Leading Chabad Rabbis Rally For Convicted Felon

Prison is not a place for a Jew to be. "We have a moral duty to help him so that his children will be reunited with their father."

Gathering for Eliyahu Ezagui

Crown Heights residents gathered at Lubavitch Yeshiva in Crown Heights in support of developer Eliyahu Ezagui, facing up to 15 years in prison.

COLLive.com

A rally to raise funds for a developer found guilty of bank fraud took place Wednesday in Brooklyn's Crown Heights neighborhood.

Supporters of Eliyahu Ezagui, who is facing a prison sentence as long as 15 years, called on the community to help raise $300,000 to cover the cost of his defense.

Ezagui was said [sic] to entice local Lubavitch families into buying homes at 770 Lefferts Avenue and 613 East New York Avenue but never turned over the deeds.

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson, who was the main speaker at the rally, said that prison is not the place for a Jew to be. "We have a moral duty to help him so that his children will be reunited with their father."

Rabbi Yaakov Schwei of Badatz of Crown Heights, remarked that even if one has money dedicated to a charity, one may give it instead for the mitzvah of Pidyon Shevuyim.

Other speakers were Vaad Hakohol member Yossi Hackner, community activist Rabbi Shea Hecht [a leading figure on the Sholom Rubashkin Pidyon Shevuyim Fund], and local Mashpiim Rabbi Pinyeh Korf and Rabbi Shlomo Majesky.

Donate online at EzaguiCase.com or mail to CHJCC General Pidyon Shevuim Fund 392 Kingston Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225 or call Musia at CHJCC 718-771-9000 ext 0

Comments

[harold]

Any idea how many people showed up or how much was colledted?

I personally would not have gone. Stealing from your own is a line that if crossed deserves no help. I qualify this by saying that I would give to a fund to support his wife and kids, but for a fancy legal defense fund when a free one is available is not what I consider tzedaka.

[rabbidw]

This letter appears in this weeks Jewish Press. It is about Rubashkin, but it applies to Ezagu as well.

Pollard More Deserving Of Support

Sorry, Mr. Lewin, but you know better. There never was one standard of justice. Every state has its own rules, every DA his own standards. My grandmother's standards still apply. Jews, especially Orthodox Jews, have to live up to the highest standards.

Rubashkin was found not guilty of all the immigration charges. He was offered the chance to plead guilty on the bank fraud and would have received a lesser sentence. He chose to go to trial. He gambled and lost.

I am more concerned about a man who pled guilty and was promised leniency. Twenty-five years later, Jonathan Pollard is still in jail and the Russian spies were just sent home. If you wish to argue about more than one standard of justice, Jonathan Pollard is the true victim. He is the one we should be demonstrating for and praying for.

Rabbi David A. Willig

Staten Island, NY

[Robert Wisler]

"harold" stupidly writes:

"Stealing from your own is a line that if crossed deserves no help."

I reply:

Stealing from ANYONE is a line that if crossed deserves no help. Jews have to get over the misguided idea that gentiles are "less" human than Jews. I hope that the moderator will delete this filthy comment and hopefully ban the misguided and ill-educated shoteh who posted it.

[Shmarya]

Rubashkin was found not guilty of all the immigration charges.

Actually, Rubashkin's immigration charges were dropped because convictions would not appreciably add to Rubashkin's overall sentence.

Rubashkin was found not guilty of all state child labor charges, largely because the judge would not let immigration evidence like no-match letters into evidence. That evidence shows that Rubashkin should have known a large portion of his workforce did not have valid IDs and therefore could have been minors.

[Robert Wisler]

More fruits of the insane ramblings of Chabad and their wicked forefather 'Shneur Zalman of Liadi' and his equally disgusting descendents.

[Streimel Shmuley]

Nebech, we are in galut!

Moshiach come now so we dont have to read such stories!

[harold]

"harold" stupidly writes:
"Stealing from your own is a line that if crossed deserves no help."
I reply:
Stealing from ANYONE is a line that if crossed deserves no help. Jews have to get over the misguided idea that gentiles are "less" human than Jews. I hope that the moderator will delete this filthy comment and hopefully ban the misguided and ill-educated shoteh who posted it

First of all I do not consider your comment filthy so Mr. Rosenberg does not have to delete it.

The line that I referred to is a generic one. The typical definition would probably be one of being a traitor. The disgust that I displayed is the same one that I would expect if someone would steal from the collection plate of one’s own church, or if a doctor steals from his patient, or a guest in a house stealing from the host.

Stealing is wrong. I never implied that it is right and I certainly did not imply that it is ok to steal from a gentile – that is your fantasy and prejudice. I implied that certain thefts are especially “eckeldick” and deserves not one minute’s worth of thought as to whether one should help or not.

Don’t put words in my mouth and don’t speak on my behalf.

[David]

The disgust that I displayed is the same one that I would expect if someone would steal from the collection plate of one’s own church,

I work for a Charedi organisation and some CHAREDIM are responsible for stealing from tzedkah boxes, (not "goyim" who some claim walk in off the street to steal it).

I am about to install security cameras to address this problem. Providing that "goyishe" legal standards permit and my contractual obligations as well, I would be happy to provide images of anyone (of any persuasion) caught doing this.

[harold]

am about to install security cameras to address this problem

A notice stating that that the boxes are under video surveillance and anyone caught stealing will have their pictures posted above the boxes as well as being reported to the police will go a long way for deterrence especially for the locals.

[Yossel]

Robert Wisler writes."More fruits of the insane ramblings of Chabad and their wicked forefather 'Shneur Zalman of Liadi' and his equally disgusting descendents"

SHMARYA, I am very disturbed that you would allow this type of diatribe. I do not believe that you would want your blog which I find fascinating to host deranged comments such as the one above. A new low in my opinion.

[Menachem Mendel lll]

"Appoint judges and officials for each of your tribes in every town the LORD your God is giving you, and they shall judge the people fairly."
-Deuteronomy 16:18

This kind of comments fuel anti-semitism.

What this piece of shit, cocksucker and lowlife "really" means is this:
Any yiddeleh...provided that he has deep pockets and is willing to provide kick backs and payoff to the frumkite community so they can fuck the dog, not work and take as many benifits as possible from the country they live in and provide no tax dollars or any form of contribution to society he MUST be saved.

But a goy (even if he saved Jews in the holocaust) is still a goy and he can rot in jail because he deserves it. For him the courts are just and fair. For a convicted yid however, the judges are a bunch of anti semites.

Where are the prostests, outcrys and rallys fellow Yidden rotting in jails once convicted in courts around the world for drugs, tax evasion and embezzelment.

If there are any cohenim in the crowd, could you shelt this guy so he gets what's coming to him for Yom Kippur.

[Garnel Ironheart]

> Stealing from your own is a line that if crossed deserves no help.

Harold, what is the definition of "your own"? Is it humanity in general since we're all the same species? Is it any Jew at all, no matter how irreligious? Is it only those Jews who identify as Torah observant? Is it only those Jews who fit the Chareidi defintion of observant? Or is it only one who has accepted the Rebbe as his lord, messiah and saviour?

[Althelion]

I think that this is an example of the insidious concept of yichus at work. The developer,Ezagui, probably had made a lot of money and had donated to these ravs' institutions. The people who Ezagui ripped off were just common yids - not big machers like Ezagui. The common folks are as disposable as lulavs after Sukkot.

This kind of socio-economic prejudice is a clear illustration of the increasing assimilation of hasidic society into the wasp/blueblood anglo-American culture.

A shonde! How long before menachem mendel and malkah are seen playing tennis at the country club?

[Yosef ben Matiya]

ezagui, rubashkin and the crown heights trolls, and the other thieves, are they jewish?

[Shaul in Monsey]

If they want to collect money under the banner of chesed, I really don't have a problem with that. Their money, their business. But when these allegedly frum people make up bubbe maisehs that this is pidyon shvuyim it's just nonsense. Beyond being a chesed, it's as much pidyon shvuyim as it is eiver min hachai. What is it about honesty and beards that just don't mix?

[state of disgust]

Shaul in Monsey:
Its really quite simple. If these Haredim cannot think for themselves and must consult a rabbi to know what to think, then these people truly don't know the difference between right and wrong. Such mind numbing adherence to dogma creates the perfect cult acolyte, devoid of any "self" awareness and justifying horrific behavior including seeing and treating others as less then human.

[FormerPostvillian]

"Prison is not a place for a Jew to be."

He's right, Jews should not be committing the CRIMES that lead to Prison!!!

That's the point they're missing!!!

But when CRIMES are COMMITTED, prison is EXACTLY where ANYONE should be; Jew and Gentile alike!!!

Welcome to America!

Here we have freedom of religion, but no freedom because of religion.

Deal with it!

Nor does that make anyone racist or anti-semetic. It's just the rules of the game the criminals chose to play before they lost!

So "Rabbi's" getting up and pulling this B.S. really gets to me.

What about the Jews he committed the crimes against? Where are the Rabbi's trying to raise money to pay the victoms back???

No, these idiots have a better idea "let's raise money for the jewish criminal to defend himself"!?!

What the Hell, I don't get it?????

[Hometown Postville]

Wasn't $300k the amount that was quoted as needed for SMR's defense recently? Is that the going rate for defending criminals? Personally, this reeks of a new scam to launder money. Haredi beware- you think your dollars are liberating a peer when all they are doing is allowing the attorneys to upgrade their yachts!

[David]

Rabbi Yosef Yitzchak Jacobson, who was the main speaker at the rally, said that prison is not the place for a Jew to be. "We have a moral duty to help him so that his children will be reunited with their father."

What does he mean that prison is no place for a Jew? Does this mean he thinks it is a place for a non-Jew?

Prison is not MEANT to be a desireable place to be. The incentive to stay out of it is to obey the laws. Don't do the crime - don't do the time. Simple!

[Menachem Mendel lll]

He has every right and duty to steal, rob, con, cheat and embezzel from innocent hard working people because The Abishter gave him the ability to do it therefore it was beshert and meant to be.

Please do not second guess the will of Ha'shem and his infinite wisdom especially when ganefed gelt is involved.

Moschaich...who need him?

[Catcher50]

This Haredi statement and the "defense" says that prison is no place for a Jew. That may be the stupidest statement that I have heard since I was on a board that raised fines for rules violations that these fines (BTW going from $5 to $10) were very bad because they were punitive (which I thought was the idea). And by the way, we can go right down the list of Jewish thugs who were put in prison and/or executed. It's just that they weren't Haredim.

As for Harold's statement that Stealing from your own is a line that if crossed deserves no help. (exact quote), you display the frightening attitude of the ultraorthodox, who claim to be Torah True, when they actually ignore Torah and only follow the post Torah writings that continually change to become increasingly strict and increasingly un-Jewish. There is no line in Ex. 13: You are not to steal it is absolute and all inclusive.

[Catcher50]

Sorry, Ex. 20:13

[harold]

You are not to steal it is absolute and all inclusive.

That is a given but that does not mean that you can't help with paying for legal expense? If your son was caught stealing do you tell him "sorry son what you did was wrong, you are are your own" or do you still try to help him by paying for his bail (if needed) and help him find and pay for the best legal representation? To help does not mean help steal or that you approve the of the theft which is what you are implying that I said - and that is wrong!

[Catcher50]

Harold...your statement was that stealing from your own is a line that if crossed deserves no help. I did not misinterpret your statement. It was very clear. You put a different standard on stealing from Jews than on stealing from non-Jews. Again, you seem to express an opinion that agrees with Rabbinic interpretation and yet absolutely counteracts The Decalogue.

By the way, if a child of mine (your use of the word son certainly implies a misogynist streak on your part), who had a history of wrong doing and had been bailed out, etc. on a number of occasions, was arrested for stealing, I probably would tell him/her that they were on their own. Sometimes you just have to let a child find their own way.