Simon Taub and Baruch Leibowitz, Happily Ever After

Simon Taub of Brooklyn NY, who once made millions in the garment business is embroiled in seven year long-running Hollywood-style divorce proceedings with his wife, Chana. They live in the same Borough Park home with a wall separating them, as ordered by a Supreme Court judge in 2007. Simon Taub, who has been trying (not) to divorce his wife for the last seven years, has pushed the extent of the law for too long. In July of 2010, he finally had some of his crimes exposed as he was arrested for extortion.  The NY Daily News reported last summer that Taub was arrested for extortion and blackmail.

If only this was a simple criminal case, the law would be applied and his sentence would be appropriate. However, upon closer scrutiny of the details of this case, one will find a man who will not hesitate to use his wealth to manipulate and intimidate, but win his way to victory over his wife. Simon Taub’s son though, remains in the grips of his extortionist criminal father’s home with a wall dividing him from his mother. His son, who was molested by a prominent rabbi in the community, remains at home alienated from his mother, and in a very emotionally vulnerable place in his life. Simon, who did not press charges against the abuser, ran into a bit of a problem when the famed molester, named Baruch Leibowitz, was sentenced to 32 years in prison.

Simon was looking for a way to gain leverage in his own divorce case, and hatched a great plan. Time was moving fast because the State’s statute of limitations will soon been reached; the victim, his son, is 20 years old. First, Simon contact Baruch Leibowitz's son, and told him that if he pays him $250,000, he will stay quite and not press charges. The junior Leibowitz agreed, but also recorded the conversation as well as the first transaction. Simon was immediately arrested for extortion and blackmail, with a heavy criminal case now looming. Simon's plan wasn't working so well, so he had to think fast.  So now, there was a new deal. If Simon can manage to get Leibowitz out a jail, Leibowitz will drop the charges. How can that be pulled off? Leave it to the wealthy criminals who have the judges wrapped around their wallets, in exchange for probation and parole.

The first way to get the Leibowitz sentence to drop, is to prove that the case wasn't solid. So Simon then arranged that Samuel Kelner, a Boro Park man to be arrested for bribing a witness to testify against Leibowitz.  This was a framed setup, where a man approached Kelner and said, “it's not true, Leibowitz didn't molest me”. And Kelner is alleged to have given him $10,000 to “stick with the story”.  Kelner is a known community activist, famous for encouraging and empowering victims to help rid the community of pedophiles.

Sadly for Simon, the DA said at the press conference the day after the arrest, that the Leibowitz prosecution will still stand because the other two witness testimonies were solid. Now Simon was really stuck because he needed to get Leibowitz out of jail. So the next day, Leibowit'z lawyers filed an appeal and the appeal was granted. Leibowitz was home under house arrest, until a decision for a retrial. Simon was elated.

Isn’t it blatantly obvious by now that Judge Walsh, who was assigned to the Taub case, is also the presiding judge for the Kelner case?  Conflict of interest aside, when will this cycle of abuse end? According to Vicki Polin, Executive Director of the Awareness Center, at least 90 percent of sex offenders were sexually abused as children. “All abusive behaviors tend to repeat themselves unless the individual seeks appropriate intervention”, confirms Dr. Amora Rabinowich, a renowned psychologist of New York.

The criminal trial was adjourned again, for another two months, to August 26, 2011. Although Taub was arrested more than a year ago, he is out on bail for a measly $50,000, a drop in the bucket for this millionaire. As his criminal trial was scheduled for the end of the Summer, Simon's desperation began to show, and he began to slip. Although the Supreme Court judge presiding over his matrimonial case ordered Simon to pay the mortgage for all the marital property, Simon defaulted. He knew what he was doing. Simon waited for the houses to go into foreclosure, and then he would be able to transfer those into bankruptcy court.  Once in bankruptcy court, the judge appointed a trustee for the properties. The trustee, a lawyer named Lori Lapin-Jones, has a dying dream to become a judge. Hoping to earn Simon's sponsorship, she became his rubber ducky. 

It all worked out perfectly to the nickel, as Simon made sure to drag the case in bankruptcy court long enough to cause some personal grief to Chana, as well as complete financial ruin. First, Chana's close friend Soya Radin, who was a tenant for many years in one of the couple's apartment buildings, was tortured in the housing court and forced to be evicted from her apartment. When she was packing her stuff to leave, Simon made sure that she should be arrested for nonsense, just  to taunt Chana. What people don't know is that the same week, the Supreme Court finally issued a divorce decree, and the judgement included an award to Chana of $1.2 million (less than 1% of Simon's reported wealth). This is coincidentally the exact amount which was due to Lori Lapin Jones after 1 ½ years of bankruptcy court.   All this, to earn himself favors in his criminal case.

In Criminal Court, October 18, 2011, prosecutor Nick Bastidas, Kings County's head of the racketeering division, presented the charges before the judge, Justice Geoffrey Walsh as follows; Attempted grand larceny in the second degree, between April 21,2010 and July 7, 2010, attempting to steal property from the complainant, having a value in excess of $50,000 by extortion by instilling in the victim a fear that if the property is not delivered, you or another would accuse accuse some person of a crime or cause criminal charges to be instituted against him, intending to subject some person to ridicule.

Simon's lawyers then boldly presented voluminous medical records indicating that Simon is “very sick” and possibly dying of “liver cancer”. Chana reports that Simon has been “very sick” in the divorce case for seven years strong. His lawyer then announced that Simon Taub has authorized him to enter a plea of guilty to the charge of attempted grand larceny in the second degree in full satisfaction of the indictment. Due to the 'illness' and inability to get proper treatment in prison, they are asking for five years of probation.

Prosecutor Bastidas firmly objected to the non-jail disposition that the court has offered.  Explaining that this man would rather let a predator remain lose in the community and is “motivated by greed to make money”.  Additionally, in 1998, Simon Taub has pleaded guilty to wire fraud and conspiracy to commit wire fraud by attempting to defraud Chum Insurance by overbilling on an insurance claim in the amount of over a million dollars.  “In that conviction, the defendant received his probation and received his one shot”.

Taub's lawyers informed him of his waiver of right to appeal, and five years probation.  On October 18, 2011, Simon Taub walked out of court a free man. Free to commit more fraud and extortion, and greedy manipulations under the nose of our government.  And Baruch Leibowitz? His case remains unsettling, as a week later, his case was reported to crumble. He was also granted permission by the courts to leave his house and attend synagogue for Rosh Hashanah services.  Simon and Baruch now live happily ever after.

L’Havdil L’Havdil

Ladies and gentleman,

Many times while I speak with people in the community, and the subject of Nuchem Rosenberg comes up, it always ends up something like this: He is right, BUT……..  He is 100% correct, BUT………  Of course he is nebech right, BUT……..

The “BUT” they are always talking is about the same thing. Why does he have to make a chilil Hashem? Why does he sound so excited when he talks about a molester? Why he is he saying names? Why? Why? Why?

The fact that I am writing this blog “off the record” and without my name attached to it, helps me a lot to get the feel of the community and the feel of many involved with community liaisons, Community leaders, and even Rabbis in the community.

I will also let you in on a little secret; I am very very close friend to one of the Rabbis that signed  the “Toilet paper cheirem” on Rabbi Nuchem. With him knowing that I write this blog we many time discuss Rabbi Nuchem and he is lost and confused just like the rest of the Rabbis that singed this Garbage Cheirem.

This is the situation:

1.       Penn State University, as you all know, arrested an assistant coach of a football team because he allegedly molested a boy. How did the University respond to that? Did they deny it? NO! Did they say No Comment? NO! Did they say it’s all lies? NO! This is what they did:

a.       They fired everyone who knew about it

b.      They went on TV to denounce the crime

c.       They launched new programs to fight pedophilia

d.      They are co-operating with the Police dept.

e.      They fired the HEAD COACH that even reported it to the management, but did not follow up and went to the Police

f.        They held on Thursday Night a program for people to ask questions

Ladies and gentleman! Penn State University is 400 times bigger, stronger and richer than Satmar, Pupa, Belz, New Square and Agudath Isreal COMBINED! They have more power to white wash, they have more money to hire the biggest lawyers, they have more strength to say NO COMMENT and yet they chose the right way of dealing with it. They decided to join the cause and make a stand against child abuse! They pulled together all their resources to say “NO” to abuse.

2.       Let’s take a look in our circles. There has been abuse in our schools for years and years. What have we done? Have we denounced the abuse? NO! Have we distanced ourselves from these pedophile scums? NO! Have we told the world we will not stand for it? NO! Have we done anything to improve our children’s lives since the Kletzky molestation and murder incident? NO! So what have we done?, This is what we have done:

a.       We have whitewashed every single story in the community

b.      We have supported every pedophile in our system

c.       We isolated every man that stands up for the children (Including Rabbi Nuchem that has worked with mesiras Nefesh for years and years)

d.      We have re-hired the Teachers once their statue of limitations ran out

e.      We have been quiet and DONE NOTHING

So let’s take a look, where would you want your 10-year-old boy to be if god forbids he gets molested, in Penn State University or in Belz cheider?

Who would you want to handle the teacher that molested your child, Satmar Yeshiva or Penn State University?

Why do our kids not deserve the same treatment as the average GOY on the streets? Why is there not ONE Rabbi with guts to say we have done wrong with rabbi Nuchem and it’s not right. Don’t get me wrong, in private they all say it, but in public there is not ONE man with BALLS to do it.

These are the Rabbis that we have to respect? These are the Rabbis that teach us how to raise our Children? These are the leaders that we have to look up to? These are the people that we trust our regulations with? These are the people that tell us you can eat kosher chicken, and we have to trust?

Are we that gullible to just follow the blind leading the blind?  

Rabbi Nuchem has been talking about this crime for years and years and years and years. Nobody listened to him, nobody paid attention so he opened a Hot-Line to get his point across. History is proving him right every single day. Actions are proving that he indeed is on the right side of history while the Rabbunim are on the wrong side.

As a father and mother of a child, assume for one second that Rabbi Nuchem has been dead for 4 years, you would not even know that there is such a thing as molestation! You would not hear anything This would be 1965 all over again where little kids are being raped every single day without any accountability. Is this what you want for your child? Is this the kind of Yeshiva you want?

Can someone please remind me when the last time you heard from ANY rabbi about this terrible and vicious problem? I hear every day about the internet, about the Cell Phones, about the Tznius issues, about the long shaitels about the bugs in the water. All the “important” issues are on the agenda but pedophilia not a word!

You tell me now. Who are the chosen people Williamsburg kids or Penn State kids? Who Is GOD proud of, The president of Belzer cheider or the President of Penn State?  

Now another point!

People always ask me, why is Rabbi Nuchem so happy when he announces a tragedy in the community? He sings, he laughs he says “Victory” Why is he enjoying it.

Let’s break it down. Rabbi Nuchem has been fighting this plague forever. He has been isolated for simply talking the truth; he has been ostracized for strictly sticking up for YOUR children.

When someone finds out that their child was molested in our community, do you know who he calls first? Let me tell you, NONE OTHER TAN RABBI NUCHEM. Do you know why he calls rabbi Nuchem? Because he wants action and that’s the only place he is going to get it!

So every time a story gets exposed (And recently it has been a daily and weekly happening) Rabbi Nuchem has another point to proof his mission. He is not happy with the story, he is happy with the progress of getting rid of this terrible abuse problem and he is glad to see that all the work he puts in FOR NO COST is paying off.

So don’t confuse the two issues. I have personally seen rabbi Nuchem cry out loud on his voice when he got a phone call from another broken mother. I have seen him drive down 14 hours just to meet activist and drive back 14 hours. I have seen him counseling parents for weeks upon weeks for no charge.

How dare you question his motives? He has gotten nothing for his hard work but isolation, abuse and headaches. Why is he doing it? Because he has the guts to stand up for the kids while it seems NO ONE ELSE has it

Nuchem Ish Gam Zi

Raboisai, I must admit… I am doing Teshuva because I am coming to the realization that “Nuchem” is talking shtusim and fabrications.

There is no Znis, there is no Molestations, There is no Incest, There is no pedophiles and there is no problem in our community.

What is this guy talking about? All the stories he says is fabricated and he is dreaming. Our community is sheltered, our community is pure and our community does not even know of such things.

There is good news and bad news. First the Bad: There are actually people who say that with a straight face. The Good news: They know they are lying they just think they will say it long enough and someone will buy it.

A reader of mine sent me a copy of a craigslist ad that appeared online and quite honestly I must say, I was sure it’s a prank. But this is what happened.

This is what we have reached, among the hundreds of weekly Yiddish ads on CraigsList

I responded to the ad, and they responded first that I need to be voice verified to make sure I am real, so I did. I gave my number and told my wife to pick up, we both picked up the “Blocked” phone and a “Ruchy” said in a nice Yiddish voice “Vus machste” and voice verified us, so we can continue the email dialogue.

Bottom Line, She found a couple already and did not want to meet us this week, but is open for a future time….. Which of course, we will never do.

There is no doubt in my mind that this kind of behavior is a result of abuse, molestation, or rape.

NOOOO it can’t be, we don’t have this in our community.

תמים היה בדורותיו

I am re-Publishing an article that I wrote exactly one year ago today  – You decide if we have made progress  in the past year

It’s been now approximately five years since Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg has been placed in חרם shunned by his community, by his local Rabbis. These five years has been his best and his worst.

His best: His mission of cleaning up the streets, the schools, the mikvahs, etc. has come a very long way. Parents are educated, kids are educated and the general public is gradually listening and understanding what’s on tab and what this plague has done to generations of our youth and how it affected them for life.

His worst: Let’s face it. It’s not a lot of fun to be in חרם , isolated, shunned and be barred from every synagogue especially when he knows he is doing the proper thing and when 90% of the public knows it as well, but are scared to speak out because they can't fight city hall. In all due respect, it is getting better by the month. The public has realized that the “Cheirem” is a joke, the public recognizes that he is 100% right and furthermore the public appreciates what he does and is thankful for his courage and stance against this terrible plague in our community.

History.

Last week in parshas Noach,  we read in the portion of the torah תמים היה בדורותיו  (Noach (  נח ) was a tzaddik in his generations) Rashi makes comparisons between נח and אברהם. The first time is in his famous analysis of the Torah’s use of a qualifier when describing נח’s piety, “נח was a tzaddik in his generations. "Rashi quotes two opinions: 1) If in his generation he was a tzaddik- —how much greater of a tzaddik would he have been in a righteous generation! 2) In his generation he was considered a tzaddik—were he to have lived in the times of אברהם he wouldn’t have been important.

Two points of interest: 1) Even if it is true that נח was a lesser tzaddik than אברהם, Chazal (our Sages) stress that the righteous leaders of each generation are equally vital and important, even when, on an objective scale, they don’t measure up to those that proceeded them. Yiftach in his generation [was as vital] as Shmuel in his generation. יפתח בדורו כשמוא' בדורו (Rosh Hashana 25b)” so the questions is, what purpose is served by stressing that נח would not have been anything special in אברהם times? 2) Why does the first opinion use “a righteous generation” as a basis for comparison, while the second one states, “had he lived in the generation of אברהם he wouldn’t have been important?” Both opinions should use the same point of reference for their comparisons.

The second time Rashi contrasts נח with אברהם is when the Torah states (6:9), “נח walked [together] with G-d.” Rashi notes that with regard to אברהם, the Torah writes (17:1), “Walk before me and be whole.” Where אברהם is described as going before Hashem, נח walked together with Him. אברהם's piety was so robust that he needed no Heavenly assistance—he could take care of himself, so to speak. This is the idea of going before Hashem. נח needed Hashem’s support in maintaining his righteousness; he is seen as walking together with Hashem.

Again there are two interesting points: 1) When Hashem tells נח to enter the Ark, He says (7:1), “Come into the Ark…for it is you that I have found righteous before me in this generation.” Hashem’s statement seems to contradict the previous one—did נח go with Hashem or before Him? 2) Where in fact do we find proof in אברהם actions that אברהם walked before Hashem, while נח walked with Him? In what way does Avraham’s higher level manifest itself?

The Midrash (Tehillim 37) describes the famous meeting between אברהם and מלכי צדקMalchi-Tzedek (found in this week’s parsha [14:18-21]). Chazal teach that מלכי צדק was in fact Shem, the son of נח . “Tell me,” אברהם asked him, “in what merit did you deserve to leave the Ark?”

“In was in the merit of the tzedakah (charity) we did.”

“But there were no poor people there!” אברהם asked. “It was just you and your family? With whom did you do tzedakah?”

“With the animals and the birds,” מלכי צדק answered. “We did not sleep at night. We would go from one animal to the next making sure they had enough to eat. Once we were late, and my father was injured [by one of the animals (see Rashi who says it was the lion)].”

At that time, the Midrash concludes, אברהם said to himself, “If they were only saved by the charity they did with the animals and the birds, and [even so] for the one time he was late he was ‘repaid’ and injured, then if I perform charity with people, who are formed in the image of the angels, surely in this merit I will be protected from injury!” Immediately אברהם planted a tent, and provided his guests with food, drink, and lodging!

This, writes the  חיד"א (Chida), is the difference between נח and אברהם. אברהם hears a story—about a person who was saved in the merit of charity and kindness—and he understands from it how esteemed charity must be in Hashem’s eyes. The first thing he does is plants his tent, beginning his legacy of charity and kindness. נח didn’t just hear the story—he lived through it, yet he did not learn its lesson.

The חיד"א doesn’t explain what he means; how do we see that נח didn’t learn the lesson?

The first thing נח does after leaving the Ark is to plant a vineyard. “נח, the man of the earth, defiled himself and planted a vineyard (9:20).” Rashi explains that he defiled himself in that his very first planting was grapes (who’s fruit intoxicates); he should have planted something else first.

אברהם planted and נח planted (va-yita). אברהם planted a tent (or tree for shelter) in which he could give others food, drink, and lodging. נח planted grapes. From the first fruits of his labor, he got drunk. What drove נח to drink? Perhaps he found it difficult to cope with the Earth he found upon leaving the Ark. It was not the place he had known. Everything and everyone had been eradicated by the scorching waters of the flood. To escape this bitter reality, he drank.

Had he been paying attention (like his son Shem), he might have found a lesson to be learned: You were saved by charity and kindness; make sure the new generation, which you head, is one built on the foundations of charity and kindness. Plant a tent, open a hachnosas orchim (guest house), and teach your children and descendants—the Earth’s new inhabitants—the importance of kindness.

The two opinions quoted above, says the Chida, don’t actually disagree. No doubt, had נח been in a generation of tzaddikim, he would have been an even greater tzaddik. But had he lived in the generation of Avraham, who built a life of chessed (kindness) based on the story of the Ark and its lesson, whereas נח —the story’s main participant—failed to do so, he would indeed not have been a factor.

Perhaps this is expressed in the difference between walking before Hashem or with Him. נח was saved by his kindness to the animals, but it was not as a result of any conscious commitment to chessed. Hashem put him in a situation which left him no choice—it was either feed the animals or suffer their wrath, as Shem told אברהם. Thus, although נח did a virtuous thing, he is described as walking with Hashem—he did good, but only when coerced by Hashem to do so.

אברהם didn’t wait for Hashem to lead him by the hand. He heard the story, and figured the rest. He went before Hashem—by finding hidden allusions how to improve his character and service of Hashem without having to be pushed into it.

The holy Zohar is critical of נח for not praying for his generation. How was he to have known that Hashem awaited his prayers?

“Come into the Ark…for it is you that I have found righteous before me in this generation.” Hashem does not give gratuitous compliments. He was trying to hint to נח : Kindness has the power to save. If you have compassion on your brothers, and pray for their salvation, you and they will be saved in the merit of that kindness. You too have the ability to be a tzaddik before me—take the hint and pray for your generation! Noach should have realized that Hashem was calling him a tzaddik in order to empower him with the strength of the righteous; to annul decrees. ( ישמח משה Yismach Moshe).

אברהם and נח —two tzaddikim, each one a giant in his generation. The difference? נח did what was right, and he did it with great commitment and fervour, but only when it stared him in the face. אברהם knew how to take a hint. He didn’t wait for mitzvos to come his way, he went looking for them (“And he stood by the tent”—looking for wayfarers that he could care for.

Sifrei chassidus (Hasidic literature) call this phenomenon   רמיזא דחכמתא  (hints of wisdom)  that can be found in every aspect of life. “Do not be like the horse—like the mule who understands not, and whose mouth must be closed with bit and bridle and reins—they will not approach you…I will instruct you, and enlighten you—this is the way to go; I will guide you with the movement of My eye—like a man who hints to his friend through the movement of his eye (Tehillim/Psalms 32:8-9 with Malbim). Hashem guides us every moment of our lives; it’s up to us to open our eyes and hearts and find the hints.

Rabbi Rosenberg:

I am taking the liberation, authorization and the courage to relate the above mentioned connection Between נח and אברהם, and do the same connection between Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg and sages of previous generations. Because we don’t have an אברהם  in our generation anymore.

We all know the pain and suffering that the בעל שם טוב  (Baal Shem Tov) endured while teaching the world of chassidus. We all know that in the late 1700’s the Baal Hatanya was tortured by מתנגדים (anti-chassidus movements), when at that time Lithuania was the center of the מתנגדים (opponents of  חסידים Hasidism), and Rabbi Shneur Zalman faced much opposition. In 1774 he and Menachem Mendel of Vitebsk traveled to Vilna in an attempt to create a dialogue with the ווילנער גאון who led the מתנגדים and had issued a ban against the חסידים, but the ווילנער גאון refused to see them and they had to leave town in order not to get stoned. In his seminal work, Tanya, he defines his approach as "מוח שולט על הלב" ("mind ruling over the heart/emotions").

In 1797 following the death of the ווילנער גאון, leaders of the Vilna community falsely accused the Hasidim of subversive activities - on charges of supporting the Ottoman Empire, since Rabbi Shneur Zalman advocated sending charity to support Jews living in the Ottoman territory of Palestine. In 1798 he was arrested on suspicion of treason and brought to St. Petersburg where he was held in the Petropavlovski fortress for 53 days, at which time he was subjected to an examination by a secret commission. Ultimately he was released by order of Paul I of Russia. The Hebrew day of his acquittal and release, 19 Kislev, 5559 on the Hebrew calendar, is celebrated annually by Chabad Hasidim, who hold a festive meal and make communal pledges to learn the whole of the Talmud; this practice is known as "Chalukas Ha'Shas" He was also arrested 2 more times at later dates, by people who did not like his views of torah which we now know is pure and holy!

I believe we are witnessing history all over again. Rabbi Rosenberg is now in the same spiritual standing as נח was then and both Pshutim of Rashi is right. I can not tell you what Rabbi Rosenberg would have been in the times of the Baal Shem Tov or the Baal Hatanya. I can tell you though with out a shadow of doubt  that today he is in the level of תמים היה בדורותיו .

Lets take rashi’s second opinion.  “In his generation he was considered a tzaddik—were he to have lived in the times of אברהם he wouldn’t have been important.” If that is indeed the case with Rabbi Rosenberg today, then ladies and gentleman, it is very sad because “THE JOKE IS ON US NOT ON HIM” in other words we are so low and so unworthy and so clueless that Rabbi Rosenberg is only a Tzaddik because its in OUR generation. All this shows is , that we are so far off that even a man like Rabbi Rosenberg is a tzadik these days.

Either way you spin it, the end result is the same. WE are in a generation that Rabbi Rosenberg is needed and is תמים היה בדורותיו!  The only question is where he would rank 200 years ago. I am here to tell you that I could not care less where he would’ve ranked 200 years ago. I am delighted to have him today in a generation where there is no one to stand up for whats right and no one giving a voice for our children.

Never mind the fact, that if you take ANY Rabbi today and put him up against Holy man of 200 years ago, it would not be a pretty picture.

The bottom line is. We are lucky to have a man like him in our generation! We are lucky that there is still one man out there with courage and guts to speak the truth! Your children are lucky that there is one human being speaking up for them and willing to take a bullet for them, while all the others who are PAID to protect them could not care less!