Four American talmidim learning in Eretz Yisrael are in custody, accused of operating a drug ring. Police indicate they have been trying to track down the source of the drugs furnished to many visiting students, which finally led to the four. The arrests are the result of an undercover investigation, leading to their dormitory rooms.
At their remand hearing this week, police requested to extend their remand to permit completing the investigation, which is expected to lead to additional arrests.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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30 Responses
Very sad. That’s what will happen when you outlaw a commodity. The market doesn’t disappear, and an enterprising individual make very well take advantage of that fact.
Todays buchurim need cars, cell phone, ipods, blackberry’s, designer shoes and shirts, expensive hats every so often and what not. SO to feed their lifestyle and the parents that dont have or dont have ANYMORE lead these kids to the vulnerbilities of the crooks!!
We must make a stop to the SHVENDEREI!!
All crime could be eliminated simply by making everything legal.
That obviously is not the answer and there is a reason street drugs are illegal.
#1 Tell that to those askonim who seek to ban everything else that teenagers want like cell phones and the internet. They don’t understand that prohibition never worked and never will.
Very sad. That’s what happens when a dangerous commodity is legitimately outlawed but greedy individuals take advantage of their external appearance as Yeshiva students and flout the law for their own gain. They cynically harm their fellow students by exposing them to dangerous substances and create a massive chillul Hashem.
#1 — Why don’t you take a long walk on a short pier? I don’t want to see our mosdos of lomdei Torasainu hakadosha transformed into opium dens.
Some “commodities” are so dangerous, so enticing and poisonous, that it is reasonable for society to outlaw them. There is a happy medium between Libertarianism and the nanny state, and it requires wisdom and experience to know which commodities present a clear and present danger and which don’t. In any case, I’m disappointed that the first comment wasn’t “those police hate the chareidim and the whole thing is just trumped up in order to make us look bad.” I had just gotten used to that song.
Why are we bashing bocherim etc., instead of looking at the positive? There are KNH so many American boys & girls attending Mosdos HaTorah in Eretz Yisroel & 99.999% of them are upstanding citizens.
Lets not get so caught up on the extreme minority & assign criticism to the vast majority.
mark levin, your knowledge and understanding of a Torah way of life is truly breathtaking.
I want to know if their respective roshei yeshiva are aware of it.
#6 Then why not ban alcohol? The OU and RCA have recommended that. There is far too much drinking in yeshivas.
My question is are these yeshivah “bachurim” heimish or are they in one of those rehab yeshivas. It makes a big difference in letting us know how bad our problems are. Were they “Mir/Brisk guys or Nevey (at least when I was in Israel Nevey was druggie)?
#11- dont be motzei shem ra on nevey —
“Four American talmidim learning in Eretz Yisrael”? Perhaps it should read “Four American young men, OSTENSIBLY learning in Eretz Yisrael…” They were neither talmidim nor learning. They are Rodfim.
I am not surprised. Not the slightest bit.
#11 – one of my sources says that they are definitely “heimish” (whatever that means), and that they were from Mir/Brisk. Now what do you say?
# 15
Your so called source is soo wrong it makes me wonder if you just made it up in order to slander a whole community.
The boys do come from heimish families however unfortunately they have been living a totally different lifestyle for the past few years.
They were also learning in an American Yeshiva in Yerushalayim that caters to these types of kids and does such a wonderful job with many of them.Unfortunately they cant possibly change all the students but there are many buchrim/avreichim in mir and brisk today who started out in this Yeshiva and were helped to change their lives around.
@11 – I don’t think Neveh is the same type of place it was a few years ago. From what I heard there are other yeshivas out there that are dealing more with drug use and treatment. Last I heard Neveh was testing and being accountable, but that the students were still the same in regards to lack of motivation in Judaism…just not all the partying that used to be. Just want to clarify cuz a lot of my friends went there last year and did very well. They can’t stop praising the place.
#15, you are wrong. Find new sources.
@17 -While there are other yeshivas dealing with drug use and treatment, Neveh has the same crowd now that they’ve had the past 15 years. That’s not a knock against them, as they do phenomenal work. You’re friends went there and did great–wonderful, but that doesn’t mean that they changed their tune. I’ll even go as far to say in their defense, in an odd way, the fact that they are so patient/tolerant of their students’ behavior is precisely what opens the door for their success.
#16 & #15 – I apologize and will double check with my sources. I also thought it was strange. After all, these are chasava yeshivas with chasava talmidim. It can’t possibly happen there. I can’t think of ANY scandal that involved chasava or even hemischa yidden. Since last week.
@17, and 11 – Baruch, that’s what I’ve heard as well. As an alumnus from Neveh, who kepps in touch once in a while, I’ve heard that Neveh does have a different type of student than 5 years ago, but similar to 15 years ago when I studied there. Half a decade ago you’d find rougher guys doing rougher things, but lately the students have been more relaxed. You just won’t find the same things. Ive heard other yeshivot opened that deal with more intense issues. I’m sorry to break the news to anyone in denial but one will find certain things in a high percentage of yeshivot in Israel as well as in many high schools here. (NJ) My first cousin was in a very popular post high school yeshiva program in Jerusalem not known for anything too troublesome and told me that his one of his roomates dable in things. It’s everywhere and the more it’s realized the better equipted we’ll be to work with it. But I don’t think it’s fair to single out any institution. What Neveh has done to hundreds if not thousands of people is something to brag about. They are highly successful at what they do. I’m observant because of Neveh and some of my friends who went to other yeshivot with better repuations didn’t get too much from their year in Israel and some of those aren’t even observant today.
You are all so wrong. Unfortunately there is a drug and alchohol problem in ALL Yeshivas and Seminaries (although less with the girls), across the spectrum from Black to White and it doesn’t help anyone to point a finger. Sending young people across the world with little supervision, alchohol easily accessible and often encouraged by Rebbeim, lets a small minority fall into very bad habits.
#2 Smart, #4 avremi
“Todays buchurim need cars, cell phone, ipods, blackberry’s, designer shoes and shirts, expensive hats every so often and what not. SO to feed their lifestyle and the parents that dont have or dont have ANYMORE lead these kids to the vulnerbilities of the crooks!!
We must make a stop to the SHVENDEREI!!” No! Children need to feel their parents love!!!! love is priceless!!! most of the small society of young teens, who i personally would not call yeshiva guys, come from troubled homes, with divorce, or the kid has a learning disability, and is therefore looked at by his class mates as the stupid kid, and has no friends, his parents are not happy with him bec he is not doing well in school, when he is not excepted in our society then he will look elsewhere, trust me, my friends and i, have spent the last year in a half almost every night talking to these boys, to try and invite them to come to our yeshivos, for even a 15 minute seder. To let them know that hey we are not a bunch of cold hearted animals who get shaped in a cookie cutter and if you don’t fit through you are not welcome.
When a teen knows he is accepted in our society, and is happy, he has a better self dignity, and he will not look to get accepted elsewhere.
#5 then again, #14 Daniel, jackr,
“You are all so wrong. Unfortunately there is a drug and alchohol problem in ALL Yeshivas and Seminaries (although less with the girls), across the spectrum from Black to White and it doesn’t help anyone to point a finger. Sending young people across the world with little supervision, alchohol easily accessible and often encouraged by Rebbeim, lets a small minority fall into very bad habits.” I would like to know who you think you are, and when the last time you were at the kosel hmaravi, if i may ask? I can tell youi just got back last week from eretz yisroel, particularly Yerushalayim, and what i know because i was in yeshiva there for over 3 years and i am heading back in 2 weeks, B”H here for a simcha, and i can not begin to tell you how far off the mark you are, you owe every single person learning in ey a bracha, for being outright choshed b’ksherim. It hurts me evry time i see some moron who probably is living in the world of Brooklyn and thinks there can not be a better place, how thy knock us who are actually learning in “avira d’aeretz” Jack you should try it.
#8 mark levin, #9 Flatbush Bubby, #16 reporter
Finally one smart comment
#11 wellinformedyid, #13 Think straight, #15 karneishomron
these boys are not in yeshivas, they rent their own apartments, they are not yeshiva bochrim, they don’t even disguise
my point here is the following
1.Children must be happy in order to succeed, if it takes some bribing them to keep them happy go for it, the need to feel love, that someone cares about them and has an interest in what is happening in their life, be it a parent, a big brother,a rebbi, friend, someone etc. is so important. We can not distance the ones who don’t fit the mold out of society, we have to make the mold fit comfortably.
2.There is something that chazal talk about called “avira d”eretz”, “the atmosphere of the land” it helps people learn.
If you stand on shmuel hanavi an elya r’em on any morning at about 9am you will see a sea of thousands of black hats heading to the mir, when i am there, i see that, “and i say wow look everyone is doing it, i can to” and utill you have seen t don’t judge it by what you have seen on ben yehuda between your hotel and cafe rimon, those guys are mostly not in yeshiva, and definitely even if they are i would not call them yeshiva bochrim. The Hamon am is doing great.
Have a great shabbos
How many of us have at the very least said a kapitle of tehillem for these bochurim before we commented?
THE REAL RACHMANUS IS ON US.That we turn tragedies like this into table talk.Everyone makes mistakes,some bigger then others but who are we to judge.I know a guy in yeshiva who was not shteling tzu to all the sedorim the way he was supposed to.Turned out after weeks of judging that both his parents were dead.So instead of shmoozing about HASHEMS children.Which just by the way hurts him if you didnt know.And i hope that you at least dont want to do that.So by being a part of klal yisroel daven,learn,and make a kabalah for your brothers.And i may sound like a bubby but some of the previous articles sounds like they were written by nazis,so im fine with the way i sound.And if we,me included at least try to act as we are supposed to then we should be zoche to only BESURES TOVOS.(im sorry if i hurt anyones feelings but just think about the boys their parents their friends and families and HASHEMS feelings.)
#23 – Wow. For all you nice and idealistic ideas, unfortunately you need a reality check. There are problems with substance abuse in all walks of Judaism. Modern, Litvish, Chassidish. Hate to burst your bubble. It doesn’t mean that drugs are prevalent, it doesn’t mean that every single bochur in the Mir smokes weed or rolls ecstacy. But there are bad apples in every bunch. Every single bunch.
The fact of the matter is, for all of your sappy “avira d’eretz,” the shmutz that frum/off the derech teens get involved in is 10x worse in Yerushalayim than it is in NYC or any other city in the US. You can argue and flame all you want, but as someone who has lived both in Israel and NYC and quite involved in this social scene…it’s the truth. There’s a special level of learning in Yerushalayim, but there’s also a disgusting level of znus, drugs and illicit behavior.
Finally, I don’t know if you are writing figuratively…but you are flat out wrong with what seems to be stated as facts. The boys arrested (I know them personally) were not living in private rented apartments. They were in fact enrolled in yeshivas. The same goes for the overwhelming majority of any guy that you will find on Ben Yehuda or Cafe Rimon. Yeshiva guys.
Now it could be that you are so critical and judgemental that so many of the mosdos in Yerushalayim don’t meet your standards of what we can call a “yeshiva”. Be it the very special kiruv kerovim YESHIVAS, BT programs, mizrachi programs, Lubavitch, Belz…who cares. They may not be your black hat litvaks, but they are all yeshivas.
You seem to be in either intense denial or amazingly smallminded. I think you owe a lot of yeshiva bochurim in EY a bracha.
the Girl died, the five boys who sold the drugs are from the city I live in–dear rabbonim, is this pidyon shvuyim???-
There was no girl! The police made it up! And the boys do not learn in Neveh!
It’s amazing how rumors start. People should just shut up & stop making up stories. I sit here & laugh as people say “I know for a fact”, no one knows anything for a fact. MY BROTHER IS ONE OF THE BOYS ARRESTED AND SITTING IN JAIL.
Don’t just shmooze & make up stories for the sake of being a yenta! You don’t know any details!
If you want to help, then say tehillim. If you think the boys deserve to sit in jail for a punishment they deserve, than at least daven for their parents & families! Imagine the pain they are in!!! My brother was given lots of love & definitely had no learning problems, so don’t start blaming it on that. Some kids just fall throug the cracks! It happens. Unfortunately we don’t live in a perfect world, & kids don’t always turn out the way we want them to, but a paent always loves their children, so please daven for them instead of making up RUMORS
i have to agree with #29.. its really sad how people sit here commenting on different yeshivot and different bachurim when they really dont know anything.. im currently in neve and i personally know each one of these kids and only one of them is actually in neve… as for that particular kid he was a good kid who made a dumb mistake.. its sad because the crime which he commited was done months before his arrest and in the months before his arrest he had started getting his life together, going clean and starting to learn. its even more sad because this particular kid had an unbelievable mind for Torah and could out learn most of the yeshiva so much so that he had a separate chabura with the Rosh Yeshiva himself.
to sit on this website and comment and incite loshon hara about things you dont know anything about is a really horrible thing to do.. you sit here and judge other people when the fact is if you were all such good jewish people then you wouldnt be on this website at all and it wouldnt exist because its exactly for reasons like this that our gedolim today have made an takana signed by 21 leaders of todays jewish people banning the use of frum sites just like these.. because all they do is incite sinas chinum and lashon hara..
all we can do and all we should do is pray that these kids come out of this situation safely and soon..