Jewish Star
With the public revelation of Orthodox conversion guru Rabbi Leib Tropper as a caught-on-tape predator, the Orthodox Jewish community is grappling with a sexual scandal of Madoffian proportion.[...]
Thursday, December 24, 2009
Jewish Star: Tropper scandal affects conversions
Jewish Star
With the public revelation of Orthodox conversion guru Rabbi Leib Tropper as a caught-on-tape predator, the Orthodox Jewish community is grappling with a sexual scandal of Madoffian proportion.[...]
Forward reports Tropper scandal & apology
Forward.
A key proponent of the successful campaign for stricter conversions in Israel and around the world has resigned from a senior post, and has not denied rumors of a conversion scandal of his own.
Rabbi Leib Tropper, a founder of the hard-line conversion group Eternal Jewish Family (EJF), announced that he had stepped down as its leader when allegations surfaced in news outlets that he had engaged in sexual misconduct with a woman while guiding her conversion. Tropper was among those responsible for major policy changes by the Israeli rabbinate that sparked a worldwide tightening of conversion regulations.
In a statement issued December 23 to the Forward, Tropper's representatives said he "wishes to express his regret for the turmoil caused by his departure… and for what has appeared to be conduct not within our significant laws of modesty." [...]
Rabbinical courts can annul conversion
JPost
Rabbinical courts have the legal authority to retroactively annul conversions to Judaism years and even decades after they were performed, even if the conversion was performed under the aegis of the Chief Rabbinate, according to a legal opinion by attorney Rabbi Shimon Ya'acobi, the legal adviser to the Rabbinical Court Administration, that was released to the press Wednesday.
Ya'acobi also argues that city rabbis have the right to question the Jewishness of converts to Judaism who come before them to be registered for marriage.
Ya'acobi's legal opinion is nothing short of a bombshell in the ongoing battle over the Jewishness of thousands of converts who converted under the aegis of the state-funded National Conversion Authority and conversion courts in the IDF.
Rabbinical courts have the legal authority to retroactively annul conversions to Judaism years and even decades after they were performed, even if the conversion was performed under the aegis of the Chief Rabbinate, according to a legal opinion by attorney Rabbi Shimon Ya'acobi, the legal adviser to the Rabbinical Court Administration, that was released to the press Wednesday.
Ya'acobi also argues that city rabbis have the right to question the Jewishness of converts to Judaism who come before them to be registered for marriage.
Ya'acobi's legal opinion is nothing short of a bombshell in the ongoing battle over the Jewishness of thousands of converts who converted under the aegis of the state-funded National Conversion Authority and conversion courts in the IDF.
Wednesday, December 23, 2009
Tropper is back - organizing his Maimonides Retreat program December 23-30.
[[A number of commentaters have stated that this program was canceled a few days ago. However I was told today that the program is still functioning. I just sent an email to Horizons and asked them to inform me whether the programs is on or off. I'll post there response here
Either way everyone agrees that Tropper was planning on running the program despite the scandal,
================================================
Contrary to those who claim that Tropper is finished, he has been busy organizing his Maimonides Retreat progam this week in Monsey.
Horizons
Recognizing the potential of exciting campus programs like Maimonides and Heritage Scholars to attract students with a genuine interest in Jewish learning, we've created a second tier of programming. The goal: to provide young men [we hope to develop a program for women as interest grows] with the opportunity to deepen their exploration of the vibrancy and intellectual stimulation of classical Judaism in a fun and enriching atmosphere.
Sample Schedule
7:30 – 8:30 Shacharis (optional)
8:45 – 9:30 Continental breakfast
9:30 – 10:30 Session I
"Shmuess" — Between Man and His Fellow
R' Leib Tropper's passion for the importance of character development is contagious, and the centrality of "being a mensch" to the Torah worldview is his leitmotif. His delivery, which blends a lucid and jargon-free elucidation of traditional sources with his expansive reading in modern psychology and philosophy, has captivated the minds and hearts of three generations of American youth.
Understanding Tropper's crimes & that of EJF
Rabbi Yair Hoffman has published a series of articles which cogently reveal the real issues connected with the Tropper scandal and also how EJF is endangering Jewish society. (There is another link I added today which talks about EJF's unpleasant consequences on geirim.)
http://www.vosizneias.com/45283/2009/12/21/new-york-editorial-about-the-current-ejf-scandal
http://www.5tjt.com/news/read.asp?Id=5350
http://www.5tjt.com/news/read.asp?Id=5390
http://www.vosizneias.com/45420/2009/12/23/new-york-geirus-re-examined-the-other-elephant-in-the-room-that-no-one-is-talking-about
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