משיח איז נישט געקומען אינדערהיים! איז דא א שפריך ווארט, אינדערהיים האבן די אלע מחלוקות'ער ליידער געברענגט א היטלער ל"ע,
און קום נישט מיט קיין מעשיות - וואס רובם ככולם איז שקר וכזב - פארענטפערן מעשה רציחה!
אויף א מחוצף דארף מען ווארפן פאשקעווילן, נאכשרייען אין די גאסן,
אבער חלילה וחלילה שעדיגן א אידיש קינד!
שעדיגן א איד מעג נאר א בי"ד של ע"א וואס האבן סמיחה, און ס'נישט דא קיין לימוד זכות אויפן באשילדיגטן.

תוקן על ידי קוק_ווינקל ב- 28/05/2011 01:44:00

Hasidic burn victim wants US, NY to investigate

A lawyer for a man who was badly burned at his home in a Hasidic Jewish village is seeking a federal investigation into what he calls "hate crimes" by the community's religious leadership.

By JIM FITZGERALD

Associated Press
-WHITE PLAINS, N.Y. —

A lawyer for a man who was badly burned at his home in a Hasidic Jewish village is seeking a federal investigation into what he calls "hate crimes" by the community's religious leadership.

He said the attack evoked "the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Germany."

The attorney, Michael Sussman, in a letter dated Thursday, said Sunday's violence was the culmination of months of harassment directed by religious leaders of New Square, headed by Grand Rebbe David Twersky, against Aron Rottenberg. The Hasidic sect that populates New Square, about 30 miles northwest of New York City, was decimated during the Holocaust.

Relatives said Rottenberg, 43, was targeted because he stopped worshipping at New Square's main synagogue. Sussman said Rottenberg prays with a new congregation outside the village.

Sussman's letter to U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Attorney General Eric Schneiderman said intolerance has long infected New Square. He described the attitude as, "Obey the Grand Rebbe or face harassment, violence and expulsion."

A woman who answered the phone at the synagogue office Friday hung up on a reporter. Twersky said in a speech Thursday that the use of force is "never permissible."

In a translation provided by the Committee of Friends of New Square, a group of concerned citizens whose spokesman is political consultant Hank Sheinkopf, Twersky said, "I am anguished by the heartbreaking events of this past week. ... We who have suffered so much from brutality must embody the path of peace and tranquility."

Twersky said New Square takes pride in its unity but, "Unity does not mean agreement on everything. It means the willingness to live side by side and to love one another, despite differences."

Early Sunday morning, Rottenberg suffered third-degree burns over half his body when he confronted behind his house a man who was carrying a flammable liquid in a bottle. Rottenberg is hospitalized in New York City.

Police arrested teenager Shaul Spitzer, a village resident who also was burned. Spitzer, 18, was arraigned in his hospital room Tuesday on charges of attempted murder, attempted arson and assault. Police said he apparently was trying to burn down Rottenberg's house.

A lawyer for Spitzer didn't immediately return a phone call seeking comment Friday.

Rottenberg's son-in-law, Moshed Elbaum, said Thursday the family had received anonymous phone calls saying, "Your house won't be worth a penny."

"That means they're going to burn it down," Elbaum said.

Rottenberg's wife, Ruth Rottenberg, said, "We're terrified of everyone now."

Police said they would investigate thoroughly, but Sussman said local authorities do little because of the congregation's political influence. New Square often delivers a bloc vote. For example, in the 2000 U.S. Senate race, Democratic contender Hillary Rodham Clinton took 1,400 of New Square's 1,412 votes.

New Square grand rabbi speaks on arson attack; lawyer calls for federal investigation

9:22 AM, May. 27, 2011 |

38Comments

NEW SQUARE — Grand Rabbi David Twersky, dynastic leader of the Skver Hasidim, has asked his people to pray for the village resident severely burned in an arson attack on Sunday. At the same time, the lawyer for the burned man is calling for a federal investigation.

The lawyer, Michael Sussman, representing Aron Rottenberg and his family, described the violence in strong language as he addressed Eric Holder, U.S. attorney general, in a letter.

"This horrific act, evocative of the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Germany, culminated months of bigotry, harassment, and violence toward the Rottenberg family directed by the village's religious leadership headed by Grand Rebbe David Twersky."

Besides Holder, Sussman addressed Gov. Andrew Cuomo and state Attorney General Eric Schneideman in the letter.

Until yesterday, Twersky had been publicly silent, though unsigned notices of sympathy have been posted in the synagogue. The community religious court has condemned the attack.

"Violence has never been our way," Twersky said, according to a website that posted a telephone number to hear his speech in Yiddish with an English translation.

"The holiday of Shavuos is a time of healing and I hope that as the holiday approaches the people in our village will be like that of the Jews at the time of the giving of the Torah 'as one person with one heart,'" Twersky said.

Rottenberg, 43, had been targeted by the community's religious leaders since September for refusing to pray in the grand rabbi's synagogue, a violation of the rabbi's rules, his family and lawyer have said.

His family and supporters said the campaign culmiunated with an arson attack on Sunday that left Rottenberg gravely ill with third-degree burns across 50 percent of his body.

Sussman said in his letter the incident was not an isolated incident.

"It illustrates a systemic crisis of religious bigotry and intolerance that has, for decades, infected the Village of New Square," he wrote to Holder.

New Square leaders have denied anyone ordered the grand rabbi's follower, Shaul Spitzer, 18, to burn down the family's Truman Avenue house - near the main synagogue

PAGE 2.

An unnamed group of New Square residents had previously issued a statement of sympathy for Rottenberg and Shaul Spitzer, 18, through Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic Party consultant.

Sheinkopf has declined to identify the group members. He was aware of the rabbi's statement.

Rottenberg, a plumber and father of four children, confronted Shaul Spitzer, 18, and an incendiary device went off, Ramapo police said. The incident occurred before 4 a.m. Sunday.

Rottenberg underwent skin grafts this week and faces more surgery in Westchester Medical Center, his family has said. His son-in-law, Moshe Elbaum, said he was feeling better this morning.

Spitzer, who once lived in the grand rabbi's house and worked as a butler, is charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted arson and first-degree assault.

His family and friends posted $300,000 cash bail, as he remains in Cornell Medical Center burn unit with third-degree burns to his hands.

Check back later for updates on this story and read more Saturday in The Journal News and on LoHud.com.

_________________

Written by

Steve Lieberman,
Shawn Cohen and Gary Stern

New Square rabbi condemns violence; burn victim's family seeks federal probe

9:11 PM, May. 27, 2011

NEW SQUARE — Grand Rebbe David Twersky publicly denounced violence and said he's praying for Aron Rottenberg's recovery from Sunday's near-fatal arson attack in his community, but the victim's family on Friday rejected the overture and blamed the rabbi for inciting the attack by a teenage assistant who slept in his home.

The family said in a statement that the Skver Hasidim's rabbi "gave the clear signals to continue with this terror against any non-believers of him. As this attacker came directly from his own inner circle, the rabbi's personal butler, who personally knows best of the rabbi's will and desires firsthand."

Twersky on Thursday issued his first public response to a group of students. Trans of the speech were widely circulated on the Internet.

"The use of force and violence to make a point or settle an argument violates Skver's most fundamental principles," the rabbi said.

Shaul Spitzer, 18, is charged with attempted murder in the attack that left Rottenberg with third -degree burns across 50 percent of his body. The teen, who is also hospitalized with third-degree burns to his hands, is accused of trying to set the family's Truman Avenue house on fire.

On Friday, Rottenberg's lawyer wrote U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, calling for a federal investigation of the "religiously motivated" hate crime.

"This horrific act, evocative of the Ku Klux Klan and Nazi Germany, culminated months of bigotry, harassment and violence toward the Rottenberg family directed by the village's religious leadership headed by Grand Rebbe David Twersky," lawyer Michael Sussman of Orange County wrote.

Detective Lt. Mark Emma of the Ramapo police said that "there may be federal crimes involved" and that his department would not rule out assistance from the U.S. Attorney's Office and the FBI.

Until Thursday, Twersky had been publicly silent on the attack, though the community's religious court had condemned it. Unsigned notices of sympathy also had been posted in the community's synagogue

"Let me state this clearly and forcefully," Twersky declared. "We condemn in the strongest possible terms the use of violence under any circumstances. We who have suffered so much from brutality must embody the path of peace and tranquility."

Twersky also spoke about Rottenberg, the target of a campaign of protest and violence since September when he refused to pray in the rabbi's synagogue, and about Spitzer.

"I pray for the full recovery of those who have been injured. May Hashem (God) send them a speedy recovery," Twersky said. "The yom tov of Shevuos, which commemorates the receiving of the Torah, is a time of healing. I hope that as the holiday approaches, the people in our village will be like that of the Jews at the time of the giving of the Torah 'as one person with one heart.' "

Rottenberg's family said the rabbi had not called or visited Rottenberg, 43, who has lived in New Square for more than 30 years. They said they found Twersky's words insincere and too late, as Rottenberg lay gravely ill in a hospital bed at Westchester Medical Center after hours on the operating table for skin grafts.

The rabbi and his inner circle were aware that their underlings were terrorizing the Rottenberg family since September and did nothing to make peace, the family said.

"So this is not accepted as apology of him the rabbi or his congregation or his (controlled) village," the statement said.

Rottenberg encountered Spitzer with flammable liquid outside the family home early Sunday, police said. They struggled, and both were burned.

Emma, of the Ramapo police, said Spitzer's shirt was soaked with gasoline. He said that when Rottenberg caught him, he might have had a lit match that set both of them on fire.

Sussman said in his letter to Holder that the incident followed a pattern. He has decried the religious theocracy controlling New Square and other religious communities that stifle democracy.

"It illustrates a systemic crisis of religious bigotry and intolerance that has, for decades, infected the Village of New Square," he wrote.

Sussman said part of the problem is cowardice and that a desire for the community's bloc vote stops elected officials from speaking out.

During a Monday news conference, Ramapo Supervisor Christopher St. Lawrence said he believed Deputy Mayor Israel Spitzer's claim that the attack on Rottenberg was isolated and resulted from "personal issues" with the suspect. The suspect and deputy mayor are cousins.

New Square leaders have denied that anyone ordered Shaul Spitzer or any of the grand rebbe's followers to burn down the family's house, 100 yards from the main synagogue.

Twersky, Israel Spitzer and other village leaders have not responded to media inquiries. U.S. Sen. Charles Schumer also declined comment, spokesman Matt House said.

Anti-Defamation League spokesman Todd Gutnick said the organization would await the results of the Ramapo police investigation before commenting.

The state Attorney General's Office does not have original jurisdiction and can only get involved if it receives a referral from the Governor's Office, according to state executive law.

The Rockland District Attorney's Office would have to make the referral to the governor. District Attorney Thomas Zugibe said his office is working with Ramapo police in their investigation.

Shaul Spitzer is charged with second-degree attempted murder, first-degree attempted arson and first-degree assault.

Jacob Yakov Spitzer, 24, of Truman Avenue put up his brother's $300,000 cash bail with help from members of the community.

Shaul Spitzer remains in the Cornell Medical Center burn unit in Manhattan.

http://www.lohud.com/article/20110528/NEWS03/105280346/New-Square-rabbi-condemns-violence-burn-victim-s-family-seeks-federal-probe?odyssey=tab%7Ctopnews%7Ctext%7CNews

Police seek tips

Ramapo police are seeking witnesses to the arson attack and whether any other New Square residents have been harassed or victimized.
People can call the Ramapo Police Department at 845-357-2400 or the department's confidential TIPS line at 888-998-8477.
All information will will be kept confidential.