Lakewood, NJ – The real Nathaniel James Levi has been dead for some time — hit by an Amtrak train in 1994 on the tracks in Bakersfield, Calif., the Levi family revealed.
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But his identity resurfaced recently, used by a man from Kansas living as an Orthodox Jew in Lakewood, authorities said.
Lynn Neary, Levi’s mother, can’t fathom a connection between her son and Theodore Riley Floyd — strangers who lived on opposite coasts in different decades.
Levi had no reason ever to be in Kansas or New Jersey unless traveling through them en route to a Navy port. He was not Jewish. Their ages were six years apart. Yet by 2004, the 28-year-old Floyd, a Christian from Wichita, Kan., was telling a Jewish heritage organization in Lakewood that he was Nathan Levi, a 34-year-old Navy veteran from Bakersfield, authorities said. [APP]
Some questions.
1. Any idea of how he was called up to the Torah?
Nassan Ben… Halevy??
2. Did he wash the hands of the Kohanim before Nesias Kapayim together with all other leviyim?
3. If yes, do these people have to hear Birchas Kohanim again or is it not Me’akev?
Just to add some Litvishe Toireh to this fiasco…
Floyd may also be an allias or ID theft,he may after all be a yid or a Shabaknic, who married a shiksa & got a hirhur tshuva. The FBI cannot as of now CONfirm who he is
Correction to Anon 1:06.
“Just The Opposite”.
Sorry for the typo.
I would like to raise some serious questions.
1)First we need to know how many Geirus processes this ‘Beis Din’ in Kansas processed before and after this one.
There are certain halochos as to how to go about pushing off and discouraging someone who wants to be Megayer, Milah, Tevilah, etc.
2)Secondly, were they married at that time, and if yes how many children were born before that?
3)What were her intentions to be Megayer? Was it willingly or just because she wanted to stay with him?
4)Did she keep her original name?
5)Who was the mohel that made his bris or Hatofas Dam Bris?
P.S. If everyrthing was 100% Kosher, there is still room for a nice “KIBBUD”, ‘Krias Hashem’, for he never got one properly by the bris as is the custom by all Geirus.
Facts that,-yes- need to be clarified!
Nothing to do with Loshon Hara.
As the Chofetz Chaim once said, when asked by someone, that now that he wrote his sefer we can’t talk anything?!
Everything is Loshon Hara?!
He then answered, “Just the opposuite. Now you will know what you are allowed to talk”.
+
can someone explain me this whole story because it does not make any sense at all
who is this guy?
why is he in prison?
i wana know if hes practicing in prison as a frum yid
I wish someone would investigate this whole story properly and write a book on it. Its a crazy story and we don’t even know half of it! The book will probably then turn into a movie!
There are so many questions here keft unanswered! Why did he take on a dead mans identity? why did he make himself a levi?? What was he hiding from? Did he commit a crime as Floyd and had to change his identity and hide in Lakewood? Is he a great con artist? Who is his real family? What got him to come to Lakewood? Lets wait and see.
As far as him being ahaving a proper gairos, I have my doubts. Sorry.
But if you listened to the interview with the ” Rabbi” who did the geyrus, two things stood out. First, the Bais Din seemed to consist of the Rabbi and two old timers who davened in his shule and the shule had no mechitzah and may even have been Conservative. So the question remains if the geyrus was kosher. If not, Floyd remains a goy.
To Anon 9:51,
The first point you made about the fact he is incarcerated and is no threat to anyone is illogical. He has not even gone to trial yet- so how do you know if he will get jail time and for how long? It is very unlikely he will get life imprisonment without parole, so he could still be a threat to the public. Your second point that you should not embarrass a person is flawed for two reasons. Who said he is a jew and people have the right to know of this to protect themselves. The only one who is being oiver anything- is you- you should Dan lcaf z’cus VIN and realize they are not a Jewish Enquirer and what they are doing is Al pi din! As to point out to you why they put this story in- was probably because people like you said- he took the name of his relative- supposedly his Grandfather to fit in to the Frum community! But now we know this was pure sheker,- but since we are not mind readers and can’t tell you why he looked for a name change, the fact that he went to such extremes to change his name to a jewish sounding one makes one wonder why? Did he do it to fit in to the Jewish community or did he do it because he was running away from something in his past like for ex. some sort of crime(s). If he did it for the latter, it is unlikely his geiros would be Good!!
anon 951am your 100% right that nothing is to be gained to “re chew” if u will this story especially as info has surfaced that he went thru a proper geurus and if he is in fact a jew this would be loshon hora an issur dorysa
wHAT IF HIS GEIRUS WS GOOD?
This story is the gift that keeps on giving, isn’t it?!
Perhaps this story should be left alone for now, what gain is there in prosecuting and farshaming Mr. Floyd in public. He is currently incacerated and is no threat to the public in any manner. Shaming someone in public. Even if it is sometimes necessary to admonish a person for his misdeeds, this should be done in private. Shaming a person in public is a terrible avaeira, even if it is done with good intentions. Obviously, to maliciously shame a person in public is far worse. The Gemmorah (BavaMetzia 58b) tells us, “Anyone who shames his fellow in public, it is as if he spilled blood.” Shaming another person in public is akin to murder.
Please lets stop this for now
NOW, AS THE OLD BREAD AD GOES, ‘YOU DON’T HAVE TO BE JEWISH TO BE LEVI’!!
This story gets more and more interesting!!