Central United Talmudic Academy (CUTA), a.k.a. Yeshiva Torah ViYirah DeRabbeinu Yoel MeSatmar, in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, on Monday admitted in federal court that it was involved in several overlapping frauds, including a multi-million-dollar scheme to wrongfully obtain funds designated to feed needy schoolchildren, the US Attorney’s office for the Eastern District of New York reported Monday.
CUTA has entered into a three-year deferred prosecution agreement with the government in connection with the criminal information filed in the Eastern District of New York charging the school with conspiring to commit wire fraud. As part of the agreement, the school has agreed to pay $5 million in penalties, on top of more than $3 million in restitution it has already paid.
My favourite defence for these yeshivos is "Well when you look at all the money we inappropriate took and divide it by the number of students, it's only a few dollars per child." Because small amounts of theft are okay!
ReplyDeleteNot teaching a trade = teaching theft
ReplyDeleteSo there are some responses that need to be considered.
ReplyDeleteFirst of all, is overall Chasidic society functional and happy? If so, isn't that enough? One could point out that many, many people in secular society are absolutely miserable as they lead empty lives and pursue meaningless goals that might bring them only temporary, ephmeral happiness. If someone poor is satisfied, happy and feels good about things, isn't he better off than the miserable millionaire who worries day and night and has no satisfaction in anything?
Second of all, sure most Chasidic graduates are functionally illiterate in English. However, the number of Chasidic businessmen and others working in the secular world shows that English isn't that hard a skill to catch up on and that many of the basic skills one needs to survive "out there" can be picked up completely independent of a public school education. What are the odds a Chasidic grad will wind up doing okay after yeshiva ends? What are the odds an inner city school grad will?
Presumably, if they are happy, and better off than the miserable cocaine sniffing millionaire, why do they need to copy his lifestyle, by embezzling millions?
ReplyDeletethe other problem is that what I quoted above is from the Gemara. But when a prediction or statement of the gemar is actually borne out int he real world, and nullifies the Chareidi reform ideology, then it is "no, you can't just bring a gemara; you can's speak against holy peopel , or the gedolim of today; no, today adultery gets you olam haba, it says so in the Gemara. No need to pass go or get executed, you can just shoot your way into olam haba".
The difference is that the RY's and Rebbes don't live in massive mansions and drive e-cars with the millions they've stolen.
ReplyDeleteThe dirty secret today is that every branch of Judaism picks and chooses, from Reform to the NK. It's just whether or not you admit you're just picking what you like (Reform) or claiming that what you're doing is what our ancestors did at Sinai (NK)