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Video: Borough Park Shomrim In Action

Here's an interesting  fundraising video from the Brooklyn South Safety Patrol, better known as the Borough Park Shomrim.

In Messy Divorce, Orthodox Rabbinic Court Orders Child Be Enrolled In Orthodox School

The Tel Aviv Rabbinical Court ruled recently that the son of a divorced ultra-Orthodox father and secular mother would study in a state-religious kindergarten and school.

Chabad Close To Signing Deal With IDF To Mandate All Male Chabad Hasidim Serve

The deal is unique and significant as most Israeli ultra-Orthodox men do not perform military service, preferring instead to focus on their religious studies. The issue is a serious cause of tension between the religious and secular sectors of Israeli society.

Lawyers Hope DA Will Cut Levi Aron A Deal To Spare Leiby Kletzky's Family From Knowing The Horrendous Details Of The Murder

The young legal eagles are gearing up for the case of their lives as accused killer Levi Aron is set to appear in Brooklyn Supreme Court Thursday on murder charges for snatching and butchering little Leiby Kletzky. "It's not about defending his actions," lawyer Jennifer McCann said. "It's about defending his rights."

Haredi "Birthday Rabbi" Gets Suspended

Rabbi Mayer Birnhack, aka the "birthday rabbi," was suspended without pay for 15 days after ignoring orders from brass to stop looking at confidential employee files.

Haredi Vigilantes Interfere With Cops But Are Government Funded Anyway

Jewish vigilante groups like Shomrim, unskilled and ill-equipped for police work, and all too often driven by religious proscriptions to keep their community’s crimes out of the public eye, are being paid to interfere with the authorities by New York City taxpayers — through the generous offices of some City Council members.

Video: Pedophilia In Crown Heights

PIX 11 reports on the arrest of Rabbi Moshe Keller.

President Of OHEL On Child Sexual Abuse

Moshe Hellman says OHEL always follows the law, that OHEL's therapists and other professionals are mandated reporters, and it is up to them to report abuse. He also claims there is a New York City law that prevents reporting pedophiles to police in some circumstances.

Pakistan Intelligence Agency Asks US Judge To Block Holtzberg Family Suit Against It

The case filed against ISI by relatives of a rabbi killed in the Mumbai terror attacks could be "disastrous" because the negative reaction against it would undermine US goals in the region, the lawyer representing the Pakistani intelligence agency has said.

President Of Haredi Org Accused Of Covering Up Child Sex Abuse Live On Air Tonight

Moshe Hellman, the president of OHEL, will be on air live at midnight eastern time to discuss child sexual abuse and family problems. OHEL has long been accused by anti-child sexual abuse activists and women's rights activists of covering up these crimes and of protecting pedophiles and spouse abusers.

Fury Mounts Over Chabad Rabbi's Call To Not Tell Cops About Child Sexual Abuse

A high-profile Chabad rabbi is fighting calls for his resignation after he urged rabbis to deal with allegations of child abuse themselves rather than report it to police.

Murdered Kabbalist Died For Our Sins, Chief Rabbi Says

Rabbi Elazar Abuhatzeira, known as Baba Elazar, was murdered last night in his yeshiva in Beersheva, Israel. In reaction, Israel's chief rabbis says Baba Elazar died to atone for our sins.

Judge Wants Mediation In Haredi Vigilante Patrol Water Balloon Attack

The 11-year-old girl hit a van with a water balloon just before 11 p.m. June 15. The driver called the Chaverim, a Jewish group that responds to emergencies and helps members of the community. Up to 50 Chaverim members descended on a Fletcher Road apartment building. Before Spring Valley police arrived, the van driver chased the 11-year-old girl, who was protected by a 17-year-old male relative, police said. Chaverim members confronted the girl, her brother and Scott, and punches were thrown, police said.

Murdered Kabbalist Buried

Tens of thousands of people attended the funeral of Rabbi Elazar Abuhatzeira today, who was stabbed to death last night by a man seeking marital advice at his yeshiva in Beersheba.

Who Would Defend Confessed Child Murderer Levi Aron?

Levi Aron's new attorney would – and is. And now she explains why, on video.

The Heretic Of All Israel V. Haredim

Haredim banned and burned his books, cursed him and rejoiced when he died. But this heretic moved all of Israel nonetheless.

Agudah's Senior Staffer Says We Must Do More To Protect Our Kids From "The Dangerous Outside World"

Rabbi Chaim David Zwiebel, asked to comment on the murder and dismemberment of 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky by another Orthodox Jew, says the danger is from the outside. not from within.

New Square Arsonist's Trial Postponed

The trial of alleged New Square arsonist Shaul Spitzer, butler of the Skvere Rebbe, was postponed yesterday. Spitzer allegedly tried to set Aron Rottenberg and Rottenberg's home on fire in retaliation for Rottenberg's decision to pray outside the village in defiance of an order by the Skver Rebbe. Rottenberg's family was asleep in the house at the time of the attack, shorty after 4:00 am on May 22.

Should Rabbis Use Facebook?

Dozens of Orthodox rabbis from around the world debate whether or not it is appropriate for them to use Facebook and Twitter.

An Accused Pedophile And Rapist As A Shomrim Member?

The Borough Park Shomrim have a member who has been accused (but not charged) of pedophilia and accused of rape. Worse yet, the man participated in the search for Leiby Kletzky, driving throughout Borough Park in an SUV, wearing a Shomrim vest, and broadcasting that he was looking for the 8-year-old missing boy.

Proposed San Francisco Circumcision Ban Blocked By Judge

A judge on Thursday struck a measure from San Francisco's November ballot that called for a ban on most circumcisions of male children, saying the proposed law violates the U.S. Constitution's guarantee of religious freedom and a California law that makes regulating medical procedures a function of the state, not cities.

"Kabbalist" Rabbi Elazar Abuhatzeira Stabbed To Death

The Baba Sali's grandson, who had been accused of fraud in Israel and in the US – was stabbed multiple times and was found in traumatic arrest.

$1.5 Million Dollars Of Pot Seized In Kiryas Joel

$1.5 million worth of marijuana was seized from a trailer pulled by a car driven by Matthew Fishman and from a house in Kiryas Joel.

And The Schick Spills Forth Again

Orthodox apologist Marvin Schick attacks The Jewish Week for its reporting of the Leiby Kletzky murder.

New Square Arsonist Due In Court Today – Will There Be Justice?

Shaul Spitzer, the butler of the Skvere Rebbe, is due in court today. Spitzer was caught by Aron Rottenberg allegedly trying to set fire to Rottenberg's home as the Rottenberg family slept inside. Rottenberg received third degree burns over more than half of his body, and Spitzer's hands were seriously burned, as the two fought.

Jerusalem Gay Pride Parade Today

Jerusalem police are preparing a large security contingent for this year’s event. Over one thousand police officers, border police and volunteers will protect marchers as they make their way through Jerusalem. Activists are pushing for a hate-crimes bill that would make attacks against minorities, including homosexuals, a more serious crime.

Government Cuts Secular Studies In Religious Schools

"The [government] has an agenda to turn state religious schools ultra-Orthodox. This is reflected in requiring female teachers and principals to cover their heads and wear longer sleeves. It's reflected in allowing teachers without an education background into the schools and the increased separation of boys and girls. Now, most recently…secular studies are being cut.…Up to now, there was a balance that allowed the national religious public to raise people who benefited society, the army, academia, and can support themselves in dignity through their own labor."

Video: Why Rape Cases Are Hard To Prosecute

Rape cases, as well as other sex crimes, can be very difficult to prosecute. Here's why.

Rabbi Demonstration At Tnuva

Tnuva, the multinational kosher cheese giant, will receive an unexpected visit from a delegation of rabbis and community members concerned about the corporation's ethics along its supply chain. Tnuva, the world's leading producer of kosher cheeses, distributes its products in New York City through the Flaum Appetizing Corp., a business widely-shunned for unlawful labor practices and abuse of immigrant workers from Latin America. The delegation will be accompanied by a spirited rally.

Major Gathering On Kletzky Murder Features Head Rabbi Who Says Don't Report Suspected Child Sex Abuse To Cops

The Novominsker Rebbe, Yaakov Perlow, is the head of Agudath Israel of America's Supreme Council of Torah Sages. He wants all child sexual abuse, except sexual abuse you see happen with your own eyes, reported to rabbis, not police. And he's headlining tonight's Kletzky gathering in Kensington, the Brooklyn neighborhood where 8-year-old Leiby Kletzky was murdered and dismembered by a man many in the neighborhood knew as a person who tried to lure young boys into his car.

Top Rabbi Says Don't Report Suspected Pedophiles To Police

Among his assertions were that anyone who reported a paedophile would be responsible if the pedophile was raped in prison. He also said abuse should be dealt with, when legally possible, outside the legal system.

A Pedophile In Geulah

Israel's Channel 1 reports that a pedophile who preyed on haredi children – usually Sefardic haredi children – in the Geulah neighborhood of Jerusalem had a diary he kept that lists 70 children who were sexually assaulted in bathrooms, shuls, mikvas, etc.

"Kosher" Pork Sold In Queens

Associated Supermarkets on Greenpoint Avenue in Queens sells pork labeled "Shechitat Beit Yosef."

"Israel Is The Only Democracy In The World Where Jews Don't Have Freedom Of Religion"

Israel's Knesset votes down civil marriage 41 to 16.

Israeli Cafe Chain Uses Chabad Rabbi's Face Without Permission – To Guarantee Kashrut

The rabbi's image appeared on a page dedicated to kashrut on Landwer's website alongside captions reading, "Strictly kosher" and "Badatz kashrut", and the sentence: "The company ascribes great importance to the issues of religion and kashrut."

Polygamy?

As reported here two and a half weeks ago, a pro-polygamy ad was placed in one of Israel's largest Sabbath leaflets, distributed in synagogues countrywide. Now an Israeli tabloid has picked up (part of) the story.

Highway Rest Stop Becomes Once Per Week Open Air Synagogue

On Thursday nights during the summer, thousands of Orthodox Jewish men transform an ordinary Thruway rest stop into a sacred space.

Rabbi Suspected In Murders Indicted For Money Laundering

The rabbi and two other men — one a lawyer — are under indictment in Kings County Supreme Court on charges including money laundering, conspiracy and grand larceny. They're charged with swindling a man out of more than $50,000 — the level of the money laundering charge suggests an amount far higher — and falsifying documents to do so.

New Organ Donor Cards May Be A Way For Haredim To Beat The System

Health officials suspect that the proposed legislation is part of an effort by religious groups to bypass the system. In effect, people who do not genuinely intend to donate organs would receive preferential treatment while on the waiting list for a transplant. Their religious patron would then veto the organ donation if the person dies.

Genetic Mutation In Israeli Wild Barley Explains Evolution Of Life From Sea To Land

Life on Earth began in the water. A genetic mutation in wild barley growing in the Judean Desert shows how the transition of water to land plants created life on the earth as we know it today.

As Chefs Become More Observant, Kosher Menus Go Gourmet

Duck leg confit served with white bean cassoulet. House-made lamb bacon. Mexican-inflected California cuisine. Not the offerings you would have expected at a kosher restaurant 20 years ago, perhaps not even a decade ago. But a handful of high end, innovative kosher restaurants, primarily in the gastronomic capitals of New York and California, have sprouted in the past decade, immutably changing the kosher dining landscape. And that change is driven by ba'alei teshuva.

Rabbinical Court Opens Sex Abuse Debate In Haredi Community

A rabbinical court has brought the long-hidden issue of sexual abuse in Montreal's Orthodox Jewish community out into the open.

Video: Neturei Karta Protests Gay Marriage

Williamsburg's all purpose demonstrators take on gay marriage.

Osem Snack Ban

Osem snacks banned because of Jewish National Fund link.

Video: Thousands Attend Memorial Gathering For Leiby Kletzky

Thousands of people, primarily haredim, attended a Borough Park memorial gathering last night for murdered 8-year-old hasidic boy Leiby Kletzky.

In Jerusalem, Haredi Families Live In Warehouses, Storerooms, Garages

While in many places across the country young Israelis are taking to the streets and temporarily living in tents in protest of the soaring housing prices, in haredi areas of Jerusalem, entire families are forced to live in warehouses, parking garages and basements – permanently.

Crown Heights Alleged Pedophile Arrested

Rabbi Moshe Keller will now face child sexual abuse charges.

RCA Tells Mandated Reporters To Call Police Immediately On Suspicion Of Child Sexual Abuse – Everyone Else, Call Your Rabbi

"As always where the facts are uncertain one should use common sense and consultations with experts, both lay and rabbinic, to determine, how and when to report such matters to the authorities."

Rabbis Want Woman Jailed For Refusing Divorce

In a rare move, the Jerusalem Rabbinical Court ordered a 59-year-old woman jailed this week for refusing for 15 years to accept a ritual divorce from her husband and release him from their marriage.

Affair Between An Arab Bagger And A Jewish Cashier Roils West Bank Settlements

Palestinians are no longer bagging groceries most days at the Rami Levi supermarket at the Gush Etzion junction, after a romance between a Palestinian bagger and a Jewish cashier spurred local rabbis to demand that Levi take action against his Palestinian workers. "You need a whip to teach people a lesson after something like this happens.”