New York City – Not in our jails.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
Mayor Bloomberg said today that the city has launched an investigation into who allowed a wealthy inmate to host a lavish bar mitzvah behind bars for his son at the downtown lockup known as the Tombs.
“Clearly, this is not something that should have taken place,” Bloomberg said.
The Post reported in an exclusive story today that Tuvia Stern, a financial-scam artist who jumped bail and spent nearly 20 years on the lam, was allowed to hold the party.
City Correction Department officials permitted him to use his own caterer, who supplied kosher food, china, forks — and knives — for about 60 guests who partied and danced the hora for six hours in the jailhouse gym.
Stern’s family and friends were allowed to keep their cellphones — normally a huge security no-no. And Stern was given the OK to dress in clothing appropriate for the occasion.
The guest list at the jail included several prominent rabbis as well as Yaakov Shwekey, a popular Orthodox singer, and a band.
The city threw in its own present — overtime pay for the correction officers staffing the soiree.
The Dec. 30 bash was so successful that jailbird Stern chose the same venue four months later for his daughter Breindy’s engagement party for 10 family members, sources said.
Shame-faced Correction officials yesterday quietly disciplined five top employees, including a rabbi and an imam, for signing off on the bar mitzvah.
“I’ve never seen, in my career, anything as stupid as this,” said a Department of Correction insider about the bar mitzvah, which was permitted over the objections of at least one jail official. “It’s outrageous what transpired.”
Correction Commissioner Martin Horn was “livid” and “views the events as a spectacularly gross error of judgment up and down the command chain,” said a department source.
Horn suspended Rabbi Leib Glanz, the correction chaplain who arranged the bar mitzvah, for two weeks.
Four other officials were stripped of two weeks of vacation.
Bloomberg said the Department of Investigation is now looking into the matter.
“I don’t care how you sugarcoat,” said Bloomberg.
nebech! wow everything is so bad these days! i cant take it!
Sorry, but I don’t care how much money he has, and I don’t care about his missing these parties.
Jail is NOT the place for them. Such a thing makes a mockery of our already nearly useless criminal justice system.
It is not that I do not have compassion, I do. But this is wrong.
Mazal tov to the Buchur and the Kallah Breindy
if it wasn’t for R’ Arya Lieb Glanz our brothers in prison would not be able to survive, don’t worry about the two week suspension, keep up the great work, you are hashems shlioch to help this people and you do your amazing work with out anybody even knowing what you do, KILO LASHAM
Rabbi Glantz is a Tzaddik he helps the yiddish inmates everyday whatever he could.
shame on all of you, can any reader ever expect the feelings of those guys serving, don’t we all pray for 2nd chance, most and everyone there regrets their past, but prison does it hurts their entire future, and for us Jews future means a lot, its kids, grand kids and so on, so to see all of you constantly trying to protect goy and bash your own family is ridiculous. Chilel hashsm is your problem ha?, can u tell how u look, what clothes you ware, how your wife is dressed, are you always in shul learning, what chesed do you do not in the public eye, everyone has there goods and bad, but to always see the same people bashing others, is sick and crazy, how do you expect hasham to help us when we don’t go the extra mile for our brothers and sisters, shame on you shame!!!!!
This will cause less frum Jews to be hired in the real world. This is because the wider population sees that a rabbinic chaplain purposely shorted the system in order to benefit a fellow Jew. This proves to them that Jews are more loyal to their own cronies than they are to their employers. The chaplain and the “Prominent Rabbis” put their personal interests ahead of the interests of the klal.
This is the latest thing. Instead of a Bar Mitzvah without a bar, having one behind bars.
How many more of these “episodes” will it take before those in responsibility for the yiddeshe community begin behaving in a responsible way. This excuse for rabbi (the jail chaplain named Glanz) should himself be jailed for this travesty. The rabbonim who attended are either senile or incapable of making a rational judgement and also should be disciplined by the organizations they work for.
I went a couple of years back to brazil for a simcha, and stayed at a hotel- tuvia met me and invited me to his house to stay. he really looked after me there, Areally nice guy all ways helping people amd making every one feel at home. am sure all the big guys from wall street sitting receive parties-however when Mike Bloomberg heard its a jew he poped up. its non of his buissness and not his department at all. He is a mayor not a judge!
Mr. Bloomberg would never be upset if this inmates wife got ten poarking tickets while waiting outside for her son to come out.
Mr. Bloomberg, chill out and allow aq bit of behavior thaqt is nt aimed to hurt anyone.
Shame on you mayor. You just couldn’t handle a bar mitzvah in jail. The mayor is probably thinking, “Oh gosh, oh golly, how dare they have a family celebration?”
Is that your attitude Mr. Bloomberg? What is so bad about that? It’s against the law? So they couldn’t change the law. But you Mr. Mayor, it was against the law to run for a third term in office. So, you had enouhg money to get that law changed.
This means that money can change laws. That shows you that it’s okay to buy justice.
Hypocrite!
let me ask what should be the most obviouse question: if he was on the lamb for 20 years, how does he have a 13 year old son? 🙂
If he did the crime he should do the time, just like all other inmates. The jews always have to be different? We are hated enough, and now this???? It was a chillel Hashem, no matter which way you look at it. Mr Glanz got good money to do this. Why do us yiddelech have to be in the limelight?????
These events and the publicity will set back the rights of frum prisoners for years to come. Next time a frum prisner (and there are unfortunately many of them) requests a legit accomodation, I’m sure the prison officials will think twice before granting it to counter the perception that Frum Jews are being allowed to take advantage.
He was never convicted he is innocent until proven guilty
Yes and you schmucks are still gonna vote for this self hating Jew because of מציצה בפה
so far this idiot is מוצץ all of you
Rabbi Glanz is a real Tzadik…He will always be there for every JEW no matter if its Chasidim,Litvaks,Modern,Orthodox,Reform and Consevative…He has done more then his role of duty is….He made a BIG mistake and i can understand why he did it but this is going out all the way from the rules and regulations of the Correction Dept…Rules are made to bend a bit but not to brake..This guy would of been out of prison 18 years ago if he didnt try to beat the system…He ran from one country to the next till UK returned him back home to JAIL….Rabbi Glanz could of arranged a small party with a minyen and NO music and Shveky…..Rabbi Glanz we still respect you and we have a great Hakures Hatoiv what you have done and will keep on doing for Klal Yisroel…..
Good for them!
I hope the yingel, family, and guests had a great simcha.
Mazal tov!
(To #3: I love my people and want them to be happy.)
This guy is very creative, instead of sitting and doing nothing, he should have been let doing something useful for the public. There is a problem with our correctional system, instead of putting all the criminals behind bars, we should give them some work to utilize their talents and experience for public benefits.
HOW RUDE CAN A PERSON?????????????RABBY GLANZ IS THE MOST AMAZIN GUY AT 15 I LEFT HOME …. AND THE ONLY PERSON THAT OPEN HIS HEART AND HOME FOR ME WAS THE RABBI…IM SURE WHATEVER THE RABBI DID WAS TO SAVE ANOTHER YID BECAUSE HIS HEART IS MADE OUT OF GOLD !!
Rabbi Glanz has a cheshbon that we should not speculate about. This man puts him self out day after day, night after night to help those that made mistakes. True there is too much greed and pushing their luck, but at the end it g-ds job to judge not ours. The Rabbi has saved many and should continue to help others, should help be needed. We can only hope and pray that people will learn a lesson and realize that eventually it catches up to them. You would never want to spend a night at Rikers or in a State prison, it’s not club fed with a segregated population and stuffed cabbage.
Hashem Yish mah raynew.
Dear Rabbi Arye Leib
“Ashrechu Shtufastu Al Divrei Torah”, they just cant stand a Jew helping another Jew, even the Muslim clergy did understand it.
Your doing such a great mizva no question about it, no other yid is doing such a job with so much energy and love.
And the reporter who is also Jewish has a history of a very biased reporting on Hasidim issues therefore we need thank hashem we have our own Jewish world with a different approach to helping Jews in difficult times.
Not just raising money for Jewish museums and arts are helping Jews, a guy behind bars when the family is such in pain and they have a rabbi day and night to turn too its wonderful.
i feel bad that he is in jail but he is sitting for a reason or two in some country’s he would not be alive to see naches of his kids you mess up with the law there is a price you got to pay
rabbi glanz is a good man
this is not how a proper bar mitzvah should be conducted.
Unfortunately there are many sad cases out there like these and there is little that can be done may we only know of simchas in its finest manner
There is no one as much into mitzvos and maasim tovim as Rabbi G. He is the best and is busy with all sorts of people, red, white, green, black purple, Jews of all denominations and non Jews alike.
He didn’t do anything without permission, as the article attests to.
The only questions we should see posted are where to send to funds to help Rabbi Glanz in his good works!
There is no one as much into mitzvos and maasim tovim as Rabbi G. He is the best and is busy with all sorts of people, red, white, green, black purple, Jews of all denominations and non Jews alike.
He didn’t do anything without permission, as the article attests to.
The only questions we should see posted are where to send to funds to help Rabbi Glanz in his good works!
A FEW POINTS
imagine having to be in jail for your sons bar mitzva – its not worth the risk for all the $ in the world & bbeis din shel maaloh ????
reb Glanz – is a major asset to the correction system . the correction dept. benefits immensly from his work yes their job is easier
reb glanz love for every inmate had skewed his judgement , he made a mistake but the motive was pure love for a little 13 yr. old bucherel
the mayor will do his investigation & the report will show a dedicated servant to this city & state who erred once in his judgement ,the mayor is a straight person , you dont let great experienced heads fly for single errors
lets look at the big picture vehachai yitein el libow
Whatevers been said about rabbi glanz can be multiplied several times! I don’t think there many more human being like himself! Fortunately we don’t know much what goes on in our legal system but I bet you rabbi glanz knows! He has been envolved in helping the three young boys jailed in japan, getting food to jewish inmates as well as being mesameach on purim! he does not deserve any punishment for just helping another fellow yid lift his spirits!!
Mayer mike is a jew hater! That’s been proven time and time againa!!!!
It’s like our rov said, when he was “bar mitzved” back in Ungvar, he was put on a train and sent off to yeshiva, that was his bar mitzvah.
there is no way that they were able to do a bar mitzvah and tenoyim without prior authorization! i know the system a little bit and most of you dont know what your talking about! they wouldnt let it happen out of the blue! no way!
please instead of talking with such sinah, please say some tehilim that all innocent convicted/arrested/sentenced yidishe kinder should be freed soon be’h.
you should never understand what it means to have a father, a dear father,in jail!!!!
you should never understand what it means to have a father, a dear father,in jail!!!!
I totally agree with #57. We should all get a life and do something more meaningfull than sitting in a chatroom.
“Prominent Rabbis and Yaakov Shwekey were there.” When is the frum community going to wake up and realize that financial improprieties are not only against the law but against Torah? I bet everyone feels bad for this guy because he’s in jail, just because he’s a Yid.
Here is the deal. The position Rabbi Glanz has, allows HIM (providing no objection from his superiors) to make the decision of whether or not to EXTEND HIMSELF, Bend over BACKWARDS and spend hours upon hours of his own PERSONAL time to help out a fellow yid. He does it for Satmars, he does it for Lubavitchers and he even helps out non-shomer shabbos Jews like Mayor Mike.
So what is it that you people are complainging about? That Rabbi Glanz used his personal time and State-granted resources and privileges to make the decision that a 13 year old boy, who was born long after the so-caled criminal act was commited be re-united with his father in the jewish manner & Custom and say his bar Mitzva speech in his presence. Wow, you really must love your fellow jews.The fact that there were other fellow yidden who attended to be me’sameach only shows there are still many good people amongst us.
let me tell you all something. Rabbi Glanz is the most selfless, gracious, talented and kind hearted individual that the hasidic movement has been able to produce since world war II. His heart carried the burden of the pains and the difficulties our brothers who made mistakes, or who were innocently thrown into the system suffer. He is the one who stretches out a helping hand, and a loving heart and listening ears to our brothers and their families in the worst point in their lives.
Without Rabbi Glanz the incarceration of a Yin in State prison would be a tsunami of a disaster. Rabbi Glanz is a tzaddik and I personally have witnessed many many cases where only rabbi Glanz was able to achieve any results to help the heartbroken inmates and their families.
You should think before you write – because the next time you get cuffed and thrown into Central booking (for a suspended license perhaps) pray to Hashem it;s not an erev july 4 weekend, which will get you almost a week in the can with only McDonalds semi-soiled wraps for your nutrion needs before you can see a judge. With Rabbi Glanz around these things are almost unheard of.
To Rabbi Glanz, Hashem yisburach shall help you, that you should only continue to grow stronger in your daily chesed shel emes and you shall have all the bruchas that the Ribbono Shel Oilem has promised to people like you: Im Atu Mesameach es sheli – Ani mesameach as Sheloch.
If I will start writing about rabbi glanz I will never finish but I just wane bring out a point I know rabbi glanz work and evry day he wakes he is bz helping jews and non jews he will go out of his own way to help you and I can promice that rabbi glanz will evan help this reporter from the post if he will call him for any help if you have had ever need it rabbi glanz you will be amezed what this guy will do and in this century ther is no such a tzadik like him and for all thoes who do not know him should juat make a few phone calls to his family and he will see that one of his own family was once helped by rabbi glanz I know there was a inmate in his jail for 4 months and the rabbi went evry week from door to door to colect mony that the guys wife should have mony for rent and utlity bilss and etc. And that’s 1 of the small things what glanz will do and no one knows he will borrow money to help a other person so we need such a man this days evry century had one like moshe manfuri and etc. I am just saying we wll should daven that hashem should help him evry step of the way like the old grand satmer rabbi moshe teitelbaum once told him arye leib I will always makir tova zan and the same with rabbi yankele from antwerp and we all say rabbi glanz be proud of your self you have a great resume and no one of us can beat you
Rabbi Leib Glanz does what R’ Moshe LEIB Sassiever Z”L used to do! his Msiras Nefesh to help ‘anyone’ has no borders! I know personally that he doesn’t have a penny to his name and he would’ve been able to make a lot of money through his connections and his talent in dealing with officials but he is putting every aside and has one thing in mind that’s before everything, that’s ‘HELPING SOMEONE IN NEED’, I wish I should have at least a part of his Olam Habbo!
how can you guys judge this family did anybody give thought what this bochur went through? thinking that his father is alive and shouldn’t be able to attend to his barmitzva? do you guys realize that this bochur sacrafised his freinds for this, why judge another yid before you are in there shoes.
So what were you expecting the mayor to do? Send the kid a check?
He is the MAYOR. He is supposed to be upset when rules are ignored.
Few years ago, I had to go through a surgery (ruptured appendix removal) at Bath Israel hospital in Brooklyn, NY, when I walked up after anesthesia I felt miserable, so I called for a Rabbi (Local Chaplain). When he arrived, he asked what do I want, and when I said I want just to talk, he was very angry (apparently feeling that wasn’t his job) and left. I personally don’t know Rabbi Leib Glanz, but what I read at the NYPost, I feel he fulfils his job description as the Rabbi for 120%, and should be a role model for other Jewish Chaplains
Not knowing R Glanz, I cannot personally say anything about him. But now that he allowed this to take place, who is going to help a frum yid in \ail over the next 2 weeks. He may do wonderful chesed, but he should have thought more carefully this time.
But wake up everyone, Dina D’Malchusa Dina. Financial crime is CRIME. Stealing is an aveira and any chesed Stern may have done is Mitzvah Ha’Baa Baveirah. He should have thought about missing his childrens simchas BEFORE he did the actions, not after. I feel awful for his children, but maybe he should have thought about that before. Frum Jews earn respect and admiration by going above and beyond. Always acting with derech erertz to EVERYONE, following the law and not taking shortcuts. Stories like this just make the frum world look bad
If the charges are true, what a chillul Hashem! If Rabbi Glanz wanted an exception to the rules he should have asked permission! Further, imagine what would happen to our society if many politically connected groups would use their “juice” to carve out priviledges in our criminal justice system. I wonder what many frum yidden would say if they read that a Muslim or Christian clergyman did the same things for one their people. I’ll bet much of the reaction would be cries of anti-semitism! This is also terrible chinuch for his children. The allegation is notthat he”bent” the rules but broke them.
Obviously, public resources should not be used for private parties.The allegations also include that that he made an annual picnic to kiss up to prison officials and used non-Jewish inmates basically as slaves to clean up. While he may have done good work in the past, if the charges are proven true he should be fired and disciplined.