BREAKING! Agudath Israel and Ohel Defend Satmar Rabbi In Jail Corruption Scandal

Agudah email lists at least two cosigners  that say they did not sign the letter defending Rabbi Leib Glanz.

Orthodox Organization Defends Chaplain Accused of Favoring Jewish Inmates
By Nathaniel Popper, The Forward

The nation’s leading ultra-Orthodox umbrella organization is preparing to go to bat for a disgraced prison chaplain who is accused of giving favors to Jewish inmates.

Agudath Israel of America has drafted a letter to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressing support for Rabbi Leib Glanz, a rabbi affiliated with the Satmar Chasidic movement who is a chaplain in New York City jails. News reports over the last week have indicated that Glanz gave favors to Jewish prisoners and allowed a wealthy Jewish inmate to hold lavish catered parties in the prison for his son’s bar mitzvah and his daughter’s engagement.

A draft of the letter—which has not yet been sent—says that the groups signing onto it are concerned with “the tenor of media reports about Rabbi Leib Glanz.”

“The reports in the media pillory Rabbi Glanz, in the most cynical and derogatory fashion imaginable, for his role in accommodating Jewish prisoners’ religious requirements and helping them participate, personally or vicariously, in milestone family celebrations,” the draft letter says.

While Glanz’s action’s may have crossed lines, the draft letter states, “We also have no doubt that any such improprieties were nothing more than lapses of judgment; and that they emanated from a good place, a heart overflowing with empathy and concern.”

Rabbi David Zwiebel, the executive vice president of Agudath Israel, said that he drafted the letter, but he added that it was still being refined.

“It is not inconceivable at the end of the day that the letter won’t go,” Zwiebel said.

An email listing the organizations that have signed onto the letter included a number of ultra-Orthodox organizations based in Brooklyn. The list also included the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. Officials at both organizations said that they had not, in fact, signed onto the letter and did not plan to.

A top official of New York City’s Department of Corrections has resigned over the scandal. But thus far, Glanz has only been suspended from his job for two weeks.

I was able to get the list of organizations that supposedly signed on to Zwiebel's email. Note that at least two of these – the Conference of Presidents and the JCRC of NY – claim they did not sign the letter.

Here is the list. Note that David Mandel of Ohel is on it:

Agudath Israel of America - David Zwiebel Esq, Executive Vice President

Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations - Malcolm
Honline, Exec Vice Chairman

Jewish Community Relations Council - Michael Miller - CEO

West Side Council of Jewish Organizations - Michael Laundau - President

A-Time - Shaul Rosen - President

Hamaspik Of Kings County - Joel Freund - Executive Director

Relief - Sheye Ostreicher - Chairman

Chesed Shel Emes - Mendel Rosenberg, President

Hatzolah Of Williamsburg - Coordinators, Shaya Bernath /Yom Tov Malik/
Israel Weingarten

Masbia - Alex Rapaport -

Pesha Elias Bikur Choilim - Yitzchok Fleischer

Satmar Bikur Cholim - Chaya Miller

Ohel - David Mandel - CEO

JCC Of Marine Park - Shiya Rubinstein, Executive Director

Jewish Children Museam - Devora Halberstam

RCCS - Hershel Kohn

Boro Park Jewish Community Council - Rabbi Yechiel Kaufman

United Talmudical Academy of Boro Park - Rabbi Aron Welz - President

Central United Talmudical Academy - Max Lebovitz - President

Congregation Shaarei Tzion Bobov -

Central Rabbinical Congress - Rabbi I. Gluck, Chairman

Rabbinical Alliance of America - Rabbi Gershon Tennenbaum - ChairmaN

Chesed Volunteer Organization - Ephraim Stern / Abraham Strulovic

Mekimi Cheer up Squad - Shimshon Haskel, Executive Director

I have not been able to reach Ohel's David Mandel for comment.

Previous Posts: 1, 2, 3, 4, 5.

Comments

[Sam]

Of course, they will all deny it, one by one, because, of course, they are all Tzadikim.

[Hadenough]

aveira gorreres aveira...what a chillul hashem...doesn't anyone have the beitzim to say what this guy did was wrong!...or at least to shutup.

[shmuel]

It's surreal. There are no words. TWO DOZEN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS are proving they have no moral compass. They must all be put down. The chilul Hashem is up to the heavens and these clowns have no idea how bizarre it looks for them to be defending someone who acted so improperly.

[Hometown Postville]

shmuel: "TWO DOZEN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS are proving they have no moral compass." Sounds like GANG mentality to me! Think about it.