GW University police have found, that the Jewish student who reported several swastikas on her door (as reported HERE on YW), was the one who drew them.
Using footage from a hidden video camera, the University Police Department linked freshman Sarah Marshak with the vandalism. She will now appear before Student Judicial Services and could face federal and District charges.
In an interview, Marshak, said she only drew the final three of six swastikas on her door in an attempt to highlight what she characterized as GW’s inaction. Only hours earlier, Marshak categorically denied the charges.
Robert Fishman, the director of Hillel, said during conversations, Marshak always came across as rational.
“This is a definite cry for help on her part,” Fishman said.
(Source: GW Hatchet)
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15 Responses
I wonder why they are no comments here and this is just being pushed aside?
what is there to say… 🙁
What would you like to hear?
As a secular Jew, I’d like to hear why mentioning this girl’s name does not constitute loshon hora. I’ll be the first to admit I don’t know many of the rules, but after perusing this web site for a while, I’ve gotten a feel for the basic concepts. It would seem to me that this instance would qualify, or am I missing something or are secular Jews not accorded the same level of respect?
Thank you noname. It’s not really the website it’s some of the comments or the lack of them.
When this story came out nobody was commenting it just to push it away like a rotten apple nobody in the religious community wants to talk about.
When something bad like a non-Jew curses a Jew
the WHOLE community goes crazy… (they hate us or this won’t stop and call the mayor).
But when someone in it’s own community does something like this it is swept under the rug.
noname: you are absolutely right in assuming that it could be construed as loshon horah to publish the name of this jewish girl. If this would not have been public news with her name announced by the public/secular media, it would be forbidden to announce her name. However, since this is at the point where it’s public knowledge and her name has been publicized, I don’t think it falls under the category of loshon horah.
no body is trying to sweep it under the rug. it is just a sad story of a sad girl
I would have agreed with you truth, but if you go into yw’s archives you will find no mention of the gentleman widely criticized as being involved in the treif meat scandal in Monsey. While it is true I may have missed that mention from my quick perusal of the archives, I remember at the time being very impressed at how members of the Orthodox community who had no doubt been pained by his actions still afforded the man and his family some privacy, and didn’t kick him while he was down, so to speak. I guess that’s why I find the mention of this girl, whom if these allegations are accurate is also troubled, disappointing.
noname,
I can recommend an excellent, clearly written book on the laws of loshon hara in English called “Guard Your Tongue” by R’ Zelig Pliskin. It is based on the works of the Chofetz Chaim. I hope you will find it and enjoy learning from it. It is clear that when facts are publicized, certainly the way this one was in the media, that the prohibition of loshon hara does not apply. I’m not an expert, so those who are, please clarity.
Thanks for the suggestion Norma; I’ll try to check it out, especially since I like a lot of Rabbi Pliskin’s writing at aish.com.
happens to be that the halacha states that anyone that does not beleive in the torah you are allowed to speak loshon hora
I would like to add that the girl herself unfortunately fed into the fires of Anti-Semitism with her actions.
Jewish,
Your point is exactly what I feared. I wonder how you can determine that this girl doesn’t believe, as many religious people do attend college, and the Monsey butcher does believe, in spite of his serving his neighbors treif. Does it all come down to the clothes?
In any event, I plan on inquiring further into this halacha, as I have become a fairly generous supporter of a few Torah causes recently, and I am not so sure I like this rule. Oddly enough, the rabbis only mention ahavas yisrael and other feel good concepts when they approach me for money.
noname, bear in mind that JEWISH is not differentiating between a true nonbeliever and a tinok shenishba, a “captive child” who was never exposed to or taught the Torah. I think if you talk to a Rav, he may be a better source for you than this blog. BTW, when I talk to my younger children about people who are not frum, I almost always describe them as people who “don’t know the mitzvos” since that is usually the case, to one extent or another. Read the loshon hora book; when I went home I reopened it and reviewed a few halachos. I think you will see that the Chofetz Chaim was more generous than all of the commentators you will ever meet on this blog.
Okie dokie Norma, I’ll go to a Jewish bookstore today, and try to find it. Thanks again for the advice!