Rabbi Avraham Schwartz, a resident of Japan, on Monday night spoke at length with Kol Chai Radio, telling of the horrors that have become the lives of the three bochrim sitting in prison, Yosef ben Ita Rivka, Yoel Zev ben Mirel Reesa Chava and Yaakov Yosef ben Raizel. Yosef was sentenced on Friday.
Rabi Schwartz explains he has become the person who is closest to the bochrim, visiting them daily and seeing to their needs as much as prison officials will permit. His descriptive tone was filled with pain, agonized over their plight – explaining the youths are being held in abhorrent conditions that should not be tolerated, separated from one another, living “in a box lacking space and below any acceptable Western standard” even for the harshest of criminals.
He stressed that he is convinced beyond the shadow of a doubt that the boys were innocent as far as the true knowledge of the contents of what they were carrying, literally unsuspecting couriers. He explained that as far as they were told, they may have been violating customs laws by transporting gold and antiques, and were told if they were apprehended by customs officials, they would have to make payment, nothing more.
He posed some rhetorical questions, which he explained he cannot address in depth at present since the trials of two of the youths are still ongoing. For one thing he said, the doubled-walled suitcase was “hermetically sealed” and the fact that authorities decided to literally smash apart the suitcase to search for a secret panel poses many questions.
Regarding their condition, it is known they have lost a great deal of weight since kosher food is unattainable. When asked “do they cry?” he responded by explaining that undoubtedly they do, but not in front of him – compelled to add that each day when he leaves, he cries, pained at the sight of these innocent victims enduring the harshest of conditions. They spend a great deal of time learning, using the seforim brought to them. They seem to find strength in their attachment to Hashem, davening daily for a miracle as the days are long and extremely harsh.
Their time outdoors is extremely limited and he labeled their conditions “cruel and inhumane”. Rabbi Schwartz was asked if he has an idea how long the sentences will be of the two older defendants, to which he explained that under Japanese law, they face a death sentence or even life in prison, but stated this will not be the case, evading the obvious, how does he know this. He stated with absolute certainty that they will not face the two harshest possibilities. The rabbi did add however “I hope I will be proven wrong but their sentences will be in double digits”.
Rabbi Schwartz had words of criticism for the legal defense provided the boys, and pointed out “when I do speak after the trial, there will be an earthquake as a result”.
Israel has indicated it will file a formal diplomatic request to permit the boys to serve their prison terms in Israel, to which Rabbi Schwartz stated such a process will take at least two years. He rejected the accuracy of Israeli reports which indicated such a process is a matter of months, not years.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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15 Responses
Have the people who put the boys up to this been apprehended? What is their status?
I cant understand is they know who sent the boys WHY cant they send that rasha to japan in exchange for these poor boys??
The Rav said in the article:
“He explained that as far as they were told, they may have been violating customs laws by transporting gold and antiques, and were told if they were apprehended by customs officials, they would have to make payment, nothing more.”
So, the boys knew they were violating a law, just not which one.
They bear some responsibility for their situation.
To Dman : Please don’t say that the boys need to suffer so much for “maybe” knowing that there was some type of antiques hidden in their suitcase , this punishment does not suit the crime .
are these boys being treated as would any other prisoners or are they being singled out for harsh treatment ???
in a similar vein … what would be the punishment for “mules” (colloquial term for carriers) caught by the US customs services
I heard that the one who sent them is a well known person in the frum community.
I don’t understand why he hasn’t stepped forth.
Editors Note: “Stepped forth?” He’s been indicted. See this link: http://www.theyeshivaworld.com/article.php?s=bentzion+miller+japan
Rabbi Schwartz was asked if he has an idea how long the sentences will be of the two older defendants, to which he explained that under Japanese law, they face a death sentence or even life in prison, but stated this will not be the case, evading the obvious, how does he know this. He stated with absolute certainty that they will not face the two harshest possibilities. The rabbi did add however “I hope I will be proven wrong but their sentences will be in double digits”.
i dont understand this paragraph-can someone explain? y should he want to be proven wrong if he said that they wont get these punishments?
Believer-
Rabbi Schwartz means – I hope I am wrong that they don’t get a scentence in double digits.
believer-
Rabbi Schwartz meant he hopes he will be proven wrong in regard to his assumption that their prison sentence will be in the double digits. Hopefully they will not be in prison that long!
Wow! I am so glad there are other Rabbonim in Japan these days. While we lived there (2001-2 and 2007-8), I never met a Rabbi Swartz, never had him over for Shabbos, never saw him at a minyan (at our home or at the two Chabad Houses or, when there was a O minyan, at the JCC of Tokyo). We hosted others who are involved in this case r”l, but don’t know this man. How strange.
Straight, Dman didnt say they deserved to suffer, just that they KNEW they were violating the law.
Japan (and many other countries) are very hard on drug trafficking.
It has been more than 60 years since the Holocaust yet our community still cannot bring themselves to purchase German cars.
If all of us who drive Hondas and other Japanese makes were to politely notify our dealers that in light of the Japanese government’s intransigence in dealing with these unfortunate boys in a manner that civil society deems fitting, we are all canceling our leases and new car purchases.
Lo Saamode al dam Rayecha is a Torah prohibition that can be transgressed quite easily if we do not stop and contemplate our actions before we go on with life as usual while these poor boys languish in prison.
I have a feeling that the Japanese car importers will achieve a lot more than any lawyers from Bnai Brak. We need to appeal to the Japanese pocket, not the Japanese sense of moral fairness!
the article says:
Rabbi Schwartz had words of criticism for the legal defense provided the boys, and pointed out “when I do speak after the trial, there will be an earthquake as a result”.
I thought the best legal defense was being provided and the biggest names were involved. What does this comment from Rabbi Schwartz mean? It’s distressing to think the best possible outcome is being prevented because of a major fault in the legal team.
Does anyone have more details regarding the attorneys involved & how they’re operating?
#13 You are so right! Why don’t we turn in our leases and incur the expense for the cancelled leases; boy that will send a message!
“BOYCOTT JAPANESE PRODUCTS”
Remember the precursor to the so-called suicide bombers of today were the Japanese Kamkazi bombers in WWll. They are the cruelest. Not much different than the Chi-Coms. Those poor kids! To suffer so much! Oy Vey! HaShem Yiracheim!
And the Yakuza is still free to roam at will. What a bunch of hypocrypts. It’s all for show. Japanese can be and are very cruel. For dis-honoring themselves,they kill themselves its called Hara-Kiri. complete meshuguyim. But let them do it to theirselves,and leave our jewish boys alone,let them go to israel. Look at how Bosnai(i think) is defending that killer who beat up that boy upstate in that bar,and who fled to his country. The US cant extradite him back here to face justice. And these poor bochurim are going thru hell. the rasha who did this to them should burn in gehinnom.