FailedMessiah.com

"Million Dollar" Ostentatious Russian Jewish Wedding Ends With Gunshot, Pandamonium

On June 13, 2015, Anna Goldshmidt and her groom, Elan Stratiyevsky, were to be the stars of an extravagant ceremony and reception at the New York Waldorf Astoria, with 350 guests in attendance. Then a gun carried by Vladimir Gotlibovsky, an allegedly inebriated cousin of the groom, accidentally went off in his pocket. The bullet wildly ricocheted through the room, injuring at least four people, including the bride's mother. That ended the wedding and caused almost all of the guests – including a Russian pop star brought in from Moscow to perform at the reception – to flee in terror.

Brooklyn Judge Gives Man 5-Day Sentence In Child Porn Case

A Brooklyn man who watched kiddie porn on his home computer and conducted video chats with underage girls was sentenced to 7 years of supervised release plus time served – all five days of it.

Supreme Court Extends Prison Sentences For 2 Haredi Hate Crime Arsonists

The two unrepentant brothers proudly pleaded guilty to the hate crime. But the plea deal did not have a specified prison sentence and the Jerusalem District Court originally sentenced the brothers to two relatively lenient sentences, one to 24 months in prison and the other to 30.

PBS: Hasidic Yeshivas And Secular Education

The hasidic yeshivas lack of secular education controversy reaches PBS. Watch here now.

Breslov Hasidim Issue Death Threat Against South Africa’s Chief Rabbi

“The police were sent in an attempt to arrest Rabbi Berland on Shabbat [sabbath] night. This is a very serious crime. [Jewish law] speaks extensively on the rodef, a person who goes and tries to imprison his fellow in the hands of non-Jews. There is a commandment to stop him at all costs. And the law refers to a simple Jew…whereas we are dealing with a great Rabbi, a great Torah Sage [Berland].”

To Stave Off Drought, African Dictator Allegedly Sends Delegation To Apologize To Hasidic Rabbi Wanted For Alleged Sex Crimes

Zimbabwe's dictator Robert Muagbe has allegedly sent a delegation to South Africa to apologize to Rabbi Eliezer Berland, the Breslov Shuvu Banim hasidic sect leader wanted by police in Israel for allegedly sexually assaulting young female followers, including one minor.

NY Man Arrested On Child Sex Abuse Charges

The New York State Police in Haverstraw arrested Yehoshua Nachison, age 32, of Pomona for subjecting a female child to sexual contact.

Government Scrutiny Of Kosher Slaughter, Circumcision And Religious Schools May Force Jews To Leave Britain, Prominent Orthodox Jewish Community Member Says

British Jews might have to reevaluate their presence in the UK because the British government is putting circumcision, religious schools and kosher slaughter under increasing scrutiny, a prominent Orthodox Jewish community member told the media.

Haredim Use Secular City’s Public Library Computers To Surf Porn Sites, Patrons Complain

Because the men are “out of [Bnei Brak] they lose all shame and take advantage of a situation in which librarians hardly come into this [public computer] room."

Who Is Getting Screwed In The New Kotel Deal? Allegedly, Every Non-Haredi Jew In The World

This deal, if it goes through, affects the status of the central national holy place of the Jewish people and will make it officially, for the first time – and, God forbid, perhaps irrevocably – the sole preserve of haredim who will be able to banish anyone or any Jewish group which does not follow haredi understanding of halakha (Orthodox Jewish law) and custom. What has until now been a de facto usurpation by haredim, done without any national deliberation at all and without consent, would become official government policy. This is what is at stake here for all of us.

Powerful Haredi MK To Block Official Government Funding For New Egalitarian Prayer Area At Western Wall

The haredi head of the Knesset Finance Committee will block funding for the egalitarian prayer area to located at Robinson’s Arch not far from the traditional Kotel (Western Wall) area.

Don't Report Child Sex Abuse To Police, Leading Haredi Rabbi Says

Rabbi Nochum Eisenstein, who was the late supreme haredi leader Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv's point man on conversion to Judaism, says Elyashiv did not want most cases of child sex abuse to be reported to police – even though Elyashiv ruled in writing that credible suspicions of child sex abuse ("raglayim l'davar") must in fact be reported to police.

Chabad And Haredi Rabbis Ban Rabbi Meir Rabi's Ben Pakuah Meats

What the Geonim permitted the far lesser rabbis of Chabad and Australia's version of Edah Haredit have banned. But don't worry. Even though ben pakuah meat would have dropped the price of kosher meat dramatically, these rabbis have your best interests at heart. And you can be assured of that because they they say so.

London Haredim Warn Wedding Photographers Not To Photograph Women Dancing

UOHC warns that it is against halakha for photographers to photograph women dancing or women acting in a women's play or show.

Israel Set To Allow Haredi Boys Schools To Teach No Secular Subjects At All

Succumbing to pressure from the Ashkenazi haredi United Torah Judaism Party, Israel’s Zionist Orthodox Education Minister Naftali Bennett has apparently agreed to write – and, allegedly, champion – a bill that would abolish the legal requirement for haredi boys schools to teach secular subjects.

Leading Israeli Right Wing Activists Praise… US Senator Joseph McCarthy

"[I'm] not familiar with the exact historical details regarding Joseph McCarthy, but you see who is coming out against him currently and you can't help but be in his favor."

Attention Mister Comrade Haredi! Don’t Like Following Education Law In Britain Or The US? You’re Invited To Immigrate To The Jewish Autonomous Oblast Of Russia

Using as his pretext the British government’s closure of a noncompliant illegal haredi school in London, Talmud Torah Tashbar, Rabbi Eli Riss, the chief rabbi of the Jewish Autonomous Oblast of Russia – better known to many Jews as "Birobidzhan” – which is located due north of North Korea, issued a public statement Tuesday calling on Diaspora haredim to leave their home countries and move to his community.

Video: 7 Arrests In Haredi Anti-Draft Protest

A small group of haredim staged a protest in Jerusalem's Shabbat Square yesterday afternoon to protest the arrest of two haredi yeshiva students who dodged the draft. The protesting haredim blocked the street and caused buses to have to disembark their passengers as police tried to clear the intersection. Seven arrests were made.

Rabbi Meir Kahane’s Grandson And Second Detained Right-Wing Extremist Go On Hunger Strikes

Two right-wing Jewish extremists – one of them a grandson of the assassinated right-wing extremist Rabbi Meir Kahane – are now on hunger strikes to protest their administrative detention.

Government Targets For Haredi Employment Not Being Met, Less Than Half Of Israeli Haredi Men Employed

Government targets for increasing male haredi employment have not been met, a senior official at the Economy Ministry said yesterday.

Today, You Are Not Quite A Man: Haredi Rabbi Arrested And Charged With Bar Mitzvah-Based Child Sexual Abuse

The alleged victims are three boys aged 13 to 14. The sexual abuse took place repeatedly over an extended period of time, and was based on misleading them about their halakhic (Jewish legal) status immediately after their bar mitzvahs.

Women Of The Wall, Non-Orthodox Movements, Set To Fold In Kotel Prayer Area Negotiations

The coalition government of Israel will tentatively vote Sunday on a plan to open an egalitarian prayer area at the Kotel (Western Wall). But the proposed egalitarian prayer space is dramatically scaled back from what the non-Orthodox groups and Women of the Wall (WoW) originally wanted.

Belz Issues Women's Driving Ban – Again

The Belz hasidic movement has a relatively new community near Lakewood, New Jersey and it has banned all women in it from driving. It also mandates that men cannot walk in public outside their homes without wearing a frock coat and a hat, and has all sorts of rules people who live in the community must follow. Is this legal? If it is in any way linked to housing sales or rental, it likely isn't. When Belz tried a similar women's driving ban last year in London, England linked to its schools there, the British government almost closed the schools, and the Belz driving ban made international headlines.

The Haredi "Arab Spring" Is Reportedly Upon Us

According to a new report in Israel's Channel 10 News website, the haredi version of the Arab Spring is already in bloom as children of BTs leave the haredi community in large numbers while born and bred haredim, finally able to get uncensored news on the Internet from places like News 10 (and Behadrei Haredim,  FailedMessiah.com, etc.), move closer and closer to open rebellion against rabbinic leaders.

Agri Star Refused Temple Grandin's Request For Transparency Because Rabbis Didn't Want It

In a 2010 letter to PETA, Agri Star's owner, Hershey Friedman, says it can't install 24/6 video monitoring of the animal handling areas of the plant and its grounds or of the slaughter floor area because the Postville plant's rabbis thought having cameras looking over their shoulders would hinder their jobs.

Profile Of A Haredi Cult

Lev Tahor fled Canada for Guatemala in 2014 as a Canadian provincial government moved to take children out of the cult's care due to alleged child abuse and neglect. Now America's premier foreign affairs publication has a long profile of the cult that details the widespread allegations against it.

Haredi Lobby Group Fighting Against Rockland Fire Safety Code Enforcement Has Office In Building Apparently Owned By Hasidim Whose Negligence Killed Firefighters

OJPAC, a haredi lobby group closely associated with haredi PR flack Yossi Gestetner, is fighting against demands made by Rockland County, New York firefighters to shut down many haredi yeshivas in the county which are operating illegally and are often so code and permit noncompliant they are demonstrably unsafe. But OJPAC has a bit of a secret. It's official office is located in a property that appears to be owned and by Hamodia publisher Ruth Lichtenstein's and husband and son, Nahman (Nachman) and Yechiel Lichtenstein, who are notorious landlords and property owners. Their large Philadelphia warehouse property burned four years ago due to their neglect and their failure to comply with the city's code and its enforcement orders. That fire killed two firemen.

Is Tu B'Shvat Really A Jewish Holiday?

Is Tu B'Shvat (which we celebrate today) really an ancient Jewish holiday? Or is it simply a tax day, the day that marked the start of the new tithing cycle for fruit in which Hebrews paid their fruit tax (so to speak) to Temple authorities? And why is the greatest Jewish false messiah of all time so closely linked to the day?

The Lost Jews Of Nigeria

There are about 14 million people worldwide who claim to be Jews but who are not as of yet recognized as such by the Jewish community. This is the story of one such group of Jews, the large Igbo tribe of Nigeria.

Is Agri Star Kosher Slaughter Really Humane?

A JTA interview with Hershey Friedman, the wealthy haredi businessman who bought Agriprocessors and turned it into Agri Star, makes it seem as if Agri Star's slaughter is now humane. But is it?

Watch: British Parliament Talks About Illegal Haredi Schools

Watch as a parliament committee discusses the closure of Talmud Torah Tashbar and the problem of illegal haredi schools.

South African Cops Try But Fail To Arrest “Sex-Pest” Hasidic Rabbi

The third time was not a charm for South African police, who reportedly tried – and failed – to arrest Breslov hasidic Rabbi Eliezer Berland on Shabbat. But what really upset Berland and his followers is that the police had the help of Hebrew-speaking Jews who violated Shabbat in a bid to arrest him.

State Of Israel Says It Is “Not A Priority” To Fund Suicide Prevention And Mental Health Services For New Immigrants, Even Though One-Third Of Israeli Suicides Are New Immigrants

More than one-third suicides in Israel over the past decade were new immigrants, but the State of Israel is steadfastly refusing to fund services for new immigrants that would reduce that suicide rate because the state says it is “not a priority."

Zionist Orthodox Education Minister Withholds Millions Of Dollars From Non-Orthodox NGOs, Gives The Money To Orthodox And Haredi Groups Instead

Israel’s Zionist Orthodox-controlled Education Ministry has withheld millions of dollars in funding for organizations promoting Jewish pluralism, despite the fact that funding was allocated and earmarked in the state budget. Instead, the ministry appears to have given the money to Zionist Orthodox and haredi groups.

Gush Katif Rabbis, Teachers, Political Leaders Alleged Covered Up String Of Child Sex Abuse Cases In The Run-Up To The Disengagement From Gaza

As the Gaza Jewish settlement bloc of Gush Katif was about to be forcibly evacuated by Israel just over a decade ago, settlement leaders, teachers and rabbis were allegedly doing something other than simply fighting the evacuation – they were allegedly actively covering up a string of child sex abuse complaints and harassing the alleged victims.

For Israeli Ex-Haredim, A Brave New World

Tamar Rotem, Israel's top reporter on the haredi community, used to write regularly for Ha'aretz. But then she stopped. Now, after a long hiatus, Rotem returns with a long, detailed report on people who, often in the dead of night, flee the haredi community. 

Video: Bal Ej – The Hidden Jews Of Ethiopia

The story of hidden Jews in the North Shewa region of Ethiopia, who remained isolated from other Jewish communities, including those inside Ethiopia, for centuries – until now.

US Jewish Federations And Foundations Form Consortium To Financially Support Breaking State-Enforced Haredi Monopoly Over Marriage In Israel

The Israel Religious Expression Platform (iRep), a consortium of US Jewish federations and private foundations, has awarded grants to Israeli nonprofits that are meant to encourage Israelis to marry outside the auspices of the haredi-controlled official state Chief Rabbinate.

Jewish Healthcare Charity Settles Medicaid Fraud Suit For $47 Million

A Jewish healthcare charity founded by the Bertha Alperstein, the wife of Talmud scholar and Rabbi Abraham Alperstein, almost a century ago in his honor has agreed to repay $47 million to the State of New York and the US government to settle charges of Medicaid fraud. CenterLight Healthcare, previously the Beth Abraham Family of Health Services, was founded as Beth Abraham in 1920 to serve as a nursing home for the Jewish poor. It reportedly admitted this week to having over 1,200 ineligible members in its Medicaid-sponsored long term care plan.

Jerusalem Orders 5 Convenience Stores To Close On Shabbat, Despite Being Located In Secular Neighborhood Frequented By Tourists

The City of Jerusalem ordered the owners of five small grocery and 24-hour convenience stores located in the City Center neighborhood to close their businesses on Shabbat – even though the neighborhood has no Orthodox or haredi community.

Haredim Lash Out At British Prime Minister’s Assertion Children In Religious Schools Should Learn English To Counter Extremism

“We are deeply uncomfortable about the [professed] link between poor English language skills and extremism, which does not appear to have any evidence base. Conflating these two issues stigmatizes parts of society in a way that can only increase the feelings of unease and marginalization of the targeted groups.…Schools should not be used as a tool for social engineering,” Friedman of the haredi Interlink organization continued. “We do not accept that independent faith schools should be branded inadequate because children have a simple and conservative understanding of family life.…"

Spring Valley Building Inspector And Haredi Homeowner Arrested In Corruption And Grand Larceny Case

Walter Booker allegedly gave a haredi homeowner, Jacob Goldman, false certificates of occupancy so he could obtain tax exemptions and operate a daycare facility.

Shocking: Bronx Assisted Living Facility Serving Non-Jews Gave Millions Of Dollars To Haredi Yeshivas And Charities In Israel

A Bronx nursing home and assisted living facility serves an almost exclusively non-Jewish population. Even so, the nonprofit has sent more than $20 million dollars to hasidic and Orthodox charities, mostly yeshivas and other institutions owned by the Belz, Skvere and Sanz hasidic dynasties, many located in Israel. Some money even went to Aish HaTorah to convert non-Orthodox Jews to Orthodoxy. Sitting on the board of this Bronx nonprofit are some of the most powerful men in the haredi community, men who sit on the board of Agudath Israel of America and the Orthodox Union. One of them, Abraham Biderman, is the new head of the scandal-plagued Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, the Jewish community's NYC anti-poverty arm that was looted of millions of dollars by its former CEO William E. Rapfogel, who like Biderman is an Orthodox Jew.

An ATM For Blessings And Tzedaka

Outside the home of #2 Ashkenazi haredi non-hasidic rabbinic leader Rabbi Chaim Kanievsky is a new ATM-like device that allows users to deposit money for a charity Kanievsky supports and, through the use of computerized technology, give Kanievsky's aides the donor's name, Hebrew name, and other religiously pertinent information the charity promises Kanievsky will use when he gives the donor a remote blessing.

The Earliest War

Archeologists have found massacred human remains that point to ancient warfare – the most ancient warfare ever known. 

Jerusalem Atheist Leader Hit With Hate Crime, Death Threat

A Star of David, “Psalms 139: 21-24,” and "Destruction of Amalek" were spray-painted on the home's fence and a knife with an envelope containing a threatening letter were found at the scene. The letter reportedly reads, "a Jew whose hands are bloody resides in your street. This Jew has received a severe warning."

Alleged Victim Of Malka Leifer Speaks Out For The First Time

"…It has been 18 months since Malka Leifer was arrested!! Where is Justice? Where is the court system that is on the victim’s side? Where is Malka Leifer? Why is she allowed to hide behind her supposed panic attacks? Is rape not considered crime enough to be trialled?? Where is justice?…"

Modern Orthodox Physician Stabbed To Death In Scarsdale, Estranged Husband In Custody

Police told reporters the murder was “not a random act” and stressed that it was “an isolated incident" that poses no threat" to the general public.

Top Haredi Backer Of NYC Mayor Fails To Show Up To Serve Prison Sentence For Sex Abuse, Arrest Warrant Issued

A top haredi backer of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio failed to show up today to begin serving a prison sentence for a sex abuse conviction.

Two Jewish Teens Arrested For Alleged Roles In Anti-Christian Hate Crime

Two Jewish teens, one 16-years-old and the other 15, have been arrested on suspicion of defacing an iconic Jerusalem church with hate crime graffiti.