Don't Worry, Jews May Be Bad But Goyyim Are Worse, Ohr Somayach Rabbi Says

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz also says you should ask a rabbi before reporting suspected child sexual abuse to police or your city's child protection services and invokes the No True Scotsman Fallacy – any Orthodox Jew who commits heinous crimes like child sexual abuse is not really an Orthodox Jew, Breitowitz claims, insisting that God and Judaism are not at fault for what its most visible adherent s may do wrong.

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz says no matter how bad the behavior of haredi Jews may seem, we're better than the non-Jews, and the haredi community is the place to go to live a fulfilled, moral life.

He also says that you should ask a rabbi before reporting suspected child sexual abuse to police or your city's child protection services and invokes the No True Scotsman Fallacy – any Orthodox Jew who commits heinous crimes like child sexual abuse is not really an Orthodox Jew, Breitowitz claims, insisting that God and Judaism are not at fault for what its most visible adherents may do wrong.

On top of that, he says students at Ohr Somayach in Jerusalem don't really have many questions related to this because Jerusalem's Jews are holier than the Jews elsewhere, and he implies the problems of child sexual abuse, theft and corruption don't really exist there – which is false.

On the bright side, he does say that there is no mesirah with regard to reporting suspected child sexual abuse.

From last night's Talkline radio show with Zev Brenner. The gaps and duplications in the recording are as they appeared when the show was broadcast. Nothing has been editied out by FailedMessiah.com:

Breitowitz 1

Breitowitz 2

Breitowitz 3

Comments

[Nigritude Ultramarine]

The Ancient Romans of around the 60's and 50's BCE also had a similar view of themselves. Namely, their way of living and their outlook was the most excellent way to live. They believed that everywhere they went and established settlements the inhabitants were better off because of Roman administration and influence.

[David]

If these clowns didn't prohibit themselves from meeting Goyim they would realise that there are many Goyim who are honest and moral. In fact, I would say there are a greater percentage of honest Goyim than there are honest Charedim.

And I know many ex-frumma who once they left the cult were quite surprized how nice Goyim actually were as they had always been taught to mistrust them.

[WinstonSmithinILSOC]

Walt Kelly, the creator of the comic strip Pogo wrote "We have met the enemy and he is us". This continued mind numbing demonizing of non Jews is and has back fired on us. It gives some non Jews more ammo to hate us and gain new followers. People are people, some are very bad, others good and many others in between. His notion that people in Jerusalem are holier than others in Israel and the rest of the world is nonsense. People like him make me(a religious Jew) less and less inclined to be religious...perhaps this is my fault and I should not let mental migdgets like this person get to me. But still this whole notion of supposed superiority bothers me and in the end will hurt the Jewish people as a whole.

[Steven]

Stop molestation, report the paedophile to the police.

[jancsibacsi]

This guy looks to me like he is on some kind of drug,his face says it all a child in a grownups body,mentally deranged.

[Unorthodox Yidden]

"any Orthodox Jew who commits heinous crimes like child sexual abuse is not really an Orthodox Jew"

He is 100% correct. That would mean that Agudath Israel of America are not Orthodox Jews. They are pedophile protectors and they should be dismantled.

[Isaac]

Having known him for 20 years I can say that Rabbi Breitowitz is hardly chareidi. He may look chareidi and teach at Ohr Sameach but his worldview is truly modern Orthodox. (He also teaches at Matan which is a Tzohar supported women's learning program)

He's respected by Jewish leaders across all denominations. He supported women's kabalat shabbat services 20 years ago against community pressures from the more right wing, he graduated Harvard Law School, and taught law at University of MD for many years, and he was very involved in the broader Jewish and non-Jewish community in Maryland. Read this article for more, or just google him:

http://washingtonjewishweek.com/main.asp?SectionID=4&SubSectionID=4&ArticleID=11257&TM=1444.41

There are many rabbis who deserve to be called out on failed messiah, but believe me, Rabbi Breitowitz isn't one of them.

[ruthie]

Rabbi Yitzchak Breitowitz says no matter how bad the behavior of haredi Jews may seem, we're better than the non-Jews, and the haredi community is the place to go to live a fulfilled, moral life.

He also says that you should ask a rabbi before reporting suspected child sexual abuse to police or your city's child protection services

breitowitz rabbi pos FUCK OFF

[different dave]

http://www.come-and-hear.com/editor/br-breitowitz/

[jancsibacsi]

Tisy guy is as dumb as a doorbel,he is judging himself to be better then goyim what a dummy,let others judge you idiot rabbi or shoite.

[Ben]

Barry, you are joking right?

[Rebitzman]

@Isaac

Might be the nicest guy in the world, but if this article correctly reflects his world view then yes........he deserves to be called out.

Even the best make mistakes and are accountable for them.

[Yochanan Lavie]

I really dodged the bullet. A friend of mine urged me to attend the Happy Light yeshiva after high school. I suspected it was a cult factory and I refused his suggestion. I am soooo happy I didn't go there.

[S M L]

"...plain as the nose on your face...."

In more ways than one....

"...We have met the enemy and he is us..."

There's more wisdom in those old Pogo comics than is contained in all the poskim of all the Haredi gedolim taken together.

[Yoel Mechanic]

What an idiot, clearly goyim are better than Jews, just look at the crime statistics it is as plain as the nose on your face.

Posted by: Barry | April 21, 2013 at 07:17 AM
------------------------------------------

What statistics are you talking about???

Everyone knows that 65.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

[Redleg]

I think he's simply expanding on the saying of his former Rosh HaYeshiva, R' Noach Weinberg A"H who famously said "Don't judge Judaism by Jews."

As far as being better that the Gentiles, how is his statement different from that of a devout Catholic saying that someone who isn't baptized cannot get to Heaven?

[Tony Parker]

Why can't you have a decent discussion without stooping to name calling. Why does every second comment have to end with a derogatory remark? Let people leave comments without abusing them.

[Unorthodox Yidden]

Yoel

Did you make up that statistic?

[dapper danny]

I spent a day at Or Somayach back in 1994. Jeff Seidel sent me. He found me drunk on Ben Yehuda one evening, and got me to agree to go the next day.

I kind of dug it, and the lectures were pretty interesting. But thankfully, I didn't join the cult.

[different dave]

who recorded this its hard to consentrate on the conversation with the heavy breathing

[Luke]

""any Orthodox Jew who commits heinous crimes like child sexual abuse is not really an Orthodox Jew"

Wow ! Using this logic (sic), at the rate we are going there will be no orthodox left here in Monsey.

Luke.

[Yoel Mechanic]

Yoel

Did you make up that statistic?

Posted by: Unorthodox Yidden | April 21, 2013 at 11:21 AM
-------------------------------------------

There is a 97.4% chance of that.

[A. Nuran]

But let a Gentile say anything that's less than completely complimentary about any Jew and he will shriek "Anti-Semite!" at the top of his lungs

[ss]

I listened to all three tapes. You have mis-portrayed Rabbi Breitowitz. Not once did Rabbi Breitowitz use the word "goyim" (as you do in the title to your post),
nor did he say (as you write) "we're better than the non-Jews", nor did he use the word "haredi" (which given his background I would not characterize Rabbi Breitowitz himself as such). He used the phrase "secular society" - of which Jews (including myself, and Rabbi Breitowitz when he was a law professor not too long ago) are a part. Nor did he say that "Jerusalem's Jews are holier than the Jews elsewhere" or anything remotely close to that. And, he never implied that Jersulamites have no problems or that abuse, theft, etc. does not exist there. On the other hand, I strongly disagree with Rabbi Breitowitz's position on reporting abuse (which I believe you reported accurately): I do not agree with him that Rabbis must be consulted in advance to determine "probable cause" ("raglayim ladavar"). However, I agree with the interviewer, Zev Brenner, who implied that *someone* should be used as a sounding board (e.g., one's wife. a friend, a professional, or a Rabbi, etc.) before one takes the step of reporting alleged abuse to authorities. (If I recall correctly) Rabbi Breitowitz said that he was personally familiar with cases where there clearly was no abuse. In any case, certainly there are instances where the allegations are so far-fetched that one must stop to think whether a report is approriate. [Recall the Amirault family case in Mass. as an example where the authorities who prosecuted the case not only got it wrong but deserved to be jailed themselves for their lies and for tainting the "evidence."] On the other hand, if one has credible suspicion (let alone proof) of abuse, then one should immediately report that to the police -- a position I believe, based on the interview, that Rabbi Breitowitz would support (or at least I certainly hope he would support), and that he holds (as you accurately reported) would not constitute messirah.

[Shmarya Rosenberg]

ss –

Please.

Listen again. I do not have quotation marks around those statements. They are paraphrases of what Breitowitz said. You agree I accurate reported what he said re: abuse, and you disagree because he did not use the word goyyim – even though he clearly says that the morals, ethics, etc. you find in the frum world are higher than what you will find elsewhere – anywhere, in fact. What you dont grasp is that the frum complaint against non-Orthodox Jews is what? That they act like GOYYIM. So what Breitwoitz was saying is exactly what I reported.

[SkepticalYid]

Posted by: Shmarya Rosenberg | April 21, 2013 at 02:52 PM

No, you're wrong on this one. If you quoted his statement verbatim and then added an observation indicating that his words imply "That the frum complaint against non-Orthodox Jews is what? That they act like GOYYIM," you'd have a stronger argument. As it stands, your header reads more like a tabloid.

[spaced out BT]

Another name for not-too-Breitowitz's attitude is hubris.

[Joe Field]

Everyone knows that 65.3% of all statistics are made up on the spot.

Posted by: Yoel Mechanic | April 21, 2013 at 10:27 AM

You just made this up. :)

[adams]

Rabbi Brietowitz, I do not think frum people overall are any better than any other people.

There are some fine exceptions here and there, I mean people who have really internalized the Ruchniyus ideal and message, but overall, people are basically the same.

And everyone knows this. So you only put egg on your face, when you make such childish and dopey statements as you have.

I urge you to not make such statements anymore and better take a long break from speaking in public on this kind of 'Machshava' topics. stick to the pure Torah/Gemara topics only is my best advice.
'Rabbi' Adams

[A son-in law such as this!]

Best FM lead ever.

"Don't Worry, Jews May Be Bad But Goyyim Are Worse...Rabbi Says"

[The world knows about the Schlesinger Twins]

"He also says that you should ask a rabbi before reporting suspected child sexual abuse to police or your city's child protection services"

What would Rabbi Biderman in Vienna say if he was contacted over concerns for the development of the Schlesinger Twins in his kindergarten ( http://helpbeth.org )? What faith are we expected to have in Rabbis when they behave like this without any accountability? In this case, the Austrian Rabbis are more than happy for the matter to be resolved in the secular courts as they know only too well the inner workings of the system. I'm afraid this is another case of double standards.

[Cynic]

One who listens from beginning to end certainly gets a different picture of R. Breitowitz's messages than you present. I hope this isn't representative of your credibility on other issues that I don't have a way of examining first hand.

[zippy]

Of course it is indicative of his lack of credibility. Shmaryya is an amateur.

[zippy]

Also, notice that he (Shmarya) is never wrong. I have never once seen him concede that someone else may have a valid point because anyone who opposes him is automatically wrong. And if someone brings up an uncomforatable fact he or she is accused of lying. And lastly, his lack of confidence is such that he always has to have the final word--usually coupled with a sharp insult. A truly pathetic man.

[Seth C]

I hope everyone listens to the recordings themselves before just believing what this clown writes. He's totally misconstruing what the Rabbi is saying here.

Shmarya, you've obviously got some major personal issues you need to work through. Honestly, after listening to the recordings and seeing what the Rabbi really DID say, I'm a bit embarrassed for you.