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New York's Syrian Jewish Community Reacts To Rabbis' Arrests

By Howard M. Friedman

New York's Jewish Week and the Forward in two articles yesterday both reported on reactions within Brooklyn NY/ Deal NJ's close-knit Syrian Jewish community to last week's indictment of six rabbis-- 3 of them prominent in the Syrian community. Charges by federal authorities in New Jersey focused on money laundering by the rabbis. A number of others among the 44 individuals arrested were charged with political corruption. (See prior posting.) Some of the accused rabbis are under pressure from lay leaders to immediately resign from their pulpits. Morris Bailey, chairman of the Sephardic Community Alliance, wrote in an internal community memo: "If over time ... these charges prove to be true, we must be clear that we find this conduct reprehensible and that the alleged actions go against the very values and teachings that our community holds dear." The most prominent of those arrested was 87-year old Rabbi Saul Kassin. He is out on $200,000 bail. Others are out on bail as well.

Some in the community are criticizing FBI informant, Solomon Dwek, son of a Syrian Jewish rabbi in Deal, New Jersey. Dwek was a key in obtaining evidence against those arrested. On Saturday, Dwek's father denounced the concept of Jews informing on each other during a study session at his synagogue. Then, to emphasize the point, Rabbi Dwek co-taught a class with Rabbi Edmund Nahum, one of those arrested and released on bail. On a Jewish radio program Saturday night, Sam Hirsch, a former Borough Park assemblyman, called for Solomon Dwek to be ostracized by the community. He also analogized Dwek to the halachic concept of a moser, the Jewish informer who was to be executed. Hirsch backed off his remark later.

The Forward article also has a lengthy discussion of the possible impact of the indictments on the rivalry between factions in Deal's Orthodox Jewish community.

Full post as published by Religion Clause on July 29, 2009 (boomark / email).