Hasidic Rebbe Detained By Customs On Entry To US

The Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe was briefly detained by US Customs agents upon his arrival in JFK Airport on Sunday afternoon.

Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe Detained In JFK Airport
Eli Gefen • Yeshiva World News

The Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe was detained by US Customs agents upon his arrival in JFK Airport on Sunday afternoon.

Sources tell YWN that upon the Rebbe’s arrival, he was immediately taken by agents into a private room and hassled for more than an hour. He was repeatedly questioned how much cash he was bringing into the USA.

After more than an hour of intense interrogation, and searching all the Rebbes belongings, it was obvious that there was no illegal activity involving the Rebbe - and he was permitted to exit the airport.

The Rebbe arrived today for a scheduled visit seeking to raise funds to support his ailing mosdos, some reportedly on the verge of collapse.

This upcoming shabbos, Lech Lecha, the Rebbe will hold a tisch in Boro Park.

I think what we have here is is an event related to both the Spinka Rebbe's money laundering case and the money laundering cases of the Syrian rabbis arrested this past July.

That doesn't mean the Toldos Avrohom Yitzchok Rebbe is guilty of a crime; it just means that, in the aftermath of the Spinka and Syrian cases, haredi rabbis are understandably getting much closer scrutiny from law enforcement than they used to – especially when those rabbis have direct ties to Israel.

It also means, I think, that more arrests related to both cases are likely to happen soon.

Comments

[reuven sabel]

why would anybody bring money from israel to america to have the money laundered in america?

[harold]

*Could be* good old fashioned anti-Semitism - unless you believe that it does not exist anymore in the US. I hope this detainment gets scrutinized by someone as to just why he was detained. I can't believe tha there is a call to detain and search all old jewish rabbis. Especially, as the previous poster said, coming into the US.

[Shmarya]

Please.

He was detained for the reasons I wrote, and you'll see this clearly soon, probably within a couple months.

Only a complete troll (that would be you, 'harold') could be dull enough to overlook all those recent high profile haredi rabbi arrest on federal charges.

Antisemitism?

Please.

[critical_minyan]

if this would have happened in israel instead of america, there would have been street riots for a month.
the charedim in israel get away with a lot more in america.
the ones here have to get out their aggressive instincts by infighting. things are too easy for them over here to cause too much trouble.

[Isa]

Regarding:
""""why would anybody bring money from israel to america to have the money laundered in america?""""

BECAUSE Israel has a much higher rate of taxation. Several Israeli politicians got into trouble (Yitshaq Rabin I think) because they had USA bank accounts. In spite of what you think many countries have much higher rates of taxation e.g. United Kingdom, Australia, Canada etc etc.

[CR]

"The Rebbe arrived today for a scheduled visit seeking to raise funds to support his ailing mosdos, some reportedly on the verge of collapse."

The other outcome of the Spinka and Deal scandals is that many past donors are now thinking twice before handing over the "Groise Tshek". The recent riots by T"A in Y-m are also on people's minds when they go for the checkbook.

[Ben]

In the recent past the title and dress of the Rabbi/Rebbe was a protection against all searches. People thought of them as holy men with morals above reproach. This believe was repeatedly shaken in the last 2 years. Money laundering, sex scandals, rubashkin scandal, persecution of converts, involvement in political corruption in israel and US, street violence...

All these made many people depart from naive believe in heavenly goodness of Rabbis. More and more they are being percieve as mere mortals and this change of attitude will lead to more inspections and to more discoveries about the Inside (real) Story of the Haredi society and its leadership.

[Honestly Frum]

They should not let him atke any money out withhim if they are going to be used to fund terrorist activities like Chillul shabbos rallies.

[BaltimoreYid]

Sad to say but in light of recent events the Chareidi world has subjected itself to profiling. Anti-Semitism doesn't even figure in to the picture.

[R]

How come he isn't called the toldos avraham yitchok and yaakov rebbe? I am saddended to see he hasn't used all three patriarchal names.

[seymour]

years ago there was a frum guy who the Isabelle police was sure that he was smuggling in stuff diamond into Israel

they searched him every time but found nothing until they decided to search his tiffilin and that is were they found it

[Pablo Faird]

Seymour:
That`s an old trick and I believe that the feds have caught on to that. I bet they searched through both his rashi and rabbeinu tam tefillin.

[reuven sabel]

regarding isa's 7:54am entry maybe the u s customs agents who suspected the rebbe of whatever and detained the rebbe should be thrown in jail for life with jonathan pollard for being israeli double agents wanting to know what the rebbe took out of israel?
FREE JONATHAN POLLARD

[reuven sabel]

7

[reuven sabel]

7

[Isaac Balbin]

Shmarya, explain why the Gerrer Rebbe and the Toldos Aaron Rebbe who were allegedly on the same flight didn't attract this attention.

[Shmarya]

Because the feds have very tiny secret agents planted in their beards.

[brian]

The talk of the street is that a tip was given to the US authorities that the TAY rebbe is arrying contraband. Suspicion is that some of his opponents in Israel did so, and thisseems verified by the profuse apologies he received from the customs-agents.

[Uzi M]

What? A man wearing a striped bathrobe, tights, and fur on his head raises suspicion in the airport? Why, I never...