Post regarding annulment of geirus was removed at request of Writer

The recent post about annulment of geirus has been removed at the request of the writer. Baruch Hashem the issue has been fully resolved after discussion with a number of rabbis who explained to him that a valid conversion can not be annulled and that the cases in Israel that were annulled involved questionable conversions. The writer fully accepted that reality and will continue living as a fully committed and observant Jew. The issue of marriage has also been completely resolved according to the halacha. He should be zocheh to find his zivug soon. On the other hand, he mentioned that he was very upset that his sincere and innocent request for information should elicit so many harsh and negative comments about him and his motivation. [no critical comments will be accepted for this present post nor any regarding the original letter].

I hope to post a comment about the harsh and uncalled for attacks against Elliot Pasik that appeared amongst the comments to the deleted post. The assumption that anyone who has a critical comment or observation is anti-orthodox is unfortunately a reality. It brings to mind the Maharal's statement that only a weak religion is afraid of questions. It is doubly problematic when Elliot Pasik has spent much time and effort to improve the life and safety of the Orthodox community.

Weprin Clarifies His Position on Marriage

5 Towns Jewish Times

In the upcoming election for Anthony Weiner’s seat in the 9th Congressional District, Jewish voters are faced with a dilemma.  Both candidates are excellent choices both for Israel and for the New York City Jewish community, in general.  Mr. David Weprin has been particularly helpful in the past to orthodox institutions. However, there is some alarm that is spreading throughout the community in terms of his past support of specific legislation that undermines Torah values.

Two staff members of the Five Town Jewish Times spoke out these issues with Mr. Weprin directly on Sunday morning.  The editorial staff members, which included Mr. Larry Gordon, determined that Mr. Weprin viewed his statements as merely in the realm of supporting a civil rights issue.  He stated his belief that, in his view, “the status of state marriage is not viewed as a halachic marriage and is, therefore, not substantively different than a civil union.”

He further stated that “Chas veShalom - he would never do anything that would undermine the Torah’s values or halacha. This legislation is strictly a civil rights issue – nothing more, and nothing less.” [....]

Imam Calls For Release Of Shalit

5 Towns Jewish Times Rabbi Yair Hoffman

We are here with Imam Abdullah Antepli, the Muslim chaplain of Duke University. He is one of the American Islamic leaders who recently wrote a letter to Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal asking him in the name of Islam to release Gilad Shalit. He did so with Rep. Keith Ellison (D-MN) and a group of “high-profile U.S. Muslims.” Gilad Shalit has been held captive since 2006.

Y.H.: Imam, many Americans were very proud of you for writing and signing the letter to the leader of Hamas regarding Gilad Shalit. Did you have any hesitations about doing so—say, because of possible repercussions from radical Islamists? [...]

Black Congressman: Tea Party would like Black Americans hanging on a tree

N.J. mandated reporting of bullying: Every conflict is bullying

NYTimes

 Under a new state law in New Jersey, lunch-line bullies in the East Hanover schools can be reported to the police by their classmates this fall through anonymous tips to the Crimestoppers hot line.

   In Elizabeth, children, including kindergartners, will spend six class periods learning, among other things, the difference between telling and tattling.

And at North Hunterdon High School, students will be told that there is no such thing as an innocent bystander when it comes to bullying: if they see it, they have a responsibility to try to stop it.

But while many parents and educators welcome the efforts to curb bullying both on campus and online, some superintendents and school board members across New Jersey say the new law, which takes effect Sept. 1, reaches much too far, and complain that they have been given no additional resources to meet its mandates.

The law, known as the Anti-Bullying Bill of Rights, is considered the toughest legislation against bullying in the nation. Propelled by public outcry over the suicide of a Rutgers University freshman, Tyler Clementi, nearly a year ago, it demands that all public schools adopt comprehensive antibullying policies (there are 18 pages of “required components”), increase staff training and adhere to tight deadlines for reporting episodes.     

Rav Zilberstein: Only rabbis can decide about child abuse

Rav Yitzchok Zilberstein (click link for recording) spoke at the Jerusalem Conference on child abuse and pikuach nefesh - primarily about issues of doctors and pikuach nefesh. There is a brief segment of several minutes - starting at about 34 minutes into the recording - in which he responds to a question about reporting child abuse to the police. He responds very harshly regarding psychologists (despite the fact that he was speaking to an audience of frum mental health workers. He said only rabbis can decide these issues. He mentions the case of a frum yid who is serving 15 years in jail because what he claims are false charges brought against him by a child which a psychologist validated with drawings. He claims that the rabbonim know 100% that the man is innocent while the police were totally dependent on the fantasies of the psychologist. Bottom line he insists only rabbis know what to do with charges of child abuse.

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Yitzchok Zilberstein (Hebrew: יצחק זילברשטיין‎, also spelled Silberstein) (born 1934) is a prominent Orthodox rabbi, posek (Jewish legal authority)[1] and expert in medical ethics.[2] He is the av beis din of the Ramat Elchanan neighborhood of Bnei Brak, the Rosh Kollel of Kollel Bais David in Holon,[3] and the Rav of Mayanei Hayeshua Hospital in Bnei Brak.[4] His opinion is frequently sought and quoted on all matters of halakha for the Israeli Lithuanian yeshiva community.

He married Aliza Shoshana Eliashiv (1936–1999),^[5] a daughter of Rabbi Yosef Shalom Eliashiv and granddaughter of Rabbi Aryeh Levin. She assumed the financial burden for running their household and encouraged him to continue studying Torah.^[5] They began their married life in Bnei Brak, where Rabbi Zilberstein studied in the kollel attached to his alma mater and received another rabbinic ordination by the leading posek of Bnei Brak, Rabbi Shmuel Wosner. Subsequently, Zilberstein moved his family to Switzerland, where he served as a rosh mesivta and maggid shiur in the Yeshiva of Lucerne^[5] for several years (From Wikipedia)

Rav Weiner: Calling Police for abuse cases Jerusalem Conference 2011

Rav Yaakov Weiner  is Dean of the Jerusalem Center for Research: Medicine and Halacha.
(Click on link to hear streaming audio player)

He received his rabbinical training at three distinguished educational institutions: Yeshivat Harav Chaim Berlin in New York, the Chevron Yeshiva in Jerusalem and Mosad Harav Kook in Jerusalem, where he was granted rabbinical authority to judge all halachic matters from HaGaon, Harav Bezalel Zolty (z"l), former Chief Rabbi of Jerusalem.

Rav Weiner served as a pulpit rabbi at a Young Israel congregation in Jerusalem and was a Rosh Yeshiva in Dvar Yerushalayim. He was also Rosh Kollel in Beit Shemesh and Rosh Kollel of the Institute of Science and Halacha. 

 He divides his time between actively pursuing the Center's goals in Israel, and lecturing around the world on a wide variety of topics in science, technology and Jewish bioethics.

He also serves as a scholar in residence in Jewish communities in North and South America and in Europe, and has delivered papers at professional medical conferences both in Israel and abroad.

 Rav Weiner is the author of two books: Ben Yechabed Av (1975) and Ye Shall Surely Heal (1995). He is currently writing the second volume of Ye Shall Surely Heal.

As a tribute to one of the patriarchs of the Weiner family, we have dedicated an obituary page to Mr. Harry Weiner, of blessed memory.

Rav Weiner can be e-mailed directly at y.weiner@j-c-r.org

Teacher strongly criticized for criticizing gay marriage

Time

Jerry Buell is back in the classroom, as he should be. Or, perhaps, shouldn't be. Buell, 54, a devout Baptist, family man and veteran teacher of American history at public Mount Dora High School in central Florida, might as well be the faculty heavy in an episode of Glee: this summer, he set off a national First Amendment fracas by announcing on Facebook that gay marriage is a "cesspool" that makes him vomit and mocks God. Buell's employer, the Lake County School District, removed him from the classroom last week for the first three days of the new school year, pending an investigation of the Facebook comments, then reinstated him on Aug. 25 presumably because it realized his speech in this case was protected. But though he prevailed, his rant may backfire socially by helping to plant homophobia more firmly alongside racism and sexism on the nation's roster of hate speech.

By most accounts, Buell is a good teacher — Mount Dora's 2010–11 teacher of the year, in fact. But while watching a report last month on New York State's recent legalization of gay marriage, he posted a diatribe on his personal Facebook page: "I almost threw up ... Now they showed two guys kissing. If they want to call it a union, go ahead. But don't insult a man and woman's marriage by throwing it in the same cesspool... God will not be mocked. When did this sin become acceptable?"

Lake County Schools found Buell's remarks unacceptable. It launched an investigation into whether he violated the district's ethics code and compromised students' safe and unprejudiced learning environment — and whether as a public schoolteacher he breached separation of church and state by, among other things, writing on his class syllabi, "I teach God's truth. If you believe you may have a problem with that, get your schedule changed, 'cause I ain't changing!" (Buell's lawyer, Harry Mihet of the Orlando-based Liberty Counsel, denies any church-state violation: "It's teaching God's truth," he says, "that the earth is round or that 2 + 2 = 4.")

Mandated reporting:In 18 states everyone is a mandated reporter

Child Welfare Information Gateway

Professionals Required to Report

Approximately 48 States, the District of Columbia, American Samoa, Guam, the Northern Mariana Islands, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands designate professions whose members are mandated by law to report child maltreatment.¹ Individuals designated as mandatory reporters typically have frequent contact with children. Such individuals may include:

• Social workers
• Teachers and other school personnel
• Physicians and other health-care workers
• Mental health professionals
• Child care providers
• Medical examiners or coroners
• Law enforcement officers

Some other professions frequently mandated across the States include commercial film or photograph processors (in 11 States, Guam, and Puerto Rico), substance abuse counselors (in 14 States), and probation or parole officers (in 17 States).² Seven States and the District of Columbia include domestic violence workers on the list of mandated reporters, while seven States and the District of Columbia include animal control or humane officers.³ Court-appointed special advocates are mandatory reporters in nine States.⁴ Members of the clergy now are required to report in 26 States.⁵

Reporting by Other Persons

In approximately 18 States and Puerto Rico, any person who suspects child abuse or neglect is required to report. Of these 18 States, 16 States and Puerto Rico specify certain professionals who must report but also require all persons to report suspected abuse or neglect, regardless of profession.⁶ New Jersey and Wyoming require all persons to report without specifying any professions. In all other States, territories, and the District of Columbia, any person is permitted to report. These voluntary reporters of abuse are often referred to as "permissive reporters."

Shut HaRid: Truth is more important than authority

Shut HaRid(#62): "Whatever does not make sense to me – then even if Yehoshua ben Nun said I would not agree [Chullin 124a]. And I don’t stop myself from expressing what appears correct to me according to my limited intellect. Thus I do what it says in Tehilim (119:46), I speak regarding Your words even against kings and I am not ashamed…. Because even when it appears to me that I have successfully refuted the words of the early authorities – G‑d forbid for me to be so arrogant to say that it is because of my superior wisdom (Koheles 2:9). Rather the reason that I can argue with the early authorities is because of the rationale provided by philosophers. I heard that a group of philosophers asked the greatest amongst them, “We acknowledge that the early scholars were wiser and more intelligent than us. But at the same time we acknowledge that we argue with their ideas and refute them in many issues and in fact our criticisms of them are correct. How could that be?” He replied to them, “Who can see farther – a midget or a giant? It is obviously a giant because his eyes are much higher than a midget. However if a midget stands on the shoulder of a giant – who can see farther? Obviously it is the midget because his eyes are now higher than the eyes of the giant. So it is with us. We are midgets riding on the shoulders of giants because we know that it is their wisdom that elevates us. Therefore our wisdom is based on their wisdom.” Thus what we say is not because we are greater than them. We can comment regarding the early scholars in a situation where we see that they disagree with each other – one permitting and the other prohibiting. So which authority should we rely on? … We cannot simply say that one is greater and therefore the words of the others are refuted. Rather we must analyze all their words because they are the words of the living G‑d. We need to debate and investigate their words to see which way the law seems to be going. That in fact is what the sages of the Mishna and Talmud did. We see the later Talmudic scholars did not refrain from disagreeing with the early scholars and to decide amongst what the early sages disagreed with each other as well as to contradict their words. We find that the Amoraim would refute a Mishna and say that it was not the halacha. The fact is the wisdom transcends the individual sage and there is no sage who is free from error. Only G‑d is free of error.

Hurricane 2011 - Close call in Lawrence NY

Paving the Way for Condoning Child Rape

Fox News by Dr. Keith Ablow

There were those who scoffed at my contention that Abercrombie and Fitch, the edgy retailer, was paving the way for mainstream pedophilia when it began marketing breast enhancing bikinis to girls as young as eight. 

There were those who railed against my contention that the French edition of Vogue was kindling pedophilia and embracing it with its racy depictions of 10-year-old Thylane Lena-Rose Loubry-Blondeau in heavy makeup, a plunging neckline and stiletto heels. 

There were others who suggested that I had a problem with breastfeeding, in general, when I took issue with The Breast Milk Baby, which encourages little girls to wear a vest that has flowers in place of larger nipples and nurse the doll.

But, now, there should be no doubt that our culture is poised to begin embracing pedophilia as a lifestyle choice, just like homosexuality. A group of psychiatrists and other mental health professionals called B4U-Act, which has representatives from Harvard and Johns Hopkins, gathered recently in Baltimore to organize their push to change the negative perception of pedophiles and encourage them to get help in a nonjudgmental environment. [....]