FailedMessiah.com

Haredi "Kosher Neckline Workshop" Aims To Keep Women 'Modest'

Attention ladies! Is your collarbone showing? Having a slippage issue? Now there's an "innovate solution" to these common 'modesty' woes, and the marketer of that "solution" invites you to a "Kosher Neckline Workshop" to prove it to you.

Haredi And Sefardi Mohels Gather, Mislead Public About Dangers Of Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice

In what appeared to be yet another paid (but undeclared) infomercial, Zev Brenner went to the American Board of Ritual Circumcision's annual gathering for mohels and doctors held at the house of the board's founder, Rabbi Romi Cohn. Cohn and his compatriots are largely uneducated in science and medical issues, and Brenner asked no tough questions and made no attempt to correct or call out their mistakes or lies. Here's what they said, and why most of these 'professionals' should probably be banned from circumcising anyone ever again.

New Annexation Petition By Monroe, NY Homeowners Could End Satmar Hasidic Village's Annexation Attempts

Despite frequent sympathy for the housing needs of the hasidim, many locals bemoan the loss of the area’s bucolic almost rural ambiance that would come with annexation by Kiryas Joel and complain about various attempts by Satmar hasidim to use their bloc vote to run roughshod over non-hasidim.

Did Sheldon Silver Help A Notorious Slumlord Because His Rabbi Asked Him To?

The small law firm that made significant financial payments to Modern Orthodox New York State Assembly Speaker Sheldon "Shelly" Silver – payments which Silver reportedly failed to disclose and which are the focus of an ongoing FBI and US Attorney’s Office investigation – has a client who is a wealthy slumlord who is also tied to Silver, and Silver tried to help that slumlord save money on taxes, allegedly because his rabbi asked him to.

Jewish Settlers Allegedly Throw Firebomb Inside Occupied Palestinian House In New Hate Crime Attack

Two masked men broke the home's window at about 4:00 am and threw the firebomb inside into the living room while 10 people were sleeping inside house. The word "revenge" was also painted on the side of the house.

Senior Sefardi Haredi Rabbi Says Sefardim Were Spared The Holocaust Because Of Their Torah Study – Implying Ashkenazi Jews Were Slaughtered Because They Didn't

The spiritual leader of Yishai’s new Sefardi Ha’am Itanu Party, Rabbi Meir Mazuz, reportedly told a follower that Sefardi Jews did not die in the Holocaust because they studied Torah – implying Ashkenazi Jews were murdered by the Nazis because they didn't.

Ladies, Cut Your Long Sheitels! Lakewood Haredi Modesty Ad Says

A haredi modesty ad published this week in the Lakewood Weekly tells women to cut their long sheitels (wigs). The more inches you cut off, the bigger the korbon (sacrifice) you offer up.

Jewish Actress Who Won First Ever Back-To-Back Oscars Dies – At 104

Luise Rainer, a Hollywood star few remember today, fled Nazi Germany for Hollywood and soared to fame in the 1930s as the first star to win back-to-back Oscars. She just died in London at the ripe old age of 104. Rainer left Hollywood after fighting with Louis B. Mayer and other studio heads and lived the rest of her long, interesting lfe in London and Geneva, where she studied medicine, aided orphaned refugees of the Spanish Civil War, appeared at war bond rallies in the United States and entertained Allied troops in North Africa and Italy during WW2. After that she painted and wrote – and also rather frequently climbed mountains for the sport of it. But her exchange with the notoriously nasty Louis B. Mayer, posted below, is perhaps the classic takedown of the studio chief and a surprising nod to religion.

Deri Resigns From Knesset, All Other Shas MKs Follow

Aryeh Deri, the chairman of the Sefardi haredi Shas Party, resigned from the Knesset Tuesday evening and all other Shas MKs resigned, as well. But does this really matter? Or is this just an Israeli haredi kabuki dance?

New Square Modesty Rules Order Gender-Segregated Sidewalks

The beit din (religious court) of Skvere hasidim released a letter detailing modesty rules hasidim must follow. Among those rules is the order that men and women have to walk on gender-segregated sidewalks, women on one side of the street (or a wholly different street), men on the other.

Deri Says He Still Wants To Resign, Many Analysts Reportedly Believe He’s Faking

The chairman of the Sefardi haredi Shas Party, MK Aryeh Deri, said Monday night that he still wants to resign – despite the fact that the Shas Party’s Council of Torah Sages rejected his request to do so Monday night. In a letter to Shas members of Knesset and party activists, Deri said his resignation was still necessary to prevent further damage the reputation of the late founder of Shas, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef.

NY State Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver Reportedly Under Federal Investigation

Sheldon "Shelly" Silver, the powerful Modern Orthodox New York State Assembly Speaker, is reportedly under federal investigation for taking money from a local real estate tax law firm, not declaring the payments, and then using his influence in the assembly to favor the law firm and its clients. Silver is close to the former head of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty William E. Rapfogel, who helped steal millions from the anti-poverty agency and direct some of those millions to local politicians. Silver has not yet been implicated in that scheme. Rapfogel is serving time in state prison for the thefts.

Brooklyn DA Sacks Haredi Jewish Community Liaison

Wolf Sender, a close confidant of New York State Assemblyman Dov Hikind and a haredi community insider, has been forced out as Brooklyn DA Kenneth Thompson’s Jewish community liaison.

Shas Rabbis Reject Deri's Resignation

The Council of Torah Sages of the Sefardi haredi Shas Party has rejected the resignation of party chairman Aryeh Deri, meaning Deri will remain the party's top political leader.

Haredi Man Arrested After Mowing Down Pedestrian In Brooklyn Crosswalk

A pedestrian was struck by a car driven by a haredi man who was driving with a suspended license, and the victim is reportedly hospitalized in critical condition.

Deri Resigns, Rabbis Meet To Determine Whether Or Not To Accept Resignation

Aryeh Deri, the controversial chairman of the Sefardi haredi Shas Party, submitted a letter of resignation today to the party's top rabbis, who are meeting right now to decide whether or not to accept it.

Israel Gives Largest Per-Capita UNICEF Ebola Donation

“We thank Israel for their generous contribution to help stop Ebola and for recognizing that children are especially vulnerable during emergencies. Although progress has been made in controlling Ebola, much remains to be done to fully stamp out the disease and provide care to children whose lives have been upended by it.…"

Scientists Find 1.2-Million-Year-Old Stone Tool In Turkey, Showing Humans Migrated There Much Earlier Than Previously Thought

Scientists have discovered the oldest recorded stone tool ever to be found in Turkey, revealing that humans passed through the gateway from Asia to Europe much earlier than previously thought.

Leaked Memo On Circumcision From Haredi Groups' Lawyers

A leaked research memo from the lawyers representing the haredi groups suing New York City over the metzitzah b'peh (MBP) informed consent requirement discusses possible legal strageties to get the informed consent requirement lifted.

2 Top Sefardi Haredi Rabbis Sign Public Letter Against Drafting Haredi Yeshiva Dropouts

Two leading Sefardi haredi rabbis signed a public letter with 48 other haredi rabbis against drafting haredi yeshiva dropouts into the IDF – even if they are drafted exclusively into haredi-only army units.

When Public Funds Become Pocket Change For Israeli Politicians, Bad Things Often Happen

The Knesset's Finance Committee is the state's biggest conversion system. The state budget is handed over to the committee like a newborn baby and undergoes a proper conversion process there. When the committee is headed by an ultra-Orthodox Knesset member, the funds are channeled to haredi bodies and goals. MK [Rabbi] Moshe Gafni of the [Ashkenazi haredi] United Torah Judaism [Party] once said proudly, on the record, that when the government decided to apply across-the board budget cuts to all of its ministries, "I took [their] decision to cut NIS 350 million from the world of Torah and threw it in the garbage."

Videotape Showing Rabbi Ovadia Yosef Calling Aryeh Deri A Thief, Seeking To Ban Him From Shas Party leadership, Leaked

“If we put him for example at the head of our [electoral] list, 30 to 40 percent will leave us. Why? Because he was judged in court. Why take someone who [is a] thief? Why take someone who accepts bribes? Why should we do this?"

Updated: Prominent Chabad Hasid Convicted Of Trying To Have Sex With Minors, Gun Possession

A 24-year-old man from a prominent Chabad family in the Chicago area now living in Los Angeles has pleaded no contest to trying to have sex with a child. Levi Moscowitz was also convicted of carrying an illegal concealed handgun.

Duvid: A Short Film

Duvid Stern has never heard of Harry Potter. In fact, he doesn’t even go online. A Satmar hasid, his parents have told him to find a wife by Purim, or they will find one. But Duvid goes wild.

Modern Orthodox Developer Shalom Lamm Hails "Victory" In Bloomingburg, Hasidic "Shtetl" Moves Forward, Hasidim To Take Over Tiny Village Unless State Or Feds Step In

On Zev Brenner's radio show, Shalom Lamm gave a history of his Bloomingburg development known to most of the haredi would as the Satmar shtetl of Kiryas Yatev Lev – a history that appears to be almost completely unsupported by the facts.

Haredi Deputy Health Minister Blocked University Researchers From Evaluating Program He Created To Benefit Haredi Kids

MK Rabbi Yaakov Litzman did not allow researchers at either of Israel's two dental schools to conduct objective research to see if the program, meant to benefit primarily poor haredi kids, actually improved children’s dental health.

Israel's Child Protection Centers Make Reporting Abuse Easier

Nothing happened until two years ago, when the National Council for the Child appealed to the High Court because the law had not been implemented. As a result of the subsequent pressure on the government, today there are also centers in Tel Aviv, Beersheba, Haifa and Nazareth with a sixth – in Ashkelon – slated to open next year.

Only 49% Of Right Wing Zionist Orthodox Voters Are Actually Zionist Orthodox, 11% Are Actually Haredi, New Study Finds

22% percent of Israeli Jews identify with Zionist Orthodoxy politically even though one third of those Israeli Jews are not even Orthodox.

Elderly Man With Dementia Missing From Crown Heights

Moshe Kanofsky, father of Jewish community leader Yosef Kanofsky, has been missing since last week Thursday, December 18, 2014. He is 73 years old, six feet tall, with blue eyes and gray hair and suffers from memory loss. He was last seen on Eastern Parkway and Kingston Avenue, wearing a red and black flannel shirt and a straw hat.

Haredim Refuse To Sit Between Women On Delta Flight, Cause Delay

Again. Another international flight, this one Delta Flight #468 flying on December 20 from New York’s JFK airport to Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, was delayed when haredi men refused to sit between women.

Police Drop Case Against Alleged Hate Crime Monastery Arsonist

Moshe Auerbach will not be prosecuted for the price tag hate crime arson of the Latrun Monastery.

2 Breslov Hasidim Sentenced To Prison In Spain For Drug Smuggling

Two Beslov hasidim from Rabbi Eliezer Berland’s Shuvu Banim sect have been sentenced to prison in Spain for drug smuggling,

Top YU Rabbi Endorses Dangerous, Discredited Therapy, Allegedly Refuses To Meet With Therapy Opponents

Yeshiva University's Rabbi Mordechai Willig is by many accounts unsuited to be either a rabbi or a teacher. Here is another example of why that is.

Israel’s US Ambassador Allegedly Violates Civil Service Rules, Openly Backs Prime Minister’s Reelection

On December 10, Israel’s Civil Service Commission issued orders to all civil servants “forbidding them to be involved in any election propaganda or to express themselves on political issues. The instructions said senior officials must be especially careful about this. But less than two weeks later, Israel's US Ambassador Ron Dermer violated those rules.

Conservative Movement's USY Youth Movement Drops Ban On Dating Non-Jews

But what those kids did pales in comparison to what their parents' generation is doing. "…Though it received virtually no criticism or even attention, a recent international president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, Judy Yudof, boasted of her past presidency in an extremely inappropriate forum: the wedding announcement her family submitted to The New York Times three weeks ago regarding the intermarriage of her daughter in a ceremony performed by a minister.…"

11-Year-Old Jewish Girl Seriously Burned In West Bank Terror Attack

An 11-year-old Jewish girl was seriously burned  and her father less seriously so after a firebomb hit their car in the West Bank Jewish settlement of Ma'ale Shomron.

Human Bones Became Fragile Because Of Switch From Hunting-Gathering To Agriculture, Study Shows

New research across thousands of years of human evolution shows that our skeletons have become much lighter and more fragile since the invention of agriculture - a result of our increasingly sedentary lifestyles as we shifted from foraging to farming.

Top Zionist Orthodox IDF Officer Escapes Punishment For Allegedly Covering Up Sex Abuse, Violating IDF Rules

The IDF’s advocate general closed the case against Givati commander Colonel Ofer Winter, perhaps the most well-known Zionist Orthodox soldier in the IDF. Winter allegedly failed to report alleged sexual harassment of male and female soldiers by one of his subordinate officers, Lieutenant Colonel Liran Hajbi – a case that made national news in Israel early this month.

'Twas The Night Before Nittel

"'Twas the night before Nittel, when all through the shul, not a bochur was learning, not even Reb Shmul…"

Anti-Abuse Activist's New Organization Aims To Bring Ethnic Communities Together

"…[J]ust as noteworthy from a Jewish perspective is that the organization hosting them, The Bridge, is closely associated with the Jewish community. Founded by Mark Meyer Appel, a prominent Orthodox activist, the center is aimed at bringing together members of different racial, religious and ethnic groups in Midwood, where it’s based, and other parts of Brooklyn.…"

Prominent Hasid Beaten, Beard And Earlocks Shorn, Allegedly Over Bad Debts

Three thugs, all allegedly working for people the hasid owes money to,  ambushed Krause outside his home in the über haredi Mea Shearim neighborhood of Jerusalem and forced him inside, where they beat him and cut off his beard and peyot (earlocks).

Another Crooked Brooklyn DA? Ken Thompson Takes At Least $30,000 From Satmar Family Involved In Framing Anti-Abuse Activist

The son of a top Satmar leader who falsely testified against Sam Kellner and who is molester Rabbi Baruch Lebovits' cousin gave $30,000 to Brooklyn DA Ken Thompson – and Thompson took it.

Another Baby Gets Herpes From Dangerous Haredi Circumcision Practice

Another baby has been infected with neonatal herpes transmitted to him through metzitzah b’peh (MBP), the direct mouth-to-bleeding-penis sucking done by many haredi mohels after removing the baby’s foreskin.

Fragment Of Ancient Glass Bracelet With Menorah Decorations Found In Israel

A fragment of an ancient glass bracelet with two motifs of the seven-branched Second Temple menorah has been just been found in the Mount Carmel National Park by the Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA), the IAA reportedly announced this week.

Hanukkah Menorah Fire Reportedly Kills 10-Year-Old Hasidic Girl

Another Hanukkah menorah fire has ended with tragic results.

Kiryas Joel Satmar Rebbe Visits Otisville Prison, Rubashkin Serves As His Translator And Gabbai

The Kiryas Joel Satmar Rebbe Rabbi Aharon Teitelbaum visited Otisville federal prison on Monday December 15, the day before Hanukkah started, and while there reportedly spoke about the power of spiritual freedom.

2 West Bank Settlers Get Unprecedented 30-Month Sentence For Price Tag Hate Crimes

The sentence is reportedly the longest ever handed down for a price tag hate crime. In fact, until the US began publicly chiding Israel over anti-Arab, anti-Christian and anti-Muslim hate crimes earlier this year, the vast majority of perpetrators of those crimes were never even arrested, let alone indicted. And those very few who were indicted and convicted were given slap-on-the-wrist sentences.

British Jewish Pro-Shechita Organization Misrepresents Kosher, Ritual Slaughter

Shechita UK again publishes false and misleading information about Jewish ritual slaughter and kosher food in general.

Answering The Beit Yosef's Famous Hanukkah Question

Rabbi Yosef Karo, the author of the Shulkhan Arukh, wrote an earlier work called the Beit Yosef, and is often referred to by its title. Karo asked a question several Rishonim (leading medieval rabbis) asked before him and other leading rabbis asked afterward: If the oil in the Temple menorah lasted seven days when there was only enough oil to last one day, why do we commemorate this miracle of oil on Hanukkah by lighting menorahs for eight days? Shouldn't we light them for seven? Shouldn't Hanukkah only be seven days long? The answer to Karo's famous question is actually quite simple – so simple, in fact, that almost all haredim don't have any idea what the real answer to Karo's question is.

Bank Leumi To Pay $130 Million, Fire Employees, Admit Money Laundering

Bank Leumi will pay $130 million to the New York State Department of Financial Services (DFS), move to terminate and ban individual senior employees who engaged in misconduct, and admit its violations of law for conducting an illegal cross-border scheme to assist U.S. clients in evading federal and state taxes. Bank Leumi will also install an independent monitor, selected by DFS, to conduct a comprehensive review of the Bank's compliance programs, policies, and procedures.