FailedMessiah.com

High Tech Executive Gets 22 Year Sentence For Fraud

Samuel "Mouli" Cohen used the millions he stole to fund an "absurd lifestyle" that included helping his wife publish a cookbook called "The Kosher Billionaire's Secret Recipe."

Israel's Jobless Rate Soars – At Least On Paper

Israel just changed the way it gathers statistics to count the unemployed in order to bring the country's system closer with practices closer in line in the rest of the developed world. The first results of this new system? A shocking jump in the actual number of the unemployed.

Haredi Kid's Paper Excludes Israeli Flag

A haredi children's newspaper published on the eve of Israel's Independence Day had a large illustrated feature on the flags of various countries and their symbolic meanings. But one flag was prominently missing: the flag of the country the children live in – Israel.

Baruch Dayan HaEmet: Benzion Netanyahu

The father of Israel's prime minister and the author of a monumental work on the Spanish Inquisition has passed away at 102 years of age.

Brooklyn D.A. "Plays Sex Abuse Politics" With The Lives Of Haredi Children

"I’ll say this: Hynes’ refusal to disclose almost any information about the arrest or prosecution of alleged sex offenders from the politically powerful Orthodox community is not only discriminatory; it’s also a cynical insult to the victims his office is pledged to support."

Haredi Cabinet Minister Says PM’s Call For Haredim To Be Drafted Is “Cheap Populism”

Rabbi Yakov Litzman, a Gerrer hasid who serves as Israel’s proxy health minister, dismissed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s recent call for a universal military draft that would mandate that haredi yeshiva students serve in Israel’s defense forces as “cheap populism.”

Alan Dershowitz Lies For Sholom Rubashkin

Harvard law professor and noted criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz – known for defending Nazis, O.J. Simpson, and other high profile defendants (often with lots of cash to spend) – publishes a lie about a sitting federal judge as part of his effort to get convicted felon Sholom Rubashkin a hearing before the U.S. Supreme Court.

Haredi Man Helps Save Boy From Burning House

He ran to the house and called 911, and a dispatcher told him to make sure no one was trapped inside. A Spring Valley Department of Public Works employee, was driving by about the same time and stopped to help. The two men entered through the back of house because the flames had already engulfed the front. “We found the [4-year-old non-Jewish] child by the door sitting by the bed. He was shaking. He couldn’t talk.”

Defense Witness Says Shomrim Members Attacked By Teen

The witness, who is currently a member of Shomrim, testified that he was the first to arrive at the scene, and said that he may be the only third party who actually saw what happened between the Werdesheim brothers and the alleged victim, who was then 15-years-old.

A State Based On Jewish Law Would Be Like Iran, Saudi Arabia, Tel Aviv's Mayor Says

"Herzl did not speak of a Jewish state, but rather, about a state for Jews. A Jewish state would mean…Jewish law instead of democracy. If we'll have an ultra-Orthodox majority here, Israel will turn into a fundamentalist state like Saudi Arabia."

Haredi Modesty Thugs Tell Woman To Move Out Now

“It will not happen here any longer. We are requesting you leave our neighborhood for having crossed the limits of the Torah of Israel and modesty in our neighborhood. We ask that you leave our neighborhood immediately.…This is a first and final warning.”

Chabad Rabbi Receives Honor From Dutch Queen

Rabbi Binyomin Jacobs, Chief Rabbi of the Inter-Provincial Chief Rabbinate in Holland and member of the Chabad founded and controlled Rabbinical Center of Europe, was made an Officer of the Order of Orange-Nassau on Friday. The order is one of the highest civilian awards given by the Queen of Holland. He is the first rabbi to receive this award.

Ex-Hasid Turns Dating Coach

Israel Irenstein left Brooklyn's Gerrer hasidic community and learned how to date. Now he teaches other ex-haredim how to meet and romance women. And he does it for free through Footsteps.

African Refugees Firebombed In Tel Aviv

Four homes and a kindergarten that serves African refugees were firebombed last night in south Tel Aviv. The homes were were occupied and damage was done, but the refugees were able to escape unharmed.

Witness Tampering, Extortion Alleged In Haredi Child Sex Abuse Case

Victim's family sends letter to D.A. detailing alleged extortion and witness tampering from haredi rabbinic supporters of an accused pedophile, Joseph Gelbman (pictured at right), against his alleged child victim and his family. But will the D.A. do anything to protect the victim?

Neturei Karta Burns Flag As Haredim Protest

Neturei Karta burned the Israeli falg and chanted anti-Israel slogans in Bnei Brak as local haredim surrounded them and demanded that they stop.

Thinking Weakens Religious Faith, Study Shows

A new study finds that rational analytical thinking weakens religious belief. (That may be why rational analytical thinking appears to be so rare in religious movements, and why it is rarely stressed or taught by religious leaders.)

Shomrim Followed Teen Victim Before Attack, Witness Says

A retired Navy SEAL told the court he watched the Shomrim members follow Ausby in a convertible, telling the black teenager who was on foot that he didn’t belong in their neighborhood. “[The victim] was scared. He was petrified. It looked like he wanted to disappear and not be there.”

Israel's High Court Says Modern Orthodox Conversions Kosher, Attacks Haredim

"The Rabbinical Court of Appeals rode roughshod over basic procedural rules and the principles of natural justice. It demonstrated contempt for the special conversion courts, and above all, it hurt and did a shocking injustice to the petitioners and their children."

Israeli Pro Basketball Team Hires Accused US Pedophile

Disgraced former assistant basketball coach at Syracuse University Bernie Fine is hired by Maccabi Haifa, even though he is an accused pedophile and under federal investigation.

Skvere Rebbe A "Piece Of Divinity," Dissident Deserves Death, Rabbi Allegedly Says

A Skvere hasidic rabbi who teaches in a Skvere yeshiva gave a lecture in Yiddish in which he claims that the Skvere Rebbe is a "piece of Divinity" and Aron Rottenberg, the New Square dissident who was almost burned to death along with his family in an arson attack last year carried out by the Skvere Rebbe's butler (hus bucher), is at fault for the attack (because he defied the Skvere Rebbe's will).

Walmart Has Magazine-Free Checkout Aisle For Hasidim

The Walmart store near the Satmar village Kiryas Joel promotes its magazine-free checkout aisle for Satmar hasidim.

Video: Why Does Evil Exist?

In this brief video, Rabbi Adin Steinsaltz tells the Washington Post not to blame God for the evil committed by humans.

Court Throws Out Rabbi's Sex Abuse Conviction On Brady Violation

Rabbi Baruch Lebovits' conviction on charges of molesting a teenage boy was voided on appeal yesterday because police failed to disclose documents regarding bribery allegations against a proxy of Lebovits made by one of Lebovits' victims. Lebovits had been sentenced to 10 2/3 to 32 years in prison. Having the police documents  "would have prevented me from hurting my own client," during the trial, Lebovits' lawyer Arthur Aidala said.

Shomrim Trial: Alleged Teen Victim Wants Charges Dropped

In a stunning outburst on the witness stand, 16-year-old Corey Ausby got out of chair and said: “I don’t want to testify. I want all the charges to be dropped.” Ausby– who cried almost the entire time he was on the stand– was expected to be the star witness in this case against brothers 24-year-old Eliyahu and 21-year-old Avi Werdesheim. They’re accused of beating the then 15-year-old Ausby in November 2010 while patrolling for an Orthodox neighborhood watch group.

New Trial Ordered For Baruch Lebovits

The appeals court ruled that Lebovits' conviction is reversed and it ordered a new trial. Why? Because the D.A. did not promptly turn over a police detective's notes to the defense that documented an alleged attempt to bribe an alleged victim of Lebovits.

Moshe Butler Pleads Guilty To Bank Fraud

The 33-year-old son of the former head of the Orthodox Union admitted today that he stole more than $200,000 while he was free on bail.

Video: Neturei Karta Leader Chants "Allah Akbar" At Islamist Gathering

Speaking in Britain last week at at a gathering in celebration of Israeli Islamist cleric Raed Sallah's courtroom victory blocking his pending deportation from Britain, Neturei Karta leader Rabbi Meir Hirsch said that Zionists are not Jews and that Zionists have no rights to any part of the land of Israel. He also called Jerusalem "Al-Qoods" and closed his speech by chanting "Allah Akbar!" several times.

Shocking: Fearing Haredi Violence, Haredi Mayor Orders City To Refrain From Flying Israeli Flag On Independence Day

To appease haredi zealots, the haredi mayor of the predominently secular and Zionist Orthodox city of Beit Shemesh has ordered city workers not to fly Israeli flags in haredi neighborhoods – or in the secular and Zionist Orthodox neighborhoods that border them – to celebrate Israel's Independence Day, Yom HaHatzmaut, which begins tonight.

The Documents: Satmar Contaminated Matzoh

A Satmar matzo bakery in Williamsburg, Brooklyn was found to using contaminated well water to bake its matzos. The city tried to shut the bakery down, but legal maneuverings by Satmar kept it open through to the start of Passover and kept the matzo it baked in the homes and stomachs of Jews. For the first time, here are the key documents of this case:

Brooklyn D.A.'s Easy Treatment Of Haredi Sex Offenders Violates Law, Expert Says

"The decision of the District Attorney in this case in my view is fundamentally at odds with fair and equal treatment in the criminal justice system."

Shomrim Trial To Go Forward Without A Jury

Eliyahu and Avi Werdesheim claim self-defense in the 2010 beating of a black teen, claiming the teen was holding a nail-studded board when they got out of their vehicle and stopped the teen as he walked. The brothers' legal wrangling has postponed the trial six times so far. As the trial was finally set to begin, the brothers claimed that media comparisons of their case to the case of the Trayvon Martin shooting in Florida has poisoned the jury pool, and therefore the court should move the trial out of the Baltimore area – delaying the trial again. But then the brothers agreed to go forward with the trial – but without a jury.

A Crisis Without A Solution?

“I am afraid that it will turn out that the High Court did a terrible wrong to the Israeli society by annulling the Tal Law [which in effect allowed haredim to skip army service]. We, as a society, need the Haredim…The more the productive elements in Haredi society grow, the better it will be for all of us. Haredi society is in the midst of a process. It is in a different place from where they were three years ago; there are now more Haredim in the army and more in academia.…The annulment of the Tal Law is liable to put a stop to this process and turn the question into a political battle again. Now, with the Haredi rabbis declaring that they will fight a change in the law, we will have a battle on our hands. Who needs that?”

Haredim Block Inspections In Beit Shemesh, Desecrate Memorial Day

Beit Shemesh city inspectors trying to make sure businesses were closed as the law mandates for Yom HaZikaron were surrounded by a crowd of angry haredim who shouted and blocked their path.

Haredim Allegedly Destroy Priceless Antiquities

"This is not the first time I witness the vandalism of antiquities by extremist haredi sects around this area. Six months ago I saw a similar act in Hirbat Madres. I think the two incidents may be connected.…This is shocking. This mosaic survived 1,500 years. I was always scared something like this would happen because it was completely exposed, but visitors always respected the place."

Ethiopian Jews Tried To Rescue European Jews During The Holocaust

In 1943 an Ethiopian Jewish leader appealed to Ethiopia's Emperor, Haile Selassie, to take in Jewish refugees from Europe and allow them to settle in Ethiopian Jewish towns and villages. But it was too late.

BREAKING: D.A. Caught Inflating Numbers Of Haredi Sex Offenders Processed Through Special Agreement With Haredi Leaders

Brooklyn's D.A., Charles Hynes, has been caught in what can only be described as a massive lie – one that calls into question his credibility and his honesty.

Secular Israelis Dodging Their Obligations To The Jewish People, Haredim Say

Yated Ne'eman, a haredi daily paper affiliated with the Ashkenazi non-hasidic United Torah Judaism political party, has published an editorial saying that Israelis protesting haredi draft dodging are harming Israel by "dodging" their obligations to support Jewish people's spiritual struggle.

D.A. Again Admits He Grants Haredi Perps Blanket Protection From Media Scrutiny

“The circumstances here are unique. Because all of the requested defendant names relate to Hasidic men who are alleged to have committed sex crimes against Hasidic victims within a very tight-knit and insular Brooklyn community, there is a significant danger that the disclosure of the defendants’ names would lead members of that community to discern the identities of the victims.”

Haredi Girls School Bans Aqua Colored Shoes

"Your daughter came to school with aqua- colored shoes. This is from the colors that are not allowed in school."

A Revolution In Israeli Politics?

“Rabbis will say we’re treif and horrible people. But we know there are haredim on Facebook. Some are afraid to press ‘like’ on our page, but we are still able to get information to them.”

Haredim Should Be Zionists, Beit Shemesh Rabbi Says

Beit Shemesh activist Rabbi Dov Lipman, a member of Am Shalem, a new moderate haredi political party led by Sefardi Rabbi Haim Amsalem, says that all haredim should really be Zionists.

High Court Again Comes Out Against Gender Segregation

Israel's High Court rules that within 30 days, the state must provide the court with an explanation of why it does not mandate that licenses for operating public transportation will only be issued to companies that do not engage in illegal gender segregation. The ruling comes in the wake of Egged bus company's illegal gender segregation and its refusal to post ads containing pictures of women – even "modestly" dressed women or little girls – on its buses.

“No Jewboy In Borough Park Ever Builds Legal”

Using loopholes in New York's real estate law (that allowed a reporter to transfer ownership of the Empire State building to himself citing Fay Wray as a witness and bank robber Willie Sutton as notary), a haredi man, Rabbi Benjamin Herbst, has apparently tried to steal several properties. One of them is a midtown Manhattan office building. Another is the home of an elderly retiree.

Much Of What We Call Spirituality Comes From Reduced Brain Function, Studies Show

Studies show that there is no distinct "God spot" in the brain, that reduced right brain function is responsible for much that we call spirituality, and that altruistic behavior is linked to that specific reduced brain function – which may account for why so many people who affiliate with a religion do not seem to embody the altruism and religiosity those religions call for in their daily lives.

Don't Worry, Haredim Say, We Really Do Want To Work

"I don't see the pessimistic predictions coming true. The Industry, Trade and Labor Ministry must increase employment opportunities for haredim instead of hiding behind gloomy statistics [that show that haredim continue to refuse to work and are jeopardizing the economic health of the country as a result]…"

Tel Aviv Wants More Public Buses – On Shabbat

"In practice, taxi service lines are operating for years to, from and in Tel Aviv [on Shabbat] We propose to expand the service to further lines and to more neighborhoods, and enable more people who don't own cars to be mobile on their day of rest, and reach the beach, hospital or their families. The present situation is that the rich are happy and the poor suffer."

Karlin-Stolin Rebbe Pays "Historic" Visit To Israel Museum

The head of the Karlin-Stolin Hasidic dynasty received a behind-closed-doors tour of the Israel Museum, the home of the Dead Sea Scrolls,  last week, the first official visit there ever by a major ultra-Orthodox leader.

Haredi Neighborhood Watch Assault Trial Begins Monday

Two haredi brothers accused of beating a black teenager while patrolling an Orthodox Jewish neighborhood are set to go on trial Monday in a case with striking similarities to Florida's Trayvon Martin shooting.

Mohel's Remark About Baby's Penis Size Seen As Offensive

"Today I circumcised a baby with the smallest penis I've ever seen – a 'micro penis.' Just so you understand, it was slightly thicker than a matchstick; at first I thought it was a girl…"