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Of Making Many Books

And further, by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end (Ecclesiastes 12:12) A pdf version of this essay  can be downloaded here [*] Years in brackets refer to an individual’s or book author’s year of birth Thought experiment for the day: Anyone born 1945 would be pushing towards 80 and mostly past their prime. So name any Charedi sefer written by someone born post war that has or is likely to enter the canon, be it haloche, lomdus, al hatorah or mussar. Single one will do for now — IfYouTickleUs (@ifyoutickleus) July 27, 2022 A tweet in the summer which gained some traction asked for a book by an author born from 1945 onwards that has entered the Torah and rabbinic canon or is heading in that direction. I didn't exactly phrase it this way and some quibbled about 'canonisation'. The word does indeed have a precise meaning though in its popular use it has no narrow definition. Canonisation, or ‘entering the canon’ is generally understood to

Rejoice! Rejoice!

For the unprecedented denouncement by five rabbis of a former colleague not being 'fit and proper to act in any Rabbinic capacity'.

For the silence and shame of the victims

For the rabbi who acted more like a clown than a town rov

For the Rabbinate that allowed women to continue visiting an alleged molester despite first hand knowledge of the allegations

For our rotten and corrupt lay leaders, not a single one of whom has taken any responsibility

For the organisation that calls for the boycott of a local black tailor but remains silent on far worse allegations against a white-socked rabbi

For the numerous notices by the UOHC modesty squad but none for its barely publicised child ‘protection’ line

For the rabbi who is concerned with women kissing a Sefer Torah but covers up allegations of a rabbi doing far worse to women

For the rabbis summonsing the town to anti-internet offensives while doing nothing on allegations of lewd rabbinical emails and texts

For the rabbi who bans sharing a platform with reform but readily turns up for photo-ops with a rabbi under police investigation for alleged sexual crimes

For the intimidated witnesses and knobbled Beth Din

For a shul split in two with more than a majority forming a breakaway

For a community torn asunder by allegations of the most heinous nature

Rejoice! Celebrate! Jubilate! Lift your glasses in cheer. Hold up your hands to heaven. Raise your feet in dance. Let your kiddush drams overflow.

The prayers have worked, the Psalms have performed, the victims have been silenced, the police have backed off, the Beth Din is forgotten and life can resume. For victims 'the police is not the solution' but for the alleged perps the police is a fount of justice and the source of truth. Forget about Torah and tznius and all that nonsense for the masses, if the cops say no law was broken then the rabbi must be as innocent as his leg wear. And if there was consent then let him re-ascend the pulpit.

But for now the investigation is over, the suspect released without charge and the victims will just have to stew.

L'Chaim!

Comments

  1. Reb Tickle, will you now please turn up the heat?!

    We may have lost the first battle, but the war is far from over! I can't help but think that it's 'bashert' that this came out before Chanuka, so that again we will have iyh many many families talking about this very important issue over the lakes and doughnuts!

    Please keep it up!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. There are no victims.
    RCH is a victim of a libellous campaign.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Gospel according to St Matthew. Yeah right! And the Pope is Jewish.

      Delete
  3. Macher on the hill16 November, 2013 22:42

    Whoever thought victims would go to court does not understand our community.

    All the reporting restrictions in the world do not help when the community uses word of mouth rather than the press to keep itself informed.

    With no victims ready to go to court there is no chance of a trial.

    In any event, we have a happy DC community busy celebrating innocence and other rabonim busy insisting on guilt.

    Hey, what's new?

    ReplyDelete
  4. Hold on. You are being a bit unfair and rather one sided.
    1. The police (say that) they fully investigated the matter and did not find evidence to justify sending the case to the DPP. They have not, and cannot, comment on the guilt or otherwise of the alleged perpetrator.
    2. Following from the above there has never been produced an iota of "hard" evidence to justify the allegations. Not one person has come forward and said "Yes, I am a victim". Not one.
    3. There is, of course, the original Gilui Daas signed by 5 eminent Rabbonim but it was rather vague and had no actual allegations and certainly no hard evidence. It is common knowledge that relations between the signers of the Gilui Daas and the alleged perpetrator have for many years(to put it mildly) not been of the best. We also know that the most honourable Rabbonim are prepared to, and often do, publish outright lies (as part of what they say is) for K'vod Shomayim. The classic, but by no means only, case is the attack on the Belzer Rebbe about 40 years ago published world-wide which had over 100 signatures, many of them by Rabbonim who are considered by many, myself included, to be among the most eminent in the world that contained several outright lies. I repeat, outright lies. They lied!
    4. An independent court of enquiry had been set up by the UOHC beis din to investigate the allegations but had to suspend operations because they said that with the police investigation it had become sub judice (Strictly speaking, it hadn't. A matter cannot be sub judice until it has been referred to the courts, i.e. at the least the alleged perpetrator must have been charged) We should at least wait until we hear if the investigating beis din is now going to be (re)convened and if so what are its terms of reference going to be.
    4. Regarding the other matters you say which are not not connected with the RCH matter. They are common knowledge and are the reason why the UOHC Rabbinate and all connected with them have lost all respect by all right thinking people in London. But this has nothing to do with the RCH matter.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Anonymous - utter tosh. RSW was on the best of terms with Chaim Halpern and is known to everyone as a man if utmost integrity. Reb Gershon Hager is an ish emes and wrote what he wrote. Reb Dovid Tugendhaft was his talmid muvhak and warned people against him. Reb Meir Rapoport did shimush with him for years and tells people not to ask him shaales. Rabbi Roberts told me personally that CH is a 'predator'. Dayan Lichtenstein was on the same side as the Halperns in the past but is now fiercely opposed. Reb Chaim Rapoport is nobody's enemy and generally pro-chassidim but warns people away from CH. The only rabbonim supporting him are those who support every molester in a shtreimel. It won't wash. However big the CH cult gets, it will never be mainstream again. Good riddance.

    ReplyDelete
  6. Bye Bye.
    You do neither yourself nor your cause any good by writing out list of names of Rabbonim.
    If RPR or RSW etc really consider RCH a predator why did they not go to the police when they had the opportunity?
    All the points I made still stand.
    For emphasis I repeat. Rabbonim cannot be trusted. They will, and often do, tell outright lies when (they believe) it suits them or will serve them or some agenda in which they have an interest.
    (E.G. the Kosher le'Pesach foil dishes!)

    ReplyDelete
  7. RCH has been the victim of a campaign to besmirch him.
    There was never any evidence of wrongdoing on his part.
    That the police have dropped all charges, is a great disappointment to the rumour mongers.
    The rumour mongers conned the rabbis but not the police.
    Nasty and unscrupulous people will continue to use the blogs in order to denigrate a great manhig and mashpiah.
    They have their own filthy agenda.They are trying to justify their own shortcomings and to generally lower standards of observance in our community.
    The rabbis who came out against RCH should not be attacked.They are all fine and important leaders ,but being human beings are prone to error.Such happenings are not unique in the history of our people.
    That the whole sad parshah has been a subject of discussion amongst our primary school children is an indication of the irresponsibility of parents ,but the greatest perpetrators of the chilul Hashem are the bloggers.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Pi Ha'osoin

    How do you know he isn't? If he is he wouldn't be the first one.

    ReplyDelete
  9. This week at Seuda Shlishis RSW spoke about how a Rabbi told him that x was the victim of abuse but "it's only a bit of abuse, they'll get over it"... RSW went mad with him, and said at SS that we should not let powerful people with money stand in the way of victims giving testimony.

    Rather telling

    ReplyDelete
  10. It is important to understand the role of the police and the CPS. If you care to read the email from the police on the chscandal blog you will see that the police confirm that they carried out a full investigation and they then passed on the file to the Crown Prosecution Service who decided not to bring any charges.

    The police's role is to gather evidence and interview witnesses and suspects while the CPS's role is to decide whether to press charges.

    There are 2 considerations for this: 1. whether there is a realistic prospect of a conviction and 2. whether a prosecution is in the public interest. I think we can safely rule out 2 and so we are left with the conclusion that the CPS did not believe a conviction is likely.

    Without going into the rights and wrongs of this case, before people bandy about the police they should understand this procedure.

    The CPS website says that "When [the police] think they know who did the crime and have enough evidence to prove it, or when they need advice, they show the file to a Prosecutor."

    The fact that the police sent the file to the CPS suggests that the police thought that they had something of a case. It was evidently not a strong case as no charges were brought. However,while he may be entirely innocent not being charged is still not the same as being cleared.

    ReplyDelete
  11. CPS
    Suppose he HAD been charged. He would have gone for an "old style" committal where at the very least named witnesses would have had to be quoted in order to get the magistrate to commit him for trial.
    Mrs./Miss X would not have been there but everybody would know who she is.
    Your imagination should be tell you what would happen next.
    You remember the high profile abuse case in Stamford Hill in 1991. You should.

    ReplyDelete
  12. If Halpern wishes to exonerate himself a good place to start might be to release a transcript of his police interviews. Did he 'plead the fifth' (as they say in the US)? Did he deny the allegations altogether? Did he say of any allegations that they were consensual?

    Whatever he said can then be compared to what he told the 5 Rabbonim and what he told/will tell the beth din if and when it returns.

    ReplyDelete
  13. You should know the following:
    1. All the Rabbonim who claim the Harav Chaim is guilty have negios and have it in for him and are all lying
    2. All the women and girls who claim that Harav Chaim is guilty of gross misconduct and that he touched them inappropriately or just spoke to them in provocative ways, are all crazy and are lying
    3. When Harav Chaim arm wrestled with the women, the women and girls required it part of their therapy treatment and had the full consent and haskomo from the Amshinover Rebbe
    4. The police dropped all charges and they together with the CPS have certainly investigated any claims made against him including those of being worthy of being called a Rabbi according to English law
    5. Any Rov who is not a litvak and is completely impartial say he is innocent after fully investigating the case. Just ask any chusheve Rov from Stamford Hill
    6. Harav Chaim only stepped down from his public positions because he was threatened by the GD Rabonim and nothing to do with admission of guilt. He has always in the past been afraid of his sonim
    7. The outside Beis Din will not return because the GD Rabonim and all his sonim will put pressure on them not to return as they know he will be found innocent

    The truth will prevail and justice will be served...

    ReplyDelete
  14. No sir.
    The right of silence while in England, unlike the US 5th, is not absolute it is still a fundamental right and you cannot infer anything from it. There is no obligation to justify unsubstantiated allegations. Regardless of who makes them and to whom or about whom they are made. In this case we don't even know who made them.The prosecution has to prove. Period. The halacha is the same.
    Re what he told the 5 Rabbonim. They haven't published what he told them so why should he.
    As of now the "not guilty" side appears to have the upper hand.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Could 'chaim shel..' be the Porky whom we encountered last year? Smells of it! Certainly we should be shown in writing the "full consent and haskomo of the Amshinover Rebbe"

    ReplyDelete
  16. פי האסון
    You really live up to your well chosen name.Your comments are really asinine .
    Matthew is as Jewish a name as is Michael or Jacob.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Perhaps. But the stuff you spout is pure new testament.

      Delete
  17. have you never heard of sarcasm? anybody who believes every line is nuts!
    of course I am writing the crazy claims the "innocent" party are saying.
    but it is just to show how mental they are...

    ReplyDelete
  18. If the Amshinover consented to even half of CH modern approach to medicine, then it pains me to say this but he also has what to answer for....

    ReplyDelete
  19. Plenty heimishe yidden called Michael or Jacob. How many do you know called Matthew?

    ReplyDelete
  20. Chaim Shel.

    Can you please one Choshuve Rov in Stamford Hill who fully investigated the case?

    ReplyDelete
  21. Most of you have missed the point. The anti RCHs said go to the police. So the matter was handed to the police. They (they say) fully investigated the matter and released him with a clean bill of health. It's no use moving the goalposts after the match. Until and unless some rock-hard evidence is produced we must accept that he is innocent.

    IMHO The key point is not the RCH pro/cons but the various other points about the UOHC rabbinate in Mr. Tickle's original post which so far have not been, and cannot be because they are substantially true, disputed.

    ReplyDelete
  22. He was not given a clean bill of health. The police passed the file to the CPS, so they thought there was a case, but the CPS decided not to prosecute as presumably the evidence was not enough to get a conviction. We can speculate why there was not enough evidence.

    ReplyDelete
  23. Anonymous 20:47
    Not necessarily correct. Passing a file to CPS does NOT mean the police think they have a case. They are given, by either an alleged victim or some other source, certain information. They often automatically pass it straight on to the CPS while continuing their enquiries. At any time either of them can say there is a case to answer in which case the alleged perpetrator is charged or there isn't and drop the case. It doesn't follow the reason the case was dropped is because they didn't have enough evidence to secure a conviction. There are many reasons why cases are dropped. Why they did, I don't know. But the anti RCHs went to the police hoping they would be vindicated, it was THEIR choice and they were unsuccessful.
    As of now RCH is like any citizen of good character.

    At this point it must be mentioned that it is not impossible the case was dropped for "public interest" reasons. Such things have been known to happen. Especially when there are likely to be unpredictable ripple effects from the charging of a VIP.

    Either way I see you do not dispute the main point of my earlier post headed IMHO.

    How RCH comes out of this can be disputed but the real losers here are the UOHC Rabbonim and particularly REP. And deservedly so.

    ReplyDelete
  24. beis din shmeis din26 November, 2013 08:07

    In any event our local rabonim in GG have ruled, either in the Giluy Daas or by speaking to their individual congregation.

    The police are currently taking no further action.

    One of the GD rabonim has said that he fully expects the beis din to return.

    This is not yet over.

    ReplyDelete
  25. Reb Tickle, any chance of a repost or tweet of the "Chaimke Chaimke" song from last year??
    Can't find it going back in the blog posts
    תזכה למצוות

    ReplyDelete
  26. Just to let you know. I spoke today to someone quite high up in the UOHC (during Chanuka I daven mincha/maariv in Stamford Hill)who told that the sole purpose of suggesting the independent beis din was to appease the antis and to avoid the alleged victims etc. going to the civil authorities. Now that in the eyes of the law Reb Chaim has a clean bill of health there is no necessity and nothing to be gained by setting up the beis din.

    ReplyDelete
  27. The only humorous part of this incredibly unhumorous situation is your blog. This is exceptionally sad and disheartening.

    ReplyDelete
  28. What abuse story in 1991?


    Never heard of it.

    ReplyDelete
  29. No post on 'Milking controversy'?
    Nothing to say on the new symbol appearing on RBK's milk? After three years its suddenly kosher enough?

    ReplyDelete
  30. What a shame. Anyone who wants to be makpid on cholov yisroel is now forced to pay money to those kleptomaniacs.

    ReplyDelete
  31. They're coming back
    They're coming back
    They're coming
    The Beis Din are coming back

    ReplyDelete

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