Sincere condolences for Tom Kaplan

There is one major player in this whole scandal who probably suffered the most and is getting the least sympathy and support - that is EFJ backer Tom Kaplan. EFJ was not a power trip or  desire to play moshiach on the part of Tom Kaplan - it was a genuine idealistic attempt to do good. He wants to help preserve and save Judaism for the same noble reason that he wants to preserve nature. He is not an Orthodox Jew and yet he intuitively felt that the cause of Jewish identity is necessary and the energy and spirit he vicariously felt was invigorating and pure.

He has been badly betrayed by Tropper. Eternal Jewish Family was a massive project that he not only invested millions of dollars in it but personally attended the conventions, went to meet gedolim and he took genuine pride in being part of this movement. He also made decisions which showed that he understood the reality of the Jewish people better than his rabbinic adivsors.

What does he have now? Tropper schemed to be his sole connection to the Orthodox world as a teacher, guide and friend. He really has no alternative interface with the Orthodox world. It is likely that he will be bowing out of the picture financially and with his personal involvement. That is really a shame. His instincts were right about the need for preserving Judaism - but the vehicle he chose was deeply flawed.

Hopefully - he will find a way to continue his commitment to the Jewish people as he has in the past and he won't walk away in disgust with the garbage  that has been thrown on him. I just would like to personally thank him for what he tried doing.

Ezekiel 8: Our case against R Tropper

We are Ezekiel 8:Groups 12/13.

Question: Given the paucity of evidence - how would you defend Rabbi Tropper

Answer: Alleged paucity of publicly exposed evidence, that should be.

Tropper was advised to immediately retain an attorney for his defence-from/attack-against the allegedly 'vile' and 'defamatory' statements.

He could not and would not do so, because he knows only the tip of the iceburg is out there, he knows that the only reason we have refrained from splashing the whole fetid mess out into the 'velt' is reasons of tzniut and avoidance of chillul Hashem.

The only reason this much is exposed is due to the disgusting, filth-enabling erevRav misLeaders y"sh, who were approached and begged to merely demand the removal of Tropper and his wretched 'organisations' from our midst, and instead chose to follow their wallets, positions and 'glory' in most dispicable ways and means.

All of the uncensored evidence is admissible.

Every mitnaged to Troppers ouster, every defender and enabler of the abomination, has a clear motive which we have documented admissible proof of.

A logical one with common sense knows where this will lead, to whom and with what results. B'Ezrat Hashem Yitbarach:

We are not posting exagerations, defamations, slanders or falsehoods.

We are Ezekiel 8:Groups 12/13.

A fuller release will be posted in the comments sections of all serious blogs within 24 hours.

bobX@anonymousspeech.com

The case for Rabbi Tropper's defense

I would like to remind everyone that the established facts in this case are few and no way validate the wild accusations - as of yet. While there seems to be alot of creative negative thinking regarding this matter. I would like to turn your collect imaginations, talents and energies to understand the defense of Rabbi Tropper. This is not a pious exercise but rather one that any prosecuting attorney needs to engage in to understand his case.

Let me state the bare bone facts. A series of audio tapes and a fuzzy grainy video of some unidentifiable people have been circulating the Internet. THE RECORDINGS HAVE NOT BEEN VERIFIED AS BEING RABBI TROPPER. No matter how much people want to believe it is - the evidence would not hold up in a court of law - as it stands now. Perhaps there is a way of verifying it electronically but that has not been done. The only other unquestionable fact is at the time these recordings appeared - Rabbi Tropper resigned form EJF. This resignation was publicized on his own website as simply a career change - not a disgraceful firing. His distinguished colleagues expressed regret over his departure. The other fact of importance is that Rabbi Tropper has an opponent - the billionaire Guma Aguiar - whom he claims has threatened his life and he feels is out to destroy him. In fact there is a Florida court order against Guma not to come physically close to Rabbi Tropper.

Given the paucity of evidence - how would you defend Rabbi Tropper from the vile accusations which are circulating the Internet? Or put in a more practical manner, how would a decent attorney hired by Rabbi Tropper word a lawsuit against those who are saying these defamatory accusations?

I would like to remind everyone that the established facts in this case are few and no way validate the wild accusations - as of yet. While there seems to be alot of creative negative thinking regarding this matter. I would like to turn your collect imaginations, talents and energies to understand the defense of Rabbi Tropper. This is not a pious exercise but rather one that any prosecutoring attorney needs to engage in to understand his case.

Let me state the bare bone facts. A series of audio tapes and a fuzzy grainy video of some unidentifiable people have been circulating the Internet. THE RECORDINGS HAVE NOT BEEN VERIFIED AS BEING RABBI TROPPER. No matter how much people want to believe it is - the evidence would not hold up in a court of law - as it stands now. Perhaps there is a way of verifying it electronically but that has not been done. The only other unquestionable fact is at the time these recordings appeared - Rabbi Tropper resigned form EJF. This resignation was publicized on his own website as simply a career change - not a disgraceful firing. His distinguished colleagues expressed regret over his departure. The other fact of importance is that Rabbi Tropper has an opponent -the billionair Guma Aguiar - whom he claims has threatened his life and he feels is out to destroy him. In fact there is a Florida court order against Guma to come physically close to Rabbi Tropper.

Given the paucity of evidence - how would you defend Rabbi Tropper from the vile accusations which are circulating the Internet? Or put in a more practical manner, how would a decent attorney hired by Rabbi Tropper word a lawsuit against those who are saying these defamatory accusations?

Radioactive Disclosure

NYTimes

I must undergo radioactive-iodine therapy to treat thyroid cancer. Because I have children at home, I am considering staying at a hotel for several days after the treatment to avoid having to sanitize the bathrooms, kitchen, etc., in my home every day at a time when I will not be feeling well. My plan would be to refuse housekeeping services, stay in my room for the entire stay and follow the guidelines for limiting contamination. Must I disclose my radioactive status to the hotel? C.M., NEW JERSEY [...]

Tropper scandal reaches the media

Jewish Week

An influential ultra-Orthodox rabbi who supervises conversions has stepped down abruptly from the organization he has led for about five years.

Rabbi Leib Tropper resigned this week as head of Eternal Jewish Family, the Monsey-based conversion group he founded. In an official EJF press release issued late Monday, two days after Rabbi Tropper's resignation took effect, the rabbi cited a desire to pursue "a variety of other interests.[...]

R' Tropper teaches the dangers of lashon horah

NYTimes January 31, 1999

Adding a piquant note is that this project was organized by Susan Blond, a press agent for rock stars and rap artists whose very job is to place items in gossip columns (and who had more than 15 minutes of fame herself as a pal of Andy Warhol).

On her desk in the West 57th Street building is a small white sign that looks like a no-smoking request, but on closer inspection turns out to say, ''Thank you for not speaking loshon hora,'' which is Hebrew for ''evil words'' or ''forbidden speech.''

The sign was a gift from Ms. Blond's brother-in-law, Rabbi Leib Tropper, who is the guiding spirit and teacher of the group. The rabbi runs a lecture program about Jewish values for college students, as well as the Kol Yakov Torah Center, a yeshiva in the Orthodox community of Monsey, N.Y. But much of his time is devoted to studying the Torah with small groups or individuals, most of whom are not strictly observant.

The class that discusses the evils of gossip is the largest of these groups. On a recent Tuesday it drew about a dozen regular participants of various ages, most of them Jewish, including a lawyer, a psychotherapist, a movie producer, an opera singer, a nutrition consultant, a writer and two young women who work at a big advertising agency.[...]