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2 Breslov Hasidim Busted For Trying To Use Forged Passports To Travel To Uman

Two Breslov hasidim trying to fly to Uman, Ukraine for Rosh Hashana were arrested today in Israel’s Ben Gurion International Airport. The 43-year-old resident of Jerusalem and 25-year-old resident of Ma’ale Levana in the West Bank allegedly printed fake passports and tried to use them to leave the country to travel to Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s gravesite in Uman.

Miami Police Say They Know Some Of The People Involved In Rabbi's Murder

Rabbi Joseph Raksin was shot to death on Shabbat morning August 9 while walking to shul. Now police say they think they know some of the people who killed him. They also say the crime wasn't a hate crime and likely wasn't a robbery, either. So what was it?

2 Lev Tahor Girls Leave Foster Care

Police refused to provide any further details, other than to say the two girls are safe and refer questions to Chatham-Kent Children's Services for any further comment. All but a handful of cult members have already fled Canada for Guatemala to escape allegations of child abuse, neglect and forced child marriages.

Petition Demands Chabad Leaders Resign Over Mishandling And Coverups Of Child Sex Abuse

"[Once these Chabad leaders resign], our community will be able to move forward in a much more constructive manner. But the onus continues to be on Yeshivah. They have no one else to blame but themselves."

Government Ups Cost Of Hotels’ Kosher Supervision 30%

Regulations signed by Religious Services Minister Naftali Bennett of the right-wing Zionist Orthodox HaBayit HaYehudi Party increase by 30% the price each hotel in the country must pay for kosher supervision – despite that fact that tourism slumped due to this summer’s Gaza war, costing these same hotels millions of dollars in business.

Haredi Toddler Killed By Car

One-and-a-half-year-old Tova Fraidel Danzinger of Chestnut Ridge passed away on Shabbat after being struck by a car in the Village of Chestnut Ridge, New York early Friday afternoon. The toddler was reportedly in the road at the time the accident occurred.

5 Jewish Teens Arrested For Assault On Arab Israeli Attorney, Police Fail To Charge Hate Crime

"This is not the first time I encounter racists. I'm very hurt, and I don't even feel like going to my job [as an attorney with the Ministry of Economy] in Jerusalem anymore. Sometimes I think that if racism in Israel is not eradicated, it would be better that I quit,” Kilani said. "What I went through was very scary. This sort of people belong in prison. I'm a man who serves his country and I have friends from all ethnicities. I've never even considered hurting someone else and I and others don't deserve this kind of treatment.”

Haredim Reportedly Run Roughshod Over Hapless Judge’s Ruling

The wall illegally erected by the haredi-controlled government of the City of Beit Shemesh to divide the secular Languages ​​and Cultures School in two may be gone, but the separation it was meant to enforce – and that judge thought to be illegal – reportedly still remains.

Federal Judge Rejects Bizarre Claim That Pedophile Was Married To Child Victim

Twenty-nine-year-old Andrew Goodman, a convicted pedophile who is now facing a federal trial for transporting a 15-year-old boy across state lines for the purpose of having sex with him can’t claim at trial that he and the victim were married under Jewish law.

London Council Removes Illegal Haredi Modesty Posters

Haredi modesty posters warning women to walk on the opposite side of the street from men have been removed by London's Hackney Council.

Czech Chief Rabbi Caught In Alleged Sex Scandal

Rabbi Karol Sidon allegedly is having an affair with a young woman he converted to Judaism. Sidon is 72-years-old and married. The woman is in her 20s. Sidon was forced out as chief rabbi but is fighting to get his job back.

Video: Grandson Of Anti-Zionist Satmar Rebbe Serves In IDF

A grandson of the notoriously anti-Zionist Satmar rebbe is serving in the IDF. He also shaves and wears a small black yarmulke in the Zionist Orthodox style.

New Affidavit In Stein / Weiss Divorce Battle Alleges Fraud, Perjury, Stalking, Threats Of Violence – Against Rabbis

Yoel Weiss refuses to give his wife, Rivky Stein, a Jewish divorce known as a  "get." Without a get, Stein cannot remarry, and any children she may have with someone other than Weiss would be ruled mamzerim (bastards), and they and their descendants would be prevented from marrying regular Jews forever. Weiss allegedly hired a ringer to pose as one of the beit din (religious court) judges , threatened at least one other rabbinic judge and stalked him.

Guest Post: NY Times Reporter Writes Dishonest Book About Haredi Judaism

Many people think Joseph Berger of the New York Times is a dishonest and incompetent reporter who consistently minimizes the wrongdoing of Satmar and other haredim while glorifying their lifestyle. Berger allegedly argued against covering haredi child sex abuse and still claims that Williamsburg's notorious hasidic modesty squad doesn't exist – even though it very clearly does. In other words, lots of ex-hasidim and victims inside the haredi community think Joe Berger is an ass of the highest order – as one ex-hasid now writes.

IDF Partially Adopts Haredi Rabbinic Opinion, Shocking Many

In what is being called a precedent-setting decision, the IDF has decided to largely adhere to haredi stringencies for the shmitta (sabbatical) year, drawing sharp criticism from of Israeli farmers, most of whom, unlike haredim, have actually served in the IDF.

Prime Minister Tables Conversion Reform Bill To Please Haredim

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has given in to haredi pressure and tabled the Stern Bill that would have decentralized conversions to Judaism, taking them out of the exclusive province of the haredi-controlled chief rabbinate.

Dozens Of Hasidic Kids Not Enrolled In School Because Rabbis Are Blocking Yeshiva Placements To Hurt Parents, Activist Alleges

There are allegedly at least 40 hasidic kids between the ages of six and 12 living in Williamsburg and Borough Park, Brooklyn who don't have a yeshiva to go to because rabbis are using yeshiva placement as a club to punish the kids' families – sometimes allegedly because a family complained about child sexual abuse or reported abuse to police.

Another Haredi Alleged Get-Extortionist Indicted With Rabbi Mendel Epstein

Another name has been added to the indictment against Rabbi Mendel Epstein, Rabbi Martin "Mordechai" Wolmark and the other cattle-prod-to-the-genitals get (Jewish divorce) extortionists.

Think Eating Apples Dipped In Honey On Rosh Hashana An Ancient Jewish Custom? Think Again.

It turns out most of those 'ancient' Jewish customs most of practice on Rosh Hashana aren't really all that ancient. Here's a brief breakdown of the top few, including when they were first started and what they morphed into.

This Day In History: Famous Controversial Rabbi Dies

Rabbi Jonathan Eybeschutz fought against the rampant rabbinic corruption of his time, including the sale of rabbinical positions to the highest bidder, and at the same time, he also fought against the Enlightenment, which was taking ever increasing numbers of Jews away from traditional Judaism. But he was also likely a closet heretic.

Zionist Orthodox Lay Leader Resigns Over Money "Tainted" By – Christians

It’s a canard that refuses to die, a canard illustrates the high level of anti-Christian prejudice still common in the haredi and the right-wing Israeli Zionist Orthodox communities, despite the fact that believing Christians are some of the closest allies Israel has.

God Might Kill You Over Your "Impure" Cellphone, Leading Haredi Rabbi Says

Without any doubt, holding an impure cellphone in your hands – behold, this is a great danger [for your soul when] the Day of Judgement [Rosh Hashana comes], #2 Ashkenazi haredi Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky says.

Haredi MK Meets With Mossad Head Over Security At Breslov Rabbi’s Grave In Uman, Ukraine

20,000 Jews, most of them Breslov hasidim and most from Israel, are expected to be at Rabbi Nachman of Breslov’s gravesite in Uman, Ukraine for Rosh Hashana next week, despite the ongoing war between the Ukrainian government and pro-Russian separatists.

Torah To Be Dedicated In Memory Of Questionable Haredi Community Leader

He was dishonest in business and was a notorious alleged philanderer and an alleged sex abuser. None of this, however, stopped haredim from glorifying Steve Zakheim and honoring him while he lived, and it isn’t stopping them from honoring him and glorifying him in death, either.

High Court Rules Haredi Schools Don’t Have To Teach Math, Science, Other Secular Subjects

Israel’s High Court of Justice ruled today that haredi schools can continue to be exempt from teaching Israel core curriculum, meaning basic secular subjects like math, Hebrew and science will not be taught by haredi schools or will be given short shrift by them.

A "New Form" Of "Terrorism" Uses "Roses," Not Guns, Haredi Org Says

Israel is facing a new front with the Arabs. A terrorism that is fought with roses. They target young, vulnerable Jewish girls and they often pretend they are Jewish. “He wore a kippa and said Amen to brachas,” explained Sara, a girl who was rescued from a village. I had no idea he wasn’t Jewish until he took me to his home.”

Sefardi Haredi Kabbalist Agrees To Plead Guilty To Bribery, Obstruction Of Justice

Sefardi haredi ‘kabbalist’-to-the-stars Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto has agreed to plead guilty and to testify against former police Major Geneneral Menashe Arbiv in exchange for a receiving a reduced jail sentence.

Netanyahu Wants To Bring Haredim Into The Government, Toss Lapid, Shaked Says

The Knesset faction leader of the right-wing Zionist Orthodox HaBayit HaYehudi Party, Ayelet Shaked, said Tuesday that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants to push the centrist, largely secular Yesh Atid Party out of the coalition government and bring in haredi parties to replace it.

2 Ethiopian Jews Beaten In Alleged Hate Crime

A 74-year-old man suffered serious injuries in the attack, including a fractured skull, and is still hospitalized at Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva.

Avi Schick Misleads About Dangers Of Controversial Haredi Circumcision Practice

Avi Schick, a former deputy attorney general of New York State, has published a deceptive op-ed about metzitzah b' peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis-sucking done by haredi mohels after cutting off a baby's foreskin. How many babies must be killed through MBP before haredim stop insisting they have the right to do it?

Former Zionist Orthodox IDF Chief Rabbi Booted From IDF Over Intelligence Leaks During Gaza War

Brigadier General (Res.) Rabbi Avichai Rontski, the IDF’s former chief rabbi, was dismissed from duty today after the IDF determined that he illegally gave classified intelligence information to Economy, Diaspora and Religious Affairs Minister Naftali Bennett during the Gaza War.

Haredi Organization Uses Photo Of Auschwitz Crematoria In Fundraising Ad

Misaskim, the haredi organization that buries poor Jews and provides folding chairs and prayerbooks for shiva houses – but which might be best known for blocking autopsies, including in cases where foul play might have been the cause of death – sent out a fundraising email today that features Auschwitz crematoria.

Rabbi Michael Broyde Co-Founds New Modern Orthodox Synagogue Despite Scandal

Rabbi Michael Broyde, the sockpuppeting Modern Orthodox rabbi who resigned from the Rabbinical Council of America in January rather than face an investigation into his two-decades-long use of fake identities – including fake rabbinical identities – is opening a new Orthodox synagogue two blocks away from the Orthodox synagogue he founded and once headed.

Breslov Rabbi Fleeing From Justice Was Tenant From Hell, Landlords Say

Rabbi Eliezer Berland's grandchildren wrote on the villa's walls. His hasidim cut across the adjoining golf course and jumped in golfers' carts. When the golf course manager complained, they hit him. Berland was evicted from two different luxury villas because the bad behavior of his family, all while hiding from South African police who were trying to arrest him and deport him.

Haredi Man Charged With Groping Waitress

A Monsey haredi man has been charged with forcible touching, a misdemeanor, after he allegedly groped a woman in a local restaurant.

Haredi Rabbis Opposition To Conversion Decentralization Is Purely Political, Moderate Zionist Orthodox Rabbi Says

“We are in a generation in which considerations that lead us are not necessarily always halakhic but are instead sometimes political.…Most of the rabbis who signed the declaration against the [decentralization of conversions] bill are not aware of its details, have never done conversions and are clueless about the realities at hand. 70% of the signatories are not active rabbis and 90% have never dealt with conversions. It is somewhat peculiar that individuals who never dealt with conversions now speak out against the [decentralization] bill."

Jews Forbidden To Diet On Shabbat And Yom Tov, Zionist Orthodox Rabbi Claims

"Diets that are not undertaken on the doctor's orders are not desirable on the festivals or Shabbat. These dates are designed to affect a spiritual transcendence through physical relaxation and satiety.…It is a mitzvah [Torah commandment] to spoil ourselves with tasty foods and festive fragrances.”

I Couldn’t Have Raped Those Women, I’m Impotent! Breslov Hasidic Sect Leader Claims

Rabbi Eliezer Berland, the 77-year-old head of Beslov’s Shuvu Banim sect who has been on an almost two-year flight from justice, says there is no way he could have raped and sexually abused several female followers in Jerusalem because he’s been impotent for 27 years.

Trial Of Alleged New Square Child Molester Postponed

Jury selection for the trial of Rabbi Moshe Moshe Taubenfeld has been postponed because DA Thomas Zugibe says he needs more time to prepare his case.

Haredi Conference On Workplace Integrity Features Presentation On Prison Life

A haredi conference on workplace integrity held in Lakewood, New Jersey featured a session on the struggles haredim face while in prison.

Notorious Serial Killer Jack The Ripper May Not Have Been Jewish After All, Graphologist Claims

An Israeli graphologist  – a 'science' far less precise and far less accurate than DNA – claims that the DNA evidence showing that Jack the Ripper was a Polish Jewish refugee named Aaron Kosminski is not conclusive.

Did Rosh Hashana Really Exist? Maybe Not

During the First Temple era, Rosh Hashana likely was not much of a holiday – if it even was a holiday at all. How did it likely become what we now know as the Jewish new year celebration? What purpose did it serve before that? Read on.

How Hasidim Looted East Ramapo

The NPR show This American Life devoted an entire hour to an in-depth documentary on the haredi-controlled East Ramapo school board. Listen now:

Video: The New European Anti-Semitism

The PBS NewsHour reports on rising anti-Semitism in Western Europe, especially France, much of which is tied to Muslim extremism and the Gaza war.

Human Rights Watch Finds Israel Violating International Refugee Laws By Forcing African Asylum Seekers To Be Repatriated To Dangerous Countries

A new report by Human Rights Watch has found that African asylum seekers have been denied fair and timely asylum procedures and have been unlawfully detained as part the effort to illegally force them to leave Israel. The Human Right Watch report also found that Israel is coercing these asylum seekers into leaving for countries that are dangerous and where their lives are at risk – itself a violation of international law.

World’s Oldest Jewish Prayerbook To Go On Public Display In Jerusalem

The oldest known siddur (Jewish prayer book) ever found is on its way to Israel for a museum showing set to open in time for the High Holidays.

London Haredi Rabbis Threaten To Refuse To Recognize Israeli Conversions To Judaism If Haredi Demands Are Not Met

Senior haredi rabbis in London have warned that if Israel decentralizes conversions to Judaism, they will no longer recognize Israeli conversions as valid.

Breslov Hasidic Leader Awaits Extradition, Claims To Be Innocent, Says Israel Is A “Country Of Hamas For Me”

"It's all rumors spread over the past ten years. No proof exists. The police [in Amsterdam] released me and told me that that all complaints against me had no foundation and no basis.… I'm finished with the land of Israel. It is a country of Hamas for me.”

City Of Jerusalem Blots Out Lady Gaga Concert Posters

Billboards promoting tonight’s Lady Gaga concert in Tel Aviv were plastered over last week with large white stickers in Jerusalem after a city councilman from the Sefardi haredi Shas Party, Nati Lasri, complained the billboards were " abominations" and “immodest.”

3 Chabad Hasidim Linked To Powerful Rubashkin And Jacobson Families Busted By Feds On Drug Trafficking Charges

Three Chabad-Lubavitch hasidim from Crown Heights were arrested by the FBI after they tried to buy 50 pounds of marijuana and have it shipped from El Paso, Texas to Brooklyn.