The case of the abuse trial of the Meah Shearim mother appears to carry ramifications other than the mother and her family. First, there was a call for chareidim to boycott Hadassah Hospital. The focus of the next boycott appears to be the Meuchedet HMO, a healthcare provider that depends heavily on the chareidi community, making up a major portion of its subscribers.
The feeling today is that Meuchedet “cooperate” with police and authorities, against the mother, prompting calls for chareidim to leave Meuchedet to join another kupat cholim healthcare provider.
YWN Israel reported on Wednesday that 125 doctors and other healthcare professionals appear on the state’s witness list against the mother, including 11 physicians affiliated with Meuchedet.
Meah Shearim askanim explain that some of the doctors work in community clinics, and are well-known as they know all the families. They explain the doctors earn their livelihood from the community, and it is unacceptable that they would dare to testify against their own patients. They explain that if the doctors feel compelled to testify, the community is bound to respond, unable to permit such an act to occur without a response.
Yisrael HaYom adds that it has learned in recent days, talks with high-level officials in the Leumit and Maccabi HMOs have been ongoing towards moving over the bulk of Jerusalem’s chareidi community to one of their organizations. Such a move would demand a significant investment on behalf of the HMO’s since their presence in the frum areas is limited. Clinics would have to be established and other services enhanced to meet the demands of the chareidi population.
In a related matter, another court hearing is set for erev shabbos at which time the court will entertain a request to change the house arrest agreement with the mother, who was indicted in the Jerusalem District Court his week.
(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)
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27 Responses
So doctors should never testify against their patients even if they believe abuse is occurring. Nice to see where these peoples’ priorities really are…
And Leumit and Maccabi will act any differently? A health care providor is a mandated reporter, and must cooperate with the police and the courts in such a case. The tail does not wag the dog. The Chareidim are not above the law. their threats of boycotts, riots and anything else they try to do will not subvert the administration of efficient, fair and secular government in Israel.
Great Idea. Cut your nose to spite your face.
I guess that means it will be easier for me to get an appointment!
just like its great to shop at shefa shuk!
“They explain the doctors earn their livelihood from the community, and it is unacceptable that they would dare to testify against their own patients.”
I guess the meah shearim crowd would rather have doctors that lie. These people live in their own world. I for one am not leaving meuchedet. BTW, they have been voted as the best health fund for years and years.
The first day of the riots a friend of mine who is one the sweetest and erliche avrechem in Mir said to me, “What do they want? The child should die?” Unfortunately the eida has disregarded the welfare of the child.
Most Americans and Israeli Litvash are certainly not with the eida on this one. The woman is still innocent, but the behavior of the eida with their riots is guilty.
My son, who lives in Ramat Eshkol, had to take a child to the emergency room a few weeks ago on Shabbos; he took her to a local hospital to avoid having to take a cab. His Rosh Yeshiva told him that to walk to the local hospital instead of driving to Hadassah has a din ma’aseh retzicha.
You have to ask a shailah about whether people who boycott Hadassah are passul le’eidus either because of a din rasha or a din shoteh, because sometimes a rasha has ne’emanus, like in mei’siach lefi tumo.
And which Gedolim authorized this boycott?
The fact is Meuchedet has many branches in chareidi neiborhoods and provides good service. It would be easier and simpler to boycott those 11 doctors from Meuchedet who testify against the mother. (I highly doubt a total boycott against Meuchedet would work. Many english speaking people (Americans and Europeans)would not heed such a boycott.
This soons leads to the problem that there are very few frum health care professionals. In America, it is possible for someone in yeshivos to do enough independent study to get close to a medical and nursing school program (though these programs are all mixed), whereas the highly structured Israeli system, which is integrated with the army, makes it impossible for a Hareidi to get within sight of a medical school or nursing school.
We could demand that the government recognize haredim as a minority, similar to Arabs, but that would totally undercut the intellectual basis of the zionist argument, both internally and internationally.
time to join maccabi
How can anyone trust doctors that testify FALSELY just to stay on the Hadassah payroll? Tomorrow they can testify against them if one of the witches of the Social Services will make another blood libel against one of them. After all, as chareidim they qualify for easy prey for fabricated accusations.
The insanity of the mob mentality progresses. Let’s take stock. Because every organization did what they’re supposed to do to protect the welfare of a hospitalized child near death, the mob of ba’alei machlokes and those that listen to and follow them, have: caused hundreds of thousands of dollars of damage to the Meah She’arim neighberhoods, they have shut down the welfare offices and frightened off the welfare workers from setting foot into the area, so the community of Meah She’arim has to go without the critically needed services they provided, they are on the verge of closing a hospital that served their community admirably without any real complaint, until this case, they have threatened the lives of the staff and leadership, they have alienated and angered the hospital staff that is supposed to care for them, they have insulted and degraded all doctors, all nurses, all police, all judges, all courts, they are now trying to destroy their healthcare insurance company that has invested billions of shekalim to care for them and they want to replace it with another healthcare insurance company that has made no investments into their community and have no real physical infrastructure to suddenly take on hundreds of thousands of new members, and they have done this all before even the first day of trial, before one shred of evidence has been released.
Unfortunately, I’m beginning to suspect that this is their very point. Cause as much damage now before the information is released, that way no matter what happens in the courtroom, the damage will already be done and they can always claim that all of the evidence and the testimony was fabricated by the police, lies of the hospital staff trying to protect themselves and their institutions, etc.. That way, no healthcare professional, no social worker, no one, will ever be stupid enough to ever report child, spousal, or elder abuse again. Scorched earth policies work and these “sonei yisroel” know it only too well. “Mazal Tov”, you may actually get what you ask for. Hope you will be happy with it.
Dr D
Well Said…you hit the nail.
I personally know there’s abuse in chareidi families, tho it’s not as common or severe as among chilonim. The rabbonim know this too, and the doctors too. In all other cases of suspected abuse the matter is dealt with discreetly, with the cooperation of the rabbonim, so as to protect the children with the minimal shame on the family. ONLY IN CASES WHERE THE DOCTORS BOTCHED UP WERE THE PARENTS ACCUSED IN SUCH HIGHLY-PUBLICIZED AND CRUEL FASHION. This happened to Yenty and to the yungerman Valles, whose son the hospital left to die of negligence and then turned around and pounced on the father with a charge of child-murder. His appeal is still pending; in fact, one of his askonim PREDICTED that one of these days a frum parent will be accused of child abuse in order to influence the court.
#3 cantoresq,
To write that chareidim are not above the law is correct, but to say that the Israeli goverment is efficient and fair is like saying that the KGB was also efficient and “fair”. It seems you’ve never dealt with the police in Israel, or mabe in your part of america one also has to wait 9 days before posting bail or being able to speak to a laywer?
#6 Your friend from the mir must really be naive to think that the eida doesn’t care if the child dies. BTW this whole story broke out when the family wanted to change hospitals, BEFORE the mother was arrested for her (alleged) crimes. they wanted to change hospitals for the CHILD’S benefit.Mabe you could prove that the eida disregarded the welfare of the child?
#7 Your second paragraph is full of toras lokshen.
#13 Dr D. You obviously are a naive hardworking american doctor that has no idea of the attitude of the secular towards the chareidi community.
What proof do you have that the doctors are not trying to protect themselves from a malpractice suit? The police and courts are well known to act hand in hand. The boycotts, protests may be wrong. But the TA community feels discriminated against.
The 150 doctors, nurses, social workers, among others who were mobilized by the prosecutors to testify against this woman were not even asked whether they know the woman and want to testify.
The doctors of MEUCHEDET JUST CONFESSED THAT NO ONE CALLED THEM TO TESTIFY. One of the 150 people was, no less than, the woman’s brother!!!!!! Clear proof that the entire case against this innocent woman is one big COOKED UP ACCUSATION, as Rabbi Dovid Soloveitchik, Rosh Yeshiva of Brisk said 3 weeks ago! This is a 5769 BLOOD LIBEL!
Dr. D. and others here, as you see, the prosecutors are starting to have trouble finding witnesses to their fabrications. You might be excellent candidates for these prosecutors. How about testifying since you know the case so well and there’s no doubt in your mind that this innocent woman is guilty. After all doctors are always right, especially if the accused is chareidi.
By the way, it was the doctors who are anxious for the woman to make a deal and move to England, and not the family as was suggested. Wonder why?
#3, “The Chareidim are not above the law. their threats of boycotts, riots and anything else they try to do will not subvert the administration of efficient, fair and secular government in Israel”. Where did you pick up that line? Unfortunately anybody who has had to use the services of the Isralei gov’t has found out that they are terribly inefficient, and extremely unfair. They are obnoxious, corrupt, and if you are chareidi, double that dose. The only part of your statement that’s true is that they are secular, very secular.
Kol Hakavod Dr. D!!
#13: well said.
these people are distancing themselves more and more from any kind of rational behavior and they will certainly eat the “fruits” of their “labor”.
There are many Frum “CHareidi” dr.s that work in Hadassa Ein Karem and Meuchedet. It is really foolish to boycott Meuchedet in order to get one woman’s problem solved. It will only cost more – to all of us, and not help the lady.
“Dr. D. and others here, as you see, the prosecutors are starting to have trouble finding witnesses to their fabrications. You might be excellent candidates for these prosecutors. How about testifying since you know the case so well and there’s no doubt in your mind that this innocent woman is guilty. After all doctors are always right, especially if the accused is chareidi.”
Pefectly said!
Mirm32,
If this is just a “woman’s problem” to be “solved”, you must have problems with sensitivity and concern for the destruction of a fellow Jew. That was an incredible assertion. A boycott against a hospital affects people financially; a false accusation to cover up possible malpractice destroys a life forever. That you are so cavalier about it speaks volumes regarding your Middos.
All you people writing negative about this woman is because you don’t know her and you have no feeling for her. But the Torah states: “Ve’ohavata lere’acha komocha” – You should love your friend as yourself. Practically speaking, just as you love yourself, have feelings for yourself, take care of yourself and want others to love and respect you, so too, are you obligated to act towards your fellow Jew even if you don’t know him/her.
Even if you have doubts, it’s a mitzvah to be dan lekaf zchut. The Chafetz Chaim says that when the accused person is shomer Torah umitzvot, one is obligated to be dan him lekaf zchut even when it seems more than 50% that it’s a negative against him. The Chafetz Chaim concludes that if you are obligated to be dan lekaf zchut and you didn’t, and spoke negatively about the person, you transgress the lav of Lashon Hara and Motzi Shem Ra.
To Dr. D and others who think alike: IMAGINE IF THIS WOMAN WOULD HAVE BEEN YOUR SISTER, your cousin or your close neighbor. HOW WOULD YOU FEEL if others on this blog or any other blog would have spoken so negatively on her when things are not crystal clear and there are doubts?
You know quite well that the media cannot be trusted. Certainly not in Israel when dealing with chareidim, as is well known in many occasions.
#7 To rely on the media and add to their malicious reports is a big shaaleh if you may be kosher for witness, for e.g. by a chupah. Not only burning city property is a shaaleh about qualification to testify al pi Torah, but according to Chafetz Chaim, the same applies to someone who speaks Lashon Hara.
so because a doctor tried to protect a child and because there is an ongoing case (no one was convicted yet) many other children and families should not get the healthcare they need? what about putting other Jews out of a job?
#17- did you ever think that they might be saying that b/c they don’t want to be lynched and caused riots???
A witness list means that they may call any person from that list to testify. It does not mean those people have agreed to testify, or that they will be given a choice if they are called. I find it hard to believe that the “organizers” of this boycott are not aware of that.
This boycott isn’t serious. If Leumit or Maccabi expand their activities in Hareidi area’s, then they will employ these 11 (formerly Meuchedet) doctors, as they will need more personell to attend to their new clientel & Meuchedet will not need them anymore !!! I guess the next stage would be to boycott Leumit and Maccabi. Lets see, isn’t there still one more kupat cholim – oh yes, it is Clalit…..
125 witness list is incredible. Maybe they can raise it to 500 to make it more credible. I smell a big dear rat in this case