tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post646148114710216715..comments2023-08-17T06:45:58.317-07:00Comments on "Yeshiva" of Brooklyn also Guilty of Child Abuse: 2007 A year child molesters dominated the newsexposemolestershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02097300261898413798noreply@blogger.comBlogger42125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-23517072219135404332010-01-26T11:59:33.068-08:002010-01-26T11:59:33.068-08:00CHILD ABUSER: The following person is a child abus...CHILD ABUSER: The following person is a child abuser - Name: Rochelle Kempler (but uses the false last name of Fink), address: 5201 14th Ave. Apt. 6F, Brooklyn, NY 11219, phone number: 718-438-0025, SS#: 085-60-7582... In addition to being a child abuser, she is a theif, a lesbian, and mentally deranged (she plays with and eats her own feces - yuck!); and it is believed that she is a hermaphrodite. She masquerades as a frum Jew, but she is NOT! She needs to be run out of decent society, and removed from our community!Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-465476762692423482009-10-26T22:08:47.758-07:002009-10-26T22:08:47.758-07:00This is exactly what I have been trying to tell pe...This is exactly what I have been trying to tell people - YES it DOES happen in this community! People seem to be in a fantasy land here in Broooklyn, NY - they seem to think (and say), "a frum yid would never do that" - but they need to wake up! Simply looking and acting frum on the outside does not make it so... That attitude is exactly why the pedophiles continue to do these heinous things - because others don't think it happens in the community - and it sure does! People need to be educated so that we can protect the children! (and the pedophiles need to be executed! - yes, you read that correctly - executed for their crimes against G-d and humanity!)Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-59878886950934049702008-01-06T23:48:00.000-08:002008-01-06T23:48:00.000-08:00Hey check out Avi Shafran's latest article "Danger...Hey check out Avi Shafran's latest article "Danger in the blogosphere." If you're in the mood of some real comic relief this will surely have you singing the lyrics "I'v heard this tune before." <BR/><BR/>Loshan Horah syndrome - Saving lives (the lives of innocent children) in essence is forbidden according to Avi Shafran because one is then guilty of Motzei Shem Rah and Loshan Harah. This is a very twisted manipulation and play on words - which shafran spins so frequently when he cares to comment on anything but sexual abuse in the Jewish community.<BR/><BR/>Shafran knows damn well that Rabbi Yehuda Kolko is a child predator. If he doesn't realize this by now, he is an even bigger ignoramus double talking turd than we know him to be. <BR/><BR/>According to Shafran the red line you do not cross is questioning the "Rabbonim" and "gedolim." By those standards the "Rabbi" can never do any wrong to anything or anybody at anytime because they are infallible. Is that argument rational? What's the rationale for the PR Of Agudah and their big loudmouth of deceit, Rabbi Avi Shafran, for shoving the child molestation issue aside like they would a piece of dandruff on their Borsalino hats and jackets? Their utter silence and continued silence on the plague that has spread well into the Jewish orthodox world - From Ultra-Orthodox, to Modern Orthodox, to Conservadox, Conservatives, to Reform, Traditional, and you name it - is something that should be addressed - Not ignored. Yet, like Agudas Israel has done or not done with the Johnothan Pollard travesty - speaks for itself on the political agenda of the Avi Shafran twisted lies and distortions; all the while using the Torah he distorts as his defense. Thats ludicrous!<BR/><BR/>How does Shafran explain the Sheinberg "penetration" ruling?<BR/>How does a gadol send an admitted sex offender to another city to continue offending there?<BR/>What happens if someone G-D forbids rapes your child - Rabbi Avi Shafran? Would you still spew your venom for the blogosphere who speak the truth you don't want spoken?<BR/><BR/>How does Shafran defend the "Rabbonim" and "Gedolim" who enable abuse? By telling the Jews to be ROBOTS. What he expects is for ALL Jews to blindly believe in the infallibility of their rabbinical leadership, especially in the matter of child abuse. We are expected to ignore the midas harachamim we all are supposed to display for other yidden and stay quiet and not report alleged abuse to the police. If the victims report abuse to the Rabbi's they are most likely to become double victims. Rabbi's have proven themselves to be involved in cover ups and abuse - so victims can't go there. Comes along the master of manipulation Avi Shafran, And he says we can't believe these stories and rumors because they are being circulated on the evil internet. Nevermind that Avi Shafran's articles are on the internet; the venue of darkness and spider webs. Why make his articles available online if in his own words in reference to the evil internet; he refers to it as the "pollution of the most pernicious sort"? <BR/><BR/>How does Avi Shafran allow his material to be distributed on the evil internet, will one not be tempted to engage in immoral and sinful net surfing according to his distorted logic? Where does it end. How about learning Torah on the internet?<BR/><BR/>The Bible states (Leviticus 19:14): "You shall not curse the deaf nor place a stumbling block before the blind; you shall fear your God - I am your Lord." In Hebrew, the sin of placing a stumbling block before a blind person is referred to as lifnei iver lo sitten michshol (before the blind do not place a stumbling block), or succinctly as lifnei iver.<BR/><BR/>In shafran speak; any confrontation on critical pikuach nesfesh issues such as sexual abuse in the Jewish community is off limits (assuming it even gets reported to authorities after the Rabbi's are finished with their cover up and denials.)<BR/><BR/>More and more Jews are beginning to see Agudas Israel Of America for what they are and what they are not. Shafran can distort the truth and sugar coat it with his terminology, but more and more Jews of all faiths and level of observance know what he is. He's the epitome of fraud. He's full of baloney. "Rabbi Avi Shafran is guilty of "You shall not stand idly by while your neighbor bleeds”. <BR/><BR/>There are so many misleading points in this article that Shafran conveniently makes or omits. Like failing to mention that bloggers have done much good and that without some bloggers who care more than Avi Shafran does, Physical, sexual, and emotional abuse may be much more rapant, especially in the Yeshivah world. <BR/><BR/>Sexual abuse, child molestation - does matter to society and to the safety of other human beings. People need to know how to prevent it from reoccurring. Avi Shafran prefers that another child get abused over reporting a Rabbi who enabled abuse. Avi Shafran makes the horrible choice that another child has to get abused because we have to believe in "Torah Values" - The very same values Avi Shafran exploits for his own benefit. What a Rishusdicka attitude. Chaval al Hazman! <BR/><BR/>The debris, sewage, and slop oozing out of the likes of not only Avi Shafran - but people of the same arrogant and cowardly views, is an unfortunate byproduct of tainted Jewish leadership and corrupt egos and powers. <BR/><BR/>Rabbi Avi Shafran has Jewish blood on his hands. How he sleeps at night I do not know!exposemolestershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02097300261898413798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-62855617521584201302008-01-06T12:30:00.000-08:002008-01-06T12:30:00.000-08:00http://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2008/01/uoj-p...http://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2008/01/uoj-please-listen-abuse-of-power.html#c6022859974752502641<BR/><BR/>Keep up the work UOJ said...<BR/>DEAR UOJ<BR/><BR/>IT works<BR/>shlomo mandel was going to speak in florida at an aguda conference but was told that people would ask him about the abuse issues in his yehivas and coverups<BR/>shockingly he cancelled his tripAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-68629398255896070912008-01-06T11:44:00.000-08:002008-01-06T11:44:00.000-08:00www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-abuse0...www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/harford/bal-abuse0104,0,2690471.story<BR/>baltimoresun.com<BR/>Man, 61, accused of child sex abuse<BR/><BR/>January 4, 2008<BR/> <BR/><BR/>A Harford County grand jury has indicted a Bel Air businessman on 218 counts of sexual child abuse, investigators said yesterday.<BR/><BR/>William Leslie Harrison, 61, was indicted Wednesday on charges that included sexual child abuse and third-degree sex offense, the Harford County state's attorney's office said.<BR/><BR/>Harrison, the former owner of Trenton Properties on Main Street, is accused of sexually abusing a teenage boy who worked for him during the 10 months that began in October 2006.<BR/><BR/>Harrison, who was arrested last month, was released from the Harford County Detention Center on $1 million bond.<BR/><BR/>The Harford County Child Advocacy Center is investigating to determine whether there are other victims.<BR/><BR/>Investigators have said that in the past, Harrison has employed several boys the same age as the teenager.exposemolestershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02097300261898413798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-1194778409594141672008-01-06T11:42:00.000-08:002008-01-06T11:42:00.000-08:00If there is even a shred of doubt you must aquit. ...If there is even a shred of doubt you must aquit. This is a miscarriage of justice!<BR/>--------------------------<BR/>Superior Court upholds sex-abuse conviction<BR/><BR/>BY SANDRA K. REABUCK<BR/>The Tribune-Democrat<BR/><BR/>EBENSBURG— Even though two young victims’ testimony was not flawless at trial, the state Superior Court has upheld the conviction of a former Scalp Level man on charges that he sexually abused the girls.<BR/>Anthony Ray Thompson, 44, was sentenced last year by Judge Norman Krumenacker to 21 to 60 years on multiple counts of rape, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse and related charges.<BR/>Thompson, who has maintained he is innocent, has contended that the girls lied on the witness stand at his trial in November 2005. He now is at the Albion State Correctional Institution near Erie.<BR/>The girls, who were 4 and 6 years old at the time of the incidents, testified that they were abused by Thompson in late 2003.<BR/>The Superior Court said, “Our review of the testimony of the two minor victims demonstrates that the evidence presented was not seamless. Indeed, in our experience, a victim’s testimony is seldom without some flaw.”<BR/>But, despite that, the court pointed out that Krumenacker, as trial, judge “had heard the testimony of the children and (his) conscience was not shocked by the verdict. Our review of the testimony gives us absolutely no reason to disagree.”<BR/>Assistant District Attorney Tamara Bernstein, who prosecuted the case, said that the young victims will be reassured with Thompson’s appeal being dismissed.<BR/>She has maintained that the girls’ testimony was credible and that they know the difference between truthfulness and lies.<BR/>“In cases like this, there may not be any other witnesses because the abuse takes place behind closed doors. It (the ruling) will bring a sense of finality, and a huge weight will be lifted off them,” she said.<BR/>Timothy Burns, who is Thompson’s court-appointed appeals attorney, said that he will be discussing with his client whether to ask the state Supreme Court to accept the case for review. <BR/>The appellate court also rejected Thompson’s claims that he was not given a speedy trial and that his trial attorney, John Kasaback, had not provided effective legal counsel.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-53333703408976868552008-01-06T11:35:00.000-08:002008-01-06T11:35:00.000-08:00Victims tell of Brooklyn priest sex abuse BY ALISO...Victims tell of Brooklyn priest sex abuse <BR/><BR/>BY ALISON GENDAR <BR/>DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER <BR/><BR/>Sunday, January 6th 2008, 4:00 AM <BR/><BR/>Father Zatarga liked to watch.<BR/><BR/>That's what one of the men said as he recounted how more than 20 years ago the priest told him to undress and stand naked in front of a mirror while the priest watched. <BR/><BR/>"Here he was, supposedly living a life of service in the name of the Lord, but he was doing this to his children," said the victim, now a 39-year-old New York City lawyer. "He was aiming for heaven but he was going the other way." <BR/><BR/>Msgr. George Zatarga of the Diocese of Brooklyn was placed on administrative leave after he admitted to "inappropriate behavior" during his 40-year career, according to a Dec. 1 letter from Bishop Nicholas DiMarzio to parishioners. <BR/><BR/>At least five men have told the diocese that Zatarga molested them as teenagers, sources told the Daily News. A sixth victim told The News of the decades-old abuse but did not file a formal complaint with the diocese. <BR/><BR/>The most recent allegations stemmed from 2007, when the priest took an 18-year-old young man to Zatarga's home outside upstate Saratoga Springs. <BR/><BR/>The News interviewed three of the men who said they were among those abused. <BR/><BR/>The 65-year-old monsignor was barred from priestly duties and packed off to a counseling program, which sources identified as the St. Luke Institute for the religious in Silver Spring, Md. <BR/><BR/>Zatarga did not return a phone call for comment placed at the institute. However, church leaders apologized for his betrayal. "I sincerely apologize to the victims for the emotional suffering endured by sexual abuse by any member of the clergy," said DiMarzio. <BR/><BR/>For his victims - those who complained to the diocese, as well as one who came forward to The News - it was a relief to have the secret exposed. <BR/><BR/>"I had one-on-one counseling sessions. He was a marriage counselor to my parents before they got divorced. He was in my house every week," said the lawyer, who learned of Zatarga's admission when his father sent him a newspaper article. <BR/><BR/>The lawyer, who asked not to be named, said Zatarga invited him to the Saratoga Springs house for a retreat. <BR/><BR/>Then a student at Archbishop Molloy High School in Queens, he confided to Zatarga, the school chaplain, that he was involved with a girl, his first. <BR/><BR/>Zatarga, Molloy's chaplain from 1979 to 1989, said sex outside marriage was a sin, but there were other ways to feel good. <BR/><BR/>The priest told the teen to strip, and then started to stroke his shoulders and outer thigh. <BR/><BR/>"He called what he was doing counseling, and a sign of trust between us, having me take off my clothes. When he touched my shoulder, and asked if I had an erection, I started to cry, and said I had to leave," the lawyer said. "I thought I was going to hell." <BR/><BR/>The victim told his mother what happened but said he tried never to think of it again. He never filed a complaint, though his father wrote the school last year. <BR/><BR/>The pattern of betrayal was similar for another family, where three brothers said "Father George" molested each of them. <BR/><BR/>"It's disgusting - the entire family," said the middle brother, now a 46-year-old electrical technician. "How could someone mess up teenagers like this?" <BR/><BR/>Zatarga met the boys' parents when he was the priest at St. Gertrude's in Rockaway, the sons said, and they all became fast friends. "Father George" attended nearly every family function, counseled the eldest son, a foster child, and took the boys, individually, on upstate retreats. <BR/><BR/>"We had gone to the house upstate, but on the way back the car broke down. We wound up in the woods. Then the touching," said the youngest brother, a 45-year-old male nurse. "He used the guise that it was 'extreme counseling' and I could not tell anyone because it would ruin his reputation and our family." <BR/><BR/>It wasn't until fall 2006 that - as grown men in their 40s - the brothers discovered all three had been abused. <BR/><BR/>Even then, they didn't consider turning in Zatarga, a friend of their parents for more than 40 years. <BR/><BR/>Then, last February, the middle brother learned the priest had offered "counseling" to his then-18-year-old and 24-year-old sons. <BR/><BR/>"You bury things deep, but when it's your own kids. ... I couldn't live with that," the teen's father said. He went to church leaders, who notified the diocese. <BR/><BR/>His complaint led to Zatarga's removal from American Martyrs Parish in Bayside, sources said. <BR/><BR/>Zatarga was in the Bayside parish for about two years, but none of the allegations stemmed from his time there. At least one of the alleged victims attended Bishop Loughlin Memorial High School, where Zatarga was chaplain from 1971 until 1979. <BR/><BR/>Only the recent incident against the now-19-year-old is current enough to bring criminal charges, law enforcement sources said. The Saratoga County district attorney's office and the state police are investigating. <BR/><BR/>"I didn't really want to see him go to jail," the middle brother said. "I think he'll burn in hell."<BR/><BR/>agendar@nydailynews.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-24087694440753208482008-01-06T11:30:00.000-08:002008-01-06T11:30:00.000-08:00www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.elli...www.baltimoresun.com/news/local/howard/bal-ho.ellis06jan06,0,2769964.story<BR/>baltimoresun.com<BR/>Sex-abuse trial to start tomorrow<BR/>Former teacher charged with illicit contact with students<BR/><BR/>By Tyeesha Dixon<BR/><BR/>Sun reporter<BR/><BR/>January 6, 2008<BR/> <BR/><BR/>The jury trial for Joseph Samuel Ellis, the former Glenelg High School history teacher accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with several female students, is scheduled to begin tomorrow in Howard County Circuit Court.<BR/><BR/>Ellis, 26, of Elkridge, is charged with sex abuse of a minor, two counts of a fourth-degree sex offense, indecent exposure, displaying obscene material to a minor and misusing a telephone for obscene purposes.<BR/><BR/>Police arrested Ellis last Jan. 8, after students accused him of various crimes: exposing himself to one student in a classroom, sending inappropriate computer messages to another and meeting a third girl in a park to provide her with alcohol. He was fired in April.<BR/><BR/>Ellis was the first of three Howard County public school teachers arrested during the 2006-2007 school year, accused of having inappropriate sexual contact with students. Each has been fired.<BR/><BR/>The others were Alan Meade Beier, 53, a former chemistry and physics teacher at River Hill High School, and Kirsten Ann Kinley, 28, a former special-education teacher at Marriotts Ridge High School. Beier, who was accused of undressing and photographing a 16-year-old boy in his classroom and fondling a 17-year-old female student, was arrested Jan. 12. His trial was postponed and has not been rescheduled.<BR/><BR/>Kinley pleaded guilty in August to having a sexual relationship with a 15-year-old boy while she was a teacher at Hammond Middle School in late 2004 and early 2005. The boy was not a student at Hammond Middle. Kinley was sentenced to serve 18 months at the county detention center in November.<BR/><BR/>Prosecutors dropped charges in November against Alan Silberman, a former Howard High School guidance counselor arrested in May after police said they found crack cocaine in his car.<BR/><BR/>In a pretrial motions hearing in November, a judge ruled that the contents of a cell phone and other items police obtained in Ellis' case can be used at trial, despite his attorney's argument that search warrants used to obtain the items from his home, cell phone and computer included language that was not specific enough.<BR/><BR/><BR/>tyeesha.dixon@baltsun.comAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-87753650585543747472008-01-06T11:27:00.000-08:002008-01-06T11:27:00.000-08:00I have no comment!---------------------------Cardi...I have no comment!<BR/>---------------------------<BR/><BR/>Cardinal: Pray for Sexual Abuse Victims<BR/><BR/>17 hours ago<BR/><BR/>VATICAN CITY (AP) — A Vatican cardinal is calling for special prayer sessions worldwide for the victims of sexual abuse by priests.<BR/><BR/>A letter has been sent to bishops urging them to promote initiatives in their dioceses for special prayers, Cardinal Claudio Hummes said in an interview published in Saturday's edition of Vatican daily L'Osservatore Romano. He did not indicate when such initiatives might begin.<BR/><BR/>"There have always been problems because we are all sinners," said Hummes, who heads the Vatican office overseeing priests worldwide.<BR/><BR/>"But in these times some truly very grave deeds have come to light," he said in a reference to the scandals of sexual abuse of minors by clergy.<BR/><BR/>Many dioceses around the world, particularly in the United States, have been shaken by sex abuse scandals in the last few years.<BR/><BR/>"Obviously one must always keep in mind that only a minimal part of the clergy has been involved in grave situations," Hummes said. "Not even 1 percent is involved with problems of moral and sexual conduct."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-55533608692330324872008-01-06T10:44:00.000-08:002008-01-06T10:44:00.000-08:00http://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2008/01/uoj-p...http://theunorthodoxjew.blogspot.com/2008/01/uoj-please-listen-abuse-of-power.html#c6022859974752502641<BR/><BR/>Keep up the work UOJ said... <BR/>DEAR UOJ <BR/><BR/>IT works <BR/>shlomo mandel was going to speak in florida at an aguda conference but was told that people would ask him about the abuse issues in his yehivas and coverups <BR/>shockingly he cancelled his tripAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-20627152848295418322008-01-06T10:43:00.000-08:002008-01-06T10:43:00.000-08:00Understanding JDL’s role in Free Soviet Jewry move...Understanding JDL’s role in Free Soviet Jewry movement<BR/><BR/>BY: LARRY HERSH Special to the CJN<BR/><BR/><BR/>In the 1960s and ’70s, the plight of many Soviet Jews who were attempting unsuccessfully to emigrate became public.<BR/><BR/><BR/>At the time, the U.S. and Soviet Union were engaged in cultural-exchange programs. Touring the Soviet Union under U.S. State Department auspices were some of our symphony orchestras, concert pianists, Broadway dance companies, and jazz and swing ensembles. Touring the U.S. were two famous Russian ballet companies and a world-renowned Russian folk-dance company.<BR/><BR/><BR/>The situation for Jews wanting to leave the Soviet Union, however, only worsened, and the Free Soviet Jewry movement began. The first organized movement occurred here in Cleveland at The West Temple (see cover story). In time, a Free Soviet Jewry committee was established in every major city in the U.S.<BR/><BR/><BR/>However, the Free Soviet Jewry movement got nowhere. The Soviet Union did not answer letters and requests or respond to pleas. The U.S. State Department was not helpful either. our State Department felt that the U.S.-USSR cultural exchange program could not be jeopardized because of Jewish emigration requests. The attitude of the U.S. State Department and the USSR echoed attitudes of 1934-1938.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Then “the call” was made.<BR/><BR/><BR/>“The call” was always a telephone call to the Jewish Defense League (JDL), headed by the late Rabbi Meir Kahane and nationally headquartered in New York City.<BR/><BR/><BR/>“The call” came from someone at the synagogue or temple. Often it was the rabbi. The problem was explained; assistance requested and, always, the caller demanded anonymity, explaining that he could not be associated with hooliganism.<BR/><BR/><BR/>In response to these calls, JDL always made three requests: (1) Could the shul, temple, committee contribute manpower? (2) Could it contribute to the JDL? (3) Could it make a public statement praising the JDL?<BR/><BR/><BR/>The response was always the same. “We are respected, respectable people. We do not participate in rowdiness; though we appreciate JDL, we cannot condone JDL.”<BR/><BR/><BR/>Nonetheless, JDL immediately set about its task. This required finding a place or places to create disruption and turmoil without inflicting physical damage to people. The venue chose performances of the Soviet Russian dance company for the U.S./USSR cultural-exchange program.<BR/><BR/><BR/>The disruption must be civil disobedience rather than terrorism. People are not to be hurt. The hope is that attention will be paid to the wannabe émigrés. (See “Levels” list above)<BR/><BR/><BR/>The JDL’s actions worked. The Soviet Union and U.S. State Department did have a strong investment in the cultural-exchange program. Talks began involving the legislative offices of Cong. Charles Vanik (D-Ohio.) and Sen. Henry “Scoop”Jackson (D-Wash.), the Free Soviet Jewry committees, the Soviet foreign secretary, and the U.S. State Department.<BR/><BR/><BR/>JDL refused to participate in negotiations, deferring to the Free Soviet Jewry committees. Overtures to the JDL to “call off the dogs” were also refused, initially.<BR/><BR/><BR/>JDL did cease its civil-disobedience program to fulfill a request made by the Free Soviet Jewry committee, who felt it would make them look good if it were perceived that they had the power to “call off the dogs.”<BR/><BR/><BR/>The people who negotiated the freedom of Soviet Jews to emigrate should be forever praised. But it should never be forgotten that it was the late Rabbi Meir Kahane and JDL that brought the Soviet Union and the U.S. State Department to that negotiating table by rats, mice, stink bombs, smoke bombs, pickets, demonstrations, and thousands of young heroes lying in a D.C. street blocking traffic and accepting arrest.<BR/><BR/><BR/>The U.S. and USSR did not come willingly, but were rather dragged kicking and screaming to that pro-Jewish table. So? What else is new?<BR/><BR/><BR/>The JDL got Soviet and State Department attention.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Larry Hersh was Cleveland coordinator of JDL during the Free Soviet Jewry movement.<BR/><BR/><BR/>Levels of action taken by JDL<BR/><BR/><BR/>• Informational booths and tables politely talking to theater patrons about refuseniks.<BR/><BR/><BR/>• Peaceful picketing of doorways to the theater before the performance.<BR/><BR/><BR/>• Release of rats and/or mice throughout the theater in New York City during performances (in late 1960s and ’70s).<BR/><BR/><BR/>• Firing of stink bombs and smoke bombs in theater in New York.<BR/><BR/><BR/>• Peaceful demonstration, complete with permit, in Washington, D.C., in which demonstrators lay down in the street and had to be carried off, thereby disrupting traffic.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-22936141832691308342008-01-06T10:33:00.000-08:002008-01-06T10:33:00.000-08:00Kosher Cat Heter mechira for pets Young religious ...Kosher Cat <BR/>Heter mechira for pets <BR/><BR/>Young religious cat-lover found an innovative solution for the halachic ban on spaying pets: He sold his cat Ponti to a Muslim friend, who had the animal neutered, and then bought it back from her. Rabbi: Solution contradicts Halacha <BR/>Kobi Nahshoni <BR/><BR/><BR/>Shmuel Dovrat, a young religious animal lover, recently came up with a creative solution for the halachic ban on neutering pets. Dovrat sold his beloved cat Ponti to a Muslim friend who spayed the feline, and bought it back from her immediately after the procedure. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/>"Our cat, Pontius Pilatus, reached sexual maturity and started peeing all over the house," Dovrat recounted, explaining this is one of the side effects of sexual arousal in cats. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Dovrat and his wife realized that without spaying Ponti they would not be able to keep him, but every halachic ruling they consulted made it clear that neutering an animal was strictly forbidden. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Throwing Ponti out into the street would have been cruel, and leaving him in the current situation would have also caused the cat to suffer, said Dovrat. And so, he and his wife decided to explore halachic sources in a bid to seek a solution to the dilemma.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/>Ponti. An inspiration for halachic solutions (Photo: Shmuel Dovrat) <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>After thoroughly reading through the rulings of some of the greatest Halacha adjudicators, Dovrat came to the conclusion that the halachic ban on neutering refers to farm animals, and not to pets. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>However, in order to be absolutely sure his actions did not violate Jewish law, he decided to sell Ponti to a Muslim friend and have her take the cat to the vet for the operation. Once the cat has recovered, Dovrat bought it back from the friend, paying the same price he got for selling it earlier, and also reimbursing her for the cost of the operation. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>"I have no doubt that an adjudicator knows more about the Halacha than I do, but I feel uncomfortable with some of the rulings. I don't like to be fed halachic solutions with a spoon. It's always important for me to know the source and understand the process that led to the ruling," Dovrat explained. <BR/><BR/> <BR/>Animals as 'entertainment' <BR/><BR/>However, Ramat Gan's Chief Rabbi Yaakov Ariel, who about a year ago ruled that surgical neutering was forbidden by the Halacha, said he did not agree with Dovrat's solution. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/>Ariel explained that while the great adjudicators indeed allowed Jews to let their Muslim neighbor spay their animal for them, if he wished to do so, they were never allowed to initiate such a moved themselves.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Ariel, who supports "hormonal neutering," also rejected the claim that refraining from spaying a pet constitutes cruelty to animals. "People buy dogs and cats in order to entertain their children, and not out of concern for the pets' welfare. If they are worried that the animals might have puppies and that no home could be found for them, they should find another form of entertainment to begin with," he stated.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-86963696573626168352008-01-06T10:29:00.000-08:002008-01-06T10:29:00.000-08:00Last update - 10:52 05/01/2008The battle over Rabb...Last update - 10:52 05/01/2008<BR/>The battle over Rabbi Nachman's tomb<BR/>By Tom Segev<BR/><BR/>During his tenure as mayor of Jerusalem, Ehud Olmert paid a condolence call to a family of followers of Rabbi Nachman of Bratslav. Olmert asked courteously if there was anything he could do for the mourners. <BR/><BR/>Fortunately, they asked only this: that if he should ever become prime minister, he would act to bring Rabbi Nachman's remains from the city of Uman, in Ukraine, for reburial in Jerusalem. Olmert promised.<BR/><BR/>The Prime Minister's Office was recently involved in bringing the remains of the family of Theodor Herzl to Israel. It was a good story. With the country's 60th anniversary of independence approaching, Olmert wants something even more beautiful, and what could be more beautiful, more Jewish, more stately and more appropriate for Independence Day than interring the remains of Rabbi Nachman on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem? Everyone will be happy at this funeral, and happiness, after all, is one of the main tenets of Rabbi Nachman's doctrine.<BR/><BR/>The Bratslav Hasidim are indeed a community of happiness, although when we speak of "Bratslav Hasidim," it is necessary to be precise: they are not all cut from the same cloth. Israelis are mostly familiar with those who dance at traffic lights with boom boxes and paint the mysterious sequence "Na - Nach - Nachman" on walls. They are the ones who want Rabbi Nachman's remains to be interred in Jerusalem.<BR/><BR/>Alongside the populist branch are those identified with the World Breslov [Bratslav] Center; they do not want Olmert to interrupt their rebbe's rest. He was buried in Uman at his explicit instructions. His tomb projects magic that is liable, heaven forbid, to dissipate if it is moved; and anyway, who authorized the government of the Zionist state to seize control of his heritage?<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Nachman's tomb attracts about 30,000 Hasidim a year, most of them from Israel and the United States. With their numbers rising all the time, the Hasidim decided to expand the synagogue adjacent to the tomb. That was about 10 years ago. In Ukraine these things are done - how to put it? - the way they are in the Jerusalem Municipality, more or less: by a fusion of big capital and government. The Hasidim found a contractor who is also a member of parliament, Petro Kuzmenko by name. He is a member of the party whose leader is now the country's prime minister. A goy with a Jewish partner.<BR/><BR/>Agreement was reached on a project that was to cost $5 million. In return for the plans, the Bratslavers agreed to pay $195,000; they gave $95,000 as a down payment. The Ukrainian parliamentarian sent plans, but the Hasidim were dissatisfied and said they would pay no more.<BR/><BR/>However, it then emerged that in their naivete they had signed a contract obliging them to pay $1,000 for every day of payment arrears, and before they could say Na - Nach - Nachman the debt had swelled to $3 million, and the holy tomb was liable to become the goy's personal property. <BR/><BR/>Distraught, the Bratslav Hasidim tried to reason with the man. They agreed to give him $100,000, $200,000, $350,000; the goy wanted $3 million. The negotiations broke down. Tension rose in the Prime Minister's Office. Who said there are no happy funerals?<BR/><BR/>Then the Bratslavers hired the services of attorney Gilad Corinaldi from Jerusalem, who specializes in crisis management. Corinaldi grasped immediately that courts in Ukraine are not the ideal arena for Jews. He flew to Kiev to talk to the Israeli ambassador, Zina Kalay-Kleitman. God was on his side, and minutes before the lawyer was received by the ambassador it was announced on the radio that Ukraine's president, Victor Yushchenko, had accepted an invitation to visit Israel.<BR/><BR/>The ambassador did not find it difficult to understand that the people of Israel can under no circumstances give up the holy grave; the lawyer warned that tens of thousands of Haredi (ultra-Orthodox) demonstrators were liable to be waiting for Yushchenko at the airport, that his whole visit might be dominated by their protests, that no one would talk any longer about Ukraine being admitted to the European Union one day, and who knows - even The New York Times might take an interest in the story. The ambassador, like all ambassadors, promised to report to her government.<BR/><BR/>In the meantime, Corinaldi made contact with someone who knows someone in the bureau of President Yushchenko. Yushchenko himself called the goy parliamentarian. He is not from his party, but still, a call from the president is something. Afterward, attorney Corinaldi got a call from Yushchenko's bureau asking if he would be so kind as to make time to meet with the president during his visit to Jerusalem. To the meeting, in the King David Hotel, the lawyer brought Rabbi Daniel Dayan, a Hollywood actor who became religiously observant and is a senior Bratslav figure. Dayan did what Jews always did when they went to talk to the paritz: He gave Yushchenko a fine silver goblet. Mrs. Yushchenko, who is also of American origin, acted as interpreter. Both of them were properly impressed.<BR/><BR/>The battle for the tomb is now under way on several levels. All the Bratslav Hasidim wanted to rescue it from the goy's clutches; some of them wanted to move the remains to Israel. So does the Prime Minister's Office. Yushchenko, one can assume, wanted only quiet, and the city fathers of Uman did not want to lose the tens of thousands of tourists; they are planning to build a new airport not far from their city.<BR/>This week, the government of Ukraine declared the tomb of Rabbi Nachman a national heritage site. On the occasion of the tomb's rescue, a Foreign Ministry delegation went to Uman to celebrate its victory over the Prime Minister's Office. Corinaldi says: "Those who did not want Jewish ownership of Rebbe Nachman?s grave received it under Israeli,Ukrainian and international aegis."<BR/><BR/>Winners: Bratslav Hasidim, Uman tourist promoters, Foreign Ministry. Losers: that goy and the Prime Minister's Office. The goy may get a few more dollars, but he will have to make do with that. The Prime Minister's Office is not giving up easily: It has asked Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv and Rabbi Ovadia Yosef whether there is any halakhic impediment to transferring the holy remains to Jerusalem. One way or another, a proud state like Ukraine is not now likely to give up a national asset such as Rabbi Nachman's tomb.<BR/><BR/>Moses in Jerusalem<BR/><BR/>Ahead of the 30th anniversary of Israel's independence, prime minister Menachem Begin sent a message to Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek asking his opinion of how the event should be marked. Less than a year after Begin's election, which ousted Labor after 29 years, Kollek was still finding it hard to come to terms with the change. He therefore suggested that the prime minister ask the Pope to lend Israel Michelangel's sculpture of Moses, which would be placed at the site of the Western Wall.<BR/><BR/>The Prime Minister's Office, not realizing at first that Kollek was making fun of Begin, made cautious overtures to the religious public about whether the statue, with the horns on its forehead, would offend their sensibilities. Why should they be upset, Kollek said in a message to Begin; after all I did not suggest asking for the statue of David, who is not circumcised. Kollek was a rare bird among the country's founding fathers: He had a sense of humor. This week marked the first anniversary of his death.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-36968547549571874782008-01-04T13:29:00.000-08:002008-01-04T13:29:00.000-08:00If they come after me and i'm forced to settle, I ...If they come after me and i'm forced to settle, I will demand that all the boys in my Yeshiva pledge to collect the money. If they don't collect what they pledged; I will call upon Yudel Nussbaum to sexually and physically assault them. That should teach them a lesson they'll never forget!<BR/>--------------------------<BR/><BR/>Jesuits Settle Indian Sex Abuse Suit<BR/><BR/>By JOHN K. WILEY – 18 hours ago <BR/><BR/>SPOKANE, Wash. (AP) — An order of Roman Catholic priests announced a $5 million settlement Thursday with 16 people who said they were sexually abused while attending a boarding school on an American Indian reservation.<BR/><BR/>The Oregon Province of the Society of Jesus, or Jesuit Order of priests, will pay $4.8 million in cash to the abuse victims and raise another $200,000 for the homeless in the area, the Jesuits and lawyers for the accusers said.<BR/><BR/>The Jesuits operated St. Mary's Mission and School near Omak for more than 60 years until turning it over to the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation in 1973. The tribes now operate the school as the Paschal Sherman Indian School.<BR/><BR/>The 15 women and one man claimed they were sexually abused by a school superior and a Jesuit worker in the late 1960s and early 1970s. The accusers were elementary school pupils at the time and are now in their 40s and 50s.<BR/><BR/>"I am profoundly sorry for the pain and suffering of these people, and for the violation of trust which they have felt," the Very Rev. John D. Whitney, head of the Oregon Province, said in a news release.<BR/><BR/>"It was at the invitation of the native communities that Jesuits first came to the Northwest, and we hold that as a sacred calling," Whitney said. "We are deeply apologetic for the ways in which we have not fully realized the grace of this invitation."<BR/><BR/>The Oregon Province covers Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Montana and Alaska. It also agreed in November to pay $50 million to more than 100 Alaska Natives who allege sexual abuse.<BR/><BR/>The accused abusers are still alive and living under supervision in Jesuit residences.<BR/><BR/>John Allison, a lawyer for the accusers, said the settlement was reached after several days of mediation and included talks involving Whitney and several claimants.<BR/><BR/>"We are very pleased that this settlement was reached without the long and grueling battle in the courts we've seen in too many other cases," Allison in a news release issued jointly with Whitney.<BR/><BR/>Some of the claims became public during bankruptcy proceedings involving the Spokane Catholic Diocese in 2006, Allison said. The settlement announced Thursday is separate from the $48 million settlement reached last year with about 150 people who were abused by clergy in the Spokane diocese.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-61725726226717867762008-01-04T13:19:00.000-08:002008-01-04T13:19:00.000-08:00OU Condemns Hate Speech Against Prime Minister Olm...OU Condemns Hate Speech Against Prime Minister Olmert<BR/>January 03, 2008<BR/>For Immediate Release<BR/><BR/>ORTHODOX UNION CONDEMNS HATEFUL AND VIOLENT SPEECH AGAINST PRIME MINISTER OLMERT<BR/><BR/>Today, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, the nation's largest Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, released the following statement by President Stephen J. Savitsky and Executive Vice President Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb in response to remarks by Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe at a rally in Israel where he reportedly compared Prime Minister Ehud Olmert to Nazi collaborators and suggested the Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, Vice Premier Haim Ramon and Defense Minister Ehud Barak would be "hung from the gallows" in a properly run state:<BR/><BR/>"We unequivocally condemn Rabbi Wolpe's statements. They are beyond the pale of legitimate democratic protest and have no basis in Jewish law or hashkafa (philosophy).<BR/><BR/>While we - and many other supporters of the State of Israel - often find ourselves in disagreement with the Government of Israel on certain policy matters, it is unconscionable to cross the line into hate, violence and threats. Debate and dissent must be conducted civilly and respectfully in accordance with our Torah, whose "ways are the ways of pleasantness, and all of whose pathways are of peace."<BR/><BR/>We call upon all God-fearing Jews to act in a manner that brings praise to God, his People, Land and Torah."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-23835814930254354182008-01-04T13:16:00.000-08:002008-01-04T13:16:00.000-08:00http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a1616...http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a1616/News/New_York.html<BR/><BR/>Lanner To Be Released From Jail Next Week<BR/>Former NCSY leader will have served three years of seven-year sentence for sexually assaulting two teenage girls.<BR/> Rabbi Baruch Lanner, in a New Jersey state prison for three years, will be on parole for four years. New Jersey Department of corrections <BR/><BR/><BR/>by Gary Rosenblatt<BR/>Editor and Publisher<BR/><BR/>After serving nearly three years for sexually assaulting two teenage girls in his charge in the mid-1990s, Rabbi Baruch Lanner, the former yeshiva principal and a longtime leader of the Orthodox Union’s National Conference of Synagogue Youth, is scheduled to be released from a New Jersey state prison next week, The Jewish Week has learned.<BR/><BR/><BR/>The rabbi, 58, was sentenced to up to seven years and has been in custody at Southwoods State Prison in Bridgeton for 35 months, following his conviction for criminal sexual contact. <BR/><BR/>The charges leading to his arrest and imprisonment came from two former students who attended Hillel High School in Deal, N.J. where Rabbi Lanner was principal.<BR/><BR/>He was tried and convicted in 2002, then released after less than a <BR/> <BR/><BR/>week in jail pending an appeal. He was returned to serve his sentence on Feb. 10, 2005, after his conviction was upheld, and will now be released “to parole supervision for the balance of his sentence,” according to Neal Buccino, public information officer for the New Jersey State Parole Board.<BR/><BR/>Allegations that the rabbi had sexually and psychologically abused scores of teenagers in NCSY had been made over a 30-year period, but no action was taken until his behavior was first reported in The Jewish Week in June 2000. <BR/><BR/>The rabbi was terminated the day after the article was published, and the OU commissioned an extensive study that found “profound errors of judgment” among the leadership of the organization and called for sweeping reforms.<BR/><BR/>Major personnel changes were made at the OU, and stricter policies regarding parental supervision of and involvement in youth activities at NCSY were put in place.<BR/><BR/>The Orthodox Union declined to comment on Rabbi Lanner’s impending release. <BR/><BR/>But Richard Joel, who chaired the independent OU investigation when he was head of international Hillel and is now president of Yeshiva University, noted that “the system of justice has worked, he [Rabbi Lanner] has served his time, and I hope he gets on with his life — in another field — and builds something with it because he is a very bright man.<BR/><BR/>“This whole matter is not just about Baruch Lanner,” he continued, “and it has made our community more aware, more vigilant,” and made people recognize that “the responsibility for the welfare of our children rests with each of us.”<BR/><BR/>The parents of the younger of the two girls who brought charges against Rabbi Lanner and testified in his trial, and whose names were not made public to protect their privacy, told The Jewish Week: “We hope that what happened will serve to educate the community. These situations must be dealt with forthrightly and not be swept aside,” they said.<BR/><BR/>Elie Hiller, who worked with Rabbi Lanner for four years at NCSY and later testified against him at a bet din in 1989, said he and others who have been following the case for years “knew this day was coming,” when the rabbi would be released. <BR/><BR/>“I expect some of the victims will have a bit of anxiety, but I hope they realize that his release does not change the fact that he has a criminal record and remains on the Megan’s Law list,” which makes public the names of sex offenders in New Jersey and requires them to register their whereabouts with authorities.<BR/><BR/>Hiller said he hopes those who were abused by Rabbi Lanner “are at a place in their lives where they are making their lives whole and that they won’t feel intimidated. At the very least,” he said, “people will now be reminded that he has been in jail and that the brave ones who spoke out had a real effect” on Jewish communal life.<BR/><BR/>Hiller added that he is hopeful that Rabbi Lanner will not be given another position, here or in Israel, that would put him in contact with young peopleexposemolestershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02097300261898413798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-41107162382710568102008-01-04T13:10:00.000-08:002008-01-04T13:10:00.000-08:00Why is shmita controversy important? Both Zionist ...Why is shmita controversy important? <BR/><BR/>Both Zionist and haredi methods practiced during Sabbatical year are unsatisfactory since they contradict the entire purpose of Zionism<BR/>Prof. Rabbi David Golinkin<BR/><BR/><BR/>For the past few months, a controversy has been raging in the State of Israel: How should Shmita (the Sabbatical year) be observed? Most Israelis view this as an esoteric argument between the haredim (ultra-Orthodox) and Religious Zionists. They may also think that the problem was solved by the recent Supreme Court decision on October 23rd, which instructed the Chief Rabbinate to follow its own Heter Mechira (symbolic sale of the Land of Israel to non-Jews). They are wrong. This argument touches on the very essence of Zionism as Israel turns 60. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>According to biblical law, the Land of Israel must lie fallow during the Sabbatical year (Exodus 23:10-11; Leviticus 25:1-7). Haredi farmers follow the Hazon Ish, Rabbi Isaiah Karelitz, who prohibits exporting produce from the Shmita year, but allows certain leniencies such as hydroponics. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Other farmers harvest the Shmita year's produce as "Rabbinic Court agents" and sell it through an Otzar Bet Din (Rabbinic Court Warehouse). This legal fiction can help the individual farmer, but it will not solve the State of Israel’s dilemma because produce distributed through an Otzar Bet Din retains the sanctity of Shmita. It may not be thrown in the garbage; it may not be eaten by non-Jews; it may not be sold; and it may not be exported abroad. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Some haredi settlements are supported by donations from abroad during the Shmita year. As for consumers, most haredi Jews buy their produce during the Shmita year from Arabs. If all Israeli Jews followed these methods, Jewish agriculture in Israel would collapse; if the State of Israel followed these methods, Agrexco would go bankrupt and Israel would lose one billion dollars in agricultural exports every year.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>On the other hand, according to Rabbi Kuk's Heter Mechira method, the land and everything planted on it are sold to a non-Jew for a period of two years (so that the Shmita year is covertly included in the sale). It is thus permissible to buy and sell Shmita produce, since it belongs to a non-Jew. It is also possible to engage in work that is only rabbinically prohibited such as irrigating, weeding, fertilizing and removing stones. On the other hand, the five kinds of activities that are prohibited by the Torah – sowing, pruning, reaping, harvesting grapes and plowing - are still prohibited during the Shmita year.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>Historically, the Chief Rabbinate followed the Heter Mechira. However, this year, due to haredi pressure, the Heter Mechira was performed as usual, but the Chief Rabbinate gave local rabbinic councils the right to ignore it and demand that supermarkets and restaurants in their towns must buy all their produce from Arabs. Indeed, the local rabbinates of at least nine cities with over one million inhabitants immediately declared that this is exactly what they would do. The potential loss to Jewish farmers was estimated at 700 million to 2 billion shekels. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/><BR/>The rabbis of Tzohar, a group of liberal Orthodox rabbis, then threatened to set up rival kashrut supervision and certify all the food establishments who follow the Heter Mechira. Finally, on October 23, 2007, Israel’s High Court of Justice invalidated Chief Rabbi Yonah Metzger’s decision; if the Rabbinate itself had performed the Heter Mechira, it could not claim that it is not legitimate! The Court ruled that the Chief Rabbinate must overrule any local rabbi opposed to the Heter and appoint in his place a rabbi who will follow the Heter Mechira. <BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>All of the methods described above are unsatisfactory since they contradict the entire purpose of Zionism.<BR/><BR/> <BR/>End of part 1 – to be continued <BR/><BR/> <BR/>Rabbi Prof. David Golinkin is the President of the Schechter Institute of Jewish Studies in Jerusalem.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-83343154155489981882008-01-04T13:08:00.000-08:002008-01-04T13:08:00.000-08:00Grand Rabbi denies taking part in £16.5m tax-dodgi...Grand Rabbi denies taking part in £16.5m tax-dodging scam<BR/><BR/>03 January 2008<BR/><BR/>By By Tom Tugend, Los Angeles <BR/><BR/>The Grand Rabbi of Spinka, head of a Brooklyn-based Chasidic sect, and five other men have pleaded not guilty to federal charges of tax evasion and money laundering.<BR/><BR/>Naftali Tzvi Weisz, the 59-year-old Grand Rabbi, and the other accused appeared in the US District Court in Los Angeles before Judge Alicia Rosenberg, who set February 12 for trial.<BR/><BR/>A federal grand jury indicted the men and five Spinka charities on December 18 on charges of participating in a fraudulent kickback scheme that cheated the Internal Revenue Service of at least $33 million (£16.5m).<BR/><BR/>In the alleged scheme, donors to Spinka charities were refunded up to 95 per cent of their donations, who then claimed the full amounts as tax deductions. <BR/><BR/>The kickbacks were laundered through the Mizrahi Bank in Tel Aviv and businesses in the Los Angeles jewelry district, according to prosecutors.<BR/><BR/>Other named defendants are the rabbi’s gabbai, or assistant, Moshe Zigelman, 60, also of Brooklyn, Joseph Roth, 66, of Tel Aviv, and three Los Angeles area residents, Yaacov Zeivald, 43, Alan Jay Friedman, 43, and Yosef Nachum Naiman, 55.<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Weisz and Mr Zigelman allegedly made more than $750,000 (£375,000) from the transactions.<BR/><BR/>All were freed on bond, except Mr Roth, an assistant manager at the Mizrahi Bank, who was considered a flight risk to Israel. <BR/><BR/>Mr Roth had been granted a $1.9 million bond (£960,000) by another magistrate, but who stayed the decision so that government prosecutors could draft an appeal. The defendants face lengthy terms in prison terms if convicted of the charges.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-29828769920651525322008-01-03T22:33:00.000-08:002008-01-03T22:33:00.000-08:00Rav Zachariah Gelley and Rav Yisroel Mantel deserv...Rav Zachariah Gelley and Rav Yisroel Mantel deserve a lot of credit for pulling the plug on Rubashkins. KAJ made the right decision. Hopefully other Kashrus Supervisons will follw suit!exposemolestershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02097300261898413798noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-72765205184671885352008-01-03T22:24:00.000-08:002008-01-03T22:24:00.000-08:00New Yeshiva Gets a Warm Welcome Despite a Damp, Dr...New Yeshiva Gets a Warm Welcome Despite a Damp, Drizzly Day<BR/>January 03, 2008 - Bryan Schwartzman, Staff Writer<BR/><BR/>The opening festivities and Torah dedication for Yeshiva Tiferes Avigdor included a clarinetist, who played outside before the ceremony's start.<BR/><BR/>A cold, steady rain fell as darkness descended, but the weather didn't dampen many spirits in the considerable crowd that had gathered. More than 120 people had been drawn to the Rhawnhurst section of Philadelphia to mark the birth of a new Jewish institution -- a talmudic yeshiva -- in a corner of the city that has seen its fair share of synagogue closures in recent years. <BR/><BR/>A Torah was carried -- wrapped in plastic and covered by a chupah -- down the streets to its destination at the school. Men, women and children sang and danced as a clarinetist supplied tunes that seemed to emanate straight from the ancestral towns and villages -- the shtetlach -- of Eastern Europe. About a half-dozen men carried torches, which helped illuminate the way as daylight faded. <BR/><BR/>Yeshiva Tiferes Avigdor, an Orthodox Talmudic academy for post-high school boys situated at the corner of Langdon Street and Summerdale Avenue, actually opened its doors in September, but at the time, the administrator was reticent to seek publicity or grant interviews. <BR/><BR/>So, Sunday represented the official welcome by the community as a newly completed Torah scroll was delivered to the yeshiva. The procession started outside the home of Rabbi Dov A. Brisman, a member of Philadelphia's Orthodox rabbinical court, or Beit Din. <BR/><BR/>Once the participants went inside the building -- located a little less than a mile from Brisman's home -- they grew more boisterous, as men continued to circle with the scroll for half an hour. As they danced, footsteps thundered in the small, crowded room, overpowering the traditional melody that accompanied the celebration. <BR/><BR/>"Today is a historic day," announced Rabbi Avrohom Novitsky, founder of the Aitz Chaim Synagogue Center of Rhawnhurst, which opened in the exact spot as the yeshiva back in 1965. <BR/><BR/>By 2001, Novitsky had retired, but the small congregation persevered until roughly three years ago, when it finally closed. For a time, the building housed Ohr Somayach Philadelphia, a Jewish outreach organization geared toward youth, but that closed earlier this year. <BR/><BR/>Rabbi Yehuda Brog, the Rosh Yeshiva, or head of school, of Tiferes Avigdor, already ran one school in Brooklyn and said that he was looking to start a second, though he hadn't a specific location in mind. Brog -- grandson of Baltimore-born Rabbi Avigdor Miller, after whom the yeshiva is named -- noted that he decided on Northeast Philadelphia only after he learned that the building had become available. <BR/><BR/>"We started the whole operation in six weeks," he said, adding that the school's 10 to 20 students -- he wouldn't give an exact number -- were recruited from New York, New Jersey, Connecticut and Maryland. <BR/><BR/>Brog explained that some students are living in the house attached to the yeshiva building; Novitsky had lived in that home while he led the Aitz Chaim congregation. Brog wouldn't specify where other students lived. <BR/><BR/>Issue With the City <BR/>There's just one problem: Brog had not obtained permission from the city to convert the house into a dormitory facility, according to Bob Solvibile, commissioner of the Department of Licenses and Inspections. <BR/><BR/>Since 1965, the property has been zoned for use as a synagogue, religious school and rabbi's residence, but not a dorm, according to city records. Another employee in the commissioner's office stated that the city doesn't plan to take any action at this time. <BR/><BR/>It's not clear whether obtaining the proper zoning would be as simple as filling out an application, or if it entails a hearing. <BR/><BR/>Brog denied that he'd done anything improper. He said that a house is obviously intended to be lived in, so zoning approval is not needed in order for people to dwell in one. <BR/><BR/>Miller's son, Rabbi Shmuel Miller, spoke at the Torah dedication ceremony. He normally lectures in Yiddish, but on this day spoke to attendees in English. <BR/><BR/>At the yeshiva, the students are instructed in a what Brog called "Yinglish," a mixture of Yiddish and English. <BR/><BR/>Miller called the yeshiva the heart of a community: "The leaders of klal Yisrael will be taught in this Beit Hamidrash." <BR/><BR/>In addition to his numerous teachings on the Torah and Talmud, the late Miller, who died in 2001 at the age of 92, was also known as a vocal opponent of political Zionism and the establishment of the State of Israel. Echoing the teachings of many Eastern European rabbis, Miller argued that secular Zionism represented an attempt to usurp God's authority, and that a true Jewish homeland could only be established after the advent of the Messiah. <BR/><BR/>"We are not involved in politics at all," said Brog. "It's not a question of whether it is good or not good. He felt that was not the way for redemption to come. But now that there is a state, everybody has to deal with it." <BR/><BR/>Brog added that his grandfather "stood for one thing -- to serve Hashem. The obligation of every Jew is to serve Hashem."Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-64787966195539402222008-01-03T22:17:00.000-08:002008-01-03T22:17:00.000-08:00What an honor to be selected as a powerful foreign...What an honor to be selected as a powerful foreigner. I'm a gadol who has influnence all over the world. If I uncover any sex abusers in Russia or elswhere, I will ship them off to Baltimore!<BR/>--------------------------<BR/><BR/>Ukrainian rabbis seen as 'powerful foreigners'<BR/> <BR/>Published: 01/02/2008<BR/><BR/> A Kiev weekly magazine cited two prominent Ukrainian rabbis among the most "powerful foreigners" in the country.<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich, one of the chief rabbis of Kiev and Ukraine, and Rabbi Shmuel Kaminetzky, the chief rabbi of the Dnepropetrovsk Jewish community and region, made the Russian-language weekly magazine Focus list of 15 “powerful foreigners.”<BR/><BR/> The rabbis, who were named along with the U.S. and Russian ambassadors, were said to seriously influence developments in Ukraine.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-44713215299688310322008-01-03T21:59:00.000-08:002008-01-03T21:59:00.000-08:00I want to comment on the Orthodox Union's (OU) ann...I want to comment on the Orthodox Union's (OU) annual West Coast Convention, which ended last week. A few points. What kind of woman has the name Bacon? What kind of crazy parent names their daughter after pig meat? Ha! Had you there for a moment didn't I? Let's get down to the real issues. The Reform and Conservative movments who think they're Jewish could think again. They are not following the commandments of the Torah. <BR/>---<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/>2008-01-04 <BR/><BR/>Law and disorder<BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>By David Suissa<BR/><BR/><BR/>Only in Los Angeles can you have a convention of Orthodox Jews where the keynote address is given by a woman named Bacon, the special guest speaker is a famous<BR/><BR/>Hollywood film critic and the executive director begins his Shabbat sermon by talking about Christmas.<BR/><BR/>I'm referring to the Orthodox Union's (OU) annual West Coast Convention, which ended last week. Here in the Pico-Robertson neighborhood, you couldn't go too far without seeing their colorful blue banners promoting the event.<BR/><BR/>This year, I noticed a tinge of anxiety percolating just beneath the surface of the convention, a sense that there are big challenges ahead for the Orthodox movement.<BR/><BR/>Of course, the Orthodox are hardly alone in feeling anxious. These days, every movement in Judaism seems to be going through some sort of defining challenge. The Reform Jews are dealing with how to accommodate a growing interest in religious rituals among some of their members, while staying true to the movement's liberal identity. Conservatives are in a state of perpetual crisis -- whether dealing with specific issues like gay marriage, or larger philosophical ones like how much pluralism they can tolerate in their own movement and stay viable.<BR/><BR/>And the Orthodox, well, they might look confident on the outside -- they are, after all, the champion protectors of God's commandments -- but dig beneath the surface, and you'll see a healthy dose of anxiety.<BR/><BR/>Just look, for example, at some of the subjects at this year's OU convention: "Guaranteeing Continuity: Keeping our Children Jewish and Orthodox" (Karen Bacon); "The Jew in the Modern World, the Modern World in the Jew: Are we too Integrated?" (panel discussion); "Media Messages vs. Jewish Messages" (film critic and conservative talk show host Michael Medved); "Jewish Continuity and Destiny" (Rabbi Marvin Hier); and "The Tuition Crisis and Seven Ways to Address It: An Existential Challenge for the Jewish Community" (Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb).<BR/><BR/>Those are not the subjects of a cocky movement.<BR/><BR/>They feel more like the subjects of a marketing seminar, as if an OU committee got together and said: Our brand is being threatened by a secular world that does not share our values. How do we deal with this threat without isolating ourselves? <BR/><BR/>I sensed some of this anxiety when I went to B'nai David Judea Congregation on Shabbat morning to hear Rabbi Weinreb, the executive director of the OU, give the weekly sermon.<BR/><BR/>Right off the bat, the rabbi brought up that all-consuming annual threat to Jewish identity: Christmas. How should Orthodox Jews navigate in a Christian world, especially at this time of year, when the symbols of Christianity are so dominant?<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Weinreb quoted a scholar who is part of the Conservative movement (professor Elliot Dorff) to explain a key difference between Judaism and Christianity: In Judaism, beliefs flow from behavior, while in Christianity, behavior flows from beliefs. The Jewish tradition doesn't ask us to believe in doing good, or even to feel good, before actually doing good. We're supposed to do it anyway.<BR/><BR/>And what is this "good"? For the Torah observant, the rabbi went on, it revolves around the Shulchan Aruch, the code of halacha (Jewish law) compiled in the 16th century. Just like the Constitution of the United States is the timeless code of law that protects our free society, the halacha is the timeless code of law that protects Judaism's and the Jewish people's continued survival.<BR/><BR/>In this world of law, no subject is too small. Is the new coloring agent on M&M chocolates kosher according to the OU? No sweat, the rabbi assured us. The Shulchan Aruch provides the answers.<BR/><BR/>Then the rabbi complicated the picture: The halacha doesn't have all the answers, he admitted. How could it? Who knew, for example, about stem cell research 500 years ago? What do we do when the halacha doesn't spell things out?<BR/><BR/>The rabbi used the Torah portion of the week to introduce the metaphor of the bow and arrow. When the law is not clear, the rabbi explained, we must tremble before God and aim very, very carefully, as with a bow and arrow. It's with this metaphorical bow and arrow that the OU decided to come out in favor of stem cell research a few years ago.<BR/><BR/>The Orthodox way, the rabbi concluded, is not that it refuses to re-examine Jewish law to reflect changing circumstances, but that it is extremely careful before doing so. He called it the "poetry in Halacha," and quoted a well-known saying by Rav Avraham Yitzchak Kook: "Just like there are rules in poetry, there is poetry in rules."<BR/><BR/>Apparently, though, that is too much poetry for some people. <BR/><BR/>When you talk to Orthodox machers behind the scenes, you hear about this silent anxiety today in the Orthodox world about some of its members "flipping" into the Yeshiva world and becoming ultra-Orthodox. This subject didn't make it to the OU Convention, and it's not likely to ever make it. It's simply too awkward for an Orthodox movement to acknowledge that it is not Orthodox enough for some of its members.<BR/><BR/>Maybe that's why we're always hearing about the Orthodox movement moving more and more to the right. It's one thing to feel threatened by the seductive come-ons of a secular society, but to feel threatened by a "more religious" movement, one that is even more obedient of Jewish law? That cuts too close to the bone.<BR/><BR/>This might also explain the safe public agenda of the OU convention, where the "enemy" is that easy target used by religious movements everywhere: The modern world and its empty values.<BR/><BR/>No wonder there's anxiety in the Orthodox world. As if the white beard of Santa Claus wasn't enough, now you have the black beards of the ultra-Orthodox, which seduce you with their own antidote to the modern world: the promise of absolute certainty. <BR/><BR/><BR/><BR/>David Suissa, an advertising executive, is founder of OLAM magazine and Meals4Israel.com. He can be reached at dsuissa@olam.org.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-71819482300770450232008-01-03T21:42:00.000-08:002008-01-03T21:42:00.000-08:00Rabbi wants Olmert hangedPublished: 01/03/2008A ri...Rabbi wants Olmert hanged<BR/><BR/>Published: 01/03/2008<BR/><BR/>A right-wing Israeli rabbi drew censure after calling for Ehud Olmert and other government leaders to be executed.<BR/><BR/>Rabbi Shalom Dov Wolpe, a Chabad rabbi in Israel, was shown on television Wednesday addressing a demonstration against the Olmert government's peace moves with the Palestinian Authority.<BR/><BR/>"The terrible traitor, Ehud Olmert, who gives these Nazis weapons, who gives money, who frees their murderous terrorists, this man, like Ariel Sharon, collaborates with the Nazis," Wolpe said in his speech.<BR/><BR/>He added that the prime minister, Vice Premier Haim Ramon, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Defense Minister Ehud Barak would be "hanged from the gallows" were Israel run properly.<BR/><BR/>Israeli opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu lambasted the remarks, which apparently were heard without protest by several religious lawmakers who attended the rally.<BR/><BR/>Ramon in a statement said Wolpe's behavior recalled the incitement that led to the 1995 assassination of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.<BR/><BR/>Yoel Hasson, a lawmaker with Olmert's Kadima party, said he would ask Israel's attorney general to take legal steps against Wolpe, who leads a messianic faction.<BR/><BR/>The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America condemned Wolpe's comments.<BR/><BR/>"While we -- and many other supporters of the State of Israel -- often find ourselves in disagreement with the Government of Israel on certain policy matters, it is unconscionable to cross the line into hate, violence and threats," the statement from O.U. President Stephen Savitsky and Executive Vice President Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb said.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-49048034233413553932008-01-02T21:23:00.000-08:002008-01-02T21:23:00.000-08:00http://bp1.blogger.com/_WC3VtDsRQjc/R3w7WGHnxsI/AA...http://bp1.blogger.com/_WC3VtDsRQjc/R3w7WGHnxsI/AAAAAAAAA6M/sWv5pQL5M38/s1600-h/KAJ%2520Rubashkin%2520Letter%5B1%5D.jpg<BR/><BR/>But Rubashkin Fressers still have excuses to fress it.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28305689.post-41315752084312743672008-01-02T17:40:00.000-08:002008-01-02T17:40:00.000-08:00It is imperative for sexual abuse survivors as par...It is imperative for sexual abuse survivors as part of the healing process to see their tormentor punished for their crimes. My message to the victims of clergy abuse is - NEVER GIVE UP HOPE!<BR/><BR/>http://www.thestar.co.uk/doncaster/39Sex-abuse-hell-behind-me.3630622.jp<BR/><BR/>'Sex abuse hell behind me now'<BR/><BR/>A YOUNG woman who tried to kill herself is looking forward to a fresh start in 2008 after seeing the sex predator who almost ruined her life go to jail for eight years.<BR/>The 20-year-old student, who cannot be identified, expressed her relief after Doncaster pensioner Harry Hansford was sent to prison for sexual offences committed against her and another girl more than a decade ago.<BR/><BR/>Hansford, aged 64, of Wordsworth Avenue, Campsall, groomed the girls and indecently assaulted them between 1992 and 1999. But it was not until she reached 18 that one of his victims blurted out what she and her friend had been through with the pervert, who took advantage of them in his home, sometimes while his wife was in another room.<BR/><BR/>At his four-day trial at Doncaster Crown Court last month, Hansford denied 14 charges and was acquitted of three but found guilty on the other 11.<BR/><BR/>Sentencing was delayed until the judge had seen a report on the defendant but after reading it he handed down an eight-year sentence on three of the most serious crimes, with other concurrent terms of three years and two years. He also made a Sexual Offences Prevention Order against Hanford for when he is released from prison.<BR/><BR/>Afterwards the 20-year-old said the sickening secret of what she had to endure only came out when she took a drugs overdose in the bathroom of her home.<BR/><BR/>"It was a bad time with other things in my life and I tried to kill myself. The main reason for it was what Hansford did to me. As soon as I told my mum she rang the police and it all came out.<BR/><BR/>"I had blocked it out from the ages of 11 to 15 but I had been thinking about it a lot.<BR/><BR/>"We were very pleased with the sentence because it was a lot more than we thought he'd get because of the age of the offences. It's a great relief that it's all over but I would urge anybody in a similar position to come forward because the police will listen and act. I am such a happy person now that it has come out."<BR/><BR/>Her friend, who is 22, also believes justice has been served by the jail term for the offences committed against her when she was aged 10 to 14.<BR/><BR/>"At that time we just thought i<BR/>t was something that happened and we were too young to know any different. My parents were shocked when they found out because they had no idea this was going on. My mum felt guilty but it wasn't her fault and there is no bad feeling. Hopefully Hansford won't be able to do this any more when he comes out."<BR/><BR/>After the case Pc Phil Wakefield said: "Following a thorough investigation from Doncaster Police which has led to the conviction of Harry Hansford, the victims have now received closure on their traumatic experiences.<BR/><BR/>"This sentence sends out the message that justice can be served on historical cases and people should be encouraged to come forward if they have had similar experiences."<BR/><BR/>Last Updated: 02 January 2008 9:19 AMexposemolestershttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02097300261898413798noreply@blogger.com