Shlomo Ettlinger
MONSEY — Concerned about drug use in the Orthodox Jewish
community, more than 130 people have signed a petition urging Rockland
prosecutors to take a hard line against a Monsey man charged with selling
drugs.
The petition organized on the website change.org calls for
prison time for Shlomo Ettlinger as a deterrent. The petition features a photo
of Ettlinger and is signed by local residents and a dozen Orthodox rabbis,
including those from the Rabbinical Council of America and the Orthodox Jewish
Union.
Ettlinger, a member of the Nanach Breslov Hasidim, was
charged in April with possessing two pounds of marijuana, 370 grams of hashish
oil, a .357-calber Smith & Wesson with ammunition and $2,000 cash. The
Ramapo police investigation led to the arrest of five people on minor
possession charges involving the purchase of marijuana after a party at
Ettlinger’s house on Blauvelt Road.
District Attorney Thomas Zugibe, who gets email updates on
petition-signers, said the petition will not influence how the case will be
prosecuted.
“We take all these cases very seriously, especially when the
allegations include drugs and young people,” Zugibe said. “We consider multiple
factors when assessing a case, but a petition is not one of them. This case
will be considered on the merits.”
Ettlinger, an ordained rabbi, does not have a criminal
record.
He has pleaded not guilty to felony counts of second-degree
criminal possession of marijuana and fifth-degree criminal possession of a
controlled substance.
He also was charged with a misdemeanor count of
fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. The unlicensed gun, with
ammunition in a bag, was found in his home.
Ettlinger could not be reached for comment. He is scheduled
to appear in Ramapo Justice Court on July 9.
The larger concern for the petition-signers is drugs in the
community.
Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz said the Orthodox Jewish community is
not immune to drug use and other negative behavior. As founder of Yeshiva
Darchei Noam and Center for Jewish Family Life in Monsey, Horowitz works with
families and has several secular videos out on raising children and dealing
with social issues.
“One of the drawbacks of our community, is people have a
false sense of security,” Horowitz said. “People believe the insular nature of
our community — and the beautiful components of strict family life — makes us
exempt from world problems. We’re not. These are human issues and it only
becomes a problem if we ignore it.
“The tendency is to circle the wagons,” he said. “We have to
deal with these issues, whether its substance abuse or child abuse.”
There is a growing push to speak out against drug dealing in
the community.
Ramapo Detective Sgt. Lynch said community complaints led to
two months of surveillance of Ettlinger’s home at 61 Blauvelt Rd. He said five
people were arrested on marijuana possession charges before Ettlinger’s arrest.
Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, who signed the petition, wrote:
"Any person - Jew or non-Jew - who sells illicit substances to anyone
should be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law, and if convicted,
sentenced to prison. Those who posit that Jewish law can be used to protect
such miscreants know little about Jewish law, about life and about morality.”
The Orthodox Union and the Rabbinical Council of America
issued a statement reaffirming that “anyone with firsthand knowledge or
reasonable basis to suspect child abuse or endangerment, or the sale of illegal
drugs, has a religious obligation to promptly share that information with
secular law enforcement.”
Yossi Gestetner, a political commentator and community
spokesman, said any drug problem in the Orthodox Jewish community is very
limited, saying the community’s focus on family and discipline helps people
make positive decisions.
“Are there people in the community, youngsters who are
confused without jobs, absolutely,” Gestetner said. “Anyone who says it’s
widespread, that’s an exaggeration.”
By Steve Lieberman - Lohud
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