Chicago Tribune An inaccurate and misleading version of the Seminary Scandal has just been published by the Chicago Tribune. It seems to have been deliberately leaked by supporters of the CBD to coincide with the release of the Letter of 5 American Gedolim which has been in the works for the last 2 weeks. The CBD has suffered a harsh body blow by this letter which in effect endorses the IBD over the CBD. The article falsely implies that the dispute between the IBD and the CBD is whether Meisels is guilty. It can be expected that the supporters of the CBD will peddle their version to other secular media in attempt to discredit the IBD.
A federal lawsuit alleging that an ultra-Orthodox rabbi who runs seminaries for girls in Israel is a sexual predator offers a rare look into the most traditional branch of Judaism, where a young woman's religious education can prove key to finding a good husband through a matchmaker.
The allegations raised in the lawsuit, filed this month in Chicago, have already been brought before rabbinical courts in Chicago and Israel. The courts —known as beis din — came to contradictory decisions on the accusations against Rabbi Elimelech Meisels.
The lawsuit was filed by parents of girls who want their tuition money back in light of allegations against Meisels. They say in the suit that the rabbi for 10 years recruited young women from Chicago and other cities to his seminaries in Israel "under the guise of educational and spiritual development."
Meisels is accused in the lawsuit of "developing mentor-mentee relationships with girls," taking them on late-night coffee meetings and sexually assaulting them. Meisels, who could not be reached for comment, does not face any criminal charges.
I received the following critical letter from Art Bader - which has been published by the Chicago Tribune as a comment.A few weeks before the suit was filed, a Chicago beis din heard the allegations against Meisels. The body ruled that, based on testimony (including from Meisels) and documents, it believed "students in these seminaries are at risk of harm and does not recommend that prospective students attend these seminaries at this time," according to the lawsuit. [...]According to the Israeli rabbis, "there is no cause for concern" at Meisels' seminaries. In addition, the Israeli court said that "it is absolutely forbidden" for other seminaries to offer Meisels' prospective students the opportunity "to switch to their institutions."
Dear Mr. Grossman,
I just read the above-referenced article and found some astonishing omissions. You note that: “According to the Israeli rabbis, ‘there is no cause for concern’ at Meisels' seminaries. In addition, the Israeli court said that ‘it is absolutely forbidden’ for other seminaries to offer Meisels' prospective students the opportunity ‘to switch to their institutions.’
What you fail to note is that Meisels was removed from any involvement with the seminaries several months ago, and the Israeli Beis Din wrote their ruling after the seminaries were sold to a new owner with no prior relationship to the schools or Meisels.
These facts are available online, extensively discussed on numerous blogs that have been dealing with this for the past many weeks.
Although those providing you with information may have withheld those facts because they have an agenda, I would think it the responsibility of a reporter to look into matters a bit more thoroughly.
Especially in the age of Google, I regret to say that your act of omission is reckless and irresponsible. I call upon you to rectify it immediately.
================This followup clarification was sent to the Tribune by Mr. Bader======Art Bader
I serve on the board of an organization that offers educational scholarships that is subsidizing tuitions for underprivileged girls going to these schools (among others) and my daughter has numerous friends who are going/were intending to go to seminaries impacted by this case.This involvement had brought me to follow the story from the time it first broke with a letter issued by a Chicago Beis Din on July 10. I am also a friend of one of the Rabbis on the Beis Din in Israel, which, as that July 10 letter made clear, was the Rabbinic authority on the case from that point onward.Numerous blogs in the community have been pontificating on the issue, but some facts remain clear, including that
- Meisels had been removed from any direct involvement with educational matters and was barred from entering the schools or interacting with students
- that the Israeli Beis Din NEVER in any way vindicated Meisels [in fact, they never directly addressed any issues involving him at all, because of his removal, it was irrelevant]
- and that – by the time the July 25 letter -- the schools were under completely new ownership and had agreed that the Israeli Beis Din was completely empowered to institute policy and staff changes at the schools as they see fit.
This being the case, some of the assertions made in the article regarding the stand of that Rabbinic Court are blatant lies, while others are misleading and defamatory half-truths.Furthermore, the July 25 ruling from the Israeli Beis Din does not state, as your “reporter” claims, “that ‘it is absolutely forbidden’ for other seminaries to offer Meisels' prospective students the opportunity ‘to switch to their institutions.’”
What it does say (in #4) is that “No other seminary (existing or newly established) may reach out in any way – directly or indirectly – to students who had been accepted...” It essentially forbids predatory recruitment.
I am attaching the July 25 ruling below so you can have an independent translator verify what I wrote here. I am also posting the text on af email sent by one of the schools on July 24. Both of these are available online, by doing a search.
Mr. Grossman essentially wrote a PR piece for those who are suing the schools, defaming a prominent Beis Din in the process. It is shameful that The Tribune has allowed this to remain on your site as-is.
More shameful behavior from Gottesman and the so-called dayanim of the so-called beis din of Chicago.
ReplyDeleteShame on Chicago.
ReplyDeleteIt would be nice if either of us could control whether and when the media covered an issue, and when they chose to publish their stories. But the reality is that it is very hard for the CBD or anyone else to control their timetables. I had very little control. I was interviewed by Mr. Grossman for about 2-3 hours over 2 long sessions and recontacted a few times for other details including the spelling of kollel. Nevertheless to my chagrin I did not merit a mention in the article. c'est la vie of a blogger.
ReplyDeleteEven the reporter, Ron Grossman did not control the timing. According to my email notes, I was first aware he was interviewing people for this story on August 8. Not long after I was interviewed and it was ready for publication by Sunday August 17 but it was a long piece which the editors felt would hold so they were going to squeeze it in on a slower day. As Mr. Grossman explained to me, a colleague of his wrote a great Christmas story one year and it appeared a whole year later.
From your point of view, Rabbi Eidensohn, there was no good time. So why attach a conspiracy theory to the exact timing, especially since the Chicago Tribune was timing their article poorly. By the time it was published, the story was out of date with the letter signed by the five roshei yeshiva.
It is asserted in the letter by Art Bader that Mr. Meisels was out of the seminaries for several months. Can you prove that. The seminaries themselves put out two different letters which contradicted each other by a month about the date that Meisels resigned. But there is no proof either of those dates are accurate. Mr. Bader or Rabbi Eidensohn, can you actually give us the date on which he resigned. Otherwise I don't see why you fault reporter Grossman for not knowing such a fact.
@Yerachmiel Lopin - I am shocked! I understood that the reporter showed very poor regard for accepted reporting standards - but to pump you for 3 hours and then not to mention you is beyond contempt.
ReplyDeleteRegarding your point about the timing being coincidence - it is clear from what you say that CBD supporters initiatived this report and that you were out of the loop. Given that you are simply unaware of the chain of events in this case - I will stand by what I wrote.
Once the CRC ruled others have no authority under halacha to undermine and ignore them.
ReplyDeleteWhat is the point of a beit din if powerful connected people can just go to gedolim who without hearing all sides of a case will just tell people to ignore a din Torah. Not only are they not gedolim they are apikorsim.
The CRC is the only established legitimate Beit Din involved. Torah Judaism requires they be obeyed.
BTW Dina malchuta Dina makes it a felony for schools to refuse to accept students who don't want to go to Meisels schools. Check out anti trust laws
ReplyDeleteAlso non profits cannot be sold. They aren't Meisels property. So it looks like we have tax fraud here too.
A lot of Rabbis will be going to federal prison before this is done
@Michael - the issue of seling nonprofits has been discussed numerous times. Technically it is a transfer with sale of assets. there is no tax fraud and so your assertion about going to prison is not true
ReplyDeletemichael - you obviously came into this recently. Your assertions about rabbinic authority in this case
ReplyDeleteThe CBD asked the IBD to be involved. The CBD has no authority over the Israeli seminaries. The seminaries signed a shtar to work with the IBD
In short you are "poskening" without being familiar with the facts or halacha
Does anyone know if any girl was able to successfully enroll in another seminary? If so, which seminaries? How many girls?
ReplyDeleteWhat happened with Gottesman/Bloom's new enterprise/seminary? Were they able to cash in off of this unfortunate situation? Did the Chicago Tribune article help them?
ReplyDeleteyerachmiel lopin is the epitome of the issue bloggers: does not post in
ReplyDeletehis own name. neither do I of course. I learned that anonymity allows
you to write anything you wish--- just as you do. Frankly I am astonished and your virulence and downright nastiness. Being against abuse is wonderful and admirable. Trashing Rabbanim right and left is not.
You (or Mr. Bader) writes:
ReplyDeleteFurthermore, the July 25 ruling from the Israeli Beis Din does not state, as your “reporter” claims, “that ‘it is absolutely forbidden’ for other seminaries to offer Meisels' prospective students the opportunity ‘to switch to their institutions.’”
What it does say (in #4) is that “No other seminary (existing or newly established) may reach out in any way – directly or indirectly – to students who had been accepted...”
I think that the reporter got it right. He did not write that the other seminaries may not accept the girls, but that they may not "offer the opportunity." "Offering" implies an active role on the part of the schools, which is assur according to the IBD ruling.
What was the teviah in regards to the safety of the seminaries? In other words, why is this a psak in regard to anyone whose rav is not on the IBD or the CBD?
ReplyDeleteA quick question about the intergity of the reporter (who is supposed to be objective): Why did he interview Lopin and not Rabbi Eidenson? Perhaps this wasn't such ethical reporting after all....which is exactly the point.
ReplyDeleteIt should be noted that virtually all the other seminaries are refusing to accept girls enrolled in these four seminaries. They are advising the parents the four are fine seminaries and besides they are all full.
ReplyDelete90+% of the parents will be sending their daughters in a couple of weeks to these seminaries. The enemies of the Gedolim lost their war against the seminaries.
@Avraham - not responding to your questions does not mean that I think your points are correct.
ReplyDeleteDoes Petco offer you the opportunity to purchase pet fish? Yes.
ReplyDeleteDoes Walmart offer you the opportunity to purchase one of their many items for sale? Yes.
New definitions notwithstanding, a honest report would make clear that other seminaries may offer the girls an education. If this reporter is opting to use a different understanding of the word offer, then he should make that very clear in his article.
1) The seminaries are in Israel not in America so American law doesn't even apply to them.
ReplyDelete2) Even had they been in America the anti-trust laws are completely irrelevant. Your understanding, if that's what it can be called, of the laws is entirely flawed.
3) Your hatred of rabbis and desire to see them punished will go unfulfilled.
Typically a media outlet will not mention an anonymous coward hiding behind a fake name of someone else that is not his.
ReplyDeletePlease ask the Chicago Tribune to release the video they have no of Bill Clinton on September 10th, 2001 (ironically the evening before 9 11) saying Bin Laden is not a threat to the US.
ReplyDeleteThe Chicago Tribune video ed the speech, and refuses to release it.
They play politics all the time, here too.
[do not post this] I think your sarcasm was lost on your intended audience...
ReplyDeleteThe Windy City at its best!
ReplyDelete"It should be noted that virtually all the other seminaries are refusing to accept girls enrolled in these four seminaries"
ReplyDeleteI thought they weren't allowed to do predatory recruiting, but that there was no problem with accepting other girls. I feel awful for these girls and their families since they are being forced into deciding between attending a seminary whose record on issues of sexual abuse is still an open question for many, or not attending seminary at all.
From Fuerst and Gotesman, no one would expect better. But Cohen I would have thought has enough respect for the gedolim not to do this shameful thing. Evidently not. He's jumped the shark with his rishus, and now he's going for the long ride.
ReplyDelete"Anything to make Jews, especially Orthodox, look like bad people they'll give top reporting to."
ReplyDeleteAnd yet the so-called dayanim of the so-called beis din of Chicago have no problem joining with them.
Not that Chicago was ever acting as a beis din in any way. They may call themselves a beis din, but in halachah they have no such standing.
ReplyDeleteHe was fed everything by the Gottesman and the so-called dayanim of Chicago. They pointed him where they wanted him to go. It's not exactly news that Gottesman has a conduit to FF.
ReplyDeleteAdding "613" to your name does not ameliorate your evil-mindedness. Most likely it's intended to represent the 613 commandments you have violated.
ReplyDeletePatco and Walmart also actively seek out purchasers for their products. I think the phrase is vague enough to allow for the reading that the reporter was referring only to the seminaries taking an active role. One could disagree.
ReplyDeleteI think that you misplaced this comment as I have not posted on this thread. I would appreciate a response to my posting on the thread dealing with your debate with frum follies as that question is central to this matter.
ReplyDelete" I understood that the reporter showed very poor regard for accepted
ReplyDeletereporting standards - but to pump you for 3 hours and then not to
mention you is beyond contempt."
Why would he mention Lopin? How could he even be sure he was speaking to Lopin? For all the reporter knows, "Lopin" is Gottesman or a member of the CBD. He would have to be a fool to quote him.