Saturday, January 2, 2010

An open letter to Dr. Tom Kaplan


Dear Dr. Kaplan,

       I am aware of the tremendous time and energy - as well as money- that you have invested in a sincere attempt to be a major constructive force in Judaism. I hear  that you have a meeting on Monday as to whether to continue funding of this program. Please  let me have 5 minutes of your time before then to explain why continued funding will be  disaster for the Jewish people.

   While we have not met before we share something in common - Leib Tropper. You might be familiar with the fact that for the last several years I have been involved in an unsuccessful attempt to get the EJF to become more transparent in their operation. Now there is a bigger problem - Tropper's human weaknesses which has been been captured onvideo and audio recordings.

   I would like to communicate something of the incredible pain which is being experienced in the Jewish world because of this scandal. In particular, I would like to persuade you to stop funding this operation which is bringing shame and  embarrassment to all.


            Sincerely yours,


            Daniel Eidensohn, Ph.D.


14 comments :

  1. Do you have Tom Kaplan's email?

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  2. We assume then that the rav has contacted Kaplan.

    Please let us know if he acknowledges you.

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  3. yes I sent an email to the above address.

    will do

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  4. Tom Kaplan is probably very defensive right now and in denial as well.

    People like Tropper manipulate people like Kaplan by assuring them they are as integral to the program (and it's importance) as they are.

    Think of the Yissachar/Zevulun model on steroids- the obvious difference being that model was predicated on honesty, not deceit.

    Truth be told, no one has been personally hurt by this more than Tom Kaplan.

    He idealized Tropper and wanted to be in his sphere out of high moral sense.

    On many levels Tom Kaplan has been betrayed and hurting badly.

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  5. Tom Kaplan has to recognize that if he continues to sponsor Tropper's escapades -- regardless of his own intent and motivation, he will ultimately and irrevocably sully his own good name.

    Besides, why in the world does Kaplan need Tropper any more??? I'm sure Kaplan can find many fine, decent, honorable and upstanding institutions to give his tens of millions of tzedaka dollars to every year -- without sullying his own reputation.

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  6. I am sent one. I think that the more people send a letter to Dr. Kaplan, the better.

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  7. You mention video evidence. Is this out now?

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  8. >2) My translations and other material that appears on this blog are copyrighted.
    © 2007-2009

    Don't forget to update your copyright notice to include 2010.

    ReplyDelete
  9. Don't forget to update your copyright notice to include 2010.

    ======
    thanks - just updated it

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  10. Perhaps if the funding goes through, and Tropper still holds the purse strings, then the syndicated news organizations will find the story worthy of being published.

    They see corruption every day. A billionaire who finances it is news.

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  11. I think it would be helpful if you would give us on this blog your 5 minute spiel you would give to Tom Kaplan. From bits and pieces in various your posts it's clear you're against EJF but I don't think you've ever presented a brief point-by-point halachic or practical critique of the organization.

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  12. yeshayahu sounds like he hasn't been reading this blog for very long.

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  13. Archie, I've looked back at old posts and I have had trouble finding what I describe: a brief coherent halachic critique of EJF (not just documents from other rabbis and such). This blog has many new readers because of the Tropper scandal. R' Eidensohn is probably now the most well-known and vocal rabbi who is critical of EJF. It would be very useful for him to summarize and publish his critiques. If such a summary were to also respond to potential counterarguments (to the extent we know what they are, based on available halachic rulings permitting what EJF does), all the better. I am also interested in knowing whether R' Eidensohn only objects to the supposed proselytizing EJF does, or whether he is also opposed to other problematic elements: invalidating conversions on questionable grounds (ie, because months later a giyoret sometimes wore pants), enforcing certain contested hashkafic beliefs (how long ago the world was created) as required for gerim and batei din, centralizing gerus (as opposed to leaving it to local rabbis), etc.

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