Comments on: The Ted Riley, Natan Levy, Lakewood Fiasco Continues

By: abba_yosef

abba_yosef — Sun, 18 May 2008 16:34:42 +0000

As a non-Syrian who davens at Syrian shuls, I find their takana offensive, and neged Torah. That being said, there is a uniqueness in their community that allows the takanah to work. From top to bottom there is a family closeness that causes concern, even in the least observant that they do not want to be out of the community. If there is no hope that at least one could convert the shiktzah or sheigetz one is dating, then one would be less likely to go down that avenue. The son of the rabbi who runs the school where Mrs. Jane Doe sent her daughter told me “it is not because we are better, but addaraba, we are more in need of such drastic measures.”

By: kiddo15

kiddo15 — Mon, 07 Apr 2008 04:05:24 +0000

96. pashuteh yid: Apparently statistics Baruch Hashem (cold hard #s which dont lie) has reduced intermarriage in our illustrious community. When you accept converts it allows people to be closer to non jews. For example lets say a guy converts, and now a nice jewish girl marries him. During one of sheva brachot one of her sisters sees one of this guys brothers who happened to show up and takes a liking to him…i dont know. Im not a geunie. All I know is american jewry is intermarrying at unfathomable rates. In our community its not like that. No one even looks at a non jew bc we have the fence of not accepting gerim even… Besides we dont want goyishe genes mixing with ours. How many ger tzedek do you know? I know 0. I very happily will reject the 1 or 2 you know in order that no one in my community should intermarry.
Comment by kollelman1 — April 2, 2008 @ 1:41 pm

The syrian jews are in America for a much shorter time. The rate of intermarriage of ashkenazi jews in the early 1900′s was probably equal to syrians now. We aren’t allowed to make a ger regret his geirus- the Torah allows it for a reason right? I’m sure the talmidei chachamim that introduced this ban were great tzadikim, but Moshe Rabeinu allowed coverts into the klal. They always did have special halochos (they lived outside the machane) but they were oleh regel just the same. Their daughters were allowed to marry any jew.

By: ac123

ac123 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:26:23 +0000

By the way to all those out there who want to think this criminal is a ger tzedek…a ger comes into the jewish community as a “yisrael”. Why did he pose as a “levi”. This guy is no ger tzedek. He is a goy and therefore does not have to be judged lekaf zechut. Maybe the wife as lkwdman said , but the guy definitely not.

By: ac123

ac123 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 14:11:09 +0000

#99
Please refer to post #92. Apparently it wasnt only the syrians who had a problem. They were the only ones who acted and took care of it though.

By: lkwdman101

lkwdman101 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 13:08:18 +0000

All I have details on is the concrete proof that mr floyd is in fact a goy, and if any conversion of any sort was performed on him, it was not a sincere conversion, nor did he have any sort of desire being jewish. In our kehila, this is not a debatable issue in the least sense. We were told by the rabbi’s involved Including “Ike lewis” mentioned i nthe asbury park press to keep our mouths shut until further notice.

Regarding Mrs Levy, I know her well. she lived across the street from me for 2 years before moving. She spoke in my house once, and was very friendly with all members of our kehila. Having known she knew he was a goy all along leaves us feeling somewhat betrayed- she did in fact lie to us- but deep down, you can just tell by the way she spoke and conducted herself that she loved the lakewood life. Having been involved in this case from the very begining- I truly concur with those mentioning it is our job to judge HER lekaf zchus and do what we can to help her. I hope that bH she is able to overcome this bump i nthe road and b’H be able to continue to serve Hashem the way she was the past 3 years in Lakewood.

By: Yiddishe Mameh

Yiddishe Mameh — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 07:37:46 +0000

I just wonder….on the remote chance that there was a kosher geirus and that the Levis really intend to live as shomrei Torah umitzvos, how would they feel after reading some of the comments on this website? I wonder if it would make them change their minds and decide to drop everything.

By: smh1

smh1 — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:42:11 +0000

An addition to #100:
Mr.”lomdun Gomur” – Did you ever hear of “V’Ahavta Es HaGer, Ki Gairim Hayisem” – you must love the ger, since you were once gairim (in Mitzrayim)- Devarim 10:19. See what the Sefer HaChinuch says on this mitzvah!
Rereading your post #68, “what did Klal yisroel need this for”, perhaps you meant the whole sad ma’aseh, and all its ramifications, NOT davka gairim.
If so, you might want to express yourself more clearly. this is a very delicate subject!

By: azh

azh — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:33:43 +0000

If you read this far, you deserve to know that #41 & #57 are right.

By: marbehshalom

marbehshalom — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 03:09:57 +0000

ONe of the reasons of the galus is to accept geirim. but as long as the ashkenazim will accept geirim , the sphardim can be yotzei with the ashkenazim or vuz vuzim

By: dont have internet

dont have internet — Thu, 03 Apr 2008 01:19:32 +0000

lkwdman101 —what do u know and could u please share it with us???