Torah Scholar Goes Off The Derech

This young man, a Talmud Chachim, who wrote a sefer in honor of his own wedding, left religion and became a cool guy.

This OTD business has now reached epic proportions, yet the Frum World refuses to address this issue.
See below how he makes kiddush for his OTD buddies! 

The Facts About the Palestinians in Song

Litvishe guy sells Jewish Babies to Chareidim in US

Translated from Hebrew

Haim Aharon Yosefi—a well-known businessman and figure in the ultra-Orthodox world—trades in babies. He is a central figure in a network that allegedly takes young, pregnant Haredi women from Israel to the United States to give birth before giving the child away in an "adoption" arrangement for a fee.

In a series of meetings with undercover reporters from Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth, Yosefi unwittingly provided a rare glimpse behind the curtain, openly divulging how he and his accomplices operate. He also revealed a string of other related activities including the distribution of pills to suppress sexual desire, forging identification documents and more.

Over the last few weeks, Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth sent "Devorah Leah," a young Haredi woman with a cover story, to Yosefi. "I got pregnant by a married man, and I'm in trouble," Devorah told Yosefi.

During their meetings, Yosefi detailed the journey Devorah would have to endure until her baby is given to an adoptive family. He also offered her payment for the baby and even told her about previous "cases" he "handled."

"Let's say all the expenses concerning you are $50,000, and I'm getting $100,000. Maybe I'm making a profit off of you, but that also means I'm spending $50,000 on you. This is all very problematic and very sensitive. Just so you know, the law says whoever tries to lobby a woman to give her child up for adoption in exchange for favors can get 15 years in prison. It is very criminal," Yosefi told Devorah.

"If I tell you now, Devorah Leah, take $50,000 and I expect to get your fetus, that sounds fine. We are making what is called a fair deal. You get $50,000 and I get the fetus. It doesn't matter if I sell it for a million dollars, or I don't sell it at all. You make out alright for your part. Just know the law is very dangerous. Now I am saying, in principle, in general, I am with you."

The conversations with Yosefi open a window into what he himself calls the "industry" of baby trafficking, involving "a ton, a sea," of similar cases, as he confessed to Devorah.

The connections

Yosefi is a member of Degel HaTorah, the Lithuanian faction of the United Torah Judaism party. He has close ties to many prominent rabbis and is also welcome in many other Hassidic circles.

Approximately six months ago, Yosefi was arrested by police amid an investigation into document forging and providing fictitious exemptions to young ultra-Orthodox men attempting to avoid conscription into the IDF.

"If I tell you who I'm connected to, you'll be blown away," he told Devorah. "Officials in the Interior Ministry, the IDF, the police and different municipalities. I once had an arrangement with an official in the Interior Ministry where I would provide her with interest-free loans and she would help me in return."

Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth learned of Yosefi's activities through testimony provided by "Esther," who recounted her experiences with him when her infant son was sold to a couple in the United States.

Photo: Shutterstock

As the investigation progressed, more stories emerged and many of the details were confirmed by Yosefi himself in conversations with Devorah, which were also rife with remarks that bordered on sexual harassment.

Yosefi constantly shifts between the gray and criminal areas. For example, he expressed disappointment when Devorah supposedly approached a doctor through her local clinic for a pregnancy checkup.

"You weren't smart. From now on, never use your real name. I'm sending you to a private physician, and you can say your name is Ruth," he told her. "I've gone with other girls to the doctor as well. You pay and money has no smell. I come with you, put out NIS 500 or 900. I also make sure to give you an identity card with a fictitious number."

When Devorah told Yosefi the alleged father of her baby demanded proof she had an abortion, Yosefi suggested another criminal solution. "Now don't quote me, but you can play a very dangerous card and tell him 'I'm going to the police and telling them you raped me.' At that moment, he'll commit suicide. No one would believe a cute 21-year-old girl raped a 33-year-old man. They will believe you more than him."

Payment

Devorah's first meeting with Yosefi took place at a Jerusalem hotel, while her second and third meetings took place in the basement office of Lev Shomea, a branch of Lev L'Achim—a large ultra-Orthodox organization dedicated to religious education, religious counseling and more.

Yosefi labeled payments as "royalties." When asked about the precise nature of the royalties, he said, "Beyond the accommodations and flights, I provide you a gift of $10,000 or $20,000. It is criminal, but with God's help, I work very hard to make sure you get royalties too."

Yosefi then outlined the entire birthing process to Devorah, beginning with his accompanying her to the US and the birth itself.

When the time comes, according to Yosefi, he will organize a "host family" in the US, with whom she will live until the birth. "They do it as a good deed," said Yosefi. "They can clothe your body in money."

When asked if he already had a family lined up, Yosefi responded, "Today I know, there are many Haredi families in the world that cannot have children for all kinds of reasons. I have a few, but I have to decide what I want."

Yosefi then proceeded to emphasize to Devorah that he has competitors in the market. "There are all kinds of organizations. But this is very sensitive. I'm talking to you about honesty and fairness. I send you abroad whenever you want. Sometimes I ensure that others do it and sometimes I do it myself. We ensure a host family for you throughout the entire pregnancy and you receive close supervision," he told her.

It costs quite a bit of money. Do I have to work while I'm there in order to finance it?

"All expenses—clothing, makeup, medical insurance, the birth, doctors—you do not have to pay a shekel. If you go tomorrow, you have no expenses for the next six months."

Yosefi also offered additional bonuses, saying, "If you want, we can make efforts to give you some cosmetic treatment, a body design studio. I need to pamper you. This is all in the package. Trips, restaurants, fun. It will all be paid for."

Devorah then inquired about what to tell her parents when she needs to go to the United States and disappear for a period of time, to which Yosefi responded, "I can assist you with this too. I have a bag of excuses."

When Devorah asked about the mental state of girls who have undergone the process and the possibility of seeing the baby after birth, Yosefi responded, "Psychologically, it isn't good for you, because you connect with him. It may be that in your case we will need to organize psychological help."

'We will market you as well'

How can such an industry, involving so many people like Yosefi, exist for so long under the radar?

In the absence of sex education, quite a few ultra-Orthodox girls and women become pregnant, and since the Haredi community is intolerant of such cases, women are forced to find a solution.

Many women willingly cooperate and others believe if they just give birth away from their families and friends, they would be able to raise the child themselves, or at the very least, remain in contact with the child.

The conspiracy of silence has lasted for years because of how ultra-Orthodox society is structured. No one speaks, because they do not want their children boycotted or condemned. However, as soon as one story comes out, others find the courage to speak out as well.

Photo: Shutterstock

Why is the process conducted in the United States and not in Israel? For two main reasons.

The first is to distance the wayward girl from the community in order to "protect" her, as it were. The second, and most significant, reason is that of legality.

According to Yosefi, in the US, such a practice is possible and even legal. Most of the girls sign adoption documents and payment is ostensibly transferred to them legally.

In their last meeting, Yosefi thought it prudent to explain something else. He is now marketing Devorah to families who are looking to adopt a child. "I am going to elevate you, to market you respectfully. I will market you morally. I am trying to do my job faithfully." 

Trump Strategy Works: North Korea backs off Guam missile threat

North Korea is backing off a threat to fire missiles at the U.S. Pacific territory of Guam, according to a new report.

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un said he had decided not to launch an attack, but warned he could change his mind.“If the Yankees persist in their extremely dangerous reckless actions on the Korean Peninsula and in its vicinity, testing the restraint of the DPRK [North Korea], the [North] will make an important decision as it already declared,” Kim said according to the country’s state media, as reported by The Wall Street Journal.

The statement could help reduce tensions in the region.

President Trump ratcheted up his rhetoric after North Korea carried out ballistic missile tests, warning the country that it would face “fire and fury” if it continued to threaten the U.S. and its allies.

North Korea responded by threatening an attack on Guam, saying an attack plan could be in place by mid-August.

Defense Secretary James Mattis on Monday warned Pyongyang that if a missile were to hit the U.S. territory that would be treated as an act of war.

“If they shoot at the United States, I’m assuming they hit the United States. If they do that, it’s game on,” he said.

North Korean media reportedly said Kim had made the decision not to fire missiles at Guam after being briefed by his top commanders.

Rabbi Enjoying the Swiss Alps

Orthodox Rabbis denounce The Forward as "an embarrassment to Jewish journalism"

Dr. Joseph Frager and Morton Klein

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), a national organization representing hundreds of Orthodox Rabbis, today denounced The Forward newspaper as "an embarrassment to Jewish journalism" after it published a vitriolic piece by Steven Davidson claiming Morton Klein, Director of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) had views that were a "bigger threat" to Israel and Jews than Linda Sarsour and the anti-Israel BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement.

"The public defamation of Morton Klein is a repugnant violation of Jewish law and evinces a gross disregard for Jewish values," said Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, a Senior Rabbinic Fellow at the CJV.

 "The Forward has a skewed agenda in which support for Israel and the Jewish people, to which Mort Klein has dedicated his life, is somehow a vice, while indulging our mortal enemies is somehow a virtue."

Rabbi Pesach Lerner, besides being a CJV Senior Rabbinic Fellow, is also the Executive Vice President Emeritus of the National Council of Young Israel and Co-Chairman of the American Friends of the International Young Israel Movement, Israel region. 

He writes that "I have known and worked with Mort Klein for over 25 years. He is one of the most hard working pro-Israel professionals I know. I am proud to call him a friend and a colleague."

"The Forward's Israel reporting displays a bias comparable to that of Al-Jazeera, and its coverage of Judaism is even worse," said Rabbi Yaakov Menken, Director of the CJV. 

"What is Jewish about slandering pro-Israel conservatives while minimizing the anti-Semitic views of Linda Sarsour? It is an embarrassment to Jewish journalism."

According to writer Liel Leibovitz, the Forward has published at least 40 articles attempting to tie Dr. Sebastian Gorka to the Nazis due to his membership in a Hungarian organization founded in the 1920s that, like the rest of Hungary, fell to Nazi control. 

Gorka's father risked his safety to protect Jews and was imprisoned by both the Nazis and the Communists, but this was of no interest to the Forward in its haste to pursue a narrative of demonization.

"The Forward is forcing us to choose sides," said Rabbi Menken. "Either Morton Klein and Dr. Gorka, or The Forward, are pro-Israel and [pro-]Jews. And the facts demand that we side with Klein and Gorka."

The Rabbis said that with the High Holy Days approaching, soul-searching at The Forward is overdue. "We are taught that G-d is always ready to accept sincere repentance when accompanied by true abandonment of past misdeeds," said Rabbi Lerner. "It is not too late for The Forward to turn over a new leaf, and demand accuracy and a modicum of fairness from those who contribute."

The Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV), directed by prominent rabbinic leaders and representing hundreds of rabbis across North America, articulates an authentic Jewish perspective on current events, and promotes Jewish values through writing and teaching derived from traditional Jewish thought.

Monsey Jews protest 'anti-Semitic abuse' of 3-year-old boy

Members of the Jewish community in Monsey, New York are up in arms over the alleged mistreatment of a three-year-old haredi child who was reportedly thrown into the back of a police squad car after being left outside of his home.

The incident occurred last Friday afternoon when the three-and-a-half-year-old boy returned home from summer school to find that the doors of his home were locked and no one appeared to be home.

A non-Jewish neighbor witnessed the boy sitting outside of the front door, and notified police.

Before a police squad car arrived, another neighbor, a member of the haredi community, took the boy inside his home to wait for his parents to arrive.

When the police came, they spoke with the neighbor who had taken the child in to wait for his parents, then left the scene, leaving the child in the care of the neighbor.

Shortly thereafter, however, the officers returned, saying that they were obliged to take the child to a local police station to wait for his parents, and that they could not leave him in the neighbor’s custody.

Witnesses say that the child was frightened by the prospect of leaving his neighborhood with the officers, and that the officers threw the boy into the back of the squad car.

“The boy was thrown like a sack of potatoes into the car,” a witness said, Behadrei Haredim reported.

After waiting at the station for roughly an hour, a relative came to pick up the boy and take him home.

The boy’s family and witnesses claim the police mistreated the child, throwing him into the back of the police care with no apparent concern for his well-being, and that no steps were taken to calm the terrified boy, who was so frightened that he wet his pants during the drive to the station.

Outraged members of the local haredi community blasted the officers’ behavior, and organized a protest, at 4:00 p.m. local time Sunday.

“Dear Monsey residents,” organizers wrote in their announcement, “we all know what happened last Friday, when two officers dragged a three-and-a-half-year-old boy to a police car with no legal right! Dragged him from the house [of a neighbor] to a police car, with the child in shock [causing him] to wet himself in the police car. That is outrageous! This is absolutely anti-Semitic, they had no legal right to take a person from inside a home without a warrant or a court order!”

Omari Dahan 23 Stabbed to Death Because of Blocked Driveway

A family already shattered by previous tragedy is sadly mourning once again.

A 23-year-old Frum man was R”L stabbed to death by his neighbor after he had blocked the victims driveway, Sunday night / early Monday morning.

Sources say that two Orthodox Jewish brothers were stabbed outside their home located at 1261 East 73 Street in the Bergen-Beach section of Brooklyn.

Omari Dahan Z”L, 23, was stabbed in the chest at 11:30PM Sunday night, and was pronounced dead at Beth Israel Hospital. The (unnamed) brother was stabbed in the arm, and was in stable condition.

Police say the attacker had blocked their driveway, and after the brothers had honked their car horn for some time, the man walked out of his ex-wife’s home, and attacked the brothers.

Police said the attacker fled the scene in a gray Volkswagen Jetta. No arrests have been made.

Volunteers from the Misaskim organization have been on the scene for hours, and have volunteers placed at the hospital as well – working closely with the NYPD as well as the NYC Medical Examiner to ensure proper Kavod Hames.

In a sad twist to this story, it was previously reported in 2009 that the father and brother of today’s stabbing victim were both killed in a terrible accident at a waste transfer station in Queens.

Shlomo Dahan Z”L, 49, had died in a desperate attempt to rescue his 23-year-old son Harel Z”L from the deadly fumes of an 18-foot-deep cesspool at a Queens sewage plant where they were working.

A third man, Rene Francisco Rivas, was killed when he went after the elder Dahan.

Levaya information will be published when it becomes available.

Boruch Dayan HaEmmes…

Frum New York Cop Makes Arrest And Yeshivah Boys Don't Protest and It's "Bein Hazmanim"

Satmar מקדש שם שמים Teaching Their Children to Curse Other Jews

"Askanim" now comparing Smartphone with the "Holocaust"!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Our frum society has become totally detached and isolated from reality! 

Some crazed lunatic by the name of Rabinowitz who has a phone chat that he calls "Koil Rabinowitz" is comparing the smartphones with Auschwich, the Nazi death camp.

In his ad for his sick phone chat, Herr Rabinowitz  has a depiction of the "Arbeit Macht Frei" gate ... with the words "Smartphone Macht Frei" !

It is obvious that this naive numbskull hasn't learned one thing about the atrocities that occurred in Auschwich! 

If any other ad agency would have used this depiction in their ads, we would all be up in arms to decry this mocking reference to the worst calamity to have befallen the Jewish people in its in entire history! 

Message to Obensfurer Rabinovitz: The murder of over 6 million Jewish souls should not be used to advance your very sick and deranged agenda.
Why don't you ask a Holocaust Survivor what he thinks of your brilliant ad? Hmmm?

Shlomo Carlebach Vintage Photos

Received from one of our readers JM

Zionist Organization of America Analysis Determines McMaster Hostile to Trump, Calls for Reassignment

McMaster

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), the oldest pro-Israel group in the country, has completed its analysis of President Donald Trump’s National Security Advisor H.R. McMaster’s behavior and determined him to be a threat to Trump’s agenda.

The organization, which is backed in large part by Trump ally GOP mega-donor and Israel defender Sheldon Adelson, is calling for President Trump at the very least to reassign McMaster to a different administration position where he can do no more harm to Israel and efforts to battle radical Islamic terrorism.

The analysis and recommendation from ZOA president Morton Klein was provided to Breitbart News exclusively ahead of its public release, and represents the first comprehensive connective tissue explaining the serious implications of McMaster’s troubling activities during his time as National Security Adviser. It is worth noting that throughout the below analysis, Klein cites several previous ZOA statements on McMaster that criticized him before–but now this has risen to the level where Klein and ZOA have lost confidence in McMaster altogether in the National Security Advisor position.

The analysis walks through how McMaster purged Trump loyalists who support Israel and are critical of Iran and radical Islamic terrorism from the National Security Council and installed people throughout the council who have problematic backgrounds that do not mesh with what President Trump believes and campaigned on. It also walks through McMaster’s positions on various issues like terrorism, Israel, and questionable parts of his background and decisions he made, such as clearing former President Barack Obama’s National Security Advisor Susan Rice.

Breitbart News is including the entire analysis here, broken up into various sections, starting with the opening headline and details of the analysis:

FLASHBACK – President Clinton Threatens North Korea: ‘It Would Be the End of Their Country as They Know It’

President Trump’s tough language toward North Korea is causing many in the mainstream media to clutch their pearls and accuse Trump of being rash and reckless — but over 20 years ago, President Bill Clinton used similarly tough language against the same regime.

Trump set the media and Twitter into panic-mode when he gave a stark warning to Pyongyang Tuesday after the Washington Post reported that the rogue regime had developed miniaturized nuclear weapons for its missiles, with the ability to hit the United States.

“North Korea best not make any more threats to the United States. They will be met with fire and fury like the world has never seen,” Trump said.

Liberals quickly condemned Trump’s remarks, with many predicting the end of the world on Twitter. Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-NY) called Trump’s words “reckless.”

“We need to be firm and deliberate with North Korea, but reckless rhetoric is not a strategy to keep America safe,” he said.

A New York Times report on Trump’s remarks said it “was more typical of North Korean propagandists than it was of past American presidents.” Even Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) expressed displeasure at the remarks, saying, “all it’s going to do is bring us closer to some kind of serious confrontation.”

But back in 1993, President Bill Clinton gave perhaps an even starker warning to North Korea. In a trip to Seoul, South Korea, Clinton said that if North Korea gained and used a nuclear weapon “we would quickly and overwhelmingly retaliate.”

“It would mean the end of their country as they know it,” he said, according to a New York Times report at that time.

The North Korean government subsequently responded angrily and in kind to the threat from the new president.

“The United States must ponder over the fatal consequences that might arise from its rash act,” the government said in a statement. “If anyone dares to provoke us, we will immediately show him in practice what our bold decision is.”

Clinton would go on to negotiate an “Agreed Framework” in 1994 that was hailed as a way to prevent North Korea from getting a nuclear weapon, a deal that is now widely acceptedas being a complete failure.

New York Times Admits Its Fake Front Page Climate Change Article Was Wrong

The New York Times issued a correction to its Tuesday front page article, now admitting that the government climate report it “obtained” had actually been publicly available online for months.

“An article on Tuesday about a sweeping federal climate change report referred incorrectly to the availability of the report,” The NYT wrote in its correction issued Wednesday morning. “While it was not widely publicized, the report was uploaded by the nonprofit Internet Archive in January; it was not first made public by The New York Times.”

The NYT ran a front page article Tuesday claiming to have exclusively obtained a draft climate report that “directly contradicts claims by President Trump and members of his cabinet” on global warming.

Unnamed scientists told The NYT they feared the Trump administration would suppress the climate report. The report is part of the National Climate Assessment that’s released to the public every four years.

–– ADVERTISEMENT ––

Climate scientists that worked on the report, however, were quick to point out it’s been online since January. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration published a copy of the report online in March.

The Daily Caller News Foundation pressed TheNYT on this, but reporter Lisa Friedman insisted the report was not publicly available.

After hours of criticism, TheNYT quietly switched copies of the climate report from a “third order draft” to a “fifth order draft,” which has not been made public and is under review by the White House.

Scientists familiar with both drafts said there was no substantive difference between them. TheNYT formally issued a correction to its front page article Wednesday morning.

“It was uploaded to a nonprofit internet digital library in January but received little attention until it was published by The New York Times,” the corrected NYT article reads. The article still reports some scientists “were concerned that it would be suppressed” by Trump.

However, four unnamed co-authors of the draft climate report told the Associated Press that they “have not heard of or witnessed any attempt by the White House to suppress or censor the scientific document.”

“It was under the radar and we were fine about that,” one scientists told the AP.