Jerusalem – In a detailed report, Israeli TV station Channel 10 described how Mr. Bentzy Miller, a personal aide and confidante to the Satmar Rebbe of Kiryas Joel, served however innocently as a liaison between one Avraham Malachi and Chareidi yeshivah students.
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Malachi himself is said to be a leading foot soldier of the Abergil clan, an Israeli international crime family involved in international drug-running operations of Ecstasy and other illicit drugs. Their operations penetrated the yeshivah world, using unwitting and innocent yeshivah students as couriers—such as the three who were caught at a Japanese airport with 90,000 Ecstasy pills concealed in their suitcases without their knowledge.
“They were understandably confused, they were in shock,” said noted Israeli attorney Mordechai Tzivin, who traveled to Japan to meet with them in their cells. “Here they came from a very structured life, and they were deceived by a frum person whose entire goal was to trick them.”
According to the report, the threesome was told they were smuggling antiques so as to avoid paying taxes.
Tzivin says that the entire international Satmar community has mobilized to free the three students. “Whether Antwerp, London, S. Paolo, New York, or Israel, there is an unprecedented draft to help these innocent lads,” he told Channel 10 in an interview.
Meanwhile, the youngest of the three is about to go to trial, with the two older students’ trial scheduled for next month. Israel’s religious community is doing everything it can to save them.
In Israel, Bentzy Miller’s trial is soon to begin.
For the full report, click below.
Their names and mothers’ names should be published for prayer purposes.
a defense of we meat to smuggle antiques, not drugs is not going to be very successful.
May we see all our hours of efforts come fruitful and they should be freed immediately without charges. Meiafeilo leoiro umishibud ligulo HASHTO BAGOLO UVIZMAN KORIV!!!
יעקב יוסף בן ריזל
יואל זאב בן מירל ריסא חוה
יוסף בן איטא רבקה
Yosef ben Itah Rivkah
Yoel Zeev ben Mirel Rysa Chava
Yaakov Yosef ben Raizl
I listened to the report.
The correct translation is “antiquities,” not antiques.
It says that they figured that, if they were caught, the Japanese police would deal with them as the Israeli police treat those caught smuggling to avoid customs taxes (“A Joke”). It stresses their naivite in not realizing that Asian countries don’t treat these things the way that Israel does.
In other words, these Satmar bochrim thought that Japan would treat them the way that the “Zioinim” do when they break the law.
Hallivai.
Tax fraud and drug fraud are two different things the laws are different – One you pay a fine for the other you go to jail for
i hope they will come out from there like normal people and this person who sent them should sit there instead
K’de amrei inshi, “You can’t cheat an honest man.” The corrolary to that is that you can’t seduce an innocent man to do something criminal. While they may not have known the full scope of their complicity (which I doubt), they must have been aware that they were doing something illegal. In this the tierer bochrim were both stupid and arrogant. Stupid to take great risk for little of no reward, and arrogant to think that they could get away with it.
The month Nisson is a time for redemption. Let us pray for these children to join thier families this year for the Seder.
I have been to Japan and have done business there. Their mentality is completely different from ours. An average American would not be able to understand it. In Japan you are expected to know the law and follow it. The ‘I didn’t know’ defense doea not work there. Especially in this case where the boys supposedly admitted to trying to smuggle antiques. The Japanese would say that since you admitted smuggling, you must accept full responsibilty for it, even if it turns out worse than you thought.
But one thing I can say. The Japanese are strict but fair. There is very little corruption there. I believe that there is a chance that the boys will be convicted of the charges, but given light sentences due to the reality of the situation.
The story makes clear that they knew that they were up to monkey business, which involved smuggling, but never realized what kind of trouble they could be getting themselves into.
One of their defenses, to show that they did not realize it was drugs, was that they were bragging to their friends about it beforehand. (This was not in the story, but was reported in the charedi papers.)
I was wondering what it says about their society that yeshiva bochurim’s bragging about travelling somewhere to smuggle (and for “action”) was considered something to be envied. Was this bein hazemanim or was it during the zman? In other words, if it was during zman, then the yeshiva administration must have known about the monkey business as well. (I am not saying that these boys belong in prison for this.)
To all the judgemental commentators:
Weren’t we all young and dumb at that age?
It is now exactly a year since the 3 Jewish boys have been incarcerated in Japan. A group of women have taken upon themselves to organize Tehillim groups tomorrow evening, Monday March 16th at 8:30 PM to daven for their freedom. Besides being a year, it is the yorzeit of Rav Elimelech M”LLizhensk-a very big tzaddik. Thousands of Jews will converge on his kever (grave) this Tuesday-his yorzeit-to daven for rachamim for themselves and for all of Klal Yisroel.
These women are asking others to join them, by organizing a Tehillim group in their home this Monday evening or sometime on Tuesday to daven for rachamim for these boys.
If you and your friends can not meet, suggest that they make a point to say Tehillim on this auspicious day. I have been told that these 3 pirokim can be said for these boys, Chapter 7, chapter 35 and chapter 93.
These women did get a brocha for their endeavors.
One of the mother’s of the boys, Mrs. Mirel Goldstein will be speaking this week in the NY area:
Sunday evening, March 15th at 8:00 PM in Lakewood at Yeshiva Orchas Chaim -410- Oberland Avenue
Tuesday evening, March 17th at 8:00 PM in Boro Park at Khal Chassidim-4820-15th Avenue
They are also looking to raise money for pidyon shovuim.
to #21 also yossele when he makes a simcha at the local caterer he paye by check and makes sure every thing is recoerded so he sould pay the sales tax on it..yeh, of course….
Of course we should be mispallel & do our best to free these boys….however, where is the same effort/care & mobilization for Jonathen Pollard? He’s sitting over 20 yrs. – longer than those with more severe crimes.Saved countless lives by exposing the Nuclear reactor in Iraq….oh I forgot he’s a tzioni!!
If they would have been taught the value of making an honest living and putting in an honest day’s work, they would not be in such mess. Unfortunately, these are values which today are ridiculed.
#20 not this dummn interestingly they didnt talk this over with their parents they are dummer then dummn thats all i can say and they are suffering for their stupidity
so the truth comes out they knew they were doing something by smuggling something in they just thought it was something else. If this is true I have no pity on them, let them sit there and this will be a lesson to everyone else
Nebach
how did they think they were smuggling antiques if the suitcases were empty?
Is there anyone that can translate the report?
Why does everyone always have to judge? You can never judge someone until they are in your shoes. Right?
The point is that we each have to learn from this for ourselves. NEVER accept packages from other people! And never think that you can get away with breaking the law! Jews sometimes think they are above the goverments laws because we only have to follow the Torah. The Torah says you have to follow the goverments laws.
And without judging these boys, we have to look at them as yidden in need of our help. Daven for them and show support to their families who are in extreme pain right now. Do something for their zechus so they can be released.
I know one of the boys personally and can vouch for their goodness and total innocence. If anyone is to blame for their stupidity, it’s the society and insularity that they grew up with. Putting the weight of the frum world’s faults on their small shoulders is cruelty at best. Having grown up in an insular community, I can tell you that there is no way in H** these boys were aware of the severity of smuggling ANYthing. In fact, I am sure he didn’t exactly tell them it’s smuggling, but that he needs shluchim to actually carry the stuff over. It’s only because WE, who are exposed to the media, are so aware of the sickos out there, that we know to suspect sinister motives. But those who aren’t exposed, and don’t know more than their two block radius from home to yeshiva, without any outside influences, I think it’s preposterous to expect them to have known, or thought that they are doing something wrong.
Why is the investigation taking so long, if it’s so clear that they don’t know much, and didn’t know that they were carrying drugs?
And once the trials begin, how bad can it be for them, if they are proven to be stupid kids, who were victimized, and who didn’t know that they were committing a crime?
Pressure must be brought to bear on the Abergil Clan. They need to know that their interference in the charedi community is unacceptable and that there are consequences for their actions. Anyone with any details of this clan please post them so that appropriate action can be taken against them.
It makes no difference what they carried… They knew that they were breaking the law.. (Both government’s and God’s)..
They agreed to break the law, got caught, and should be punished.
A very tragic situation. The only thing these boys are guilty of is ignorance of the outside world and I don’t believe that’s a bad thing. Even the Japanese don’t believe that these bochurim had any concept of what they were doing but the Japanese way is that someone has to pay for the crime. The real culprits behind all this are Yitzchak and Meir Abergil of the infamous Abergil clan who are currently sitting in an Israeli jail along with Sasson Brashi Moshe Malul and Israel Auzipha. They are all awaiting extradition to the US for charges that will be very difficult for the US government to make stick. Avraham Malachi along with Samuel Samuel, Asher Zurik, Moshe Luver and Viteli Hanakyeb worked for Yitchak and Meir Abergil and are sitting in jail for charges surrounding the smuggling operation that ensnared the three yeshiva bochurim. Numerous calls were made between BenTzion Miller, who actually sent the yeshiva bochurim, and Avraham Malachi and I can assure they weren’t discussing Rashi and Tosfos. I’m calling on the Israeli government not to allow the extradition of these men to the US and urge others to do the same. We also need to bring pressure on Yitchak and Meir Abergil to voluntarily remand themselves over to the Japanese authorities in exchange for the release of the bochurim. They can be contacted through their lawyer Avigdor Feldman. These men, obviously, will not voluntarily remand themselves unless there is enough pressure brought to bear on them.
there is one question that has not neen answered. Why has it taken a year for Bentzion Miller’s name to emerge? surely people within our community must have known all the time that he was the one who sent the boys to Japan. would it have helped their case if he had been arrested earlier?