Hatemongers have targeted Brooklyn’s Orthodox community with a
vicious assault, a string of synagogue thefts and anti-Semitic vandalism
targeting synagogues and Jewish neighborhoods. In the most
disturbing incident, a mob of six black teenagers shouting, “Dirty Jew!”
and “Dirty kike!” repeatedly bashed Marc Heinberg, 61, as he walked
home from temple in Sheepshead Bay on June 15 at 9:15 p.m.
A
thief or thieves also swiped seven silver ataras — decorative neckbands
worth up to $600 each that are part of Orthodox prayer shawls — from
five synagogues in Midwood last week.
And on June 19, vandals armed with a BB gun shot out windows of a
dozen cars on Lee Avenue in Williamsburg, while a punk wrote “F--k Jews”
in 3-by-3-foot letters at the Kererster synagogue on Berry Street.
Wednesday, June 27, 2012
Friday, June 22, 2012
Hasidic Extortion
Four Hasidic men were busted yesterday for trying to
make a sensational sex-abuse case against a prominent Brooklyn rabbi
vanish by intimidating potential witnesses in his upcoming trial.
“No one can engage in this kind of conduct and feel free that, based on prior experience, nothing is going to happen,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, who’s come under heavy criticism for his handling of cases involving alleged perverts from the ultra-Orthodox community.
“Intimidation of victims and witnesses in sex-abuse cases in the Orthodox community is what has made prosecuting these cases so difficult,” Hynes said.
Abraham Rubin, 48, was charged with offering a $500,000 bribe to a
young woman and her boyfriend so they could “basically disappear” and
leave the country, after they had accused Rabbi Nechemya Weberman of
molesting her during spiritual- counseling sessions when she was 12.
“He has no regard for the system,” Assistant District Attorney Josh Hanshaft said of Rubin. “He thumbed his nose at the system.”
“No one can engage in this kind of conduct and feel free that, based on prior experience, nothing is going to happen,” said Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, who’s come under heavy criticism for his handling of cases involving alleged perverts from the ultra-Orthodox community.
“Intimidation of victims and witnesses in sex-abuse cases in the Orthodox community is what has made prosecuting these cases so difficult,” Hynes said.
“He has no regard for the system,” Assistant District Attorney Josh Hanshaft said of Rubin. “He thumbed his nose at the system.”
Thursday, June 21, 2012
Atheist Alliance International Condemns Jail Sentence for Alexander Aan
Atheist Alliance International condemns the verdict against Alexander
Aan, the Indonesian atheist who was attacked and arrested after posting
'God does not exist' on Facebook. Alexander Aan was today jailed for
two years and six months for blasphemy under Indonesia's criminal code.
He was also fined Rp 100 million (c. US$10,600).
Carlos A. Diaz, President of Atheist Alliance International, said "Alex simply stated his personal view on the topic of religion, yet he now faces years in jail. This judgement is an affront to the principles of freedom of speech and freedom of conscience. Indonesia's blasphemy laws are archaic, an embarrassment to a country that appears to be striving to join the developed world and should be repealed immediately."
Atheist Alliance International has been running an appeal to assist with Alexander Aan's legal expenses and support his family since he was arrested in January this year. Donate at www.atheistalliance.org/support-aai/donate (Legal/Support Fund for Alex Aan).
TAKE ACTION: Please contact the Indonesian authorities to condemn Alex Aan's jail sentence and to call for the immediate repeal of Indonesia's blasphemy laws.
Carlos A. Diaz, President of Atheist Alliance International, said "Alex simply stated his personal view on the topic of religion, yet he now faces years in jail. This judgement is an affront to the principles of freedom of speech and freedom of conscience. Indonesia's blasphemy laws are archaic, an embarrassment to a country that appears to be striving to join the developed world and should be repealed immediately."
Atheist Alliance International has been running an appeal to assist with Alexander Aan's legal expenses and support his family since he was arrested in January this year. Donate at www.atheistalliance.org/support-aai/donate (Legal/Support Fund for Alex Aan).
TAKE ACTION: Please contact the Indonesian authorities to condemn Alex Aan's jail sentence and to call for the immediate repeal of Indonesia's blasphemy laws.
Monday, June 18, 2012
Sinagogue's Account Used To Launder Money
Last Updated: 6:04 AM, June 18, 2012
Posted: 1:15 AM, June 18, 2012
In an unholy conspiracy, the bank accounts of the main temple in
Borough Park’s Bobov Hasidic community were used as a secret conduit for
big-time money-laundering, newly released FBI documents allege.
Convicted
con man and religious rat Solomon Dwek told the feds in 2006 that
Congregation Shaarei Zion was “used to launder a lot of cash,” FBI
records show.
Dwek said the cash was passed through businessman
Chaskie Rosenberg, who made headlines in 2003 when he sued MetLife after
the company fired him.
“An internal review disclosed Mr.
Rosenberg appeared to have violated company policies and procedures
involving speculative insurance sales and possible accessory to
money-laundering violations,” Dwek told agents.
Dwek was the key
player in New Jersey’s biggest political-corruption case ever — a case
that helped launch the political career of New Jersey Gov. Chris
Christie, the state’s top federal lawman at the time.
Dwek rolled over to save himself from a possible 30-year prison sentence after he was arrested on a $50 million bank fraud.
Dwek, a real-estate swindler, ratted out 15 Orthodox Jews — five rabbis among them.
Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/klyn_hasid_temple_in_agogue_fbi_xHY0GoPETnVjiRAb6LKHxK#ixzz1yAACT1nZ
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
The Truth About Psychic Detectives
Psychic detectives seem to be everywhere: on TV, in the news, on cable
shows. TV hosts such as Larry King and Montel Williams regularly promote
psychic detectives, and many of them claim to find missing persons and
solve cases for police and the FBI. It all sounds impressive, but how
good is the scientific evidence for their claims? On May 21st, drawing on a decade of
personal investigations and case studies, Benjamin Radford, in conversation with Massimo Pigliucci, revealed a
side to psychic detectives that you won't see on Medium or Larry King
Live.
Click here to watch the video on Center for Inquiry's YouTube page:
Thursday, June 7, 2012
Society for Humanistic Judaism Speaks Out Against School Vouchers
Farmington
Hills, MI — The Society for Humanistic Judaism condemns the attempts in
this country to fund private schools, especially religious schools,
with public funds. As Humanistic Jews, we recognize that a free and
public education is a cornerstone of democracy. Using public funds in
the guise of school vouchers, tax credits, and scholarships diverts much
needed resources from public schools, decreasing
the quality of public education and widening the educational inequality
between rich and poor students.
School
vouchers, tax credits, and scholarship programs disproportionately
provide public funding for religious education, breaching our
constitutional
guarantee that government will not support the establishment of
religion. Nearly 70 percent of private schools, which enroll 80 percent
of private school students, provide religious education, often
compelling students to attend religious services, regardless
of their beliefs, and teaching religious doctrine in place of accepted
scientific facts. Providing public tax dollars through vouchers, tax
credits and scholarships is providing selective support for religious
ideologies and practice.
While
publicly-funded school vouchers, tax credits, and scholarship programs
are promoted as offering parents and students a choice, in reality
the choice is made by the private schools. Unlike public schools,
private schools are able to discriminate on the basis of income,
religion, disabilities, and other characteristics. Voucher schools are
not required to accept special needs students.
The Society for Humanistic Judaism has issued a statement opposing public funding of private schools that reads in part:
As Humanistic Jews, we believe that publicly-funded vouchers, or scholarships, or tax credits – while
purporting to be about choice – in reality result in the direct
government funding of religious education in violation of Establishment
Clause principles as embodied by the First Amendment.
The statement concludes:
Accordingly, we, the
Society for Humanistic Judaism, oppose all vouchers, scholarships, and
tax credits that divert resources from public schools to the benefit of
private schools, especially schools that are
religious in nature. Religious education must always remain privately
funded so as to protect both religion and our democracy.
The full text of the statement can be found online at
http://www.shj.org/SchoolVouchers.html.
The
Society for Humanistic Judaism is the central body for Humanistic
Jewish congregations in North America. Embracing a human-centered
philosophy
of life that combines the celebration of Jewish culture and identity
with an adherence to humanistic values and ideas, the Society creates an
inclusive, nurturing environment for families with children and empty
nesters, pre-schoolers and teens, university
students, young adults and seniors, single parents, intermarried
families, and the GLBT community. Humanistic Jews believe in the human
capacity to create a better world rather than in reliance on a
supernatural power or an omniscient deity, seeking solutions
to human conflicts that respect the dignity, freedom, and self-esteem
of every person. the human capacity to create a better world rather than
in reliance on a supernatural power or an omniscient deity, seeking
solutions to human conflicts that respect the
dignity, freedom, and self-esteem of every person.
This
growing movement provides a community for many unaffiliated Jews who
identify as cultural, secular, “just Jewish,” “not very religious” or
Jewish atheists. Forty-nine percent of the United States' 5.5 million
Jews say that their outlook is secular and forty-eight percent do not
belong to a synagogue or other Jewish organization, according to the
American Jewish Identification Survey undertaken
by professional statisticians under the auspices of the Center for
Jewish Studies at the City University of New York. The Society helps to
organize local congregations and communities, creates and disseminates
celebrational and educational materials, provides
national programs, including programs for teens and young adults, and
serves the needs of individual members who do not live near an existing
Humanistic congregation.
For more information, contact the Society for Humanistic Judaism at 248-478-7610,
www.shj.org.
Wednesday, June 6, 2012
Stand Up For Religious Freedom
Stand Up For Religious Freedom
is a brand new coalition, led by the Pro-Life Action League and
Citizens for a Pro-Life Society. Together, these organizations have
established a nationwide rally to "stop the HHS mandate."
The rallies will be held across the nation on Friday, June 8 at 12 p.m.
This presents an opportunity for the freethought community to "stand up for freedom from religion." The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is asking everyone to help FFRF stand up to Catholic bullies at noon this Friday. Take part in a counterprotest. Chances are the coalition has an event scheduled in your city.
To see where the Catholic Church is holding its phony "religious freedom" pickets, visit the Stand up For Religious Freedom webpage.
Create your own protest sign or print out FFRF's red-white-and-blue slogan. (Click on the image below to view and print a high-resolution file.)
The rallies will be held across the nation on Friday, June 8 at 12 p.m.
This presents an opportunity for the freethought community to "stand up for freedom from religion." The Freedom From Religion Foundation (FFRF) is asking everyone to help FFRF stand up to Catholic bullies at noon this Friday. Take part in a counterprotest. Chances are the coalition has an event scheduled in your city.
To see where the Catholic Church is holding its phony "religious freedom" pickets, visit the Stand up For Religious Freedom webpage.
Create your own protest sign or print out FFRF's red-white-and-blue slogan. (Click on the image below to view and print a high-resolution file.)
Monday, June 4, 2012
National Defense Authorization Act
The House passed its version of the National Defense
Authorization Act (H.R. 4310) which contained two amendments that claim
to protect servicemembers’ and chaplains’ rights of conscience and
prohibit the use of military facilities for gay marriages, even if those
facilities are located in a state that recognizes gay marriage.
The Senate version of the legislation (S.
2467) was recently reported out of Committee but did not contain
similar language. The Secular Coalition for America will be meeting with Senate staff to
ensure that such amendments are not considered when the full Senate
debates the measure later this spring. Please contact your Senators and
urge them to oppose the inclusion of these discriminatory amendments.
Sunday, June 3, 2012
Center for Inquiry Invitation to a Potluck in the Central Park
Potluck in the Park
From the CFI event site, http://www.centerforinquiry.net/nyc/events/potluck_in_the_park/:
Come out to the park for some good food and good company. Maybe some frisbee throwing, too. A great opportunity to meet folks of like-minds of all ages in your community. Be sure to bring a sweet or savory dish to share, a drink for yourself, and a blanket to sit on. Kids are welcome! We'll be by the big tree in with northwest corner of Sheep Meadow.
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