Two yeshiva bochrim who crossed into the United States from Canada without the necessary papers were taken into custody, apparently suspected of drug involvement. The two were held in closed confinement by Vermont police until they were released on bail due to the intervention of people from the “Aleph” organization.
A brother of one of the boys – both of whom are Israeli citizens – explains that the two learn in a Canadian yeshiva and they decided to take a break and re-enter the USA after Pessach for a break and to see family. Somewhere along the way it became evident to them that they will not be permitted to cross the border without documents which they did not have. They decided ‘to go for it’ and they entered a wooded area in the hope of entering illegally. They apparently entered Vermont.
Apparently, they were spotted by an area resident who notified police. It is important to understand there is increased vigilance in the area along the border against drug smugglers, which is what prompted the person who detected them to summon police, fearing they were indeed drug agents since they were observed trekking in the woods.
After a small chase, the two were apprehended and placed in jail. It does not appear police bothered to make an effort to validate fears that they smuggled drugs the brother reported.
At this point enters Rav Kanleski, from Aleph, an organization dealing with the needs of Jewish prisoners throughout Europe. Due to his intervention, the two were only charged with entering the United States illegally, opting to ignore drug smuggling allegations. They were left with two options, eviction from the United States to Canada or Israel.
The trial date was set for two weeks. In the interim, local Chabad shluchim are seeing to the religious and dietary needs. The trial was then postponed but the suspects were permitted to remain under house arrest in America on $20,000, with a promise they would not leave the country. They were released on bail last week.
The rav explained that of late, his organization has dealt with “tens of cases” in which bochrim enter countries and are suspected of drug trafficking. He attributes this to the fact that in a number of cases, Jews were indeed apprehended with drugs.
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19 Responses
thank god america is not japan as bad as it is to get arrested its not that bad compared to what would have happened to them in japan
It is frightening to regard the lawlessness in many segments of our community. Education is sorely needed, as noted above. Perhaps requiring visits to prison would bring the reality of “crime doesn’t pay” into the minds of those who need to learn it.
Too bad they weren’t Mexicans or Cubans because then there would NEVER have been a problem.
What a chillul Hashem – Our children need to be taught that the Torah requires a greater degree of respect for law and for law enforcement. I find this embarrassing.
There is tendency among Israelis to decide the law on their own without recognition that there may be consequences to deal with. It is not only the religious rather the Israeli culture.
WHY? that is a question to ponder.
All of you should be ashamed of yourselves for suspecting fellow Jews. Can you not judge them favorably that they didn’t realize what they were doing until it was to late?
Israelis are used to ignore the police.
Israel is the only place where I see people (including myself!) crossing a red light at a pedestrian crossing while two police officers are standing on the other side watching, and we simply don’t care.
They were sneaking in the woods. They knew they were breaking the law. Don’t excuse it because they are Israelis. They are still Jews and they are still yeshiva bochrim who should be educated to the highest standards of honest.
Re #9 – Hey IUseBrains;Use yours to look up cognitive dissonance in the dictionary. Or at least read the story carefully.
Flatbusher, generalization is a very dangerous thing. One can generlize about your kind too. You buy things you don’t need with money you don’t have to impress people you don’t like. I sense the old inferiority complex. Leave our beautiful yeshiva bochurim alone.
all you people bashing yeshiva people, would you take it better if they davened at the local YI or attended YU or if they were chas v’sholom pashuta yiddin???
SHAME ON ALL OF YOU !!
#14, no one is bashing “yeshiva people.” They are expressing their opinions on two specific Jewish boys who knowingly broke the law. Big difference.
Re # 14 by good ole mark levin –
Let me understand you –
1. Being “YI or…YU or…chas v’sholom pashuta yiddin…” would pasul the opinion of a Yid;
2. Deciding “to go for it” and illegally enter the country – and then running from police is just ducky behavior; and
3. Criticizing what the boys did is iself an offense against Yidden and Yiddishkeit.
Really!
First, if you really are excusing a deliberate, planned attempt to circumvent the border and then running from police (read the article!) then . . . you are perhaps . . . a tad daft?
Second, shame on YOU for trying to turn this discussion into a useless and destructive hoshkofa fight (for the record, I daven at an Agudath shul . . and my hat is bigger and blacker than yours!) – my kids learned midos in cheder that you have yet to learn when it comes respect for other Yidden
Nebuch, there are enough things for Yidden to get upset about without running off to defend the indefensible.
#2, eric55, in Japan they were caught with drugs, if these boys, were taking drugs and didnt learn their lesson from the Japanese bochurim then by all means they SHOULD rot in jail. as it was they were breaking the law and should get punished.
so very nice that ALEPH will get them off the hook but they deserved to be put over a table and get a good hiding!!!!
and to #9 IUseBrains, well i would tend to argue, i dont think you are using brains right here, they were breaking the law, and going through the woods to try to sneak into the US without papers, well, you tell me why, if not that they knew they were breaking the law, and if they broke the law then you can refer to the end of my last paragraph.
and to #14, Mark Levin, about you we say in Israel, “al Rosh Hakovah Boer Haganav”, who said anything about bochurim or YI or YU.
bottom line, dont break the law and all will be fine
what a shame vermont isn’t on the border of mexico, then all the “area residents” can catch the illegals.
I am not denying the fact that they broke the law. I was pointing out that some people have an agenda when it comes to “yeshiva” people and truth be told it aint kewl no matter who it is and no matter what size (wolfy!) hat you wear.
Wolfy, this had nothing to do with an opinion. That had to do with the nasty comments toward Yeshiva people. FOUR of the first ELEVEN posters made some sort of dig at yeshiva people which was uncalled for.
One more thing, I really dont care what hat size you are (mine is probably bigger but I really dont care) and I dont care if you wear a shvans on your head and I dont care that you daven in an AGUDA as all that means nothing to me.
Again, they did something wrong… YES! But for some people to use derisive yeshiva comments here is not called for.
Gedenk az mir zennin nisht de aynsiga menshin vus layin YWN! V’hameyvin yovin!
M. Savage is right -“Liberalism is a mental disorder.” Our gov’nt only upholds the law on the north side of the border -on the south -it’s an open door policy and they have drugs and swine flu which they bring in.
Can someone pls explain to me how u pass the border by foot its not so easy and anyways these boys deserve to sit for afew days cuz the did brake the law and they will thnk abt what they did and they will also teach a lesson to other ppl (freinds) that want to try it. By the eay there is a very easy way to go from montreal to new york it called the hymans bus they go every nite u get on at nite and off by 6am not bad ha
Mark Levin, let’s raise $2,000,000 for the defense of the Vermont 2, the poor naive yeshiva bochrim who know not what they do but have given the goyim and the non-frum another excuse for hating Yidden and frumkiet.
Mexicans and Cubans at least are willing to die in order to work and feed their families. This is hardly the case here.
And SHAME ON YOU Mark Levin for bashing Yidden who are affiliated with YI and YU. You owe us all an apology.
In case you didn’t notice, the story is about “Two yeshiva bochrim”. How would you feel if it was about “two Arabs”; any different?