PC World
Should people be allowed to comment anonymously online? That question is currently making its way through the U.S. legal system. A New York couple has issued dragnet subpoenas to Google and Yahoo demanding the identities of users behind 10 email accounts, 30 blog operators, website administrators, and the identities of anyone who had ever commented on those sites. That's hundreds of people! Riding to the rescue of our privacy and freedom are our heroes -- the EFF.
Miriam and Michael Hersh allege a "sweeping conspiracy led by family members and their acquaintances to accuse the Plaintiffs of mistreating their children and to cause a public controversy." This couple who, among other complaints, allege "intentional infliction of emotional distress" are the parents who made headlines in 2008 when news reports were published saying they had their then 16-year-old son, Isaac, taken to a privately owned correctional institution in Jamaica. [...]
Should people be allowed to comment anonymously online? That question is currently making its way through the U.S. legal system. A New York couple has issued dragnet subpoenas to Google and Yahoo demanding the identities of users behind 10 email accounts, 30 blog operators, website administrators, and the identities of anyone who had ever commented on those sites. That's hundreds of people! Riding to the rescue of our privacy and freedom are our heroes -- the EFF.
Miriam and Michael Hersh allege a "sweeping conspiracy led by family members and their acquaintances to accuse the Plaintiffs of mistreating their children and to cause a public controversy." This couple who, among other complaints, allege "intentional infliction of emotional distress" are the parents who made headlines in 2008 when news reports were published saying they had their then 16-year-old son, Isaac, taken to a privately owned correctional institution in Jamaica. [...]
https://www.eff.org/files/filenode/hersh_v_cohen/hersh-yahoosubpoena-061410.pdf
ReplyDeleteThe Hersh subpoena to Yahoo is going after Rabbi Harry Maryles in Chicago.
Why is this a chillul hashem? The fact that the Hershes are Jewish never appears in the report, no rabbis are quoted, no Jewish justification for the Hersh families actions appears - in short the article is completely silent regarding any Jewish component to the case, and hence I see no case for asserting chillul hashem. Can you explain where you see one?
ReplyDeletetotaly agree with you larry, if you where to meet mr. hersh all you would say is what a kiddush hashem !!! an unbeilevable disgusting picture is being painted about mr. hersh through these unimaginable animals such as the cohens, gluck, wolbe and even rabbi kaminetsky who has never even met mr. hersh or even spoken to him ever in his life.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if the Yahoo action will cause a rift in the Agudah. Rabbi Maryles is a talmid of the Novominsker and always speaks in very glowing terms of him. But the Novominsker is also a Chaim Berliner who is at the beck & call of R' Aron & Frucht.
ReplyDeleteNice job of Lennhoff feeding the Hersh trolls.
ReplyDeleteDon't be ridiculous. Anyone in court will see that both sides of the suit are orthodox Jews and it could become of field day for the secular press.
"Larry Lennhoff said...Why is this a chillul hashem?"
ReplyDeleteRaP: Because any intelligent reader will click on the links in the PC World article, to the news reports and court papers, and read the whole story.
"The fact that the Hershes are Jewish never appears in the report, no rabbis are quoted, no Jewish justification for the Hersh families actions appears - in short the article is completely silent regarding any Jewish component to the case, and hence I see no case for asserting chillul hashem. Can you explain where you see one?"
RaP: Again, just read the PC World story in 21st century style and click on the links that serve as references and background, such as "Riding to the rescue of our privacy and freedom are our heroes -- the EFF where by clicking on "EFF" it transfers to the full story of the EFF's press release: "EFF Urges Court to Block Dragnet Subpoenas Targeting Online Commenters...The subpoenas stem from a state lawsuit filed by New York residents Miriam and Michael Hersh alleging a conspiracy to interfere with their business interests" that mention the Hershes and then also has links to the fuller story with links to the "Motion to quash" and the other EFF summary page at Hersh v. Cohen that then has even more links to almost all the court papers.
The PC World article also states: "This couple who, among other complaints, allege "intentional infliction of emotional distress" are the parents who made headlines in 2008 when news reports were published saying they had their then 16-year-old son, Isaac, taken to a privately owned correctional institution in Jamaica" with the word "headlines" linking to the full article in the NY Daily News: "Jewish family sues Jamaican reform school for troubled teens" with the description and explanation how the incarceration and rescue of Isaac Hersh ripped the Orthodox community apart: "The case has so riled up members of the normally insular Orthodox community that several are taking the rare step of publicizing Isaac's situation. One one side is Isaac's informal Texas foster family, who are also Orthodox, and their supporters, who prompted a nonprofit to file suit in Washington last week on Isaac's behalf. They claim he was lured to Brooklyn with the promise of a job, handcuffed and thrown into a van that took him to the boot camp as he cried and begged to be released, the suit says. On the other side are the teen's father, Michael Hersh - CEO of Brooklyn's huge Orthodox volunteer ambulance service, Hatzalah - and his wife, Miriam. "Hatzalah will carefully monitor these proceedings, taking into account the seriousness of the allegations," the organization said in a statement."
All of that is very much a major chillul Hashem. So people do read articles and do click on links in them to get more information. In any case, even doing something in hiding, or trying to hide an obvious chillul Hashem does not make it any less of a chillul Hashem.