Thousands of men gathered for an Asifa on Tuesday evening in the Ohr Hachayim Viznitz Hall, in Boro Park, focusing on the timeless (but also all too timely) theme of “Vi’asisa hayashar vi’hatov.”
It featured – Harav Avrohom Schorr, Shlita, Harav Dovid Ozieri, Shlita; as well as an address by the Spinka Rebbe Shlita. Additionally, two respected legal experts – Benjamin Brafman, Esq. and Jacob Laufer, Esq addressed the massive audience. The evening’s chairman was Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zweibel from the Agudath Israel of America.
Video links of Ben Brafman speaking (and a short speech in English by the Spinka Rebbe Shlita) are posted below:
Click HERE for part 1
Click HERE for part 2
Click HERE for part 3
Click HERE for part 4
Click HERE for part 5
Click HERE for part 6
Click HERE for the Spinka Rebbe in English.
All videos taken by “Shezoli”.
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8 Responses
I love Ben Branfman. He’s a real Mentsch and a very caring Jew, aside from being a brilliant legal professional.
But, I think Ben “missed the forest for the trees.” He concentrated on the legal technicalities of “Money Laundering,” but he missed the main point of these FBI mass arrests:
THAT THE FBI, ITSELF, INCITED THESE RABBIS TO COMMIT THE CRIME, BY PLAYING ON THEIR RACHMONUS FOR A FELLOW JEW.
The FBI rpovided the checks and specified the target Rabbis who were to be seduced into doing a favor for a Jew–Mr. Dweck–whose family was in dire straits.
The whole idea of mass arrests, putting on a show for the media is an abomination, a distortion of what good law enforcment is supposed to be.
These men–who, presumably are innocent until proven guilty–were pilloried in the media court of public opinion, before they even had a chance to defend themselves in a court of law.
Frankly, I think someone should bring a RICO case against the U.S. Attorney, for engaing in organized racketeering, inciting people to commit crimes.
thanks for posting.
the fact that this basic mussar (that I learned in my secular kindergarten class) is needed gave me a good cry.
exelent thanx for posting so we can also gain from this event. is it possable for a clip of Reb Avraham Schorr
Deepthinker, You wrote that the Jews are innocent until proven guilty yet you seemed to already label the FBI as being guilty of inciting the Rabbis.
The fact is entrapment only occurs when you incite someone to commit a crime they would not ordinarily commit.
For example a drug dealer who is selling drugs on the street corner can not claim entrapment if a cop comes over and asks him for some drugs.
The fact is we do not have all the facts of this case. The Rabbis are free to argue entrapment in court, and as you correctly stated before, they are innocent until proven guilty. So if there was entrapment which I can not say there was, it will likely come out in a court of law.
1, maybe he couldn’t go down that road because he may be involved in the case?
> deeptinker (comment #1) wrote: “…but he [Brafman] missed the main point…the FBI, itself, incited these Rabbis to commit the crime…”
>> Actually, Mr. Brafman DIDN’T miss this point at all. He addressed the whole issue of “entrapment,” (see part 5 at the 5 minute mark) which I believe is what you are referring to when you say the the FBI “incited” the Rabbis.
Brafman explained that the law of entrapment is very complex; then he gave two examples of what is and what is not considered entrapment; then he offered his opinion that the entrapment defense may work for some of the defendants but not for others.
You can watch it again and check it out for yourself. But the bottom line is that the “entrapment” issue is legally complex and not as clear cut as you seem to suggest. AS noahjf said (comment no. 5) it will all be addressed in court, IF the defendants don’t cop pleas to avoid going to trial.
Leave deepthinker alone..he is just saying that the rabbis might not b proven guilty in court … So untill then try just try to love your fellow jew
Deepthinker,
Not that I want to keep piling criticism on your analysis, but it was you who missed the point. Not just becasue you missed Mr. Brafman’s explanation of entrapment, as the other commentors have pointed out, but when you said
THAT THE FBI, ITSELF, INCITED THESE RABBIS TO COMMIT THE CRIME, BY PLAYING ON THEIR RACHMONUS FOR A FELLOW JEW.
that’s where you really missed his point. Mr. Brafman’s made a very poignant point about how so many of the crimes are motivated by the desire of people to do good. He told of a case of a Rebbe who went to jail for insurance fraud when he was trying to get someone life-saving kidney treatment. His point was that we b”h have a unparralelled capacity for chesed in our community and what we should do in those cases is seek caritable help, not defraud insurance companies. He said that when he told the rebbe that he should have to come to “me and 20 other guys like me and we would have raised the $20,000”, the Rebbe’s reaction was “I never thought of that”.
Sad, indeed.