FailedMessiah.com

Dov Hikind Tells Israel Not To Extradite Chabadnik Who Fled Arrest In Brooklyn

New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind asked Israel's Orthodox Justice Minister to block the extradition of Yitchak Shuchat (pictured at right), a Chabad follower wanted for allegedly beating a black student in Crown Heights in 2008 in what the DA is calling a hate crime. Shuchat fled to Israel to escape arrest. Chabad rabbis and community leaders, along with Hikind, have openly tried to block Shuchat's extradtion.

Jewish Org Fires Employee For Saying Kaddish

A 65-year-old employee who worked for a major Jewish women’s group says his supervisor harassed him for leaving work to pray when his mom died — and fired him when he complained to her boss.

Haredi Rabbis Launch Secret Initiative To Oppose Orthodox Acceptance Of Gays

The initiative is endorsed by Agudath Israel of America's number two rabbi, Shmuel Kamenetzky and relies heavily on the false idea that all homosexuals can be "cured."

Israel's Top Technical University Starts Engineering Program For Haredim

Haredi schoolboys receive an education focused solely on Jewish holy texts. Thousands of able-bodied young men are ill-equipped for the job market and have few options aside from full time Torah study. In this bleak situation, the Technion saw the potential for a win-win proposition, says Prof. Arnon Bentur, dean of civil and environmental engineering. "There is a need for professionals in technological fields, and the haredi population needs jobs. We can train them to have marketable skills for a workplace that needs them."

After Almost 2 Years Of Violence And Intimidation, Bookstore Caves In To Haredi Street Gang's Extortion

After 20 months of attacks and a quarter million shekels in damage, a Orthodox bookstore in the ultra-Orthodox Mea She’arim neighborhood of Jerusalem decided to accede to the demands of haredi extremists responsible for the violence – demands which allow the extremists to censor books.

Haredim Launch "Kosher" Censored Dictionary

Produced for use in haredi schools, the paperback dictionary – published by Oxford for Great Britain's Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations and carrying the UOHC's hechsher – censors out words haredi rabbis found objectionable.

Haredim Step Up War Against "Taliban" Women

After years of trying to ignore the issue, Eidah Charedit haredi leaders are now trying to stop haredi women from participating in the hyper-modest burka cult. The "Taliban" women wear veils and sack-like clothing. According to some of their husbands, many of these women refuse to have sex with their husbands (except in very special cases) and won't let them see their own daughters. And they also force their children into marriage at an early age against their will.

"Die Rather Than Transgress!"

New haredi pashkvilim, wall posters, against the Internet and modern communications technology that include Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky's ruling that Jews must die rather than transgress.

Daughter Of Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Says Exclusion Of Women From Public Life "Violates Torah"

Reacting to forced gender segregation on public buses and other haredi-forced moves to exclude women for equal participation in public life, Rabbanit Adina Bar Shalom, the daughter of Shas' spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, lashed out, saying haredi actions "violates Torah" and that "the haredi woman lives in a society where rabbis set the rules."

Big Fat Jewish Wedding Expo

Hundreds of stressed-out kosher couples are set to descend on the first ever “Big Fat Jewish Wedding” expo in Park Slope today to plan their magnificent wedding-day celebrations.

Evil Eye Removal $50, Credit Cards Accepted

Just in time for Black Friday and Cyber Monday, haredim can now get a deal on evil eye removal. Do you think the machashayfa next door is hexing you? You're a phone call away from removing her curse. A mere $50 will do it. And your kabbalist savior even takes credit cards.

Judge Dismisses Lawsuit Against Kiryas Joel

A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by Kiryas Joel dissidents accusing community leaders of discrimination and arguing that the village is an unconstitutional “theocracy” that should be dissolved.

Exclusive: Hate All Non-Jews, Skvere Rabbis Say

A recently published book written by a Skvere hasidic rabbi and endorsed by the Skvere Rebbe himself tells Skvere hasidim and other Jews to hate all gentiles. Gentiles are wholly evil, the book says. They spiritually pollute the world, and even looking at their faces is harmful.

Syracuse Fires Accused Pedophile

The University of Syracuse fired long time assistant men's basketball coach Bernie Fine after another allegation of child sex abuse is made, and a tape of Fine's wife saying she's worried that her husband is sexually abusing boys in her home, is made public.

Haredim Seek Secular Cadidate For Jerusalem Mayor In Bid To Oust Current Mayor

According to a party source, a secular candidate has a better chance of winning the elections, because secular Israelis and Modern Orthodox Jews prefer not to vote for a haredi candidate. "We lost the previous elections because seculars wouldn't vote for us," the source said.

Chabad Rabbis Say We Will Support Politicians In Return For Politicians' Support Of Convicted Felon Sholom Rubashkin

Meeting during the international convention of Chabad rabbis held in Crown Heights, Brooklyn, Chabad rabbis talk about freeing convicted felon Sholom Rubashkin, and say that of politicians want our support, they will have to help Rubashkin to get it.

Have Agudath Israel Of America And Brooklyn's DA Colluded To Allow Haredim To Violate NY State Mandatory Reporting Law?

In a closed meeting meant only for pulpit rabbis and first reported on FailedMessiah.com, Agudah security evicted anyone not pre-approved to attend. Then Agudath Israel of America's General Counsel told the handpicked audience how to deal with claims of child sex abuse in a way that skirts mandatory reporting law. And he claimed the Brooklyn DA, Charles Hynes, personally approved this end around.

Secular And Orthodox Knesset Members Fight Over Women's Rights

The heated exchange was prompted by Livnat's announcement that she will convene the Ministerial Committee on the Status of Women, which she heads, to discuss the exclusion of women from Israeli public space. "It would seem that there had been great advancements in women's standing [but] with every step forward we're making one backward."

Disingenuous And Self-Serving Or Simply A Mistake?

An attorney and advocate against child sex abuse writes a long op-ed article about the Brooklyn DA's claim to have busted 89 haredi pedophiles over the past two years. Shocklingly absent from that article is a startling claim made by a credible haredi source that the DA fixed those cases under pressure from haredi activists and rabbinic leaders.

Chief Rabbi Responds To Series Of Reports About The Growing Number Of Jews Who Avoid His Rabbinate At All Costs

Rabbi Shlomo Amar explains why he thinks the issue is overblown and why critics of Israel's chief rabbinate and the rabbinate's state religious courts are wrong.

Dance Studio Is New Ground Zero In Fight Against Haredi Theocracy

The concentration on the dancers' faces was clear through the large windows. In leggings and layers of loose tops, the young women and men arched and spun gracefully as they rehearsed. There was nothing unusual about the rehearsal itself. What was unusual was the dancers' visibility to those passing by the Kolben Dance Company studios located on a back street in what was one a multicultural neighborhood full of artists near downtown Jerusalem.

Three Years Later, Mumbai's Chabad House Still In Disrepair From Terror Attack

Three years after the Chabad House in south Mumbai was pulverized by terrorists, it has yet to be reconstructed. The court case between various Chabad factions over renovating the site has finally been settled, but the necessary permission from the civic body to start work has not yet been granted.

Son Of Murdered Chabad Reps Still Says Goodnight To His Slain Parents

Three years ago, Moshe Holtzberg was a toddler. He was also one of the most unforgettable faces of the Mumbai terror attacks. Baby Moshe escaped the carnage while clinging to his nanny who rescued him, not knowing that his parents – Chabad shluchim Rabbi Gavriel Holtzberg and his pregnant wife Rivika - had been slaughtered along with their guests in Chabad House. More than 160 others at other locations in the city including the iconic Taj Mahal hotel were also slaughtered by Pakistani Muslim fundamentalist terrorists. Now four and half years old, Moshe knows what happened to his parents, who he still says good morning and good night to every day.

New Square Letter Threatens Dissidents With Harassment And Expulsion

A letter posted in public spaces in the hasidic village of New Square, New York just before Shabbat threatens dissidents, warning them that they or anyone else who goes to pray at the nursing home that lies just outside New Square's borders (rather than following the decree set down by the Skvere Rebbe prohibiting New Square residents from praying in any synagogues or minyans except those approved by him that take place in the community's only synagogue) will suffer the same fate as previous community dissident Mordechai David Fromowitz, who was threatened and harassed, and who fled New Square after fellow dissident Aron Rottenberg and his family were attacked and almost murdered by Shaul Spitzer, an arsonist who served as the Skvere Rebbe's butler and who allegedly served as an enforcer, along with other young men, of the community's edicts.

The Battlefield Of Gender Segregation

"…[D]uring the 2008 election campaign for the city council…I asked, as is customary in political campaigns, to post pictures of the electoral list I headed on Jerusalem buses. We approached the bus company, agreed with them on a price and finalized the details - before they thought to mention that it was forbidden for buses to carry pictures of women. When we argued that we were an electoral list for the city council, that any photograph would be modest, and that I myself am an Orthodox woman and mother, the people at the advertising agency were not interested. As they put it: "No pictures of girls on buses in Jerusalem. Not a 3-year-old and not an 80-year-old."

Slumlord Swindles Thousands In Benefits Scam

Joshua Dansky conned the state by falsely claiming tenants were living in his properties.

Haredi Street Gang Leader Busted

Yosef Meir Hazan, a member of the Sikrikim (Sicarii) extremist ultra-Orthodox street gang cum mafia, was arrested this week ias part of a special operation by the Jerusalem Police.

Happy Thanksgiving

Today is the day all Americans should celebrate and commemorate our freedom – especially our freedom of and, if we choose, from religion. Happy Thanksgiving to you all.

Leaders Of UFCW's Brooklyn Local Indicted For Racketeering

Leaders of the United Food and Commercial Union's Brooklyn local were indicted last month for racketeering, extortion, money laundering and witness tampering. “[The indicted leaders’] alleged actions were damaging to the union and the workers they were sworn to represent, and now they will be held accountable.”

Kosher Pork?!?

Israel's Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger announces a plan to import special goose liver which tastes just like pork.

All Voices Must Be Heard – Unless They Tell Us A Truth We Do Not Want To Hear

"We can empathize with Holocaust survivors who lose faith in G-d and in people, so why are abuse victims who are no longer observant or trusting of “Daat Torah” labeled as “traitors” with “an agenda?” If there is an anti-religious agenda present in reporting molestation to authorities and bloggers, it would be best confronted by demonstrating to the victims that our community leaders are worth their trust. Molestation cannot be treated internally. The tools are not there. It must be confronted in partnership with legal authorities, mental health professionals and advocacy groups"

Proposed Bill Would Mandate Abuse Reporting

The proposed law would mandate that every person in the State of New York who knows about an incident of child sex abuse report it to police or ACS (state child protection services).

The Uphill Battle To Expose Haredi Pedophiles

The Brooklyn DA allows predators to make sweetheart plea deals that keep them out of prison and off sex offender registries. Haredi rabbis demand to be the gatekeepers who decide which, if any, allegations of pedophilia are reported to police. And while child sex abuse scandals at Penn State and in the Catholic Church get extensive media coverage, the rape of haredi children is almost completely absent from America's media of record – especially from the New York Times.

Die Rather Than Bring The Internet Into Your Home, Haredi Rabbi Says

Haredi leader Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky issues an "unprecedented" letter against the Internet.

Haredi Street Gangs Fight For Control Of Jerusalem

Gangs of opposing haredim fight each other for control of valuable Jerusalem real estate – just as similar gangs fought in Eastern Europe 150 years ago.

13 More Arrested In SAT Cheating Scandal

The arrests announced Tuesday make for a total of 20 people caught up in the SAT cheating probe since the first seven arrests in September. Three of the defendants in the latest wave of arrests have not yet surrendered, but most were in court on Tuesday.

Understanding Rubashkin's Sentence, And Why His Judge Is Not Hitler

A Chabad news blog writes yemach shema ("Ym"s"), the female equivalent of "yemach shemo," "may his name be blotted out" – a curse reserved for arch enemies of the Jewish people like Adolph Hitler and Haman  – after the name of Judge Linda Reade, the judge who sentenced Sholom Rubashkin to 27 years in federal prison for bank fraud, related crimes, and perjury.

Haredi Combat Soldiers Ask To Serve Extra Year

The haredi infantry battalion Netzah Yehuda in the Kfir Brigade could undergo dramatic changes next year. The duration of military service might be extended from two to three years to match other combat units. The plan, which was initiated following increasing demands by the haredi soldiers themselves, proposes to add a third year of service that will be dedicated to the completion of matriculation exams, along with routine combat training and operations.

Haredi-Driven Deal To Exclude Women Sparks Outrage

Human rights groups voiced outrage on Monday at an emerging political deal that will apparently leave the committee to appoint dayanim (rabbinical court judges ) without a single female member for the first time in 12 years.

Racist Rabbi To Be Criminally Investigated, But Only For Hate Speech – Not For Hate Halakha

Chief Rabbi of Sefat Rabbi Shmuel Eliyahu will be criminally investigated for anti-Arab remarks he made – but not for a halakhic ruling he issued telling Jews not to sell or rent homes to Arabs.

Frum Woman Gets Rhodes Scholarship

Also winning the prestigious scholarship is Woody Allen's son Ronan.

Mentally Ill Chabad Follower Tries To Kill Rabbi Ovadia Yosef

A mentally ill man who had previously run over a Chabad rabbi and was recently indicted for murder tells police: 'I came to Kotel to kill Rabbi Ovadia', but the rabbi cancelled his appearance at last minute.

Save Our Kids From Pedophiles

Details continue to unfold about the shocking scandal over allegations of child sexual abuse and cover-up at Penn State University. I think this is one of those "teachable moments" where other, similarly terrible incidents don't usually get these same front-page headlines.

Court Rejects Haredi Thug's Appeal

Shmuel Veisfish, an activist in the haredi street gang cum mafia known as the Sicarii or the Sikrikim, was convicted for rioting, extortion, assault and grievous bodily harm.

Yeshiva Students Burn Cellphones, Rabbis Rejoice

Yeshiva students from Darkei Shalom Yeshiva in Telz Stone, Israel built a bonfire and burned their cellphones as yeshiva rabbis watched, rejoicing.

Haredi Pressure To Force Women Off Panel To Select Rabbinic Judges

Backroom deals and pressure from haredi politicians will keep women off the government committee that selects state rabbinic court judges.

Avoiding Israel's State Rabbis, Even In Death

By choice, hundreds of Jews are buried in civil cemeteries every year in Israel. In nearly all cases, the funerals and burials were done in compliance with Orthodox Jewish law – but without the state-employed rabbis that have become figures of hate and disgust for so many Israelis.

Haredim Protest Burka Women Cult

Followers of the extreme haredi groups that make up the Mea Shearim-based Eidah Charedit umbrella organization demonstrated against the so-called burka cult, the haredi women who wear burkas and veils to completely hide all of their bodies. This hyper-modesty has previously been backed by several extreme haredi rabbis, including at least one senior Eidah Charedit leader.

Audio: A Knockdown Drag Out Fight Over Haredi Child Sex Abuse

MIchael Salamon, PhD. dukes it out with Ami Magazine's dishonest publisher Rabbi Yizchok Frankfurter and Pinny Taub, the Patty Hearst of haredi child sex abuse survivors. In the process, Salamon threw bloggers and advocates under the bus, Frankfurter was sleazy and disgusting, and Taub was only marginally better. And during it all, Tzvi Gluck explained the mystery of the DA's "89" haredim arrested for child sex abuse since fall 2009, and told stories about horrific child sex abuse incidents and equally horrific rabbinic coverups.

An Ashkenazi Zionist Orthodox Rabbi Who Devotes His Life And Career To Ethiopian Jews

For Rabbi Chananya Blumert - who threw in his lot with Ethiopian Jewry 20 years ago, married a woman from the Ethiopian community and, with her, is raising their six Ashkenazi-Ethiopian children - his appointment as rabbi of an Ethiopian community is perfectly natural. He sees himself as the "white kes," who represents the rabbinical Jewish law the Ethiopians never knew, but also the Ethiopian heritage that many of them have cast aside. "If I do good work and can be of benefit to the community, what difference does it make what my skin color is?""