New York Outbreaks Drive US Measles Count up to 626
New York outbreaks continue to drive US measles cases up toward levels not seen in 25 years.
By Associated Press, Wire Service ContentApril 22, 2019, at 10:09 a.m.
Photo shows a sign explaining the local
state of emergency because of a measles outbreak at the Rockland County
Health Department in Pomona, N.Y. Outbreaks in New York state continue
to drive up U.S. measles cases, which remain on pace to set a record for
most illnesses in 25 years.
NEW YORK (AP) — Outbreaks in New York state continue to drive up the number of U.S. measles cases, which are approaching levels not seen in 25 years.
Health officials say 71 more cases were reported last week, with 68 of them from New York. That brings this year's total to 626.
That is already the most since 2014, when 667 were reported for the whole year. The most before that was 963 cases in 1994.
Twenty-two
states have reported cases, but the vast majority have been in New York
— mainly in New York City and in nearby Rockland County. Most of the
New York cases have been unvaccinated people in Orthodox Jewish
communities.
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention released the latest numbers Monday.
NYC Measles Outbreak Declared Public Health Emergency
New
York City has declared a public health emergency amid a measles
outbreak that is mostly impacting the Orthodox Jewish community. Mayor
Bill de Blasio says Yeshiva schools that don't require all of their
students to get vaccinated will face fines or closure.
The
flames at Notre Dame Cathedral should remind Jews of the burning by
that very same church of tens of wagonloads of the Talmud in the Middle
Ages.
The mainstream media, even in Israel, is featuring
in headlines “The Crown of Thorns and tunic of St Louis saved from Notre
Dame fire.”
I do not like to do it, but sometimes it is necessary to remind some Jews of historical facts about antisemitism in France.
Many
of you have certainly visited Paris or The Notre Dame Cathedral, but
how many of you have seen the two statues at the main entrance of the
Paris Cathedral?
These statues, known as "Ecclesia" and
"Sinagoga", represent the Christian theological doctrine of "Verus
Israel" according to which the Jewish people are fallen and replaced by
the "new Israel" represented here by a woman who stands with her head
crowned facing the other woman represented who has her head bowed,
blindfolded by a snake and holding in her hands the tables of the Law
...you know, the Jewish people's Torah.
Every year, millions of tourist flock to admire and photograph these statues, but do they really realize what they represent?
Theft, crimes and persecutions - those were committed in the name of Christianity?
We
have entered the final phase of the redemption of Israel and of all
humanity and it is truly regrettable to see some of our Jewish brothers
saddened by this fire when this building represents in all its strength
the exile of Israel and the will to replace us.
The Catholic
Church became the official state religion of France at the conversion to
Christianity of Clovis I, leading to France being called "the eldest
daughter of the Church."
The construction of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris began in 1160. Construction was largely completed in 1260.
In
1240, in Paris, it was the same Catholic Church which had built the
cathedral that held the famous Paris controversy in which the Talmud was
tried for blasphemy against the church. There was no way the Jewish
rabbis debating the Christians could win. Held at the instigation of
Nicolas Donin, an apostate Jew converted to Christianity, he and clerics
debated four rabbis, led by Rabbi Yehiel of Paris in the presence of
King Louis IX of France.
Begun in 1240, the trial ended with the
decree, out of the Notre Dame Cathedral, ordering seizure of all copies
of the Talmud, that is tens of wagonloads, at least 10,000 handwritten
volumes of holy texts (the printing press had not yet been invented) and
then burning them on nearby Place de Greve in 1242.
Two of the
rabbis, Rabbi Shmuel of Falaise and the Maharam Rottenberg, who
participated in the debate are well known to us today through the
prayers they composed and the elegies about the burning of the holy
books which are still part of our liturgy.
But who was that Louis, King of France, who cooperated so willingly with the church?
Louis IX (1226-1270),
grandson of Philip Augustus and King of France, was a king of the
Middle Ages: a knight, religious, ascetic and hostile to the Jews.
In
spite of the fact that this opposition worked to its own disadvantage,
he opposed the lending activity of his Jewish subjects; he decreed laws
against them and even finally ordered their expulsion.
Known
today as St. Louis, he was very anxious to convert the Jews and
encouraged the discussions between the synagogue and the Church to this
end. At these theological disputes, it was hoped that some Jews would be
converted, or at least shamed, and thus convinced unresolved Christians
of the truth of Christianity and the baseness of Judaism.
There
is reason to believe that Louis took no action to protect the Jews
persecuted by so-called crusaders in 1236 in several provinces (Anjou,
Poitou, Mançois, Touraine, Berry). When, in 1239, Pope Gregory IX asked
the kings of France and Portugal to order the seizure of Jewish books
for examination, Louis was the quickest and most zealous to obey. So 24
loads of Jewish books were burned in 1242.
The Talmud's trial,
also called the Talmud's Burning, Paris Dispute or Talmud Controversy1
(Hebrew: ויכוח פריז Vikouah Pariz) is a major event in the history of
the Jews and their relationship to Christianity.
So is King St. Louis a Saint? And what about his anti-Semitic measures?
King
'Saint' Louis was marked by a profound anti-Judaism of essentially
religious nature. Louis IX, deeply Christian, did not like those Jews
who refused to recognize Christ.
He condemns the Talmud! King
St. Louis, moreover, does not like these people who constitute a foreign
body inside the kingdom of France that he seeks to unify.
'Saint'
Louis goes further. "Christians have a chief," he said to himself,
"it's the bishop. The Jews have no one, so I must be the bishop of the
Jews and punish them when they behave badly, but also protect them when
they are unjustly attacked ... "
Still, Saint Louis was instead a
persecutor of the Jews to the point of imposing on them, in 1269, the
wearing of the rouelle (a piece of red felt or cloth cut in the form of a
wheel, four fingers in circumference, which had to be attached to the
outer garment at the chest and back), advocated by the Church which took
this decision at the Fourth Lateran Council, in 1215. Saint Louis did not hesitate to apply it, especially for the sake of integration and forced conversion of Jews to the national community.
King St Louis was the instigator of the last crusades and massacre of Jews in the Holy Land.
France is in state of shock, the Christian world is outraged while muslims are rejoicing on social media.
Jews have nothing to mourn.
And
by way of comparison, was the world shocked when on Kristallnacht
November 9-10-1938, 1000 synagogues were destroyed in flames by Nazi
Germany, begining of the annihilation of the Jews of Europe?.
Senior rabbi, 55, is caught having an 'inappropriate
association' with a married woman by a private eye hired by her
multi-millionaire husband after he became suspicious of his 'frequent
pastoral visits'
Yonason Abraham, 55, had an 'inappropriate association with a married woman'
He was forced to quit Toras Chaim synagogue and his position at Beth Din court
He said he had 'fallen short of the standards expected' and he was 'deeply sorry'
Forbidden sexual behaviors, known as gilui arayot, are viewed so negatively that a Jew is obliged to sacrifice one's life before committing them, only 3 transgressions out of 613 fall into this category.
Yonason Abraham, 55, was caught
having an 'inappropriate relationship with a married woman'. He was
forced to quit as rabbi at Toras Chaim synagogue and resigned from his
position as a judge at Beth Din court.
A senior rabbi has been forced to quit his synagogue after an ‘inappropriate association with a married woman’.
Yonason Abraham, 55, said he had ‘fallen short of the standards expected’, adding he was ‘deeply sorry I have let you down’.
Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis issued a statement saying the ‘shameful episode ... has shaken us to the core’.
He
added: ‘When one of us fails in this manner, we are all greatly
diminished.’ The disgraced rabbi is said to have quit over his links
with the wife of a millionaire, to whom he gave ‘pastoral support’ in
her marital home.
The marriages of both
the rabbi and the millionaire were said to have been rocked by the
scandal – although it is understood that neither couple has split.
Rabbi
Abraham had founded the Toras Chaim synagogue near Golders Green in
north London, and had long been respected as one of the four judges in
the London Beth Din court. He has also resigned from this latter role.
His
reputation as a devout leader of the Jewish community was questioned
last month when he sent his sudden resignation letter to his
congregation.
The rabbi said he had
been under ‘exceptional strain and stress for some time which has taken
its inevitable toll’, adding: ‘I now need to help myself and my family.’
A source close to the community told the Daily Mail: ‘He had got far
too close to the glamorous wife of a multi-millionaire and senior figure
in the community.
They have children.
She suddenly started receiving a lot of pastoral support from [Rabbi]
Abraham at her marital home. It’s said it wasn’t long before he crossed
personal and religious boundaries.
‘The husband became so
concerned at the rabbi’s frequent visits that he hired a private eye to
find out what exactly was going on.
What he told the husband was enough for him and his wife to face possible divorce – and for the rabbi to resign.’
The
source went on: ‘The husband’s hackles were first raised when his wife
said she wanted the family to “embrace their faith” more. They attend
synagogue like any other family so this seemed to him an odd thing to
say.
‘Then there were all the visits
from the rabbi, including his using the swimming pool, which on
reflection was odd as well as he was supposed to be there to give
pastoral support.
His worst fears were
realised when the private eye produced evidence that left him in no
doubt the rabbi was behaving inappropriately.
‘It was assumed they were divorcing but somehow they are holding it together. The rabbi’s reputation however has been ruined.
‘I
don’t know how his marriage has survived. The fact that he is a judge
in the religious court makes this even more embarrassing and
hypocritical.’
The millionaire and his
wife declined to comment when approached by the Daily Mail with the
allegations. Rabbi Abraham also declined to comment.
Chief
Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis told rabbis in his statement: ‘A Beth Din
[religious judge] must be unimpeachable – anything less is entirely
unacceptable.
‘It was for this reason that I, together with the United Synagogue, ensured that the matter was dealt with so swiftly.
‘This shameful episode has been met by many with disbelief and has caused great pain.
‘In addition, there are innocent family members who have been directly affected and whose lives have been devastated by it.’
A
spokesman for the Chief Rabbi refused to elaborate on the details of
the scandal, but dismissed concerns that the Jewish court could face
appeals in cases heard by Rabbi Abraham going back years.
The spokesman said: ‘There is no concern about the validity of any previous judgements.’
Woman was removed from ultra-Orthodox polling station so top rabbi could vote
Followers of Ger Hassidic dynasty’s leader
reportedly called Likud lawmakers to intervene after female polling
officer refused to leave her post in Bnei Brak
A polling station in the city of Bnei Brak, Israel on April 9, 2019
A female Likud election worker was forced out of a polling
station in the ultra-Orthodox city of Bnei Brak during Tuesday’s
election at the request of the leader of the Ger Hassidic sect, Rabbi
Yaakov Aryeh Alter, according to a Friday report in Haaretz.
The woman initially refused to leave the polling station, so the
rabbi’s followers contacted Likud Knesset members who arranged to have
the woman removed, the report said.
The Likud lawmakers sent a male party official to the polling station
to replace the woman “while she took a lunch break,” during which time
the rabbi cast his ballot.
Sources told Haaretz that when followers of the rabbi noticed the
female Likud member at the polling station, they knew it was “going to
be an issue right from the beginning.”
Yaakov Aryeh Alter of the Gur
Hassidic Dynasty
“They did almost everything to try to convince her to leave, including offering her money,” the source said.
One of Alter’s followers told Haaretz on Friday that the rabbi did
not intend to insult the woman, but saw her presence at the polling
station as a “matter of respectability.”
“The Rabbi does not receive women or look at them,” he said.”Its just
the same as honoring a special request for a prime minister or
president.”
Alter is the Admor, or head, of the Ger Hasidic movement and the
powerful patron of Deputy Health Minister Yaakov Litzman from the United
Torah Judaism party.
The head of the Likud polling committee Yaakov Vidar downplayed the
report, saying the party made “manpower changes as needed” during the
busy election day.
Ultra-Orthodox communities frequently try and impose a separation
between men and women. The two genders sit separately at synagogues and
weddings, and women and men who are not relatives refrain from physical
contact.
There have also been attempts to enforce gender segregation on public
buses, but the Israeli Supreme Court has ruled it illegal, and also
frequent instances where ultra-Orthodox men have refused to sit next to
women on planes.
It’s not just in person, most of Israel’s ultra-Orthodox media —
which includes four daily newspapers, two main weeklies and two main
websites — refuse to show images of women, claiming it would be a
violation of modesty.
Elite private schools help keep yeshivas in Dark Ages
Lawsuit hinders state's effort to ensure basic education at Jewish schools
Roughly 20 years ago I graduated from a
Hasidic yeshiva high school that failed to instruct me to read or write
in English, or educate me in basic math, science, or history. Today,
yeshivas are suing to continue their decades long pattern of educational
neglect, without any regard to the suffering of their students. And
like Sun Tsu famously wrote, “all warfare is based on deception,”
they’re masters at manipulation. But the state and courts must not be
blinded by their tactics.
Last November the New York State Education Department revised its
guidelines for non-public schools to make sure that all students in New
York receive an education that’s up to standard, as required by law. For
many years, Hasidic yeshivas have been violating the constitutional
rights of their students, ignoring state law, and systematically
neglecting the education of their students. Subsequently, over the
years, thousands of young Jewish Hasidic boys have been left without
even a rudimentary education. Thanks to the efforts of Naftuli Moster,
the executive director of Yaffed, and a group of former students and
parents, the state finally stepped up its commitment to reasonable
oversight.
But what started as an advocacy effort over a social, ethical, and
civil injustice has now spiraled into a political and religious battle.
In March, a group of Catholic and elite private schools—like Brearley
and Spence—filed separatelawsuits
to prevent the state from enforcing the guidelines. What is most
appalling here is that the Hasidic yeshivas with severe educational
deficiencies will benefit while the better private schools battle it out
with the state.
One of the basic principles in conflict
resolution is remembering to maintain focus on the problem at hand. The
court and state must not be sidetracked by these lawsuits. It is
unfortunate and even shocking that the elite private and Catholic
schools which value education actually filed these lawsuits even though
they’d likely easily pass any state inspection. But by fighting these
guidelines they are providing cover for non-compliant Hasidic
yeshivas and thereby enabling the ongoing and systemic educational
neglect of Hasidic children.
Seth Godin, the prolific author, points out
that it’s important for organizations not to forget who they are and to
continuously reexamine their cultural DNA. In other words, they must ask
themselves questions such as who do we serve? And what do those we
serve need? His focus is on marketing, but the concept applies here as
well. Hasidic yeshivas ought to ask themselves what their goals are and
how they define success? Do they really want to be in the business of
fighting to keep children uneducated? Do they want to be defined as
fighting to weaken educational standards? Do they want to push for a
position that will ensure that their graduates are unable to communicate
effectively in English? Do they want to create an atmosphere where
graduates are limited or fearful to navigate through the world?
No doubt that there is a parental right to
educate their children according to their preferred religion and parents
should certainly be able to send their children to schools of their
choosing. There is also no doubt that many private religious schools are
in compliance with the law and do an excellent job in terms of
balancing a religious and secular curriculum. But we can’t use the
defense of parent’s “right to choose” to defend yeshivas that severely
disadvantage graduates like myself. There is no parental nor communal
right or defense for neglecting a child’s education.
NYC Health Department Puts Yeshiva Schools In Williamsburg On Notice: Allow Unvaccinated Students In At Own Peril
NEW YORK (CBS NewYork) — New York City officials are
cracking down on schools in Brooklyn that allow unvaccinated children to
attend, telling them to comply or be shut down.
Neighborhood officials said the vast majority of Orthodox Jews in
Williamsburg are vaccinated, but because the community is so tightly
knit, just a small number of anti-vaxers is allowing this outbreak to
grow, CBS2’s Ali Bauman reported Monday.
“There is no religious exemption on measles,” said Gary Schlesinger,
CEO of Parcare Community Health Network. “All rabbis, all prominent
rabbis have issued proclamations that everyone should vaccinate.”
Since the measles outbreak
began in October, the Department of Health says there have been 285
reported cases in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community, 246 of which are
children. And so far, 21 people have been hospitalized.
As a result, the health department now says any yeshiva school in
Williamsburg allowing unvaccinated students to attend will face fines or
possibly be shut down.
“If you ask me, I say do it. Immunize your child, save lives,” one resident said.
“It has nothing to do with Judaism. People are afraid. It’s damaging. People are afraid of the medicine,” another person said.
City Councilman Stephen Levin represents Williamsburg.
“Every child has to be registered and we can work with the schools to do this,” Levin said.
In Rockland County, there have been 167 confirmed cases of measles.
On Friday, a Supreme Court judge blocked an executive order banning
unvaccinated children from public places.
“It’s happening around New York state. It’s only going to spread
unless we fix the problems in the system, and the problems are we have
way too lax of a requirement,” state Sen. David Carlucci said.
New York City ordered yeshivas to ban unvaccinated students in
December, but said one in Williamsburg did not comply and has since been
linked to more than 40 cases.
“Oversight from one of the administrators who thought the breakout had
stopped,” Schlesinger said. “But by now, I’ve spoken to many
administrators. Most of them … all of them are very strict about the
orders.”
So will this plan be more effective?
“I’m going to be focusing on this and putting out a bigger plan,”
Mayor Bill de Blasio said. “But right now we’re going to have inspectors
out. We have clear penalties, clear sanctions.”
Neighborhood officials said it is particularly important for members
of this community to get vaccinated now because next week families will
be gathering for the start of Passover.
‘Monkey, Rat and Pig DNA’: How Misinformation Is Driving the Measles Outbreak Among Ultra-Orthodox Jews
A handbook created by Parents
Educating and Advocating for Children’s Health. “It is our belief that
there is no greater threat to public health than vaccines,” the handbook
states.
Handbooks
distributed in some Jewish communities in New York, as well as messages
on hotlines, contradict the scientific consensus that vaccines are safe
and highly effective.
“The
Vaccine Safety Handbook” appears innocuous, a slick magazine for
parents who want to raise healthy children. But tucked inside its 40
pages are false warnings that vaccines cause autism and contain cells
from aborted human fetuses.
“It is
our belief that there is no greater threat to public health than
vaccines,” the publication concludes, contradicting the scientific
consensus that vaccines are generally safe and highly effective.
The
handbook, created by a group called Parents Educating and Advocating
for Children’s Health, or Peach, is targeted at ultra-Orthodox Jews,
whose expanding and insular communities are at the epicenter of one of the largest measles outbreaks in the United States in decades.
After Measles Outbreak, de Blasio Declares Health Emergency in Parts of Brooklyn
New York City on Tuesday declared a health emergency following a measles outbreak in the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn
New York City on Tuesday declared a public health emergency following a measles outbreak in the Orthodox Jewish community in Brooklyn.
Mayor
Bill de Blasio said that the city would require unvaccinated
individuals living in select ZIP codes in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, to
receive the measles vaccine as the city escalated its efforts to stem
one of the largest measles outbreaks in decades.
The mayor said that the city would issue violations and possibly fines for those who did not comply.
“This
is the epicenter of a measles outbreak that is very, very troubling and
must be dealt with immediately,” Mr. de Blasio said at a news
conference in Williamsburg, adding, “The measles vaccine works. It is
safe, it is effective, it is time-tested.”
“What about the people who clean and sweep in the school?” argued
Kamenetzky. “They are mostly Mexican and are unvaccinated. If there was a
problem, the children would already have gotten sick.”“I see
vaccinations as the problem.It’s a hoax. Even the Salk vaccine [against
polio] is a hoax. It is just big business.”
We need a proper, transparent way of holding our mediocre (& WORSE) rabbis to account!
Rabbis can get away with poor performance because the profession is not properly regulated
by Daniel Greenberg (Greenberg's point is eloquent
without the harsher language he could have resorted to. Abraham has
violated one of the harshest sins --- which as the Halacha clearly says
one must be subject to "y'harog v'al y'aavor."He clearly is frustrated with a system
that has overlooked Abraham's conduct which has been going on for years. PM)
Here we go again: another rabbinic departure to sweep under the extraordinarily capacious carpet of Anglo Jewry.
Dayan
Yonason Abraham abruptly left Toras Chaim Synagogue in Hendon because,
in his words, he had "fallen short of the standards expected of him",
but no further information has been forthcoming.
The impression
seems to be that, whatever we do, this must be hushed up as quickly as
possible and, in particular, let's hope it doesn't get into the national
press, because the Eleventh Commandment of Anglo Jewry over the decades
has been “thou shalt not wash dirty linen in public”.
The problem is that, as we have seen time and again, private laundries don't wash.
No
one has confirmed what Dayan Abraham may have done to warrant his
departure. It is true that instances of misbehaviour by the Anglo-Jewish
rabbinate are relatively rare, although less rare than one would hope
given the nature of the vocation. But looked at in the round, the
rabbinic cadre is for the most part mediocre at best and significantly
under-performing at worst.
While there are a number of community
rabbis who are extraordinarily inspiring in their dedication to their
community and tireless in its service, they are the exception rather
than the rule.
The perception held by some that the quality of the
communal rabbinate is in general superb rests largely on the low
standards expected of them, and the lack of transparency and
accountability around their role that encourages a culture of
flourishing mediocrity.
Sometimes when I am being told how
wonderful a communal rabbi is because he visited somebody in hospital or
gave thorough attention to a family wedding or funeral, I point out
that this is precisely what they have been paid for: and with many
rabbis on remuneration packages amounting to actual or full-time
equivalent salaries that many of their communities can only dream of,
when one calculates an hourly rate for their performance, the heroism of
spending several hours a day visiting their parishioners in hospital
suddenly appears in context to be nothing more than simply performing
their job in the way that the rest of us have to do without the
compensation of uncritical adulation.
In part, this is because the
expectations of communities have become matched to their experiences
over time. And perhaps because it is “public money”, synagogue boards
are less rigorous in determining what value for money they are getting
day by day from their rabbi than they would be in other professional
circumstances.
But the main reason why rabbis can perform poorly
and get away with is because there simply are no properly regulated
standards for the rabbinic profession.
While contracts have become
more detailed and, to some extent, restrictive than they used to be,
there is no systematic method of regulation or enforcement to support
the greater detail on those contracts.
If I am unimpressed or
offended by the performance of my doctor, my lawyer, my dentist or any
other trained professional, there is a clear method by which I can
complain. And that applies to simple under-performance as much as to
rarer cases of misconduct or impropriety.
There is no professional body
that regulates the rabbis in a transparent and accountable way and
investigates complaints. In extreme cases I can of course complain to
the Chief Rabbi – whose dedication and commitment to the community and
to the quality of the rabbinate is well-known – but there is no
mechanism for him to make a transparent and accountable investigation
and produce publicly identifiable results.
This is simply
unacceptable in today's world.
Even judges are now subject to an
unaccountable and public investigatory mechanism for misconduct or
significant under-performance (such as unreasonable delay in producing
written judgments) and the Judicial Conduct Investigations Office, far
from diminishing the reputation of the judges, ensures that they can be
seen to earn the respect that the system requires them to be accorded.
Exactly
the same is true of the rabbis; and in order to preserve the reputation
of hard-working, honest and decent rabbis, it is now overdue that we
have a proper mechanism for dealing with those who underperform or
misbehave.
Over the last few years a number of UK rabbis have
behaved improperly and in some cases have left behind victims suffering
from their behaviour in a number of different ways. The reaction of the
community has been to enjoy a passing scandal, but beyond that the
establishment has raced to cover up the wider picture and the mechanisms
of reputational damage-limitation have taken precedence over thoughts
about support and care for victims and imposing enforceable standards.
We
have no right to regard ourselves as a religious community if we do not
establish a mechanism for dealing with abuse within the rabbinate, and
accountable and transparent ways for people to address inadequate
performance, so that we can go back to respecting the rabbis as a group
knowing that those who deserve respect will receive it and those who
don’t will be dealt with appropriately.
Daniel Greenberg is a
lawyer specialising in legislation and the legislative process. He has
30 years experience in the private and public sectors dealing with
legislation. He was a Parliamentary Counsel for 20 years; he is now an
officer in the House of Commons, and a writer, trainer and adviser.
Samuel Schwinger, 34, of Lakewood, was on probation in
connection with a previous conviction, prosecutors said. (Via Ocean
County Prosecutor's Office) LAKEWOOD, NJ — A registered sex offender living in Lakewood
has been charged with creating and distributing child pornography
following an investigation by the Ocean County Prosecutor's Office.
Samuel
Schwinger, 34, of Lakewood, was arrested Friday, Prosecutor Bradley
Billhimer said. Schwinger was arrested following an investigation that
started in Oklahoma after the parents of a young girl contacted the
Pottawatomie County Sheriff's Department saying their daughter had been
contacted by someone in New Jersey posing as a young girl asking her to
send explicit videos of herself.
Oklahoma authorities traced the
request to a phone number and account registered to Schwinger, Billhimer
said. A search warrant was obtained and executed Friday evening at
Schwinger's residence in Lakewood, he said.
Schwinger was serving 10
years probation in connection with a sexual assault in New York Billhimer said, and following the investigation was charged with
possession of marijuana along with production of images/videos of
children under the age of 16 engaged in prohibited sexual acts,
distribution of images/videos of children under the age of 16 engaged in
prohibited sexual acts, and possession of of images/videos of children
under the age of 16 engaged in prohibited sexual acts.
Schwinger is being held at the Ocean County Jail, the prosecutor's office said.
"Prosecutor
Billhimer would like to thank the swift work of the Pottawatomie County
Sheriff's Department, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Computer Crimes
Unit, Ocean County Prosecutor's Office Megan's Law Unit, Lakewood Police
Department, New Jersey State Police and United States Department of
Homeland Security Investigations," the prosecutor's office said.
ROCKLAND COUNTY, New York — Joe Hendrick’s sons are part of a growing
number of children in the U.S. who haven't been vaccinated. Their
family decided against vaccines for reasons that mix a firm belief in
personal freedom with scientifically unconfirmed concerns about what’s
inside vaccines.
But Hendrick is now facing a first-of-its-kind
ultimatum: Get his kids vaccinated or keep them out of all public
places. And if he doesn't, he could face a potential punishment of six
months in jail, although county officials and police admit that'll be
hard to enforce.
"I'd rather move and make sure my family is safe and, you know, we have
the right to choose for ourselves instead of being forced into something
that could potentially hurt my child," Hendrick said.
Rockland
County, New York, (Monsey, Spring Valley, New Square) has seen 161 confirmed cases of measles, one of the
most contagious diseases known to man. Last week, the county declared a
state of emergency after six months of uncooperative people hanging up
the phone, closing the door on inspectors, and refusing to report cases.
Patricia Ruppert, the Rockland County health commissioner, said
that many more cases like exist that the county doesn't even know about.
While 98 percent of the cases to date have been among Orthodox Jewish
residents who live in tight-knit enclaves, the health department is
fighting to communicate to the county that every single unvaccinated
person, regardless of faith, bears responsibility for potential spread.
Newborns who haven't been vaccinated, pregnant mothers, and people going
through chemotherapy are all vulnerable.
In the interim,
Hendrick has chosen homeschooling over vaccination. He's now juggling
that with his job and a two-week old newborn child. His wife is also on
maternity leave.
"Oh, it's gonna make it next to impossible to do work," Hendrick said of the ban.
VICE
News traveled to Rockland County, where officials are trying to reach
people who have put personal choice over public health.
This segment originally aired April 3, 2019, on VICE News Tonight on HBO.
There are 11 cases total in New Jersey but two are not related
to the Ocean County outbreak
The measles outbreak in Ocean County continues to spread:
state health department officials say there are now nine confirmed cases
of measles — seven in Ocean County and two in Monmouth County. At least
three counties have been impacted, officials say.
In an update on the state Department of Health website, officials said they are continuing to track and investigate the outbreak declared March 15. Those confirmed cases and one "highly suspect case" may have exposed others to infection between March 9 and March 14.
An
outbreak in Ocean County that started in late October and stretched to
mid-January sickened 33 people. Health department officials have not
indicated a connection between the two outbreaks. More than 12,400 doses
of vaccine were distributed in response to the October outbreak.
Monmouth Medical Center, Emergency Department, 300 2nd Ave, Long Branch, NJ 07740
March 13 from 7:30 p.m. to 10:15 p.m.
The
department is working in collaboration with local health officials to
identify and notify people who might have been exposed during the time
the individuals were infectious. Anyone who visited any of the locations
above during specified dates and times should contact a health provider
immediately to discuss potential exposure and risk of developing the
illness.
If you have been exposed, you are at risk if you have
not been vaccinated or have not had measles. Individuals potentially
exposed, if infected, could develop symptoms as late as April 21.
Anyone who suspects an exposure
is urged to call a health care provider before going to a medical
office or emergency department. Special arrangements can be made for
evaluation while also protecting other patients and medical staff from
possible infection.
Chilling surveillance video shows South Carolina student entering car of accused killer.
Services for Samantha Josephson were held Wednesday at Congregation
Beth Chaim in West Windsor. Josephson, 21, was from nearby Robbinsville
and attended the University of South Carolina.
Two men console each other before funeral services for Samantha
Josephson at Congregation Beth Chaim in West Windsor, N.J., on
Wednesday, April 3, 2019. Authorities say Josephson, a college student,
ordered an Uber ride early Friday but mistakenly got into a similar car,
was kidnapped and killed in South Carolina. (Ed Murray/NJ Advance Media
via AP)
WEST WINDSOR, N.J. (AP) — Hundreds of mourners packed a temple in
New Jersey for the funeral of a college student who authorities say
mistakenly got into the wrong car and was kidnapped and killed in South
Carolina.
Josephson ordered an Uber ride early Friday but mistakenly got into a
similar car driven by Nathaniel David Rowland , 24, authorities said.
They allege that he killed Josephson and dumped her body.
Josephson had spent the night with friends at Columbia’s Five Points
bar district, authorities said. She got separated from the group, so she
called an Uber to take her home around 1:30 a.m. Friday.
The first dark car Josephson went up to was not her ride, her father,
Seymour Josephson said. So she jumped into a second similar looking
car, he said, adding that the vehicle’s child safety locks were on.
After Josephson got into Rowland’s car, he attacked her, causing
numerous wounds to her head, neck, face, upper body, leg and foot with a
sharp object, according to arrest warrants and the coroner’s report.
The documents didn’t say what was used to attack her.
Josephson’s blood and cellphone were found in his car the next night
when he was arrested two blocks from Five Points, authorities said.
Josephson’s body was found in Clarendon County, about 65 miles (105 kilometers) from Columbia, police said.
Rowland skipped a first court appearance, and records don’t show if he has a lawyer. He’s charged with kidnapping and murder.
Malka
Leifer is facing possible extradition on 74 counts of suspected sexual
abuse. She was the headmistress of an ultra-Orthodox girls’ school in
Melbourne and fled to Israel in 2008
'There's a Hole in the System. Israel Became a Haven for Suspected Jewish Sex Offenders'
The case of Malka
Leifer, one of 65 suspected sexual offenders allegedly seeking refuge in
Israel, has highlighted how Israeli law and the insular world of the
ultra-Orthodox can at times shield them from justice, activists and
prison officials tell Haaretz
Y. grew up the 13th of 14
children in a Hasidic family where money and parental attention were in
short supply. He says that when he was 12, a rabbi who taught at his New
York state yeshiva sexually abused him.
The trauma he still
lives with began with the teacher buying him ice cream and later
invitations home for lunch — seeming kindnesses that, Y. alleges,
morphed into sexual abuse.
Years passed, but
when he was 27, Y. (Haaretz is in possession of his real name) says he
saw his alleged abuser again when he came to Y.’s father’s shivah.
Something snapped inside. Y., now 38, recalls feeling a surge of rage
and approaching the rabbi. “If I did not forget, you still remember,” he
recalls telling him.
When Y. then started
making his allegations known within the community, he says the rabbi
moved to Israel. Activists say the man eventually got a job in
Jerusalem, again teaching boys, until they made the accusations against
him public.
Also in New York
state, A., 29, alleges that an older cousin started abusing him when he
was 6 and the cousin was also a minor. The two were part of the Chabad
community and in 2013, A. won a U.S. lawsuit against his cousin, who was
ordered to pay him $3.5 million in damages. But A. says his alleged
abuser immigrated to Israel after the decision, aided by some of their
joint relatives and some members of the community, and the damages were
never paid.
“More than half of
my life has included dealing with the fallout from what this person did
to me,” A. tells Haaretz. “He never had to answer to anyone for the harm
he inflicted on me and was protected by our community and even by
members of my own immediate family. Despite this, and despite the
pressure that has been placed on me to just ‘move on,’ I took every step
possible to get justice and I’m proud of that decision — despite the
steep price I paid for it."
One of Israel’s foundational laws is the Law of Return,
which gives Jews the right to immigrate to Israel and become citizens —
unless they are deemed a danger to Israeli society, security or the
Jewish people. Israeli law, however, does not define what that means.
According to
advocates for victims of child sex abuse, it is the exploitation of this
law that has potentially made the country an unintentional haven for
Jewish alleged sex offenders who flee here.
This issue of Israel
becoming a haven, for those seeking citizenship or those who already
have it, has taken center stage with the high-profile case of Malka Leifer.
The headmistress of an ultra-Orthodox girls’ school in Melbourne fled
to Israel in 2008 after allegations surfaced of her sexually abusing
several of her female students. Leifer is facing possible extradition to
Australia on 74 counts of suspected sexual abuse, including indecent
assault of a minor and rape.
Malka Leifer is brought to a courtroom in Jerusalem
“The Law of Return
is basically why it’s so easy for people to come here,” says Shana
Aaronson, the chief operating officer of Jewish Community Watch — an
advocacy group for victims of child sexual abuse everywhere in the
Jewish world, with offices in the United States and Israel.
“There is certainly
more focus on whether or not the person is Jewish than there is on a
possible criminal record,” she charges, alleging that criminal
background checks run on individuals looking to immigrate are not as
thorough as they should be.
Interior Ministry
spokeswoman Sabine Haddad tells Haaretz that, in order to act, Israel is
reliant on information tipping it off about a potentially dangerous
applicant for immigration, such as an alert by an international
crime-fighting organization.
And if a convicted
sex offender manages to immigrate to Israel, officials say there is no
legal way for Israel to impose supervision — which would often be
mandatory if they were still living in their home country — unless they
are convicted of reoffending in Israel.
‘A hole in the system’
Jewish Community Watch says Leifer and Y.’s alleged abuser are among 65 people in the last decade, most of them either ultra-Orthodox or Orthodox Jews,
who they know fled to Israel. They were either already Israeli
citizens, began the immigration process here, or came and stayed here on
tourist visas. Though they say it is impossible to be precise about the
number of convicted or alleged child sex offenders seeking refuge in
Israel, they believe about half of those 65 faced criminal charges
concerning sexual abuse of children or have seen proceedings started
against them in their home countries. The other half have been accused
by alleged victims but not prosecuted.
However, the Jewish
Agency, which helps facilitate the aliyah process for many potential
immigrants, counters that its staff conducts what it calls “extensive
background research on applicants.” Every year, it says, cases are found
where some of the applicants have lied and their applications rejected,
although it could not say precisely how many were found to be lying in
any specific year.
The Israeli police do not keep data on such alleged child sex offenders, making it nearly impossible to verify their number.
Aaronson says that
of those alleged offenders who have faced criminal proceedings, some
have served time and others took plea deals that included parole time in
their home country or state — where they were supposed to be monitored
by local police under the terms of their probation.
It is illegal for
those on parole to leave their country of residence. Others, as a
condition of their release or plea deal, may have been ordered to be
registered on a sex offenders list. However, according to Aaronson, as
long as registered sex offenders provide a forwarding address, they are
legally allowed to move.
“The problem is the
forwarding address given in Israel in such cases is never accurate, in
my experience,” she says. “And the U.S. Registry is powerless to enforce
that in Israel, because it’s beyond its jurisdiction.”
When any such
individual is in Israel, the Israel Prison Service (which oversees
parolees) says there is no monitoring unless the person is convicted of a
crime in the Jewish state. “If the individual was never a prisoner in
our system, there is no supervision,” prison service spokesman Assaf
Librati tells Haaretz. “It’s a hole in the system — and it’s truly
problematic.”
