Monday, 31 December 2012
Sunday, 30 December 2012
Klafter - Sexual Misconduct and the Question of Rehabilitation
Please see link below to essay from Nachum Klafter regarding: Sexual Misconduct and the Question of Rehabilitation
Klafter Sexual Misconduct and the Question of Rehabilitation
Saturday, 29 December 2012
R' Gershon Hager is protesting against CH
Erev Shabbos Parshas Vayechi 5773 [28 December 2012]
“The rabbis sat by, and did not object, implying that they were content”
I am pained that there is a group of charlatans whom are powerful in our communal affairs
and are protecting a man whom rabbis have already announced to distance themselves from.
They thereby weaken the severity of the prohibition against licentious conduct.
Gershon Hager
Thursday, 27 December 2012
Wednesday, 26 December 2012
Tuesday, 25 December 2012
משה'לע.. משה'לע .. it is too late now !!
הנני לאשר שהמכתב הראשון שנחתם ע”י האברך החשוב ר’ חיים שנעק הי”ו היה בהוראה שלמעלה ואין להמשפחה ח”ו שום תרעומת עליו בזה ובבא. וד’ יברך את עמו בשלום.
משה היילפרין
12 Teves 5773
I confirm that the first letter signed by the esteemed Chaim Schneck was under orders from above and the family has God forbid no complaints against him neither in this world nor in the world to come.
May God bless His people with peace.
Moshe Halpern
Our powerful גאב"ד Retracts the Retraction
הנני בזה לאשר שהמכתב שכתב הר”ר חיים שנעק הי”ו במוצאי עשרה בטבת ש”ז, היתה בציווי מרן הגאב”ד שליט”א
החותם בפקודתו
יהודה ווייס
הנ”ל נכון א.פ
Tuesday Vayechi 5773
I hereby confirm that the letter written by Reb Chaim Schneck on Motze Asoro B’Teves of this year was under instruction of the Ga’avad Shlita
Signed under orders
Yehuda Weiss
The above is accurate. E.P. [Ephraim Padwa]
R' Padwa's letter issued under duress and is worthless
ב”ה י”ב טבת תשע”ג
המכתב החתום ע”י ר”ח שנעק יצא מחמת אי הבנה וביהמ”ד דברי חיים עוד מצורף להתאחדות קהילות החרדים
וע”ז דו”ש משה חיים אפרים פדווא
12 Teves 5773
The letter signed by Chaim Schneck was released as a result of a misunderstanding and the Beish Hamedrash Divrei Chaim remains affiliated to the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations.
Greetings of Peace
Moshe Chaim Efraim Padwa
The
first letter by Kedasiah (that Chaim Halpern’s shul was expelled from their
organization), was issued because Dayan Sholom Friedman brought a number of
women to his brother-in-law Rabbi Padwa, and they took testimony from them
about Chaim Halpern’s improper behavior. The talk of town is, that Rabbi Padwa
tore “keriah” and burst out crying and had the letter issued. Afterwards he
went over to R’ Elchonon Halpern with the testimony where R’ Halpern’s son and
brother of Chaim started yelling at him and wouldn’t let him leave unless he
issues a retraction. There was also a demonstration by Halpern’s supporters and police had to be
summoned – Therefore the second letter was issued under duress and is
worthless.
Monday, 24 December 2012
Too little too late !! - Big חכמים
From: http://www.timesofisrael.com
LONDON
In an unprecedented and
potentially explosive move, the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, the
umbrella organization for Britain’s Orthodox institutions, has expelled a
synagogue led by a rabbi accused of sexual misconduct.
Beth Hamedrash Divrei Chaim,
in the London neighborhood of Golders Green, is headed by Rabbi Chaim Halpern,
a former religious judge in the Union and one of the city’s most senior Haredi
rabbis. He was forced to resign all of his public positions in November
following allegations that he had engaged in “inappropriate” conduct with about
30 women coming to him for counseling, but retained leadership of his shul,
which is located in his house.
Since then, a group of local
rabbis and religious judges have called on him to resign from his pulpit as
well, to no avail. In response to intense pressure from the Haredi public, the
Union agreed to set up a beth din, or religious court, to try the case, but it
has yet to convene.
According to one source, the
expulsion of Divrei Chaim means that the beth din is now unlikely to go ahead,
as Halpern is no longer affiliated with the Union.
It will also remove the issue of
Halpern’s conduct from the agenda of the local rabbis, as he has effectively
become a private individual. “As
far as we are concerned, the job is now done,” said one rabbi involved in
efforts to persuade Halpern to step down. “The Union doesn’t want anything to
do with him anymore.”
When several senior Golders Green
rabbis issued a statement calling on Halpern to resign, ”the Union fought it,
as it it was completely invalid,” the rabbi said. “Now they have seen there is
no way out.”
The decision to remove Divrei
Chaim from the Union was apparently made by Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, the head of
the organization, to counter a growing threat that other synagogues affiliated
with the Union in Golders Green were going to leave the group to protest the
handling of the case. The Union, according to these rabbis, was too slow to act
— partially out of deference to Halpern’s father, Rabbi Elchnonon Halpern,
another leading London figure — and had blocked efforts to censure him.
Last Tuesday, one of the largest
Union-affiliated shuls in Golders Green, Beth Yisochor Dov (known as Hager’s),
discussed leaving the union, without reaching a final decision. Another, North
Hendon Adass, is reported to be considering a similar move.
The threat that may have prompted
the Union to take decisive action was the prospect that Golders Green shuls
that left the Union would form a new, competing Haredi organization. That body
could have created its own kosher-certification body to rival Kedassia, the
Union’s powerful, respected and income-generating food division. The new group,
which would initially cover only chickens, has apparently been in the works for
some months; it would be run by a Stamford Hill rabbi who already produces
kosher milk.
The rebellion of the shuls in
Golders Green has exposed deep divisions between Haredim in that neighborhood
and in Stamford Hill, the North London community where the Union is based, and
where Halpern’s alleged victims came from. Golders Green is considered far more
modern, with the majority of the men working, widespread access to the Internet
and overseas vacations, for example, not uncommon. Stamford Hill, by contrast,
has in the past 20 to 30 years become dominated by Hasidim, who avoid secular
education and the professional world.
Of the more than 100
congregations in the Union, about 20 are in the Golders Green area.
When the Halpern scandal broke,
rabbis in that neighborhood led efforts to remove him immediately from all
positions of authority, while many of their Stamford Hill peers wanted to wait
until the case had been judged by a religious court.
The Halpern saga, said one
rabbinic source, merely “lifted the lid on what was already going on” between
the two communities. “It had been simmering for a long time. [Halpern] brought
it all to a head.”
He called the gap between the two
areas “a huge chasm.”
Should the two communities split,
it could have far-reaching implications for religious life in London. Residents
can expect the differences between the areas to become more pronounced, with
the Hasidic influence on Golders Green and its environs — until now mostly
promoted by the Halpern family — diminishing.
Meanwhile, more moderate elements
in Stamford Hill could find themselves isolated, and may choose to band
together with the Golders Green congregations, or even to move there. Should
Kedassia’s meat business be harmed — it currently claims about 15 percent of
London’s kosher meat market, sources said — it would significantly impact the
Union’s own budget. The organization’s financial resources would also be deeply
reduced, of course, if a large number of communities seceded from its control.
Another potential casualty could
be Padwa himself, who has allegedly struggled over decisions that might hurt
his friend, Elchonon Halpern. Padwa is said to have tried to quit as head of
the Union at least once recently.
The effects of his belated effort
to address the Halpern scandal and limit damage to the Union remain unclear.
“There is no question that had
Divrei Chaim been part of the Union, we couldn’t have carried on,” said a
member of Hager’s. “But it’s very late in the day. A lot of damage has been
caused.”
Sunday, 23 December 2012
Rabbis desecrate God’s name in London
http://privateinvesigations.blogspot.co.uk/
A number of rabbinic judges in London had the courage to investigate the claims and subsequently found Halpern unfit to serve in any religious capacity. In response, Halpern stepped down from many of his religious positions.
Yet the saga continues because Halpern still maintains his position as a rabbi in his own community. In addition his father, another prominent and venerable rabbi, Chanoch Halpern, together with numerous other rabbis, have dismissed the allegations and maintain that Chaim Halpern is a righteous man who has been caught up in a conspiracy.
The proverb says that “there is no man on the earth who is (completely) righteous, who does good and never sins” (Ecclesiastes 7:20). We are all human and, thus, none of us are perfect. Yet the abuses allegedly committed by Halpern are in a different league – they are especially heinous.
There is the famous story, found in the Book of Samuel, where sons of Eli the High Priest used their priestly positions to gain sexual favors from women who came to the Temple to offer sacrifices. The venerable Eli the High Priest confronted his sons telling them, “No, my sons, for the rumor which I hear the Lord's people spreading is not good.”
Eli the High Priest did not need hard evidence in order to confront his sons. He relied upon and believed the rumors that were spreading. Eli then tried to convince his sons to repent. But, they didn’t listen to their father, nor does it say that they admitted their sins. The surprise, however, is the last part of this narrative, which explains that the sons of Eli would not repent because God wanted to kill them (Samuel 1, Chapter 2:22-25).
This is taken to mean that God hardened their heart to repentances and they were therefore killed. All the commentators are puzzled. Did God really want them to die as sinners rather than remaining alive and returning to a path of righteousness?
Making a mockery out of God
The answer is clear: There are some sins one cannot be rehabilitated from. One who abuses one's religious office in order to gain sexual favors cannot repent and then continue to serve. Such people need to be permanently and completely removed from ever serving in a religious capacity. In corrupting their positions as spiritual leaders they are in essence making a mockery out of God.
In terms of the sins allegedly committed, the case of Halpern is not dissimilar to that of the sons of Eli the High Priest. In how it was dealt with, however, the two cases differ considerably. In the Book of Samuel, Eli took the rumors seriously and confronted his sons. In the case of Halpern, his father, the venerable Chanoch Halpern, has dismissed the allegations and insists that his son is a Tzadik (righteous).
With regard to the sons of Eli, the entire Jewish community was united in their outrage. With Halpern, there are multiple religious leaders in the London Jewish community who have signed a letter defending him and his continued right to serve in a religious capacity.
The story of the sons of Eli teaches us that religious leaders are held to higher standards and must be completely and permanently removed from their religious positions based on rumors of sexual abuse alone.
It is clear that the allegations against Halpern are more than rumors, even if they have not been proven in a court of law. The fact that Halpern is still serving as a rabbi, and that his father and other rabbis are still defending him, is not only a disgrace to the community, it is a disgrace to the Torah and a huge desecration of God’s name.
By Rabbi Levi Brackman is co-founder and executive director of Youth Directions , a non-profit organization that helps youth find and succeed at their unique positive purpose in life
Saturday, 22 December 2012
Friday, 21 December 2012
Thursday, 20 December 2012
Wednesday, 19 December 2012
Tuesday, 18 December 2012
Saturday, 15 December 2012
Thursday, 13 December 2012
Tuesday, 11 December 2012
Friday, 7 December 2012
Wednesday, 5 December 2012
Saturday, 1 December 2012
B'H' the Rabbinim are now talking ... !!
This is from the times of Israel ...
This is from the times of Israel ...
Colleague
to resign following sex scandal
Chaim Halpern, who has already stepped down from his other public roles,
remains in place at his Haredi synagogue
LONDON — Approximately 30
London rabbis are preparing a statement calling on a colleague accused of
sexual misconduct to step down from his synagogue, The Times of Israel has
learned.
The declaration will say that
Rabbi Chaim Halpern is not fit to serve as a rabbi “due to his violation of
Jewish law and the laws of modesty,” and that he should be removed from his
shul, according to Yisroel Lichtenstein, the head of the rabbinical court of
the Federation of Synagogues in London.
Two
weeks ago, Halpern, who is considered one of the top Haredi rabbis in
London, resigned from his role as a religious judge in Kedassia,
the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations. He also ended his relationship with
Beis Yaacov Primary School, the Hatzolah emergency medical service and Chana,
an infertility charity where he was a religious advisor.
He has been accused by about
30 women of “inappropriate” contact. Earlier this month, six rabbis and
religious judges gave him a choice between withdrawing from his positions or
facing a public statement against him. They could not remove him, however, from
his synagogue, Beis Hamedrash Divrei Chaim in the neighborhood of Golders
Green, which is run from a building he owns.
The exact nature of the
accusations has not been publicly revealed.
‘Because
he is still rabbi of his community, he is still operating at full speed’
According to Lichtenstein, the
rabbis originally assumed that Halpern’s community would abandon him once it
was clear he had lost his colleagues’ support. But last Shabbat, his synagogue
was full.
The level of community support
for Halpern “took them by surprise,” he said.
About 30 rabbis attended a
post-Shabbat meeting on Nov. 24 in which those familiar with the alleged
evidence against Halpern revealed what they knew.
“For the first time, most
rabbonim heard the details and were shocked,” said Lichtenstein. “There was
unanimous approval of a condemnation.”
Although those in attendance
initially planned to issue a statement immediately, about 10 were members of
Kedassia, and said they needed authorization. According to Lichtenstein,
permission was not forthcoming, and this is the reason the statement has not yet
been issued. He hoped it would be released within days, although other rabbis
involved said they are unclear on when it will come out.
Other signatories, said
Lichtenstein, will include several London Beth Din religious judges, a member
of the Sephardic religious court and a number of community rabbis from the
Jewish heartland of North West London.
“The rabbis feel betrayed by
Rabbi Halpern,” he said.
‘In
all my years of rabbinic life, I’ve never had to be involved in anything like
this. It is completely unprecedented in the UK rabbinical world’
Two other rabbis who said they
were going to sign the statement spoke to The Times of Israel on condition of
anonymity.
One said that “there were
rumors spreading that Rabbi Halpern was only [resigning] temporarily, and that
he will bring himself back into his positions within a few months. We need to
consolidate our position.”
The other rabbi said that
while Halpern had resigned from Kedassia and other organizations where he was a
rabbinic advisor, “his main position in the community is as rabbi of his shul.
That’s his main position of power. The fact that he’s not rabbi of Beis Yaacov
anymore is almost trivial. No one sought his advice because he was the rabbi of
Hatzolah. But because he is still rabbi of his community, he is still operating
at full speed … Nothing’s changed — it’s business as usual.”
The community “relies on us,
their rabbis, to do the right thing,” he said. “If we fail to do the right
thing, we will have failed our congregants.”
Those questioning why the
rabbis have not already spoken out are “not wrong,” he said.
Originally, when accusations
against Halpern started spreading, “everyone, including myself, found it too
incredible to be taken seriously,” he said.
Now he believes the
allegations.
“This is a very sad story,” he
added. “No one is willing to talk about it because it is such a sad, difficult
issue. In all my years of rabbinic life, I’ve never had to be involved in
anything like this. It is completely unprecedented in the UK rabbinical world.”
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