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US President George Bush has nominated Michael B. Mukasey on Monday to replace Attorney General Alberto Gonzales. “Judge Mukasey is clear-eyed about the threat our nation faces,” Bush said. “He knows what it takes to fight this war effectively and he knows how to do it in a manner consistent with our laws and our Constitution,” Bush said, standing next Mukasey at the White House.
Yeshivaworld has learned that Mr. Mukasey graduated the RAMAZ Yeshiva - and a spokesperson for RAMAZ Yeshiva has in fact confirmed to Yeshivaworld that Michael Mukasey graduated Ramaz in 1959. In addition, his wife Susan was a teacher and Headmistress of the Ramaz Lower School for many years.
He is also a prominent member of the Upper Manhattan Jewish community.
(Thanks to Nachum Segal for informing YW of this info.)
This is so weird. I was just reading the wikipedia article on him and was surprised to see it said “Orthodox Judaism” under his religion. Didn’t even know he was Jewish.
Comment by jlq3d3 — September 17, 2007 @ 2:22 pm
Let us all take a positive approach without the usual need to check the stripes on his tzitzis.
Comment by Cantorhank — September 17, 2007 @ 2:38 pm
Mi yodea im loes kazoes hegat lemalchus!
Comment by sane — September 17, 2007 @ 3:09 pm
surprising, considering a definitely irish name. also, if he was the judge in the hamas-nik blind shiekh (abdul rahman) case, why didnt they object, like they objected in the yankel rosenbaum case that the federal judge was an ortohodox jew (or so they claimed there).
also, for the record, chertoff (secy of homeland security) is also a yeshiva graduate, though he never claimed to be orthodox. his father was a popular conservative rabbi in elizabeth, and rav pm teitz was more than happy to have him in his yeshiva, to show EVERY jew deserves a yeshiva education. chertoff would have gotten the job, except for political reasons.
yw’ers should remember that many jews are not conservative, and not reform, but care (somewhat) about their judaism. when asked, they claim they are orthodox, even though they may not be observant. we should WELCOME them to our shuls, even though they have difficulty saying kaddish (one case in my shul) or just sit in shul without davening (lets face it — that is their form of davening) (another case in my shul — we are more than happy to have both of them).
Comment by MiMedinat HaYam — September 17, 2007 @ 3:17 pm
see Wikipedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_B._Mukasey
These guys have their finger on the pulse!!
According to The Yeshiva World, Mr. Mukasey graduated the RAMAZ Yeshiva - and a spokesperson for RAMAZ Yeshiva has in fact confirmed to Yeshivaworld that Michael Mukasey graduated Ramaz in 1959. In addition, his wife Susan was a teacher and Headmistress of the Ramaz Lower School for many years.
He is also a prominent member of the Upper Manhattan Jewish community.
Comment by frumblogger — September 17, 2007 @ 3:30 pm
Actually he had a full set of Shas and Ketzos in his Judges Chambers.
Comment by Emes Lamito — September 17, 2007 @ 3:44 pm
cool.
Comment by Yavnerd — September 17, 2007 @ 3:46 pm
Emes Lamito are you saying the EMES?
Comment by frumblogger — September 17, 2007 @ 4:00 pm
My personal feeling is that it isn’t always great to have a frum person in the public eye.
While at times it may create a Kiddush Hashem, it doesnt always work in our benefit.
Just my opinion, but I wish him Hatzlacha!
Comment by lkwdfellow — September 17, 2007 @ 4:02 pm
I agree with #9. I don’t shepp any particular nachas to see yidden, especially frum ones, rise to prominennce in government. It just stirs up the old anti-semitic stereotypes.
Comment by flatbusher — September 17, 2007 @ 4:08 pm
Mordechai was also in the government of Achashverosh!
I think it’s important that we have brothers in high positions like this. Hopefully they will also be looking after the interests of the jewish people.
Sorry to change the subject, but why has no one been able to get Jonathan Pollard out of prison?
Comment by simplyjewish — September 17, 2007 @ 4:09 pm
Halivay if only everyone would have been so proud and accepting when Joe Lieberman was nominated for Vice President.
Its a good thing that Mukasey is above partisanship and has broad bipartisan support.
Comment by The Town Crier — September 17, 2007 @ 4:15 pm
MiMedinat HaYam — It sounds as if you doubt this man’s frumkeit - how dare you!
Do you know him? Do you know anything about his Yerias Shomayim?
I am told he is a memeber and involved heavily at his frum shul in Manhattan. That’s good enough for me…
Comment by Chaim Yankel — September 17, 2007 @ 4:24 pm
If you look at the above link, he will be this years Choson Bereishis. Wow, by me you have to buy it for who knows how much.
Comment by Ephraim — September 17, 2007 @ 5:01 pm
to chaimyankel:
my last para was directed at yw’ers who have an aversion to “modern orthodox” yidden
by the way, the igros moshe (and many others) have a serious pblm with lawyers prosecuting yidden. now he is “chief prosecutor”. not presented as criticism of hon mukasey.
if he starts out with releasing yonatan ben malka pollard, i’ll definitely have no problem. does his shul say a misheberach for yonatan ben malka like my shul does?
Comment by MiMedinat HaYam — September 17, 2007 @ 5:05 pm
I sincerely hope then that kal vchomer your Shul also says the mishebeirach for the mias - katz, baumel, feldman, arad, hever, shalit, regev & goldwasser.
Comment by The Town Crier — September 17, 2007 @ 5:50 pm
I think you are all missing the point.
Here is another example of how friendly our dear President is towards the frum community. He realizes that the frum community votes overwhelmingly Republican (or at least that we indeed share common values) and finally there is someone that doesn’t lump us into one category with the liberal elite self hating Jews of the world (Remember Jim Baker).
I continue to be impressed by this ohev yisroel and in its appropriate place in the machzir, am mispalil for him these yomim noraim.
Comment by velicher choosid — September 17, 2007 @ 6:13 pm
Velicher Choosid, your point does not make sense.
If your first statement is true, then the president could be accusable of pandering.
Secondly, it was the liberal jew from new york (self-loving) Senator Charles Schumer who was one of the first to praise Mukasey and Bush for the choice.
Comment by The Town Crier — September 17, 2007 @ 6:28 pm
Oy Vei! Not another Lieberman…
Comment by Original — September 17, 2007 @ 8:07 pm
#10 Flatbusher
Who cares if you shep nachas or not? He sounds like a mensch who spent time deceiding before taking the position.
Comment by stan the man — September 17, 2007 @ 8:23 pm
MiMedinat HaYam (#15) -
I think it is important to note that the teshuva of Rav Moshe I believe you are referring to (IM - HM 1:92) deals with public auditors (if I remember correctly) - not prosecutors. The moser issue you refer to was much more problematic (per Rav Moshe) back in the times when judgment was preordained and reporting on someone - in this case, in an official capacity - would have resulted in certain punishment - even death.
I believe a posek who comes out strongly on this issue against Jews serving not just as prosecutors, but as attorneys in general is Rav Menashe Klein in the Mishna Halachos, although I do not have the cite handy.
If there is another IM cite please post…thanks
Kol tuv -
katan
Comment by katan — September 17, 2007 @ 8:51 pm
Wow were all getting very Talmudic over this. The basic point is that morals in this country are slipping and are unfortunately sanctioned by the courts. Now with this appointment hopefully this will cause a swing in the right direction.
Comment by sharpestnail — September 17, 2007 @ 11:26 pm
i have been told that r’ dovid feinstien holds that it is assur to become a DA
Comment by tf — September 18, 2007 @ 12:05 am
“why has no one been able to get Jonathan Pollard out of prison?”
One reason is that Jonathan Pollard has not applied for parole.
“if he starts out with releasing yonatan ben malka pollard”
The Attorney General does not have the authority to do that. Only the US Parole Commission or the President of the United States do. And for the Parole Commission to release him, Pollard has to apply.
Comment by charliehall — September 18, 2007 @ 12:40 am
I wonder if those shuls say a Mi shebereach for Refoel Shmuel Ben Gittel.
Comment by midwesterner — September 18, 2007 @ 9:20 am
The president can, of course, pardon Pollard. If there is even a suspicion that the Attorney General is involved in the president’s delibiration, an AG who is active in Jewish communal affairs can only harm Pollard’s chances.
Similarly with all other matters of Jewish concern, political reality will force Mukasey to bend over backwards so as to not be viewed as an agent for parochial interests.
Comment by ang — September 18, 2007 @ 11:20 am
MeMidinat Hayam:
Regarding your question in comment #4 where you asked why Mr. Mukasey was not asked to recuse himself from the Abdul Rahman case.
Judge Mukasey was indeed asked to recuse himself from the case. As notes by The Wall Street Journal law blog:
In 1994, a defendant in the World Trade Center bombing case filed a motion to have Mukasey remove himself from the case on the grounds that he practiced Orthodox Judaism and held Zionist political beliefs. Here’s the money quote from the opinion:
Passing the historical curiosity that the standard El-Gabrowny advocates would disqualify not only an obscure district judge such as the author of this opinion, but also Justices Brandeis and Frankfurter, who would be barred from reviewing the case if they were alive and sitting today, each having been both a Jew and a Zionist, whether the presiding judge is an Orthodox Jew or a Zioinst or some combination of the two, or neither, is utterly irrelevant to this case.
In the future, before you assume, please do a bit of research.
Thank you,
Comment by azetyn — September 18, 2007 @ 11:45 am
To:Ephraim- Where does it say that Judge Mukasey is going to be Chasan Berashis. Don’t most shules sell that kibud on Simchas Torah, which is weeks away?
To MiMedinat Hayam- I am probably one of the few TYW readers that can say he learned Gemara with Homeland Secretary Chertoff in yeshiva. Although he was just over bar mitzvah age at the time, our Rebbe, Rabbi Eisenblatt(who had a shul on 18th & 50th in Boro Park years later)said to the class that Michael would one day be a Talmid Chochum and his learning level was far ahead of his chronological age. Well, history has proven him right but the chochma turned out to be not in pure learning but in Hilchos Pikuach Nefesh since his approach to dealing with terrorists and protecting our great country has been admirable if not evolutionary.
Comment by mishpat — September 18, 2007 @ 11:49 am
To #11 — If someone Jewish inoffice is specifically looking out for Jewish interests, that is just the kind of thing that sparks anti-semitism. LEt him just do the job he is hired for.
I don’t think his being Jewish has anything to do with Bush’s choice. BTW, he’s not running for office again; he doesn’t need the Jewish vote; and the percentage of Jews who vote Republican is so low, this hardly would register a blip
Comment by flatbusher — September 18, 2007 @ 12:04 pm
to mishpat: is your license plate also mishpat? if so, i’ll see you sometime this week and identify myself.
also, some shuls (esp “efficent” shuls that know how to fundraise, like kaj) decide months ahead who will be choson torah (unlike that shtibel in monsey that sold chasan torah on ebay a few years ago. remember?)
to azetyn: i stand corrected. i saw a similar post elsewhere today. that the blind sheikh case also wanted mukasey out of the case.
to charliehall: its strictly a presidential decision, not the parole commission. he didnt apply for parole because of some unusual rule that if rejected you cannot apply for years. there was a decision made not to parole him, even though no “official” application was made, so its a waste of time. and further, his lawyers are trying to get the file to make the application, but it was denied, despite their (the lawyers) top secret security clearance. (for more info check the official jonathanpollard website put up by his wife, the one with chuppah ve’kiddushin) its a political decision, not a merit decision. we all know that.
to katan: there are two teshuvot. one refers to auditors who deal in prosecutions. specifically irs. the other deals with lawyers. both are extended by everyone else (except nitpickers who are looking for rationalize being prosecutors) to prosecutors. there are many halachic problems with lawyers, and they mostly decide to avoid their halachic issues.
to towncrier: yes, we say mi sheberach for all of them (baumohl went to yeshiva ketana with me)
to original: sen lieberman not only decided to stay out of the pollard issue he spoke against him. unlike, i must admit, the liberal shumer who did say pollard should be released.
Comment by MiMedinat HaYam — September 18, 2007 @ 2:38 pm
Mishpat, How then would you attempt to teitch up Chertoff’s involvement with Magdy Elamir? Just curious.
Also, many shuls also decide the kibudim ahead of time. Yesh vyesh.
Comment by The Town Crier — September 18, 2007 @ 4:41 pm
Also, under Chertoff New York city and Wshington DC have been seriously disadvantaged when it comes to homeland security funding. New York City and DC have been attacked and is a prime terror target yet NYC receives less per capita funding than the state of Wyoming, whose population is so small it has only 1 congressman.
Comment by The Town Crier — September 18, 2007 @ 4:44 pm
I just want to know when Senators Reid, Kennedy, Leahy, et al. start to attack him at his confirmation hearing, will he be able to claim that it is being done because of Anti-Semitism? If liberal women can respond with the pathetic saying of chauvinism, than Judge Mukasey can scream Anti-Semitism.
I also remember very well the trial. He did an admirable job. Even the New York Crimes liked the way Judge Mukasey presided over the first World Trade Center bombing.
Comment by Flatbush Bubby — September 18, 2007 @ 7:32 pm
Judge Mukasey was the Chatan Bereshit at Congregation Kehillath Jeshurun on the Upper East Side in 2004, not this year.
Comment by charliehall — September 18, 2007 @ 9:31 pm
I thought Shfot Hashoftim, when we judge our judges, is read around Shvuos time, not during the Yamim Noraim, when WE are judged.
Comment by sammygol — September 18, 2007 @ 10:55 pm
to The Town Crier :
all that homeland security $$$ and wtc claims $$$ was a scam on the american taxpayer in terms of govt grants to politicians and their friends. the fact is that the goyim know just as well (if not better, or rather, those yidden learned from the goyim) as certain yidden how to get those govt $$$, perhaps better than the yidden.
so of course that $ is going to other states, etc. its not chertoff’s fault. thats how the game is played. get with the program.
but all this is not YW business. or is it. you posted it first. (see troday’s daf yomi — modeh be’mikzat)
Comment by MiMedinat HaYam — September 19, 2007 @ 2:21 pm
Having only met his stepson, I’d assume the Hon. Judge Mukasey doesn’t wear his religion on his sleeve when acting in his job. He is known to be shomer shabbos/shomer kashrus. He has a rep as a fair and firm judge. I’d also assume the President would consult with his AG (no matter who his AG would be) on pardons (and other legal issues!) during the normal course of his winding up his office, and I’m sure Judge Mukasey will either recuse himself if he feels he’s too biased to give an unbiased opinion, or give the President an unbiased opinion on the case of Pollard. According to what I’ve read, an unbaised opinion would say he’s served a proportionately greater amount of time than anyone else accused of spying for an enemy, much less one who cooperated, and was accused of spying for an ally. The fact that he has been incarcerated so long just means everyone looking at the case beyond what would be a normal amount of time thinks the people before him must know something he doesn’t, and nobody wants to take the responsibility for a novel decision or one that seems to fly in the face of so many prior decisions made by supposedly knowledgeable people. Politically he may be a hot potato, which is the only reason he wouldn’t be pardoned, because its such a public event. From what I’ve read he’s not likely to be granted parole if he applies, and if he does apply and the board decides to put him on hold for another decade or more, it would make a pardon nearly impossible, so I think his supporters and legal counsel have determined his best bet right now is to wait at least until the end of Bush’s term to see if he gets a pardon. I doubt Judge Mukasey would push for this during his introductory period in his new position, but if he’s consulted sometime late next year, it might be possible, and I’m sure the decision-making advisors to Mr Pollard are calculating the timing to be just right as well. At this point we realize the best we can do is daven, as HKBH works miracles daily. Who would ever think a frum Jew would be in the AG spot at such a critical time? Or that a traditional Jew would be setting US economic policy? Or that we have obvious Jews on the Supreme Court again? These people are seeking to create a Kiddush Hashem. Let’s take our wins where we can and celebrate them.
Comment by EstiG — September 21, 2007 @ 1:09 am