Crown Heights, NY – A Brooklyn rabbinical court has a new commandment for the thousands of religious Jews under its jurisdiction: Thou shall not snitch.
The Beth Din of Crown Heights has ordered an estimated 10,000 members of the Lubavitch Hasidic sect not to gripe about cops or blab about crimes to outsiders.
“No one shall bring to any media outlet information about any resident that could, if publicized, lead to an investigation or intensified prosecution by any law enforcement agency,” reads an edict issued last week.
The five-point order also bans talking to reporters about police or posting on websites critical of cops.
The court ruled that only the nonprofit Crown Heights Jewish Community Council can conduct “police relations” on behalf of Lubavitchers.
The rules appear to be so broadly written that they could be interpreted as ordering victims of police abuse not to talk to other investigators or federal authorities.
Zaky Tamir, chairman of the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council, insisted yesterday the edict is meant only to stop people from going around leaders on issues that affect the entire neighborhood.
“No one should represent themselves as speaking on behalf of Crown Heights as a whole,” said Tamir, a criminal defense lawyer.
Tamir said the edict arose after an ongoing beef between rival civilian patrol groups in the neighborhood spilled into the public arena.
Last month, a Daily News story that evolved from the battle revealed that a Hasidic man fled to Israel after he was accused of beating the son of a cop.
The ruling said relations between the community and cops have been damaged “by people who have pursued a personal agenda.”
NYPD Deputy Commissioner Paul Browne said the department doesn’t have a position on rabbinical court opinions, but there are a number of ways to report police conduct.
“The Police Department encourages the public to use any one of various vehicles to available to it to file complaints against police, including the independent Civilian Complain Review Board,” he said.
The ultra-Orthodox Lubavitchers live under strict rules governing almost every facet of their lives. Some said the new edict goes too far. Anyone in the insular community who runs afoul of the rules faces intense pressure to conform.
“We have rights as a U.S. citizen to complain about the police,” said Brooklyn college student Yosef Bergovoy, 23.
Bergovoy groused to a television station last month after cops gave him a ticket for standing on the sidewalk.
One of the foremost charities in the neighborhood, the Crown Heights Jewish Community Council offers helps with everything from food stamps to housing to passports.
It is under the umbrella of the Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty, one of New York’s largest social service agencies.
(Source: NY Daily News)
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9 Responses
This may constitute criminal obstruction of justice.
this will be just another way for things to be swept under the rug.
How does insisting one work directly with the Police Department constitute obstruction of justice, pray tell?
This is all about the Shomrim gang’s websites, not about justice or its miscarriage.
I agree with # 3
This is not about NOT dealing with the issue. Its about dealing with it the proper way. This guy Zaki, who leads the CH council is a former DA and a Chabadnik. He has an excellent relationship with the city and PD. The community already support him big time, this is for the fringe people who think that they are better off using their “protektzia” and in the meantime they are not only undermining him, but they are messing it up for everyone.
A non CH resident, but I work with quite a number of chabadskers and this has been the consensus I got from ALL of them.
Could somebody please explain what’s the story here for those of us who are not in the know.
Wouldn’t most of this ban already be included in the issur of being a “mosser”?
Yochi, I AM a CH resident. If we saw positive action & respectful responses by law enforcement, there wouldn’t be a need to “go around” the CHJCC. You don’t live here, so frankly, you don’t have a say. What is sad is that apparently, neither do we any more.
We’re not allowed to vent? We’re now under a gag order??? I can’t believe it. I’m totally shocked by this…this is the first I’ve heard about this psak. Oh, boy. It seems we can’t complain any more & we don’t have any rights to free speech. I don’t know what to say to it, I’m just stunned. There must be a mistake.
@CharlieHall
I think you’ve fallen prey to the article’s twist – this was (publicly) only a ban on going through media channels, which isn’t the end of the world. This isn’t to say I like it – this type of thing is sketchy and allows corruption to fester.
Here you go! What is not written in the YW article that this letter is signed by BOTH “sides”. In such a case, it has to be a good thing.
See here: http://www.collive.com/show_news.rtx?id=12038&alias=rabbis-fight-hate-blogs