From Yeshiva World News

The Press Is At It Again With Its ‘Love’ For JewsAugust 25, 2009 [By Yossi Gestetner:]

The latest is from a NY Post story, written by Reuven Blau and published August 23. In the story, the writer says that “Rabbinical judges who sit on what are called “beth din” courts often handle cases that New York City Jews don’t want in the regular judicial system, such as matters involving tax evasion or other illegalities.”

I sent an email to the writer, which I think says to a reporter all he/she needs to hear after writing such a report. The email was as follows:

Hi,

You wrote that Rabbinical judges who sit on what are called beth din courts often handle cases that New York City Jews don’t want in the regular judicial system, such as matters involving tax evasion or other illegalities.

As a journalist myself, let me talk to you openly: I think you are ignorant of the Jewish court system (or perhaps you are just a blatant Anti-Semite). The issue of tax evasion will under no circumstances come before the Jewish court, because it is simply not an issue that falls under the Jewish law (beyond that us Jews need to follow the law of the land and pay taxes, with no two-ways about it from a Jewish court standpoint).

Get educated before you write a report, or if anti-Semitism is at play here, make sure that the anti-Jewish environment that pollutes the air at the NY Post HQ does not make you look like a fool again.

With no respect at all,

Yossi Gestetner.

Comments on the NY Post report didn’t fail to come. Some commentators wrote that if Jews don’t like the law of the land, they can/should go back to Israel. One person alleged that crimes done by Jews get “hushed up” through using the Jewish Court system.

The fact of the matter is, that the Jewish court system is mainly set up that Jews should straighten out their disputes (family or financial) within a Rabbinical setting, and in no way can the Bes Din rule on something that is solely a government issue such as taxes. Better yet, if the defendant does not show up at Bes Din, the plaintiff can obtain a ruling from Bes Din that will permit the matter to be taken into the regular courts. Even more, every ruling by the Jewish Court can – according to Rabbinical law – be enforced through the regular court system, if the parties involved don’t comply with the Bes Din.

All this information is common knowledge to everyone that knows the minimum of the Jewish Law and its court system, but don’t count on newsmakers to bother reporting the facts.

(Yossi Gestetner - YWN)


[TD: Hameveen yaveen.]