20110212 jewishvoice

Page 1

FOR THE JEWISH VOICE ON FACEBOOK

SCAN HERE December 2, 2011 | 6 Kislev 5772

Vol. 7, Iss. 43

www.JewishVoiceNY.com

Report by Brooklyn DA, Closed-Door Agudah Meeting, Raise Concerns over Child Molestation in Orthodox Community

Ilan Grapel Makes First Public Appearance with Rabbi Marc Schneier at the Hampton Synagogue A JV Exclusive Report

District Attorney Claims 89 Arrests Over 2 Years

Ilan Grapel, an Israeli-American citizen who was arrested in Egypt on June 12, 2011 and was held in an Egyptian detention center until October 27, made his first public appearance at Rabbi Marc Schneier’s Hampton Synagogue in Westhampton on Friday night, November 25.

By Boruch Shubert with additional reporting by Daniel Perez

hile a report just recently released by Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes claims that his office has arrested an unprecedented 89 men from Brooklyn’s Orthodox community over the past two years on charges of child sex abuse, Hynes has refused to offer any corroborating details about the numbers or status of the cases. As a result, Orthodox advocates for victims of child abuse are expressing some doubt about the accuracy of the report, or at the very least are wondering why they have not heard of a similar number of convictions or an increase in the list of registered sex offenders. At the same time, news has emerged that a closed-door meeting on this topic was apparently held over Thanksgiving weekend at the national convention of Agudath Israel of America in New Jersey. According to the popular blog Failed Messiah, which is known for its pervasive

W

Famed Torah scholar and kabbalist, Rav Yoshiyahu Pinto (PHOTO FROM THE SHUVA ISRAEL WEBSITE, HARAVPINTO.COM)

Renowned Kabbalist Allegedly Subjected to Harassment, Blackmail

By Tzvi Allen Fishman lan joined Rabbi Schneier at services both on Friday night prior to a gala Shabbat Thanksgiving dinner and on Shabbat morning. A tall and kind-look-

I

Rabbi Pinto: “In Order to Build a Building, One Must Suffer Greatly” Rabbi Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto – the great grandson of the Baba Sali and a well-known kabbalist and Torah scholar since the age of 24, has become sought-after as a spiritual advisor in Israel and the United states by prominent business people, athletes, politicians and celebrities. Besides serving as a spiritual leader and a guide to those seeking his blessings and business advice, Rabbi Pinto is also the founder of the Shuva Israel Community, a global organization with synagogues, learning institutions and social service outreach to the needy in the United States and throughout the world.

Continued on page 22

By Jacob Kornbluh

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes has thus far refused to offer any corroborating details about the status of the molestation cases.

$1

orn in Ashdod, Israel, on the first day of Rosh Hashana in 1973, Rabbi Pinto descends from two ancient and distinguished Sephardic rabbinical dynasties, the Abuhatzeira Family and the Pinto Family.

B

Rabbi Pinto, who has no formal business education, only speaks Hebrew and won’t meet with women, is considered by Israeli real estate professionals as well as people of different faiths to be a holy man, The Real Deal, a real estate industry publication, wrote in a 2008 profile.

Ilan Grapel, being embraced by his father, Daniel, and his sister Michal.

ing young man of 27, Ilan did not at all possess the appearance appearance of a man who Egyptian authorities claimed to be a Mossad spy and saboteur. The accusations of espionage have been strongly denied by Ilan himself, his family and the Israeli government. Ilan Grapel, originally from Queens, New York, made aliyah in 2005 after graduating from John Hopkins UniversiContinued on page 23

Continued on page 38

»Art Basel Miami Beach Holds 10th Annual Exhibition

»Registration Opens for TribeFest 2012, to be Held in Las Vegas

»Is the Occupy Wall Street Movement Occupied?

One of the World's Premiere Art Fairs Returns to Florida this week.

Event to Draw Young Adults from Around the World for Three Days of Jewish Experiences.

Anti-Israel, Islamist Groups Using Occupy Wall Street Protests to Push Their Agenda.

see p. 13

see p. 23

see p. 10


Turn static files into dynamic content formats.

Create a flipbook
Issuu converts static files into: digital portfolios, online yearbooks, online catalogs, digital photo albums and more. Sign up and create your flipbook.