Scum of the Earth Haredi Man Allegedly Tricked and Extorted Organ 'Sellers'

Rosenbaum would pull out a pistol and tell the "sellers"–poor people brought to the US from Moldova on false pretenses–"You're here. A deal is a deal. Now, you'll give us a kidney or you'll never go home.'"

Update - Audio of an extensive interview with the whistleblower who exposed this organ smuggling ring is now posted at the bottom of this article.

Anthropologist's 'Dick Tracy moment' plays role in arrest of suspected kidney trafficker
Michael Daly • NY Daily News

The Brooklyn man arrested Thursday for dealing in black-market kidneys was identified to the FBI seven years ago as a major figure in a global human organ ring.
Levy-Izhak Rosenbaum's name, address and even phone number were passed to an FBI agent in a meeting at the Roosevelt Hotel in Manhattan by a prominent anthropologist who has been studying and documenting organ trafficking for more than a decade.

Nancy Scheper-Hughes of the University of California, Berkeley, was and is very clear as to Rosenbaum's role in the ring.

"He is the main U.S. broker for an international trafficking network," she said.

Her sources include a man who started working with Rosenbaum imagining he was helping people in desperate need. The man then began to see the donors, or to be more accurate, sellers, who were flown in from impoverished countries such as Moldova.

"He said it was awful. These people would be brought in and they didn't even know what they were supposed to be doing and they would want to go home and they would cry," Scheper-Hughes said.

The man called Rosenbaum "a thug" who would pull out a pistol he was apparently licensed to carry and tell the sellers, "You're here. A deal is a deal. Now, you'll give us a kidney or you'll never go home.'"

Scheper-Hughes felt she had to stop Rosenbaum. She met with the FBI.

"I always thought of it as my Dick Tracy moment," she said Thursday.

She waited and waited for something to be done. The FBI may have been following the lead of the State Department, which dismissed organ trafficking as "urban legend."

"It would be impossible to conceal a clandestine organ trafficking ring," a 2004 State Department report stated.

Scheper-Hughes had better luck in Brazil and in South Africa, where law enforcement corroborated her findings and acted decisively.

But the ring kept operating elsewhere. Scheper-Hughes visited villages in Moldova where, "20% of the men were siphoned off to be kidney sellers in this same scheme."

Back in Brooklyn, Rosenbaum stayed busy. He was contacted by an FBI informant who introduced Rosenbaum to an undercover agent who supposedly wanted to buy a kidney for her uncle.

"I'm doing this a long time," Rosenbaum was recorded saying.

The undercover asked how many organs he had sold.

"Quite a lot," he answered.

On Wednesday, the FBI called Scheper-Hughes, who is putting her findings into the upcoming, "A World Cut in Two, The Global Traffic in Humans for Organs."

"Why are you calling me now?" she asked.

Thursday, seven years after her Dick Tracy moment with the FBI at the Roosevelt Hotel, Rosenbaum was finally arrested.

[Hat Tip: Yankel.]

Update 7-24-09 2-35 pm CDT – Here is the anthropologist telling her story to Brain Lehrer this morning on NPR. She says the head of the organ trafficking ring is an Israeli, Ilan Perry. The ring operates in Eastern Europe, South America, South Africa, the United State and, of course, Israel.

She also makes the point I've made many times before – haredi attitudes toward organ donation limit the number of organs available to save lives, creating a shortage in Israel that makes trafficker's businesses especially profitable.

The point made by a caller at the end about Jews allowing organ donations, and the followup to that point by the anthropologist are both incorrect. There are dozens of leading haredi rabbis who oppose organ donation.

For a brief overview of the problem of haredi attitudes to organ donation, please read, "How Jewish Law Killed Yossie Raichik."

[Hat Tip: Michael P.]

Comments

[steve]

This reincarnation of Dr. Mengele is no "rabbi". Please change the title.

[Shmarya]

Steve –

He apparently is a rabbi.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Hospitals all over the US that perform kidney transplants are now scrambling to review their records, especially regarding live transplants from people claiming to be relatives or friends of the recipient. Most hospitals don't ask for evidence that the donor is indeed a relative or friend. Now that will all change.

[steve]

Why, did you read it somewhere, or is it the beard and belly?

[Phillip]

IF this story is true... this Rabbi needs
to have his own kidney removed.
This guy is a real piece of work...I bet
he will claim this is all one big
anti Jewish plot.

[effie]

This makes me ill. How can these people live with their selves?

[Shmarya]

Why, did you read it somewhere, or is it the beard and belly?

I saw it somewhere. I changed the headline anyway, though.

[Avraham Nechemiah Ben David]

Is it just me or do all of these stories about Orthodox Jews behaving like animals really start to make you sick? How can someone put on Tefillin, study Torah, honor Shabbat, and be part of a community that says it puts God first and yet their actions show that when it comes to money and power, there is no God.

When someone claims to be acting and following the laws of God, his or her punishment should be more because they are claiming that their actions are higher. The funny thing is that God knows exactly what they are doing and God patiently waits before exposing these animals.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Avraham NBD- perfect summary.

[Michael P.]

Read the interview with Prof. Scheper-Hughes that was on NPR this morning and can be found here. It is fascinating and sickening at the same time. She describes how she first contacted the FBI in 2002 and what has happened since then.

[Ex BT]

Who were the doctors who performed the operations removing organs from the "donors"? They must have been in on it too.

[Yochanan Lavie]

I hope he goes to jail (if guilty) and he "never goes home." Let's see how tough a thug he is compared with prison gangs.

[andres]

did anyone force the sellers of organs to sell?

no

so what exactly is wrong here?

[ah-pee-chorus]

things seem to be going from worse to worser.

[ah-pee-chorus]

i hope the late rebbe isnt arrested.

[Shmarya]

did anyone force the sellers of organs to sell?

no

so what exactly is wrong here?

Huh?

Do you know how to read?

They were forced.

[WoolSilkCotton]

++Ex BT | July 24, 2009 at 02:02 PM++

The donor must appear at the hospital together with the recipient, or at least within a few hours. He states that he (or she) is a friend or relative, and then tests are done to check compatibility.

Hospitals accept your word that you are a friend or relative, and that you are not taking payment.

Now this will all change.

Please see my post of 1:46.

There are plenty of people in this world desperate enough to need $10,000. There are plenty of people in this world desperate enough to pay $160,000.

[WoolSilkCotton]

It is a sad day when 'Scum of the Earth' is a title that you interchange with 'Rabbi'.

[zach]

Anyone know the possible sentence for organ trafficking? (Hopefully VERY long.)

[nachos]

Where do we send money for the defense fund?

[Fleishike Kishke]

There was a pretty good movie a few years back called Dirty Pretty Things. Worth renting. About the underbelly of organ donation. While you watch it, in your mind substitute the villain in the movie for the rabbi mentioned in this post.

If the FBI wants to maximize hours spent vs busting money-laundering schemes they should "profile" and investigate every orthodox Yeshiva/organization in the country. It'll probably be like shooting fish in a barrel.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Nachos, leave a check for the C.A.S.H. Fund, drop it off at the Deal shul on your way to the Jersey shore.
You will get back 90% as a 'thank you' for your donation.

[maven]

Organ trading is a world wide phenomenon, in India they pay people routinely very low amounts of money for kidneys, this is a not-so-hidden secret. The transplants aren't usually done in the USA, but in Saudi Arabia and other such places.
My question is whether there is data that these guys were harvesting organs for Jews/Israel or just making "easy money" as part of the international organ trade.

[Ex BT]

"There are plenty of people in this world desperate enough to need $10,000. There are plenty of people in this world desperate enough to pay $160,000."

That's called "market economics". We do that for everything. Doctors won't operate on poor people who can't pay therm. Landlords evict people who can't pay them. Employees work for less than they are worth when market conditions make it that they can't do any better... Then why is this situation so shocking and immoral? Because the donors are from Moldova instead of the Bronx? Because they are selling body parts of their own bodies and it sounds like prostitution?

Legalities aside, given the current health care "system" in this country, which basically provides excellent care for people who can afford to pay for it and only mediocre care at best for those who are less fortunate, the only MORAL problem I can see is if the donor changed his mind and was indeed forced at gunpoint to have his kidney taken anyhow.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Fleishike Kishke, Nachos- your pseudonyms make me hungry.

And good to see you again, FK.

[Althelion]

I wonder what God thinks about all this?

[yidandahalf]

I have noticed a decided increase in anti-semitism in my small world, subtle but everpresent.

[alternative childcare]

Althelion: Didn't God invent renal failure in the first place?

[Althelion]

Don't blame God on this one. This pure humanity at it's lowest level. This ain't about Jews and gentiles either. It's about the depravity to which an individual can sink to by his own free will.

[WoolSilkCotton]

We give God credit for good stuff that happens, so why not blame him for bad stuff, like kidney failure or cancer?

[Ben]

This all thing is getting scary. How could outwardly religious people do such things? What were they thinking?

Some of them clearly have very good yichus. Should people with "good yichus" be put on the watch list?

[aryeh capella]

Thanx a lot for this Brave labor. The torah is Truth ... and this people only make the most bad actions in the world.

Thanx. I comment this in my facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/posted.php?id=630741955&success

[Dave Marshall]

WSC, you have a point, but I disagree with your point.
The way I believe in God is that if good stuff happens, I thank God, and if bad stuff happens I say Baruch Dayan Haemet, because otherwise I would find life (at that point, just when the bad stuff has happened) too damn depressing. Ultimately there is a reason for everything, but my puny human mind cannot understand it. When I die, I will understand the reason for everything. Right now in this life, saying Baruch Dayan Haemet helps me get through the bad stuff.
Calling a coping mechanism.
However, if I blame God, God is never diminished, but I am diminished, because I have weakened my faith.

[Dave Marshall]

Oops... I meant to say "Call it a coping mechanism".

[WoolSilkCotton]

Dave Marshall, I appreciate what you are saying.

[harold]

Is it just me or do all of these stories about Orthodox Jews behaving like animals really start to make you sick? How can someone put on Tefillin, study Torah, honor Shabbat, and be part of a community that says it puts God first and yet their actions show that when it comes to money and power, there is no God.

You are getting a very biased picture of jews from this blog. The blogger claims to "cover orthodox judaism" but in reality only shows the bad apples, the tail end of the statistical distribution. Classic anti-semitism.

The torah and gemara is filled with laws about punishment of evil deeds, there always are and always will be bad people around, wheather they put on tefilin or not, the statisical distribution will always be there, to only look at the tail end and portray that this is what orthodox judaism is all about is stupid and evil. Your comments prove my point.

There is good you just wont see it here.

[WoolSilkCotton]

If you'd like to see how great orthodox Judaism really is, read the comments to any article on www.vosizneias.com.

[WoolSilkCotton]

Ex BT, the law in the USA prohibits organs being bought and sold to avoid just what you described, i.e. organs going to the highest bidder.
Notwithstanding the realities of the state of medical care and economics, lawmakers want to avoid organ transplants for sale. I can understand arguments pro and con.
Other items, such as female ova and male sperm are routinely bought and sold. Surrogate mothers rent their uterus. Blood banks charge recipients for blood. We could go on and on discussing the issue.
The law is clear in the USA regarding sale of major organs like kidneys, and the accused in this matter knew that what he was doing is illegal.

[Hometown Postville]

YL: "I hope he goes to jail (if guilty) and he "never goes home." Let's see how tough a thug he is compared with prison gangs."
He'll finagle his way into one of those jails that will cater to his every whim. He'll make good company for Bernie M. They can form their own "gang" and run the behind the scenes prison casino to pay all the bribes for their special treatment. Does he have kids soon to celebrate their bar mitzvah? He should start planning the party! Plenty of Monkey Dews for all!

[Mike]

If you'd like to see how great orthodox Judaism really is, read the comments to any article on www.vosizneias.com.

Posted by: WoolSilkCotton | July 24, 2009 at 07:35 PM

They're already out in force doing damage control, going bezerk because the truth is coming out. The maniac that had a meltdown at the deal yeshiva when news 12 showed up clarifies the jewish position on these crimes. He yelled at the cameraman "go home and be quiet", which of course translates to stop reporting on jews in an unfavorable light. Of course if you do report what they are up to, your a raging anti-semite. Truth is jews want this story to go away quickly. I'm not even going to adresss the countless number of comments I see on that site, stating that this is Nazi Germany all over again. I guess for these yids to be happy, law enforcement has to look the other way when a jew is the perp.

[nachos]

yidandahalf:

I live in a small farming community and I am detecting the same thing.

It won't be long before the entire financial collapse is blamed on the "Jewish bankers" like Goldman Sachs. It's scary and shmucks like the Rubashkins don't help things.

[Mr. Apikoros]

Goldman, Sachs actually are among the good guys here. They know how to manage risk. It's some of the other schmucks, like from Merrill Lynch and AIG, who by and large aren't Jewish who screwed up.

BTW, most of the partners and employees at GS aren't Jewish either.

[nachos]

Mr. Apikoros:

I am well aware that most of the employees of Goldman are not Jewish. Never let logic get in the way of antisemitism.

On another note, if Goldman were one of the good guys, they would begin paying taxes. Last year they paid nothing.

[Mr. Apikoros]

Last year they earned nothing. This year is quite different.

[ah-pee-chorus]

yes this year they are using a loophole in the exchanges rules which have permitted two-tier markets to rob the little guy.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/07/24/business/24trading.html?_r=1&em

[ML]

It's also convenient that most of the people in government running the economy are ex-Goldman people. The reason they're doing so well is that the government allowed just about all of their competition to fail, all while propping themselves up.