Pigs In Shtreimels

From Rationalist Judaism

Earlier today there was a gigantic rally at the Jerusalem Arena 
against "pigs in shtreimels."

The event, under the auspices of the charedi Gedolei Torah, was for 
Beis Yaakov girls. The purpose was to dissuade them from attending
 any of the numerous academic higher education programs for 
charedim that have sprung up in recent years, such as Machon Tal,
 Adina Bar-Shalom's Charedi College of Jerusalem (soon closing due
 to lack of enrollment), Strauss Campus Afikei Lomda, Mivchar, and 
so on. (There is currently a furor raging over funding of 200,000 
shekels for this event that was promised from the Jerusalem 
Municipality.) 

Adina Bar Shalom (a pig in a shtreimel?) with her father

Rav Baruch Shapira introduced the program by relating a conversation that he had with Rav Steinman about the event. Rav Steinman said, "Charedi academic programs?! It's like a pig in a shtreimel!"

(Note that Rav Steinman spoke down the road from my home a few years ago, and stated that there is no relationship between secular education and income.)

Rav Chaim Kanievsky sent a message: that he blesses anyone who 
studies only in Beis Yaakov and not in an academic program, that 
they will have easy and abundantparnasah.

Rav Gershon Edelstein stressed that parnasah is entirely in the hands
 of Heaven and is determined on Rosh HaShanah by one's spiritual 
merits. Accordingly, he said, those girls who go to Beis Yaakov will 
receive parnasah, good shidduchim, and everything else that they 
need, whereas girls who leave that framework will not be successful 
at this. (One cannot help but wonder how he could say something 
that is so clearly factually incorrect; indeed, if it was true that Beis 
Yaakov graduates make a parnasah and those who go to college do 
not, then there would be no need for such a rally in the first place!)

Rav Yitzchak Zilberstein (author of the popular Veha'arev Na/ What 
If series) gave a Torah insight: Why did Rachel Imeinu sit on Lavan's
 idols rather than burn them? He explained that the point was to 
disparage them, to show that the "wisdom of other nations" has 
nothing to offer us. (See this post from Rabbi Josh Waxman about 
Rav Zilberstein's position that Jews and non-Jews have different 
numbers of teeth.) We must teach our daughters, he said, that a 
Jewish home that is clean of any hint of foreign wisdom, and teaches
 only Torah, will never be harmed.

Rabbi Moshe Hillel Hirsch of Slabodka Yeshivah delivered a much 
more honest presentation. He stated frankly that modern charedi 
society puts people in a difficult position - the women do not earn 
enough of a salary to support the family and the husband is in kollel. 
He noted that there is talk of funding coming from wealthy donors in
 America, but admitted that there is no good solution. However, he 
said, the reason why it is nevertheless forbidden to attend academic 
program is because of the deleterious effect that this has on one's 
spiritual life.

There is no question that Rabbi Hirsch is correct. Once a person steps
 out of the daled amos of the yeshivah or Beis Yaakov, they are 
exposed to all kinds of influences and ideas that run contrary to 
charedi and Torah values. I don't understand how there are people 
that deny this.

On the other hand, im ein kemach, ein Torah. We have to earn money,
 work, and build up society. If charedim are going to radically diverge
 from tradition by sending everyone to kollel, then the women have 
to shoulder the workload of both partners (while also giving birth and
 raising children). And it's just not possible for charedi society to 
accomplish that if everyone only attends Beis Yaakov. As Rabbi 
Hirsch acknowledged, what Rav Edelstein said is just not true.

Rabbi Hirsch said that the spiritual price is too great to pay, and 
charedim must consign themselves to ever-worsening economic ruin.
 Others will disagree with that judgment. There's always risks and 
dangers in life. It's dangerous to fight in a war, but we still need 
soldiers. And it's dangerous to go to college, but we still need to 
provide for our families and build up society.

These are difficult decisions for young women to make. They are 
certainly unlikely to choose academic programs when the people that
 they are told to revere as Gedolei Yisroel tell them that if they do so,
 they will not attain parnasah or good shidduchim. I am always 
amazed at how people who would very much want their children to 
obtain academic qualifications nevertheless send their children to 
institutions which teach them to revere the Charedi leadership as 
their Gedolim. And then they are surprised and dismayed when their
 children and grandchildren don't get an academic education and 
can't support themselves!

(See too this post: "Gedolei Yisroel Insist On Economic Ruin For Charedim, All Israel")

Did the Bais Yaakov of Baltimore cover up Yosef Goldman's alleged Rapes

On Monday, Joseph Goldman was arrested and charged with multiple counts of raping a child over a number of years.

JCW has received serious allegations that Beis Yaakov of Baltimore was aware of the abuse and did nothing about it. We have reached out to Rabbis Yechezkel Zweig and Yehoshua Shapiro repeatedly but they have both refused to speak with us.

Our investigation will continue. Anyone found to have covered up abuse, protected an abuser, or harassed a victim, will be held accountable.

Ukrainians vandalize Rav Nachman's Grave in Uman

It's time for the Russians to come in to Ukraine and convert that country into a parking lot! Let them remove the remains of Rav Nachman and bring them to the State of Israel!

Ukraine gets over 300 million dollars per year in revenue from the Jews that make pilgrimage to that cursed blood soaked country!

Unknown individuals broke into a synagogue in the Ukrainian city of Uman, sprayed red paint on the walls and left behind a pig’s head with a swastika carved into its forehead.

The attack occurred on Tuesday night, DS News reported. The synagogue is part of the Ohel complex, built near the gravesite of the Breslover movement’s founder, Rabbi Nachman.

Since the fall of communism, Uman has seen the arrival of thousands of pilgrims on the Jewish New Year who come to visit the gravesite of the 18th-century luminary.

The pilgrimage often has created friction between the predominantly Israeli new arrivals and locals, many of whom resent the cordoning off by police of neighborhoods for the pilgrims.

Brawls between locals and pilgrims are common. In recent years, incidents that occurred at Uman included the placing of broken glass on the bank of a river where pilgrims take ritual baths; the erection of crosses near that place and protests where nationalists shouted “Hasids out of Uman.”

Yosef Goldman of Baltimore charged with rape

A Baltimore man has been arrested for child sex abuse and charged with multiple counts of rape and sex offenses, according to Baltimore Police.

Joseph Goldman, 35, was arrested around 8:15 a.m. Monday at his home in the 3500 block of Taney Road.

He has been charged with first and second degree rape, second, third and fourth degree sex offense, first and second degree assault, perverted practice and other related charges.

Baltimore Police spokesman T.J. Smith says the victim disclosed several incidents that allegedly took place over the course of years to a third party in October, who then relayed the information the Baltimore Police Department. That’s when the investigation began.

Seized from Goldman’s home was suspected marijuana, two handguns, one shotgun with an altered barrel, one rifle and a homemade silencer.

The investigation into the guns will continue.

Hillary's Temper Tantrum On Election Night!

Hillary Clinton’s post election celebration plans included hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of fireworks, live performances by various celebrities, such as Cher, who came believing that Hillary was going to win the  election, a five-hundred-thousand-dollar special effect glass ceiling that she  would break through in a dramatic display once she walked out on stage at her H.Q., among millions of dollars worth of other celebratory preparations, all paid for by the Clinton Foundation in full.
  
The most notable damage was located deep in the VIP room of the Clinton camp. A custom  150 inch ultra HD TV, a gift from the Saudi Arabian government, was found with a broken screen. The damage was caused by a $950,000 bottle of champagne that was believed to have been thrown at the screen by the former presidential candidate some time during the election.
  
Early in the morning, the custodial staff were greeted by flipped-over tables as the floors were covered with expensive food, drinks, and appetizers. Broken champagne flutes and gilded silverware were also seen scattered around the would-be party room. 
  
The  most telling sign of a massive meltdown was the cake. The pastry that  had once proudly displayed the presidential seal, was violently flung against the walls in chunks. A broken topper from the cake in the  shape of the white house was discovered lodged firmly into the drywall near the dessert table.
  
Clinton ’s splurge on party supplies was merely an echo of all the left-leaning polls and hype that "confirmed" Hillary Clinton's indubitable win. Misled by just about every prediction, Hillary Clinton personally planned one big party for her assumed victory. Once it became clear that it would not be Clinton 's night, however, the mood of the party soured rapidly. 
  
A former staffer, who was fired during the rampage, said that the atmosphere around Clinton went from "queen of the hour" to "the girl who was dumped on prom night" in only a few moments.
  
Hillary Clinton reportedly became “physically violent” towards her own campaign staff after she realized she had lost the presidential election, according to radio host Todd Kincannon. “CNN reporter tells me Hillary became physically violent towards Robby Mook and John Podesta around midnight; had to be briefly restrained,” tweeted Kincannon.
  
It was Podesta who was sent out to talk to Hillary’s dejected supporters shortly before Hillary called Donald Trump to concede, with Clinton nowhere to be seen until the following day.
  
When asked about rumors that Hillary was drunk on election night, Kincannon responded, “She was. I posted about that too. She was in a “psychotic drunken rage” according to my reporter friend. Doctor added sedatives to the mix.”
  
Kincannon then claimed that CNN blocked the reporter from publishing what would have been a bombshell story.  “The CNN reporter didn’t fail to report it. His editors will not let him. CNN  has banned all “Hillary in the bunker” stories,” he  tweeted.
  
Secret  Service officials and other staff who  worked closely alongside Hillary have previously reported her problems with angry tantrums on numerous occasions. Last year it was also reported that Clinton ’s own campaign staffers feared she could have a serious meltdown and that Hillary had  “been having screaming, child-like tantrums that have left staff members in tears and unable to work.” In addition to claims that she became irate, author Ed Klein said a source told him Hillary cried  inconsolably to a friend after the results came in, blaming FBI director Comey and President Barack Obama for not doing enough to stop the FBI investigation into her email scandal.

New York Times in Full-Fledged Frothing Freakout Frenzy Over Friedman Pick

How freaked out is the New York Times over Donald Trump’s decision to nominate David Friedman as the American ambassador to Israel?

Extremely, to judge by the newspaper’s completely over-the-top coverage of the nomination.

The Times first covered the news of the nomination with a hostile article in Friday’s paper that the Algemeiner responded to that day.

Then the New York Times did something it reserves for the rarest of situations. It ran the same news again, this time on page one. Saturday’s paper piled on with a front page story headlined: “David Friedman, Choice for Envoy To Israel, Is Hostile to Two State Efforts.” That article was the product of a team of no less than eight — eight! — Times personnel, working from four different cities: “Isabel Kershner reported from Jerusalem, and Sheryl Gay Stolberg from Washington. Reporting was contributed by Russ Buettner and Maggie Haberman from New York, Sewell Chan from London, and Irit Pazner Garshowitz from Jerusalem. Jack Begg and Alain Delaquérière contributed research.”

And as if that weren’t enough, the paper piled on with a lead editorial in Saturday’s paper — “A Dangerous Choice for Ambassador to Israel” — and an op-edarticle by Daniel C. Kurtzer, “Donald Trump’s Israel Ambassador Pick Is Hazardous to Peace.” The paper also ran an interactiveonline feature with highlights of Friedman’s past writing. (As is so often the case, the Times timed its worst anti-Jewish coverage for the Sabbath or Jewish holidays, making it harder for observant Jews to respond.)

There have been Supreme Court nominations — well, certainly cabinet secretary posts — that have attracted less extensive scrutiny from the New York Times than this mere ambassadorship to Israel.

So what is to account for all the Times frothing over Friedman?

The Times editorial complains that Friedman “has no diplomatic experience.” But President Obama has packed American embassies with campaign fundraisers, donors and political allies who have no diplomatic experience. A television soap opera producer was named by Obama as the American ambassador to Hungary. Caroline Kennedy was named by Obama to be ambassador to Japan. Other news organizations did report on this topic during the Obama years. “When Big Money Leads To Diplomatic Posts” was the headline of a National Public Radio piece. “US diplomats cry foul as Obama donors take over top embassy jobs,” was the headline of a Guardian articlereporting that Obama had named a campaign fundraiser as ambassador to Great Britain. “Obama hands out plum ambassador posts to big campaign donors” was the headline of an article in The Hill.

If you can’t quite remember the New York Times editorials denouncing thosedozens of ambassadorial nominations by President Obama, that’s because there were no such editorials, at least none that I could find in scouring the archives. It’s only in Israel — not Japan, Hungary or Great Britain — that theTimes insists on previous diplomatic experience as a requirement for national service. Only Israel, and only the Trump administration. It’s almost enough to make one suspect that the newspaper’s objection to Friedman isn’t about his lack of prior diplomatic experience at all, but about something else.

Perhaps the newspaper is upset about Friedman’s supposed suggestion that Israel’s critics aren’t actually Jewish. Yet the newspaper has yet to produce a transcript or a tape of Friedman making that claim. At the Washington Free Beacon, Noah Pollak aptly called the Times news article “a caricature of political frustration and resentment masquerading as news.” On Twitter, the author of the day-one Times story, Matthew Rosenberg, eventually dialed backhis claim, writing, “alright, to clarify: earlier tweet should have said that Friedman has said SOME Jews who support 2-state solution are not Jewish.”

Jerry "the Jewish Kapo" Nadler fights Appointment of David Friedman as US Ambassador to Israel

This obese self-hating Jew, who calls himself Nadler, and who voted to put Nuclear Weapons in the hands of the Iranian Mullas, has now aligned himself with the anti-Semitic J Street to fight Trump's choice, Mr. David Friedman as US ambassador to Israel. 

Nadler released a disgusting and vile statement from his cave in Washington DC!

Mr. David Friedman's Crime? 
Loving every inch of Israel including the settlements!

Ezra Friedlander the Chassidisher naive fool, is the spokesman for this fat, back stabbing lowlife.

Please call:
 Nadler's Office: (718) 373-3198
Call Ezra Friedlander: (212) 233-5555

Now my readers have an opportunity to put Nadler and his doggie Ezra in their place once and for all ..... 

"Everybody please get on Nadler's website if you don't want to call, there's a spot where you can leave this traitor a message.
Don't sit idly by when this traitor gets his money from J Street who get their money from Soros and Arabs.J Steet also has a website and bombard them with messages"

Here is Nadler's Statement! A Statement that could have been made by any Arab Muslim Country!

The nomination of David Friedman as the new U.S. Ambassador to Israel underscores, yet again, the extremist agenda of Donald Trump and his administration.  This is an appointment with dangerous consequences for both the United States and Israel, not only with respect to the prospect of an eventual negotiated peace between Israel and the Palestinians, but also with respect to the relationship between our two countries, and more generally, to regional stability. "Mr. Friedman’s views and comments about a two-state solution are not only a total break from decades of American and Israeli policy, but are fundamentally out-of-step with the views of the majority of American Jews.  Support for a two-state solution is not only official U.S. policy, it is also the official Israeli policy when it comes to a negotiated settlement with the Palestinians.  Breaking from this position undermines the longstanding diplomatic alignment between our two countries, and magnifies the risk to Israel’s long-term safety and security by increasing dangerous regional instability.  Moreover, the overwhelming majority of American Jews, along with most American Jewish organizations across the spectrum—from AIPAC to J-Street—all support a two-state solution.  "Mr. Friedman’s appointment is even more disturbing given his hateful rhetoric in describing, for example, some supporters of a two-state solution as “worse than kapos.”  Using Nazi imagery, such as the term kapo—a reference to Jews who cooperated and/or assisted the Nazis during the Holocaust—when referring to Jews or Israel today, no matter the circumstance, is broadly deemed to be anti-Semitic and should be condemned in the same way it would be if someone who was not Jewish were to use it.   "Mr. Friedman’s extreme views and use of such hateful language is an insult to the majority of American Jews. "With the appointment of David Friedman, Donald Trump has continued the divisive politics that were regularly on display during his campaign.  As another in a series of extremists to be appointed to top positions within the Administration, Mr. Friedman’s radical hardline positions place him far outside the mainstream of both American and Israeli policy and of American Jewry.  His appointment is not only offensive to both American and Israeli Jews, it again signals the intent of Donald Trump and the Republicans who support him to align with extreme right-wing positions.  Mr. Friedman’s views break with one of the fundamental building blocks of U.S. and Israeli policy, jeopardizing the U.S.-Israel relationship going forward."

Former maid to Adolf Hitler interview

J Street kicked to curb, Trump Chooses David Friedman a Pro-Settlement guy as Ambassador to Israel

President-elect Donald Trump announced Thursday that he will nominate attorney David Friedman as U.S. ambassador to Israel, selecting an envoy who supports Israeli settlements and other changes to U.S. policies in the region. 

Friedman said he looked forward to carrying out his duties from "the U.S. embassy in Israel's eternal capital, Jerusalem," even though the embassy is in Tel Aviv.

Trump, like some of his predecessors, has vowed to move the American embassy to Jerusalem, a politically charged act that would anger Palestinians who want east Jerusalem as part of their sovereign territory. The move would also distance the U.S. from most of the international community, including its closest allies in Western Europe and the Arab world.

The president-elect said Friedman would "maintain the special relationship" between the U.S. and Israel.

But the nomination sparked anger from liberal Jewish groups. Jeremy Ben-Ami, the president of J Street, called Friedman's nomination "reckless," citing his support for settlements and his questioning of a two-state solution with the Palestinians.

The statement doesn't detail how Friedman could work in Jerusalem. However, Trump advisers have insisted in recent days that the president-elect will follow through on his call for moving the embassy.

"He has made that promise," Trump adviser Kellyanne Conway told reporters Thursday. "I can guarantee you, just generally, he's a man who is going to accomplish many things very quickly."

One option Trump allies have discussed would involve Friedman, if confirmed by the Senate, working out of an existing U.S. consulate in Jerusalem. According to a person who has discussed the plan with Trump advisers, the administration would essentially deem the facility the American embassy by virtue of the ambassador working there.

It's unclear how far those discussions have gotten or whether Trump himself has been briefed on the proposal. Trump's transition team did not respond to questions about the matter.

Both Bill Clinton and George W. Bush promised to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem, but backed away from the idea once in office.

Israel captured east Jerusalem in the 1967 Mideast war and annexed it in a move that is not internationally recognized. It claims the entire city as its capital. The Palestinians seek east Jerusalem, home to key Jewish, Muslim and Christian holy sites, as the capital of their future state.

Virtually all embassies to Israel are located in or around Tel Aviv.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat told The Associated Press this week that he has been in touch with Trump's staff about the embassy issue. Barkat said his conversations have led him to believe that Trump is serious about making the move.

BREAKING: FBI Arrests Satmar Bloomingburg Developers Shalom Lamm and Volvy Smilowitz UPDATED

Federal agents this morning arrested Shalom Lamm, the developer behind a controversial project to build hundreds of homes for Hasidic Jews in an upstate New York village.
Allan Ripp, a spokesperson for Lamm’s attorney, confirmed Lamm’s arrest, but could provide no further details.

UPDATED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chestnut Ridge developers Shalom Lamm and Kenneth Nakdimen were arrested on voting fraud charges Thursday morning.

An indictment unsealed Thursday charges Lamm, Nakdimen and businessman Volvy "Zev" Smilowitz with conspiracy to corrupt the electoral process for their efforts to bring in and pay people who did not live in the Village of Bloomingburg to vote in the 2014 election for mayor and trustee.

Lamm and Nakdimen established a presence in Bloomingburg when they began plans to build a 396-unit townhouse development called Chestnut Ridge, on land that was annexed from the Town of Mamakating into the Village of Bloomingburg. It became apparent in 2012 that the homes were designed to accommodate Hasidic families, which caused an uproar in the village of only a few hundred residents.

Vehement opposition to Chestnut Ridge grew, and a series of lawsuits and planning board decisions slowed construction of the project.

"When met with resistance, rather than seek to advance their real estate development project through legitimate means, the defendants instead decided to corrupt the electoral process in Bloomingburg by falsely registering voters and paying bribes for voters who would help elect public officials favorable to their project," the indictment said.

Lamm, Nakdimen and Smilowitz bribed non-local residents with money, subsidies and other items of value to vote in the 2014 village election, the indictment said. Lamm paid one person $500 per voter recruited, totaling more than $30,000 per month.

Lamm, owner of Black Creek Holdings LLC, was taken into custody by F.B.I. agents. Lamm is the son of Norman Lamm, the prominent Modern Orthodox rabbi and longtime leader of Yeshiva University.
Lamm has bought up hundreds of acres in Bloomingburg, a small village in Orange County. According to internal documents revealed in a lawsuit this year, Lamm planned to eventually build 5,000 units of housing around the village for Hasidic Jews. His plans have drawn deep opposition from some locals.
The Forward published a feature this morning on the fight for Bloomingburg. The feature was published before this newspaper was aware of Lamm’s arrest.

A spokesperson for the F.B.I. confirmed that three people were arrested this morning, but would provide no details. The U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Southern District of New York said that a statement was forthcoming.
Lamm and his allies have been dogged with allegations of voter fraud for years. Residents claim that Hasidic non-residents were brought in to vote in village elections. Opponents challenged ballots in local elections. And the FBI raided Lamm’s offices in 2014.

Muslim forced his daughter to shave her head because she was dating a Christian in New York

Yasmin Seweid (r.) was allegedly forced by her parents to shave her head over the incident because they were upset she was dating a Christian. Pictured with Seweid is her father (l.)

A Muslim student who said she was harassed on the subway by drunken, hate-spewing white men shouting “Donald Trump!” lied to police because she broke her curfew, law enforcement sources said Wednesday.

Yasmin Seweid, 18, joined a growing list of local and national alleged hate-crime victims when she told cops she was taunted Dec. 1 on the No. 6 train by three men who called her a terrorist and tried to snatch her hijab off her head while straphangers did nothing.

But Seweid finally broke down Wednesday and was arrested after she admitted to detectives that it was all a big lie.

“Nothing happened, and there was no victim,” a police source said.

Police sources say Seweid made up the story because she didn’t want to get in trouble for breaking her curfew after being out late drinking with friends.

Her strict, Muslim parents allegedly forced Seweid to shave her head over the incident and were upset that she was dating a Christian, sources said.

The bareheaded Baruch College student, not wearing her hijab, was charged with filing a false report and released after her arraignment early Thursday in Manhattan Criminal Court. A relative covered Seweid’s face with a black down jacket as she was escorted into a waiting SUV following her brief court appearance.

Moshe Moskowitz 13 Killed In Crash; Mother In Critical Condition

The Baltimore Jewish Community is in mourning on Wednesday, as word spread about a tragic accident that left 13-year-old Moshe Moskowitz Z”L dead, and his mother in critical condition. 

Authorities say the crash happened at around 9:15PM on the northbound lanes of I-95 near the Intercounty Connector in Maryland. Highway officials say at least four vehicles, including a tractor trailer, were involved in the crash.

Investigators believe a black Honda Pilot became disabled in the roadway resulting in a collision with a Dodge Caravan and a tractor-trailer. A white Volkswagen was also involved.

Moshe Z”L, who was a passenger in the Dodge, was flown to Children’s Hospital where he R”L succumbed to his injuries. The driver of the Dodge, his mother – 45-year-old Tamara Moskowitz, was transported to Medstar in Washington, D.C. with life threatening injuries.

The driver and passenger of the Honda were both transported to Prince George’s Hospital Center with non-life threatening injuries.

The driver of the Volkswagen was not injured in the collision.

I-95 was closed for approximately five hours, with some closures extending in to the early morning hours Wednesday.

The cause of the accident is still being investigated at this time.

Misaskim was working with the Medical Examiner in Washington D.C. to ensure that the Niftar was being released in a timely fasion and working to ensure proper Kavod Haniftar.

Moshe Moskowitz Z”L is the son of Rabbi and Mrs. Doniel Moskowitz. Moshe was an 8th grader in Talmudic Academy in Baltimore – Where his father is a Rebbi.

He was the youngest rider in Bike4Chai this past summer. He biked the very difficult 170 mile bike ride along with his brother Naftali – raising more than $12,000 for the children of Camp SImcha.

Please be Mispallel for Tamar Adina bas Kayna Shulamis, who is in critical condition.

Levaya details will be published when they become available.

Levayah will take place tomorrow, Thursday, Dec. 15, at Sol Levinson’s at 11AM.

Kevurah will be at the Agudah Cemetery in Rosedale.

Shiva will be observed at 7006 Wallis Ave, Baltimore, MD 21215