav, K’hal Bney Ashkenaz,Monsey
Rabbi Mordechai Ohrbach
Rav, K’hal Forshay,Monsey
The Open Truth about Mordechai Tendler’s LIES, DISTORTIONS & EVASIONS
Prologue:
With heavy hearts and tears in our eyes, we unfortunately had to come to the following decision which is to let the people of Monsey and elsewhere finally know what the truth is...
(1) We have included above a Halachic Ruling of the great Gaon Harav Wosner, Shlit"a that clearly permits Loshon Hara in this unfortunate case!
(2) We have also included above a “Denial & Clarification” letter from Rabbanim in Monsey that they have never exonerated Tendler of anything but rather to the contrary!
(3) We have included here much detail of just some of Mordechai Tendler’s crimes and lies.
Here is just a sampling of his lies but for more in depth analysis continue on to the irrefutable refutation of Tendler and his many lies known as:
"Unmasking the Tendler facade--The Detailed Chronicle" (below)
LIE: Tendler stated at his “open forum” meeting...that no less than two Batei Dinim exonerated him.
Above please find a statement from 7 Leading Monsey Rabbanim who were on these Batei Dinim and who write that this is an unmitigated lie! In fact these Rabbonim added that everyone should stay away from him and not allow him to paskin (adjudicate) any questions…especially in issues involving divorce and marriage!
Evasion: When asked at the Tendler defense festival if he would submit to DNA testing, he answered publicly that he would not answer any hypothetical questions!
Fact: A group of distinguished Leading Rabbis of Monsey have now seen the evidence based on halachically competent witnesses (eidem k’shairim) with corroborating forensic evidence proving unequivocally that Mordy Tendler had sexual intercourse with a Jewish woman who was someone else’s wife (the evidence was presented to a Bais Din and was duly confirmed according to all Halachic standards). Purposeful, serious b'nei maaminim can call them to verify this is all true!
In addition, a group of Rabbonim and Mechanchim (educators) sat in a public forum dealing with Tznius Issues in Rav Breslauer’s Bais Hamidrash, listened to an audio tape where they clearly heard Tendler soliciting a married Jewish woman to have relations with him (the woman on the tape repeatedly begs him to stop talking like that). The Rabbonim became nauseous and some could no longer listen as they heard more and more holding their stomaches.
LIE: Tendler said that the women accusers were never interviewed in person by the RCA, all interviews were by phone.
Fact: The RCA in fact interviewed the women in a Monsey Shul, with the Rabbi of that shul actually present!
LIE: Tendler said that he never met women one on one behind closed doors (even locked).
Fact: When Tendler actually said that at the meeting, most of the people present including his supporters looked at each other, knowing full well that this was a blatant lie! He even had a “noise box” in front of his secluded room in Shul (this was suddenly removed, when all this hit)!
Questions that remaining supporters need to ask Tendler:
Why don’t you allow your ex-lawyers to speak to us Rabbanim in an open forum so that we can finally find out why they are no longer your lawyer and why one of them ran away from New Hempstead?
How much money was victim (name deleted) paid? Why won’t you remove her gag order thus releasing her to speak, so that we can ascertain for ourselves how much money you gave her, and where this money came from and what it was for?
Why from a group of 1000 member Rabbonim of the RCA was there one sole resignation, R’ Faskowitz, -- a first cousin of the Tendlers'? The real question is of what relevance is his resignation if your own father did not resign?! Why is he still a member?!
If the RCA is such a rotten organization full of rishaim--evil people , and as your PR people are writing in The Jewish Press and the Jewish Voice, and, as you stated in front of the congregation only a few weeks ago in your own words, “It was people like them who caused the holocaust”, then why do you insist on getting re-instated???
Why is everybody out to get you except some of your own congregants and a few relatives?
Why didn’t you sue the RCA... to reinstate you? Didn’t you claim that the Rabbanut granted you permission to go to secular court? Or is this of course one of your countless lies and distortions??
Why didn’t you sue Yeshivah University for ousting you several months ago?
Why are the Rabbis of the left (RCA) after you? Why are the Rabbis of the right (Chassidish & Litvish) after you?
Where are all the Rabbis (not family) supporting you?? Why have they not come forward?
Will you dare now add Harav Hagaon Benzion Wosner Shlita and the many other Rabbanim listed here to your list of harassed, threatened and slandered Rabbanim for simply presenting their Torah-based opinion in written form to the tzibbor in addition to the halachic t’shuvah that captures the knowledge of all the Great Sages on this issue over the many generations that preceded us?
How about the 7 Leading Monsey Rabbonim who interviewed you and found you a liar? (If any of these courageous and beloved Rabbonim and their many associate supporters are harassed or slandered in any way, we are ready to mail recorded cds and DNA evidence accepted by a local Bais Din to everyone!! Please test us!!)
Where and whom were you with in the wee hours of the morning on the same day you married off your daughter?!
Where and whom were you with early in the morning Erev Yom Kippur of last year??!!
Why don’t you resign or move out??? As long as you continue to act in capacity of a “Rav”, the tzibbor must remove you, and thus we will never, ever stop until you are, thereby fulfilling our Torah's dictated responsibility that belongs to all of us!!!!
Unmasking the Tendler Façade:
The Detailed Chronicle
The last Mishnah in Sotah states that in the End of Days, “HaEmes Tehai Ne’ederes” revealing that, “the truth will be absent.” According to some Sages, at that time “emes” itself will be,“ne’edar, ne’edar” – “grouped” as taken from the root word "ne’ederes" where both sides will lay claim to the emes causing it to be unfortunately for us to be lost somewhere in the middle.
As Torah Jews, we have a responsibility to discern emes in whatever we do especially regarding this unfortunate but vital communal issue that stands before our community. Now that the fanfare and standing ovations have virtually subsided, herein is an attempt to appeal to the intellect of the reader that exposes:
“THE PATHOLOGICAL LIAR THAT IS MORDECHAI TENDLER”
The so-called “open” meeting that took place several months ago blinded many uninformed people that walked away believing Mordecai Tendler, even though he did not offer an equitable forum for any of his complainants to speak publicly. Despite erecting his own extremely biased one-sided forum that has been called the “Tendler Defense Fest”, the only defenders he was able to muster on his behalf from the entire tri-state community of the Orthodox Rabbinate, even with his decades of “communal service” and interaction with countless rabbis near and far, was no more than five.
Moreover, with a single exception, they were all family relatives. Even more perplexing, outside of his own congregation, there was just one lone defender from the greater Monsey community. One would imagine Tendler should be able to present at least two or more, surmising that over the course of decades he would have typically developed many deep roots and relationships with other rabbanim in Monsey. Despite the infinite number of rabbis in greater Monsey, only his father singularly came forward on his behalf.
Tendler vs. Tendler:
1) Mordecai Tendler was publicly only willing to acknowledge his own fictitious number of 3 women accusers, as opposed to the truer account that 9 women had testified to the RCA regarding sexual harassment, abuse and or physical contact. His is a clear distortion of information since, in fact, many more women came forward than he will even admit to. In reality, as of this writing, one may add to his “3” an additional 10, totaling at least 13 women that currently claim sexual abuse, sexual harassment, having all been propositioned, touched and or pressured into illicit sex, most of whom having had the capacity to refuse him. For the vast majority of attendees who were uninformed of the endless details of this case, he cleverly used the number 3 to mislead us into believing that over the decades of positioning himself as leading the charge for agunos, it was reasonable to expect “three” women to be possibly “crazy” or “outright liars.” He could not admit to the more accurate number of his victims, despite being fully cognizant, better than anyone, of the greater number of his accusers. Please realize that there are not only female victims, but that whole families have been irreversibly victimized by him on so many horrifying levels until this day that now even rabbinic families, continue to suffer at the hand of his heartless ways. One should understand that Tendler literally set up shop with clever, patient, and calculated planning long ago by maneuvering himself into a position of authority and respect that would enable him to ultimately discharge and fulfill his most demented and base physical desires - consciously preying upon despondent, vulnerable and depressed women through his egregious abuse of power, as one will begin to digest by reading further with patient review.
2) Tendler stated publicly that two Monsey Batei Dinim had separately “exonerated him” and explicitly identified one of them as “Vishnitzer.” Here is a leading example of just one of his countless unashamed perfidious public lies. If these were truths, he could have easily presented the documentation put forward from the two Batei Dinim that absolved him, as he claims. He says that he was called in front of two separate Batei Dinim to answer charges and was exonerated by a total of 15 Monsey rabbis. Is this true or false?
Both Batei Dinim emphatically deny any vindications whatsoever and have now publicly come forward to convey precisely that in this all important joint statement attached. In fact, a few years ago, one of these Monsey Batei Dinim, to whom Tendler refers, amounted to just under a minyan of rabbis that, at the time, meticulously investigated him and met with him face to face in order to question him about the voluminous number of allegations brought against him. Both the Vishnitz Bais Din, led by Harav Hager, and the aforementioned Monsey Bais Din now jointly and very publicly respond, not only to negate his contemptible lie that these authentic Batei Dinim (as Tendler himself calls them) exonerated him, but additionally to his plethora of overt, documented lies as witnessed by these many Rabbanim and recorded within the minutes of that Din. Please see the enclosed translation of the Rabbinic Kol-Koray--proclamation and thus Psak Din signed by prominent Monsey rabbis who will verify the bold faced lies that Tendler stated in front of them. It can now be said that these courageous rabbanim have responded openly in writing to inform the tzibbor of the level of his malevolence and immorality as noted in their lucid public statement of reproach warning everyone to avoid any and all contact with him. They have expressed their true opinion of this man in order to remove all doubt from anyone’s mind of his guilt. Tendler’s claim to them was that Harav Hager and another 15 rabbis already investigated himand exonerated him. Now see the Rabbinic Kol-Korah--Proclamation below that Harav Hager wrote and signed among many other rabbanim saying that he and the others, in fact, never exonerated Tendler for anything and that Mordy documented a decisive falsehood to both the RCA and the Jerusalem Bais Din not to mention his public lies that all can now plainly see! Tendler thus caused this Bais Din to call for the RCA to appear based on purely false pretenses. Please ignore any future claim that they were some other Batei Dinim to which he was referring since these two are precisely the ones that he claims cleared him.
Tendler is sternly forewarned to neither smear nor malign nor threaten with harm any one of these courageous beloved rabbanim and mechanchim and their associates or the most compromising evidence including DNA and audio conversations between him and his victims will be released here and elsewhere to the general tzibbor for all to hear how low this man stoops for self-gratification.
3) Tendler publicly claims that the RCA did not contact him directly nor did he ever meet with them, nor was he ever requested to meet with anyone from the RCA. These are all lies. Unless you genuinely believe that the entire board of the RCA is lying instead of Tendler, please see their somewhat more detailed second and third statements on their website chiefly written in response to his widely publicized incessant lies and accusations. The RCA emphatically states that many attempts were made to contact him, allowing him the opportunity to meet with the RCA and to even face his accusers. He was told from the beginning that the RCA was conducting an internal investigation of Tendler and never claimed at any time to be conducting it under the format of a Bais Din but a body that follows the laws of a Bais Din precisely. According to clear halacha, the RCA has a legitimate right to expel any member for due cause without any need whatsoever for a Bais Din (please see the t’shuva summary enclosed). It took them nearly a year and a half (hardly a Salem witch trial as one of his relatives portrayed it) to come to their conclusion to expel him earlier this year on March 16, 2005 since he had in the RCA's statement,
“...has engaged in conduct inappropriate for an Orthodox rabbi.”
Through his plethora of recurring lies and obfuscating of truth, Tendler may have successfully cast some doubts about the RCA thus causing some to lose their objectivity regarding this honest, impartial and upright body of Rabbis. It should be made clear that the RCA is simply a group of Tendler’s own peers, one that he himself chose to be a member of for years and would still be today, if he had not been thrown out. The same body of rabbis for which, as of this writing, Tendler’s own father still retains membership!
It is equally important to understand that the RCA does not take this type of investigation into rabbinic misconduct lightly. During the RCA’s 70-year long history, with a current membership greater than 1000 rabbis, they have ejected just two members and only one of them publicly. Care to guess whom?
As an aside, in order to cover this news breaking story, apparently radio personality Zev Brenner chose to only do a live interview with the other one they threw out!!)
And yet, despite all of this, Tendler wishes us to believe that the RCA board of rabbis are all lying, a Bais Din comprising nearly a minyan of Monsey rabbis are all lying the findings of which were relied on by the RCA and before whom Tendler publicly admitted having appeared, not to mention his many accusers that include a wide assortment of very different accounts, are all lying as are their many valiant and courageous advocates, respected members of the community. He would have us believe that everyone around him is deviously scheming because they are all against him and that all of these many diverse groupings of Orthodox Jews are uniformly lying. All, that is, except for him. He purports and desperately depends on us to believe his countless barefaced lies as truth and that only he is the sole bearer of emes throughout the Orthodox Jewish world.
For the longest time, even years before the RCA became involved, Tendler had to occasionally fend off an assortment of allegations against him, claiming they were orchestrated by the Charedi community, who were “out to get him” since he was the only remaining defender of “Modern Orthodoxy” in Monsey. So what is his current argument when the largest, most influential organization representing “Modern Orthodoxy” today, the RCA, throws him out? He claims that they do not properly follow halachah, and have various self serving motivations. Is there is a single case anywhere else in the entire U.S. where there are such diverse groupings of Orthodox Jews including even “modern” that are all simply, “out to get them”?
4) Mr. Schwartz, a relatively new member of the community who all but instantly became the shul’s new attorney (who had recently stepped down as his lawyer----where have all his ex-attorneys gone?) attempted to publicly discredit a report from the investigator. This investigator recorded many references to tapes that in fact do exist and have been heard repeatedly by many rabbanim and who have seen equally explicit evidence such as Tendler’s DNA extraction subsequently matched and verified beyond any doubt. Schwartz had the unmitigated chutzpah to demand to know why this evidence was not made available to them. Is it remotely possible to understand that much of the evidence clearly condemning Tendler is at the same time extremely personal, private and strictly confidential as well as inappropriate for public consumption? Also, these women have indeed been threatened numerous times in various ways by Tendler and his ever altering henchmen to the point that they fear their lives would once more be dragged through the mud and further destroyed by these people, as many have to date. They are in a very delicate state of recovery which may take years if ever (B’ezrat Hashem).
Reflect, if only for a moment, on all the upstanding members of the Jewish community whom without hesitation or a moments thought have been publicly continually humiliated, smeared, slandered and lied about. His supporters have been on a mission to do everything and anything to save the perpetrator by destroying the messengers. Is it not reasonable to understand that these women do not feel safe to make such proof public? To bring it to the shul board (which changed dramatically soon after the defense festival) would neither have been wise nor safe since this very shul ostracized their own shul and community members who came forward in defense of these women. Many of whom were summarily treated as literal outcasts and persona-non-gratis status when they bravely and appropriately came forward then suddenly and wholly isolated under Tendler’s imperious directive. For many of them, their once close friends from shul andother members would not even glance at them nor talk to them, let alone dare support them in their time of need. And somehow people cannot fathom why these abused, anguished, and tormented women are not coming forward publicly to be heard from? Many of these women feel they owe nothing to the members of the shul who themselves abandoned them in their time of crisis. However, some of these women have felt safe enough to share this evidence with local rabbis and the RCA, as well as other defenders of the truth. While Tendler hopes there are no audio tapes or other solid proof of his explicit sexual exploits with women, such as DNA, prominent Rabbis in our community (see above) will openly tell you they have heard with their ears and have seen with their eyes overwhelming and truly nauseating proof of his inappropriate behavior.
The fact is that leading New York Rabbanim have accepted evidence in the forum of a formal Bais Din receiving testimony from halachically competent witnesses (eidim k’shairim) and theirtestimony that included corroborating forensic evidence proving unequivocally that Mordy Tendler had very direct immoral relations with a Jewish woman who was not his wife. For reasons of confidentiality, this DNA evidence will be kept out of public view, for now, as long as it is necessary to protect her and her family.
In addition, a large group of prominent Rabbis sitting in a public forum dealing with tzniyus issues in Rav Breslauer’s Bais Medrash, listened to audio taped conversations of him pursuing another married woman for sexual favors. Their apprehension to release this unambiguous evidence and Bais Din maskanah--conclusion is, again, chiefly due to the confidentiality the women have entrusted in these foremost rabbis. If released publicly, the abundant clear and damaging information would simply serve to compound the current chillul Hashem and would destroy any remaining reputation Tendler has left. It is resolutely in the hands of serious Rabbonim who will admit to having seen and heard this evidence when asked. On the other hand, Tendler and his minions care nothing for these women’s privacy.
In response to a question asked repeatedly regarding individual monetary settlements with women, Tendler claimed that there were no settlements or payoffs with accuser (name deleted). In a third response to the general question of payoffs, Tendler finally leaned into the microphone and categorically denied any settlements by claiming, “There were no settlements, whatsoever.” There are many shul members who know this to be an outand- out lie since the board had in the past met with Tendler who admitted to them about a very large payoff based on a potential “nuisance case.” There is a ten page handwritten letter in our possession signed by Michelle Tendler (sent to threaten some of the advocates) claiming that the DA recommended to settle the case. Some on the receiving end who saw the actual checks and others on his shul board all confirmed separately that the settlement approached $100,000 or more – a sum that does not accurately reflect a potential “nuisance suit.” Many know this to be another in a series of bold-faced Tendler lies. By altogether denying there ever was such a case, Tendler hopes to avoid having to release the “gag” order on this woman. Thus he is stuck having to deny there is even a settlement so that the compelling evidence from that settlement will not be made public which includes many tapes and other unambiguous proof, which is why he was forced into such an unusually large settlement in this particular situation.
Tendler went on and on in some detail (lying the entire time) that he never writes checks himself and therefore does not possess the records so we should “go ask the shul President Eric…who writes out every check himself and maintains the bookkeeping records and checkbooks, he can verify for anyone that no such checks were ever written.” Eric, by the way, retired as president within weeks of the Tendler Fest. Despite this magnanimous offer and denial that such checks were written, there is evidence of shul checks written out in Tendler’s own hand written to a separate impoverished woman whom he abused and even threw out from the shul months prior to writing those checks to her by his own hand. From the time Tendler claimed that he no longer had anything to do with her, he subsequently and periodically paid her hush money. She held some of these checks in case they were ever needed as proof. She has filed her law suit and holds this evidence. The lies continue where, on the one hand, he expects us to believe that there were no monetary settlements to silence his accusers and on the other hand, he never writes out checks himself. Perhaps the board and others should ask ex-President Eric to make public all the records in this matter in both the shul checking fund as well as the existence of Tendler’s Discretionary Fund account, the account he conveniently neglected to mention in response to that question, that prove his twice over lie. Finally, how many other rabbis write out large checks or even small ones as settlements or hush money to women, anywhere, and then have to both publicly and privately deny ever having done it?
We challenge Tendler’s current shul board: Give your rabbi an ultimatum. Either he can sign the enclosed stipulation form to release only one woman (the board knows her name and much more) from any alleged settlement and related gag order as well as releasing his ex-lawyers as it relates to these matters only, or he is fired. If he is completely innocent, as he claims, then he has nothing to hide and will willingly sign the below "stipulation of release" document. We challenge the reader to name one other rabbi who would not!
5) When asked why he believes that so many people are out to get him, Tendler responded with, “Sitting on Din Torahs has created all this animosity towards me.” He was similarly asked, “Why he believes so many rabbis are against him?” He pondered aloud with, “I have many theories which I won’t make public right now.” Not one of the other rabbis that sit on the very same Bais Din as Mordy Tendler, needs to even consider making such false and bizarre responses since no one is apparently out to get any of them, i.e. Rabbi Chaitovski, Rabbi Zvi Jacobs, etc, etc.
As a matter of fact, there are no other rabbis on the numerous Batei Dinim anywhere else in the world that would be asked such a question, let alone put forward these lamest of all excuses. His extremely pathetic and illogical responses make little sense other than he had nothing better to put forward. How many thousands of beloved rabbanim continue to sit on Batei Dinim worldwide, presiding over the precise kind and variety of cases Tendler has presided over without any claims against them of sexual harassment, abuse, lies and settlements? Who else needs to answer this line of questioning?
6) Tendler claims that after the RCA received the report from the investigator, he did not subsequently tamper with any witnesses. In fact, the RCA was taken aback and extremely disturbed upon discovering that he had tampered with two witnesses during the course of their investigation. Though the RCA candidly admits to naively sharing some confidential information with him (after tremendous pressure from his attorneys), the understanding was clear that he could not contact any of the women or witnesses named in the report. One was a victim who Tendler threatened to have her arrested, straightjacketed and thrown into the penitentiary if she released any of her information she had on him (she has filed a lawsuit against both him and the congregation where she was terribly harrassed and abused by several members).
The second was an RCA witness, a cleaning lady who saw with her own eyes evidence of what transpired. It is the cleaning women that often witness what is undeniably happening in the home. These two witnesses had thus been tampered with -- something Tendler claims to have never done -- continuing to pile up his lies. Furthermore, remember his claim at the public defense festival that the only time he was ever contacted by the RCA was at the same moment the rest of us were which was on March 16, 2005? One can see from the same letter written by Michelle Tendler where she writes to the RCA 1) about the March 9th letter they received from the RCA apparently before everyone else & 2) mentioning “…and your (prior) request for yet another meeting and investigation …!
7) Tendler had the unmitigated gall to advance his lies by using the world renown and most highly respected name of the Gadol Hador Harav Elyashuv, Shlita, claiming publicly verbatim:
“Harav Elyashuv cleared me completely through his talmid, Rav Eisenstein, who wrote a “psak halacha” that I am innocent.”
The fact is there can be no correlation between a “psak halacha” and the determination of someone’s innocence since even a Bais Din can only rule if someone is "not guilty" but can never attest to their complete innocence since not even a dayan (judge) can know for certain if someone is completely “innocent.” So this statement is false to start with, and he runs a bais din?? Hashem, help us.
Additionally, this publicly stated lie has been wholly exposed from direct contact with HaRav Elyashuv’s good offices, as they have denied ever being asked such a shaila – question. At no time did Tendler or anyone claiming to represent Tendler, including Rav Eisenstein ever ask Rav Elyashuv or those who work closely with him such as Rav Efrati who oversees the Rav’s office or others such as his grandson that are close to the Rav, anything regarding this communal question that looms before us today. What utter disregard and arrogance to drag a Gadol Hador into his massive web of lies!
After the nine rabbanim in Monsey met with both Tendler and his father separately about three years ago, as mentioned earlier, they contacted HaRav Elyashuv for advice on how to proceed with their knowledge of the many accusations against him, having met with many of his female accusers in addition to documenting his pathological lies and careless psaks with all of their incongruities. The Gadol Hador counseled them not to come out publicly at that time since Tendler would ultimately bring himself down by his sexual misconduct about which the community will only then be willing to act upon, as it becomes known. He warned the rabbanim that the community would be less than willing to take action against the erroneous halachic rulings of Tendler’s bais din, his contradictions in psak halacha, even with his having been caught red-handed in his fraudulent responses to the hard questions asked by the same Monsey Bais Din. In hindsight, the advice of the Gadol Hador was, as usual, unquestionably correct.
Here is just a minor sampling of the very informative minutes of the halachic decision of the Bais Din that openly demonstrates Tendler’s willingness to lie as easily as a normal person speaks the truth. In one line of questioning he completely denied his involvement on his own Bais Din that simply rendered null and void a valid ketubah and marriage which he claimed he does not do. When caught red-handed with documentation of such a psak from his own Bais Din with his signature on his own stationery that proved he was lying, his first reaction was to deny that it was his signature and then soon recanted. Any of the rabbonim that were there (see enclosed list) will attest to this…! Tendler then claimed that the reason he can be mafkia (invalidate) kiddushin (he has done many) is that he was just following what he learned from Reb Moshe Feinstein, Ztz”l. Having grown up in his house, he claims to have witnessed Reb Moshe undo thousands of ketubos! He claims that, "Reb Moshe undid thousands of non-religious marriages and hundreds of religious kiddushin." Later, these same rabbanim interviewed his father, Moshe Tendler and one of Reb Moshe’s dedicated students, who both testified. They separately confirmed that Reb Moshe Feinstein reversed one ketubah and perhaps one more that they remember having heard about, totaling perhaps 2, at most, over his entire life. When the rabbanim showed him the above documented statements by his own son’s contrary claims, Moshe Tendler simply lowered his head shaking it in shame while sighing.
In a similar attempt by other disconcerted members of the community seeking gadol hador advice, in late summer 2004, the Gadol Hador Rav Chayim Kanievsky Shlita was approached about the Tendler dilemma. He directed the shaila to Rav Shteinman, who was more qualified in these issues who was inspired to advise; “He should not be publicly embarrassed until the investigation is complete.” Subsequent to the RCA’s March 2005 expulsion of Tendler, Rav Chayim was again approached and he responded in Yiddish with, “What do you want me to do—it is the Monsey Rabbis’ responsibility!”
The Monsey rabbis have now loudly and publicly responded in kind.
8) Tendler had others say for him that the RCA’s statement is “null and void” and that Tendler is “innocent.” How can any individual or any other organization nullify a statement of banishment from a different organization? These public statements did not result in his reinstatement as a member of the RCA despite Tendler’s bogus claims that they were imminently going to. Moreover, most of his supporters at this meeting have little knowledge of the case. Considering their scant knowledge, their decision to carry him was carelessly decided to say the least. His supporters have not, nor do they claim to have, conducted their own investigation, having never met with the complainants. They made few if any half-hearted attempts to contact either the RCA or the rabbis in Monsey or the complainants whom are aware oftentimes first hand of his pathological behavior and sexual misconduct. This includes Rav Dovid Feinstein, the only relative of notoriety that spoke ever so briefly on his behalf who made one phone call to the RCA before making such careless statements of support. When later asked why he publicly defended him, he was quoted as saying something along these lines, “True that his halachic psaks are flawed, but we know that about him. I just can’t believe the additional claims of sexual abuse, I just don’t believe him to be that, too.” With all due respect, and putting aside the question if he is at all nogaya b’davar--tainted as a defender since he is a relative, Rabbi Feinstein did not speak to any of the Rabbonim in Monsey who investigated Tendler, nor did he speak to any of his many female accusers of sexual harassment before he stood before the tzibbor in Tendler’s defense. In other words, without first thoroughly researching the matter as is typically expected for a Rav to do before taking such a public stand concerning a vital communal matter such as this, he stood up to defend his relative. His main stated assertion was that the RCA’s ruling was not worth anything. To the contrary, it was an ejection notice that clearly served its purpose and for the very first time alerted the tzibbor what some rabbanim have concluded about him after the RCA’s near one and a half - year long investigation - an investigation the likes of which some obviously believe was and is a monumental waste of time. Even this highly respected Rav was naively manipulated by the Tendlers. His brother, on the other hand, Rav Reuven Feinstein, was conspicuously absent. Let us see if any of his defenders choose to compound the error of their ways or retract them. That will be very telling for future reference who deserves our respect and whom does not...
On the grandest of scales, we have literally seen with our eyes the ongoing attempts by Tendler and his remaining supporters to drag so many good, upstanding, and genuinely honorable leaders and members of the community down with him. He began this process at the Tendler Defense Festival and its vicious ugliness continues. It can be said he is many things, but among them there is no indication that he is behaving as either a communal rav or Torah leader. Why is this so difficult to comprehend? Or is it that Emes is so deeply hidden and hard to recognize today? We can thank the likes of Tendlerites for their contribution in further cloaking emes behind a very thick dark cloud.
Are there any other rabbanim in Monsey or anywhere else for that matter where there are numerous remotely comparable claims being made about them, from a wide continuum of sources, where they find it necessary to respond with such venom, pointing fingers at their accusers and desperately trying to distort their claims through a variety of public outlets (newspapers, new and anonymous internet sites, etc. Please do not naively view ours as anonymous--you can see the names of the courageous Rabbonim who represent all of us and who firmly believe in Rabbinic Integrity. Who among us would not be a proud member of any Committee that fights for Rabbinic Integrity?
On the other hand, did any other rabbi pay such a large sum in the vicinity of $100,000 to a woman in order to silence her claims of abuse? Has it ever been necessary for any other single rabbi to erect and re-erect a series of powerful public relations defense teams and attorneys that with lies and deception only serve to vilify the accusers and advocates regardless of who they are by either threatening them into silence or severely maligning them publicly with underhanded character assassination tantamount to libel? To discourage others and divert our attention away from himself, he even uses his slander machine to drag defenseless, ill children and their parents through the Jewish tabloids. The parallels to the historic libels against the Orthodox Jews of Eastern Europe are stunning. We have never seen anything on this level except perhaps during the Haskalah Movement that also involved mosrim – people who gave over false information to the public authorities (in this case the health department, tabloid newspapers, the internet, etc.) to bring about potential loss of licenses, reputation and thus incomes. While his current defenders of “enlightened” Jews are publicly maligning a broad spectrum of rabbanim and true Torah Scholars, in the process they are violating basic Torah law by fostering steadily growing and irreversible public chillul Hashem that could have immediately ceased, at any time, if he would merely step down or be relieved of his position. How many of us naively believed that for the good of the community in which we all live, he would have stepped down at his public defense meeting, but deep down knew he would never even consider it if only for sake of the community. Just as we survived (barely) the so-called Enlightenment Movement, we will survive him and his ilk as long as we stick together as one Kehilah of Monsey, and never, ever consider any of his lies to be remotely true. Tendler undoubtedly prides himself on his inexhaustible efforts to distort all emes and with his abhorrent process successfully manipulating public opinion toward his side, like no one before him. Does any of the editorial staff of the two so-called “Jewish newspapers” owe Tendler any “large favors” which Tendler handily called in by having these two newspapers let him and his spin doctors that include his father and others, writing virtually unedited, biased and misleading articles, consistently commandeering the editorial page for months at a time? The RCA had correctly relinquished the single opportunity granted them to write their own version since the so-called “Jewish” Press rescinded their promise to allow it to be unedited. And yet, they continuously provide Tendler with an ongoing unedited forum for his lies. It is pointless to speculate as to the nature of the favors owed, but there is only speculation (therefore we will not comment further) that the corruption runs very deep indeed – and we may never know the complete truth. There are always political favors that powerful people grant each other often to the detriment of the very community they supposedly represent. One can never comprehend the true motivation of others. There is no logic in insanity, but often there are identifyable goals. As believing Jews, we know that in the end, deep corruption and evil is sooner or later exposed as the light of Emes is ultimately revealed. In their self-achieved often imposed positions of power, rishaim can temporarily succeed to out maneuver rabbanim by presenting lies and manipulative distortions to spin and confuse the general public. Tendler has little choice but to persist in pushing his mountain of lies that he disperses mainly through two so-called “Jewish” newspapers or more accurately, sensationalist tabloids, and (in the recent past) on the internet, the validity of which these two forums speak for themselves. He endeavors to outsmart, even pre-empt rabbanim and others by repeatedly mischaracterizing them in a variety of ways to the general tzibbur in order to win over public perception of himself. For example, even though the RCA did not have to, out of respect for a Jerusalem court, even as they halachicly correctly rejected their jurisdiction over the matter, the RCA formally responded to them and agreed to relocate the Din to the most highly respected Monsey Bais Din, M’chon L’hora in Spring Valley as is within their halachic rights (see Harav Wosner’s t’shuvah above in this regard where there is no need for a Bais Din whatsoever to eject a member). Tendler then never responded to this halachicly acceptable request but instead the Jerusalem Beit Din held a private hearing with only Tendler present to say the RCA was in violation of not appearing. The newspapers would have you thus believe that the RCA has in fact ignored the rabbanut Beit Din in Jerusalem altogether. That is because Tendler never planned to pursue his requested Din anywhere outside of Israel as the newspapers have already publicized. When the papers initially admitted that a “Zabla” was requested, the outlandish reason they gave for it being unacceptable was that the M’chon L’horah Bais Din is against Tendler. That is one of the most ridiculous claims yet since there is no such thing. A “Zabla” is where each party gets to pick their own Rav to represent them. The third Rav is mutually chosen by those two Rabbonim. This makes it impossible for this Bais Din to be against Tendler yet that is his claim since he never plans to show up and has no other out except to get others to lie by falsely claiming the RCA is in violation of not responding to the Jerusalem’s Bais Din. Why go to Israel for a Din to be determined in the first place? It is simple: 1) All the witnesses are in America and 2) to ultimately be able to lie that he has been exonerated by them, which he has already done, a claim that will be difficult for individuals to disprove. It is astounding how everything he says -- a proven liar -- is believed at face value to be true, but what others say about him is doubted. For the answer to that, please see the very first paragraph of The Detailed Chronicle.
We will soon be adding a translation of statements from several different Batei Dinim that uniformly verify for all (uninformed of the laws of Batei Dinim) to clearly understand that Mordy Tendler's Jerusalem rabbanut Bais Din has no jurisdiction whatsoever.
One final comment regarding the one or two so-called “Jewish” newspapers who have revealed their overt biases and lies in an endeavor to support and prop up Tendler: The question as to how can they do this if he is guilty of such terrible things as outlined here? This can be answered by just recalling early on, when the RCA ejected him, the so-called “Jewish” Press blasted the other “more secular” newspapers for their so-called past derision of "orthodox" rabbis. The Jewish Press "educated" us how this was just more of the same.
Then, only a few weeks later, the very same “Jewish" newspaper was caught doing precisely what they claim others have done, but this time in the most unparalleled libelous manner, not just once or twice (as rarely as the secular newspapers reported it), but publicly week after week, month after month printing blatant lies that maligned, and continue even now before our very eyes, so many Rabbonim in order to merely build back Mordy's reputation obstinately refusing to do teshuvah for their voluminous transgressions. That forum, as well as the poorly constructed poorly written Jewish Voice, is where the true Jewish Voice of Lashon Harah lies.
The only real shame here rests with Tendler and his two remaining support outlets. We have all seen or heard of a very recent article from one of these so-called “Jewish” newspapers that shamelessly maligned the elderly tzaddik and widely respected Rav Gedalia Schwartz from Chicago. Those retaining the unambiguous facts of his immoral behavior (DNA evidence and tapes) recognized all along that these two “Jewish” newspapers have incessantly lied, making it easy for all to especially now identify how shrewdly they served those lies between two truths so that they may be believed.
We have this year cancelled our subscriptions to the Jewish “Mess” for this reason and hope every reader will do likewise until and unless they recant every single lie after lie, line by line, including all scurrilous statements of defamation and slander made against so many fine rabbonim. The way Hashem’s world usually works is, in the end, the same forum rishaim use for their rishus--wickedness, is the same platform used in their self-destruction. He used the so-called “Jewish” newspapers, to malign so many, so it may very well be the newspapers and other media that tear him down (midah k’neged midah).
9) Regarding Tendler’s claims as to the so-called “investigation” Rabbi Greenwald conducted that purportedly vindicated Tendler: Rabbi Greenwald met several women, but they were mostly advocates, not accusers – having only met with one accuser. In the process of questioning Tendler about the many accusations, Tendler became aware of some of his accusers names revealed to him by Rabbi Greenwald. Subsequent to that meeting, each of these women was summarily threatened. Several advocates of the women were then threatened into silence on behalf of Tendler stating, “Only if you back off, will Tendler back off of you.”and many other such threats and worse.In terms of Rabbi Greenwald’s “investigation,” his meeting with this one group of women did not comprise a true investigation – in no way did it resemble one. He had a conversation with some people that Tendler at the defense festival called, an “investigation.” There was never an attempt to contact the vast majority of accusers or their advocates. Apparently only the RCA and many prominent Monsey Rabbanim are the only ones who can not conduct a competent investigation. Even Rabbi Greenwald openly says, "It does not mean I exonerated him."
10) Tendler produced some supporters who hollered publicly that the whole RCA investigation was based on phone interviews by “a goy from Texas.” However, the women were previously interviewed mostly in person when the case was originally brought before the RCA. Following that, they were re-interviewed by the more than qualified abuse investigator. After the final report was received from this investigator, the RCA determined to move forward in its investigation. They contacted some of the accusers again, in order to interview them a third time. Some of the women received letters from the RCA requesting them to come in for interviews, stating that Tendler would be there with his lawyer and that they were welcome to bring their own lawyers. Eventually, the interviews occurred with these women in a local Monsey shul, with the rabbi of that shul present, while Tendler refused to show up and cooperate. All told, these women were interviewed by rabbis, psychologists, and yes, believe it or not, even a non-Jewish investigator from the state of Texas.
11) Mordy Tendler publicly stated that he never met with women alone. It is intriguing that a woman in the audience at the same Defense Festival stood up and said that she had met “alone” with Tendler many times, and that he was never once inappropriate with her. Yet, at this very same meeting Tendler earlier stated that he never met with women alone! Most members of his own congregation and others plainly recognize this to be another blatant lie that requires no proof whatsoever, many having witnessed him on innumerable occasions secluded with women. He has been seen often by countless individuals over the many years meeting with women alone behind closed, even locked doors. What does one do with his recent public lies to the contrary?
12) In an answer to one question, Tendler stated he would not release any of his many ex-lawyers from attorney-client privilege. Why not?? Perhaps because they have vital information that would obviously incriminate Tendler. Why did one of his lawyers abruptly resign as his lawyer only three months after first becoming his lawyer? Most normal people have a consistent lawyer for years. Upon his resignation on October 20th, 2003, as lawyer representing both Tendler and Kehilat New Hempstead, Brad instantaneously left the shul and accepted the very first offer to buy his house in order to speedily move out of the neighborhood. We understand that privately one of his lawyers wishes he would be released thereby enabling him to bury Tendler permanently (his formerly trusted rabbi and client) with the evidence of deep corruption that he cannot make public due to client-attorney privilege. Why the need for Tendler to have lawyer after lawyer to begin with?
13) Tendler claims he never threatened any ex-husbands or anyone else for that matter. This is another terrible lie. There are several witnesses, including one exhusband who openly claims that Tendler used intense pressure on this man’s boss repeatedly to have him fired from his job--thus losing critical parnasah for his family unless he and his ex-wife stopped talking about him and withdrew their claims of sexual harassment.
No, never any threats. Then, only minutes later at the Tendler Fest itself, Rabbi Esformes stood in front of the congregation, screaming about pain and chillul Hashem. It is Tendler’s behavior that is the sole source of chillul Hashem. Rabbi Esformes threatened to sue anyone in the congregation that tries to fire the “rav.” We were hoping for a little constructive emes to occur at this meeting. Instead, one of the original founders of Kehilat New Hempstead (KNH) threatened to repossess the building if anyone even hinted at firing the Rav. Do these low lives believe that emes is arrived at and justice is meted out with money, power, and threats? This simply confirms the overt strong-arm tactics that could not even be concealed at the public forum that is the m.o. of the Tendler camp, as we have all seen ongoing.
14) One of the many accusers that Tendler publicly maligned at this same meeting included a decent and straightforward person named Batya Siegel, inferring that she herself was an abuser among many other things. It is to the contrary simply this. Tendler is the only one involved in abuse by abusing his position of power attempting to manipulate and control her with mental abuse, using her Get process as a tool for his sexual gratification. She was sexually harassed by him many times, but she was able to bravely defer his sexual advances – postponing them with a regular verbal delay of, “let’s talk after the Get is signed.” Immediately following the signing of her Get in front of a Bais Din, during which Tendler had been lurking in the shadows, she abruptly left the proceedings as he chivvied after her, pursuing her promise she had made “to discuss it after the get was signed.” Having been completely demoralized and reeling from a dearth of spiritual, monetary, even moral support, Batya had not received even a modicum of support from hence it should have come, namely, her rabbi – Tendler. Rather, Tendler’s role was the complete opposite as he was a major contributing force in her misfortune. All of his abusive actions occurred during the precise period when she was at absolute lowest point in her life. So, the moment she turned to face her abuser one last time, she selected some choice words for him, deciding just then to give up her religious affiliation with Judaism because of him, as she says openly. Make no mistake. Batya Siegel dreadfully recalls from over thirteen years ago all the encounters with him as he gradually and subtly transformed from a trusted rabbi into her nemesis; that includes her final recollection of when and where her very last conversation with Tendler took place, immediately following her Get proceedings (despite Mordy's public claims of never having been there). For Mordy this is normal behavior, patiently seeking constant opportunities to take advantage of downtrodden, vulnerable, desperate women and their families, then later destroy anyone and everyone in his path reproaching him of it. Lending much credence to her account is the fact that she never claimed to have been abused by him sexually. She does not need to lie, nor does she stand to benefit by rehashing the most intimidating and desperate point in her life, so many years ago. She is a very strong-willed and bright person when you meet her. Outside of his sexual advances (Tendler proposed to bathe her, among other terrible suggestions), the only actual physical contact she says he had with her was when he rubbed her hand back and forth on the desk in his office, which took her aback, as did his concurrent heavy breathing.
15) Mordy Tendler’s warped mind continues to cause great chillul Hashem by widely slandering upstanding, humble Orthodox Jews whose involvement stems solely from their sheer dedication in defense of the abused. Here is just one example among many advocates that Tendler slandered. At this meeting, Tendler publicly broadcast to all his baseless accusations against one defender of the abused, Rabbi Dratch (member of the RCA), accusing him of either manipulating or, worse yet, fostering the entire RCA investigation in order to somehow benefit monetarily in the hope of creating a position for himself that would ultimately result in some notion of income. We all heard Tendler makes those highly inflammatory remarks that when one considers them for a mere moment, they literally smack of conspiratorial insanity. Anyone who has met and heard Rabbi Dratch speak knows that he is a true mentsch who cares very much about the vital issue of abuse whenever it arises, especially in the rabbinate. The complainants and their advocates originally contacted him and he handled their dire situation with extreme caring, sensitivity and confidentiality.
16) Mordy Tendler purported that there would be a “mass resignation from the RCA,” if he would “just give the word.” What narcissism and patent egotism, not to mention an overt falsehood. To begin with, where are all the rabbis in the RCA or elsewhere, for that matter, rushing to his defense? Even Rabbi Faskowitz (who recently resigned from the RCA in a two page letter to the “Jewish” Press) does not defend him but instead maligns the entire RCA. Faskowitz’s mother’s maiden name is Joffen just as Michelle Tendler’s maiden name is Joffen. That is because he is her first cousin! Here is another case of a relative standing up to support the Tendlers. You can’t make this stuff up even if you wanted to. From what we hear, the RCA is far from disappointed that he is gone and will not be allowed back in. He states in his resignation letter, “It is unimportant whether Tendler is guilty or innocent.” We believe that it is all important. Since Tendler has already pulled out all the stops as demonstrated by his never ceasing retaliatory actions publicly attempting to crush all his opponents, then why not “give the word” already? That’s because there is no word; for his word is worth nothing. Furthermore, Faskowitz may have resigned but what of Tendler’s very own father who continues on as a member of the RCA?!! At a bare minimum, why has his father not resigned as a statement of protestation? There is only one answer to that. It is called Shtika Kihoda’ah. By silently retaining his RCA member status, his father is by default communicating and revealing to us all his true belief of what his son is affirming the RCA’s just decision. When his son falls, which is inevitable, his father fears, having left the RCA, he may never be accepted back. His son’s claim of “mass resignation” could not even entice his own father!
Moreover, try to recall how many times we have heard that the RCA will imminently be reinstating Tendler. His abysmal lies continue despite his supporters futile attempts. Furthermore and beyond belief, in addition to being related to the Tendlers, it has been brought to our Committee for Rabbinic Integrity’s attention by the RCA that Faskowitz has a history of having previously stood up for an abuser (A..). Again, even the most imaginative writers in the world could not make this stuff up, folks!
17) Mordy Tendler claims he had no relationship with one of the victims and stated that he, “only gave her rides in his car years ago when she did not live in the community and perhaps only during snowstorms,” which is another lie. Many from the community have witnessed him meeting with this woman and giving her car rides many times in the not too distant past and in perfect weather. He claims that it is a flagrant lie that he met with her and gave her rides after he called the police on her and had her kicked out of the shul. The flagrant lies are all his. He was seen many times since then going into her apartment and riding in his car with her in the frontseat. Many have openly admitted seeing this with their own eyes. When later questionedwhat type of relationship he had with another RCA witness, he stated, "I haven’t the foggiest idea who she is", even though she and her family had been very regular and ongoing shul (KNH) members for many years.
18) Mr. Schwartz was sounding off about the RCA report that he formally requested, but had not received. He then stated only a few hours later at a subsequent meeting restricted only to shul members that he in fact received the entire RCA report from a so-called confidential source and to “take his word for it that it is full of lies, flaws, and inconsistencies and is therefore worthless.” He stated that there is no new evidence, there are no reliable witnesses, and the only evidence is this severely flawed report from a Texas investigator. The truth is that the RCA investigation continued for many months after this report from the investigator was concluded. Local rabbis have unambiguous evidence, having heard from many women, and of late, even new women and their families that previously were not heard from.
19) Old lawyer Schwartz mentioned an uncanny “consistency” in the sexual harassment charges claiming that it all started by one person who may have tainted the story and that the rest of the women were directed what to say. This is typical lawyer-ease and is a terrible, blatant lie that attempts to lump all his accusers together as a single testimony. The only common theme among the women’s stories is Tendler’s pattern of sexual abuse repeating itself over and over again. No woman has ever been instructed as to what to say. Each of them, just like the rest of us, has their own mind. They were asked only to speak the truth in their own words. The truth is that their experiences with him occurred under very different circumstances, while only the abuser’s behavior is consistent throughout (the CRI has the complete confidential detailed accounts of each woman’s hideous experiences with Mordy Tendler that are not for public consumption just yet).
20) Supporter at the time, ex-lawyer Schwartz said a terrible hatchet job was being executed on his rabbi. The real hatchet job is against these vulnerable, broken women and their families. This is the only place our sympathies should be. In truth, though, how many of us feel true empathy towards these abused women, who as victims naturally feel powerless. Meanwhile, the Tendler people use their money and by abusing their position of power, continue in their attempts to tear down, malign, and demolish so many good people, as you have seen that is ongoing, even as you read this.
21) Several prominent Torah scholars that were the veritable linchpins in Tendler’s shul, as far as their Torah knowledge and weekly shiurim they generously shared with the local community have already left the shul so as to no longer enable Tendler’s immoral behavior. It is because they trust the upstanding Rabbanim of the RCA and their decision to oust him for solid reasons.
Those remaining members of his shul must realize by now that they have been and still are a part of shul that has many outward appearances akin to a cult-like atmosphere where their “inspirational leader” can do no wrong. While it may be difficult for dedicated members to assess him objectively, given that he is still technically “rabbi,” how long will he continue to be viewed with rose-colored glasses despite the many evils he has committed throughout the years? Continuing to trash so many others, including many respected rabbanim, and his predisposition to lie privately, to rabbanim and in front of the tzibbor, it has become so obvious that it would be a joke if it were not so sad and devastating to all. A person truly innocent of all charges would not behave this way. They would conduct themselves in a humble, innocent manner, staying far away from any involvement in lies and chillul Hashem. Trashing the character of so many different people speaks volumes.
22) To date, the oldest “known” case of known abuse occurred fourteen years ago. But abuse of people comes in many forms. A congregation can also be abused and damaged over the duration of many years by its so-called leader and not realize while it is happening. Yet, even a 10 year old child has realized Tendler’s flagrant disregard for straightforward halacha. He learned in the Shulchan Aruch (please see Hilchos Tefilah 98,1 near the end that says:
“It is forbidden for a man to kiss children in shul in order to emphasize in one’s heart (to get used to the idea) that there is no love greater than our love for Hashem.” The inference being that, kal v’chomer-- even more so, it is forbidden for two adults to kiss each other in shul while davening is occuring which is why it was placed in the section of the Shulchan Aruch called Hilchos Tefila--the laws of praying. It is widely known and has been witnessed often that Tendler kisses the male congregants in front of the Aron during davening, displaying public disregard for basic halacha, the poignant implication being that he carelessly rejects open halachas as it relates to the basic Jewish ethics of Ahavas and Kavod L’Hashem --honor and love of Hashem that even a 10 year old child can understand!
It is locally known that Tendler has taught his kehilah many twisted things that endeavor to separate his kehilah from the rest of the Orthodox community:
He teaches, for example, that all other rabbis’ matzos are chometz, implying that thousands of rabbis are wrong and only he and a select few are right.
He also states that his shul is the only “Bais Hamikdash M’at” (a small replica of the temple). Long-time congregants who attended his classes will recall that several years ago Mordy Tendler gave a series of shiurim to prove from the Torah that his shul was the “only” Bais Hamikdash M’at. He expounded on that arrogant and absurd notion week after week, first claiming that it was the only one in the Town of New Hempstead, then in Monsey, then New York, then in America, then the world. How can his shul be the “only” anything? A stable, sane rabbi would tell you that there are many good shuls.
Hardly a shiur goes by where he does not shamelessly capitalize on the fact that Reb Moshe is “my grandfather” whom he misquotes continuously and uses as a contingency source to back his erroneous halachic interpretation. He has, in the past, also pretentiously maintained from his bully pulpit that his Eruv, “is the number one Eruv in the universe.” He must be from Mars to know that.
Using his wife and others to do his dirty work, Rosh Hashana a year ago, she asked a couple that purchased seats for the Yomim Tovim to leave the shul even before they had a chance to hear shofar blowing that morning for simply and responsibly warning a close friend who was then widowed to avoid meeting alone with Tendler. She and her husband could care less about fulfilling a D'oraiysah--Torah requirement to hear the shofar. There are so many more examples of this “charem--excommunication” concept that are exacted only in the shul where Mordy still officiates, usually by others he requests to do his dirty work.
He likewise continues to periodically pressure members who appropriately wish and have every right to leave the shul with incessant bullying through repetitive phone calls, letters, packets and strong-arming tactics in order to stop the spreading of this type of discussion among themembers. All of these are examples, and there are more, are symptomatic of a virtual cultlike atmosphere where the leader and those representing him try to separate its membersfrom the rest of the community (in our case the tzibbur), something strictly forbidden in Judaism since it is the very antithesis of achdus!
Those against him are summarily isolated and condemned; the more correct term perhaps being excommunicated. he has most likely excommunicated more individuals that all other New York Rabbonim combined!
Those of you who continue to show up and daven at the shul and pay membership are enabling him to continue in his ways. By continuing to attend the shul, you are supporting an abuser. By doing so, among several halachas one is violating is the vital Torah dictum of “Lifnei Iver, Lo Titain Michshol” – “Do not place a stumbling block in front of a blind person.” Every Friday night we proclaim, “Ohavai Hashem, Sin’u Rah” – Those who love Hashem, are to despise evil.” Are we proudly practicing those words or are we mindlessly mouthing them to Hashem?
23) Consider that Tendler’s ongoing actions only serve to compound his evil behavior that continues to destroy Jewish families that we are all responsible for, even outside our immediate community. The bare conclusion remains that he is a bonafide pathological liar, and perhaps even sociopath, also termed psychopath, possessing anti-social, antisocietal personality disorders. The definition of this disorder, from the Merck manual is:
“Persons with this personality disorder callously disregard the rights and feelings of others. They exploit others for materialistic gain or personal gratification. They act out their conflicts in impulsive and irresponsible ways, sometimes with hostility and serious violence. They tolerate frustration poorly. Often, they do not anticipate the negative consequences of their antisocial behaviors and typically do not feel remorse or guilt afterward. Many of them have a welldeveloped capacity for glibly rationalizing their behavior or for blaming it on others. Dishonesty and deceit permeate their relationships. Punishment rarely modifies their behavioror improves their judgment and foresight; it usually confirms and often reinforces their harshly unsentimental view of the world.”
Keep in mind that sociopaths are commonly able to fool others over an extended time period - they often manipulate others into liking them, and are capable of acting in a very charming manner in order to impress others. They cause much harm to others over the years, and have even been known to temporarily fool medical personnel (nurses, psychiatrists, psychologists, even rabbis and congregants) until they are ultimately caught in their inability to cease their own pathological behavior (multiple times on both tapes and from DNA extraction).
Tendler long ago lost an understanding of what we naturally recognize as right and wrong. The criminal mind is truly not a complicated one. When it affects others, i.e. married women, single women, families, etc., we must act without hesitation, without pity. The time for rachamim has passed long ago indeed. The Gedolim over the many generations forbid it, as per the timely and pertinent Torah T’shuvah--response that has collated their halachic opinions on this issue that can be requested in original Hebrew from any of the local Rabbanim (see the authorized summary outline and translation enclosed). The Great Sages of all past generations have spoken loudly in this teshuvah!
A final note:
As we are all B’nei Yisrael, we must be aligned on this imperative communal issue. Please join your most courageous and highly respected leaders, ex-members and fellow colleagues and friends that includes the five Rabbis who vacated the shul simultaneously last spring and others by abandoning this rashah as they have--as soon as this Shabbos. You have no chiyuv-obligation whatsoever to walk into a particular building according to any halacha except the genuine Bais Hamikdash when, B’mhaira B’yamainu, we will see its rebuilding—and even then approximately only three times a year.
Perhaps due to the passage of much time, many congregants with decades of real dedication to building and maintaining Kehilat New Hempstead Shul, some may have developed clouded judgment and should not trust their lack of objectivity that continues to overlook Tendler’s profound pathology. Actually, you, the congregants of KNH can add your names to the long list of his victims.
We empathize with your situation, rachmana l’tzlan, for you now have to search out your neshamas and face the shock and loss after spending so many years being this man’s devotees. You undoubtedly feel the shame and embarrassment in front of your own families that you have brought them to him for guidance, halachic advice and perhaps even counseling. We understand that you trusted him throughout a host of personal family issues. We will get the tzibbor to ignore his future lies he may attempt to reveal about you that he has done to others who have left. We are proving he is a liar beyond a shadow of a doubt, so fear not, and certainly do not fear Mordy! As we say every Rosh Chodesh and Chanukah--" Trust in Hashem, not in the son of men that can not save. Trust in Hashem not in "princes" (or people who think they are). Trust in Hashem (speaking through the chachamim captured over the generations by Harav Wosner's t'shuvah and the contemporary Rabbanim who have spoken and whom will speak to each of you one by one that is truly seeking emes asking a serious shaila-question: whether your decision to abandon him is the correct one.
You, like many others who have already left, also feel that you wasted years of your life following this disturbed man in spite of your better instincts. You even now still feel a necessity to maintain the status quo rather than face the cold reality (of emes) that you have followed a rashah with endless pathological and psychological problems and have to admit to your families that you were led astray. But you can survive and still go on without him and end the relationship as others have promptly done. Teshuvah is very hard for each and every one of us but for the sake of your families you need to cleanly sever your relationship with this man as the rabbonim have required of all of us to do. Many who have already left are ready to support you despite all that has happened which is mainly his fault and not yours. The key is to, any way you can, detach yourself from an un-repented rashah instead of aligning with and supporting him. Always remember who the perpetrator is.
And, since you lack the necessary objectivity -- that is what the Rabbanim are there for! Please, for the benefit of your beautiful families and the rest of the community, re-read and listen to the Rabbonim’s deepest, heartfelt Torah-based advice above. We are one kehila, and thus it is all of our responsibilities to follow the halachic advice of the many Rabbanim who possess the proper and objective Torah knowledge who have spoken. A very wide spectrum of so many Rabbonim ranging from Misnagid to Chasidish to Young Israel to Litvash and everything inbetween, from right to left, have unambiguously delineated their position for the general tzibbor on this matter despite the past attempt at character assassination and defamation that has occured that may come their way (if the Jewish Press restarts his lie-forum once more).
The taped evidence many Rabbonim heard was brought forth by women outside of the one woman who had to give up her tapes and other evidence due to the huge settlement paid to her by Tendler that resulted in a “gag order.” She had to relinquish all her evidence and sign an agreement that she could no longer share her information or talk to anyone about Tendler’s illicit sexual behavior toward her. The terribly inappropriate sexually oriented dialogue between Tendler and his multiple female victims is not for public consumption since it would only serve to add to the tremendous Chillul Hashem and further stain the Orthodox Rabbinate if it is disbursed ultimately reaching the internet for all to hear (which may unfortunately have to happen if decisive action is not taken by KNH and he is allowed to have a base from which to continue unfettered in his abusive and slanderous ways--we pray not).
When one stands back to fully reflect upon this with clear eyes, one can see the height of unprecedented arrogance and brazenness that repeats itself over and over again and is ongoing throughout a variety of public forums. The final Mishnah in Sotah as explained by Michtav MaiEliyahu part 3:
“Our Great Sages have forewarned and instructed us who live at the end of the galus that, “audacity will increase” to the point where even if the truth may be discerned, but due to one’s personal arrogance and brazenness is unwilling to bend to it, thus behaving audaciously, even rebelliously at times against the emes in order to simply overcome our pangs of conscience.”
A weak and divided tzibbor permits criminals to thrive on societal inaction and misplaced pity. It is unfortunate that the Tendler children will be hurt by him so. Far outweighing that are so many more children of the many families he irreparably destroyed throughout the years and continues to today. So, never forget who the real victims are. The community must not fail to act against this unfortunate scourge in our midst by meeting it head on with a strong communal will. Even this detailed chronicle does not capture barely a smidgen of the depths of this man’s ongoing evil behavior. Nevertheless, please consider this in its full due and then make the right decision for the sake of our entire community that includes all of our families. Only with achdus and taking action can we put an end to this historic madness without further delay. Hatzlacha Rabbah!
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