Monsey mother loses custody battle after leaving Hasidic community

Rockland County Times   A Monsey woman who left her Satmar Hasidic Jewish community was dealt a blow Wednesday of last week, when the New York Appellate Division ruled in favor of her husband in a legal battle over custody of their three children.

The court ruled in favor of father Guillermo “Moshe” Gribeluk over mother Kelly Myzner, in spite of Myzner’s accusations that Gribeluk had sexually abused the children and the children’s stated desire to be with their mother. 

According to the Appellate ruling, religion was not the deciding factor in the decision. Myzner had contested to the court that Judge Sherri Eisenpress of Rockland Family Court had based her initial custody decision on a preference to maintain the children’s religious identity, for stability sake.

“Here, contrary to the mother’s contentions, the Family Court did not rely solely on religion and the mother’s decision to leave the Hasidic Jewish community in making the determination to award the father custody of the parties’ children,” The decision read.

The ruling in the Appellate Divison effectively affirmed a 2012 decision made by Judge Eisenpress, who concluded that though both the mother and her children wanted to stay together, taking the children from the community in which they were raised would be detrimental to their well-being.

 “The Family Court expressly stated that it passed no judgment on either parent’s religious beliefs and practices,” The Appellate Divison ruling said. “The children’s need for stability and the potential impact of uprooting them from the only lifestyle which they have known are important factors in making a custody determination.” [...]

Civil & Criminal Liability for those who protect child abusers by Shlomo Singer

   Abuse Liablity by Shlomo Singer

A satire about Yerachmiel Lopin of the blog Frum Follies – “Who was that masked man?”

[Of course you shouldn't take seriously anything I say here because I don’t mean anything I write here. Besides Yerachmiel is a good sport and I am suffering from a slow news day.]

Many years ago in the infamous social jungle of Williamsburg Brooklyn – home to many criminals and perverts as well as chassidic rebbes - a baby was born without anybody realizing his awesome significance for Mankind. There were no omens from heaven – such as a violent hurricane - nor were there any indications on earth – such as a rebbe forgetting to ask for a gift for a bracha. Of course this concealment of the earthshaking significance of the event was totally necessary and appropriate because of what we now know regarding the man we know as Yerachmiel Lopin.

As is true of the 36 righteous tzadikim – this baby was a true nistar. He seemed average in every way to his family, friends and teachers. What separated him from the others was his tremendous desire to be somebody. He wanted to have vast power and be recognized for his influence on the course of human events. 

Unfortunately his understanding of morality and right and wrong had been frozen at the level of a 6 year old. He has always viewed everything in black and white terms because he could not understand nuance or the interaction of complex moral factors. This was the result of a singular event that occurred when he was walking with his father in Williamsburg one summer evening. They stepped off the curb in the middle of the block to cross the street. He heard an incredible cry of “gevald from one of the biggest tzadikim in Williamsburg. Yerachmiel was totally shaken to his inner core and suffered post traumatic syndrome from that abusive shout. He and his father jumped back on to the sidewalk where they were sternly lectured about the incredible evil which is released into the world by even seemingly minor crimes such as J-walking. He never recovered from that experience and as a direct result - never advanced to the cognitive and moral understanding of an adult.

As he grew up two major factors dominated his life – 1) he lost interest in Yiddishkeit while retaining a nostalgia for it 2) He developed a great desire to be looked up to and to influence the world. The desire with being a great and important man was unfortunately combined with a fear of being criticized and being hurt. How could he possibly influence the world while remaining vulnerable to be hurt and criticized?

The answer came to him one day when he was secretly watching Superman on his neighbor’s television.  He realized he needed a secret identity like Superman so he adopted a false identity “Yerachmiel Lopin”. Then while he was watching Perry Mason the next day, he learned that if he was careful with his vocabulary he was safe from lawsuits. He learned that one should always say “This is just a satire”, “It is alleged”, “some people claim” , "if  despite strong evidence to the contrary X happened" or “it can be inferred that”. He also learned that one should always hide behind authorities by citing them or attributing his understanding to an authority - even though these authorities never said what he claimed. Thus, “it says in Shulchan Aruch” or “Mary Murphy 18 time Emmy winner alleged” [a really good expression because it combined “alleged” with “an authority”. Finally he discovered - that in America – most of what is published on a blog is safe from lawsuits and that became the medium for communicating with the world. He was now almost invincible.

Besides having a childlike black and white view of morality, he had trouble empathizing and understanding people who disagreed with him. After all Truth is Truth. Besides he didn’t have a good opinion of anybody who disagreed because after all since his opinion was right – the other side was obviously wrong. It was also important to his black and white self-image – to largely avoid acknowledging he had made a mistake. Besides a good offense is the best defense. 

The only think lacking in his grandiose, messianic vision was that he didn’t have a cause. He – as an avid admirer of Don Quixote - desperately needed a cause. At least some windmills to fight. He tried on various causes, being good to the environment, all men are brothers, feminism and even for a while became a baal teshuva. However nothing gave him the needed charge of self-righteous and galvanized his hidden powers until he discovered the cause of “Child Abuse and the great Orthodox Cover-up.”

The rest is history as he became one of the most famous and influential accusers and allegers of child abuse. He needed very little evidence to accuse someone. It helped if the person had at least one accuser who was reported the allegations to the police or to a newspaper. Once he had an allegation, his super powers of imagination and prose were activated and he just poured out an incredibly creative tale – usually with very little substance – to nail that “bastard.” He started a blog “frum follies” which provided him with additional protection against lawsuit and having to deal with facts. Of course he also pointed out that he was using satire – so he could make words mean anything he wanted.

Finally we can understand his Oedipal complex. Ultimately this crusade against abuse and his secret identity using the magic words of “it is alleged” or “Mary Murphy says” - enabled him to bash the rabbis that he despised and against whom he wanted vengeance for making him feel inadequate. Every rabbi he made squirm, declared to be a hypocrite or phony – or better yet insulted – gave him a tremendous feeling of power that he craved. Of course he hid behind the cover of a crusader for the victims and his concern for the absolute truth. But since this is satire – we know the truth.

Schlesinger Twins: Community President Oskar Deutsch's failure to help Beth

 Update, added Mr Deutsch's response to Ev Meyer's criticism and Beth Alexander's response to Mr. Deutsch letter.

Heute  A 10 head delegation under the leadership of Community President Oskar Deutsch visited Israel on Tuesday; "We are showing the people that they are not alone." Wounded soldiers were wholeheartedly thanked.

It is not my intention to name and shame people, especially not my own fellow Jews but when I saw this article in yesterday´s Austrian press, I felt so outraged at the hypocrisy of it, I felt compelled to voice my deep hurt and offence.

While the soldiers in Israel deserve all our thanks and praise and it is indeed noble of the Viennese Jewish community to fly a delegation out there, I would like to share my personal experiences of the ´compassionate´ President.

I went to see Mr Oskar Deutsch together with the Vice President, Ariel Muzicant. I was in a pretty desperate state and begged them to help my children who continue to suffer every day they are denied their mother in their lives.

I appealed to them as fathers, and Mr Muzicant as a father and grandfather to understand the daily loss from our lives and tried to communicate to them just a fraction of the grief we live with every day of our lives. I pleaded with them to step in and try to resolve the terrible crisis that has played out in their community the past 4 years and try to halt the terrible chillul hashem that has spread all over the world as a result.

Both men seemed sympathetic, Mr Deutsch even more so and while he insisted they could not interfere in the judicial process or change court decisions, they could certainly try to make the visiting arrangements better and 'more Jewish,' they assured me. Mr Deutsch promised to set up a meeting with Mr Schlesinger and at least try to make him keep to my visits and stop cancelling so frequently on a whim. He also said he would certainly try to do something so that I would no longer need to pay an exorbitant cost just to see my boys.

Mr. Deutsch also said he would find me a good lawyer. He suggested the name of one that had already repeatedly rejected my case and one who would bankrupt my family. He didn´t know her personally and wasn´t offering any kind of personal connection - something that´s taken extremely seriously here. Giving me the telephone number of a lawyer he didn´t know personally and whom he could not help me finance was not really the help I was looking for.

After several weeks when I hadn´t heard from Mr Deutsch, I called him up to see what he had done. He dismissively told me he hadn´t managed to set up a meeting with Mr Schlesinger and neither would he be able to do so. When I asked why not, he simply said, ´Mr Schlesinger refuses to come, there´s nothing more I can do´

When I asked him about the cost of my visits, he stingingly said, ´What´s 50 Euro?! You pay your lawyers more than that!´ I didn´t hear anything from him since then. It feels like the community have simply abandoned us.

Mr Deutsch, you may be kind and generous to children of Israelis far away but can I remind you once again about the suffering children crying out for help in your own community, on your own doorstep? You are fully aware of our pain and suffering. Please don´t keep your back turned on us. The whole world has heard about the plight of the Schlesinger twins, Samuel and Benjamin. Please find it in your heart to spare a thought for us too. Perhaps you can bring some of the kindness and compassion that you demonstrated so publicly in Israel home with you to Vienna. You don´t only have to be Jewish in Israel. In fact, here in the diaspora it is those Jewish values we need all the more.


 Ev Meyer wrote the following to Mr. Oskar Deutch

PLEASE TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE COMMENTS THAT PEOPLE IN THE WORLD COMMUNITY HAVE WRITTEN ABOUT YOU. I WOULD APPRECIATE A RESPONSE AS TO YOUR LACK OF INVOLVEMENT IN THIS CASE OTHERWISE I WILL CONTINUE TO SPREAD THIS INFORMATION ON THE INTERNET. THESE COMMENTS WERE COPY AND PASTED FROM DAAS TORAH WEBSITE WITHOUT THE PERMISSION OF THE CREATOR OF THE SITE.

KIND REGARDS
EV MEYER

concerned Australian well connected Jew

Mr. Deutsch's response to Ev Meyer

Dear All,

I have spoken many times to both . Unfortunately not achieving the desired results. A claim I would not care is simply wrong.

Best Regards
Oskar Deutsch

 Beth Alexander responder to Mr. Deutsch's letter

Dear Mr Deutsch,

Please don't add salt to our wound. To claim you have 'spoken many times to me' is pure fiction and extremely insulting. Enough untruths have been spread around the Jewish community by Mr Schlesinger and his family without more being added by the people that are supposed to be 'neutral mediators.'

Your response to my supporter is extremely disappointing to say the least. Here we have such a caring, compassionate Jew on the other side of the world who doesn't even know me, taking the trouble to contact you about members of your own community because she truly cares and you cannot even form a truthful response, never mind turn to help?

This only confirms everything people around the world are hearing and seeing about the IKG - you have let us down unforgivably.

When will you begin to care? I just hope your own children and grandchildren will never have to suffer like we have in your midst. You remain blind and deaf to our pain.

Beth Alexander  

Former principal of girls' school in Melbourne arrested in Israel on sex assault charges

The Australian    THE former principal of a Melbourne Jewish girls’ school who fled Australia in 2008 after being accused of sexual assault has been arrested in Israel and is facing extradition. 

 

The federal Attorney-General’s Department has confirmed Malka Leifer was taken into custody in Israel after an extradition request from Australian authorities.

The mother of eight left Australia six years ago after she was sacked as principal of the ultra-orthodox Adass Israel School Elsternwick following allegations of improper conduct with students between 2001 — 2008.

A spokesman for the Attorney-General’s Department said Ms Leifer was wanted to face prosecution in Victoria for alleged sexual assault offences.

Lessons about happiness & spiritual satisfaction learned from spaghetti sauce - Malcolm Gladwell

הרב שיק: לא לטייח מקרי התעללות בילדים, לפנות למשטרה

Kikar HaShabbbat

הרב אליעזר שלמה יהודה שיק, המכונה "הצדיק מיבניאל" קורא להתלונן במשטרה על תוקפי ילדים ולא לטייח את המקרים. בכך, מצטרף הרב שיק לרבנים נוספים שקראו בשנים האחרונות לפנות לגורמים המוסמכים ולהתלונן על מקרי התעללות במגזר החרדי.

בשאלה שפורסמה באתר האינטרנט של הרב שיק, סופר על קייטנה במהלכה פגע לכאורה נער קטין בילד - בנוכחות אמו של הנער. לדברי אמו של הילד, ששמעה על המקרה, היא ניסתה לברר עמו מה אירע, אולם החליטה לעצור זאת כי ראתה שבנה "נכנס ללחץ", כלשונה.

Discrimination against Chareidim in the workplace by Allan Katz

Here is a short summary of   an   article from The Marker '   dealing with Discrimination against Chareidim in the workplace' and then my response.

My initial reaction to the title of the article describing the difficulty a graduate of the sought after elite Hi- Tec 8200 unit of the Intelligence Corps  to find work because of his Hasidic dress and appearance, was that a man with a chasidishe style dress, uncut beard, pe'yos etc would be at a big disadvantage as people normally don't like to be with people different to the themselves. But the people who complained about discriminationin the article  - just because they are chareidim -  were modern chareidi, no beard or suit, and who had went to the army – and this surprised me. Chareidi women have another obstacle in their path. They are asked when they intend to fall pregnant again. Although the % employment rate for women in Israel is 66.3% and for Chareidi women a close 61.2% we must keep in mind that often they are the sole breadwinners. Other obstacles in the path of Chareidim is the lack of training and qualifications, English and Maths, the degrees or non-academic diplomas  from the Chareidi colleges are not so competitive, and in the case of men they expect higher salaries because they enter the market at an older age and with a big family to support. The Ministry of Economic Affairs has a program to help absorb more Chareidim in the work force by opening employment centers, providing professional development and training, and offering incentives to employers to take on Chareidi workers. The spokeswoman said that employees were afraid of employing Chareidim because of their perceptions of demands for separation between the sexes and kosher food. She was hopeful in the long run as Chareidim become more open to working in a secular environment and employees reap the benefits of serious and dedicated Chareidi workers.[...]

The problem imho is the message conveyed by the politicians – both chareidi and secular. The chareidim would prefer not to work but remain in learning and live on hand outs and not integrate into Israeli life by going to the army etc. . . . So a private employer would ask himself – why support a community that discourages its men to go out to work or make a contribution to the country by going to the army. I think it was before the last elections that a friend of mine - studying in a Kollel and doing hours of she'rut le'umi with the intention of studying dentistry asked a  ' Gimmel ' - Agudah politician the following question. Why they did not join others defending the existing rights that 'she'rut leumi' offered to those who wish to study and enter the workforce.  The politician gave various excuses but when pushed, he said that Agudah cannot be seen to be encouraging young men to leave Kollel and go out into the workplace. The same negative attitude is to employment and parnassa is also expressed in the context of education. A kollel for young men who wanted to work and learn seriously in a Kollel framework was forced to close down.  A school offering kids to graduate in one year and do other courses afterward together with a learning program was severely criticized in the name of ' pure haskafos'.  It seems that issues of poverty have no place in ' hashkofos'.It seems that nothing has changed in the 60 years since Rav Dessler passed away? Rav Dessler had the view and belief ...... that  Yeshivah students should be encouraged to pursue full time learning and be denied the chance to get an academic qualification. Only in this way, could Yeshivas produce a large student body,  needed to  produce  Talmidei Chachamim and Ge'dolei  Yisrael. The negative impact on the lives of those not suitable for full time learning was a worthwhile sacrifice for this goal.The issue now is whether the system would not be better served by altering the single focus to one that allows a multiple tier educational system. [...]

Seminary Scandal: Joe McCarthy also had a list he wouldn't reveal

The present seminary scandal reminds me of the Joe McCarthy's hunt for communists. As shown below he insisted he had the name of those who had infiltrated sensitive government agencies - but he refused to share the information. I well remember the fear of communists as well as the reliance on rumors or associations - which caused a reign of terror in American in the 1950's. The fear of doing anything which would cause people to make accusations of communism caused people to avoid friends or family members and to allow the bullying of many in the name of patriotism. The rejection of the rule of law, of the right to fair trial, the presumption of innocence until proven guilty - did much damage to the fabric of American society. 

I sense a similar fear in air, there are suspicions everywhere, there are anonymous documents taken for fact, there are rabble rousers who are making accusations based on inferences, erroneous deductions and lies. The guilty need to be found - but the paranoia which has developed and the readiness to assume guilt without any meaningful evidence or the normal rules of a fair trial has to be stopped.

If anyone has evidence of abuse or even suspicions of abuse - they need to contact either the Israel Beis Din or the police. It is not acceptable to simply make comments on blogs - either anonymously or by name. It is not intelligent to make drastic change in plans of seminary or shidduchim or even friendship based on wild rumours. We have means of establishing the truth and protecting the vulnerable - but it needs to be done in a mature, lawful manner to protect the innocent and correctly label the guilty.

Reform Judaism's dilemma - Serve Jewish community or the help the world?

NY Times    Leafy, affluent Park Slope, Brooklyn, embodies the challenge facing modern American Jewry: Though many Jews live there, few are observant. So it was no small feat when Rabbi Andy Bachman took the helm of Congregation Beth Elohim in the neighborhood eight years ago and began attracting a vibrant congregation of Jewish atheists and agnostics, as well as the more traditionally religious.

Drawn by big-name book talks, family-oriented religious classes and the rabbi’s teaching that to be Jewish is to do good in the world, membership in the Reform synagogue doubled to more than a thousand families. It drew young literati like Jonathan Safran Foer and catapulted to national attention as a model for what might bring some of the nation’s millions of Jews who are unaffiliated with synagogues back to the fold.

Recently, however, Rabbi Bachman shocked many in his congregation and in Jewish circles by announcing that he was stepping down from the pulpit and out of Jewish leadership to help New York’s poorest, regardless of their religion. [...]

His decision was deeply personal, but also touched on vexing questions at the center of Judaism’s future in this country as modern Jews — the secular, the unaffiliated, the questioning — grapple with what it means to be Jewish and what role a synagogue should play in that identity. Nationally, synagogue affiliation is falling as American Jews increasingly decide they do not need to live out their Jewishness in a religious context.

Seminary Scandal: CBD's "spokesman" Frum Follies attacks the IBD as not being a real beis din

The war of words in the Seminary Scandal has now reached a new low.  The great blogger, newsleaker and defender of the CBD and R Gottesman - Yerachmiel Lopin - has published his "psak" - that this is not a truly a dispute between two beis dins but between a real beis din and a mere bunch of 3 corrupt Israeli rabbis! 

Wow is this a gross and disgusting misrepresentation of the halachic status of the Israeli beis din as well as a deliberate slur against great talmidei chachomim who are recognized as having greater competence and integrity than the CBD. He apparently is just trying to distract from the ugly fact of the CBD's bizarre refusal to cooperate with a beis din that they themselves selected to deal with the scandal. Lopin - who has never manifested an expertise in halacha or even concern for observing it - now presents himself as a rabbinic authority in order to denigrate the opponents of the CBD.

Lopin fails to mention in his screed that the CBD sent one of their dayanim Rav Zev Cohen together with askan R Gottesman (from Torah U'Mesorah and the CBD) together with Rav Aharon Feldman to initiate this beis din for the express purpose of dealing with the Scandal. There is a detailed Shtar Berurin which I have published - that was witnessed by the above  -which authorized the IBD to deal with the matter. 

Were the purported great experts of the CBD unaware of the "facts" that Lopin is claiming when they arranged for the transfer of the case - if so they can't be considered experts. If they were aware that they were giving the case to "a corrupt group of rabbis" - then they were clearly derelict in their duty. Either the CBD was remiss in giving the case to the IBD or Lopin is seriously misrepresenting the facts. The reality is that the CBD was clearly aware of the integrity and competence of the IBD and Lopin's description is false.

Lopin has consistently misrepresented facts - such as claiming that the IBD prohibits students from transferring to another seminary when the IBD only prohibited predatory recruiting. He also has consistently falsely claimed that the sale to Yaakov Yarmish was a sham because Yarmish is a good friend of Meisels. The fact is that the first time they had real contact was only a month ago as a result of the scandal. The sale is real. Rav Aharon Feldman (who has been closely associated with both beis dins) has verified that fact.

Lopin slanders the Israeli Beis Din - whose members are recognized world wide as being superior to the dayanim of the CBD - as being focused solely on lying in order to protect the money investment in the seminaries and that they have no concern for the victims. Lopin stoops to ad hominem attacks because he has no real justification for the CBD's betrayal. The CBD has not only betrayed their commitment to the IBD - but in their supposed compassion for the seminary girls they have prevented resolution of the matter. This stalemate is creating a slander against all the girls who have attended or are attending these seminaries. Where is their compassion? Where is their concern for the victims.

His disgusting slander concludes with this "gem":

The 3IRs are not a Beis din. They are a business protection scam. Israel has its share of convicted politicians including an orthodox ex-president convicted of rape. Chicago has had more than its share of crooked politicians and gangsters. But it also has its  untouchables. I applaud Chicago for standing its ground and not acquiescing to the shenanigans of the 3 Israeli Rabbis.

Lopin - have you no shame?

Rav Gedalia Schwart Nefesh Chicago 2011

Punishment or Teshuvah- Repentance by Allan Katz

Guest Post by Allan Katz: 

In one of the discussions on the DT blog about using extrinsic motivators like punishment , I was challenged  with the pasuk  וידעת עם לבבך כי כאשר ייסר איש את בנו יהוה אלהיך מיסרך

I said I would respond at a different time. The pasuk  Devarim 8:5  is in this week's parasha, so here is my response

Click to read full post

 =======================

Against 'punishing kids , doesn't the Torah - Devarim 8:5 say -You should know in your heart that just as a father will chastise his son, so Hashem-Your God, chastises you

וידעת עם לבבך כי כאשר ייסר איש את בנו יהוה אלהיך מיסרך

Rabbi Shimson R. Hirsch notes that the word מוסר - mussar =moral teaching has nothing to do with punishment or chastisement which focuses on making a kid suffer for past mistakes. It is about kids internalizing the education and guidance they receive from their fathers. Does God actually punish us or is it more about how we make meaning of what happens to us? Man has the freedom of choice to interpret and explain his misfortune. It could be simply the way of the world, bad luck or misfortune, (reward or) punishment for past behavior or God communicating to him to change his ways and do Te'shuvah. The Talmud-Kidushin 20, tells of a man who sins by doing business with fruit from the Sabbatical year -fruit that is deemed ownerless and free to be taken by all. There is a consequence for this sin - he has to sell his movable property , if he does not change – he has to sell his fields, then his home , his daughter , and if he has not yet changed, he will have to sell himself to an idolater. Rabbi Chaim Shmulevitz asks – why did he not learn the first time or the second time? People find it so difficult to say they did wrong and change, especially when people are struggling and taking knocks, since they tend to feel sorry for themselves.

One might ask that when parents or teachers punish kids, the lesson and message is clear and it is in the interests of the child to change to avoid the punishment. We may think we are teaching him a lesson, but he is still free to make meaning of what is happening to him.Usually , he learns something completely different - you are unfair.[...]

Seminary Scandal: A parent explains why he is sending his daughter to Chedvas

I have verified that this is from a parent who is sending his daughter to Chedvas. I welcome addtional comments by parents of either girls in the 4 seminaries or are planning on attending. Additionally from parents who have taken their daughters out or who have changed their minds about sending them.

Guest Post by neveyacyack •

Why we continue to support our decision to send our daughter to Chedvas.

We are Americans living in Israel, and have been for the past 17 years. Our daughter went to Charedi schools, up to and through 12th grade of a Bais Yaacov. She is an outstanding student and could have gone anywhere. She chose to go to Chedvas, as did some of her friends because:

- She knows many girls who went there in the past several years, and they all said the same thing: the staff is outstanding, each person is treated as an individual, the school places a strong emphasis on the American approach to Ahavas Yisroel and they deal with and answer all questions of hashkafa that thinking Americans have.

We have followed this blog and many others.

We have spoken to Rabbaim at Chedvas, and other schools.

We conferred with heads of other seminaries here who we know.

We have conferred with principals of American high schools for girls.

And, we had a rather long talk with Y. Yarmush.

We found him to be totally open and frank.

They are putting into place all the logical recommendations:

supervision of all staff, from top to bottom. Safeguards of all sorts. Procedures that would prevent any abuse or anything close to abuse.

Meisels has not been in Chedvas for at least 2 or 3 years. No matter who runs it, or owns it, we are positive that he will not be there.

There have been no verified complaints from Chedvas about any sexual advances by any staff people.

Chedvas remains full, and they do not anticipate any problem meeting its financial obligations.

If anything, the school will be stronger this year.

So, following our hearts, our heads, and the advice of several senior outstanding mechanchim, we will continue to support our decision to send our daughter to Chedvas

Rivky Stein & Yoel Weiss: Judge ruled in January that Rivky has been making false claims of abuse against Yoel

   Judge rules that Rivky has been abusing the judicial process

Seminary Scandal: Why R Harry Maryles is wrong in objecting to my criticism of the Chicago Beis Din

Rabbi Eidensohn, 

I am one of your biggest fans, But I am disappointed at your negative spin about the Chicago Beis Din. Just because you are close friends with a member of the IBD does not give you license to smear the Chashuva Rabbonim in Chicago who for 3 months worked diligently to determine what the facts were.

Why did they remain silent until they referred the matter to the IBD? Maybe because they wanted to get all of the facts and testimony before accusing anybody of anything. I really don't understand why you have to smear these fine Rabbonim Chashuvim with headlines that include hot button words like 'cover-up'.

If you want to use that word, try using it on the educators in Meisel's seminaries that chose to coverup what he did... and the IBD who seems not to care about that in Kashering these seminaries so quickly.

Harry Maryles

=======================================

The above letters is from one of the few people I consider a good example of yashrus and commonsense. But his letter demonstrates that yashrus and commonsense are not enough when there is misplaced loyalty and respect for talmidei chachom - because they are talmidei chachomim.  

One of the basic facts that we all need to know is if sexual abuse, or corruption is to be dealt with properly - is that when a wonderful  rabbis or laymen are accused of major crimes the defense is always - "but he is such a good person, he is such a big talmid chachom,  he has such good midos -  it is not possible that he can do what he is accused of."  The most important lesson that needs to be learned is that character references or mastery of Torah literature - is not proof that a someone could not have committed the transgression. The actual facts need to be examined - even for nice people.

Reb Harry claims that I am putting a negative spin about the Chicago Beis Din. That is false - I am not twisting the facts - I am accurately describing the  negative things that they actually have done. 

He also objects to my saying that when they concealed from publication the fact of Meisels serious misbehavior for at least 2 months - that they were covering up the abuse. In a long talk with the rosh yeshiva of Ner Yisroel - Rav Yaakov Weinberg - I learned a critical lesson that I hope I will never forget. The lesson is that words have meaning. While that seems obvious - it is often forgotten when dealing with things that are precious to us. We especially tend to twist the meaning of words in order to make things sound frum or to defend frumkeit.

If I had said that some priests in the Church had concealed the presence of  a pedophile and had concealed that there were other priests who were complicit by their silence - Reb Harry would be the first to scream - coverup - and he would be right. But when it comes to his heroes. The people he looks up to - he has a different standard. Words have a different meaning if they sound critical about nice people, about saintly people  about respected talmidei chachomim. He doesn't allow the world coverup to be used about these people - and in this he is clearly wrong. You will note his last paragraph  -  that I can only use the word coverup about people he doesn't respect!

The Chazon Ish says one can say negative things  only about big and influential people. That is because people need to be able to guard against the weakness in people they respect or influence them. For someone you don't pay attention to - there is typically no justification or benefit from saying bad things about them.

Seminary Scandal: "The Letter Never Written" by David Morris

The following letter is published with the kind permission of David Morris - someone who really cares and has accomplished much - and with  whom I agree with more than I disagree. The views don't necessarily represent my views - but I think they are an important basis of discussion. [there were reports of infection by malware of the letter that I took from David Morris' blog - I think I have succeed in removing it but please let me know if I haven't]

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The Meisels Seminaries - The Letter Never Written

THIS LETTER WAS NOT WRITTEN NOR SENT OUT BY PNIMIM, BINAS BAIS YAKOV, CHEDVAS BAIS YAAKOV OR KESER CHAYA SEMINARIES

However, if it had been, I believe this situation would be far better today, than it is.

See previous postings here on Tzedek-Tzedek, Frum Follies (in the CBD corner), Daat Torah (in the IBD corner) and other fine blogs.

This is a suggested model for such situations in the future.

You are invited to suggest improvements either on-line or by email to me offline-  David Morris

I believe that such a letter would have promoted safety and responsibility, in a way which would have given the parents the confidence they need and are entitled to that these Seminaries will be safer for their daughters in the future, than they were in the past.

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Date of Letter: [Within One Week of the Seminaries becoming aware of the Chicago Beit Din’s investigation and findings].

To our staff, students and parents,

We are writing to you in the most regretful circumstances in a timely fashion in order to put you all in the picture, in the interests of the safety of our students, and transparency and accountability before the parents.

We have just been informed by the special Chicago Beis Din (CBD) that the founder and proprietor of our seminaries, Rabbi Elimelech Meisels, has been investigated by the CBD, further to complaints the Beis Din received from pupils of the seminaries. These complaints concerned serious allegations of unwanted sexual contact by Rabbi Meisels.

As a result of the investigation, the CBD has made this announcement:

We first wish to share our deepest regret sincere grief should any of our staff have participated, wittingly or unwittingly, directly or indirectly in any abuse. We feel the pain of the alleged victims and we feel proud that these girls have had the courage to step forward in order to protect others girls.

We reach out and strongly encourage others who have endured any kind of abuse, or were witnesses to the same, during their time at our seminaries, to take this step also.

As a result of this CBD announcement, we have immediately taken the following steps:

1. Regretfully, we have discovered that there is and never has been a Seminary Protocol Concerning Abuse Prevention & Reporting in any of our seminaries. We have therefore referred this important matter of omission to Such & Such Organization, which is an independent non-profit agency and they will establish these protocols in all our seminaries. The S and SO will be acting under The Committee (see below). Deadline for implementation: 15th August, 2014.

2. In the absence of this protocol, we have formed an independent expert committee (“the Committee”) consisting of Rabbi X, Social Worker Y, and Lawyer Z.

This committee has been vetted by both the CBD, the Israeli Beit Din (IBD) referred to in the CBD’s declaration and Such & Such Organization; they have concluded that the individuals and collectively the Committee is of the highest professional and ethical reputation and can be relied upon to be independent and to protect the safety & confidentiality of anyone who refers to them.

The committee’s contact details are: XXXX

In light of the Committee’s immediate advice and instruction:

 3. Rabbi Meisels has been requested by the Committee and has committed to take immediate leave of absence and will only return to a role in the seminaries in future in the event that he is entirely vindicated of wrong-doing. Rabbi Meisels has agreed to have no further contact, immediately and until further notice, with anyone associated with the seminaries, including governors, staff, pupils and parents. (For administrative purposes Rabbi Meisels will communicate via the IBD).

 4. Any other member of staff who is suspected of participation, collusion or turning a blind eye to abusive behaviour will be placed on immediate leave, pending conclusion of the investigation.

5. The Committee has contacted the Israeli police to brief them, with a view to the police investigating and addressing any aspects of this case which are or could be criminal by nature. We strongly encourage anyone with information which may be helpful to this police inquiry to contact: Detective Plonit (who is a female investigator,experienced with crimes of this nature) contact details XXXXX. If you are in doubt as to whether the information you possess is significant in this context, you may contact The Committee for their expert confidential advice and counsel. 6. Regarding issues of finance (dinei mamon/civil) in Israel, the IBD has graciously made themselves available to accept and judge claims either presented jointly or separately; the IBD will be operating officially as Arbitrators. The IBD has given assurances that they are impartial and will deliver their judgments, according to halacha and which will also be legally binding upon the parties, and in a timely fashion. IBD contact details: 7. Regarding issues of financial damages (dinei mamon) in the USA, the above is true for the CBD. CBD contact details. These are the steps which have been taken in immediate response to to the declaration of the CBD. Enrollment for Next Academic Year: Moving forward, our objective is to ascertain that the schools will be safe, beyond all doubt, for you (our pupils) and your daughters in the coming academic year, commencing 1st September 2014.

We understand that you have legitimate concerns about whether your daughters should attend our seminaries in the coming year, and we will make every effort to address these concerns in our ongoing communications.

You are invited to discuss these concerns with the Committee by email or by phone (Committee contact details and hours of availability)

We fully understand if you chose to find alternative educational institutions for your daughters for next year, as is your right, and we will be entirely helpful in this regard.

If you wish to apply for a refund of your deposits, please contact the CBD (for those who paid the Pnimim USA non-profit) or IBD (for those who paid Israeli Amuta). An application form for refunds is available on the website:... The Batei Din have indicated a response time of approximately two weeks to respond to your request. You may may submit applications until 15th August for your deposit to be returned.

Summary: These are the allocation of responsibilities.

a. The Committee - professional issues relating to the alleged abuse

b. Israeli Beit Din (IBD) - financial issues (dinei mamon) in Israel

c. Special Chicago Beit Din (CBD) - financial issues (dinei mamon) in the USA

d. The Police (Israel) - criminal issues in Israel

e. The Minhalim - implementation

We are making every effort in these extraordinary and regretful circumstances to prioritize the uncompromised safety of our students, particularly for the coming academic year and ongoing, and we would appreciate your expression of confidence by continuing the enrollment process for 2014/15.

We will report our next steps on a scheduled bi-weekly basis. (In the case we have further urgent information to relay, we will contact you whenever required).

Once again, we express our deepest pain and sincere support for any student who may have suffered inappropriate behaviour while a student in our seminaries.

Signed:

Four Principals
Representative of CBD
Representative of IBD
Representative of The Committee.

Rivky Stein & Yoel Weis: A catalogue of Rivky's problematic legal attacks on Yoel - Court Document

   Weiss Stein Opposition_to_Omnibus_Motion-1 Final (51) 

Seminary Scandal: Why has the Chicago Beis Din reneged on its promises to the Israeli Beis Din?

This scandal actually contains a second scandal. The first scandal is that of Meisels and his betrayal of trust of his students and his fall from being a highly respected educator to being someone who is despised and held in contempt. But there is a second scandal which is also very disturbing. That involves the fact that the Chicago Beis Din has gone from being an active partner with the Israeli Beis Din to being a major opponent.

Contrary to popular mistaken belief - which is nurtured by the Chicago Beis Din and its supporters - the antagonism to the Israeli Beis Din and the non cooperation is not based on a difference in concern about victims. The view as presented by Frum Follies from leaked documents as well as the many negative comments made against the Israeli Beis Din is that only the Chicago Beis Din cares about the victims of abuse and thus it is important to either close the seminaries or have a wholesale house cleaing of staff. The claim made - directly or indirectly - is that the Israeli Beis Din cares only about the jobs of the staff and the preserving of the seminaries and therefore wants to cover up and defend Meisels.This is clearly illustrated by the false claim Frum Follies made that the Israeli Beis Din had prohibited girls to go to other seminaries or for the other seminaries to accept them click here for the post

Yesterday I conducted a two hour interview with the new owner - Yaakov Yarmish. I was impressed by how this successful businessman was fully aware of and fully attentive to the issues involved concerning the well being of the students. He is fully aware of the seminary culture which we discussed as well as the dangers inherent in male teachers with female students. He also has strong connections with gedolim and askanim. 

In short he is not a figure head brought in to save the seminaries at all cost. He was originally supposed to buy the seminaries together with his friend Tzvi Bloom (the friend of R Gottesman). Contrary to what the CBD and the lawsuit have asserted - it was no sham sale and was witnessed not only by the Israeli government but also was supervised by Rav Aharon Feldman. He also clearly stated that he was not a friend of Meisels and that the first signifcant contact he had with was only after the scandal broke.

He spoke of his frustration about trying to communicate with the Chicago Beis Din and in particular with R Gottesman - who didn't return his 50 calls in which he was careful to leave a message after each one. R Gottesman has been presented by the CBD as a key player in the relationship between the IBD and the CBD.

This is just the beginning of an expose of the sordid - clearly documented - details which will be presented in the near future. The IBD is not the villain and the CBD is not the hero.

Seminary Scandal: Clarifying Rav Aharon Feldman's role

 update: Includes rebuttal by a knowledgeble anonymous source
update: additional comment from Rav Feldman

The following letter is published with permission to clarify the role of Rav Aharon Feldman.

I received your letter. Without going into discussions over issues which are no longer relevant, I would like to correct the following misconception which you seem to have:

Although I signed on the shtar beyrurin as the official to’en, I was never appointed by anyone to represent him nor did I ever intend to supply you with substantiation of any claims for the simple reason that I did not have this information. My role in this affair was merely to serve as a liason between the Chicago Beis Din and Torah Umesorah who asked me to do this. I even asked Rav Shafran, the Rosh Bes Din, before the hearing of his Beis Din to be excused because I had no information to add and the first question I would be asked would be, “Who appointed you as a toen?” But Rav Shafran asked me to come nevertheless. Out of respect for his request I came and sat for a while. 

When the first question of the counsel for defendant was exactly as I had predicted, Rav Shafran’s reply was that the counsel was correct but that we did not need a to’en since the defendant had already confessed to the charges and the trial was dealing with the damages the defendant was liable to and the culpability of the principals. When I asked permission from Rav Shafran to leave after I sat and listened to the testimony of two people, Rav Shafran—nor anyone else—did not ask me to stay to supply any evidence because everyone knew and I had made it clear that I had none. Especially there was no purpose for me to stay since Rav Shafran had conceded that I was not an empowered to’en.

I hope I have corrected your misconception.

With berachos for success In all your endeavors,

Aharon Feldman

If you desire to reply, which is unnecessary, please do not do so by e-mail but my ordinary mail or fax..
 update

THE FOLLOWING IS FURTHER CLARIFICATION FROM RAV AHARON FELDMAN SHLIT'A

Thank you for forwarding the letter. It appears from the letter that I have a say in matters which takes place in the schools, such as firing staff members, an assumption which has no basis in fact. I would appreciate informing your correspondents and whoever is involved that I have nothing to do with the schools, or with the din torah, except for the fact that I signed on the shtar berurin as a pro forma plaintiff.

Aharon Feldman

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A knowledgeable party responded:

There seems to be a misconception whether or not there was a misconception.

One party was left out of the "liason loop" mentioned in Rav Aharon Shlita's letter. The IBD, after R'Aharon Shlita signed the shtar beerurin.

Indeed, it was never thought that he personally had any knowledge of any evidence. But as the "liaison" with Chicago (as he states) he was asked repeatedly, by the IBD, and this is well-documented, to ask Chicago for the evidence ,as we would be shortly starting to deal with the matter. Rav Aharon received letters from the IBD asking him to come to these sessions,as the appointed apotropos. and to bring what they needed to deal with any culpability on the part of the hanhalot. (Gottesman received these requests as well)

Who ever suggested that Rav Aharon Shlita was there as a to'en????? (besides the to'en who was there)

Rav Aharon Shlita is signed on the shtar as the appointed apotropos for girls who had a tevi'ah.What technical legal standing this has is a fair question (which should be asked of Chicago,who "appointed" him") But the fact remains that he acted as such .And he received the IBD letters, read them, saw the requests that in his role as the liaison to Chicago (and as the signee on the shtar beerurin)he should get from Chicago any "evidence" ; and he indeed came, sans any evidence.

Rav Aharon's letter unfortunately does not address any questions of why Chicago did not see fit to give the IBD this information in any event; nor his reaction to the two infamous e-mails sent to the IBD by Gottesman, to which the IBD responded to Chicago how it was a complete contradiction to what Chicago did in Eretz Yisrael after flying here.

Seminary Scandal: Frum Follies seriously misrepresents Rav Feurst's letter

On Augst 8, 2014 Frum Follies posted a letter from Rav Shmuel Fuerst of the Chicago Beis Din in a post entitled

Chicago Letter Counters Israel: Students can Drop Meisels Seminaries and Others Can Accept Them

In the letter Rav Feurst writes:

By this letter, I certify that according to Jewish law (al pi halacha)

1. any student currently enrolled in any of the following seminaries, Pninim, Binas Bais Yaakov, Chedvas Bais Yaakov or Keser Chaya, is free to attend any seminary they wish, and

2. any seminary is free to accept any student they wish including students who withdraw from the aforementioned seminaries.

Yerachmiel Lopin states:

Rabbi Feurst explicitly rejects the ruling (and thus, the authority) of the Israeli Beis Din (IBD) of Rabbis Shafran, Malinowitz and Gartner which forbade students from switching and other seminaries from recruiting or accepting them.

Rav Malinowitz of the Israeli Beis Din said bluntly that this understanding of Lopin is sheker. He said the Israeli Beis Din never prohibited students from switching or another school accepting them. Furthermore Rav Malinowtiz noted that nowhere in the letter does Rav Feurst state that this statements is going against the psak of the Israel Beis Din.

It is obvious that all Rav Feuerst is doing is issuing a clarification not a psak. I assume if he was issuing a ruling contradicting the Israeli Beis Din - the entire Chicago Beis Din would have signed. In short, Yerachmiel Lopin is claiming that there is a serious halachic dispute of whether the seminaries "own" the students or not. There is no such dispute!

Rivky Stein & Yoel Weiss: The big lie that 2 of the 3 original judges appeared.

update: Listen to Rabbi Lichter's testimony at end of post -link fixed

Rivky Stein's Facebook page acknowledges - that despite Yoel's demand that the original 3 dayanim that claimed he was in cherem and had to give a get - that all three did not appear. But her claim is that 2 of the judges did show. 

That is a lie - and I challenge them to produce evidence that it is true. Furthermore the beis din does not exist. There is no such thing as the Mill Basin Beis Din and nobody has every heard of the beis din or the 3 dayanim who are listed on the cherem and seruv.

 Rivky's Facebook Page

 Enough of the lies!

Yoel publicly summoned Rivky to the Beit Din, inviting even the press. He stated that he would show up today at 12pm to issue Rivky an unconditional Get. Yoel was informed that Rivky would be there. He was aware of the correct address. The Beit Din went into action and made all necessary arrangements to make sure that the Sofer, Eidim and Dayanim were present. Two of the three dayanim (Rabbi Goodman and Rabbi Abales ) were present while Rabbi Taub is sitting Shiva for his mother in Israel and therefore could not come. A different Dayan from the same Beit Din was there in his place.

Yoel would know all of this, but Yoel never showed up. He lied!

Stop spreading his lies for him. Demand that Rivky be allowed her freedom!

Rabbi Lichter - the sofer who did show up - is well known and in fact writes most of the gittin in New York. However he never heard of this Mill Basin beis din or the 3 dayanim who signed the cherem before. So even if batlonim were recruited  as a beis din - they have no competence as a beis din and surely they are incompetent to deal with gittin. The incompetence of the beis din is clear from the fact that the documents they supposedly wrote violate halacha as I have previously posted.

As a consequence of Yoel refusing to show up - when the beis din he demanded for 3 weeks prior to the event were not present - Rivky and her supporters have called Yoel a liar. The  reporter for the New York Daily News Reuven Blau - who views himself as knowledgable about Jewish law - argued with Yoel that there is no need for the original 3 to show up can be heard in the recording in a previous post. This shows that the reporter is clearly biased since  he involved himself in the matter and even tried forcing Yoel by threatening to reveal Yoel's noncompliance if he didn't give the get!

What is clear to all - except for Rivky and her supporters - is that Yoel's primary focus in the meeting was to show that the Beis Din did not exist and that it is a fraud that Rivky and her supporters perpetrated. As Rav Moshe Feinstein and others state - normally a get is given after all issues are settled. In this case all issues have not been settled and Yoel simply wanted to show the that beis din was a fraud.

For Rivky to come with another beis din or to come with part of the original beis din - did not fulfill Yoel's conditions. In addition to not coming with the original beis din - she lied. She was fully aware that she was lying when she said that 2 of the 3 original dayanim showed up.

To demonstrate that Rivky is lying, I have a recording of the sofer Rabbi Lichter - shown below with Rivky - that verifies my claims that not even 2 of the orignal beis din showed up. 
Rabbi Lichter's testimony about the 10 of Av meeting

Seminary Scandal The Fantastical RICO by Rav M. Tzadok

I've been torn on how I want to address this subject, simply because the subject matter is so complex, and there are so many facts that I simply do not know at this time, such as whether the sexual acts were consensual or not. However, I think that we can safely say that consensual or not Meisel's actions were deplorable. His actions have shamed himself and the entire Torah world. For that he most definitely should be held accountable. He committed and awful Chilul HaShem and and perhaps even permanently destroyed the connection of these young women with Judaism, the very inverse of the reason that they came to the Israel to learn in the first place.

One cannot say that the RICO claim is not without certain merits. Surely concerned parents, especially those who hold the Chicago Beit Din as their Rabbanim, should be allowed to withdraw their daughters from the seminary without financial penalty. Their concerns are not without merit and they are simply following the direction of their Rabbanim, something that should be honored by Orthodox Jewish institutions. That the parents have not been able to regain their deposits is a profound shame and a black mark upon Judaism.

However, two wrongs do not make a right. The Shulhan Arukh writes regarding those that go to secular court for their monetary disputes, "It is forbidden to go to judgement before non-Jewish judges and their courts, even if they rule like the laws of Israel, and even if both parties want to bring their case before them it is forbidden, and every one who comes to judgement before them is a rasha , a blasphemer, and has raised his hand against the Torah and Moshe Rabbeinu A"H." While the halakha does give certain exceptions to this, it is clear at this point that none prerequisites for those have been met in order to bring a lawsuit of this magnitude.

Further RICO suit constitutes at its essence an essential motzei shem ra. RICO requires that there was a criminal enterprise meaning that, the defendants either actively and knowingly with criminal intent took part in illegal activities or conspired to do so. While Meisels may have intentionally used the seminaries under his control to gain wealth and feed his own sexual appetites, I boggles the mind that other individuals, much less that Israeli Beit DIn, conspired with him to both feed his sexual appetites as well as defraud these young women, or their parents of their money.

Paragraphs 23 through 73 alleged that these seminaries were not in fact seminaries, but rather used Jewish education as a front for human sex trafficking. Further that once this came to light an Israeli Beit Din, which according to the 1953 Law Regarding Jurisdiction of Rabbinical Courts, has the same status and same legal responsibilities as a non Rabbinic Court in Israel, joined the conspiracy to commit fraud and human sex trafficking. There really is no substantive difference between accusing any secular court of engaging in fraud, racketeering and human sex trafficking, and blaming an Israeli Beit Din of the same.

Not only is this RICO claim written like bad fiction, it is simply bad fiction. Before guilt can be determined in US law three aspects of a crime must be firmly established, motive, means and opportunity. Certainly all three can be seen with Meisels himself. However, what motive did the teachers, the staff, and the Israeli Beit DIn have? Further since this is a RICO case, there also has to be shown actual criminal intent. What we are being asked to believe is that such a large group of people, knowingly and willingly worked to solely benefit a single individual both monetarily and lustfully, while pretending to go through the motions of running a sham Seminary, where the girls were not taught Torah but groomed for their night with Meisels. The absurdity of it simply baffles the mind. I have to wonder if they didn't pick their lawyer from a late night infomercial.

They are asking us to believe that the entire staff of four seminaries, and a legal organ of the State of Israel, knowingly and willingly perpetuated a fraud for a number of years simply for the financial gain and sexual gratification of a single individual. They claim that all of these folks are deviants and evildoers to such an extent that they would do such a thing. Why? Because they want their deposit back so that they can send their daughters to a different seminary!!!

Certainly, as the Beis Yaakov system has its own managers and overseers that monitor what goes on in any school that bears their name in Israel they too are going to be dragged into this. So the women and Rabbanim of the B"Y system then also have to have been knowingly and willfully perpetuating this scheme of fraud and human sex trafficking, while risking a nation wide institution that they have spent their professional lives painstakingly building. Again I have to ask where is the motive?

This RICO case is start to finish an antisemite's dream come true. It belongs more on the pages of Stormfront then it does in the halls of Justice in the United States. There simply is no way that so many individuals and institutions and be so horribly maligned as this necessitates without Judaism as a whole being tarred and feathered. Yes there is a things such as spiritual abuse, it happens, it is horrible, and it needs to be dealt with. Abraham Lincoln once wrote in a latter to Albert G. Hodges, "By general law life and limb must be protected; yet often a limb must be amputated to save a life, but a life is never wisely given to save a limb." I must ask, is the money, however hard earned, however carefully saved, so important that reputable institutions, some of which that have been at the forefront of the fight against child sexual abuse(which this case is not, by the way. An 18yr old woman is either a consenting adult or the victim of a rape), should be destroyed in order that it might be regained?

These allegations smack of the flights of fancy that paraded themselves around as legitimate lawsuits and criminal complaints in the 1980's, when Satanic Ritual Abuse was taking place in a daycare near you. It was not until a full decade after that damage had been done that the public awoke as if from a dream and was horrified at the destruction of lives, and institutions it had allowed. There the blood thirst for the guilty, allowed even otherwise rational prosecutors, one of whom would eventually become the 78th Attorney General of the United States, to overlook the crucial necessity of a motive in determining guilt. We cannot allow that to happen here.

We can only hope that the plaintiffs will rethink their current course of action and rectify the horrible mistake that they are now making. While their various grievances may be justified, their course of action is not.

--

הרב מיכאל צדוק אלכהן

Rivky Stein & Yoel Weiss: 12 Questions for Rivky Stein and her "Beit Din Zedek of Marine Park & Mill Basin"

Guest post by RaP

1) Now that you confirmed and came together on August 6 at the "E72nd" Street address in Brooklyn, why didn't the "beit din" papers you sent to Yoel Weiss state that address clearly on all the documents it sent him in the first place, and if it was a mistake, why didn't they issue a clarification?

2) If the "E72nd" Street address was always the "right address" why was the non-existent address at "E77nd" Street continuously and deliberately typed on all the original documents that were sent to Yoel Weiss by the "beit din" and why did you keep on repeating the wrong (alternate) deceptive address at "E77nd" all the way through, even as the meet-up date on August 6 approached?

3) Why did you choose the address of a Chabad house at "E72nd" Street as the "official address" of your "beit din" if no Chabad rabbis were involved? Or were they? How was a group of strangers coming for a "get" ceremony let in to the premises if as that Chabad alleges it did not know of any "beit din" -- can you explain this entire perplexing "arrangement"?

4) Were ALL the original three "rabbis" -- Chaim Taub, David Binyamin Abales, Yehoshua Goodman --on the documents you sent Yoel Weiss present on August 6 at "E72nd" Street? If yes, which ones were there, and if not, why not? Can anyone confirm this reliably and can someone please confirm the backgrounds and credentials (yeshivas where they learned, type of semicha they hold etc) of these supposed "rabbis'?

5) Why couldn't Yoel Weiss reach any of the original three "rabbis" for months after he had received the documents with his name on it, nor could he reach any of them on the day they supposedly gathered August 6, why was that?

6) You claimed one of the original rabbis was "sitting shiva in Israel" who was he and why couldn't you provide a phone number to reach him?

7) Who were the other "rabbis" that you assembled as "alternates" for the "beit din" at "E72nd" Street on August 6 and can this be confirmed by anyone reliable?

8) Why did the pro-Aguna ORA organization eventually publicly deny any connections with you and your "beit din"?

9) Why did The Jewish Press a pro-Aguna paper abruptly withdraw its endorsement of your "beit din" without further explanation?

10) Why did you permit a reporter from the New York Daily News (Blau) to become involved in negotiating on your behalf on August 6? Did you or the "beit din" authorize him to do this? Who (rabbis or poskim, besides your mysterious "beit din") has approved your use of the media as a tool to attack Yoel Weiss?

11) The name "Uziel (Uzi) Frankel" keeps on being mentioned in relation to you and the "beit din" who is he and what role does he play in all of this?

12) Do any rabbis in the neighborhoods of Marine Park and Mill Basin, or does any reliable genuine bais din or poskim or gedolim approve of and use or even know about the "Beit Din Zedek of Marine Park & Mill Basin"? If not why not?