Thursday, December 29, 2022
NY Governor Hochul vetoes bill meant to keep hasidim out of town
The Rabbinical Alliance of America applauded New York Governor Kathy Hochul for her veto last week of a bill it says is antisemitic in nature.
Hochul vetoed New York State Senate Bill S1810A, known as the Community Preservation Fund for the Town of Chester Bill. It would have allowed Chester in Orange County to establish a "community preservation fund" to purchase open land and prevent the expansion of housing there.
Critics of the bill say its true purpose is to prevent the expansion of the Orthodox Jewish community.
Rabbi Mendy Mirocznik, executive vice president of the RAA, said in a statement that "we appreciate the diligent attention given by Governor Hochul in vetoing this bill which many in the Orthodox community feel was designed to discriminate against the growing Hasidic population in the area. Governor Hochul sent the message that it is unacceptable to enact laws that serve as a tool to discriminate."
In her veto message, Hochul said, "There has been well-documented tension in the town of Chester between local officials and members of a specific population of the Hasidic community which has also resulted in litigation. Similar unease exists in the neighboring area of Blooming Grove. In light of ongoing and historical tensions, it would be inappropriate to sign this legislation at this juncture and I am therefore constrained to veto this bill."
Chester has previously been accused of discriminating against the town's Hasidic community. In 2018, then-Town Supervisor Alex Jamieson was caught on tape saying, "We need to keep the Hasidics out."
The bill's advancement through the legislature came even after a similar bill was vetoed by Governor Andrew Cuomo in November 2019, due to pending litigation.
New York State Attorney General Letitia James filed a lawsuit against the town for violating the Fair Housing Act, and an agreement was reached last year with Chester and Orange County to end the discriminatory practice.
Last year, Hochul vetoed a similar measure regarding Blooming Grove.
"Legislators bear the responsibility to examine, and veto if appropriate, proposed legislation prior to its enactment. They have a moral obligation to ensure that a proposed law will not have a discriminatory impact," the RAA statement said. "The Rabbinical Alliance of America applauds Governor Hochul for stepping in where the legislature failed and preventing the discriminatory Community Preservation Fund for the Town of Chester Bill from becoming law. By doing so, Governor Hochul has averted a law that would have caused friction in the community and enabled interested parties to target the Hasidic community with discriminatory actions."
Agudath Israel, which had requested the veto, tweeted its thanks to Hochul "for listening to our concerns, along with other advocates, and vetoing this bill. We will continue to oppose any and all measures that place artificial barriers on the growth of Orthodox communities in New York State."
0 comments
Wednesday, December 28, 2022
A 700-year-old Jewish holy book was confiscated in Turkey
A copy of the Jewish holy book Torah, which dates back to around 700 years, was seized by provincial gendarmerie teams in Bulancak city of Giresun province, northern Turkey, Anadolu Agency reported.
Acting on a tip about the sale of the manuscript, gendarmerie teams detained a person who wanted to sell the historical relic for 1.5 million dollars. During the interrogation at the Regional Gendarmerie Command, it was learned that the suspect had brought the 700-year-old Torah from Istanbul to Giresun to sell. It is clarified where the accused got the valuable relic. It is believed to have been stolen from a synagogue in Istanbul.
It was reported that the Torah manuscript was handed over to the directorate of the Giresun Museum.
Torah in Hebrew means "teaching", "law". It is a concept in Judaism covering traditional religious law.
In a narrow sense, the Torah corresponds to the Pentateuch, the first five books of the Bible. Besides these, Rabbinical Judaism refers to the Torah and the Oral Law, considered a tradition with the authority and antiquity of the Pentateuch, which, however, for centuries was transmitted only orally from generation to generation, while it was fixed in the written texts of the Talmud and Midrash.
0 comments
Tuesday, December 27, 2022
Ethnic Studies school administrator argued some Jewish Americans have 'control of systemic power'
An Ethnic Studies school administrator argued that White, Jewish people benefit from systems of oppression that disenfranchise all people of color, according to communications FOIA'd by Parents Defending Education.
When asked whether the Jewish community was included in development of Seattle Public Schools' (SPS) Ethnic Studies program, program manager Tracy Castro-Gill explained that because the program takes "an intersectional approach to evert aspect of identity… input from people and communities of color has been prioritized."
PDE filed a public records request to obtain Castro-Gill's emails containing the terms "Jewish," "Judaism," and "antisemitism" from September 1, 2018, to June 30, 2020.
Castro-Gill worked as SPS's Ethnic Studies program manager from September 2018 to June 2020, when the district released its controversial ethnic studies framework. Castro-Gill is now the executive director of the advocacy organization Washington Ethnic Studies Now (WESN).
Castro-Gill explained that "Judaism would not be a central topic in an ethnic studies program" because "data show that Jewish Americans benefit from current systems of power and, for the most part, have access to and control of systemic power" and "Jewish history of oppression and resistance is a major focus in the current Eurocentric narratives of history."
She linked to a 2016 article from The Atlantic entitled, "Are Jews White?" to support her argument.
"In studying Judaism, we would be interested in centering Jewish people of color and how their religious, ethnic, and racial identities intersect," Castro-Gill wrote in an email. "We could also critically analyze how white Jewish people benefit from systems of oppression that disenfranchise all people of color."
0 comments
Tuesday, December 20, 2022
Federal lawsuit alleges Town of Forestburgh discriminates against Hasidic Jews
The owners of 3.3 square miles of land in the Town of Forestburgh have filed a federal lawsuit against the town and its officials claiming they are being blocked from constructing homes on the property because of their religious beliefs.
Steven Barshov, a co-counsel for the property owners, Lost Lake Holdings LLC and Mishconos Mazah LLC, said the town opposition comes down to an effort to block religious Jews from moving into the town.
"There is no mystery. The owners of the property are Hasidic Jewish and the allegations in the complaint go into great detail as to why it is the result of anti-Semitism," he said.
The previous owners of the property had received town board approval to construct over 2,600 units of single-family, condominium, townhouse and cottage units along with recreational and community amenities and a golf course.
The current owners maintain their rights under the State and US Constitution are being violated by the town blocking the approvals to build.
0 comments
Friday, December 16, 2022
Satmar Grand Rebbe visits convicted sexual abuser Nechemya Weberman in prison
The Satmar "Grand Rebbe" Zalman Teitelbaum paid a visit to convicted sexual abuser Nechemya Weberman in prison last month, according to a Yiddish-language newspaper serving the Satmar Hasidic community that has published a series of favorable articles about the former therapist convicted of sexually abusing an adolescent girl starting from when the victim was 12 years old.
The visit, and the weekly series of articles in Kiryas Joel Vochenshrift, have riled advocates for sexual abuse victims in the Hasidic community. They say the community's leadership has a pattern of downplaying abuse charges and in this case convictions, further traumatizing the victims.
A sexual abuse survivor who lives in Kiryas Joel, the Orange County, New York seat of Zalman Teitelbaum's Satmar faction, told the New York Jewish Week that abuse victims like her feel they are "being stabbed" when they see support for accused abusers in the Hasidic media and among their leaders.
"It's retraumatizing victims," said the survivor, who asked not to be named for reasons of privacy and safety. "It's being stabbed every week, again and again, and knowing that if you're ever going to open your mouth you're going to be kicked out."
The woman said that other survivors within the community told her "that they are not going to come forward so quick again because they see this every week."
"It's the most horrific thing," the source said. "I am reliving all the hell that I've gone through. They are taking a molester, who did the worst thing, and they are promoting him, and calling him holy."
The newspaper serves the faction of the Satmar community that is loyal to Zalman Teitelbaum. It published an article about his visit on Nov. 11.
A weekly series sympathetic to Weberman has been running since August. The articles are written accounts from organized visits to Weberman's jail cell by members of the community, including prominent rabbis. They include letters from Weberman himself and letters from people in the community to him.
"They say he's wrongfully accused," Shulim Leifer, a member of the Hasidic community who has read the articles, told the New York Jewish Week. "It's written in a sense that it's a foregone conclusion, that it's a lynching that he went through."
Accrding to the article about Teitelbaum's visit, the rabbi spent over an hour with Weberman and "offered words of faith and belief in God" while the convicted sexual abuser was at Rikers Island for an appeal, the article said. Weberman is now at Shawangunk Prison in upstate New York. "Thanks to Hashem, after much advocacy, we did manage to prevail and we managed to get a visit from the [Grand Rebbe] who was able to come into the dark walls," the article reported.
The United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg and North Brooklyn, whose leaders act as spokespeople for Teitelbaum, declined a request from the New York Jewish Week for comment.
The articles are written by Rabbi Abraham Yehoshua Fraynd. Neither Fraynd nor the newspaper responded to a request for comment.
Weberman, was an unlicensed therapist who served the fervently Orthodox Satmar community, was 54 when he was convicted in 2012 of sexually abusing a young woman over the course of three years beginning in 2007. He was given a 103-year sentence in 2013, close to the maximum permitted by law.
The victim spent 15 hours on the witness stand recalling how she had been repeatedly raped and forced to perform oral sex in Weberman's counseling office, where she had been sent because of her alleged immodest dress and rebellious behavior.
Many members of the Satmar community stood behind Weberman, who had served as the driver for the late Grand Rebbe Moses Teitelbaum, the father of Zalman Teitelbaum and his brother Aaron, who now lead rival factions of the Hasidic movement. Aaron Teitelbaum went so far as to suggest that Weberman's accuser was "a zona," which translates to "whore." The victim claimed that after going to the district attorney, she received both bribes and threats in an attempt to convince her not to testify. The Hasidic community has long discouraged members from going to outside law enforcement, a practice long decried by advocates for victims of sexual abuse and other crimes.
In an article published Dec. 6, Weberman is quoted saying that his prison trial was "a mesira," an act in which one Jew informs on another in contravention of Jewish law.
"Yes it's true that there was a jury trial," Weberman said in the piece. "It's true in the course of nature, you can expect to get a prison term from a jury in such a case, but I got something that's over 100 years. And that is something that's outside of the ordinary."Weberman then laments that he doesn't have a way to advocate for himself while stuck behind bars."I've been trying to appeal three or four times, that's not normal," Weberman said. "What am I left to believe? Am I supposed to believe that I'm never getting out of here? No."
In another article, Weberman said, "I've accepted that God put me through this for reasons that I can't understand.""Even though I'm wrongfully accused, I think one day, I'll be out," Weberman said.
Throughout many of the articles, Weberman is called many honorific names, including "a tremendous Hasid" and "shlita," an acronym reserved for revered members of the community.
Leifer said that there are sexual abuse survivors within the community who are "beside themselves and disturbed by how this guy is lionized and idolized."
"Sex abuse victims feel hurt and betrayed by this behavior," Leifer said. "There is sort of a widespread undercurrent in the haredi community that we don't do a good job with sex abuse, in terms of exposing it, preventing it, or helping victims."
A Hasidic community member in Williamsburg who is close with the Weberman family told the New York Jewish Week that "no one really knows what happened behind closed doors," referring to the abuse charges."It's a pity that he's been in jail already for such a long time," the community member said.
The source added that Weberman, 64, is now "an old, broken man, with a family who suffers.""The community felt like he didn't have a fair trial," the source said. "If it really happened, he's no longer a threat, that's for sure."
The source also said that according to Weberman's family, the convicted felon is being kept in "inhumane" conditions. "There's no air conditioning, no heat, no TV, it's freezing," the source said. "I'm not sure why we are not allowed to give a voice to someone who is inhumanely treated."
0 comments
Wednesday, December 14, 2022
‘Defamatory’ NYT must stop attacking Hasidic community, say Orthodox Jewish leaders
Orthodox Jewish organizations and community leaders are speaking out after a recent New York Times article charged that Hasidic children are the victims of a subpar educational system, a theme that's been repeatedly pushed by the outlet in the last few months.
Critics slammed the report for its grim description of Orthodox Jewish life, along with photographs that portray the community's schools as bleak and depressing, charging that the article is ill-timed considering an unprecedented uptick in antisemitic attacks across the U.S. and in New York City.
"This marks nearly a dozen articles spewed by the Times in the past three months – all defaming and misrepresenting our community," said Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization Agudath Israel in a press statement on Tuesday.
The group said that the Times has "consistently shunned any narrative that does not portray the Orthodox community as backward, societal leeches, controlled and persecuted by their own religion."
They noted that the photographs of children accompanying the article had "sullen faces" and appeared to be chosen to "further this narrative."
"At a time of rising, alarming antisemitism, from celebrity statements to thuggish attacks in the streets, the New York Times is investing significant resources to contribute to an atmosphere of hate against those most identifiably Jewish," the statement continued.
"Make no mistake, our fears are real. We call upon good people of all persuasions to register their outrage and repudiation to the New York Times' targeted smear campaign against Orthodox Jews.
The Times article, titled Why Some Hasidic Children Can't Leave Failing Schools, featured the personal story of a divorced woman who was not allowed to withdraw her son from a particular Orthodox school and enroll him in a different educational institution that has a greater emphasis on secular studies.
The woman had signed a divorce agreement agreeing that her children would receive a religiously-focused education in line with her family's Hasidic stream, but the Times presented this caveat as a violation of the mother and child's rights.
Jason Greenblatt, a former envoy to the Middle East for the Trump administration, wrote on his Twitter account that the Times article was an "attack."
The Times "seeks to tear down religious communities" and intentionally ignores the Hasidic community's "highly positive aspects," Greenblatt wrote.
He added that the description of Orthodox Jewry was "derisive" and "offensive," and urged the Times to stop "painting [the] Hasidic" community as "backwards" and "valueless."
0 comments
Tuesday, December 13, 2022
Agudah Accusing NY Times of Defamation in Case Involving Custody Dispute, Hasidic Schools
"At a time of rising antisemitism––from celebrity statements to attacks in the streets––the NY Times is investing significant resources to contribute to an atmosphere of hate against those most identifiably Jewish," Agudath Israel of America tweeted early Tuesday morning.
Agudath Israel then issued the following response to what it called the "latest NYT attack on the Orthodox Jewish community."
The angry message came in response to a Monday NY Times article titled, "Why Some Hasidic Children Can't Leave Failing Schools," with the sub-headline, "Parents who try to withdraw their children from yeshivas over a lack of secular education often cannot do so, hampered by social pressure and a rabbinical court system."
Here's the opener, which, like any good opener, tells the whole story:
Beatrice Weber wakes up most mornings afraid that her son's Hasidic Jewish school is setting him up to fail. Her 10-year-old, Aaron, brims with curiosity, and has told his mother that he wants to work for NASA. But his school, like other Hasidic boys' schools in New York, teaches only cursory English and math and little science or social studies. It focuses instead on imparting the values of the fervently religious Hasidic community, which speaks Yiddish rather than English, and places the study of Jewish law and prayer above all else. Recently, Ms. Weber said, Aaron's teacher told him that the planets revolve around the Earth.
But when Ms. Weber, a divorced mother of 10, tried to withdraw Aaron from his religious school, called a yeshiva, and enroll him in another one with stronger secular studies, she found that she could not do it. She had signed away that right in a divorce agreement drawn up by Hasidic leaders.
Here's the thing, though: the Times article features Beatrice Weber's picture, which we, as an Orthodox family paper cannot post, even if we could get permission from the paper. Like the second amendment to the constitution, Ms. Weber bears arms and a flash of knees. So, why did she enroll little Aaron in a Hasidic school if this is her choice of dress? Is there a story there? You bet.
Beatrice Weber is a "Chozer B'She'ela," a formerly Orthodox person who charted the reverse path of a "Chozer B'Tshuva," a returnee to Jewish practice. She told the Times that she had had it with Jewish tradition when "she had a miscarriage over the Sabbath. She said her husband refused to call the doctor until the holiday was over. Ms. Weber, dizzy and bleeding heavily, dialed the number herself."
Seriously? Did they fire all the fact checkers over on 46th Street? One phone call to an Orthodox rabbi, any Orthodox rabbi, would have debunked this claim. The rule of "pikuach nefesh do'che Shabbat" – saving a life is more important than observing Shabbat – is so basic, most secular Jews are aware of it. Did the writer, Eliza Shapiro, not know it? Of course, she does, but she left the anecdote unchallenged because, as the Agudah folks have noted, she and her paper have an agenda, and it ain't truthful reporting.
What we have here, even according to the Times report, is not a backward Hasidic school that refuses to allow a mother to pull her kid out so he can become a NASA engineer, but a custody dispute between a mother whose picture we can't post and the father, who remained an observant Jew. I have no idea who is right in this dispute, how could I, but I do know the Williamsburg yeshiva that called Aaron's father to verify whether he, too, wanted the boy to study elsewhere, acted according to the law, not only Jewish but NY State law, too.
In response, according to the Times, "she filed a complaint with the state Education Department in 2019, accusing Aaron's school, Yeshiva Mesivta Arugath Habosem in Williamsburg, Brooklyn, of breaking the law by not offering an adequate secular education."
I don't recommend reading the full article, although, if you have a subscription, go for it. I consider myself a liberal Orthodox Jew, and I certainly did not send my child to a Hasidic school. But I couldn't help siding with the Hasidim and Agudah in this story because of the biased reporting.
0 comments
Monday, December 12, 2022
New York leaders speak about safety for Jewish communities
Federal, state and city leaders spoke out against antisemitism Monday at a Manhattan synagogue.
The event focused on combatting hate and enhancing security in Jewish communities.
Gov. Kathy Hochul and Mayor Eric Adams were among the speakers, along with Sen. Chuck Schumer.
"When antisemitism rears its head and reaches the horrible levels we have seen, if we don't speak out, it grows deeper and deeper," Schumer said. "Blame the Jew has always been the scapegoat for those who are anguished about other things."
The Orthodox Union, which represents Orthodox Jewish congregations, organized the event at Lincoln Square Synagogue on the Upper West Side.
0 comments
Friday, December 09, 2022
Yep, Manischewitz introducing ‘Crypto Gelt’
Just months after releasing its "gefilte dogs" for July 4th, our good friends at Manischewitz are at it again this holiday season, launching a brand-new product that will forever change Hanukkah for the better. Introducing Manischewitz Crypto Gelt: the most revolutionary innovation in the field of Hanukkah since the introduction of the dreidel itself!
It's 2022, after all, traditional coins are a relic of the past with most often found in between couch cushions, or in your car. The time is right to trade in your traditional chocolate coins for Manischewitz Crypto Gelt – sure to be the smartest (and tastiest!) crypto investment in your portfolio.
According to Manischewitz, Crypto Gelt is the very first edible chocolate "crypto" coin for the entire family to devour, collect, share and trade this holiday season. Like the cryptocurrencies that have taken over the digital economy, Manischewitz Crypto Gelt is sure to be the talk of every dreidel game this Hanukkah season and beyond.
But fear not – unlike traditional cryptocurrencies, such as Bitcoin and Ethereum, which are completely digital, usually without physical form– Manischewitz Crypto Gelt is made from the tastiest milk chocolate you'll ever lay your hands on, in packaging that mirrors the most well-known logos of popular cryptocurrency. Wrapped in gold, Manischewitz Crypto Gelt can be easily identified by their resemblance to real gold coins, with a stylized "M" (for Manischewitz, of course!) with vertical strokes from the dollar sign incorporated above and below to exude a visual nod to the dollar sign.
0 comments
Thursday, December 08, 2022
Indicted for a threat against Manhattan Jews and then released
Some Upper West Side residents are upset that a man indicted on charges related to a threat to attack the Jewish community in Manhattan remains free on bail following a court appearance Wednesday. He is living in his family's apartment in the neighborhood.
Matthew Mahrer, 22, was arrested alongside Christopher Brown on Nov. 18 in Penn Station. The two were reportedly in possession of a firearm, bulletproof vest and swastika armband at the time.
Both men were indicted on conspiracy and weapons charges and both pleaded innocent. Brown has been in jail since the arrest. Mahrer's family posted $150,000 bail. His attorney, Brandon Freycinet, said in court Wednesday that Mahrer is Jewish, the grandson of a Holocaust survivor, has autism and would not attack his own people, according to news reports.
While an assistant district attorney argued that Mahrer should be taken back into custody, citing the weapons found at the time of the arrest, Mahrer's defense attorney replied that the existence of this evidence was known when the court set his bail.
Manhattan state Supreme Court Judge Neil Ross agreed to let Mahrer remain free on bail.
Brown had posted a number of ominous statements about murder to Twitter in the days leading up to his arrest, according to the indictment, and alleged that Mahrer had traveled to Pennsylvania to illegally buy a firearm.
At the time of the arrests, Mayor Eric Adams said the two had posed "a real threat" to the Jewish community.
Sheldon Fine, the vice chair of the Council of Orthodox Jewish Organizations of the West Side and former president of the West Side Jewish Community Council, said Mahrer is "not a person who should be back in the community."
"The safety of the community doesn't seem to be a concern," added Fine, who was in court for the proceeding. "If he acts on any of his issues in any way, it could be a danger to other people or God forbid, murder. On the other hand, people may be frightened and react badly to him."
He noted that a synagogue is located within close proximity to the apartment where Mahrer lives.
0 comments
Wednesday, December 07, 2022
YE WANTS JEWISH PEOPLE TO FORGIVE HITLER
In Kanye West's latest string of downright awful decisions, the Donda rapper wants "Jewish people to forgive Hitler."
Days after his appearance on the Alex Jones show in which he pleaded for others to see the good in the man responsible for mass genocide, West sat down with the Proud Boys founder Gavin McInnes to spew more of his nonsensical anti-Semitic rhetoric.
Wearing his usual all-over face mask, West went on a rampage, blaming the Jewish community for the proliferation of pornography, ignoring the allegations that he used sexually explicit videos to bully his staff. The Chicago native stated, "that there is a collusion of Jewish attorneys and managers who "give America porn." Doubling down on his disgusting philosophy, Ye turned his attack towards women, claiming that anyone over the age of 30 "showing their body" and freezing their eggs are only doing so because they haven't "lived the dream of having a husband and kids."
West's selective amnesia must be kicking in as his ex-wife Kim Kardashian was 33 when she gave birth to their daughter North West.
It seems as though West is truly living in his own reality as he claims the latest media uproar about his behavior is only fueling his 2024 presidential campaign, asserting that he wouldn't be opposed to working with a Jewish person under one condition — "Jews should work for Christians. I'll hire a Jewish person in a second if I knew they weren't a spy and I could look through their phone," adding that "the rules of the country will be based on the bible."
0 comments
Monday, December 05, 2022
Jewish Father and Son Shot With BB Gun in Staten Island
A visibly Jewish father and son were shot from a car with a BB gun in Staten Island, according to Shomrim.
The 8 year old boy and his father, 32, were standing outside Kosher Island supermarket, at 2212 Victory Boulevard in the Meiers Corners area, on Sunday afternoon at around 4:30PM, when a black Mustang with Pennsylvania plates drove up and fired multiple shots, striking both father and son.
Shomrim gathered surveillance footage from the area and are working with NYPD to investigate.
Neither of the victims required medical treatment. The NYPD is treating the incident as a hate crime, in line with many such incidents in recent months, involving BB and gel gun shootings of visibly Jewish people.
0 comments
Friday, December 02, 2022
Black Man Awarded $4.5 Million After He Was Attacked By Religious Patrol Group
A Brooklyn man who was savagely beaten by members of a Hasidic safety patrol in 2013 has been awarded $4.5 million in the case.
The victim, Taj Patterson, who is Black and gay, was just 22 years old when he was walking home from a friend's birthday celebration around 4:30 a.m. near Flushing Avenue on December 1st, 2013. Unprovoked, about ten Hasidic safety patrol members began beating him, calling him the "f-word" during their assault. Apparently, the members received a call earlier about a Black person vandalizing vehicles in Williamsburg. Patterson believes the group targeted the first Black person they saw.
0 comments
