FailedMessiah.com

Circumcision Audio: Dr. Daniel Berman Lies Again

The doctor relied on by most haredi rabbis involved in the controversy over metzitzah b'peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bloody-penis sucking done by many haredi mohels after removing the baby's foreskin and the membrane under it, misstates the medical evidence and lies (usually by omission) about the dangers of metzitzah b'peh (MBP).

Agudah, RCA, And Dishonest Doctor Live Tonight To Discuss Circumcision

"IS CIRCUMCISION -BRIS MILAH- UNDER ATTACK?" Dr. Daniel Berman, who is extemely dishonest as the audio tape I posted of him on Friday shows, Rabbi David Zwiebel of Agudath Israel of America and Rabbi Shmuel Goldin of the Rabbinical Council of America live on air tonight to discuss NYC's decision to require informed consent for circumcisions involving direct oral suction by the mohel to the baby's bleeding penis.

Tel Aviv Rabbinate Bans Figs, Asparagus

"This is absolute nonsense that only makes people loathe religion. This isn't Judaism as I see it. The reason for all these orders is corruption and a desire to add more paid kashrut supervisors while milking more money out of restaurants and hotels in need of a kashrut certificate."

Lakewood, New Jersey Modesty Sign

"Dear Sisters, Please be aware that when schmoozing an this corner, the streetlight shines directly on you, thereby making the nisayon [test] for men passing by far greater!!"

British Chief Rabbi Accuses Atheist Richard Dawkins Of Antisemitism

Further tarnishing his reputation, the Chief Rabbi if Great Britain Lord Jonathan Sacks accused noted evolutionary biologist and atheist Professor Richard Dawkins of using antisemitic stereotypes in his best-selling book The God Delusion.

Rabbi Smashes iPhone, Rants Against Those "Abominations" And "Vile Villains" Who Own One

“A religious person who owns this impure device is an abomination and a disgusting, vile villain.”

Audio: Dr. Daniel Berman Using Deceit To Support Haredi Mouth To Penis Circumcision Sucking Ritual

Dr. Daniel Berman caught on tape trying to mislead a room full of people. Berman first claims that there is no DNA match between any of the sickened or dead babies and the mohel who did their circumcision that included metzitzah b'peh (MBP). He says that doubt allows us to continue doing MBP, and claims that even though mohels have refused to cooperate with the heath department, and even though that lack of cooperation was, at the time, the reason there was no match. In other words, Danny Berman lied. He also claims to be involved with the cases at that time, and he gives the people involved medical advice. This is enough, I think, for Berman to be prosecuted for negligent homicide.

Haredi Statements On NYC MBP Circumcision Regulation

Statements from haredi leaders on today's passing of the informed consent requirement for all circumcisions involving metzitzah b'peh, the mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by many haredi mohels after cutting off the baby's foreskin.

Seth Lipsky's Circumcision Lies

The editor of the New York Sun and founding editor of the English language Forward has another episode in which he can't seem to tell the truth.

NYC Approves Informed Consent For MBP Circumcisions

The City of New York's Board of Health has unanimously approved a law requiring parents to sign an informed consent if their baby will undergo metzitzah b’peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bloody-penis sucking done by some mohels after removing the baby's foreskin. The informed consent warns of the dangers of disease transmission from metzitzah b’peh. Haredi rabbis and the Centrist Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America strongly opposed the informed consent, and Agudath Israel of America is reportedly planning to sue the city over it.

Vizhnitz Yeshiva Loses Appeal In Lawsuit Against NYC

Yeshiva Imrei Chaim sued New York City to stop the city from enforcing zoning law and noise ordinances. The yeshiva claimed that using the yeshiva as a wedding hall was a legitimate secondary use of its building that did not require any further approval from the city.

Chabad Continues To Harass Sex Abuse Victim's Family

Manny Waks was allegedly sexually abused as a child by an employee of Chabad's Yeshivah Centre in Melbourne. He's one of a dozen alleged victims of David Cyprys, a Chabad follower with a known record of pedophilia who was allowed to work as Yeshivah Centre's security head and as a martial arts teacher, even though Chabad knew he had previous sexually abused a child. As the Cyprys case winds its way through the legal system, Chabad has tried to obstruct justice. And it has also harassed anyone supporting the alleged victims. And despite conditional claims that it was sorry for what "may" have happened, 'if' it happened, that harassment and abuse continues.

Anti-Islam Filmmaker Convicted Felon, Coptic Christian

Nakoula denied he directed the film and said he knew the self-described filmmaker, Sam Bacile. But the cell phone number that AP contacted Tuesday to reach the filmmaker who identified himself as Sam Bacile traced to the same address near Los Angeles where AP found Nakoula. Federal court papers said Nakoula's aliases included Nicola Bacily, Erwin Salameh and others.

Bais Rochel & Monsey Rabbinic Va'ad Internet Questionnaire

Rabbi Moshe Green's va'ad and Bais Rochel School for Girls ask detailed, intrusive questions of parents and demand answers.

Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag, Others Summoned To Beit Din In Hebrew National Scandal

The Beit Din Tzedek of Bnei Brak, headed by haredi gadol Rabbi Nissim Karelitz, has reportedly issued hazmanot, summonses, to Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag of Triangle-K, and to Shlomo Ben-David and Moshe Fyzakov of AER Services, Inc., in the Hebrew National scandal.

Infectious Disease Society Of America Supports Health Department, Opposes Rabbis

"IDSA strongly supports the use of scientific evidence to inform public health policy.…Because neonatal immune systems are underdeveloped, HSV infection in newborns is more likely to result in death or permanent disability. Indeed, of the eleven cases investigated by DOHMH between 2004 and 2011, two of the infants died and at least two others suffered brain damage.Given the severity of these consequences, the risks associated with MBP as well as the importance of practicing circumcisions and related procedures in a sterile environment should be clearly communicated to parents or legal guardians in advance of the procedure. Accordingly, IDSA supports the informed consent requirement currently under consideration and urges the Board of Health to approve it."

Brooklyn DA's Manipulation Of Child Sex Abuse Victims And Advocates Further Exposed

Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes: "As of this morning, I have 114 Orthodox Jews under indictment [for child seuxal abuse]." Is Hynes lying? Yes, he is. But in a way, that lie pales in comparison to his manipulation of haredi child sexual abuse victims and advocates.

'Filmmaker' Who Sparked Middle East Violence Defiant

This is a political movie," said [Sam] Bacile. "The U.S. lost a lot of money and a lot of people in wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, but we're fighting with ideas." Bacile, a California real estate developer who identifies himself as an Israeli Jew [but who is not – please see below], said he believes the movie will help his native land by exposing Islam's flaws to the world. "Islam is a cancer, period," he said repeatedly, his solemn voice thickly accented.

Circumcision: The History of Metzitzah BʼPeh Disease Transmission

More than 200 years of disease and death transmitted through metzitzah b'peh, the direct mouth-to-genital suction done by mohels to the bleeding just-circumcised-penises of baby boys.

Agudah To Sue City Over Penis Sucking Ritual

The haredi umbrella organization Agudath Israel of America intends to sue New York City if the city’s Board of Health passes a proposed law that would require mohels to get informed consent from parents of infants who will undergo metztizah b’peh (MBP), the direct mouth-too-bleeding penis suction done by mohels immediately after removing the baby’s foreskin.

Rabbis Send Letter To Monks Condemning Church Attack; Haredi Rabbis Mostly AWOL

Dozens of Orthodox rabbis from Israel and Europe have written a letter to the monks of the Latrun Monastery. The monastery was vandalized last week, apparently by West Bank Jewish settlers or their sympathizers who painted “Jesus is a monkey” and pro-settler slogans on the monastery wall and set the front door on fire.

Kiryas Joel Dissidents Lose Appeal

The ruling, which was handed down yesterday, rejected dissidents’ argument that Kiryas Joel should be dissolved because Kiryas Joel leaders discriminate against the dissidents and trample the Establishment Clause of the Constitution, which mandates separation of church and state.

Circumcision: A Graphic History Of Metzitzah B'Peh

The history of metzitzah b'peh, the controversial direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis suction done by many haredi mohels immediately after cutting off the baby's foreskin, is explained in an easy to understand chart.

Secular Group Forms To Block Haredi Control Of New Israeli City

Harish was supposed to be a new city for all Israelis. But Israel's haredi controlled Housing and Construction Ministry tried to cook the books to favor hardim and drive out other interested buyers. Now a secular group has formed to fight back where it counts most – in new apartments.

Rabbis Reportedly Urge Single Women To Freeze Eggs To Help Ensure Fertility

Rebecca, an Orthodox Jew from California, was two weeks away from her marriage to the son of a respected rabbi when medication she was taking for migraines triggered a debilitating stroke. She fell to the floor of the emergency room where she was working as a manager and broke her neck, suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries. When her fiance saw the extent of her disability, he called off the wedding.…Now 38 and walking again, Rebecca is single, but her Orthodox faith implores her to find a husband and build a family. So she sought spiritual guidance from three or four rabbis and has decided -- with their blessing -- to have her eggs frozen for the future, when she hopes she will marry and start a family.

State-Funded Ritual Baths Bar Single Women To Prevent Extra-Marital Sex

"The bottom line is that we are asking state-funded authorities to refrain from becoming involved in women’s personal reasons for wanting to immerse themselves in a mikva, and to recognize that each woman has the right to choose for herself.”

RCA Backtracks On Metzitzah B'Peh Circumcisions

The RCA press release issued today in support of Agudath Israel of America and Satmar notably does not mention any of the documented dangers of metzitzah b'peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by many haredi mohels immediately after cutting off the baby's foreskin. Instead, it references the deaths, maming, horrible pain and suffering and permanent brain damage that can come from MBP-transmitted herpes only in passing as "health concerns."

How Serious Is Israel's Right Wing Government About Drafting Haredim? Not Very, It Seems

Despite a February High Court of Justice ruling that struck down the near-blanket draft exemptions given to haredi yeshiva students, the government has not consulted any experts who could help it draft haredim.

Haredi Rabbis Allegedly Control East Ramapo Public School Board, Block Programs For Non-Jewish, Non-Haredi Students

[Morris] Kohn, the former board president, said that Orthodox board candidates are approved and influenced by the region’s top rabbis, who used to appoint liaisons to individual board members. During his term, Kohn said, the rabbis discussed how many seats they should seek on the board and whether they should allow a public-school board president “as a gesture.” He said the rabbinic leaders, described as a “board of rabbis,” sometimes decide how the community should vote on budgets, sometimes not. “The (school) board listens to or adheres to the advice of the board of rabbis,” Kohn said. “When it comes to larger issues, the school board seeks their advice and opinions.”

Despite The End Of Haredi Draft Exemptions, Nothing Has Changed – And Not Much Is Likely To

The Tal Law, which gave haredi yeshiva students (illegal) exemption from military service, expired over a month ago on the order of the High Court of Justice, but politicians and the IDF don't appear to be in any rush to draft a replacement law. As things stand, haredi yeshiva students can no longer evade military service – theoretically. In reality, the end of the Tal Law has not brought any change in haredi IDF service, or penalties for evading it.

Haredi Father Loses Court Bid To Stop Children’s Co-Ed Education

A British haredi father tried to get a London appeals court order to block his ex-wife from sending their children to non-haredi co-ed Jewish schools. The father also objected to the children having free access to television, movies, "certain newspapers", and the Internet.

Shas Party Propagandist Compares Ashkenazi School Officials To Mengele

"Who can stand at the crossroads cruelly pointing his finger left and right?,” Rabbi Moshe Shafir wrote, “Who can act as if he were Mengele himself or feel like he's mingling in dreary carnal pleasure?"

Israel's Chief Rabbinate Must Be Removed From Power

"We are here [in Israel], secular and religious Jews alike, because our grandparents in Yemen, Germany, Morocco, Poland, Iraq and France recited the prayer: "May our eyes behold your return to Zion." Without Jewish tradition to justify our complex presence here, we would be in serious trouble. This is the role of the Chief Rabbinate: Not to bring Jews "back to religion" (hazara betshuva), but to bring back the love for Jewish tradition, which unites us all, despite the vast differences between us."

3 Haredim Arrested For Stoning Arabs

Three haredim – a 16-year-old minor and two adults, one 18 and the other 19 – were reportedly arrested while stoning Arab homes that border Jerusalem's Ramat Shlomo neighborhood. The attack mirrored an attack in the same neighborhood last week that injured an Arab boy.

Chabad Head Defies Beit Din Order To Reinstate Fired Rabbi

Melbourne's and Sydney's most senior Chabad rabbis are fighting over the unexplained firing of a rabbi from Chabad's Melbourne's Yeshivah Centre, with Sydney's rabbis accusing Melbourne leaders accused of ''desecrating God's name'' by ignoring a beit din ruling ordering Melbourne's leaders to stay the firing.

Why Dr. Daniel Berman Belongs In Prison, Not In Medicine

The lone infectious disease shill for haredi rabbis makes the case for metzitzah b'peh – by lying.

Does This Explain The Haredi Position On Metzitzah B'Peh?

"Cults promote a non-human way of knowing that bypasses both the sensory evidence we gather and the individual’s rational processing. Cultic knowledge is a body of truths not acquired by experimentation and reasoning, but by virtue of the authority of initiated leaders. This knowledge and its application always contain elements that contradict the senses and logic."

Thousands Of London Haredim Attend Anti-Internet Gathering

"Advice provided by a Charedi technology company showed how parents could protect their children by keeping computers and other devices locked in cupboards or by employing internet filtering and monitoring systems. This firm will even intercept emails — with your permission — and check them for unsuitable material."

Is This The Root Of Chabad's Heresy?

"The rabbis of the Talmud, particularly the Babylonian Talmud, were quite aware that older Jewish traditions could give rise to binitarian [one god, two aspects or personalities (or beings) of that god] notions of God and to Divine-human figures with supernal powers: Enoch, Metatron, David, the angels and even some notions of Adam fit this bill. And Christianizing Jews did indeed connect the dots, which is why the Babylonian rabbis responded to them [by condemning them] so forcefully."

Israeli Rabbi Condemns Kapparot

“Today, the custom is absolutely avoda zara [idol worship]…People believe they can commit sins during the year and on the eve of Yom Kippur [they can] take a chicken and swing it around over their heads and they are done. [The sins are removed.] This is nonsense.”

"Ban Metzitzah B'Peh"

"The ultra-Orthodox argue that any regulation of this practice impinges on their religious freedom. In this they are correct. But religious freedom is not automatically a winning argument.  It must be balanced against other state interests, among which the protection of children is paramount. As the U.S. Supreme Court said in in 1943 (Prince v. Massachusetts),  'neither the rights of religion nor the rights of parenthood are beyond limitation . . . The right to practice religion freely does not include the right to expose the community or the child to communicable disease or the latter to ill-health or death . . .' [NYC Mayor Michael] Bloomberg should begin the process of making this procedure illegal."

Some Victims’ Advocates Balk On More Meetings With Brooklyn DA On Child Sex Abuse

Some of the advocates for haredi victims of childhood sexual abuse have cancelled a scheduled meeting with Brooklyn’s District Attorney Charles Hynes, because they say Hynes has refused to implement reforms in dealing with cases of haredi child sexual abuse.

Chabad's Yeshiva Centre In Bet Din Trouble Over Firing Of Long Time Staffer

Chabad's Melbourne, Australia Yeshiva Centre, which is embroiled in a large child sexual abuse scandal covering decades, is now in beit din trouble over the firing of a long time staffer. And as is frequently the case in these matters, Chabad's rabbis are ignoring the Chabad beit din (religious court) the fired staffer went to for help.

Video: Hasidic Rabbis Meet On Metzitzah B'Peh Circumcision 'Crisis'

Hasidic rabbis and rebbes met Monday in the headquarters of Hisachdus HaRabbonim (the Central Rabbinical Congress / CRC) in Williamsburg, Brooklyn to discuss their unified resistance to a proposed city requirement mandating parents to sign an informed consent before a child is subjected to metzitzah b'peh, the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by hasidic and some other haredi mohels immediately after cutting off the baby's foreskin. (The rabbis also reject the city's right to recommend that mohels wear sterile surgical gloves and properly sterilize their instruments, as you can see from Agudah's position reported in an earlier post today.) Here's a brief video showing part of the discussion.

Haredi Soldier Takes Aliyah, Dishonors Uniform And Country

The haredi soldier thrown out of a hasidic synagogue because he was in uniform returns 10 days later in civilian clothes and is honored by hasidim – for taking off his uniform.

Ha'aretz Tells Its Readers That They Should Follow Haredi Modesty Rules When Visiting Or Passing Through Haredi Neighborhoods

“Wearing revealing garb when visiting holy sites or observant neighborhoods can be considered disrespectful, and immodestly dressed visitors may be refused entry…tourists may choose to visit ultra-Orthodox neighborhoods…Dress codes here are stricter, and you may see large signs…requesting visitors be suitably dressed. For women this means long skirts (trousers are considered to be immodest), long-sleeved shirts and loose-fitting clothing. Married women are also expected to cover their hair. Residents of these neighborhoods are sensitive to this matter and take it seriously, so to avoid unwanted attention and [to] respect the local customs it’s recommended you cover up.”

Agudah Tells Mayor It Objects To Mohels Wearing Sterile Surgical Gloves

Agudath Israel of America wrote a letter to NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg today objecting to any city regulation of metzitzah b'peh, the mouth-to-penis suction done by some haredi mohels immediately after removing a baby's foreskin. Agudah also objected to mohels being required to wear sterile surgical gloves, and it championed an agreement on circumcision reached in 2006 – an agreement haredim immediately broke. And Agudah wants Bloomberg to postpone the vote on requiring an informed consent to be signed by parents before the bris until he can find the time to meet with them.

Haredi Leader Travels To France To Encourage Jews To Not Study Math, Science And Other Secular Subjects

Haredi Leader Rabbi Aharon Leib Shteinman was in France last week to show support for a group of haredi schools which are refusing to teach the country’s core curriculum.

Rabbi Leib Glanz, Brother, Plead Guilty To Housing Fraud

Rabbi Leib Glanz, a scandal-ridden former New York City jails chaplain once caught showering a rich Jewish inmate with special favors, pleaded guilty today along with his brother Menashe to stealing more than $220,000 in federal Section 8 housing subsidies over a 15 year period.

Bais Yaakov Of Ramapo Internet Standards

The rules on Internet usage for students even off school grounds, are sent to parents, who must sign a pledge to follow them.