Let Shmarya be Shmarya

Hershel Tzeig is very upset that Shmarya Rosenberg of Failed Messiah has, as yet, written nothing about the Penn State. Last week, he voiced his anger with an outburst on behalf of every Jew in the world:

It's been a week since the scandal broke at Penn State. In that span of days we've heard from a certain "crusading" blogger about Meal Mart Salmonella, battered Jewish women, Reb Shmuel Kamenetzky telling people not to go to the Police when they see abuse, more abuse in the Jewish Community, Israeli Haredis being male chauvinists, the Kletzky murder trial, Reb Nosson Tzvi, but only because his mother was from his neighborhood in S. Paul, and a host of non-issues. Including a very important story about a Ethiopian Jew being named Israeli Ambassador to ----- Ethiopia. But not a word, not one single, solitary word, about the abuse that went on there for years, not just abuse but violation! of young children by the No. 2 man in the University's Athletic Dept. (as far as I'm concerned, as well as the rest f the world.) The fact that America's very bright, non-Haredi students rioted in support of old JoePa, even though he did nothing to stop the violation of young children, also gets no mention. NOT. ONE. WORD. I guess he cares only about Jewish children being abused. Gentiles mean nothing to him. They can all go to hell, huh? Are they not G-d's children, Scotty? Imagine, just imagine if we would do that, support a Rosh Yeshiva who was fired because he did nothing by rioting and flipping over cars. I've been very patient, Mr. Rosenberg. I shall wait no longer.

You are nothing but a two-bit hypocrite, liar, ingrate - yes, ingrate, and worse.

And most of all, you're an embarrassment to your people.

Well, I dissent. I don't think Shamrya is an embarrassment to his people. I think he's a national treasure.  The corrupt, thieving, phonies who are daily described on the pages of Failed Messiah are the Jewish embarrassment.

Tzeig's line of reasoning seems to be that Shamrya shouldn't report about Jewish scoundrels unless he also reports about every other type if scoundrel. But is that really fair? Shmarya is a one-man show. He has to specialize. He can't be expected to comment on every scandal, and because his time is limited he shouldn't comment when he has nothing new to add. The Penn State scandal has been covered ten different ways from Tuesday. Nearly two weeks later, Google News returns over 4100 results. What might Shmarya say that hasn't already been said? Why spend time rehashing a scandal that's been properly covered, when he could instead spend time investigating the scandals that no one is covering?

In his comments, Tzeig suggests that Shmarya doesn't care about protecting children, rather Failed Messiah's real motive is "to make Jews look bad." [Reminds me of Avi Safran c:2007] I'd counter that its the Jews who are making themselves look bad. Its the old story of blaming the messenger for his message. In any event, why are Shmarya's motives relevant? Why is he being judged based on some biased and speculative guess as to what his motives might be, rather than on his actual accomplishments? Let's say Shmarya really does hate Jews. Let's stipulate that he brought his blog into existence for the sake of embarrassing them. So? He still runs his blog responsibly, he still demonstrates journalistic integrity, and he still gets credit for the scoops he's uncovered and the reporting he's posted, scoops and reporting that have made it harder for Jewish criminals to escape justice, and harder for organizations like Agudah to continue pretending that hemlines are the biggest problem facing klal yisroel. Its only after our communal problems have been publicized by bloggers like Shmarya, that the work of solving them can begin. This is why the J-blogosphere matters. 

It may disturb Tzeig that Shmarya has, in the style of an Old Testament prophet, chosen to focus on Orthodox  Jewish malfeasance, but it bothers me that such a focus is possible. If Jews were as great as we say we are, Shmarya would be out of business. If you want Shmarya to go away, fix the problems. its as simple as that. Silencing Shmarya so that we can continue keeping our heads in the sand  is dishonest and counterproductive

[This is a response to one post. It is not a commentary on Tzeig's blog, as a whole, or his blogging career. I do not read Circus Tent, and have no knowledge of Tzeig's overall style or his opinions on other matters.]
[Update Shmarya posted on Penn State yesterday, three days after Tzeigs complaint, but his take was: "What can Haredim learn from it?"]

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Search for more information about Failed Messiah at 4torah.com

Answering Shmarya

Shmarya, I must note, continues to bait me.

When Shmarya and I first crossed paths, he was at war with the Lubovitch Rebbe for allegedly telling Chabad emissaries not to help Ethiopian Jews. Shmarya, enraged, published a series of posts condemning Chabad for their indifference in the face of suffering. He uncovered old letters, and old quotes, and managed to prove, to the satisfaction of many, that Chabad has some blood on its hands. All in all, it was a run of solid blogging.

But now Shmarya has a new mission, a mission which is the exact antithesis of the mission that first brought him to my attention. When I men Shmarya he was assiailing the Lubovitcha Rebbe's apathy, but today he whitewashes another man's indifference. Again, and again he attempts to exonerate the legacy of Pius 12, the man who permitted 4000 Jews to be rounded up within sight of his own bedroom window.

And that's not all.

As scholars have documented, Pius 12's crimes include an overeadiness in 1933 to negotiate a Nazi-legitimizing Reichkonkordat and an indifference to the fate of unbaptized Jews as reflected in the record of Vatican initiatives limited to converted Jews. They include his 1939 cancelation of his predecessor's encyclical condemning Nazi anti-Semtism, and his failure to mention the Jews - or even the Nazis - is his Christmas message of 1942. They include his many meetings with Ustashi leaders, including at least one - the mini-Hitler Ante Pavelic - who was given sanctuary in the Vatican after the war.

And even that's not all!

As Daniel Goldhagen has famously asked:

Why, as a moral or practical matter, did Pius XII excommunicate all Communists in the world in 1949, including millions who never shed blood, but not excommunicate a single German or non-German who served Hitler-- or even the Catholic-born Hitler, Himmler and Goebels themselves?

Why did the Church hold a special memorial service for Adolf Hitler?

Why did Pius XII encourage the clergy to speak out against the Nazis' murder of the mentally ill and yet remain silent about the killing of Jews?

Why did Pius XII intervene in Germany on behalf of Catholics who had converted from Judaism but not on behalf of Jews?

Why did Pius XII protest the Germans' invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, with separate telegrams to the sovereigns of each (and printed in large type on the front page of the Vatican's official daily newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano) but not the Germans' slaughter of the Jews?

Why didn't he ever instruct preists and nuns to give sanctuary to the Jews?

Why didn't he ever instruct local parishes to destroy the baptismal records the Nazis used to identify Jews?

Why? Why? Why? And why does Shmarya think he's serving the cause of truth by seeking to exonerate this man? How can it be said that the Pope did everything he could to save Jews, when he did so much more on behalf of converted Jews?

What a big day for Shmarya (and such a bad day for Matzav)

Correct me if I'm wrong, but wasn't Matzav supposed to be the moderate among blogs who make their living ripping off stories reported first in the legitimate newspapers? I do seem to recall hearing something like that, back when the site launched in competition with the very good VIN and the god-awful YWN. Well, that's out the window. Today Matzav greeted an approving NYT profile on Shmarya of Failed Messiah with a furious, red-in-the-face screed that can only be understood as anger over the fact that Shmarya does such a great job bringing light to the dark corners of Orthodoxy. Attack the messenger, and all that.

And if that's not enought, the comment moderators at Matzav have apparently been deleting pro-Shmarya comments while allowing this death threat to stand:

Nice, right? So much for moderation. Its not Matzav's fault this comment appeared, of course, and I don't like deleting comments, but (a) if you're going to delete the pro-Shamrya remarks how can you let this stand, and (b) what kind of "moderate" post attracted such an evil response?

Anyway, my spider sense suggests that perhaps someone connected with Matzav is the author of this obscene little comment. Who else would congratulate Matzav for identifying Shmarya? Shmarya's blog Failed Messiah is older, more popular, and more successful then Matzav. If anyone should get credit for bringing Shamrya to the world's attention its the New York Times. All Matzav did is what the news aggregating websites always do. They traded on someone else's work -- this time even while insulting it.

Hat-tip: Kvetcher

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Search for more information about vicious name calling by so-called Torah blogs at 4torah.com.

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A brief elegy for Failed Messiah: A valuable and important blogger

FailedMessiah has hung up his sneakers.

I didn't know Shamrya as well as I would have liked, but I had a real respect for his ability to ferret out scandals. He was muckracker in the grand old tradition of muckrackers, shining a bright light on the dank corners of Orthodox Judaism.

Lots of people thought he was an embarrassment to Judaism, but I dissent from that opinion. Shamrya wasn't an embarrassment to his people. Shmarya was a national treasure. The corrupt, thieving, phonies who were daily described on the pages of Failed Messiah were the Jewish embarrassment. If they didn't exist, Shamrya wouldn't have come to point them out.

Some people were disturbed that Shmarya, in the style of an Old Testament prophet, chose to focus primarily on Orthodox Jewish malfeasance. It should bother you more that such a focus was possible. If Jews were as great as we say we are, Shmarya would have been out of business a long time ago.

I usually didn't like what Shamrya found, but I was glad he was out there looking. I hope his presence kept some people honest.

As a send off here are some posts of mine in which he is mentioned. Read them all: http://dovbear.blogspot.com/search?q=shmarya

Query: Now that Shmarya is gone, am I the longest serving Jewish blogger? Who's left from the area other than Gil?


Search for more information about ### at4torah.com

Is Yaakov Horowitz Selling Out on Markey?

And am I selling out if I don't think he is?

For those joining us late

Since Kolko: I've been all over Agudah for doing a terrible job on pedophilia. In particular I've attacked Avi Shafran for refusing to face the music, and running interference at every opportunity. I've also criticized Agudah for working with the Catholic Church to undermine a NY State law which would require parochial schools to report abusive teachers. [More]

Since Kolko: I've come to know and respect Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz, an Agudah insider with a golden reputation and a silver-tipped pen. I've known RYH for three years, and the man is honest, reliable, and doesn't play any of the stupid Agudah games.

Yesterday: We learn from VIN that Rabbi Horowitz is opposing the Markey Bill

INTERPOLATION The Markey Bill "would suspend the seven-year statute of limitations on child sex abuse cases for a year. That means those who allege abuse could file civil lawsuits no matter how long ago the abuse took place. The bill would open the door to lawsuits against all kinds of clergy, coaches, teachers, doctors, Scout leaders, baby-sitters, therapists, camp counselors and members of victims' own families." (Newsday) END INTERPOLATION

Yesterday: Shmarya rips RYH, calls him a sell-out and accuses him of putting Jewish schools ahead of children.

Yesterday: Harry rips Shmarya, accuse him of chuzpah and worse

ASIDE Yay! Ugliness! END ASIDE

Last night: I receive an email: "Nu? You aren't going after [RHY] for his despicable position on the molestation law?" Similar emails follow.

So... I listen to what RHY has to say, and give it a good think. Here's my slide: Marky is a good-but-not-great law.

Negatives: (1) It will hurt yeshivas, but any yeshiva that protected someone like Kolko deserves the pain. RHY worries that the expense of litigation will cause suffering Yeshivot to pass some pain on to their employees, in the form of late(r) paychecks. That's true, but to me, irrelevant. Paying employees late is both despicable and forbidden by Torah law. Telling us that our support of Markey will force Yeshivot to violate halacha and hurt their employees is a form of blackmail, and one that should be ignored.

(2) It will destroy yeshivot. Some reputable institutions will go bankrupt fighting lawsuits; others will avoid the expense and embaressment by simply disapearing into the night. This is a lamentable consequence of Markey, but one I am willing to accept.

(3) It excludes public schools. This is a flaw in the bill, certainly, but not a reason for opposing it. If the only problem with Marky is that it is too narrow, why not pass it, and then go to work on a separate public school bill?

Positives: (1) Markey makes it easier to punish pedophiles.

(2) Markey makes it easier to punish schools and administrator who protected pedophiles

(3) Markey makes it easier to stop pedophiles. Vengance is great (see 1 & 2 above) but a more important concern is this: Pedophiles often go on abusing children for decades. Extending the statute of limitations makes it easier for a former victim to save a current victim.

(4) Markey makes it easier for us to find out the truth about pedophilia in yeshivot. Some say its a widescale problem; others insist it happens very infrequently. I don't know who's right, but we should find out. Markey will help.

Final thoughts: Support Markey

Is Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz a sell out: No. His position here raises eyebrows, but his record speaks for itself and he deserves the benefit of the doubt. He's promised to put forward his reasoning in a Jewish Press column (which will appear here.) Until I see the anti-Markey argument he publishes, I'm content to believe that RYH 's position is principled, but incorrect.

Some investigation and speculation on the current scandal

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A Guest Post by Special Correspondent Kermit T. Frog.

Hi Ho! Kermit T. Frog here with a Fast Breaking News Story.

Absolute facts:

-- In 2006 Leib Tropper revoked a woman's conversion because of a breach of strict halachic tznius rules.
-- In October 2009 Leib Tropper was sued by a billionaire Israeli for allegedly misappropriating 1 million dollars.
-- In mid-December 2009 Leib Tropper resigned from his leadership role at EJF
-- Pashkvelin in Israel, this month,  denounced Leib Tropper as a Zimri playing like a Pinchas.

Facts Supported by strong circumstantial evidence:

-- A woman who identifies herself as Shannon Orand, recorded a number of conversations between herself and  a man who sounds like Leib Tropper and has intimate information about Leib Tropper's associates and family.
-- In the audio recording, Tropper speaks of a sexual relationship with the woman as well as setting her up for phone sex and actual sex acts with men identified only as "Amir" and the "Satmar guy."
-- Money is passing hands, although it is not clear if the funds were used as a quid pro quo for sex.

Information provided by Shmarya at FailedMessiah after a conversation with the woman (whom he does not identify):

-- The audio was leaked and was not supposed to end up in the hands of bloggers and mainstream media.
-- One of Shmarya's sources for the audio was the billionaire Israeli.
-- There were other women that were part of the sexual activities.
-- The woman claims that Tropper was using her for sex and in return he was going to provide her with a conversion.

Investigative Reporting:

-- The woman on the audio is from Texas. There is a Shannon Orand listed in Houston Texas. Her address is near the frum neighborhood.
-- Ms. Orand claims on her Myspace page that she was raised Catholic and is now Jewish. This implies she has already converted.
-- Ms. Orand has not logged into her Myspace account since August 2009.
-- Ms. Orand had a Facebook account (which is still visible in google results if you click "cached") it has been since deleted.

Pure Speculation / Food For Thought:

-- If Ms. Orand had already converted why was she converting again? Was it a set-up? Or was she really converting (again)?
-- A man with the means of the slighted billionaire Israeli could very well have orchestrated the demise of his nemesis by playing to Tropper's weaknesses with an elaborate set-up.
-- By recording conversations in which the woman admits to sexual activity with a married man and potential sexual activity with others, we can infer that there was a huge interest on her part to expose Tropper and indict herself.
-- The things Tropper did would still be inexcusable but they shed new light on his predicament.
-- Don't mess with billionaires.

Sources:

Wikipedia, Google, Whitepages.com, FailedMessiah, my sechel and sparse free time.

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Search for more information about Kermit T. Frog at 4torah.com.

Throwing down the gauntlet

Shmarya,

In your most recent comment on my blog, you are maddengly brief: "You really need to recheck your facts, DB," you say. But which facts?

On both your blog and mine, I've provided a long list of facts about Pius 12. What follows are brief summaries of some of the more pertinent and damning points:

* Pius 12 played host to the mini-Hitler Ante Pavelic on several occasions, and ultimately gave this master of genocide santuary within the Vatican.

* He negotiated a treaty with Nazi Germany in 1933 as Vatican Secretary of State, a treaty which legitimized Hitler and contained an annex that granted some small protections to Jews who had converted to Catholicism but explicitly defined the fate of unconverted Jews as Germany's "internal affair," about which the Church would have nothing to say.

* He threw a holy fit about the German euthenasia program, and I've quoted to you from the official Vatican statement that unequivocally condemned the killing of “life unworthy of life.” This decree went into every diocese in Germany, and was favorably and publicly commented on by the German bishops, but nothing like it was ever offered by the Vatican or the German bishops on behalf of the Jews.

* He publicly protested the German invasion of Belgium, the Netherlands, and Luxembourg, with separate telegrams to the sovereigns of each (and printed in large type on the front page of the Vatican's official daily newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano) but no public protest at all was ever uttered about the slaughter of Jews.

* He excommunicated all Communists in the world in 1949, including millions who never shed blood, but never excommunicated a single German or non-German who served Hitler-- or even the Catholic-born Hitler, Himmler and Goebels themselves.

* And most damning of all, he sat quietly during one horrible October night while 4000 Jews were taken from within sight of his bedroom window. The very best that can be said Pius's conduct during this affair is that his Secretary of State Luigi Maglinoe delivered a weak and simpering message* to the German ambassador, but what good was that? After the meeting 1000 more Jews were taken!

Tell me Shmarya which of these facts are in dispute?

XXOO
DovBear

PS: Additionally, it somehow escaped my memory during our previous correspondance that Pius 12 also instructed the Catholic church in France not to return baptized Jewish children to their families after the Holocaust, according to a letter dated November 20, 1946.

* Would you like to read Maglione's own notes of this meeting? They are published on page 525 and 526 of Constantine's Sword by James Carroll. You can read them using Amazon.com's "Search Inside the Book" function.

FAILED SHICHITA.COM

Shmarya, of the anti-Chabad site, FailedMessiah.com has a few things to say about PETA and Portsville, with pictures included: Click here

Also, here's a comment he left with Miriam:

The waves [ie: complaints about the practices in Portsville ] are small because certain pockets are very deep, and many Orthodox bloggers feed off them, either directly through employment by the OU, etc., or indirectly through rabbis and friends who do. Also, Rubashkin is a Chabadnik and he supports many Chabad institutions. Most Orthodox "pulpit rabbis" in America (outside of NY and Baltimore) are Chabadniks. The Crown Heights Beit Din also supervises the shechita in Postville. Add to that the fact that vast majority of non-Orthodox Jews do not keep kosher and that a large section of the J-Blogisphere is not Orthodox.

And then add one more thing – Agudath Israel and Nathan Lewin both compared PETA to the Nazis. If you have not seen the video (and most are too squeamish to watch it), the idea that PETA is antisemetic (which it is not) is enough to keep many people quiet.

But mostly, follow the money. That's where you'll find your answer.

Excellent points Shmarya, but would you be quite this animated if a quiet family of Yekkis from Washington Heights owned the Portsville abattoir?

An invitation to a place that does not exist

Think there's "no such place as Palestine?" Well, guess again.

H.T Shmarya, who says the host is a high ranking Nateuri Kartanik.

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Search for more information about things the NK does for attention at 4torah.com

Rats, Shmarya's famous

Jewish blogger is the watchdog of the Orthodox world

...but you know what? He deserves every bit of it.

A Qotons Denunciation (edited)

by the Bray of Fundie

In classic brevity DovBear hearts Shmarya's latest project. While very far from Gadlus I'd like to lead the loud and hysterical shouts (braying??) of denunciation. I think that this is a stupid agenda driven idea from the man whose axe is ground so sharp that it can split hairs. Thanks to this "wonderful" project:

Watch for more distilled quotes on Nazi websites "proving" the turpitude of Jews and Judaism.

Watch half-wits like half nut for more cherry picking quotes from poorly translated/lost-in-translation responsa to fuel ever more asinine Halakhic misinformation and inane arguments on threads such as these here and at other popular stations in the J-Blogosphere.

Watch for more secular and skeptical Jews lost to frumkeit forever because this in-a-vacuum context-less exposition of Halakah/the Halkhic process provides Oros too intense and heavy for their constricted Keilim to bear.

If you are already a Qofer and or a Socialist then by all means Buy DovBear's book. (please)

Saluting a haredi Rabbi (Don't smirk: I've done it many times before)

Today, this blog salutes, Rabbi Shmuel Rabinovitch, head of decorum at the Western Wall.

According to the JP, Rabbi Rabinovitch has gone on the record stating his intention to ban the Pope from the Western Wall plaza if the Pope attempts to enter the site wearing a crucifix.

How neat is that? And for how many different reasons? For starters, this Pope is a baal chutzpah, who has cavalierly insulted Muslims and Jews and then acted indifferent to the offense he caused. He was "only quoting a 14th century emperor" when he incited international riots? He was "unaware" when he rehabilitated a holocaust-denying bishop, and a society that was established on the notion that the rest of the Church was wrong when it belatedly decided that the Jews didn't kill Jesus? Pu-lease.

Benny is also the proud spiritual and institutional descendant of Popes who routinely insulted and slandered Jews. The lists of Jew-hating Popes includes, but is not limited to:

(a) the baby-stealing Pius 9
(b) the deaf-mute do-nothing Holocaust Pope, Pius 12;
(c) and John Paul 2, who notwithstanding the sycophant salutes he received upon his passing, will always be remembered by me as the guy who knighted Kurt Waldheim, and also thought baby-stealing Pius 9 and deaf-mute do-nothing Pius 12 were worthy of being remembered as Saints of the Catholic Church .

Until he repudiates the whole long list of holy, horrible men, I say he is unwelcome at the Kotel - crucifix or not - but kol hakovod Rabbi Rabinovitch for honoring the memory of the Papal victims by putting his foot down.

REFERENCES
- Why I called Pius 9 a babystealer; more
- Why I called Pius 12 the "deaf-mute do-nothing holocaust Pope"
- My beef with JP2
- Other fun facts to make you puke.

From the other side of the aisle: Shmarya sides with the Pope. (again)

Celebrate Passover 2009 with Magnificent Passover Gift Baskets from Oh Nuts.

Rabbis who act Republican

Rabbis threaten to boycott landlords who set their own rents

For me, the truly hysterical part about this first story, is that all the Lapin-loving Jews I know are convinced that the Torah completely coincides with the platform of the Republican party. Yet, here we have a band of Rabbis acting like members of the Communist party. This type of economic bullying wouldn't be unexpected in rural China, perhaps, but in aTorah True Israeli neighborhood? (I know what some of my smarter readers will say: Aren't rents controlled in NYC, too? Sure. But in NY unhappy landlords have recourse. They can appeal, and, in theory at least, they can use the ballot box to introduce change. No such remedy exists if its a local rabbinic vaad doing the bullying.)

Meanwhile, the Monsey Mafia has announced that non-Jews are no longer welcome to own kosher restaurants; worse, according to Shmarya, the rule doesn't apply to everyone. Only one non-Jewish owned place has been targeted. Smells like a shakedown, doesn't it? Or maybe a competitor slipped someone a paper bag full of cash. Who knows? (I don't) Still, much as I may disdain the behavior of the Israeli rabbis at least their hearts are in the right place. They may be bullies, but poor people are the beneficiaries of their bullying. Who, though, is being served when a restaurant is shuttered on laughably specious grounds? Other restaurant owners? Please. This looks to me like the old back scratch. You take care of me, I'll take care of you and to hell with the little guys. So, if the Lapin-loving Jews wish to claim it, I will concede: nothing could be more Republican.

Yair Nehorai gets a bum rap from Failed Messiah

"We will know we have become a normal country when Jewish thieves and Jewish prostitutes conduct their business in Hebrew." -- David Ben Gurion

Haredi types love to indict Zionism by pointing to the Hebrew speaking prostitutes of Tel Aviv, but what about the Hebrew speaking gangsters in their own neighborhoods? I speak specifically of the class of criminal defended by Yair Nahorai, of Meah Shearim, the subject of a feature article in today's Haaretz

Of late Nehorai has had his hands full of work in wake of the Jerusalem Police efforts to restrain the Sikarikim, who use threats and violent tactics to "cleanse" Jerusalem. The police have carried out several arrests and are carrying out intensive investigations into violence, tax evasion and extortion or protection money. Many in Mea She'arim have anointed Nehorai with the title "redeemer of prisoners," a status that fills him with pride. In recent years, he says, he has represented at least 300 ultra-Orthodox clients who were arrested in demonstrations against desecration of Shabbat at the Carta parking lot and the Intel plant in Jerusalem, at demonstrations of support of the mother accused of starving her child and in other cases.

My good friend Shamrya, in his post today, strongly criticizes Nahari's general approach to wining many of those acquittals

But to argue that and entire class of criminal should be treated leniently because they are religious zealots, not 'real' criminals, is not only offensive but it is contrary to the legal systems these criminals supposedly live under...civil society should have jailed [the alleged gangster/button man Avraham] Hirschman years ago, but it didn't do so, in part because of Nehorai...People hate lawyers for many good reasons. The disgraceful Yair Nehorai is one of them.

I understand why Shmarya is upset, but he's attacking the wrong person. A lawyer works for his client, not for society. The job of  a criminal attorney like Nahorai is to get his client an acquittal. 

In pursuit of that goal, he has an absolute right to advance any argument he chooses. He can't lie, but he's not allowed to do a half-ass job because he knows his client is guilty. Scumbags are also entitled to vigorous defenses.

Short-sighted people may object that this puts criminals back on the street, but without strong defense lawyers, what protects innocent people from over-zealous prosecutors?  In an adversarial system, the prosecutor, and to a lesser extent the judge, are supposed to be the safeguards against fallacious arguments advanced by the defense. Its not Nehorai's fault his bogus arguments are swaying hearts and minds. He's merely doing his job, and putting his client's interests first, and (dare I say it?)  he's also improving society by forcing prosecutors to do their own jobs honestly and fairly.

The problem isn't Nahorai. The problem is the Israeli prosecutors and judges who are accepting his malarkey, instead of pushing back with crisp, vigorous, counterarguments of their own.

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Search for more information about Yari Nahorai  at 4torah.com

Cartoon Porn in FJJ

FJJ is the Flatbush Jewish Journal. Though this week, the "F" in its name might stand for something else

After receiving this from a friend on Twitter, I ran to the Interwebs hoping to find that FJJ had previously photo-shopped a woman out of a photograph. (Hypocrites!) Instead I found that Failed Messiah had this story yesterday. (Curse you Shmarya!)

Search for more information about cartoon porn at4torah.com 

Israeli Court Shames Itself With Idiotic Ruling

I see from Shmarya that an Israeli court has lost its mind.

Sabbar Kashur, an Arab, picked up a Jewish woman in downtown Jerusalem, and did what men seeking sex have done since the beginning of time. He lied, in this case identifying himself as a Jewish bachelor. After the sex, which the woman admits was consensual, she discovered Kashur's ethnicity and filed rape charges.

The court agreed, ruling the sex was obtained under false pretenses. Kashur is going to jail for 18 months.

Some things I want to know:

:: Does this mean men who use the L word to get women into bed, are now subject to prison terms? Pretending to love someone for sex is also false pretenses, and this happens all the time.

:: What about the broke, wimpy shlub who sits at the bar and pretends to be a wealthy, well-endowed, fighter pilot. If a girl is dumb enough to believe him, can she later send him away for rape?

:: Would the court have reacted the same way, if it was an American Christian who pretended to be Jewish for the sake of getting into that woman's pants? How much did racism have to do with this ruling? Is this Israel or Jim Crow Mississippi?

In America this little mishap would be a beer commercial. In Israel its a criminal preceding.

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Search for more information about reasons to worry about Israel at 4torah.com.

More on Kolko

Shmarya and the Jewish Week are accusing Brooklyn D.A Charles Hynes of protecting Kolko the pedophile. They say he discredited his own witness, dissauded others to testify and gave Kolko a better-than-necessary deal. The moral cowards and perverters of justice in Brooklyn's Charedi community must take responsibility for this. Hynes is a politician, scared sensless of offending Orthodox leaders. As the Jewish Weeks tells it, Hynes has prostituted his office to satisfy the Orthodox community before. He wouldn't have spared a monster like Kolko if the Brooklyn pukes and abominations who masquerade as Jewish leaders hadn't made it clear that this was the outcome they desired.

KAJ dumps Agriprocessors

What does this mean for Aaron’s Best, Supreme and Habor?

Update: Shmarya has had it for four days. With details.

http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2008/01/kaj-removed-its.html

More on the slap

Shmarya slugs one of MK Cohen's defenders in the media for her lapses of logic and knowledge.

Ooof

Ritual Slaughtering for Dummies

Fred has found an old Jewish how-to book, published in England, on slaughtering. Judging from the illustrations and the non-technical language, I imagine it was directed at laymen, which makes sense: The book dates to 1733, a time when every Jew was his own shochet.

Commenting on the post on his own blog, Shmarya points out that one of the pictures illustrates "casting" an especially barbaric slaughtering technique. This isn't unexpected. 18th century England was a very violent society. Students and servants were regularly beaten, and the entertainments of the day included bear baiting, bull baiting and similar spectacles. It shouldn't surprise us that casting was common in such a time and place, but what's our excuse?