Eternal Jewish Family - R' Tropper's blog

Below is evidence that R' Tropper's has totally lost contact with reality. He falsely asserts that HaRav Moshe Sternbuch and the Bedatz did not criticize him on halachic grounds. He falsely asserts that their motivation is solely to support R' Nosson Slifkin . This despite the fact that Rav Sternbuch has published his opinion that the views of R' Slikin are heresy - even though he acknowledges that R' Slikin not a heretic. Anybody with even a minimal contact of reality know R' Tropper's statements are not innocent errors but are lies and slander. The attempt to divert attention from R' Tropper's very questionable halachic position by claiming that it is all a conspiracy to defend R' Slifkin - is a sad commentary on the state of this man. Furthermore if he is claiming that I am a secret defender of R' Slifkin and have succeeded in convincing the Bedatz to attack R' Tropper - that is even more bizarre than the first. I am not a supporter of R' Slifkin's views and I have absolutely no control over the views of the Bedatz . I do agree with the Bedatz that R' Tropper's halachic grounds are very questionable. This is RaP's summary of sources from the Bedatz

RaP: Can you point to the alleged "irrationality" you IMAGINE? Is the owner of this blog Rabbi Dr. Eidensohn "irrational", who posted I, II and and many other posts like this and who posts his and others' comments after serious review of each comment and who opposes the EJF effort and Rabbi Tropper's methods? Is Rav Moshe Shternbuch "irrational" for opposing efforts, see "Rav Moshe Sternbuch - Authorized Translation" and "Rav Moshe Sternbuch - Kiruv for non-Jews and "Bedatz Letter regarding EJF signed by Gaavad" like those of Rabbi Tropper and the EJF? Is the entire BADATZ of the powerful Eidah HaChareidis "irrational" (are Horav Meir Brandsorfer, Horav Moshe Sternbuch, Horav Naftoli Frenkal, Horav Avrohom Yitzchok Ulman, Horav Yakov Mendel Yorovitch, Horav Yehoushua Rosenberg ALL "irrational" too for signing it?) see "Bedatz letter regarding conversion" and of taking the extreme measure of openly, see "Bedatz letter regarding conversion" and rebuking and warning dayanim and batei din all over the world who were Recipients of its official warning letters and giving Publicicty to it, authorising its dissemination online through this very blog by Rabbi Dr. Eidensohn. It has been Rabbi Dr. Eidensohn who has asked for written Halachik clarifications from Rabbi Tropper and EJF and none has been forthcoming, so take it up with him if you think he and others being "irrational" for asking for a written reason al pi din and for his efforts EJF tried to smear him, see "EJF smear campaign"

=========================================== Rabbi Tropper's Blog [previous response to a blog criticism] Questions and Answers About Eternal Jewish Family With Rabbi Leib Tropper Question: What is the focus of Eternal Jewish Family’s Work?

Answer: We wish to protect those who want to Have an authentic conversion which will never be questioned, by informing them of the proper Batei Din that Can Facilitate that kind of conversion.

Question: There are some Blogs that have all kinds of claims against Eternal Jewish Family, particularly one blog that is controlled by a Religious man. Have you any response to those claims? Answer:

We do not Look at blogs hence no reason to Respond. There is one Particular Rabbi who we never met but heard that he has a blog that Speaks against EJF. I know of the Rabbi and communicated with him about 2-3 times.

It became apparrent to us that the Rabbi’s attacks had little to do with the laws of Yoreh Deah siman 248-9 which discuss the laws of conversion. It has to do with a group of people that are furious over my voiced opposition to R’ Nosson Slifkin ’s book which was banned by the Gedolei Torah.

This we discovered through many sources despite the camouflage. These people are Devout Followers of Rabbi Slifkin who have made it their campaign to attack those who opposed R’ Nosson Slifkin’s views. There is much more to say about this topic. For now, be sure that the Rabbi’s hatred for Eternal Jewish Family is rooted in the above… NOTHING to do with the Laws of Geirus.

This Rabbi, who authored a book as well, IS and WAS a STRONG supporter of R’ Nosson Slifkin despite the declaration of opposition From Gedolei Yisroel and despite the signed opposition of his own Rav, shlita. Considering all the above it becomes Clear why his manufactured claims are irrelevant. I Travel the world and Gedolei Yisroel all over are supportive of the objectives of EJF. People from all walks of life have sent us letters of encouragement and applauded Mr. Kaplan’s strength in taking on this challenge. Mr. Kaplan is not a Major supporter of Kol Yaakov. His Focus is on Eternal Jewish Family. In contrast to what was reported, Horizons is a kiruv organization only. In Israel, it is known as Ofakym. As far the report that I heard regarding Rabbi Nochum Eisenstein removing himself from Eternal Jewish Family, that is false. He comes to all Eternal Jewish Family rabbinic events and we speak with him numerous times during a week. I am sure that this Rabbi will never stop his attacks on Eternal Jewish Family. He made it his life’s mission.

E. J.F. - "Saving" the Jewish people by proselytizng

Roni said:

I though the Tzadik joined Dt and other critics of RT for his attempt to encourage non jewish wives to convert! and surprisingly Dt does not challenge the Tzadik for his support to convet intermarried couple. But it should not surprise, if opposing views combine to a common enemy to badmouth him from both sides of their mouth.

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Roni you are really obnoxious. You like R' Tropper think that my sole concern is to bad mouth R' Tropper - and that it doesn't matter what the excuse. I assume you also share his paranoid delusions that I have tricked the Bedatz into attacking R' Tropper because I am the leading defender [sic] of R' Slifkin. 

You keep repeating over and over again that R' Tropper has come to save us because he proselytizes people and demands that they keep a high standard of observance. That his program will save us because it is different than R' Bomzer etc etc. Both programs stink.You can't seem to accept that there are people who sincerely think R' Tropper's program is sick and counterproductive for the Jewish people. It isn't only me but it is the view of the Bedatz and many rabbonim - who R' Tropper has intimidated - feel this way.

All R' Tropper has to do is produce a letter from Rav Eliashiv that says that he has changed his lifelong position of opposing proselytizing intermarried couples and that he now feels it is in the best interest of the Jewish people to spend millions of dollars to pressure non-Jews to convert - with a high standard of course. Enough of the nonsense that he doesn't have to say anything because since he supports R' Tropper he supports R' Tropper. Just produce a letter. While you are at it please have Rav Reuven Feinstein write the same letter - and claim that his father would agree with it (as R' Tropper has claimed). This despite that his father clearly states in the Igros Moshe that he doesn't approve of such a program.

Please produce letters from gedolim that the Jewish communities' greatest need is to have as many intermarried couples convert and that this will raised the quality of our community.  What good is wining and dining and throwing millions at nonJews and telling them they will be accepted as Jews in order that they promise to keep the mitzvos? By the way - what happened to R' Tropper's claim of univerally accepted conversion which he has stopped promising in his solicitation letters?

There is no disagreement that you can potentially manufacturer halachic Jews with R' Tropper's approach - but why do we need converts who are more concerned with lust and desire of man or woman than love of G-d.

EJF - Rabbi Tropper responds to my criticism

The following is a recent post by R' Tropper on his blog responding to my criticism. It is unfortunately obvious that he doesn't seem to have a high value on truth. He slanders me by quoting an anonymous source that "According to a trusted source, Rav Sternbuch, shlit”a was asked if he approves of the blog which is critical of EJF. His response was negative." That is simply an outright lie. R' Tropper could have simply called up Rav Sternbuch to ascertain that the claim is false. But he obviously was not interested in the truth so he chose rather to slander me and publish a lie. He also further distorts the truth by not mentioning the strong condemnation by the Bedatz and Rav Sternbuch to his activities. It is hard to trust anything that R' Tropper says without written documentation. This is the third time he has tried to slander me. The first being a serious distortion of a statement in my Daas Torah which he claimed meant that I didn't think a ger needed to keep mitzvos but simply had to accept the 13 principles of faith and the second being his insane claim that my motivation to criticize him is the result of my desire to defend the views of R' Slifkin. I am adding a second posting from R' Tropper - he is obviously obsessesed. Gedolim On The EJF (Eternal Jewish Family) Posted by Rabbi Tropper Posted in <EJF Posted on 22-06-2009 Question: Rav Tropper, what is Maran Harav Eliyashuv’s position regarding the EJF? Answer: Rav Tropper Says: Rav Eliyashuv shlit”a gave us a warm bracha which was shown at the most recent Jerusalem conference. Rav Eliyashuv has sent people to discuss issues of geirus (Jewish conversion) with the EJF (not halachic questions). Rav Feinstein, shlit”a just met with Rav Eliyashuv and separately with Rav Leib Tropper and was very happy to hear of EJF’s acheivements. Rav Efrati sent a letter of approval b’shem Maran, shlit”a a number of years ago. According to a trusted source, Rav Sternbuch, shlit”a was asked if he approves of the blog which is critical of EJF. His response was negative. Contrary to a Rav in the midwest, the Talmidim Muvhakim of Rav Moshe ,zt”l say that Rav Moshe, zt”l approved of not rejecting a mixed couple who wishes to convert to Judaism. When they come to ask for a conversion to Judaism, Rav Moshe writes “Mitzva rabba l’hizdakek l’zeh”. Rav Tropper heard this directly from Maran Harav Moshe, zt”l during the early 70’s. Some even believe that Rav Moshe, zt”l said, that it is a mitzva to be Mekarev and be Megayer the non Jewish spouse if they are sincere, in order to save the Jew from an “Issur Chamur” of intermarriage. All the above of course without compromise on Kabbolas Mitzvos. We (EJF) do not do that at all. The Rabbi, who claims to have heard from the Posek Hador, Rav Moshe, zt”l otherwise , was not one of his Talmidim Muvhakim and probably misunderstood Rav Moshe, zt”l. His Son Rav Reuven, shlit”a wrote a Teshuva which was printed, supporting our position. In that Teshuva, he quotes his father, zt”l who supports our position. WE (EJF) DO NOT SEARCH FOR MIXED COUPLES TO CONVERT. Those who say otherwise are MISREPRESENTING OUR POSITION. Helping a mixed couple rectify their problem is NOT considered a Geirus “Leshem Ishus”. Rav Tropper heard this exact position from the Posek hador, Harav Yosef E. Henkin, Zt”l in May of 1972 and subsequently in 1981 from Harav Yaakov Kaminetzky, zt”l. Similar Posts

• Is A Candidate For Jewish Conversion Required to Work on Shabbos?
• Jewish Conversion for a Child of Non-Observant Parents
• Rabbi Tropper Has Regular Contact With Halachic Leaders of our Time
• An Example of a Questionable Jewish Conversion
• Eternal Jewish Family Questions and Answers with Rabbi Tropper
• ===================================================================

[2nd posting] How Was the International EJF Conference in Jerusalem? Posted by Rabbi Tropper Posted in EJF Posted on 18-06-2009 Question: Rabbi Tropper, how would you rate the International EJF conference held this week in Jerusalem? Rabbi Tropper: Succesful beyond expectation. All the nonsense on one blog and his ad hominem attacks are meaningless in face of the decorated dais of Gedolei Yisroel.

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• Gedolim On The EJF (Eternal Jewish Family)
• Hotels for Eternal Jewish Family Seminars
• Eternal Jewish Family is a Movement
• Is EJF Connected with the Jewish Roc Jewish Conversion Program?
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Sheikh Jarrah stabbing suspect lives near victim in area riven by eviction battle

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/sheikh-jarrah-stabbing-suspect-is-neighbor-of-victim-at-center-of-eviction-battle/

Moriah Cohen, 26, was lightly injured when an attacker plunged a foot-long (30 centimeter) knife into her back as she walked her five children to daycare in the flashpoint East Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. Police said they suspect the stabber had terror motives.

Mohammad Mahmoud, the suspect’s attorney, told The Times of Israel that she denies any connection to the incident. A hearing is set to be held on Thursday morning at the Jerusalem Magistrate Court.

 

Why I am planning to vaccinate my children against COVID

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/rkbwjmcoy

 The first and most important reason is the children. At the end of the day, the disease can hurt them as well and cause long-term ailments we still do not fully understand.

We still can't explain who is in danger from the virus and who isn't, so even the smallest chance of my children getting seriously sick from COVID is enough for me to vaccinate them.

The second reason is the principle of mutual responsibility. We cannot tackle emergencies in general, and this pandemic in particular, without a sense of social responsibility.

Why didn't Moshe want to die?

 Devarim Rabbah (11:10). R. Johanan said: Scripture refers ten times to the death of Moses, as follows: Behold, thy days approach that thou must die  (Deut. XXXI, 14); And die in the mount (ib. XXXII, 50); But I must die (ib. IV, 22); For I know that after my death (ib. XXXI, 29); And how much more after my death (ib. XXXI, 27); Before his death (ib. XXXIII,I);A hundred and twenty years old when he died (ib. XXXIV, 7); So Moses the servant of the Lord died there (ib. 5); Now it came to pass after the death of Moses (Josh. I,1);Moses My servant is dead (ib. 2). This teaches that ten times was it decreed that Moses should not enter Eretz Israel, but the harsh decree was not finally sealed until the High Court1 revealed itself to him and declared: ' It is my decree that you should not pass over,’ [as it is said,] For thou shalt not go over this Jordan  (Deut. III, 27). Moses, however, made light of this, saying: ' Israel have many times committed great sins, and whenever I prayed for them, God immediately answered my prayer, as it is said, Let Me alone, that I may destroy them (ib. IX, 14); yet what is written there? And the Lord repented of the evil (Ex. XXXII, 14); I will smite them with the pestilence, and destroy them  (Num. XIV, 12); What is written there? And the Lord said: I have pardoned, etc. (ib. 20). Seeing then that I have not sinned from my youth, does it not stand to reason that when I pray on my own behalf God should answer my prayer?’ And when God saw that Moses made light of the matter and that he was not engaging in prayer, He seized the opportunity to swear by His great Name that Moses should not enter Eretz Israel, as it is said, Therefore  (laken) ye shall not bring this assembly (ib. XX, 12), and ’laken’ always implies an oath, as it is said, And therefore (laken) I have sworn unto the house of Eli  (I Sam. III, 14). When, however, Moses saw that the decree against him had been sealed, he took a resolve to fast, and drew a small circlel and stood therein, and exclaimed: ' I will not move from here until Thou annullest that decree.’ What else did Moses do then? He donned sackcloth and wrapped himself with sackcloth and rolled himself in the dust and stood in prayer and supplications before God, until the heavens and the order of nature were shaken. Said they: ' Perhaps it is the desire of God to create His world anew.’ Whereupon a heavenly voice was heard proclaiming: ‘It is not yet God's desire to renew His world... but, In whose hand is the soul of every living thing, and the breath of all mankind--ish’ (Job XII,10), and ‘man’ must surely refer to Moses, as it is said, Now the man Moses was very meek, above all men that were upon the face of the earth  (Num. XII, 3). What did God do? At that hour He had it proclaimed in every gate of each of the heavens, and in every Court, that they should not receive Moses’ prayer, nor bring it before Him, because the decree against him had been sealed. Now at that hour God hastily summoned the Angel in charge of Proclamations, Achzeriel by name, and He commanded the ministering angels: ' Descend quickly, bolt all the gates of every heaven, because the voice of the prayer threatens to force its way to heaven.’ And the angels sought to ascend to heaven because of the sound of Moses’ prayer, for his prayer was like a sword which tears and cuts its way through everything, and spares nothing, seeing that his prayer was of the nature of the Ineffable Name which he had learnt from Zagzagel the Master Scribe of the children of heaven. It is to that hour that [the prophet] alludes when he says, And I heard behind me the voice of a great rushing: Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place (Ezek. III, 12); and ‘rushing’ surely means trembling, and ’great’ surely refers to Moses, as it is said, Moreover the man Moses was very great in the land of Egypt, in the sight of Pharaoh's servants, and in the sight of the people (Ex. XI, 3). What is the meaning of, ’Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place’? When the wheels of the Chariot and the fiery Seraphim saw that God commanded that Moses’ prayer should not be accepted and that He did not respect [Moses’] person, nor grant him more life, nor bring him into Eretz Israel, they exclaimed: ’ Blessed be the glory of the Lord from His place,’ for before Him there is no respecting of persons, great or small. And whence do we know that Moses prayed at this juncture five hundred and fifteen times? For it is said, And I besought (wa-ethhanan) the Lord at that time, saying  (Deut. III, 23), the numerical value of ’wa-ethhanan’ is this number. Moses said to God: ' Master of the Universe, the labour and the pains which I have devoted to making Israel believe in Thy name are manifest and known to Thee, to what trouble have I gone with them in connection with the precepts in order to fix for them Torah and precepts. I thought, just as I witnessed the woe, so too will I behold their weal; but now that the weal of Israel has come, Thou sayest to me, " Thou shalt not go over this Jordan" (Deut. XXXI, 2); lo, Thou makest of Thy Torah a fraud. Therein it is written, In the same day thou shalt give him his hire, neither shall the sun go down upon it, for he is poor, and setteth his heart upon it; lest he cry against thee unto the Lord, and it be sin in thee (ib. XXIV, I5). Is this the reward for the forty years’ labour that I went through in order that [Israel] should become a holy and faithful people, as it is said, But Judah yet ruleth with God, and is faithful with the saints’  (Hos. XII, 1)?1 Sammael the wicked angel, the chief of all the accusing angels, was awaiting the death of Moses every hour, saying, ‘When will the time or the moment arrive for Moses to die, so that I may descend and take away his soul from him.’ And it is of him that David said, The wicked watcheth the righteous, and seeketh to slay him (Ps. XXXVII, 32). There is no one among the accusing angels so wicked as Sammael and there is none so righteous among the prophets as Moses, as it is said, And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom the Lord knew face to face  (Deut. XXXIV, 10). He was like a man who has been invited to a wedding feast, and looks forward to it, saying: ‘When will their rejoicing come that I may share therein.’ So, Sammael the wicked was waiting for Moses’ soul saying, ' When will Michael be weeping and I be filling my mouth with laughter? ' Whereupon Michael replied: ' What, you wicked one, I shall cry, and you laugh!’ as it is said, Rejoice not against me, O mine enemy; though I am fallen, I shall arise; though I sit in darkness, the Lord is a light unto me (Micah VII, 8). ’ Though I am fallen,’ because of the demise of Moses, yet, ’I shall arise,’ on account of the leadership displayed by Joshua when he shall have defeated the thirty one kings. ' Though I sit in darkness,’ because of the destruction of the first and the second Temples, yet, ' The Lord is a light unto me, in the days of Messiah. Meanwhile there remained unto Moses only one hour. Whereupon Moses said to God: ' Master of the Universe, if Thou wilt not bring me into Eretz Israel, leave me in this world so that I may live and not die.’ God thereupon said to Moses: ' If I will not slay you in this world, how can I bring you back to life in the World to Come? And what is more, you make of My Torah a fraud, for in My Torah it is written by your hand, And there is none that can deliver out of My hand '  (Deut. XXXII, 39). Said Moses to God: ' Master of the Universe, if Thou wilt not bring me into Eretz Israel, let me become like the beasts of the field that eat grass and drink water and live and enjoy the world; likewise let my soul be as one of them.’ Whereupon God replied:’ Let it suffice thee ' (ib. III, 26). Moses then prayed: ' Master of the Universe, if not, let me become in this world like the bird that flies about in every direction, and gathers its food daily, and returns to its nest towards evening; let my soul likewise become like one of them.’ Whereupon God answered: ‘Let it suffice thee.’ What is the meaning of ’Let it suffice thee ‘? God said to him: ' You have spoken sufficiently.’ When Moses saw that no creature could save him from the path of death, he thereupon exclaimed, ’ The Rock, His work is perfect; for all His ways are justice; a God of faithfulness and without iniquity, just and righteous is He’ (ib. XXXII, 4). What did Moses do? He took a scroll and wrote down upon it the Ineffable Name, nor had the Book of Song been completely written down when the moment of Moses’ death arrived. At that hour God said to Gabriel: ' Gabriel, go forth and bring Moses’ soul.’ He, however, replied: ' Master of the Universe, how can I witness the death of him who is equal to sixty myriads, and how can I behave harshly to one who possesses such qualities?’ Then [God] said to Michael: ‘Go forth and bring Moses’ soul.’ He, however, replied: ‘Master of the Universe, I was his teacher, and he my pupil, and I cannot therefore witness his death.’ [God] then said to Sammael the wicked: ' Go forth and bring Moses’ soul.’ Immediately he clothed himself with anger and girded on his sword and wrapped himself with ruthlessness and went forth to meet Moses. When Sammael saw Moses sitting and writing down the Ineffable Name, and how the radiance of his appearance was like unto the sun and he was like unto an angel of the Lord of hosts, he became afraid of Moses and declared: ‘Of a surety, angels cannot take away Moses’ soul.’ Now before Sammael showed himself to Moses, Moses knew of his coming, and when Sammael caught sight of Moses trembling, fear took hold of him, as of awoman in travail, and he had not the effrontery to speak to Moses, until Moses said to Sammael,’ There is no peace, saith God, concerning the wicked  (Isa. LVII, 21). What are you doing here? ' He replied: ' I have come to take away your soul.’ Moses asked him: ' Who sent you? ' He replied: ' He who created all the creatures.’ Moses then said to him: ‘You shall not take away my soul.’ Whereupon he replied: ‘The souls of all who come into this world are delivered into my hands.’ Whereupon Moses said: ‘I have greater strength than all who come into this world.’ He then asked: ‘And wherein lies your strength?’ Moses replied: ‘I am the son of Amram, and came out from my mother's womb without prepuce, and had no need to be circumcised; and on the very day on which I was born I found myself able to speak and was able to walk and to converse with my father and mother, and I did not even take suck of [my mother's] milk; and when I was three months old I prophesied and declared that I was destined to receive the law from the midst of flames of fire; and [once] when I was walking in the street I entered the palace of the king and removed the crown from his head; and when I was eighty years old I wrought signs and wonders in Egypt and brought forth sixty myriads before the eyes of all Egypt; and I divided the sea into twelve divisions, and I made the bitter waters sweet; and I ascended heaven and trod out a path there, and engaged in battle with the angels, and received the law of fire, and sojourned under [God's] Throne of fire, and took shelter under the pillar of fire, and spoke with God face to face; and I prevailed over the heavenly Familia,2 and revealed unto the sons of man their secrets,3 and received the Law from the right hand of God, and taught it to Israel; and I made war on Sihon and Og, the two giants of the heathens to whose ankles the waters of the flood did not reach because of their [great] stature; I caused sun and moon to stand still on high, and I smote them with the staff in my hand and killed them ; is there any one amongst mankind who is able to do likewise? Away, wicked one, from here, you must not speak thus, go, flee before me, I will not surrender my soul to you.’ Immediately Sammael went back and reported to God. Whereupon God commanded Sammael, ‘Go, and bring Moses’ soul.’ Straightway he drew his sword from the sheath and placed himself at the side of Moses. Immediately Moses became wroth, and taking hold of the staff on which was engraven the Ineffable Name he fell upon Sammael with all his strength until he fled from before him, and he pursued him with the Ineffable Name and removed the beam of glory [halo] from between his eyes and blinded him. Thus much did Moses achieve. At the end of a moment, a heavenly voice was heard, declaring: ‘The end, the time of your death has come.’ Said Moses to God: ‘Master of the Universe, remember the day when Thou didst reveal Thyself unto me in the bush and didst say to me, Come now therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth My people the children of Israel from Egypt (Ex.III, 10); remember the time when I abode on Mount Sinai for forty days and forty nights, I implore Thee, do not hand me over into the hand of the Angel of Death.’ Thereupon a heavenly voice was heard saying to him: ' Fear not, I myself will attend to you and your burial.’ At that hour, Moses arose and sanctified himself like the Seraphim, and God came down from the highest heavens to take away the soul of Moses, and with Him were three ministering angels, Michael, Gabriel, and Zagzagel. Michael laid out his bier, Gabriel spread out a fine linen cloth at his bolster, Zagzagel one at his feet; Michael stood at one side and Gabriel at the other side. God said: ' Moses, fold your eyelids over your eyes,’ and he did so. He then said: ‘Place your hands upon your breast,’ and he did so. He then said: ' Put your feet next to one another,’ and he did so. Forthwith the Holy One, blessed be He, summoned the soul from the midst of the body, saying to her: ‘My daughter, I have fixed the period of thy stay in the body of Moses at a hundred and twenty years; now thy end has come, depart, delay not.’ Whereupon she replied: ‘Master of the Universe, I know that Thou art the God of all spirits and all souls, the souls of the dead and the living are in Thy keeping, and Thou hast created and formed me and placed me within the body of Moses for a hundred and twenty years. And now, is there a body in the world purer than the body of Moses in which there has never been an offensive smell, nor worm nor maggot, nor any kind of vermin; therefore I love him and I do not desire to leave him.’ Whereupon God exclaimed: ‘Soul, go forth, do not delay, and I will raise thee to the highest heavens and will place thee under the Throne of Glory next to the Cherubim, Seraphim, and other troops of angels.’ Thereupon the soul replied: ‘Master of the Universe, two angels, Uzah and Azael, came down from near Thy divine Presence and coveted the daughters of the earth and they corrupted their way upon the earth until Thou didst suspend them between earth and heaven. But the son of Amram from the day Thou didst reveal Thyself unto him at the Bush has had no marital relations with his wife,’ as it is said, And Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; for he had married a Cushite woman  (Num. XII, 1).1 ‘I implore Thee let me remain in the body of Moses.’ Thereupon God kissed Moses and took away his soul with a kiss of the mouth, and God, if one might say so, wept [as it is said], Who will rise up for me against the evil-doers? Who will stand up for me against the workers of iniquity? (Ps. XCIV, 16) And the Holy Spirit said, And there hath not arisen a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses  (Deut. XXXIV, 10). The heavens wept and said, The godly man is perished out of the earth  (Micah VII, 2). The earth wept and said, And the upright among men is no more (ib.). And when Joshua was looking for his master and did not find him, he also wept and said, Help, Lord; for the godly man ceaseth, for the faithful fail from among the children of men  (Ps. XII, 2). And the ministering angels said, He executed the righteousness of the Lord  (Deut. XXXIII, 21). And Israel said, And His ordinances with Israel (ib.). These and those said, He entereth into peace, they rest in their beds, each one that walketh in his uprightness (Isa. LVII, 2); The memory of the righteous shall be for a blessing  (Prov. X, 7), and his soul for the life of the World to Come. Amen. May this be His will. Blessed be the Lord for ever. Amen and amen.

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‘I won’t last much longer’: Lawyer begs for gov’t help after 1 month in Belarus jail

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/i-wont-last-much-longer-lawyer-begs-for-govt-help-after-1-month-in-belarus-jail/

An Israeli woman imprisoned for over a month in Belarus on suspicion of having tried to smuggle a small amount of medical marijuana into the country has implored Israeli officials to intervene on her behalf, saying that she may not survive behind bars much longer.

“My health is waning. I can no longer stay here, and I will not last much longer,” said Maya Rayten-Stol, a lawyer who was detained at the Minsk airport on November 4 with some 2.5 grams (under a tenth of an ounce) of medical cannabis.

Upon her arrest, she reportedly stressed to Belarussian authorities that the marijuana in her possession was licensed by the Health Ministry and tried to show documents to prove her assertion, but was ignored. She suffers from several unspecified conditions, according to a letter from fellow lawyers sent to Israeli officials on her behalf.

Tropper's former defender has regrets

RONI has left a new comment on your post "Reb Reuven - please!":

Rav Daniel Eidensohn Shlita

At it stands now (and I do not think that the situation will change relating to this angle) , YOU (RAV DANIEL EIDENSOHN ARE THE TZADIK and so some others (except one and the gvir he covers up and the people aligned with that gvir) and I OWE YOU AN APOLOGY IN THE SIZE OF AN ELEPHANT!

And I want to say to you now, Bekitzur:

ON THIS ISSUE YOU ARE A TZADIK, I WAS A RASHA, I NEED TO DO TESHUVA ON THIS ISSUE, OF SHAMING YOU AND CALLING YOU NAMES AND MORE WILL BE FORTHCOMING AFTER CLEAR INFORMATION IS GIVEN. I HOPE YOU WILL ALLOW MY WORDS TO STAND. I HOPE YOU FEEL THAT I FEEL REAL REMORSE AND PAINED OVER THE FACT THAT I MALIGNED YOU NUMEROUS TIMES OVER AN ISSUE THAT YOU WERE RIGHT.

THERE ARE MORE THAT HAVE WHAT TO SAY AND I WANT TO SAY, AS THE APOLOGY AND AS THE EXPLANATION THAT YOU WERE IN SOME CENTRAL ISSUES.

(I MUST STATE FROM THE OUTSET, THAT NOTHING ABOUT THE OTHER RABBI, THE OTHER GVIR, THOSE WHO LECKED HIM THEN, AND NOW AND MILK HIM AND EVERYTHING THAT THAT PART REPRESENTS IS *NOT* CHANGED. SOME LESSONS MUST BE TAKEN FROM THAT AS A WELL.

BUT THE LESSON FROM ADONI RABBI UMORI RAV EIDENSOHN IN THE APST THAT AS TO THE PRESENT IT IS A "RED HERRING" HE IS 1000% RIGHT).

LEIB TROPPER: I MUST SAY TO YOU, BEKITZUR NOW, THAT YOU WERE A TERRIBLE RASHA ON THIS ISSUE, THERE ARE SO MANY THINGS THAT HAPPENED HERE THAT EE EFSHAR LEPORTOM. I WOULD BE WRITING THEM, MORE BEARICHUS LATER IF THE RABBI OF THIS BLOG KINDLY PERMITS IT AND AFTER WE HAVE MORE INFO.

YOU HAVE ONE AND ONLY OPTION (PLEASE FORGET ABOUT CALLING ME; IT IS USELESS AND A WASTE OF TIME; YOU MUST NOT CONVINCE ME ABOUT YOUR TRUTH), THAT YOU MAKE YOUR CASE TO THE *PUBLIC* THROUGH A LAWYER TO PROVE THAT YOUR IS THE TRUTH AND THAT WHAT APPEARS ON THE TAPE (THAT IS FAR FAR FAR BEYOND "KOLOH DELOY PASSIK" AND BEYOND "UMDENAH DMUCHACH" OF KIUR AND WORSE AND SELLOUT OF JUDAISM (GERUT_) FOR ZNUSS, IS THE REAL ESSNAN ZONAH) IS FALSE.

OTHERWISE, DO US ALL FAVOR AND DO SOMETHING SIMILAR TO

חזרת טבח שהיה בודק לעצמו ומוכר ויצא טריפה מתחת ידו, {פד} שילבש שחורים ויתכסה שחורים, וילך למקום שאין מכירים אותו ויחזיר אבידה בדבר חשוב, או יוציא טריפה מתחת ידו בדבר חשוב. (לו ועיין בי"ד סי' קי"ט).

AND AGAIN DO NOT CALL ME! I COULD NOT SLEEP ALREADY FOR THE LAST WEEK (AND MORE).

Jerusalem rabbinical court says spousal abuse not grounds for divorce - because her request for divorce caused the violence

Times of Israel

An Israeli woman who was denied a divorce by a rabbinic court on the grounds of documented domestic violence has appealed to the state’s attorney general.

The woman’s lawyers made the unusual appeal Thursday following the Jerusalem Rabbinic Court’s rejection of her divorce motion. Her husband had been convicted and imprisoned for 75 days for assaulting his wife last year.

In Israel, religious tribunals function as family courts. According to Orthodox Jewish law, divorce is only possible if the husband consents to it. Rabbinical judges in most cases cannot force husbands to give their wives a divorce, though they can impose punishments – including imprisonment and dispossession – on those deemed to be abusing their wives but not granting them a divorce. Such women are called agunot in Hebrew, meaning chained.

In this case, the husband admitted to the domestic violence before the rabbinical court and expressed regret for his actions. The assault took place after the woman filed for divorce for the first time – an unsuccessful bid that the court rejected because the husband objected.

The woman refiled citing the assault conviction, but in dismissing the request, the court ascribed the violence to the woman’s desire to divorce her husband rather than any inherent will on his part to harm her, according to Mavoi Satum, a Jewish Orthodox organization working for so-called chained women.

Denouncing any violence against women, the judges said this applied “especially to such serious violence as described in the charge sheet.” However, “there is also no doubt that the husband’s outburst followed on the difficult conditions he is in as a result of the divorce suit his wife filed against him; and there is no doubt that if the wife accepted the husband’s request to attempt to return normal life together, this occurrence would not have happened,” the ruling by the three-judge panel read. [...]

Schlesinger Twins: Excerpts from court documents regarding Dr. Schlesinger

The following are excerpts from court documents relating to Dr Schlesinger's attempt to have his wife committed to a mental hospital falsely claiming she was a paranoid schizophrenic and  that he was a psychiatrist. There are a number of facts cited from documents which clearly indicate problems with Dr. Schlesinger - that were ignored by the judge who awarded him custody.

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

Failure of the courts to take any account of Schlesinger’s abuse of the mother and its traumatising effect on the children

1. Not only did Schlesinger enlist his friend, high court Judge Konstanz Thau to assist him in wresting the children from my care, he also manipulated his medical friend and colleague, Dr Paul Földes, head of psychiatry in the Wilheminen Hospital where the father was doing his traineeship to support Schlesinger´s plan to falsely diagnose me and have me sectioned.
2. Göttlicher held a hearing on 9 August 2011 to hear the witnesses – police officers, police psychiatrist and paramedics who were present the day the father tried to commit me to a mental hospital. After hearing their evidence, Göttlicher could have been in no doubt that I was not mentally ill and the diagnosis was fabricated by the father and his friend and colleague with whom he colluded, Paul Földes. In fact Göttlicher herself stated the following in her order granting the father unsupervised access, 31.7.2010:

“Die Feststellungen, zum Umstand, dass haben weder Amtsarztin noch einschreitender Sanitater einer psychischen Erkrankrung der Mutter sahen, stutz sich zum einem auf vorliegenden Polizeibericht samt amtsartzlicher Bescheinigung nach $ 6 UbG, ON 3, sowie auf die zeugenschgaftlichen Einvernahmen dieser beiden Personen im Scheidungsverfahren der Streitteile”

“It can be concluded that neither the police psychiatrist, not the paramedics that were present saw any indication of mental illness in the mother, which is supported by the documented police reports, the medical report by the police psychiatrist, as well as their witness testimonies in the process of the divorce proceedings.”

Witness testimony of events of 11.2.2010 and 16.2.2010

3. Statement by the police psychiatrist, Dr Schreitl:

“Es ist richtig, es war ein Bekannter des Ehemannes, ein Psychiater (anm. Dr. Földes), dabei, der auch sagte, dass die Frau eingewiesen gehört. Der war auch vor Ort. … Ich habe danach auch noch am Gang mit ihm gesprochen und habe ihn gefragt, wie er auf die Idee kommt. Er sagte mir, dass er die Geschichte nur vom Ehemann weiß und dass er selbst die Frau nicht exploriert hat. …. Ich habe ihn darauf hingewiesen, dass er sich zunächst selbst ein psychiatrisches Bild zu machen hat.“

Ich war daraufhin nicht unbedingt freundlichen am Gang. Ich habe ihn auf seine Kompetenzen als Psychiater hingewiesen und darauf, dass er ein Facharzt ist, dass man so fachkundig nicht vorgehen kann, und dass er nahe am Rufmord vorbeischrammt. …. Ich habe ihn darauf hingewiesen, dass er sich zunächst selbst ein psychiatrisches Bild zu machen hat.“

Translation: “It is true that there was a colleague of the father, a psychiatrist (Dr Földes) there, who also stated that the wife must be sectioned. He was also there...I then spoke to him in the corridor and asked him how he came to such a conclusion. He told me that he knew the story from the husband but that he himself had not examined the wife.......I told him that he was then obliged to carry out his own psychiatric assessment.

I wasn't completely unfriendly after that. I questioned his competence as a psychiatrist and said that as a specialist, such an expert he could not behave in that way and he had totally abused his powers....”

4. Further statement from Dr Schreitl demonstrating that the father fabricated the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia:
5. Auf Frage der KV an Dr. Schreitel, wie es dazu kam, dass ich in Richtung einer Erkrankung aus dem paranoid-schizophrenen Formenkreis zu untersuchen sei, sagte Dr. Schreitl:

„Die Polizisten haben mir gesagt, der Ehemann hätte ihnen das so erklärt.“

Translation: In response to the question to Dr Schreitl how it came about that I examined the mother for evidence of paranoid schizophrenia, Dr Schreitl replied:

“The police told me so, the husband had claimed it.”

6. Statement by Police Inspector Aigner:

„Es hat uns wieder der Ehemann empfangen und uns mitgeteilt, dass die Frau krank ist und dass sie eingewiesen gehört.“

„…Da ist der Ehemann dann in die Küche gegangen und hat dem Rettungsdienst immer wieder das Telefon hingehalten und gemeint, sie sollten am Telefon mit jemanden sprechen, mit einem Arzt (Dr. Földes).“

Translation: The husband repeatedly insisted that his wife was mentally ill and needed to be sectioned....

then the husband went into the kitchen and kept telling the paramedics they must speak to someoone who was on the phone, to a doctor (Dr Foldes)

7. Statement by Paramedic, Thorsten Brandstetter (paramedic):

„Er (Dr. Schlesinger) sagte uns dann auch, dass er mit einem Oberarzt telefoniert hat, und dass er will, dass sie ins Krankenhaus kommt.“

Translation: He (Dr Schlesinger) also then told us that he had called a specialist and that he also wants the wife to be hospitalised.

8. On 11.2.2010, after I called the police because of the father's violence (he again pushed me as I was holding one of the babies) the father, a trainee doctor lied to the police that he was a psychiatrist.
9. Statement by police inspector, Ing. Franz Trittremmel

„Auf Frage unter Vorhalt, dass hier dokumentiert ist, der Ehemann habe sich als Psychiater genannt:

Ich neige nicht dazu, etwas zu erfinden. Ich würde so etwas nicht an der Haaren herbeiziehen. Für mich als Einschreiter ist es ja irrelevant, ob sich der Ehemann als Psychiater, Staatsanwalt oder sonst jemand bezeichnet. Ich gehe daher davon aus, dass das, was drinnen steht, so auch gefallen ist.“

Translation: In response to the event where it is documented the father (falsely) claimed he was a psychiatrist:

“I do not invent things. I wouldn't document something as false. However, for me it is irrelevant if the husband is a psychiatrist, attorney general or something else. I can only state that if I wrote it, then that is what was said at the time.”

10. Dr Krenn reported both Dr Schlesinger and Dr Foldes to the Medical Chamber for massive abuse of their powers but as far as I know, no action was taken against them.
11. While he may not have been struck off as a doctor, his abuse of his doctor´s credentials as well as the subversive attempts to separate the the twins from their mother should, in any event, have excluded all possibility of the father ever gaining custody of the children. Indeed, he was prevented from unsupervised access for a whole year because of his actions on this day. (It is questionable why the Supreme Court decided to overturn his supervised access without any new evidence).
12. Not only was this episode not taken into account by Göttlicher, it was later discovered that these documents are missing from the custody file. (This will be dealt with later in the report under 'suppression of evidence')
13. The subsequent Appeal Courts have also failed to take any account of the father´s documented abuse in this shameful episode.
14. Although all the other witnesses clearly heard Schlesinger and Földes falsely diagnose me with paranoid schizophrenia, (as above) Földes denied diagnosing me, stating that this is a serious diagnosis that he would not label people with lightly. QUOTE
15. Göttlicher accepts Földes false testimony, ignoring the contradictory evidence of the police witnesses who clearly heard him diagnose me with paranoid schizophrenia and in her custody decision refers only to Földes’ own account that he was only of the opinion that the history and the situation at that time was “enough to result in a psychologically stressed situation.” The appeal court similarly stated, somewhat remarkably, that “the relationship problems between the mother and the father and the events surrounding the eviction of the father are no longer decisive elements.”
16. Göttlicher refers in her Custody decision to my claims that Schlesinger was also violent generally during throughout the marriage. However she goes on to say that “the expert [Willinger] found nothing in the whole examination that indicated that the father might be aggressive, violent or not in control of his impulses. Göttlicher did not send Willinger copies of the police documents of this episode and all mention of it is omitted in her report.
17. In the custody decision, Göttlicher failed to mention Willinger’s hypothesis as stated by her in the 10 hour court hearing, that either the mother is not mentally ill and everything she alleged about the violence is correct, or she is mentally ill and is paranoid. My lawyer asked what we could deduce about the father if I were not mentally ill and willinger stated this would be 'manipulation' by the father:

“Wenn man die Gegenhypothese annimmt, dass die Mutter nicht krank ist, dann ist das Ereignis für sich allein eine Manipulation.

“If we accept the opposing hypothesis, that the mother is not mentally ill, then the father's actions can be seen as manipulation.' Transcript, court hearing Willinger, 24.7.2011

As three further psychiatric reports (including a court commissioned one) all confirmed the mother is clearly not mentally ill, according to Willinger's reasoning, the father is manipulative.

18. That Földes abused his position by relying on Schlesinger’s account without performing his own assessment is beyond question. The only question is what was his motive in doing so. The only logical explanation is that of collusion between Schlesinger and Földes, his colleague and friend. That Schlesinger is capable of manipulating friends in this way in an attempt to have his wife sectioned should surely have been an immense concern for the judge in evaluating his suitability to be given custody over children.

Effect of violence on children

19. The children witnessed this entire barbaric episode: a team of 5-6 armed policemen in our apartment, a team of 3-4 paramedics, a police psychiatrist, Dr Földes, a violent father insitstent on the children´s mother being taken away. The children displayed signs of trauma immediately afterwards: sleeping and eating problems, clinginess and general insecurity.
20. The Appeal Court (par x above) stated that events between parents and children were irrelevant to a custody decision.
21. However, when questioned in court about the effect of witnessing domestic violence on children, Expert psychologist Dr Sinko-Sanz:

„Auf Frage der Vertreterin der Mutter nach der Trennung der Eltern am 16.2.2010, und dass die Kinder in dieser Situation waren, ob das auch einen Einfluss auf die Entwicklung haben kann.

Das ist etwas, das ein Punkt sein kann und sicher zu berücksichtigen ist. Es ist bekannt, dass Kinder, die eine belastende Aaussensituation erleben, sich zurückziehen.“

“In response to a question from the mother´s lawyer about the separation of the parents on 16.2.2010 and that the children were in this situation, whether that may have an impact on development.

This is something that can be a point and must surely be taken into consideration. It is known that children who have experienced a stressful situation, withdraw themselves.

22. In fact, the expert states that her initial impression of the children was that they were underdeveloped because they were traumatised. She therefore recommended calm and stability:

“Es ist vorstellbar, dass ein derartiges Sozialverhalten dann entsteht, wenn es eine schwere Traumatisierung in der frühen Kindheit gegeben hat. Das war meine erste Vermutung in der ersten Vermutungsdiagnose. Ich habe daher diese Empfehlung nach Ruhe und Gleichmäassigkeit gegeben.“

"It is conceivable that such a social behavior arises when there has been severe trauma in early childhood. That was my suspicion in the first diagnosis. Therefore I recommended calm and regularity. "

23. It is therefore very likely that the father´s own violent behavior and actions towards me and the children was the very cause of the developmental delay in the children which is the main subject of Willinger´s report. Yet Willinger failed to take this into account.
24. Expert Witness, Dr Sinko-Sanz, Court hearing 17 June 2011:

„Auf Frage der Verteterin der Mutter, dass wenn Kinder Gewalt erlebt haben, ob das auch einen Einfluss haben kann:

Prinzipiell ja.

Auf Nachfrage der Vertreterin der Mutter, dass für den Fall, dass die Mutter verbale und psychische Gewalt erlebt hat und die Kinder die miterlebt haben, ob dann die Kinder in ihrer Entwicklung beeinträachtigt sein könnten:

Grundsätzlich ja, das ist vom ausmass, dem Alter und den umgebenden Konstellation abhängig.”

“In response to the question posed by the mother´s lawyer that if children have experienced violence, whether that may have an impact:

In principle, yes.

In response to the further questioning by the mother´s lawyer that in the event that the mother has experienced verbal and psychological violence and the children have witnessed it, whether that also has an influence on the child´s development:

Basically, yes, that depends on the extent, the age, and the surrounding factors.”

25. It is totally unclear why Willinger accepted the father´s testimony over mine when it had been proven he had repeatedly lied, even to the police that he was a psychiatrist when he was in fact a trainee doctor. His false diagnosis of me was fully disproven by the police psychiatrist and later by 2 further court psychiatrists, whereas nothing I have said has been disproven.
26. Willinger claimed everything I said about the father was untrue:

Die Kindesmutter gibt an, tief getroffen von der Tatsache zu sein, dass der Kindes vater ihr eine psychische Erkrankung zuschreibe, und zeigt u.a.während der Befunderhebung eine herabgesetzte Stressbelastung auf (unvorhergesehene) Ereignisse…Darüber hinaus lässt sich eine herabgesetzte mentale Flexibilität in Bezug auf Inhalte, die den Kindesvater betrefen.“ P.75 Willinger report

The children's mother admits to being deeply affected by the fact that the children's father ascribes mental illness to her, but shows during the diagnostic assessment a reduced stress to (unexpected) events ... In addition, she showed a reduced mental flexibility in terms of content that concerns the children's father. "

The Art of Living Every Minute of Your Life

Man convicted of attempting to murder his wife in front of their toddler son

 https://www.timesofisrael.com/man-convicted-of-attempting-to-murder-his-wife-in-front-of-their-toddler-son/

A man was convicted Wednesday of attempting to murder his then-wife in front of their toddler son, in an incident that shocked the country last year and has seen the victim become a champion of awareness for domestic violence.

In a legal precedent, the Beersheba District Court also convicted Aviad Moshe of abusing the couple’s infant son, then a year and a half old, by repeatedly stabbing and beating wife Shira Isakov in front of him.

Moshe was charged last October with stabbing Isakov 20 times, hitting her with a rolling pin and strangling her on the eve of the Rosh Hashanah holiday on September 18 in their home in the southern town of Mitzpe Ramon.

A Letter From A Mother of a child abuser - the perspective from the other side

Jewish Press

It takes courage to write my story. I am not a young woman anymore and I feel compelled to put my family’s story on paper to give us a voice when we have none. I hope that by sharing our painful story, other parents can learn from our mistakes and that we will ultimately be able to open a dialogue about judgment and forgiveness – for ourselves and others. What follows is story of a regular family and a tragedy that unfolded while we were not looking. In that, ours is a cautionary tale for every parent.

It all began with a phone call. I was on my way to work when a woman called saying, “Do you know that your son Yisroel [a pseudonym] sexually abused my son in camp several years ago?” So shocking was this accusation that at first, I didn’t quite take it in. In the few seconds it took me to assimilate the information, I blurted out, “No. I don’t know anything about it, but I will find out and do whatever has to be done.”

I can’t really explain the effect this call had on me. I wondered if it could be true. This wasn’t the introverted, gentle son I knew – could he have done this terrible thing? Then, as any parent would, I started searching for any hint that I could’ve missed; what didn’t I see? And I searched my heart, wondering what I had done wrong. This child had been born at a chaotic time when I was overburdened with family troubles. My mother had cancer, and I had been turning the world upside down in a futile search for the doctors and treatments that would save her. Sadly, my efforts were too little and too late, and I was left grieving and feeling guilty. The next few years brought the death of my father and other medical crises, but despite it all, our family life seemed normal. In all the hours of soul-searching that followed, I wondered if this child, who perhaps needed the most attention of all my kids, didn’t get all that he needed. I know we had struggled to do the best we could.

Yisroel had been diagnosed with ADHD and had difficulty making friends at school. He was bullied and became sullen and withdrawn, and he seemed to lack social skills needed to make close friendships. We sought advice from a child therapist but nothing helped. When he finally made what seemed to be a good friend, a neighborhood boy a couple of years older than him, I was so happy. But my impression was terribly wrong. My son was being sexually exploited and I was totally oblivious. These events took place many years ago, and in those more innocent times, such things were unimaginable to most people. This older boy was “frum” and from our own Orthodox neighborhood, and I felt very comfortable. In fact, I saw this new relationship as a “bracha” for my child who was so bereft of friends. [...]

By the time the distraught mother called me with the accusation, Yisroel was 22 years old and immersed in Torah studies. I immediately confronted him and told him about the call. I won’t lie; I hoped with all my heart that he would be shocked and deny it. I hoped it would wind up being untrue, a mix-up – that it was not my son; that it didn’t happen. But my son just looked at me with an expression I couldn’t interpret and was silent. Heartsick, my husband and I took him to see a therapist, a specialist in the treatment of sexual abuse recommended by an Orthodox referral service. A battery of tests confirmed that he had been abused himself and also had abused his camper. My husband and I, together with our other children, were enlisted in Yisroel’s treatment plan, charged with enforcing his attendance in therapy and monitoring his comings and goings, but he was anxious to cooperate in the treatment and continued willingly for six years.

Life went on almost normally. Eventually, Yisroel met and began dating a young woman. Concerned about whether he was ready for marriage, we consulted his therapist, who assured us that he was healthy and posed no danger to the community since he had received treatment early and had never repeated his offense. He gave my son his blessings for the marriage, and we were thrilled that our son was finally reentering life, albeit with a heavy burden.

It was three years after his marriage and almost 10 years after the abuse incident that another surprise phone call upended our lives again. This time, the former camper himself called and accused my son of molesting him. Yisroel readily admitted his guilt, apologized profusely and explained that he was still in therapy. But, unbeknownst to my son, there was a police detective listening in and recording the conversation, and in a classic sting operation, he arrested my son based on his admission.

Life has a way of forcing us to learn many lessons that we would rather never know, and so, we began our tutorial on the legal system that would occupy such a dominate place in our lives to this day. We became aware of the various classes of felonies: since the statute of limitations had passed, the state would have to apply the higher-level offence, which subjected our son to a mandatory sentence of five to 25 years. We learned that our only option was a plea bargain which required an admission of guilt, 10 years probation and being registered as a sex offender, and mandatory therapy through the court system, although he had already had six years of specialized therapy. We learned that in some respects, the law is unfair to the victim, instituting an unreasonable time frame for charges to be brought, and to the perpetrator, in that all offenders are lumped into one undifferentiated bunch. There was little we could do other than agree to the terms we were offered. We live with enormous guilt and anguish knowing that our son so grievously hurt another child and caused tremendous suffering to the victim and his family. To undo the damage is impossible, and we made the only reparation we could, paying unstintingly for the victim’s therapy, which ran into six figures.

Lawmakers drop proposal to add women to the draft as defense bill headaches mount

 https://www.politico.com/news/2021/12/06/ndaa-women-draft-dropped-523829

 Compromise defense policy legislation set to be filed Monday will not require women to register for a military draft, according to two people with knowledge of the negotiations, a stunning turnaround after the proposal gained bipartisan support in both the House and Senate this year.

Leaders of the House and Senate Armed Services committees left the provision out of the final version of the National Defense Authorization Act, despite the fact that both chambers' bills would have expanded the Selective Service System beyond men.

Defense Bill Will Not Require Women to Sign Up for Draft After All

 https://www.newsweek.com/defense-bill-would-require-women-sign-draft-despite-gop-objections-1656610

A draft of the Defense Authorization Bill currently being considered by Congress has dropped a provision that would've required women to volunteer for the military draft. Missouri Senator Josh Hawley and some other congressional Republicans opposed the provision.

Echoes of measles outbreaks in 2019: Antivaxxers are targeting Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn with COVID-19 misinformation

 https://sciencebasedmedicine.org/antivaxxers-are-targeting-orthodox-jews/

 Why did I start this post by recounting this unfortunate history? Simple. Past is prologue, and history repeats, as we’ve seen time and time again, or, as I like to put it, in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic and antivaxxers, everything old is new again. The same thing is happening now, in the age of the COVID-19 pandemic. Added to the list of previous players are new antivaxxers, quacks, and grifters who have risen to prominence over the last year and a half, like “the inventor of mRNA vaccines” Dr. Robert Malone, a man who thinks that he’s being “erased” from Wikipedia after his wife was caught editing his Wikipedia entry. This time, though, he’s been recruited to spread fear of COVID-19 vaccines, in particular the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines, among the Orthodox Jews of Brooklyn and proudly announced his apparent “success” on Twitter the other day:

Anti-vaxxers fabricated quotes attributed to infectious diseases expert Kristine Macartney and spread them online

 https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-15/coronacheck-nsw-supreme-court-transcript-fake/100539064

This week, we debunk viral social media posts which incorrectly suggest that a vaccine expert told the NSW Supreme Court that doubled-vaxxed people were "13 times more likely to catch and spread COVID-19".

We also investigate claims that the currently available COVID-19 vaccines contain graphene oxide, and toast the achievement of Filipina investigative journalist and fact checker Maria Ressa, who was recently awarded the Nobel Peace Prize.

Expert shoots down courtroom vaccine claims

 No, COVID-19 vaccines do not contain graphene oxide

Data shows more children are getting sick and dying from Covid

 https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/data-shows-more-children-are-getting-sick-dying-covid-n1281616

Only a small proportion of young children with Covid get severely ill or die. Though weekly data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention shows that Covid deaths among children under age 15 also reached its highest level in September, only 41 children died of Covid from Sept. 4 to Oct. 2.

Results of the Long-COVID Survey Among Children in Israel

 https://www.gov.il/en/departments/news/13092021-01

 In conclusion, in accordance with the data collected from around the world, it is evident that coronavirus has long term effects not only on the adult population but among children as well. The rate of reported long-term infection means that there are thousands of children in Israel who experience long term symptoms.

Rabbi Benzion Mutzafi: The government is untrustworthy, but vaccines are a must

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318232

 A senior haredi rabbi has denounced Israeli Prime Minister Naftali Bennett as “a liar”, while ruling that

According to a report Tuesday by Kikar HaShabbat, Rabbi Benzion Mutzafi, a senior decisor of Jewish law in the Sefardic haredi community, responded to a question regarding whether one should rely on the government vis-à-vis its recently-launched mass vaccination campaign for children ages 5-11.

the public should get vaccinated against COVID-19, despite misgivings about the government.

 Rabbi Mutzafi responded by denouncing the government and Prime Minister Bennett, while separating the issue of trust in the government from relying on the vaccine.

“He is a known liar,” the rabbi responded. “But the Holy Torah commands us to listen to the doctors and to get vaccinated.”

הפוסק: "בנט שקרן מועד, אך צריך להתחסן"

 https://www.kikar.co.il/406926.html

 גאון רבי בן ציון מוצפי, מגדולי הפוסקים בציבור הספרדי, נשאל בימים האחרונים על הצורך לחסן ילדים, בצל אי האמון של הציבור החרדי בממשלה והעומד בראשה, נפתלי בנט. הפוסק השיב בנחרצות כי לשמוע בקול הרופאים ולהתחסן.

בשאלה ששיגר לו אחד מתלמידיו, נכתב: "לכבוד הרב, אין אמונה בממשלה, רה"מ מצטייר כשקרן! מאוד מתלבטת אם לחסן ילדים קטנים, לא יודעים מה ההשלכות של החיסון! אנחנו הורים - התחסנו, אבל ילדים קטנים? אולי לחסן רק לשפעת כרגע?"

בתשובתו הגיב הרב בנחרצות: "הוא שקרן מועד! אך התורה הקדושה מצווה אותנו לשמוע בקול הרופאים ולהתחסן".

בתשובה נוספת שכתב הרב מוצפי בנושא החיסונים, הדגיש הרב את הצורך להתחסן ולא להמתין בכדי לשמוע האם ייצרו חיסון חדש בשל וריאנט האומיקרון: "לא להמתין כלל. כי הוא מסוכן, ומי שמחוסן גם אם חלילה יחלה יעבור בצורה קלה מאוד. גם רוב הסיכויים שהחיסון יעיל, לכן יש למהר ולחסן היום".

A Party, and Nation, in Crisis

 https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2022/01/republican-party-america-democracy-in-crisis/620839/

 Stating plainly that one of America’s two major parties, the party putatively devoted to advancing the ideas and ideals of conservatism, has now fallen into autocratic disrepute is unnerving for a magazine committed to being, in the words of our founding manifesto, “of no party or clique.” Criticism of the Republican Party does not suggest an axiomatic endorsement of the Democratic Party, its leaders and policies. Substantive, even caustic, critiques can of course be made up and down the Democratic line. But avoiding partisan entanglement does not mean that we must turn away from the obvious. The leaders of the Republican Party—the soul-blighted Donald Trump and the satraps and lackeys who abet his nefarious behavior—are attempting to destroy the foundations of American democracy. This must be stated clearly, and repeatedly.

Jordanian doctors jailed for causing deaths of COVID-19 patients

 https://www.jpost.com/middle-east/jordanian-doctors-jailed-for-causing-deaths-of-covid-19-patients-687921

A Jordanian court sentenced five senior health officials to three years in jail on Sunday for causing the death of 10 COVID-19 patients following an oxygen outage in a major state hospital, state media said.

The court found the former director of the state hospital in Salt, a city west of the capital, and four of his senior aides responsible for the deaths, the media said. The patients, who were being treated in the hospital, died in March when staff failed to act after oxygen ran out in a COVID-19 ward for nearly an hour.

The disaster, which politicians and local activists said exposed gross negligence in the state health system during a spike in COVID-19 infections, sparked anti-government protests across many cities and provincial towns.

Parents knowingly sent their child to school after they tested positive for Covid-19. 75 classmates were forced to quarantine

 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/06/us/student-quarantine-covid-school-trnd/index.html

One family's decision to send their child to school after testing positive for Covid-19 resulted in dozens of canceled Thanksgiving plans for other classmates, according to a California school district.

Parents of one elementary student knew their child tested positive for the virus but continued to send them to school for seven days, Dr. Brett Geithman, superintendent of Larkspur-Corte Madera School District in Marin County, told CNN.

The student attends Neil Cummins Elementary School in Corte Madera, about 30 minutes north of San Francisco.

The parents' actions resulted in around 75 classmates being forced to quarantine starting November 19.

Health Min.: Over 40% of new cases diagnosed in young children

 https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/318158

 Israel's Health Ministry on Monday morning revealed that a total of 521 new coronavirus cases were diagnosed throughout Sunday, bringing the number of active cases nationwide to 5,330.

 Of the 153 COVID-19 patients who are hospitalized, 112 are in serious condition, and 75 of them are in critical condition. A full 62 of the patients are intubated, and 23 are hooked up to ECMO (heart and lung) machines.

Missing years (Jewish calendar)

 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_years_(Jewish_calendar)

If traditional dates are assumed to be based on the standard Hebrew calendar, then the differing traditional and modern academic dating of events cannot both be correct. Attempts to reconcile the two systems must show one or both to have errors 

Dr. Andy Goldfinger: Quantum Theory and G-d

Israel's first liberal rabbi MK swims against Orthodox tide

 https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r1mjew5ky

The first liberal rabbi in the Knesset, Gilad Kariv from the Labor party, has his sights set on ending the monopoly of the ultra-Orthodox on many aspects of everyday life in the Jewish state.

 

Right wing builds its own echo chamber

 https://www.axios.com/conservative-social-media-crypto-publishing-internet-56a77cbd-89c6-480a-a8a4-6092b7eea481.html

Conservatives are aggressively building their own apps, phones, cryptocurrencies and publishing houses in an attempt to circumvent what they see as an increasingly liberal internet and media ecosystem.

The bottom line: Conservative media has been a powerhouse for a long time, but this phase of its expansion isn't just about more or louder conservative voices — it's about building an entire conservative ecosystem.

Margaux Pinot: 'I thought I was dead,' says French judoka as partner released over domestic violence accusations

 https://edition.cnn.com/2021/12/04/football/margaux-pinot-judo-domestic-violence-spt-intl/index.html

 Violence against women in France has risen to the fore in public debates in recent year​s, with much media attention focused on the dozens of women killed by their partners each year. ​

In 2020, security forces reported 159,400 victims of domestic violence committed by partners (or former partners), according to the country's interior ministry, an annual increase of 10% that includes 139,200 women.

Corruption in the Austrian Justice System

 https://www.facebook.com/derStandardat/posts/judges-last-waltz-in-vienna-corruption-in-the-austrian-justice-systemby-ken-came/10156978757671963/

This story was referred to the leading Jewish newspapers in the UK during 2018, The Jewish Chronicle, Jewish News and Jewish Telegraph, all of which have covered the Beth Alexander case in the past. Their editors declined to publish.

In March 2018, an earlier version of this story was handed in person to Austria's four Appeal Court presidents, Manfred Scaria, Klaus Schröder, Gerhard Jelinek and Katharina Lehmayer. The office of Manfred Scaria (Linz) responded but the others failed to make any coherent reply. It is unknown whether these judges intiated action against Thau or Göttlicher but in the context of Austrian judicial culture, assumptions may be made. Details were also sent to the State Prosecution Service (WKStA) and the Generalprokurator Dr. Franz Plöchl but no action resulted. This means that there is now no competent authority that can investigate and ensure accountability. Consequently, legal opinion now suggests that Austria has violated the 1955 State Treaty and should be referred to the United Nations as required by the Treaty.

Beth Alexander

 https://www.goodwinsfamilylaw.co.uk/our-team/beth-alexander/

 Beth is our most recent addition to the team, having joined us in November 2020 as a newly qualified solicitor. Beth deals with all aspects of family law; from domestic violence cases to negotiating financial settlement as part of a divorce. She has a particular interest in children proceedings and advises on parental alienation and child arrangement agreements with sensitivity and compassion for those most vulnerable. She helps clients maintain composure and show restraint during what can often be emotionally charged and challenging circumstances.

Beth is a Cambridge graduate with a degree in Oriental Studies and embarked on a second career in law after several years working as an English lecturer at the University of Vienna. She speaks and reads German proficiently including legal documentation. Her expertise includes cross border cases and cases with a foreign jurisdictional element. She has spent time in Washington DC as an assistant to a Member of Congress as well as a contributor to the Washington Post.

Dr. Michael Schlesinger

 https://www-docfinder-at.translate.goog/internist/1020-wien/dr-michael-schlesinger?_x_tr_sl=de&_x_tr_tl=en&_x_tr_hl=en&_x_tr_pto=sc\

 Education: specialist qualifications & additional areas

• Internal Medicine
• General medicine

Eight Reasons Women Stay in Abusive Relationships

 https://ifstudies.org/blog/eight-reasons-women-stay-in-abusive-relationships

5. Children. These women also put their children first, sacrificing their own safety: “I was afraid if he wasn’t beating me he would beat his kids. And I valued their lives more than my own.” And, “I stayed for 20 years while I protected our children, all while I was being abused.” Others mentioned staying to benefit the children: “I wanted my son to have a father.”

6. Family Expectations and Experiences. Many posted descriptions of how past experiences with violence distorted their sense of self or of healthy relationships: “I watched [my dad] beat my mom. Then I found someone just like dad,” or, “Because raised by animals, you partner with wolves.” Some mentioned family and religious pressures: “My mother told me God would disown me if I broke my marriage.”

Kyle Rittenhouse -a Jewish hero?

 https://mishpacha.com/inbox-issue-888/

 I think most frum Jews can agree about the importance of right to self-defense, and the possible ramifications of this verdict in other scenarios. But there’s a fine line between expressing relief that Rittenhouse was acquitted, and actually glorifying him and everything about him — his behavior, his motives, and the totally bizarre loophole that rendered his gun possession legal to begin with.

Am I the only one who thinks that too many people I know have crossed that fine line? Am I the only one who shrinks to hear fine, frum Jews pontificate in defense of a gun-toting teen for all to hear, including their very impressionable teenage sons, neighbors, and nephews?

 Barring any extreme circumstances — of which there are no indications at the moment — it should be clear to every 17-year-old bochur that Kyle Rittenhouse is no hero, and that our bochurim have the opportunity to be heroes in the eyes of their parents and teachers every day, by staying right where they’re supposed to be: behind the walls of home, yeshivah, school, or whatever safe and supervised framework their parents have entrusted them to, and leaving the cops-and-robbers games to the adults.

West Bank security guard injured in ramming attack, terrorist killed

 https://www.jpost.com/israel-news/driver-in-terrorist-attack-at-tanim-crossing-killed-687948

 In light of the uptick in violence in recent weeks, former IDF chief of staff Moshe "Bogie" Ya'alon told 103FM on Monday that "we are in the midst of a new wave of individual terrorism."

"We see similarities between what has been happening in the last two months and the 'individuals' intifada.' There are things in the atmosphere and on the web," said Ya'alon. "The 16-year-old who conducted the ramming attack this morning was 'fueled' on the web with incitement and made a decision."

Parental Alienation

 https://parentalalienationuk.info/

"This is a severe form of emotional-psychological domestic violence perpetrated on both the targeted parent and the victimised child. It is the most brutal and savage form of abuse. The pathology is a shared persecutory delusion (ICD-10 F24) created in the child by the pathological parent who is weaponizing the child into the spousal conflict. Creating a delusional disorder in the child that then destroys their attachment bond to their other parent, which is child psychological abuse (DSM-5 V995.51)."

Dr Craig Childress Clinical Child Psychologist