FailedMessiah.com

Haredi Modesty Squad Bans Men’s Tight-Fitting Pants Because They Could “Entice” Women To Sin

Intentionally wearing tight pants, the pashkvils also claim, is a serious violation of the Torah law "Do not follow [non-Jews’] practices" (Leviticus 18:3). Worse than that, the modesty campaign makes the claim that wearing tight pants emphasizes the shape of one's body. And that, my friends, could make women horny and, in their words, “entice” them to sin.

Agri Star Donates More Than $50,000 Worth Of Meat Products To Oklahoma Tornado Relief

Agri Star, the successor company to Agriprocessors, has donated 20,000 pounds of meat products to Oklahoma tornado relief in partnership with the haredi chain of soup kitchens Masbia. The meat and poultry products, which Agri Star says have a wholesale value of more than $50,000, were shipped from Postville, Iowa late yesterday afternoon, Agri Star’s Jo-Ann Chadbourne told me yesterday.

IDF Cancels Haredi Recruits’ Swearing-In Ceremony Due To Haredi Threats

The IDF’s haredi Netzah Yehuda Battalion cancelled its swearing-in ceremony originally scheduled to take place today on Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem after receiving information that haredi “zealots” would attempt to disrupt the event.

Haredi Newspaper Blames Mass Shooting On Secularism

"The lawlessness prevailing among those distant from Torah exacted yet another bloody toll yesterday" HaPeles wrote, explaining that its choice not to report the mass shooting in its news section stemmed from its wish to "steer clear of the ugliness and everything like it."

New Jersey Blocks Release Of Lakewood Yeshiva’s $10.6 Million Grant Application, Opponents Cry Foul

The New Jersey State Secretary of Higher Education’s Office has denied the New Jersey Star-Ledger’s request to see the grant applications filed by Beth Medrash Govoha and Princeton Theological Seminary. The paper had filed that request under the state’s Open Public Records Act.

Report: Boston Marathon Bomber Murdered Three In 2011

Ibragim Todashev, the mixed martial artist shot dead early today in his home in Florida by the FBI after he tried to stab an FBI agent, was directly involved along with Boston Marathon bomber Tamerlan Tsarnaev in a 2011 triple homicide in Waltham, Massachusetts that some think was an antisemitic or terrorist attack, law enforcement sources reportedly say.

Rabbi Says He Was Misquoted On Child Sexual Abuse

The Australian is expected to apologize for allegedly misquoting the former president of the Organization of Rabbis of Australasia (ORA), Rabbi Dovid Freilich as saying that 95% of Australian rabbis believe that child sexual abuse allegations should be dealt with by rabbis, not by police or child protection services.

Satmar Threats And Backroom Politics Cause City To Keep Bikes Out Of Hasidic Areas Of Williamsburg

“The neighborhood would have been in all sorts of drama [if the kiosks had been placed too close to or in heavily Satmar neighborhoods. Avoiding that] is a way to avoid conflict,” local biking advocate Baruch Herzfeld claimed.

Association For Civil Rights In Israel Asks Justice Minister To Discipline Racist Chief Rabbi

The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) petitioned Justice Minister Tzipi Livni yesterday, asking her to open disciplinary proceedings against the Chief Rabbi of Sefat Shmuel Eliyahu for "repeated racist incitement."

How Haredim Saved Jerusalem

"Without these haredim, Israel would probably have lost all of Jerusalem in 1948 rather than only part. Yet had it depended on their rabbis, the city would have fallen: It survived because ordinary haredim were less religiously extreme (and perhaps more Zionist) than their leaders."

Haredi Bloc Vote Elects Pro-Haredi School Board Slate In East Ramapo

Bernard Charles' decision to accept the appointment to the Ramao Planning Board and then to resign almost immediately from it – but only after voting for a hasidic development whose specifics he admittedly had not even had time to study – caused many people to think Charles made that vote in exchange for a haredi bloc vote to get him and his two running mates elected to the school board. And, shortly thereafter, that is exactly what happened.

It Is Our Fundamental Democratic "Right" To Choose To Be Poor And To Live Off Welfare, Haredi MK Says

Off the Knesset floor, it is the education issue that upsets Ashkenazi haredi MK Rabbi Meir Porush more than any other. He said the attempt to impose basic math, English and science education on haredi students is a fundamental breach of the democracy that secular Israelis claim to hold as their highest ideal and also of an explicit deal made between Orthodox leaders and David Ben-Gurion in 1948.

Video: MK Rabbi Dov Lipman V. Shas MK Nissim Ze'ev On Secular Education For Haredim

On the Knesset Channel, MK Rabbi Lipman says secular education will help haredim be better haredim, and the Sefardi haredi MK Nissim Ze'ev tries unsuccessfully to evade the issue.

Video: Tens Of Thousands Attend Wedding Of Belz Rebbe's Grandson

25,000 to 30,000 hasidim attended yesterday's wedding of the Belzer Rebbe's 18-year-old grandson. Here is video of the the Rebbe of Belz blessing the couple after the huppah (marriage ceremony) and another video with highlights from the wedding.

Lakewood Modesty Booklet – Gay In The Mikva

The Lakewood modesty booklet You and Eye has a small vignette on being a gay (or bi-curious) yeshiva student. Here it is:

Strike At Bobov 45 Yeshiva In Borough Park Allegedly Leaves Children Alone All Day Without Adequate Adult Supervision

Children have allegedly been left alone in the building all day without adult supervision. Some of the very young children allegedly ran home while others were cared for by the 12- and 13-year-olds. I have heard that an 8-year-old boy – the same age Leiby Kletzky was when he was kidnapped and murdered not far from Bobov 45 two years ago – left school yesterday and roamed the streets all day without supervision.

Rabbi Accused Of Sexual Assault To Perform Wedding With The Blessing Of Britain's Two Major Haredi And Orthodox Rabbinic Organizations

Rabbi Chaim Halpern, who is currently free on bail and under police investigation for allegedly sexually assaulting women who came to him for marriage counseling  and for perverting the course of justice, will conduct a wedding under the auspices of the Orthodox Union of Hebrew Congregations (Kedassia) and with the permission of United Synagogue later this week at Britain's newly named chief rabbi's former synagogue.

Video: Haredim Hurl Large Garbage Dumpsters At Mounted Police

Three views of the incident, which took place during last week's haredi riot in Jerusalem.

Haredi Measles Outbreak Dramatically Worsens

There were four cases of measles in the Brooklyn haredi community confirmed as of April 25; 34 cases have now been confirmed as of today. "Additional cases will likely occur, because a large number of children and adults have been exposed to infectious cases."

High Court Of Justice Petition Seeks To Rescind Beit Din’s Order Of Excommunication

“The rabbinical court illegally acted outside its jurisdiction, in a manner that constitutes an obstruction of justice and extortion by the beit din and the rabbis operating it.…[this case] demonstrates the conflict between religion and state in Israel.…These practices do not only infringe on the rights and dignity of the members of these communities but are in direct breach of and threaten the Israeli Rule of Law as well."

Belzer Rebbe Bans Hasidim From Talking To Media

The family of the Belzer Rebbe is having a large wedding today, and the rebbe has banned all hasidim from speaking to the media regarding it or related issues. The official proclamation of the ban notes that the often outrageous and inflammatory Member of Knesset Rabbi Yisroel Eichler (pictured at right) – who regularly insults and slanders secular Jews, Zionist Orthodox Jews and women from the floor of the Knesset – has been named the rebbe's official spokesperson for the event. Eichler has exclusive permission to talk with the press.

Video: Seattle Haredi Day School Teacher Accused Of Child Sexual Abuse Arraigned

Jordan E. " Yaakov" Murray taught first and second grade at the Torah Day School in Seattle when he was arrested late last month for allegedly groping little girls he was teaching. He was hired without a background check and lacked a background in teaching. But his parents were very close with the former Agudah rabbi of Minneapolis Moshe Tuvia Lieff, which appears to have been enough to get Murray his job. Murray's wife and children still live in the Minneapolis suburb of St. Louis Park. Here is video of his court appearance yesterday.

Video: US House Of Representatives Holds Hearing On Jacob Ostreicher Case

The US House of Representative's Subcommittee on Africa, Global Health, Global Human Rights, and International Organizations held a hearing on the case of Jacob Ostreicher, who has been imprisoned (or under house arrest) in Boliva for two years, even though he has not been charged with a crime, and even though dozens of senior government officials have been arrested for extorting him and/or for stealing from the rice exporting business Ostreicher managed.

Prostitution And Solicitation Arrests Of Head Of KSA Kosher

Rabbi Binyomin Lisbon was at one time the rabbinic assistant of Rabbi Boruch Shlomo Cunin, the head of Chabad in California and Nevada. He has also served as the head rabbi of Congregation Chabad/Lubavitch of Beverly Hills since 1977 (the synagogue is not listed as an official Chabad organization on Chabad's central website), and has headed Kosher Supervision of America (KSA) since the 1980s. He also has a string of prostitution- and solicitation-related arrests and convictions. Here is proof of some of them.

New Lakewood 'Modesty' Booklet

A new 'modesty' booklet, "You and Eye," was mailed to Jewish homes in Lakewood, New Jersey after Shavuot. Here are some sample pages.

In Response To Lawsuits, Leading Glatt Kosher Meat Producer Says Kosher Slaughter Causes “Great Suffering”

"Whereas the purchasers of other consumer goods could believe their production does not entail causing suffering and harm to the workers who participate in it, the consumer of meat products cannot make a similar assumption about the animals from whose flesh they are produced, since slaughtering by its very nature causes the animals great suffering.”

Lawsuit Against Giant Glatt Kosher Meat Provider Alle Processing Becomes A Class Action

The Satmar-hasid-owned Alle Processing allegedly shorted workers paychecks, failed to pay required overtime, and forced employees to don and doff their protective clothing and safety gear on their own time – all violations of the law.

Fasten Your Seat Belts: Rabbi’s Frequent-Flier Lawsuit To Be Heard By US Supreme Court

Fasten your seat belts one more time. After losing in federal district court and winning in federal appeals court, Rabbi Binyomin Ginsberg’s class action lawsuit against Northwest-Delta Airlines will now be reviewed by the US Supreme Court after Delta petitioned for a writ of certiorari and the Supreme Court granted it earlier this morning.

Haredim Seek To Raise $100 Million In Donations To Offset Possible Gov’t Yeshiva Budget Cuts And Financial Penalties For Haredim Who Dodge Draft

It is, a leading Israeli publication wrote, “a Lapid bypass plan.” Today's issue of the Israeli haredi daily Mishpacha reported that a number of wealthy haredi businessmen have been recruited by haredi leadership to contribute money to a new fund meant to minimize the damage government budget cuts will do to yeshivas, and that the financial sanctions against yeshiva students who refuse to serve in the military will do to their families.

Women Of The Wall Board Member Gets Death Threat

Graffiti threatening the life of longtime board member of Women of the Wall journalist Peggy Cidor was found painted outside her apartment in the Talpiot neighborhood of Jerusalem this morning.

The Times Of Israel Apologizes

"The article about the Jewish school that banned thick rimmed glasses that was published On [The Times of Israel website] was corrected, and attribution was added to Failed Messiah blog as well as the New York Post. It was a mistake and I sincerely apologize.…"

Melbourne Rabbis Group Denies Rabbis Stifle Child Sex Abuse Claims

Therefore there is absolutely no basis to the statement attributed to a Perth rabbi (“Manny Waks pays the price for speaking about sexual abuse in an Orthodox Jewish community”, The Australian, May 18) that "95% of Australian rabbis prefer child sexual abuse be dealt with internally".

The Man Behind The VIN Ban Backs Disgraced Pol Vito Lopez

Not everyone is demonizing Lopez though. Simon Weiser, a member of Community Board 1 and an active organizer in the Williamsburg Hasidic community, said Lopez should be judged on his decades-long record of helping Brooklyn communities. "For such a politician with rich accomplishments to his life, creating housing and educating the poor, to see him go down like this, it bothers me,” Weiser said.

Dozens Of Haredim Reportedly Stone 2 Haredi IDF Soldiers In Mea Shearim

Israel Police say that dozens of haredim threw stones at two haredi IDF soldiers in Jerusalem's haredi Mea She'arim neighborhood Sunday night. The assailants also burned garbage dumpsters during the riot.

Haredim In Israel To Launch A “Kosher” Smartphone Despite Ban

Rabbi David Zilbershlag – who reportedly said the Internet is viewed by haredi rabbinic leaders as "the greatest threat of all time” – also asserted that haredi leaders will eventually need to set up their own private “Internet” in the future, something similar to the closed Internet owned and operated by the Pentagon, to create "a clean environment with [set] boundaries" so haredim do not come into contact with foreign ideas or immodest pictures and movies while surfing.

Chabad Rabbi Assaulted By Alleged Abuse Victim’s Brother

When Chabad of Australia’s head rabbi Zvi Telsner saw Chaim Waks at the end of Shavuot prayer services on May 14, he offered the 24-year-old Waks holiday greetings. But Chaim Waks did not take those greetings well.

2 Haredim Busted For Defacing Woman's Picture On Theater Billboards In Jerusalem

After a chase, Israel Police reportedly arrested two young haredi men they saw defacing the signs. One reportedly denied defacing them. The other allegedly justified the defacement by insisting that the ads depicting women actresses offend haredim.

Government Reportedly Backs Down On Haredi Secular Education – At Least For Now

The Finance Ministry has reversed its earlier decision to cut state funding for ultra-Orthodox yeshiva high schools that do not teach core subjects like math, English, science and civics and do not have their students take matriculation exams.

Haredi Anti-Zionist Playing Cards Big Sellers

"Hatred of Zionism is no longer a marginal issue. In a Lag Ba’omer rally we sold 2,000 playing decks. They're for all sectors of the haredi world, and if necessary, we'll print thousands of decks more."

The Times Of Israel Rips Off FailedMessiah.com And The New York Post

Over the past few months, the Times of Israel stole much of the stories surrounding the Rabbi Chaim Halpern London sex abuse scandal from the British haredi blog IfYouTickleUs and from FailedMessiah.com. Now the Times of Israel has stolen another story – this one from FailedMessiah.com and the New York Post.

Israeli Poverty Deepens As Haredim Refuse To Work Or Serve

“These worrying findings underline the need to protect the most vulnerable in society, especially as governments pursue the necessary task of bringing public spending under control.”

Eliyahu Weinstein’s Attorneys Ask To Be Removed From The Case, Judge Agrees

The unshaven and shackled haredi scammer was sent back to prison to wait for his new attorney to put together a possible – but very unlikely – bail proposal.

Corrupt Pol Who Blocked Passage Of The Child Victims Act Resigns

New York State Assemblyman Vito Lopez – the man who teamed with Agudath Israel of America and the Catholic Church to block passage of the Child Victims Act, which was meant to reduce the amount of pedophilia by giving victims more time to file cases and by making it easier for them to sue their abusers and the schools, churches and synagogues they may have worked at – informed Assembly leaders on Saturday that he will resign effective Monday morning.

The Surprising Hidden History Of The Kotel

“From the start of the sanctification of the Western Wall, in the 16th century, the traditions in the texts of the Sages were transferred from the western wall of the Temple [itself] to the western [retaining] wall of the Temple Mount.”

Chabad Rabbi Insults Child Sex Abuse Victims And Their Families

"…Saturday in the synagogue Australia Chabad's] senior spiritual leader, Rabbi Zvi Telsner, delivered a stern sermon from the pulpit. “Who gave you permission to talk to anyone? Which rabbi gave you permission?” he thundered, without mentioning any names. Zephaniah and his wife Chaya walked out in a spontaneous protest with six others. Rabbi Telsner insists his remarks were not directed at any individual. “It’s like calling someone fat,” he tells me. “If you think you’re fat that’s up to you.…"

Arrested Haredi Rioters Released

Eight haredi rioters who were arrested at the massive haredi anti-draft protest Thursday night have reportedly been released in time for Shabbat, despite the fact that ten police officers were injured in the riots – two of them seriously enough that they needed to be hospitalized.

Governmant Launches Program To "Rehabilitate" Zionist Orthodox Gang Members

The Israeli government is finally trying to do something about the Hilltop Youth –  gangs of Zionist Orthodox thugs who attack police and Arabs on the West Bank. They vandalize and set fire to mosques and churches, burn olive groves, torch Arab cars and riot. They also build illegal outposts and make significant trouble for the IDF. The settler rabbis know who these youths are but won't report them to the security services or police, and have done nothing to speak of to try to rehabilitate them. Finally, the government is launching a program to do what West Bank rabbis should have done years ago.

More Evidence Of Ramapo Corruption – And Haredi Influence

"The names of the seven members of the Ramapo Planning and Zoning Boards do not appear anywhere on the Town’s website. Clarkstown, Orangetown, Stony Point—they list their boards. You might ask the Supervisor [i.e., Christopher St. Lawrence]. After all, he appointed the members to terms as long as seven years. More important though is the question why does one sector [i.e., haredim] which has the most irresponsible and out-of-control development have control over the planning and zoning for all of Ramapo?…"

Dozens Of FBI Agents Raid Ramapo Town Hall, Seize Records, Hard Drives

"The only thing they didn't do [yet] is walk [Christopher St. Lawrence and other town leaders] out with [hand]cuffs [on]. I've been waiting for this for 10 years. Maybe there is a God."

30,000 Haredim Protest – Some Riot – In Jerusalem

"It is clear to all of us that [the haredi rioters are] just a small number of protesters in comparison to the tens of thousands God fearing protesters. We have no control over the youth,” Pini Rosenberg, the protest's spokesperson reportedly said.