EJF Updates [Hat Tip: Joel Katz.]
Press Releases
12/24/2009
Recent press coverage of an unfortunate development within the Eternal Jewish Family (EJF) has included inaccurate information about the organization. The following is a review of some of the falsehoods that have appeared in news reports and blogs about EJF:
False Statement: EJF has been paralyzed by the current situation.
Truth: EJF continues its full slate of programs throughout the world, under its rabbinic leadership. Its offices in the USA, Europe, and Israel are fully functioning.
False Statement: There has been no change in EJF.
Truth: EJF is in the process of restructuring its rabbinic leadership, including its rabbinic board. Rabbi Chaim Blum, rabbinic liason and Interim Director, is spearheading the effort to reach out to the many gedolei yisroel who support its mission.
False Statement: EJF conversions are now very much in question
Truth: There is no such concept as an "EJF conversion." It simply does not exist. EJF is not a bais din and has never and will never perform conversions. Conversion applicants who seek EJF support and guidance, and whose sincerity is verified by a reliable sponsoring rabbi, are always referred to separate, independent batei din.
False Statement: EJF is one-dimensional organization focused solely on conversion.
Truth: EJF is involved in a broad kiruv program to head off intermarriage before it happens. It has partnered with such well-known kiruv organizations as Gateways, Ohr Somayach, Arachim, Nefesh Yehudi and Hidabroot, preventing hundreds of young Jews from intermarrying.
False Statement: EJF encourages conversion, which is contrary to halacha.
Truth: EJF's mission of support to batei din and candidates for conversion is only in the narrow case of an intermarried couple where the Jewish spouse is a fully observant baal teshuva and the non-Jewish spouse is committed to a universally acceptable halachic conversion. All the leading poskim, led by the late venerable posek Harav Moshe Feinstein, zt"l, have ruled that, in such a case, the conversion is mandated by halacha.
False Statement: EJF has diluted the standards for conversions.
Truth: On the contrary, EJF's rabbinic and dayanim conferences, which are detailed on its website, address the havoc wrought by assimilation and intermarriage, including the devastating effects of improper conversions. In response to this issue, EJF has helped establish a network of continually growing batei din that operate under the guidance of gedolei yisroel, according to the highest halachic standards. Sincere conversion candidates are guaranteed universal acceptance by any Jewish community throughout the world.
Yes, EJF was victimized by an unfortunate event related to one individual! But this is no time for falsehoods, mistruths, and simply vicious accusations. The mission and support for EJF is sound. The organization prepares to emerge stronger than ever before. EJF is answering the siren call of Klal Yisroel and Kedushas Yisroel, and remains committed to continue under the strong leadership of Moronon Verabonom, Gedolei Yisroel from around the world.
They should stop lying but this would be rather difficult considering who the players are like Tropper (behind the scenes), Menachem Lubinsky who made a living off lying for Rubashkin and the OU for years and last but least the rabbonim who lie in the name of the gedolei haposkim to keep EJF propped up.
ReplyDeleteShut it down!
ReplyDeleteEJF received a self-inflicted fatal death blow care of it's own founder's and head sickening and scandalous behavior, simply because EJF=Tropper and Tropper=EJF.
ReplyDeleteLike a public hara kiri ritual by Tropper (as his wife stood gleefully at his side) under the glaring headlights of the media!
EJF is a goses it's now on life support, it's high time to pull the plug and declare "do not resuscitate" on this hideous near-defunct demon and chaya ra'ah and thereby make EJF officially kaput!
To do otherwise, and fake that "all is well, la de da", will increase the huge radioactive mushromm cloud of the Chillul Hashem because from now on in the Torah public's view and PUBLICISED BY THE MEDIA, EJF=Tropper=sex scandal and NO sane and moral person would want to be associated with an organization whose founder was and remains and unrepenetant pervert and sexual predator if not worse.
It's time to say goodbye to EJF once and for all, get thee gone, or else they will also get the more shameful "get thee to a nunnery" and "have you no shame" to stick on their faces like disgusting goo forever.
EJF is now horribly crippled and tainted and busted beyond repair. It can only do one thing to save itself and save the honor and dignity of Klal Yisroel and from the massive Chillul Hashem it has unleashed from spreading even larger: Disband.
Rabbis of EJF and who took money in fistfulls from EJF, think to yourself: Nice try but no cigar. Hope you learned your lessons, it does not pay to associate or take bribes from sociopathic scoundrels like Tropper and now you must pay the price for it!
R EB Wachtfogel has already done the wise thing by resigning from being the succeeding new head of EJF from Tropper almost as quickly as he got the title. Do the same and follow R EB Wachtfogel's example, or else do not be surprised that you will be questioned and examined for everything you do with or within the tainted EJF=Tropper.
Oh, and please, do NOT try the shtik, of masking Tropper into a "victim" or some such, that that other dude who claimed to be "victim" and landed up pinned to a cross for 2000 years and counting!
http://tzedek-tzedek.blogspot.com/2009/12/tropper-gate-and-whos-afraid-of-big-bad.html
ReplyDeleteFrom the Jewish Star
ReplyDelete"A former business associate of Tropper shared a recollection with a reporter that could shed light on how Tropper managed to accumulate so much power in the world of Orthodox conversions: payoffs, he claims.
“They do pay off rabbonim large sums of money. Like in the hundreds of thousands of dollars. These rabbonim, for what it’s worth, this should be looked into in general. They accept a stipend for their haskamah [approbation]; I have a big name give me money and I’ll endorse you. It doesn’t sound right and not what a rav should be doing.”
---
This alleged fact is potentially a much more problematic issue then any other controversy caused by EJF. While, proselytizing to gentiles (while simultaneously lying about what they are doing delegitimizing Geiri Tzedek, and other Orthodox Jews and Beis Dinnim is terrible. The fact that a corrupt organization can manipulate and consolidate power by the fact of "paying out" Rabbanim is mind boggling and frightening to anybody who cares about Judaism.
How can one 'kasher' a pig??? Oink!
ReplyDeleteI do not know the legal structure of the EJF, If it is part the organization that own Kol.Yaakov/Horizons and others.
ReplyDeleteTropper resignation means nothing because he is still on the board and probably the only officer who has the power to sign checks. There is no doubt that he still runs that Conversion/Escort Service organization.
Someone should find the real entity which own EJF and take it from there, and see who are the real officers and how much they being compensated etc.
This is a situation where the " Hamoyn Am" are really against this organization. The only ones supporting EJF are the fekrumpter Rabbonim who receive financial gain; and the erav rav intermarried "jews". The Gedolim who alledgly back the EJF dont know what happing on the ground.
ReplyDeleteLies, lies and more lies
People have been emailing Tropper's shlock shamess in Houston, Rabbi Wender, to tell him off after YU mashgiach Rav Blau went public against him for helping Tropper retaliate against the woman.
ReplyDeleteIn one exchange posted online, Wender answers back his critic calling him "sick person".
EJF received a self-inflicted fatal death blow care of it's own founder's and head sickening and scandalous behavior, simply because EJF=Tropper and Tropper=EJF.
ReplyDeleteI am not sure the EJF is finished, they are crashed but not defeated. As long as Kaplan pump money into it they will be able to purchase rabbis who will support them.
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteLeib Tropper's sister is Tzipora Adelman who was the principal of Torah Academy For Girls in Far Rockaway back in the 1990's.
ReplyDeleteHer son Shlomo Adelman is the past president of Rabbi Wender's shul in Houston and the headmaster of a freye "progressive" Jewish school there. Shlomo was previously the executive director of R' Reuvein's yeshiva in Staten Island but was no longer needed when Tropper's millions started flowing in.
http://www.emeryweiner.org/cmtpages.php?file_name=high_school1&preview=A
Adelman, Rabbi Shlomo, Judaics
Education: B.A. in Jewish Law, Talmudical Institute of Upstate New York; M.A. in Educational Administration, Brockport State University, Smicha (Rabbinic Ordination), Talmudical Institute of Upstate New York
Phone Extension: 132
E-mail: sadelman@emeryweiner.org
If you look on the new EJF website which changes every other day, where as predicted tropper has been removed, erased from the collective memory of the organization, one can see a blatant falsehood. They claim that they do not get involved in the geruis of the boti dinim, but just look at the International Rabbinical Board includes Harav Mendel Senderovic . Can he deny that he has done no EJF conversions in Calgary, Alberta? How much are these Rabbis being paid to be on the Board? Its time EJF came clean on its activities.
ReplyDeleteIf you look on the new EJF website which changes every other day, where as predicted tropper has been removed, erased from the collective memory of the organization, one can see a blatant falsehood. They claim that they do not get involved in the geruis of the boti dinim, but just look at the International Rabbinical Board includes Harav Mendel Senderovic . Can he deny that he has done no EJF conversions in Calgary, Alberta? How much are these Rabbis being paid to be on the Board? Its time EJF came clean on its activities.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
ReplyDeleteRabbi Dr. Eidesohn
ReplyDeletecomments from "Clarence" and "Miami said" Regarding Rabbi Schmeltzer are absolute slander
The convicted sex offender Chaim Ira Siegel is not a talmud of Rabbi Schmeltzer the NMB Kollel is not a member of the Kollel.
He was never fired from any position and the comments regarding him and his brother in-law Rabbi E. Shapiro are completly defamatory
Rabbi Shapiro can be reached at: office@shaaraytefilah.net (305) 651-1562
Please remove these comments about our Rabbonim until such information is verified
I pasted the comments from Clarence from other blogs.
ReplyDeleteI am very angry about the covering up for molesters which Schmeltzer's defender does not dispute. There is no question that there is a cover up but I don't know all the details and also cannot vouch for the other things said about him.
The matter of the Tropper scandal is trumped by the many tragedies this disaster encompasses. There is no cause for simcha.
ReplyDeleteTropper has children who will now be tainted, as will his grandchildren. The same applies to his other relatives who have no hand in this.
Further, there are those who Tropper hurt, persons who supported him out of belief in his cause and in his ehrlichkeit. They are victims as well and they will be stigmatized.
There are those who underwent his approved geirus programs, submitting themselves to ol malchus shomayiom in every sense of the words. They too will suffer and be victimized.
Lastly, while there ought not be a cause for simcha to be had at Tropper's downfall, there will be. In a lot of ways, the biggest tragedy will be borne by our kehilla. We will have once again allowed our gaiva to squash our humility and boosha.
In many ways, we created Kanaim like Tropper and others like him-and we know it. We just won't admit admit it, because to do so requires a kind of anivus and requisite teshuva that has been lost, the kind that is not self serving.
Of course in 20 years, we'll all ask ourselves how this happened.
I realize you may not publish this comment. Nevertheless, I submit them to you with great respect and in deference to your standing as a Rav and as someone I look up to.
My original post was garbled and I made a copy&paste error. Please delete and repost Thank you
ReplyDelete__________________________________
I think this might interest your Oilam.
The EJf statement above has been altered,
The first two lines of the last paragraph have been combined into one.
The old version as you have it above.
Yes, EJF was victimized by an unfortunate event related to one individual! But this is no time for falsehoods, mistruths, and simply vicious accusations
The new version:
The EJF was victimized by an unfortunate event which has resulted in falsehoods, mistruths, and simply vicious accusations
December 24, 2009 9:24 PM
Ah, some beautifully unintentional irony here from EJF:
ReplyDelete"EJF is answering the siren call..."
'Siren call' refers to an ancient Greek myth about dangerous female creatures who lure sailors to their deaths.
The Av Beis Din in Manchester is a Dayan Krausz, he has been there for years and is the most honest truthful person I have ever met or heard of.
ReplyDeleteHe wants nothing to do with the London Tropper-Ehrentreu gerus.
Anonymous said:
ReplyDeletecomments from "Clarence" and "Miami said" Regarding Rabbi Schmeltzer are absolute slander.
I have been at Rabbi Schmeltzer's Kollel and have seen him giving public Kavod to Segal, the registered convicted sex offender child molester. Since Segal is a Levi, he gets both aliyos when there is no Kohen or other Levi.
I do not know if being a child molester bans one from receiving Kavod at the Torah or not, but Segal is often there and he gets treated with the Kavod that is normally afforded a Levi, and he spends a great deal of time learning there.
The community has done nothing to protect the children. In fact, I lived there for many years and had no idea that there was a convicted child molester in the shul and around the corner from me, until only recently, when Jewish child molesters were making the news and I was shocked to see Segal as the only registered Jewish child molester in NMB.
From their statement: "EJF's mission of support to batei din and candidates for conversion is only in the narrow case of an intermarried couple where the Jewish spouse is a fully observant baal teshuva and the non-Jewish spouse is committed to a universally acceptable halachic conversion"
ReplyDeleteSomeone should ask how many of the couples scheduled to attend the next EJF seminar in Munich, Germany, fit the above claim. Maybe Rabbi Feinstein should look into it.
re: I have been at Rabbi Schmeltzer's Kollel and have seen him giving public Kavod to Segal, the registered convicted sex offender child molester. Since Segal is a Levi, he gets both aliyos when there is no Kohen or other Levi.
ReplyDeleteMitivan shel krovim atah lomed tivah shel rechokim - k'shem sh'ain mamish bazeh, kach ain mamish bazeh!
As everyone knows a levi never gets two aliyos nor do we ever call a levi after a levi. If there is no kohain you need not call a levi - and even if you do - you call a Yisroel following him.
So since there is no validity to this - we must assume the rest of your post in fictitious too!
Registered Agent Name & Address for Tropper's Horizons:
ReplyDeleteAARON KAPLAN
17840 NE 9TH PLACE
NORTH MIAMI BEACH, FL
33162
This address is also tied to Andrew & Chaya Kaplan
dear rabbi eidelsohn
ReplyDeletei to can verify that rabbi( loosely used) shmeltzer gives kovod to the molester seigel
he has other people in his kolel who should not be allowed in the building
he has helped remove members from hois brothrin laws shul by telling people it isnt a good place to daven you should daven in my shul
there are many witnesses to the fact that he gives this molester a warm welcome and aliyos
so any comment that shmeltzer in his kolel doesnt provide a wartm welcome to molesters is not true he has made him feel very welcome while attacking rabbis and community leaders that protect children
rabbi ediesohn
ReplyDeleteanyone wishing to know the truth about rabbi shmeltzer should check with the many parents of rabbi zwiegs yeshiva
they all know what the fights were about and why he was removed
How to understand the Tropper scandal
ReplyDeletePutting it in proper perspective
I think the first thing that has to be understood is why have all our mainstream gedolim and Roshe Yeshivos kept quite on this . first we have to know if he was entrapped by his enemies? lets say he was not and lets also say that the allegations are 100 % true lets assume tropper is guilty as sin, a low life , a shmutz bag, a manipulator, a faker, a menuval , you name it he is all of the above (p.s. I think he is all of the above) why have the gedolim kept quite so far? here we have a individual who took the gedolim for a ride for a few years about how he was saving klal yisroel and than boom we find out he is a scum bag , abusing his power selling conversions etc
I think the answer is simple the mission that the gedolim stood for has to continue no matter who is the helm we need an oranazation to keep conversion bais dins in check
We have all types of botei din in this country form rca to satmar all in the geirus business
How do we make sure that the people being let in to klal yisroel are properly being mekabel mitzvos lets say we have a man who comes in front of a yu type bais din he wants to be frum but he wants to continue to listen to kol isha well a mainstream bais din will tell him sorry you have to be mekabel every thing . a YU bais din will tell him no problem in too days age we don’t even tell out bochurim not to sleep over at there dates house if its late just bring your teffilin with so no prob! etc im sure you can imagine all the scenarios well we have to weed out these types of geruis
Coming up with proper standerds for all botei din set up by our gedolim and poskim will help a lot
So the mission has to continue in spite of the personal failings of one individual
I think that’s why they are keeping quite let it blow over and the org will be stronger with out this troubled individual of course they are embarrassed but they don’t want to call into doubt the orgs good work
The only thing that's simple is that "orthodoxjew" is a simpleton who understands very little.
ReplyDeleteOf course there should be an organization at the forefront of halachic gerus, but hayotzei min hatomei, tomei.
EJF must be shut down and covering up chilul Hashem only creates greater chilul Hashem.
Whoever consistently call Chaim Seagal a "sex offender " or a "child molester" is lying and has not read the case file.Please stop slandering the name of a true talmid chacham.
ReplyDelete