The name of the haredi spin machine's apparent boss may suprise you.
Or, it may not.
For a long time, many people thought Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz, Yated Ne'eman's publisher and Sholom Rubashkin's chief fundraiser, was the man behind Matzav.com.
Are they correct? Is it Lipschutz?
Yes, I believe it is Lipschutz. But he is, I think, a puppet master who lurks behind the stage while his puppets carry out his will.
The man who serves as Matzav's editor, I'm told, is Yitzy Hisiger. Hisiger is Lipschutz's nephew. Very late last night, a source close to the situation told me Hisiger is the frontman and Lipschutz is his handler. (The editor listed in Matzav.com's domain name registration, David Makovsky, is Hisiger's "beard," used to shield his day-to-day control of the site.) My source commented in strong, negative terms about Hisiger's behavior, personality and trusworthiness.
The Lakewood Voice also outed Hisiger and Lipschutz nine days ago, and their reporting appears to be correct.
This means Matzav.com's relentless attacks on anyone who has accurately reported on the Rubashkin scandals are really attacks generated by Lipschitz and Yated Ne'eman, and that attacks against Vos Iz Neias post-ban are, as well.
Update 1:5 pm CST 12-30-10 – In a note at the bottom of his weekly column published today, Lipschutz denies any role in owning, publishing, editing or running Matzav.com:
I wish to reiterate that my only involvement with this site is the posting of my column, all rumors to the contrary notwithstanding.
Photos: Top left, Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz; bottom right, Yitzy Hisiger (click to enlarge).