Rabbi Milton Yehoshua Balkany In His Own Words

Rabbi Balkany explains his arrest on charges of extortion, blackmail, wire fraud and making a false statement on Zev Brenner's radio show.

The Brooklyn Bundler in his own words. 

This runs about 44 minutes:

Download Balkany 2010-02-21_talkline

Comments

[Zevi]

A special wing in prison should be made
for this family...... What a disgraceful
bunch of crooks.

[Critical minyan]

How can I contribute to this tzadik's legal defense fund?

[Hal]

What incredible arrogance.

[Leah Schwartz]

Is there a transcript available?

[who knows?]

He is a real good. He does not allow a the host to say a word and does not answer any questions. True gadol he is.

[Abie]

The callers at the end were the best part.

[Bilaams Ass]

he should be a "gadol" all monologue no dialogue

[Moshe,]

The prisoner at the Otisville Federal Correctional Institution,that entraped the rabbi is a old swindler and con artist that has stolen tens & tens millions from innocent people and he even stole millions from his own brother and his own family.He is currently incarcerated on double arson charges wher six firefighters were seriously injured. This prisoner Nat (naftoly)shlinger is a cold calculated criminal mind and bad news he is in for life and will do anything to entrap innocent people.

[effie]

It's not entrapment. One, he's not law enforcement. Two, it has to be conduct which would induce a *normally law abiding person* to commit the crime.

[Gil X]

is it an interview or is is a monolog?, i stoped listening after he told his daya to day schedule

[LakewoodHock]

Moshe,

The person you mentioned, whose prisoner number is 12917-053, is currently in Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC) Brooklyn, rather than Otisville. Further, he is 73 years old, while Balkany referred to the prisoner as a younger man with three children.

[sage]

Balkany might want to consider how he's going to behave in the "Interview in the Next World".

The kind of performance he gave in the Zev Brenner Radio Show, simply won't do.

[sage]

Balkany might want to consider how he's going to behave in the "Interview in the Next World".

The kind of performance he gave in the Zev Brenner Radio Show, simply won't do.

[Leah Schwartz]

There is a whole frum chevrah in Otisville. Or, - the Robbi could have made the whole thing up.

[itchiemayer]

Baruch Hashem, the guy seems to be a ba'al gaivah, Baruch Hashem. He is "noble", "patient", and "hospitable" if he may say so himself. And that is just the first couple of minutes!...Baruch Hashem.....

[Chayim]

Rabbi Balkany is not a bad guy. He runs a girls school and never sends home kids whos family could not afford tution like other mosdos. He has all types of guests on shabbos be they singles or just people down on their luck. He is a fighter for Jewish people and sometimes gets carried away like our great leaders, Moses,king David and a host of other great men who looked to help their fellow Jews even if it endangered themselves. I will support him and give him financial backing.

[HaNavon]

this guy is such a baal gayva, when he says "baruch hashem" hashem cringes...
he is so arrogant!!

[Harlan]

In my opinion Zev Brenner is a masochist.
I would have a major problem allowing a guest on my radio show to bully me

[Dov]

Zev Brenner should take some lessons from Howard Stern to learn how to control his guest speakers.

[Lawrence M. Reisman]

" He runs a girls school and never sends home kids whos family could not afford tution like other mosdos." He once strongarmed a divorced mother by having his lawyers send her a summons and complaint for back tuition. Since there was no index number, it was obvious the whole thing was a stunt. But it was a cheap one, and he did not come up looking too good. And oh yes, he was notorious for not paying his teachers on time.

[Robert Wisler]

Just a side question. I assume that R. Balkany is not a Lubavitcher (is that correct?). How did he marry a woman from a staunch Lubavitch family (Rubashkin)? I was under the impression that they only married other Lubavitchers.

[Bina]

Rabbi Balkany is a zadik gadol. He has never ever sent a girl home for non payment of tuition, show me one other school that has such a policy? who ever this prisoner that ensnared the rabbi is will never leave hell, whoever this person is that created this hardship for the rabbi will never leave eternal hell

[effie]

Balkany ensnared himself. The feds have Balkany on tape extorting and blackmailing this hedge fund to the tune of 4 million dollars. He's going to prison for a very long time.

[Annon]

Balkany sounded like a lying politician, he does not deserve the title of "Rabbi".

He didn't let Zev Brenner get a word in edgewise. Balkany just kept talking over him when Zev tried politely interrupting Balkany's self-promoting tirades to try to ask a pertinent question.

Balkany kept talking about all the wonderful community service he did and does. We could do without Balkany's "services" thank you very much. Balkany - do Jews the world over a big service and disappear. Go hide under a rock, stay away from our communities and stop calling yourself a "Rabbi." Those would be the best services Balkany could do for the Orthodox community!!

[chabadnik attorney]

I has the same question Rob. I think the insular nature of various groups was much less of a concern 30-40 years ago. This applied to the schools, camps, neighborhoods and shuls. Once the groups became larger and more "Haredi" so to speak the separations became more prominent. I would say that it was (and is) more common for a Lubavitcher girl to marry a non-lubavitcher guy than vice-versa.

[Dvir]

My hearth goes out to Rabbi Balkany, I wish I could help him, Rabbi balkany is an example of gemilas chasoddim , he would give away his socks for another jew,Why ? Why? Why does this happen to a giant to Hakodosh rabbi balkany?

[Dina]

My heart stopped beating for a minute when I heard the bad news about rabbi Balkany. I know his wife the rebbetzin , They are like avraham and sarah , always guests in the house, the shaboss sudo they host for close to 100 people every shaboss, this is to much My heart is crying for this rightous person. Oh moshiach please come now

[Big Jew]

When will people get it???
You are not a Tzaddik, Gadol....if you do good things but on the other hand flagrantly break G-ds and the USA's laws! I won't deny he has done good but that doesn't make him a Tzaddik. Frankly today people throw around titles without thought. The Chafetz Chaim, Rav Moshe Feinstein, The Satmar Rebbe (Yoel and Moshe) the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rav Pam...were Tzaddikim. Martin Grossman, Rubashkin, Balkany et al are NOT within a Million miles of being a Tzaddik. It is LUDICROUS to call these people Tzaddikim. Again, they may have done lots of chesed, but real Chesed/Tdedaka is with Kosher money!

"Kum Aleh Bais Keil V'Shev Sham VaAseh Sham Mizbeiach"  (Vayishlach 35:1) Hashem tells Yaakov to go to Bais Kel and make a Mizbei'ach to fulfill the promise he made when he ran away from Eisav.  The Meshech Chochma asks, where do we ever find that Hashem tells a person to make a Mizbei'ach and bring Him a Korban? He answers that the Pasuk says in Yeshaya (61:8), "Ani Hashem... Sonei Geze BaOlah", I am Hashem... I hate stolen korbanos.  Yaakov very much wanted to fulfil his promise to bring a korban upon his safe arrival back from Lavan's house. However after the looting of Shchem Yaakov was afraid to bring a korban fearing it would be from stolen goods.  Hashem assures Yaakov that he could make a Mizbei'ach and bring a korban and not worry because his money is kosher and Hashem desires his korban.

[Big Jew]

More for Bina Dvir and Dina (probably all the same people)

Parshas Truma: Bais HaLevi - Truma Comes After Mishpatim The Bais HaLevi explains that Parshas Truma comes right after Mishpatim for a very important reason.  The Mishkan was built from donations of the Bnei Yisroel.  If a mitzva is done with a stolen item it is pasul because it is a Mitzva Haba B'Aveira, a mitzva performed through an aveira.  Mitzvos like that are not wanted by Hashem The halachos of monetary matters are complex.  Rav Yisroel Salanter once warned a Talmid who stopped pursuing a career in the Rabbinate because he did not want to take responsibility for answering halachic questions, that money matters are far more complex than answering questions about treif chickens. Before one is ready to donate money to build a Makom of Hashra'as HaShechina he needs to make sure that he knows all the halachos pertaining to business and the money is clean and earned with 100% honesty.  If you don't know Mishpatim, your Truma may not be worth anything.

[Bill]

"oh moshiach please come now" - dina

Dina,

The messiah is on his way!

"Behold a day is coming that burns like a hot furnace, and all the arrogant, wicked people will be set ablaze, said the Lord Almighty. Not a root or branch will be left of them." (Malachi 4:1)

[Mr. Green]

Dina = Bina = Dvir = Milty

[Staph of Moses]

He has a great future on "Celebrity Apprentice," alongside other unabashed crooks like Blagojavic.

[Liebel]

My feeling is that this entire garabage against balkany will get thrown out in court.

[Chana Blima Cohen]

One Word Comes to Mind: Demagogue

[Chayim]

Rabbi Balkany is a good man. He fights for Jewish causes and thats why he has opposition. All our great leaders had opposition otherwise they would be just a regular joe shmoe. You fight for Jews,you help jews,you love jews than you have opposition. In every case from day one of Abrtaham to Rabbi Balkany no leader was without opposition. Some leaders had to run for the lives.Some ran from possible prision time. Any Rabbi that is anything always had opposition. I could list every major chassidic rabbi,litvish rabbi Talmudic rabbi had opposition from the traitors within and the anti semites from without. Keep up the good work Rabbi Balkany you are fighting for Judaism future and you will win.

[ZIY]

What a arrogant sicko! Never heard anyone toot his horn so loud. Doesn't he realize that the more he goes off like this, the more he is viewed with suspicion in the public eye? Only the guilty try to cover up & distract, by espousing first-person diatribes of how great they are. (Think of Spitzer, Blagojavich, etc. etc.) At least his brother-in-law Sholom Rubashkin didn't toot his own horn of how much he helped Yidden etc.; rather, he had others do it for him.

Perhaps that is the difference between a Chosid & Misnaged (-- yes, although married into the Rubashkins, Balkany looks & smells like an inflated 'Snag --): the Chosid who does good, even if at times misdirected or at the expense of hurting others (as in Postville), does it at the time out of a selfless altruism & without obvious self-aggrandizement. The Misnaged bully, however, has no shame to use the very good he did as a weapon to broadcast how great & important he is. (See Tanya end of Chapter 1 re Gentiles.)

And as we know from history, it is the Misnaged's inflated ego that ultimately turns to his own downfall...

[JackSpratt]

It is painful just listening to the arrogance of this special man in a hamburg! Give me a break- a complete chilul hashem by a bully with no decency. Enough!