Yesterdays New York Magazine published the following article:
Passover, which begins this year at sundown on April 19, commemorates the Israelites’ exodus from Egypt to freedom. Even so, it’s a big deal among the unfree at the medium-security federal prison in Otisville, about 75 miles upstate, which is known for its well-attended and rigorously run Seders. “Otisville is very close to New York City, so it has more access to a Jewish population, to rabbis, and to kosher food,” says Rabbi Menachem Katz, director of prison programs for the Jewish-outreach Aleph Institute. “The Bureau of Prisons kind of unofficially designated it to meet the needs of Orthodox Jews.”
Considered a haven for white-collar criminals, Otisville is one of only a handful of federal institutions to have a full-time Jewish chaplain. It also boasts a kosher kitchen and weekly Shabbat services, religious perks that led Forbes to name it one of the “12 Best Places to Go to Prison.” This year, about four dozen prisoners will sit down to kosher-for-Passover chicken, potatoes, and the Pesach fixings—horseradish, handmade matzo, boiled eggs—for a full, inmate-led Seder.
Otisville’s Seders are held in the prison’s cafeteria; the festival meal is served on white tablecloths in airplane-style prepackaged trays. Each participant gets his own Haggadah, and the prison provides the necessary items—shank bones, charoset—for a Seder plate. It’s unclear how many of Otisville’s 1,189 inmates are Jewish. The warden says 58; Chaplain Gary Friedman, chairman of Jewish Prisoner Services International, says it’s at least twice that. In the past, prisoners paid to be bussed in from other institutions for Passover, though this practice has stopped as similar services have been introduced elsewhere. Otisville still offers one of the more traditional Seders in the prison system.
“Once you’ve been at a prison Seder, it’ll never be the same on the outside,” says Friedman. “The Haggadah has a line that reads ‘Tonight we are all free men,’ and for the duration of the Seder, they are.” Sort of: Where the Seder calls for four cups of wine, at Otisville, says the warden, “they get four cups of grape juice.”
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30 Responses
what happens if the inmates don’t “mish”?
Medina Shel Chesed!!
Deleted.
are they allowed to open the door for אליהו?
then its just like by the shvigger, you go hungry
I am disgusted…no wine? only grape juice where are the rights….
Unfortunately, it was probably “mishing” that got them there in the first place.
(NOTE: there are many yidden who have been put in jail solely for the sake of not ratting on their fellow yid)
who opens the door in honor of eliyahu?
stop the shtus-
they are idiots. If someone does a crime they should sit. see the aruch hashulchan regarding hilchos msirah. IT IS NOT APPLICABLE TODAY INA DEMOCRATIC COUNTRY.
#9, first off, not all of them are guilty . Second, even the ones that are, where is your compassion? How do you know they did not do tesuvah? Have you sinned in your lifetime? Do you want G-D to have mercy on you? Why not have mercy on others?
so they can still sit in jail and have a pesach seder
#9: Hilchos Msira, like any and every other halacha, is as applicable today in a democratic society as it was applicable 3,000 years ago when the Torah was given to Klal Yisroel at Har Sinai!
This is news?
I think the jokes are very inappropriate. Some of these inmates are there for minor crimes, some were set-up for other’s crimes, etc. So, the jokes are really uncalled for.
B”H, we live in a Medina Shell Chessed & these inmates are able to have some sort of Y”T.
“Some of these inmates are there for minor crimes…”
So that makes them ok?! I am so sickened by this story and so should everyone else. The article was practically boasting!
I am disgusted and embarrassed and anyone who fears Hash-m should feel the same way.
Does Jonathan Pollard get to have a seder too? Maybe this will be the year he gets the chance to experience real cherus surrounded by his friends and family at the seder table.
Is Otisville gebrochts or Non gebrochts?
All kidding aside, they are entitled if they can, to have to have a seder just like me and you
First of all some truly ARE innocent.
Second of all, some frum people made one mistake, and commited one crime. Who among us never committed a single crime? You sure?
Never cheated on income tax? (tax evasion)
Never lied to a judge when fighting a ticket?(perjury)
Never any other crimes?
Well, many of you may be total innocents, some of us are not. Some of us are not perfect, and we have made mistakes. Some of us are not liars when we said Ashamnu, Bogadnu, Gazalnu, etc.
These people deserve the right to being treated by US with respect. Please assume they have done teshuva. Don’t you think a Yid who finds him/her self behind bars does feel immediate regrets and does teshuva?
Remember, B’Mukoim ShehBaal Teshuva Umeyed ….
Well, some of these good Jewish people who made mistakes, are in prison. The least we can do is feel compassion for them, and try to help them to avoid new avairos. But most importantly, to show them Ahavas Yisroel.
Kudos to Rabbi Mendy Katz of Aleph and to Rabbi Lipskar of the Bal Harbour Shul for “getting their hands dirty” to make sure those often–rightly or wrongly–neglected by their communities are cared for. Lo yidach mimenu nidach. Thanks to same for their equal work with the US Armes Forces.
Yes, I am embarrassed that they are Yidden in prison. Yes, I am uncomfortable about it. But also I am happy for them that they can get this important help.
Why do we need to publicize it? Because there are Yidden, unfortunately in other prisons who are NOT getting this.
I sell talleisim and tefillin in my regular tallis-n-tefillin website business. I frequently sell talleisim to inmates.
Just this past Friday, I receieved a tallis back from one prison. Security refused it because of the tzitzis. I phoned them trying to get it through, so this man can daven with a tallis.
So, a guy makes a mistake, cheats on his taxes. Now he can’t wear tefillin?
I know an inmate who has eaten only fresh fruits for 2 years! and not so fresh at that… the facility he is in, officially permits kosher meals, but the tougher inmates in the kitchen eat the kosher meals brought in for him.
We do need to help our fellow Jews… even those who erred.
I was told, that if I can provide him with one with no strings he may use that one. That he would just have to settle with a “Jewish Prayer Shawl” with no strings!
I tried my very best to explain that a Jew may not wear a tallis with the “strings” removed. They would not listen.
I have also had inmates try to get tefillin, and have been turned down for that.
Then one inmate got premision to get a pair of tefillin, and the security people opened the tefillin and gave them to him open. He now have possul tefillin that he can’t close. They refused to allow me to send him giddin and a needle.
So, we do need to bring these issues to the public, so we can fight for these inmate’s rights.
The fact that there are frum Jews in jail shouldn’t surprise anyone. After all, we are human and succumb to the temptation to break the law just like anyone else.
That being said, the fact that the prisons are willing to work with the Jewish prisoners in order to see to it that their religious accomodations are met (as much as is possible/feasible in prison) is something that should reflect well on the authorities of the federal government (which oversees Otisville).
In addition, I agree with ShalomChaver that Rabbis Katz and Lipskar (and anyone else who is involved) is to be commended for the good work they do in reaching out to those imprisoned.
The Wolf
i’m impressed look at how lucky we are to live in a country thet respects the jewish religeon
very impresive!!! enjoy pesach!!!!
Yes, Kudos to Aleph. But, also Kudos to those from Kiryas Yoel, who do the same, but with their own funds. There are Chassidim who go to visit the prisons almost daily, yet have no “organization” collecting money. They too do tremendous good, and get zero recognition. so….
Kudos to all of you from Kiryas Yoel, (Satmar) and from Nitra, and from Kasho… Groups of Chassidim from all three towns spend a good part of their lives visting Jewish inmates. Not Chassidish inmates. But ANY Jewish inmates. None of these get funding. They do it out of the goodness of their own hearts, with NO agenda other than to help a fellow Jew. Kudos to you all.
By the way, these wonderful Chassidishe people, not only visit inmates in Prisons, but continue with them, helping them when they get out, befriending them and maintaining friendships long after prison is just a bad memory. Kudos and thanks to Satmar, Kasho, Nitra and the other chassdim who give of themselves for any fellow Jew.
to #12 joseph..see uruch hashilcon choshen mispat 388 suef 7 divrei hamaschil “Haureh” also seuf 21..
To the one who asked if Pollard gets to go to a Seder,the answer is YES. I actually spent part of Pesach with him, 8 years ago in prison in N.C
I was there with the same org, Aleph which is really the Chabad org that deals with ALL the Jews in the army and in prison.
To # 25, this is not a numbers game and really yasher koach to all the chasiddim in those 3 towns. But to compare it to Aleph for even one second, means that you do not understand the scope of what they do…. I am not talking 1 prison or 10 prison or the East coast. Lubavitchers are in hundreds of prisons in the most fardurbener corners of this coutry and they spend yomim Toivim in these places and some time for only 1,2 or 3 yiddelach.
Aino doimah, it is comparing major leagues to little leagues.
DM and Yochi: Absolutely, yasher koach to kol hachassidim, v’hatmimim, vehayesharim. I only commented on Aleph, as they are the ones quoted in this article.
Agav, DM, I spent 3 consecutive R”H/Y”K in prison for Aleph and one of the main things they tell you in prep is to NEVER become personally involved with the inmates. Yes, they may be “innocent,” but they got there SOMEHOW, and it is simply irresponsible to share personal information such as last name, hometown, etc. Every request should be channeled through the prison chaplaincy or an organization.
Yochi, no it is not a numbers game, yes you are right about the vastness of Aleph’s reach,* no it does not take away from anything anyone else is doing.
*I was just in touch with a Naval soldier aboard an aircraft carrier in the Persian Gulf who has been helped by Aleph for his sedorim AND by a ton of communities, and all he can say is the English equivalent of “Mi k’Amcho Yisroel!?” (He also learns with a Chavrusa from JNet.org.)
some people are nebach sitting in jail for other peoples sins. so dont go saying whoevers in jail deserves it!
and kudos to whoever is aranging it!!
I am writing to you on behalf of the Jewish inmates incarcerated at the FCI Otisville, Federal Prison Camp. Your article, “Medium Security Seder” (4/21/08) was fraught with multiple misstatements of fact and has done a great disservice to those whose religious observance is important:
First the facts:
1. The fact that Otisville is close geographically to a “Jewish population” and “rabbis” has no bearing on the food or other services. A bit of research would have uncovered a national menu for Special Diets including kosher and Hallal which is provided for by approved vendors. We have no regular visiting Rabbi who ministers to us.
2. Your quote, “The Bureau of Prisons kind of unofficially designated it to meet the needs of Orthodox Jews” is inaccurate. Firstly, there are fewer than 2 dozen Orthodox Jews incarcerated throughout the entire Federal System. Secondly, in the New York-New Jersey regions, many Jewish inmates are designated to Fort Dix.
3. Your reference to Dr. Sam Waskal and Martin Frenkel in the same breath, makes it obvious that you have no idea regarding the various security levels of the BOP. Dr. Waksal served part of his time at the Camp, while Mr. Frenkel is serving his time at the medium security prison.
4. Otisville does not, as you say, “have a full time Jewish chaplain.” The Chaplain (who happens to be Jewish) is the Chaplain for all 14 denominations including Christians, Catholics, Moslems, Buddhists, Native Americans and Jews. He does not serve as the Rabbi of the Jewish community, and in fact his presence as “court Jew” is disadvantageous to the Jewish population.
5. Otisville boasts a “Kosher Kitchen” – False!
6. “Religious Perks” are non existent, unless you count worshipping as a perk under the Constitution.
7. Your Seder menu sounds much more appetizing than the prison provisions that inmates get. In fact, every religion receives under BOP rules, one religious meal per year. For the Jews it means the Pesach Seder with”table cloths” (bed sheets actually) because the prison tables are used for non-Pesach uses and to do otherwise would seriously compromise the stringent rules for Passover.
8. Otisville does have a unique “inmate run Seder” and that is because the inmates here comprise a microcosm of Jewish life, including Hasidic, Orthodox, Conservative, reform and unaffiliated Jews who work very hard at accommodating each others’ beliefs and customs, without any effort on the part of the Chaplain.
Just a bit of research would have provided the hard core facts regarding our brothers who are ‘behind the fence’ in the ‘medium security prison’ and who have to struggle daily to keep their basic beliefs. Jewish inmates have been forced to file suit in order to have the right to pray in a respectful area and not in a cell which contains an exposed toilet.
Did you do any research at all? Perhaps if you did, you have learned that the inmates at Otisville had to file suit this year together with their Moslem and Christian brothers to undo a BOP directive which cleared the majority of religious books from the Chapel!
More, inmates are constantly singled out for discipline when their sin is wanting to fulfill a religious obligation. Inmates in the medium security facility and in the prison camp are constantly subjected to taunts and anti-Semitic activities (including swastikas) from other inmates and some staff.
Your regurgitation of the Otisville/Club Fed myth is simple a statement of your lack of any basic research. Your depiction of Pesach in Otisville has done us a great disservice and based upon the BOP reacts to any publicity, it will probably result in fewer religious freedoms.
“Tonight We Are Free Men” – May the truth free you!
Sincerely,
The Jewish Inmates of Otisville Federal Prison Camp
So,what IS really the TRUTH? What IS the real story?