Holland Jews welcome king with prayer

Together with millions of Dutch people celebrating the coronation of Willem-Alexander as Holland’s new king on Tuesday, the nation’s Jews celebrated this historic day in their own way – with a special prayer and an ancient traditional blessing.

The prayer, which has been distributed among the Jewish communities of Holland in recent days, states:

“May He Who grants salvation to kings and dominion to rulers; Whose Kingdom is an everlasting kingdom; Who releases his servant David from the evil sword; Who places a path in the sea and a passageway in the mighty waters – may He bless, guard, protect, exalt, raise up and elevate the king, Willem-Alexander, may his glory be magnified.”

This prayer, which was distributed in both Hebrew and Dutch, will be said by Holland’s Jews in their synagogues every Shabbat during the Shacharit morning services.

This prayer has been recited by the Jewish community for hundreds of years as they prayed for the welfare of each generation of the Royal House of Holland. Holland’s rabbis have always adapted it to the prevailing circumstances, as they have in our times as well, under the leadership of Chief Rabbi Binyamin Jacobs.

In addition to mentioning the name of the king, the prayer for the welfare of King Willem-Alexander also refers to his wife, his daughters and his mother, the departing Queen Beatrix.

In the words of the prayer, “May He bless… his wife the queen, and their daughter, next in line to the throne, along with the rest of their daughters, and Princess Beatrix the mother of the king, and the entire royal family, may their glory be exalted.”

Warm relationship with Jewish community

The prayer also includes a special petition for the Jewish community and its relationship with the royal family: “May the King of all kings, in His mercy, instill in the heart of the king and in the hearts of all his ministers and advisors a spirit of integrity and righteousness, that they may do that which is good for us and for all of Israel.”

On the eve of the coronation, a special traditional ceremony was held in the Portuguese Synagogue in Amsterdam. This ancient synagogue, which is lit only by candles, was lit on this day with orange candles, coordinating with the name and color of the Royal House of Orange. During the ceremony, the head of the congregation took out 14 Torah scrolls, and a special prayer was said in honor of the coronation.

Three representative of the Jewish community participated in the national ceremony held on Tuesday, among them Chief Rabbi Binyamin Jacobs of interprovincial chief rabbinate and Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag, rabbi of Amsterdam.

Rabbi Jacobs, who is also a member of the Rabbinical Center of Europe (RCE), related that the new king’s words filled him with optimism.

"I am certain,” he said, "that the warm relationship that prevailed between the outgoing Queen Beatrix and the Jewish community will continue under the reign of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Maxima, particularly in light of the fact that the king mentioned in his coronation speech that he intends to follow in the path established by his mother, whom he admires.”

Overall, Rabbi Jacobs was quite pleased with the ceremony. "After the coronation,” he related, “among the heads of state in attendance and among the Dutch dignitaries, I recited the special blessing for an occasion such as this: 'Blessed is He Who has apportioned His honor to human beings.'"

Secret meeting between Sheldon Adelson and Yair Lapid

A few months after he disparagingly referred to the daily newspaper Israel Hayom as “campaign advertising,” Finance Minister Yair Lapid and his wife met with its owner, Sheldon Adelson, and his wife at the Adelsons’ Tel Aviv residence.

The secret meeting, which took place two weeks ago and was first reported by Mazal Mualem on the Al-Monitor website, may signal a reshuffling of the alliances between Israel’s senior politicians and its leading media outlets.

To date, Israel Hayom has staunchly supported Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, and the paper not infrequently attacked rival politicians. Lapid, for his part, spent years working for the rival daily Yedioth Ahronoth, and that paper, long an opponent of Netanyahu, supported its former employee during the last election. Lapid continued writing a column for Yedioth even after announcing his run for Knesset and, a few weeks before the election, the paper’s publisher, Arnon Mozes, hosted a farewell party for him at a Tel Aviv hotel.

During the campaign, Lapid frequently assailed both Israel Hayom and Adelson, an American Jewish casino magnate who is a major donor to the U.S. Republican Party. In one interview with Army Radio, given before the U.S. presidential election last November, Lapid said, “Israel has never before been close to any one [American] party, but Netanyahu brought it close to the Republican Party, because Sheldon Adelson finances him and because he knows [Republican presidential candidate] Mitt Romney. And now we’re stuck, because [U.S. President Barack] Obama, who will apparently win the election, views Israel as a branch of the Republican Party.”

As for Israel Hayom, Lapid once wrote on his Facebook page that the paper “is Netanyahu’s official organ”; on another occasion, he said that Israel Hayom’s activities should be considered campaign contributions.

“It would be interesting to examine whether the paper’s existence isn’t a NIS 300 million campaign contribution from Adelson to Netanyahu,” he said. “This will apparently be looked into after the election. If a donor to the prime minister finances a paper that supports the prime minister, that’s campaign advertising.”

The Finance Ministry and a spokeswoman for Lapid’s Yesh Atid party both declined to comment. Dan Raviv, Adelson’s representative, said, “We don’t comment on personal meetings, if one indeed took place.”

After news of the meeting broke on Thursday, opposition MK Merav Michaeli (Labor) assailed Lapid on her Facebook page.

“Lapid hasn’t explained why, instead of working for the middle class and the working man, it was urgent for him to go to a meeting with the squire and especially why the finance minister of the State of Israel should make a pilgrimage to the squire’s house,” she wrote. “The old Lapid criticized Netanyahu for harming Israel for Adelson’s sake, and to prevent Obama’s reelection, and also called Israel Hayom ‘Netanyahu’s organ.’ Yet now, Israel Hayom, which in the past attacked Lapid, is already Lapid’s organ: It praises him.

“It’s sad to discover that in just two months, Yair Lapid has become infected with the old politics," she continued. "We don't need another one; we already have one Bibi [Netanyahu]. But I’m happy that at least now, Yair Lapid knows where the money is,” she concluded, referring to Lapid’s campaign slogan, “Where’s the money?”

London - Orthodox Rabbis In London Set Up "Tznius" Hotline

London - In response to “public demand,” a group of Orthodox rabbis in London have opened a “modesty” hotline which enables locals to anonymously report decency violations within the community.

The JC.com reports that the group, calling itself Va’ad L’Tolhar Hamachneh, Committee for the Purity of the Camp, has posted fliers in synagogues in both Yiddish and English with a number for the hotline and message stating that all calls will be handled confidentially.

A representative from the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations said the formation of the group was not the result of a UOHC initiative, but was instead formed in response to “public demand.”

The representative also said that there would be no “modesty patrols” actively trying to enforce dress codes
in public.    

Rabbi Tully Bryks, Relieved Of Duty As College Director After Placing Cameras In Girls' Dorm

Rabbi Tully Bryks

The director of an Orthodox gap-year program at Bar-Ilan University was relieved of his duties this week, after it was discovered that he had secretly installed surveillance cameras in the girls' dormitory. Police are investigating the affair.

Rabbi Tully Bryks, director of The Israel Experience, a program that serves mainly high-school graduates from the United States, had installed two surveillance cameras in clocks hung in the hallway of the girls' dormitory.

The surveillance cameras were discovered within hours by several stunned students living in adjacent rooms, who immediately lodged a complaint with program administrators citing severe invasion of privacy and who demanded police intervention.

Bryks was soon thereafter relieved of all his responsibilities at the program and barred from any contact with students.

In a letter addressed to staff, students and their parents, Bryks apologized for what he termed his "poor judgment," saying the reason he had installed the cameras was because of complaints lodged against maintenance staff working in the dormitory.

The board of directors of The Israel Experience program is expected to convene within the next day and, as one source close to the matter said, will "give him the option to resign."

Haaretz contacted Bryks for a response but none was forthcoming by press time.

Meanwhile, Bryks has been replaced by three new acting directors, all fellow administrators at the program: Rabbi Ari Yablok, Rabbi Eli Menaged and Meir Balovsky.

"Whatever reason he had for doing this, it was inappropriate," said Yablok, campus director of The Israel Experience. "That is the reason we took action as soon as we found out about this."

Yablok said the surveillance cameras were not found in the bathrooms or the bedrooms, but only in the hallways. They were not found in the boys' dormitory either.

He said administrators were in full support of student demands to launch a police probe into the matter. Police are being assisted by a private investigations company. In addition, Yablok said that The Israel Experience is conducting its own internal investigation by board members in order to better understand what happened.

He said that the surveillance cameras were removed as soon as they were discovered and that "we are taking every step possible to ensure the survival of this program and the comfort of our students."

The Israel Experience is a program started four years ago and run by Masa, a joint project of the Israeli government and the Jewish Agency. There are currently 90 students studying in the program. Although they take courses for college credit at Bar-Ilan University, Israel Experience students live in dormitories in a separate campus in Ramat Efal, not far from the main Bar-Ilan University campus.

Before assuming leadership of the program, Bryks served as regional director of the National Conference of Synagogue Youth in Florida. Yablok said this was the first complaint lodged against him "on a matter like this."

In a letter addressed to parents of students on the program, the new acting directors wrote: "We understand that you have entrusted us with the care, supervision and education of your children. We take this responsibility as seriously as possible. We feel the immediate actions that we have taken will ensure that this matter is dealt with in an efficient, professional and responsible way."

Carrie Ruffner: Search Under Way For Missing NJ Woman

LONG HILL, N.J.  – A search is under way in Morris County for a missing Long Hill woman who has been missing since Wednesday.

Carrie Ruffner, 34, was last seen leaving her parent’s home in Basking Ridge around 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, according to the Morris County Prosecutor’s Office.

She was supposed to go to her home on Myersville Road in Long Hill Township and then go back to her parent’s house, but never returned, officials said.

Ruffner is about 5-foot-7, has blonde hair, hazel eyes and weighs about 130 pounds with an athletic build and broad shoulders. She was last seen wearing a black jacket and black pants.

Anyone with information is asked to call the Long Hill Township Police Department at 908-647-1800.

FBI Adds Cop Killer Joanne Chesimard To Most Wanted Terrorist List

NEWARK, N.J. - The decades-old international case of a convicted cop killer is getting new attention in New Jersey.

It was 40 years ago today that New Jersey State Trooper Werner Foerster was shot and killed in a bloody gun battle during a traffic stop along the New Jersey Turnpike.

Joanne Chesimard, 65, was convicted and sentenced to life in prison for the murder. One of her accomplices was killed and another was convicted in Foerster’s death and remains in jail.

In 1979, members of the Black Liberation Army broke Chesimard out of prison and hid her underground before she was able to flee to Cuba where she has been living since mid-1984, officials said.

On Thursday, the FBI made Chesimard the first woman ever to make their list of most wanted terrorists.

“Joanne Chesimard is a domestic terrorist who murdered a law enforcement officer execution-style,” said agent Aaron Ford of the FBI’s Newark division. “Today, on the anniversary of Trooper Werner Foerster’s death, we want the public to know that we will not rest until this fugitive is brought to justice.”

Chesimard, who is now known as Assata Shakur, attends government functions in Cuba and her standard of living is higher than most in the country, officials said.

She was an active and prominent member of the Black Panther Party and later the BLA, which was described as one of the most violent militant organizations of 1970s, officials said. The BLA was responsible for killing more than a dozen police officers in the 1970s and ’80s, said Ford.

In Cuba, Chesimard has continued to espouse her anti-U.S. views in speeches advocating “revolution and terrorism” and may have connections to other international terrorist organizations, Ford said.

“She is a domestic terrorist who murdered a law enforcement officer execution style,” he said. “And while we can’t right the wrongs of the past, we can and will continue to pursue justice no matter how long it takes.”

Chesimard is believed to be one of dozens of American fugitives living in Cuba, many of them one-time members of U.S. militant groups. Cuba doesn’t haven an extradition agreement with the U.S. because of the chilly relations between the two countries over the last five decades, but the climate appears to be slowly changing.

In recent years, Cuba has deported some fugitives back to the U.S., including one man convicted of mail fraud and another sought on child pornography charges. This month, the country returned a Florida couple accused in a custody dispute of kidnapping their two children and sailing to Cuba.

The Cuban government had no immediate comment on Thursday’s announcement. This week, the State Department said it has no plans to remove Cuba from a list of state sponsors of terrorism that also includes Iran, Syria and Sudan. Cuba has denied links to terrorism.

Officials have also doubled the reward, to $2 million, for the capture of Chesimard. The state is adding its own $1 million on top of the million dollars already offered by the FBI for her capture and return.

“Justice has no expiration date and our resolve to capture Joanne Chesimard does not diminish with the passage of time. Instead, it grows ever stronger with the knowledge that this killer continues to live free,” said Attorney General Jeffrey Chiesa. “We honor Trooper Foerster, a true hero, by keeping the focus on this fugitive, and we hope that this augmented reward will spur action that will bring Chesimard back to face the justice she has evaded for far too long.”

Individuals with information concerning Chesimard are asked to contact the FBI’s tip line at 1-800-CALL-FBI.    

 

Stunt plane forced to land on Long Island highway

NEW YORK  - A small stunt plane made an emergency landing on a highway in West Islip, Long Island Thursday afternoon.

The plane went down on Route 231, which is also known as John Street. The pilot was able to walk away unharmed.

Newsday identified the pilot as David Windmiller. The stunt pilot was forced to land after his engine seized up at about 2,200 feet.

The red, white and blue plane appeared intact on a grassy area next to the road, except for its propeller blades, which apparently came apart when the engine stopped working.

He was heading to Republic Airport, a few miles from where he went down, when the problems started.

Windmiller has been a professional stunt pilot since 1994. He is a former member of the United States Aerobatic Team.

He has performed several times at the NY air show at Jones Beach.

NYPD hunt for pair who stole $170K watch from luxe Midtown shop

Two thieves stole a pricey watch from a luxury store in Midtown, authorities said today.

A woman distracted one of the employees at the Porsche Design Store on Madison Avenue, near 59th Street, about 4:30 p.m. yesterday, while her accomplice removed the timepiece from inside a showcase, cops said. The two then left the store.

A police source said the watch is worth over $170,000.

Both suspects were captured on surveillance camera.

The female thief wore a gray sweater and dark pants, while the man wore a white hooded sweatshirt and dark jeans.

Police are asking anyone with information to call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-577-TIPS (8477), or to visit the Crime Stoppers' Web site at www.nypdcrimestoppers.com.

Houston - Two Local Synagogues Receive Bomb Threats

HOUSTON - Bomb threats at two different Houston synagogues have the Department of Homeland Security, Houston police department, the Anti-Defamation League, and the FBI on alert.

The threats were made to Congregation Beth Israel and Congregation Or Ami. Congregation Beth Israel said in a statement that the threat was received for Thursday, May 2.

"It's serious whenever any kind of a threat is made and I think that people are reacting to it in the proper way," said Dena Marks of the Anti Defamation League. "They're taking it seriously. They're taking proper precautions. They're trying to see that everybody is safe."

Beth Israel's day school, The Shlenker School, will be closed Thursday. Police bomb-sniffing dogs will sweep the building in the morning, according to a statement from Ricki Komiss, head of The Shlenker School.

The school is expected to reopen on Friday and extra security personnel will be on campus, according to Komiss.

Congregation Or Ami does not have a day school. Authorities have searched the facility and are taking security precautions. Officials at Beth Yeshurun’s Day School said they will have extra police protection; that school, however, did not receive a bomb threat.

 

 

Rebecca Foley, 'Somebody, somewhere knows something' Reward to $12,500 in desperate plea to catch killer

The parents of a Georgia college student gunned down outside her home four months ago have raised the reward money to $12,500 in a desperate plea to catch her killer.

Rebecca Foley, 21, was shot dead in her Volkswagen Beetle as she drove up to her condo development in Savannah on January 21.

She was found slumped over her steering wheel after being hit with a single bullet that left a hole in her rear window.

Her family thought she must have been the victim of mistaken identity or a robbery gone wrong and believed a witness or suspect would soon emerge.

But despite high-profile media coverage, there has been no breakthrough in the case.

Rebecca's father, Eddie Foley, has now added $10,000 to the previous $2,500 reward for information that leads to an arrest and conviction.

He spent two days last weekend putting up fliers around the city appealing for help.

'Somebody, somewhere knows something,' he told NBC News.

'I don't want it to become a cold case and I feel like that's what it's becoming.'

Rebecca has been described as a pretty young woman with a bright future who held down several jobs to put herself through college. She had hoped to go into the insurance industry.

Her mother, Jennifer, has joined a bereavement group and is seeing a therapist to help her through the grief and uncertainty of the past few months.

She had considered hiring a private investigator, but decided against it.

'There's no closure,' she said. 'I feel this incredible, overwhelming sense of helplessness. It feels like nobody cares.'

Arye Deri Will be Appointed as Shas Party Leader

Rabbi Ovadia Yosef on Thursday appointed Knesset member Aryeh Deri as chairman of the Shas party.

Also Thursday, Yosef made MK Ariel Atias, who has headed Shas along with Deri and Eli Yishai since October, chairman of the party's 11-member Knesset faction, replacing MK Avraham Michaeli. Yishai, who led Shas on his own for 12 years prior to October, will be the chairman of the party's education network.

The appointments are expected to be formalized by Shas' Council of Torah Sages in the next few days, and possibly as early as Thursday evening.

Deri returned to Shas in October 2012, having been forced in August 1999 to resign from the Knesset and his position as party chairman following his conviction for receiving a bribe, fraud and breach of trust – charges for which he served 22 months in prison. His return created tensions between senior party leaders regarding their roles, and it was decided that Shas would remain without a chairman until after the national election, which took place in January.

While Shas managed to keep its internal conflicts under wraps before and during the election, they leaked in April. The day before Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu formed the current government – leaving Shas in the opposition for the first time in a decade – Yishai asserted that he had succeeded in getting Shas into the coalition in place of Finance Minister Yair Lapid's Yesh Atid party. Deri and Atias subsequently joined forces against him.

Yosef's decision brings to an end the "Shas triumvirate" – the failed leadership model that was established as a Mapai-style compromise when Deri returned to the party in October. Within the Sephardic party the prevailing view is that the awkward relationship between the three led to the party's mediocre election results – 11 seats – and also paved the way for the party into opposition.

Now the excuses have run out, and a semi Mapai-style compromise has been formulated: Deri will be appointed chairman, and the other two won't be left out either – Atias will be chairman of the faction, and Yishai chairman of party's education system.

Over the last few days, Deri and his supporters ramped up the pressure on Yosef and his son Moshe and daughter-in-law Yehudit, to come to a decision. Deri had several one-on-one meetings with the party's spiritual leader and at the same time rabbis, mayors and major players in the party complained about the stagnation at the top, and demanded a decision.

While Yishai wasn't in any hurry, Deri had another consideration to take into account – during May the deadline for candidates to out themselves forward for the position of Jerusalem mayor expires. This was Deri's back-up plan if he was not to be appointed chairman.

The relationship between Deri and Yishai has deteriorated to such an extent that they barely talk these days and even occasionally sabotaged each other's efforts. This was also the case during the coalition negotiations, and, as it became clear in the past few days, in the talks with Habayit Hayehudi regarding the appointment of chief rabbis.

Jewish leaders alarmed by far-right, anti-Semitism in Hungary

"Clearly, anti-Semitism in Hungary is on the rise, and we have also witnessed a dramatic growth in the number of attacks against other minorities such as the Roma," World Jewish Congress (WJC) president Ronald Lauder told Reuters by email.

He said the rise of the far-right opposition party Jobbik posed a threat to Jews and other minorities living in Hungary.

"We believe that the Hungarian government should take stronger action to combat hate crimes. It should not just react, but present a long-term strategy how to improve the situation," Lauder said.

A WJC spokesman said the Congress had chosen Budapest as the venue for its annual meeting partly to show solidarity with the Hungarian Jewish community, but said Hungary was not the only European country where anti-Semitism was on the upswing.

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban's conservative government, which surged to power in 2010, has repeatedly condemned provocative remarks by Jobbik lawmakers in parliament.

"The government's policy against anti-Semitism and against hostility towards the Roma is based on the (principle of ) zero tolerance announced by the prime minister," Ferenc Kumin, a government spokesman, said in a written reply to questions.

In a speech to the WJC, Orban will reiterate his commitment to combat anti-Semitism, his chief of staff said on Monday.

Police have banned a rally which far-right campaigners close to Jobbik had planned to stage against "Bolshevism and Zionism" on Saturday.

"ONLY A SYMPTOM"

Jewish and human rights groups say anti-Semitism remains a significant problem in the central European country.

In November a leader of Jobbik called for lists of prominent Jews to be drawn up to protect national security. He later apologized but did not resign.

The chairman of a Hungarian anti-racism group, Ferenc Orosz - who is also member of the ruling Fidesz party - was attacked by far-right soccer fans at a game on Sunday after he confronted people chanting Nazi slogans.

Foreign Minister Janos Martonyi condemned the attack in a letter as a "shameful and outrageous" act.

Jobbik became the third largest party in parliament in 2010 after vilifying the Roma minority in its campaign platform and attracting voters frustrated by a deepening economic crisis.

The group holds 43 of 386 seats in parliament and has maintained its public support before elections due next year.

"The strengthening of Jobbik is only a symptom ... the bigger problem is that around half a million people support the far-right and many people accept the negative attitude to Jews," Peter Feldmajer, the chairman of the Federation of Jewish Communities in Hungary, told Reuters.

Nevertheless, Feldmajer, speaking in his office near Budapest's largest synagogue, said the capital had a thriving Jewish cultural life.

Despite the worrying rise of anti-Semitism, "it was a very good feeling to be a Jew in Hungary and to live in a Jewish community that can express itself in any ways: culturally, in religious terms ... without any limitations," he said.

Hungary sided with the Nazis in World War Two. The larger of the two wartime Jewish ghettos in Budapest is now a thriving Jewish quarter with synagogues, bars and restaurants. Tens of thousands of tourists from around the world come to Budapest every year to attend the Jewish Summer Festival.

Vito Lopez remains a formidable candidate with strong Hasidic support for his Council bid

Disgraced Assemblyman Vito Lopez may have lost his party backing but he’s still a formidable candidate with an army of passionate supporters seeking to catapult his Council bid.

Lopez's backing in the Hasidic community and ties with Hispanic voters through his nonprofit political pundits predicting he has a good chance of winning the Council seat despite an ongoing criminal investigation into allegations he sexually harassed young staffers.

"He's delivered for (his constituents), so they are looking beyond his personal issues, said political consultant E. O'Brien Murray. “That's a big, loud group of supporters.”

The former political powerbroker remains widely popular in the largely Hispanic 34th Council District, according to those familiar with the area.

His nonprofit, Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Citizens Council, employs approximately 2,000 people.

"His constituents love him," a political consultant familiar with the district said. "Despite everything that has come out about him he's been a very good representative. He's got very good name ID among the voters, and already has experience turning out voters.”

The scandal-scarred state lawmaker has also remained a favorite of Satmar Grand Rebbe Zalman Leib Teitelbaum and Rabbi David Niederman, the executive director of the United Jewish Organizations in Williamsburg.

"They have not deserted him. The grand rebbe is his boy," a Lopez friend said.

But the fight to replace his former protégé, City Councilwoman Diana Reyna (D-Bushwick), who is term limited out, won't be a cakewalk, political insiders said.

Antonio Reynoso, 29, her chief of staff, has landed all the major union endorsements and big name political support. That includes the powerful United Federation of Teachers as well as Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and outgoing City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, who has vowed to do everything in her power to torpedo Lopez's run.

Reynoso, who grew up in the district, has a base of support in his old neighborhood, the south side of Williamsburg.

He’s also expected to generate votes from a small patch of the district which carries over into Ridgewood Queens, and the Italian conclave along Graham Ave.

Reynoso spends most his time on the campaign trail simply introducing himself to voters.

“The narrative is all about who I am,” he said, noting that the voters already know about Vito and the scandal surrounding him.

“The great thing about the media is that its done its job educating the public about him,” said Reynoso. “They definitely know who he is and what he’s done.”

He’s also expected to generate votes from a small patch of the district which carries over into Ridgewood Queens, and the Italian conclave along Graham Ave.

Lopez’s relationship with the Brooklyn archdiocese remains murky.

In 2009, bishop Nicholas DiMarzio recorded robocalls for Lopez's handpicked candidate who was running against Reyna.

A repeat of that explicit step into politics by the religious leader is unlikely, political insiders said.

DiMarzio declined to comment.

As for his Jewish backing, the district, which includes Bushwick and parts of Williamsburg, does not have many Hasidim, a voting bloc the Assemblyman has long relied on. Lopez is likely to lean on them for campaign cash instead.

By Reuven Blau / NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Yeshiva U. Sex Abuse Probe Stalls Amid Fear and Mistrust

It has been more than four months since Yeshiva University hired an international law firm to investigate allegations of emotional, physical and sexual abuse at a Y.U.-run high school.

Yet investigators working for the firm of Sullivan & Cromwell still have not contacted several former Y.U. school staff and students who described the abuse in a series of articles published in the Forward last year.

Meanwhile, many other former students who have been contacted say they refused to cooperate with investigators because they do not trust Y.U.’s motives. Such mistrust has only increased since Y.U. retained another international law firm, Greenberg Traurig, to fight a possible multiparty civil lawsuit.

Click for more stories about abuse at Y.U.

Barry Singer, a former student who has spoken to a Y.U. investigator, said the investigator “made it clear that she had nothing to do with any sort of defense that Yeshiva might mount.” But, Singer added, she also told him that Greenberg Traurig “can use whatever they gather” to defend against a civil lawsuit.

Singer said he believed that the investigator, Lisa Friel, a sex abuse expert hired by Sullivan & Cromwell to assist with its investigation, was well intentioned. But he added that Friel has no control over how much of the information she gathers will be made public.

“It’s not really about her investigation at all,” Singer said. “It’s about [the Y.U. board], of course, and what they do with it.”

Despite protests from Y.U. alumni, Y.U.’s board has not committed to making the results of its investigation public. Instead, the board’s most recent statement, published in January, said. “We expect the findings of the investigation will be communicated to the public following completion of the investigation.”

The board will not say which of its members are overseeing the investigation. Several board members reached by the Forward declined to comment. Jayne Beker, who is listed as a board member on Y.U.’s website, said she knew nothing about the investigation and had not taken part in board meetings for some time. Ronald P. Stanton, a chairman emeritus, declined to answer any questions. “I can’t help you, sorry.” Stanton said, and then cut off the call.

Y.U.’s board launched what it called an “independent investigation” into the alleged abuse in December 2012. The investigation followed an article in the Forward citing several men who said they were abused by two former staff members at Y.U.’s High School for Boys, in Manhattan.

Since then, about 20 former students have told the Forward they were emotionally, physically or sexually abused by Rabbi Macy Gordon, a former Talmud teacher, or by Rabbi George Finkelstein, the school’s former principal, over a period spanning three decades. Both men, who deny the allegations, served at the school for about 25 years. Gordon left the school around 1984. Finkelstein left the school in 1995.

Read more at:  Forward

TORONTO - Cops warn Rabbi about hosting activist Pamela Geller

TORONTO -- York Regional Police threatened to remove a rabbi as one of the force's chaplains if he hosted a controversial anti-Islamist speaker at his Thornhill, Ont., synagogue.

Insp. Ricky Veerappan of the force's diversity, equity and inclusion bureau, confirmed he and officers from the force's hate crimes unit met with Rabbi Mendel Kaplan of the Chabad Flamingo Synagogue on Tuesday.

They expressed concern about an upcoming talk to be given by Pamela Geller, a vocal critic of radical Islam. She's protested past plans to build a mosque near Ground Zero in New York City, and has posted anti-jihad messages in that city's subway system.

Subsequent to his meeting with police, Kaplan cancelled Geller's May 13 talk, which was sponsored by the Jewish Defence League (JDL) -- a hard-line advocacy group which had rented space in Kaplan's synagogue for the event.

"I think the police are turning a blind eye to who they should be keeping an eye on," said the JDL's Meir Weinstein, referring to radical Islamists. Weinstein said another location will be chosen for Geller's appearance.

Veerappan said he told Kaplan that Geller's speech "would not be endorsed by York Regional Police" and that the rabbi's role as a force chaplain would be thrown into question if he were to allow the event.

"If he did (host Geller), then we'd have to reassess our relationship with (Kaplan)," Veerappan said. "We serve the needs of the entire community. Some of the stuff that Ms. Geller speaks about runs contrary to the values of York Regional Police and the work we do in engaging our communities."

Veerappan said a member of York's Muslim community, whom he wouldn't identify, brought Geller's scheduled talk to the attention of police.

York police enlist eight chaplains of different faiths to counsel police officers and their families. Among them is a Muslim chaplain, Imam Abdul Hai Patel.

A Geller speech scheduled for early April at the Great Neck Synagogue in Long Island, N.Y., was also cancelled.

In March, the University of Toronto hosted controversial Muslim lecturer Tariq Ramadan, who has also spoken in Toronto at the annual Islamic faith conference, Reviving the Islamic Spirit. In October, Pakistani politician Imran Khan, a controversial critic of the U.S. war on terror, spoke in Brampton, Ont. Leila Khaled, a Palestinian revolutionary from the 1970s, is set speak at University of British Columbia on May 4.