Thursday, March 27, 2008

Lakewood baal teshuva marrano is Christian? I

http://www.vosizneias.com/

http://www.vosizneias.com/2008/03/lakewood-nj-shock-con-man-faking-as.html#links


http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?p=16018

Update - he is now reported to be a genuine ger
ynet disagrees

9 comments :

  1. Marranos ARE Christians!!

    "Marrano" is a Spanish word that comes from the Arabic "maharam" (Hebrew "haram") which means forbidden. In Moorish Spain where pork was "maharam", the colloquial usage of the word "marrano" meant "pig".

    "Converso" (converted) and "anus" ("forced" in Hebrew) are alternative words for Marrano which is derogatory.

    Spain in the 15th century was very similar to America today in that Jews prospered in the upper echelons of Spanish society, in government, medicine, law and commerce. Under Moorish rule many families became very affluent during the period known as the "Golden Age". The Jewish community enjoyed freedoms similar to those of American Jews today which easily led to assimilation into Spanish society.

    By the time the Christians took control of Spain (Spain was united under Christian rule by 1492 when the last of the Moors were expelled) the majority of Jews tragically lacked any real affection for and were indifferent to the faith of their ancestors. Many embraced the chance to exchange their oppressed condition as Jews for the opportunities that opened up to them by acceptance of Christianity. They simulated the Christian faith when it was to their advantage, and often turned around to mock Jews and Judaism.

    Some of these "conversos" held on to bits of the Jewish faith, while others remained Jews in their home life while practicing Christianity in public.

    Some conversos seized the first opportunity of openly avowing their faith and emigrated to Italy, Holland, the Ottoman Empire and the New World.

    For those who lived in secret conformity with Jewish law, the Rabbis applied the Talmudic passage: "Although he has sinned, he must still be considered a Jew".
    This was provided he was able to document that he was indeed k'halacha a Jew.

    Conversos tried in every way to leave the country, either in bands or as individual refugees. They also kept impeccable documentation for the generations so as to be able to prove their halachic Jewish status upon reuniting with their people.

    It has been more that 500 years since the Edict of Expulsion from Spain, that is 20 generations. Is it possible for ANY Gentile to be able to document 20 generations of uninterrupted matralineal Jewish descent since his family were last connected with a halachic Jewish community?

    Any potential Baal Teshuva should be asked to produce some form of documentation showing a connection to a maternal Jewish ancestor who is/was part of a halachic Jewish community. This can be in the form of birth certificates, marriage licenses and death certificates indicating burial in an Orthodox Jewish cemetery. This is much easier in recent years as most of the Jewish cemeteries and Hevra Kadisha records from around the world are accessible online. I have had no problem finding these records for potential Baalei Teshuva even from places where there has not been an organized Jewish community for many years such as the FSU, Cuba and Cairo.

    Not only should we not be welcoming Gentiles into our communities as if they were Jews for halachic reasons but we put our families at risk by welcoming criminals and fugitives into our homes, shuls and schools. This is not the first such story I have heard recently, unfortunately.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Please make the two posted URLs work, Thanks.

    ReplyDelete
  3. http://www.vosizneias.com
    /2008/03/
    lakewood-nj-shock-con-man
    -faking-as.html#links


    if the links don't work just cut and paste the url into the brower

    ReplyDelete
  4. He is a true ger after all!? Who is Rabbi Aloof and who was else was on the Beth Din that did the conversions because noone should go on the hearsay of just one rabbi in yehoopitz, indeed what Beth Din did the conversion and then had this all hidden from view? Something does not sound right here.

    VIN reports:

    "Monday, March 31, 2008

    Lakewood, NJ +Mr. Ted Floyd Is A Ger Tzedek+

    Pinned topic Mar. 31 2008

    Exclusive By VIN News

    Lakewood, NJ - The following is an update to last week's blockbuster news, in which VIN reported on a purportedly non-Jewish individual who had been living with his wife and children as a Torah-observant, Orthodox Jew in Lakewood's Jewish community for several years.

    VIN News has now learned that the man in question, currently being held by the authorities for attempted passport fraud and identity theft, did in fact undergo a conversion by an Orthodox rabbi together with his wife in 2002.

    VIN has located and contacted Rabbi Pinchas Aloof, who was serving the synagogue Congregation Ahavat Achim in Wichita, Kansas at the time Mr. and Mrs. Floyd underwent conversion—and who has vouched in a telephone conversation with VIN from his Texas home for the Floyds' authentic Jewish status and kosher conversion. "It was 100% kosher with a Beis Din, I was there; they both went trough the whole process 'al pi halacha'" says Rabbi Aloof.

    Rabbi Aloof, an Orthodox rabbi, also expressed complete shock upon learning of the controversy, of which he was completely unaware. "As far as that's concerned, there's nothing to be concerned about. He is a Yid," he said. The only matter the rabbi questioned was the story about Mr. Floyd's alleged Marrano background, which he dismissed as untrue. "He was 100% a goy," he said."

    And see the first 21 comments there:

    "
    Anonymous said...
    So why did he lie about his name being Natan Levi? Why couldn't he be open and up front about his ger status? He obviously is hiding something by not being honest and straightforward. No one should be blamed for not believing him on anything once he showed himself as a liar on his name and heritage.

    March 31, 2008 3:54 PM


    Anonymous said...
    I hope all the HOCKERS who screamed goy will do t5eshuva gemura, go to Kansas and ask mechila!!!

    March 31, 2008 4:00 PM


    Michael said...
    Now I will be able to sleep at night.

    March 31, 2008 4:00 PM


    Anonymous said...
    I guess all those 'vitzen' have to be thrown out. Boy were some really funny. :)

    March 31, 2008 4:01 PM


    Anonymous said...
    That solves the question on how he knew everything in a short time. People who bashed his head out should ask mechilla.

    ML

    March 31, 2008 4:03 PM


    Anonymous said...
    now what?

    March 31, 2008 4:04 PM


    Simcha said...
    no one is condoning bashing, but to go ask mechila? please!
    this guy is one shady charachter.
    ok, he wasnt a "goy" but he has alot of explaining to do anyway.

    March 31, 2008 4:09 PM


    Anonymous said...
    If he is a GER he is not a Levi

    March 31, 2008 4:10 PM


    Anonymous said...
    i guess you forgot that a GER usually changes his name i know a spanish ger that use to be called Edward Torez he now goes by an askenazik name, thats normal.

    March 31, 2008 4:12 PM


    Anonymous said...
    that shows us not to judge so quick on a story we hear. We have to give some time, the whole story to come out.

    March 31, 2008 4:13 PM


    Simcha said...
    Guys! the other examples of people changing their names were done legit. this guy is in custody because of this. this is fraud at the highest level.

    March 31, 2008 4:24 PM


    Anonymous said...
    he took a dead person's identity so he obviously has something to hide.

    March 31, 2008 4:25 PM


    Anonymous said...
    Get your facts straight, he claimed to be a levi and got aliyos as levi

    March 31, 2008 4:27 PM


    Anonymous said...
    This man is a Jew! Maybe he lied because he wanted to fit in so badly that he changed his identity to hide his past as a goy.

    How about some dan lkaf zchus!!!???

    March 31, 2008 4:53 PM


    Tibi said...
    I thought he was a sfardi, not a gerrer.

    March 31, 2008 4:56 PM


    joel schnur said...
    kudos to VIN for providing us with the real facts behind the headline news. you guys are always one step ahead of the rest.

    March 31, 2008 4:59 PM


    Anonymous said...
    There's still something VERY WRONG with this man's story. It just doesn't add up. Even if he did undergo an Orthodox conversion, the way in which he went about gaining acceptance in the Jewish community leaves more questions than answers. For one, was this conversion done in order to run away from some murky past?...

    March 31, 2008 5:00 PM


    Anonymous said...
    Who underwent a conversion? Ted Floyd? Or Netan Levy?

    March 31, 2008 5:00 PM


    Anonymous said...
    the faker in lakewood isnt a faker

    great now everyone is a tzaddik there

    March 31, 2008 5:08 PM


    Anonymous said...
    Anon 4:53, it's very nice you want to be dan lechaf zechus, but you still must use some brains.

    -He lied about his name by taking an identity of someone who died over 20 years ago. He didn't merely "make up a name". He could have told us he was a ger, no crime in that.

    -He obviously took this name of Natan Levi to cover up something of his past, possibly criminal. I hope not, but who knows?

    -He acted like a levi in shul (yes, I davened with him and I knew him (or thought I did) ).

    -He made up a story about being descended from Marranos when he did not.


    Once someone lies about his name and past for so long, it's very hard to trust him on anything. I, along with my friends who went out of our way for years for him and his wife, would love to hear an explanation. Because right now, we all feel betrayed.

    March 31, 2008 5:14 PM


    Anonymous said...
    i said this is probably gona happen the second i heard the story. the problem is all the crazys out there who love jumping to conclusions. in their face man!

    March 31, 2008 5:48 PM"

    ReplyDelete
  5. "Rabbi Pinchas Aloof" is on the roster of lecturers at Bethel College in Kansas.

    Bethel is a Mennonite college

    http://www.bethelks.edu/academics/lectures/convocation.php?view=print

    Pinchas Aloof was the Rabbi of Ahavat Achim in Kansas. From their website:

    "We provide both traditional and family worship services to meet a variety of spiritual needs and Jewish backgrounds. "

    From the pictures, the synagogue does not appear to have a mehitza.

    Additionally the synagogue Ahavat Achim is listed under "Inter-Faith Ministries" directory:
    http://www.ifmnet.org/

    Inter Faith Ministries is a group formed by Protestant Christian ministers according to their website.

    Another "rabbi" from Ahavat Achim in KS is Nissim Wernick who is a lecturer at Bethany College

    http://www.bethanylb.edu/contentm/gen/bethany_college_generated_pages/Bethany_News_p2095.html

    ReplyDelete
  6. Before moving to Kansas, Rabbi Pinchas Aloof was the Rabbi of Conservative Temple Anshei Shalom in Del Ray Beach, FL.

    Alouf is a very common Sephardic name.

    Rabbi Shimon Alouf is a very learned, distinguished and beloved Rabbi in the Syrian community in Brooklyn.

    ReplyDelete
  7. Nissim Wernick, the current Rabbi at Ahavat Achim is also on the faculty of another Christian college in KS

    http://www.friends.edu/about/default.aspx

    ReplyDelete
  8. A google search of Pinchas Aloof lists him as a lecturer at Bethel College, a Christian college in KS.

    Ahavat Achim Hebrew Congregation is listed on the directory of Interfaith Ministries in Wichita.
    http://www.ifmnet.org/index.php/about/

    This is the listing in the community directory for Wichita (they have a listing for synagogues):

    Hebrew Congregation - Ahavath-Achim. Church. (316) 685-1339. USA. KS. Wichita. 1850 N Woodlawn St. Wichita Community Organizations ...

    Ahavat Achim Hebrew Congregation describes itself as a "traditional congregation", "committed to family values and spiritual growth through traditional Jewish worship, practice, and education, in an atmosphere of fellowship, good will, and social interaction".

    http://www.hebrewcongregationofwichita.org/aboutus.htm

    "The Wichita Jewish Community School is the religious school of Congregation Emanu-El and the Hebrew Congregation, and serves the Jewish children of Wichita. The school is also supported by the Mid-Kansas Jewish Federation."

    Cong. Emanu-El is Reform
    http://www.mkjf.org/WJCS.htm

    The new Rabbi at Hebrew Cong. is Nissim Wernick his profile on podomatic states his goals as:

    Future of the American Jewish Community, Raising the consciousness of all humanity to a spiritual way of life, The threat of globalization on Judaism, Spreading Torah to the Jewish people, Outreaching to the general community as well as the Jewish community, Dissemination of Kabbalistic concepts into practical living.

    ReplyDelete
  9. "genuine ger"? who duped everyone and his rabbi right at the time of conversion? and is a rabbi who serves a conservative shul a kosher dayon?

    ReplyDelete

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