FailedMessiah.com

Shaul Spitzer Pleads Not Guilty

An 18-year-old Hasidic student, listening to court proceedings in Yiddish through an interpreter, pleaded not guilty Friday in an attempted murder case that has brought unusual attention to a religious enclave in New York.

A Precursor To New Square: A Shabbat Story Of Hasidic Violence

People tend to view hasidic history as if it were the movie version of Fiddler on the Roof, full of dancing hasidim, camaraderie and love. Instead, hasidic life was often filled with drunken brawls and mob violence, so much so that the Russian government had to issue a decree to control it – and to control a relative of today's Skvere Rebbe (pictured at right), also named David Twersky.

Government Response To Rubashkin Bail Motion

The litany of reasons why the government believes Sholom Rubashkin should not get bail.

Vast Majority Of Birthright Applicants And Participants Volunteer, But Only 22% Do So Jewishly

Young Jews volunteer in high numbers. A new study shows that 70% did so at least once during the past year. But their volunteerism is not connected to Judaism and the Jewish community – and that is because the Jewish community is perceived to be parochial and inward looking, concerned about itself but not others. The 22% who volunteer with or through Jewish organizations are disproportionately Orthodox and volunteer for disproportionately Jewish organizations. The study includes a large number of people who applied for a free Birthright trip to Israel – including those who received a trip.

An Ultra-Orthodox Foray Into Genetics

In the seemingly never-ending battle over who can and who can not perform conversions to Judaism the State of Israel will recognize, an Sefardic ultra-Orthodox government minister ventures to genetics to explain why ultra-Orthodox Jewish law must determine conversion issues.

Israel's Policy Shift On Orthodox Converts From The Diaspora Begins To Bear Fruit

At least four of the 19 Orthodox converts whom the Interior Ministry had previously denied citizenship this week received their Israeli identity cards, days after the ministry announced a change in its policy regarding whom to consult about the validity of Orthodox conversions.

Video: Shaul Spitzer's Lawyer Says Spitzer "Did Not Intend To Cause Physical Injury To Anybody"

Kenneth Gribetz also says Spitzer claims the Skvere Rebbe, David Twersky, had nothing whatsoever to do with the 4:15 am arson attack on the Rottenberg home that almost killed Aron Rottenberg and could easily have killed Rottenberg's entire family.

Report: Chabad Allegedly Helped Pedophile Flee Possible Prosecution

Accusations have been rife that Kramer had been accused of sexually abusing boys and was forced by the Yeshivah administration, then led by the late head of Chabad in Australia Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner, to leave the school and the country. He subsequently travelled to Israel, where further accusations of improper behaviour were made, and then to the United States, where in 2008 he was found guilty of two counts of child molestation. Meanwhile the Chabad blogoshpere is ripe with allegations that Yeshivah dayan Rabbi Zvi Telsner (who is the late Rabbi Groner's son-in-law, I believe) is discouraging witnesses from stepping forward.

VIDEO: Eli Berger, Hershey Greenberger Arrested For Alleged Insurance Fraud

Body shop owner Berger and his employee Greenberger allegedly inflated the amount of damage done to cars and overbilled GEICO. $700,000 in cash was recovered from Berger's home.

Shaul Spitzer Due In Court Tomorrow

The butler of the Skvere Rebbe is due in court tomorrow to face attempted murder and arson charges. He has retained disgraced former Rockland County D.A. Kenneth Gribetz as his attorney.

Clarence Clemons – A Memorial

Knesset Nixes Shabbat Bus Service

Minister Moshe Kahlon, who represented the government during the session, said that "there are many reasons – the status quo, hurting people's feelings – for the government's objection. There is no need to change the status quo."

Critics Push Obama To Change Faith-Based Hiring Rules

A group of clergy and lawmakers is trying to overturn a nearly decade-old policy that allows faith-based organizations that receive federal funds to hire and fire employees on the basis of religion.

New Square Residents Brainwashed, Attack Victim Says

"The grand rebbe is looked at by the people in New Square as total spirituality," he said. "Even his body is spirituality. The people are getting brainwashed.…They only know the grand rebbe, New Square, the grand rebbe, New Square. They don't know the outside, what freedom is all about."

Video: Aron Rottenberg Interview

An interview with New Square arson and attempted murder victim Aron Rottenberg, who describes the attack that almost killed his entire family, and talks about the man he says is responsible for it.

While Thousands Prayed Worldwide, A Catholic Doctor Operated On A 101 Year Old Rabbi

Thousands of Orthodox Jews gathered on Sunday night at Jerusalem's Western Wall to offer prayers for the speedy recovery of 101-year-old Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, who was undergoing vascular surgery just a few miles away. But the fate of the rabbi, who is considered to be one of the greatest living experts on Jewish law, did not ultimately fall to his devoted followers, or even his Israeli doctors – it was in the hands of Catholic surgeon flown in from the US, Dr. Daniel Clair.

Montreal Synagogue Battle Turns Bitter

The young Hasidic mother sat on her porch Tuesday afternoon waiting for the school bus to drop off her son. Her smiling three-year-old daughter sucked on a purple freezie. “When I walk in the street,” the woman said, “I feel a hatred in the air.”

New Square Attack Victim Blames Rebbe, Leadership, Not Attacker

New Square arson victim Aron Rottenberg today said he has no real animosity toward the 18-year-old man charged in the attack. "Why would this 18-year-old boy come to my house at 4:15 in the morning and want to burn down a home with five people in it?" he said in a just-concluded news conference.

An Open Letter On Same-Sex Marriage From A Gay Orthodox Rabbi

"I am an Orthodox rabbi, ordained at Yeshiva University. I am also the first openly gay Orthodox rabbi in the U.S.…I share this with you so that my personal stake is made clear from the start. My partner and I cannot marry in New York state and the consequences are significant for us and our 7-month-old daughter, Amalia.

Exclusive: Two Arrested In Brooklyn

A Borough Park man active in Shomrim and one other man were allegedly arrested today for insurance fraud.

Texting On Shabbat By The Orthodox And Haredim Becomes Epidemic – Are Rabbis At Fault?

The practice has become so widespread – some say half of Modern Orthodox teens text on Shabbat – that it has developed its own nomenclature – keeping “half Shabbos,” for those who observe all the Shabbat regulations except for texting; “gd Shbs,” is the shorthand text greeting that means good Shabbos.

Dishonest Reporting: How The Aish HaTorah Funded Media Watchdog Honest Reporting Distorts News

Honest Reporting wants you to believe that ultra-Orthodox children did not stone a dog in Jerusalem on the orders of haredi rabbis, who believed the dog to be a reincarnation of a secular lawyer they despised. To do so, Honest Reporting distorts the truth.

Did Gay Orthodox Jews Go Too Far?

Amid a sea of rainbow flags and equal-rights banners at Tel Aviv’s 18th annual Gay Pride parade, an unexpected soundtrack filled the air: hasidic music. Despite the suspicions of some marchers, it wasn’t an act of protest by Orthodox groups. Rather, the music was coming from a float designed by a group of Orthodox gay and lesbian Israelis. “Seven years ago, a gay or lesbian Orthodox person had three options — to stop being religious, to stay in the closet and within the religious community, or to commit suicide…" But rabbis – and a majority of gay Orthodox activists – think parade participation went too far.

Video: Satmar Hasid Spits On Lesbian Rabbi

Rabbi Sharon Kleinbaum of Congregation Beit Simchat Torah prompted a heated reaction from one of the Orthodox protesters by throwing an arm over his shoulder as she attempted to insert herself between Diaz and the cameras.

Gay Orthodox Jews: A Response To The Jewish Press

Jewish Press reporter and columnist Elliot Resnick said gays are selfish and "self-indulgent," as he criticized a former friend, who he called "Dovid," for coming out as gay. Now "Dovid" responds.

Video: Aron Rottenberg Released From Hospital

Aron Rottenberg, the New Square arson attack victim has been released from the hospital.

Head Of Chabad Australia Allegedly Covered Up Sex Abuse, Allowed Perv To Escape

"The Kramer case provides a great opportunity to trace the failure of segments of the Jewish community to their source. If only the problem had been addressed in Australia … the victim in St Louis and countless others would have been spared suffering…any religious authorities who did not step forward enabled him to commit such crimes. To a degree, an individual who could prevent evil from happening is responsible when it occurs - that's a pretty heavy spiritual burden to carry.'' Teachers at Chabad Yeshiva College in Australia were divided over whether or not to report the accusations. Rabbi Yitzchok Dovid Groner – the head of al of Chabad of Australia –  was the head of Yeshivah College at the time.

Ultra-Orthodox Army Draft Okay – If Secular Israelis Study Torah, Rabbi Says

Haredi Knesset Member Rabbi Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) said Sunday that he is in favor of drafting haredim into the Israel Defense Forces, as long as each student leaving his yeshiva will be replaced by a young secular studying Torah from morning to night.

UPDATED: Grand Theft Auto

Solomon Dwek, the key witness in the sweeping federal corruption sting that led to the arrests of dozens of politicians, public officials and five rabbis two years ago, was arrested in on car theft charges in Baltimore.

Longest Serving Chained Wife Is Finally Freed

Susan Zinkin divorced her husband in 1962 but was forbidden from looking for new love for almost 50 years. Only when he died an old man this week was she released from being a "chained wife" under Jewish law.

Israeli Bus Company Advocates Gender Segregated Buses Despite High Court Ruling

The Egged bus company has allegedly violated a Supreme Court ruling which forbids mandatory gender segregation on public buses. "We are witness to efforts by Egged and the Ministry of Transportation that backs the company, to use any means, to cooperate with the haredi politicians in order not to carry out the Supreme Court decision, and in essence maintain these bus lines which discriminate against women."

Israel's Ultra-Orthodox Interior Minister Moves To Brand Reform And Conservative Converts

The decision calls for the nationality section in ID cards issued to people who converted to Judaism through the reform or conservative movement to be blank, while ultra-Orthodox converts and born Jews will be marked Jewish – a measure that defies a High Court of Justice ruling that officially recognizes the non-ultra-Orthodox converts as Jews.

Video: Alleged New Square Attempted Murderer Back In Yeshiva

Despite Skvere denials, Shaul Spitzer, the butler of the Skvere Rebbe, is back in yeshiva, laughing and smiling, while his victim and and the victim's family remain ostracized.

Rubashkin "Evening Of Achdus"

Another unity evening fundraiser for Sholom Rubashkin. This time the Melbourne, Australia event is for women only and features Sholom Rubashkin's son, Meir Simcha.

Jewish Press Reporter Argues Homosexuals Are "Self-Indulgent," Should Suffer In Silence

"But do [closeted homosexual] Jews complain? Do Catholic priests, the overwhelming majority of whom remain celibate their entire lives, complain? No. They wage their internal battles quietly, recognizing that not every topic need be discussed openly and not every feeling need be publicized and validated. Why, then, can't Orthodox homosexuals do the same? Why can't they struggle silently and heroically as do so many others?… But openly homosexual Orthodox Jews apparently care little about the very essence of what it means to be a servant of God and demand that everyone accept them as they are. Their needs, their wants, their desires are what matters."

Solomon Dwek Arrested For Car Theft

Dwek, a rabbi's son who is a cooperating witness for the federal government in several dozen corruption and money laundering trials, was expected to testify at a trial Monday but prosecutors say he's been arrested in Maryland for failure to return a rental car. Dwek wore a wire and recorded politicians taking bribes and ultra-Orthodox rabbis agreeing to launder money.

Haredi Man Allegedly Rapes 12 Year Old

Police in Jerusalem arrested an ultra-Orthodox man in his 30s today for sexually assaulting a homeless 12-year-old girl.

Protesting At A Rubashkin Prayer Rally / Fundraising Event

A large prayer rally / fundraising event was held last week in Melbourne, Australia, and a FailedMessiah.com reader decided to protest. Here is his account of what happened.

Video: The Laws Of Kosher Animals

Here are two brief videos that explains the basic differences between kosher and non-kosher animal species.

The Law Of Unintended Consequences Meets The Law Of Rabbinic Xenophobic Vengeance

Sarit contacted me a while ago. She told me she had converted a few years ago, married, and has three children. Now she's been separated from her husband for three years, and he's urging her to finalize their divorce. But she's worried that if she asks a haredi-controlled rabbinic court to arrange the get, the judges will cancel her conversion. This would mean, of course, that her children who were born years after her conversion would also be declared not Jewish.

Lawsuit Could Dissolve Kiryas Joel

Kiryas Joel dissidents rolled the ultimate grenade into their enemies' tent last week with a federal lawsuit questioning the very existence of the village that the Satmar Hasidic community created 34 years ago.

Drag Racing Yeshiva Students Crash–Gun, Shomrim ID Found

Two yeshiva students drag racing down 13th Avenue in Borough Park early this morning went through a red light and crashed into a car on 52nd Street. A Shomrim car placard was found in one of their cars, along with a BB gun pistol, which looks like a real automatic handgun.

Rabbi Elyashiv To Have Heart Surgery

Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv. the 101-year-old leaders of ultra-Orthodox Jews, is reportedly having heart surgery at 1:30 pm Eastern Time today.

Against Yated Ne'eman

Posters, known as pashkvils, against the ultra-Orthodox newspaper Yated Ne'eman attack the paper's senior staff for hypocrisy.

Next Year Will Determine Success Of Effort To Get Ultra-Orthodox To Work

This upcoming year will make or break the growing phenomenon of haredim joining the labor force, depending on whether those leading the trend find suitable jobs, a leading force in haredi placement said on Thursday.

Monsey Man Convicted Of Stealing $190,000 From His Estranged Wife

A Monsey man has been convicted in state Supreme Court of stealing nearly $190,000 from his estranged wife's medical practice. A jury convicted Yan Kutsy of second-degree grand larceny, a felony, following a two-week trial.

Video: DA Not Prosecuting Skvere Rebbe Due To Politics

Michael Sussman, the attorney for New Square arson victim Aron Rottenberg, says the Rockland County D.A. is not prosecuting David Twersky, the Skvere Rebbe, because of the hasidic bloc vote.

Alleged Attempted Murderer Shaul Spitzer Returns To New Square, Yeshiva

The 18-year-old man accused of an arson attack on a man who refused to pray in the grand rebbe's main synagogue has returned to the community and the New Square yeshiva.

Girl's Water Balloon Leads To Haredi Mob Violence, Arrests – Haredim Claim Antisemitism

A dispute that started after an 11-year-old girl hit a van with a water balloon escalated into a fracas involving 50 members of Shomrim who confronted the youngster and her family, ending with two of the men being arrested. Haredim claim antisemitism.

Rubashkin Files Motion For Bail

Sholom Rubashkin's attorneys file a 219 page motion asking the 8th Circuit Appelate Court to grant Sholom Rubashkin bail pending a ruling on his appeal.