FailedMessiah.com

The Creeping Jewish Fundamentalism in Our Midst

"…Like Christian fundamentalism, Jewish fundamentalism is extremely new. It arose in response to modernity, and it radically changed Jewish values. Formerly, the Jewish mainstream balanced strictness and leniency: In the battle between the strict Shammai and the lenient Hillel, Hillel always won. But the Haredi world is a phalanx of Shammais. The strictest is always the best. Moses wore a shtreimel, the fur hat that many married Haredi men wear, at the Red Sea. Scientific knowledge is evil. These are radically new Jewish ideas presented as radically old ones. Those of us who do not share them must recognize them as a threat.…"

Haredi Nursing Student Loses Her Faith, Haredi Nursing School Expels Her For It

A haredi nursing student was kicked out of a nursing school linked to Laniado Hospital in Netanya and the Sanz hasidic dynasty because she had a crisis of religious faith.

Is This Ruling Against Oral Sex Real? Or Is It The Best Parody Ever?

"Recently it became known to me that there are those who place their mouths during sexual relations on the "unmentionable place," or those who tell their wives to do so, and we find at times lices and 'worms', Heaven forbid, and it is upon us to prevent a violation of five prohibitions, God forbid. And we need to be extremely careful since sometimes these worms are so tiny, almost impossible to see normally, and one who is not an expert may not see them at all.…"

Video: Yair Lapid Reaches Out To Haredim

Earlier this week, Israel's Finance Minister Yair Lapid directly appealed to haredim regarding military service, Israel's defense needs, and integration in Israeli society. Lapid's brief remarks were widely quoted. Now, here is video of Lapid delivering them (with English subtitles).

Sefardi Haredi Rosh Yeshiva Convicted Of Shooting Yeshiva Student

Rabbi Menachem Edri – the former rosh yeshiva of the Ben Ish Chai Yeshiva – and his friend Yitzhak Zohar, were convicted yesterday of intentionally shooting one the yeshiva's students.

OU-Linked Haredi Rabbi, Others, Ban NYC Israel Parade

Rabbi Yisroel Belsky (right),the rosh yeshiva of Torah Vodaas and the OU's co-head posek (rabbi who decides cases of Jewish law), and other haredi rabbis have banned NYC Israel Parade due to…

British Chabad Man Guilty Of Child Sexual Abuse, Rape

Menachem Mendel Levy, now 41-years-old, repeatedly raped and abused a hasidic girl beginning when she was 13-years-old.

Haredi Couple Allegedly Murders Woman, Then Melt Her Body

A haredi couple was indicted yesterday in Jerusalem for one of the most gruesome murders in recent Israeli history. Ze’ev and Olga Gorelik allegedly murdered Iris Gorelik Visilib and tried to cover up their crime by using chemicals to melt her body.

Rubashkin Judge Gives Child Predator 42-Year Sentence

Linda Reade, the chief judge of the U.S. District Court or Northern Iowa, sentenced a 24-year-old former Iowa college student, Lucas Robinson, to 42 years in federal prison for enticing a dozen minors to send him sexually explicit photos and videos of themselves.

Agudah Rabbis Meet With Israel's Ambassador To Pressure Israel To Stop Haredi Draft

A delegation of rabbis affiliated with Agudath Israel of America met with Israel's Ambassador to the US Michael Oren yesterday to pressure Israel to stop the military draft of haredi yeshiva students.

The End Of The World As Haredi Rabbis Know It: Israel To Fund Non-Orthodox Rabbis, Break Haredi-Orthodox Monopoly

It will be the end of the world as Israel’s haredi rabbis currently know it. Israel’s Religious Services Ministry announced today that it will abolish the position of state-appointed neighborhood rabbis. Instead of state-appointed haredi or Zionist Orthodox rabbis, the state will give financial support to communities that want it to hire rabbis of their own choosing – including non-Orthodox rabbis.

Rare Video: Seminal Jazz Singer Nina Simone Sings “Eretz Zavat Halav”

Kol Isha alert. The seminal non-Jewish Jazz singer Nina Simone (1933-2003) sings the seminal Israeli folk song Eretz Zavat Halav in the early 1960s – a song she probably learned from Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, who had performed on the same bill with her in the late 1950s.

Haredim To Demonstrate Against Haredi IDF Units And Against Haredi SoldiersTonight

"…The fire that has gripped the camp is spreading. Nachal Haredi (a special Haredi unit in the army, aimed at integrating Haredim into the armed forces), a stumbling block to the young men of Israel, continues to operate and claim victims. The souls of the Shachar (another unit) soldiers that have left the camp [i.e. the Haredi community] to join the army are clenched in shame…ruffians in Haredi clothes…”

Pictures Of The Day: Satmar Fraudster Rabbi Leib Glanz Gets Out Of Prison

Rabbi Leib Glanz, a former senior administrator for Satmar's United Talmudical Academy (UTA) school system who conspired with his brother (and, the evidence shows, UTA) to defraud a federal housing program, and who was the man behind the infamous catered bar mitzvah celebration inside the NYC's jail the Tombs, made for the son of wealthy Satmar fraudster Tuvia Stern (cousin to Satmar fraudster Moses "Mark" Stern), was released from prison yesterday after serving a sweetheart sentence of…45 days. Here are pictures:

Video: NYC Mayoral Democratic Candidates On Permitting Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Rite

NYC's Democratic mayoral candidates each explain their position on metzitzah b'peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by haredi (and some Modern Orthodox) mohels after cutting off the baby's foreskin. If you care about public health, the lives of babies – or simply care about the truth – you should be appalled by what you hear.

Head Of Chabad In Sydney And Son Lose $1.6 Million Beit Din Judgement In Loan Ponzi Scheme

The scandal-ridden Feldman family is at it again. Rabbis Pinchus and Yossi Feldman took more than $1.6 million from Rabbi Shabsi Tayar in a form of a Ponzi scheme that allegedly resembles check kiting. The Feldman's refused to repay the money, claiming their collateral – family homes, etc. – were entered into the loan agreement without their wives' permission, and therefore could not be sold to pay the debt owed.

Melbourne Chabad's Head Rabbi Zvi Hirsch Telsner Suddenly Resigns From Rabbinical Council

After publication of a Supreme Court ruling slammed his conduct as a beit judge, Chabad's head rabbi of Melbourne suddlenly resigns from the Rabbinical Council of Victoria.

Brooklyn DA Ran Illegal Private Jail, Imprisoned Witnesses, Court Papers Allege

"... Once they're handcuffed, they're in their underwear and you speak to them a little bit more, ‘Are you going to fight us? You like pants?’ You know, if that's the case, if they’re compliant, we dress them and give them water, whatever they need so they would be comfortable.”

IDF In Process Of Seeking Indictments Of Haredim Who Assault Haredi Soldiers, Incite To Violence

The IDF’s Advocate General is assembling information on dozens of cases of violence, assault and incitement to violence against haredi soldiers by other haredim who object to serving in the military, in order to have indictments issued against the haredi assailants.

Haredi Toddler Dies From Nicotine Poisoning

A 30-month-old Jerusalem girl from the predominantly haredi Beis Yisrael neighborhood passed away yesterday after ingesting nicotine drops from an electronic cigarette in her family’s Yosef Karo Street home.

Shlomo Carlebach Musical To Open On Broadway

Soul Doctor, the musical about the real-life unconventional Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach, will arrive on Broadway July 17 at Circle in the Square, producers announced today.

Video: Skvere Girls Camp Burns To The Ground

A Skvere hasidic girls camp in Sullivan County, New York burned to the ground yesterday. Here's video:

Ashkenazi Haredim Blame Yair Lapid, Haredi Draft, For Syrian Missile Threat

"I'm an observant Jew and I think we're playing with fire. When [the governing coalition] didn't harm the Torah, there was quiet, also security quiet. Syria was a faraway country. There was quiet. Israel's credit rating rose. We were in an excellent economic situation. They started harming the Torah [and] Syria got closer to us. Tishreen missiles are now pointed at Tel Aviv. I believe in this with full faith. There are thousands, hundreds of thousands, and maybe millions like me who believe this. They harmed the Torah and so Israel's credit rating is plummeting. Nothing has happened to the Israeli economy in the meantime, but the Torah was harmed."

Leading Haredi Rabbi Indicted In Nachlaot Alleged Pedophile Beating

The Jerusalem District Attorney filed an indictment against a haredi rabbi, 78-year-old Moshe Shapira, for ordering a vicious assault against an elderly woman, Sarah Vorst, who was rumored to be the ringleader of the purported Nachlaot pedophile ring.

Message From Yair Lapid To His Haredi "Brothers": If Iran Gets The Bomb Or Another Intifada Begins, You Are Targets Just As Much As Non-Haredim Are

After the new draft law finally passed out of the Peri ministerial committee for cabinet and Knesset approval, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, whose Yesh Atid Party was the primary mover behind the new law, held a press conference. At it, he stopped to issue a brief appeal to haredim.

Peri Committee Passes Haredi Draft Law

"This government proved it can make a change, even in the most explosive topics. This issue ended coalitions. In three years, 70% of haredim will be drafted. This is a badge of pride for this government and our party. We promised our voters we would not give in and we are keeping our promise.”

Video: Chabad Messianists 'Get' Dollars 'From' The Late Rebbe

More mass delusion: Chabad messianists 'get' dollars 'from' the late Chabad-Lubavitch rebbe Menachem Mendel Schneerson this past Sunday in Chabad's main synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway, Brooklyn. The Rebbe died in 1994 and is (quite obviously) not visible on the video.

Petition To D.A. Asking For Maxium Penalties For Alleged Haredi Drug Dealer

We, the undersigned, unite our voices in grave concern for the safety of our communities, and specifically the future for our teenagers, urging that drug-dealers be strictly prosecuted. It was recently reported…that a man from Monsey, NY, Rabbi Shlomo Ettlinger, was arrested for multiple felony and misdemeanor charges, including drug possession of over two pounds of marijuana and 370 grams of hash oil, a .357-caliber Smith & Wesson revolver with ammunition.

New Chabad Scandal In Sydney

The Feldmans, the leading Chabad family in Sydney, Australia, is – again – embroiled in scandal – this one involving what is allegedly a beit din judgement of almost $2 million against Rabbi Pinchus Feldman and his son Yossi.

Toothless: Likud Defense Minister Still Wants To Strip New Law Of Any Penalites For Haredim Who Dodge The Draft

“Unfortunately, some people don’t understand the sensitivity of changing the situation after 65 years. It can’t be changed by force or by law, and certainly not by threatening populations, be they Arab or Haredi."

Stop Snitching To Bloggers And Exposing Our Problems, Haredi Man Writes

"Do you comprehend? Someone within the frum community gave the material to anti-frum bloggers, clearly knowing that it will be used against us. Again, in case it isn’t clear, a frum person knowingly gave information to people who openly hate us, assisting them in trying to paint the frum community negatively.…How low can people go? Very low, it appears.…we must beware of those among us - in our very own communities - who are constantly stabbing us in the back."

Video: Chabad Messianists 'Get' Wine On Shavuot 'From' Chabad's Dead Rebbe

Mass delusion: Here is a clear video of Chabad messianists 'getting' wine this motzoie Shavuot for Kos Shel Bracha 'from' Chabad's dead rebbe – who is, of course, nowhere to be seen.

Haredi Paper Photoshops Woman Out Of Picture, Forgets Ankles, Feet, One Hand

Yated Ne'eman allegedly published a photograph of a demonstration and photoshopped out of it a woman's face and upper body. But somehow Yated Ne'eman missed one hand, her ankles and her feet – making for a very strange photograph.

Who Will Lead Chabad?

The Forward asks what might happen when the two most senior Chabad rabbis, my old friend Yehuda Krinsky and no one's friend Avraham Shemtov, both in their late 70s, retire or pass away. Unfortunately, it asks the question from the perspective of its source – who appears to me to be a child of Rabbi Moshe Kotlarsky, Chabad's supposed 'chief fundraiser' – and not from the perspectives of Chabad hasidim themselves.

Picture Of The Day: Chabad Messianists 'Get' Dollars From Chabad's Dead Rebbe

A mass psychosis. Chabad messianists get dollars 'from' 'the Rebbe' Sunday in Chabad's main synagogue at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn.

First Haredi Boys School To Teach Secular Subjects To Open In Jerusalem

The first haredi boy’s school to teach Israel’s secular core curriculum is reportedly scheduled to open in Jerusalem in August for students aged 13 to 16. The new school will also give students the opportunity to participate in sports, and will offer music and art classes.

New Gov't Conversion Process Equivalent To Reform Judaism, Haredi Leaders Say

The new government conversion program “tramples on” Jewish values and halacha, and after consulting with rabbonim [rabbis] and dayanim [rabbinic court judges], it has determined that the new government campaign is in line with similar efforts by the Reform Movement.

Australian Court Slaps Down Chabad Beit Din Ruling

“On Rabbi Telsner's evidence, it is clear that his case and the applications which he made were not dealt with in a fair and even handed way.”

Moderate Zionist Orthodox Rabbis Move To Make Prenuptial Agrements Commonplace

Beit Hillel, a Modern Orthodox organization founded in Israel in January 2012 to advocate for moderation in Orthodoxy, has initiated a campaign to advocate for prenuptial agreements designed to help prevent get (divorce) refusal.

Haredi Man Arrested For Alleged Postal Fraud

A 39-year-old Spring Valley haredi man was recently arrested on charges that he stole more than $118,000 from the U.S. Postal Service by using duplicate shipping labels.

Lapid Threatens To Leave Governing Coalition Over Netanyahu’s Appeasement Of His Former Haredi Allies

"I want to be absolutely clear: there will be an equal sharing of the burden, or this government will be dissolved.…From the beginning, Yesh Atid decided to be the responsible part of the government, on the budget, Knesset votes, and I have paid a price for sitting in the coalition in a difficult job. If anyone thinks that I entered politics just to solve the catastrophe left by the previous government, he does not understand. Anyone who thinks that we will fold on the issue of equal sharing of the burden simply does not understand us and does not know us."

Are Women Of The Wall Right? Are Haredim Wrong?

"[T]he view that states that women should sit at the back of the bus or that women should be kept hidden from view is a result of a zeitgeist from the Dark Ages and is influenced by modern-day Islamic norms and is not native to Judaism. Yet, the idea that women should feel a desire to compete on a level playing field with men is similarly the result of the zeitgeist of feminism."

We Search The Internet So You Don't Have To – All Our Computers Are Filtered

Haredi Web search and shopping company offers to search the Web for haredim, pay their bills, shop for them, all online. And do not worry, rabbis – all their computers are filtered.

PlanTo Draft Haredim Hits Snag When Netanyahu’s Likud Party Reneges On Coalition Agreement

The government’s final plan to draft haredim failed to make it out of committee last night after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud-Beiteinu Party’s representatives suddenly refused to vote for it.

Chicago Chabad Rabbi Arrested For Alleged Child Sex Abuse

Rabbi Aryeh Leib “Larry” Dodovitz, 45-year-old messianist Chabad rabbi from the Chicago suburb of West Rogers Park, was arrested over the weekend and charged with sexually assaulting a child six years ago.

Haredi Student Gets Coveted UN Internship

Naomi Avraham, a 21-year-old female haredi student from Jerusalem, has been accepted into a prestigious UN program with very restricted admissions. She will serve for two months this summer as an intern in the budget office of the UN’s Department of Field Support (DFS) for Peacekeeping Missions.

More Than 100 Haredi IDF Recruits Reportedly Sworn In Without Incident

The ceremony had been moved to a closed army base after haredim threatened to disrupt it. But objections to that move from the haredi soldiers and recruits themselves, along with widespread public condemnation of it, caused the IDF to change its mind and return the ceremony to Ammunition Hill, Israel’s national Six Day War Memorial.

IDF May Ask AG To Deal With Haredi Violence Against Haredi Soldiers With A "Heavy Hand"

As the number of threats and attacks against haredi IDF soldiers rises, the IDF is weighing the possibility of asking Israel’s attorney general to deal with attacks against haredi soldiers with a “hard hand.”

Cops Bust 5 In Raid On Haredi City Hall

After what police say was a prolonged undercover investigation, Israel Police and Tax Authority inspectors raided the haredi city of Elad’s city hall today, making five arrests – including the haredi city’s mayor.

The Government “Shall Speak” About Drafting Haredim “And Not A Soul Will Follow Them Because God Is With Us,” Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Says

"All those who wish us evil, who conspire to tear yeshiva students away from their Torah [study]- God will defy their exhortations and defy their [evil] thoughts, and respond to reward their heads [by turning their evil intentions back on them]. They shall speak and not a soul will follow them, because the Lord is with us."