Los Angels, CA – Entertainer Michael Jackson has died at the age of 50 after being taken to a hospital on Thursday after suffering cardiac arrest.
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In the past Jackson was accused of making anti-Semitic remarks.
In a series of audio tapes broadcasted in 2005 on ABC’s “Good Morning America,” Jackson is heard using anti-Semitic language in a voice message to one of his former advisers. “They suck…they’re like leeches,” Jackson is heard saying. “It’s a conspiracy. The Jews do it on purpose.”
The tapes were part of lawsuit filed against Jackson by two of his former advisers.
The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) issued a statement in 2005 claiming Jackson “has an anti-Semitic streak.” Abraham Foxman, national director of the ADL, said “every time he has a problem in his life, he blames the Jews”. Foxman referred to a similar incident with Jackson in 1995, when he wrote a song titled “They don’t care about us” that included anti-Semitic stereotypes. Jackson later apologized for the lyrics and removed them from the song.
“It is sad that Jackson is infected with classically stereotypical ideas of Jews as all-powerful, money-grabbing and manipulative,” said Foxman. He called on Michael Jackson to acknowledge the hatred in his words and show his fans that he rejected bigotry.
According to a FOX News report in 2004 Jackson’s ex-wife, Debbie Rowe, considered herself and kids Jewish.
Below is from Jewish journal.com
Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, the rockstar rabbi who was a close friend of the, as of a few hours ago, late Michael Jackson when the two worked together on Heal the Kids,
“It is an American tragedy,“ Boteach said. “This guy could sing and dance—he lived the American dream and this is the end of the story. This is not what our values are supposed to be about.“
“It was obvious what Michael always needed,“ the rabbi continued. “He needed connection with God, spirituality and family. Michael was a Jehovah’s Witness and when he was a Jehovah’s Witness he was doing quite well, but then he had a falling out with the church and that is when all these problems began.“
Boteach hadn’t spoken with Jackson in five years, having severed their relationship when he no longer felt that he could help the troubled King of Pop. But speaking by phone from Iceland, Boteach sounded heartbroken talking about his old friend.
“To be honest,“ he told me. “I miss him. I know people saw him as a bad person. But that wasn’t true. he was a person with a lot of issues and sadly he never addressed those issues. But he had a lot of good in him. He just never overcame this toxic celebrity culture.
“The real tragedy is we all are envious of these big superstars, and they often are the ones who get the least help because they have so many enablers.“
The rabbi added that he had long feared this day was coming.
“When they announced these new concerts, I thought that was an omen. that was a bad thing. Michael was going to have to train extensively for these concerts, and from what I new of him, he was not in any mental frame of mind to be doing concert,“ Boteach said.
“Michael didn’t need more concerts; he didn’t need more album sales. He needed to rescue his life.“
Boteach also e-mailed this prepared statement:
My family and I have just heard that Michael Jackson has passed away. Our thoughts and prayers are with his children and the Jackson family.
Michael Jackson’s death is not just a terrible tragedy for three young children who will now be orphaned. It is also an American tragedy that affects us all. Our culture, in which fortune and fame readily eclipse family and life nurturing values, is claiming an increasing number of casualties. There was a great beauty and gentility in Michael’s soul. His talents far surpassed those of his contemporaries and he yearned deeply to make the world a better place. I am saddened that the emotional pain he lived with prevented him from finding the meaning and connectedness which he longed for.
The saddest aspect to this tragedy is that so many watched it happen and few did anything to stop it. I pray that Michael’s death will not be in vain and that we see a return, even among Hollywood celebrities to the spiritual and family values that are life sustaining.
“kain yovdu kol oiyvey hashem”
I’m sure all the little kiddies he molested aren’t crying over this news.
is it HE SHE maybe IT???? yimach shmoi vzichroy!!!!!! mushchas menuval doesnt even deserve this much on a jewish website.
Now he can eat cookies and warm chocolate milk in bed with the devil instead of little boys!! And in HELL instead of the fireplace in his bedroom!!!
Hell get his due.
you are a bunch of nasty people…”a pity he didn’t die 10 years ago”? Yes, he was a complete weird idiot, but the comments on this site are beyond stupid.
He was a menuval, don’t believe his kids are his either, they are all 3 white skinned, how could that be?
zoll zein mein kapoore.
heart attack my foot, he prbably pigert from that toivah macleh. as thats what was his speciatl
Oh here we go, more celebration over someone’s death. No one has to like the man, but to rejoice over the death of a human being, one who actually contributed thousands of dollars to people including Jews, seems a little bit unpleasant.
the world just got a bit more holy by removal of that tumah.
IT WAS PROBABLY A DRUG OVERDOSE
#3 i have free speech and you have a choice not to read or go to other sites. michael jackson was a shtuk shmutz
Lt. Fred Corral of the Los Angeles County Coroner’s Office said an autopsy would probably be done on the singer Friday, with results expected that afternoon.
“Michael Jackson made culture accept a person of color,” the Rev. Al Sharpton said. “To say an ‘icon’ would only give these young people in Harlem a fraction of what he was. He was a historic figure that people will measure music and the industry by.”
Jackson’s blazing rise to stardom — and later fall from grace — is among the most startling of show business tales. The son of a steelworker, he rose to fame as the lead singer of the Jackson 5, a band he formed with his brothers in the late 1960s. By the late ’70s, as a solo artist, he was topping the charts with cuts from “Off the Wall,” including “Rock With You” and “Don’t Stop ‘Til You Get Enough
ITS A SHILA IF YOU MAKE A SHEIN HABREISO N HIM
tooo much $
…PS and i give credit for VIN for not printing his name on the headline ‘kol huoimer rachov nikrah’
His Kids are Jewish…by the way. And..how can you be glad a human being died? Was he odd? Yes Do you have a right to rejoice over his death? I think not
May all anti-Semites have the same glorious ending that Michael Jackson achieveed today !!
According to law they have to put a “Please Recycle” sign on his coffin.
Maybe now his kids will have a chance to be normal.
who cares his music sucked and he danced like a pig. he made the swine fly.
What will the kids do now ?!
Of course you are all entitled to “free speech” and I am entitled to think all of the comments on these boards are stupid….I don’t think a jewish life is more valuable than a non-jew…..to me a life is a life. just my opinion.
I am surprised he died. He just recently underwent a complete tune-up and overhaul. Most of his parts are practically brand new.
Many Jews are busy remembering the Rebbe today, while foolish people are busy crying over the loss of a miserable pervert with no talent whatsoever, who made his living basically by being a freak. We mourn the disappearance of emes and hope for a return of emes with the coming of Moshiach which was the goal that the Rebbe taught us to strive for; they cry over the loss of sheker thinking that it can never be replaced. Anu ameilim vehem ameilim.
Boteach also makes his living by shocking people, and for him to desecrate Gimmel Tammuz by speaking of Jackson instead of the Rebbe whom he claims still inspires him shows what he is. Indeed, he is but a fellow freak, consistently looking for attention, and even worse than Jackson because he uses a pop version of Torah for his freak shows.
who cares what MJ says or not , why do we have to see evrything in a racist prisem . we cant tell pepole to only speak in the tone that we approve, all we have to do is to show the world how benefical we r and allways was for socity , instead of fucosing our affords on a crazed yet talented but moraley corrupt chazir.
Michael converted to Islam approximately one year ago.
thanks for the mitva tantz moves mike
Good, now the children are finally safe
he loved jews. he even went with rabb shmuley to hakafos on simchas torah at the carelebach shul. he only had great things to say about the experience.
unlike most entertainers, his songs werent about relationships and shmutz. all his songs had a message and a worthwhile theme about people and the world.
we are the world, heal the world, earth song, black or white, man in the mirror.
VIN edtiroal board made an error in judgment today.
HE VISITED THE CARLBACH SHUL MANY TIMES AND WAS THINKING ABOUT CONVERTING
To those who think he was a lousy artist, he is, was, and probably always will be the biggest selling artist of all time (that was true even before all the craziness). He sold 750 million albums, and was recognized with more artistry awards than any other artist.
Secondly, he is a 50 year old man who is dead. Why celebrate? Everyone here is always yelling “dan lekaf zechus!” when a yid is charged with a crime… this man was never convicted (not to say he was innocent)… so why all the hatred? Because he was weird? Because he was EXCEPTIONALLY weird?
If you know anything about his story, he is what I would call a “tortured soul”. He was used and abused by everyone around him, including his own family. His tragic life over the last 15 years or so is now capped off by a tragic death that will leave 3 children without their father.
Don’t get me wrong… I believe he probably did some of the things he was accused of, but I don’t know for sure and none of us ever will, even though the judicial system found him innocent. Therefore, I choose to focus on the tragedy of his life and the pain and anguish his children must be feeling.
It’s interesting that on VIN there is this much reaction to the King.
You don’t think the secular media has plenty of bad and nasty things to say about him??
They have the decency to be respectful at this time…
Just basic human decency…
To be honest! When we see talent we have to tank g-d. He was an enormous talent. His song “earth” can lift you to heaven. Okay he was a little masuge, but please!
There is a special blessing to say when Seeing a talented goy. So the comments of above are not too smart.
your all crazy we lost the greatest Entertainer and musical genious
#23 ‘ bavod reshaim rinah’. why are you so sad when such immoral filth expires?
of what consequence is boteach’s hesped for jackson? his association with him during his lifetime was puzzling and shameful, even moreso now that he is gone
i was wondering what ehrliche yidden who are supposed to be engrosed in keddusha , rooting for a shtuk timeh. enthralled by his music. the gemmorah says why did achar becaome a heretic, because his mother listened to greek music
“It is an American tragedy,“ Boteach said. Was he referring to the fascination with that wierd person accused of liking boys or the man’s death? Boteach should have simply kept quiet about the death of this resculpted freak.
That picture is one of the worst I’ve seen!!
people get your facts straight if he is an anti-semite why would he marry a jew?
he was mad at some lawyers that stole monsey so he called them leeches,he did not hate jews he was friends with a lot of jews and he gave a lot of money to jewish causes,he was a geat man in his culture,and he was a good hearted man,and yes he was troubled thru no fault of his own,and as far as the allegations against him he was framed for money,if you watch any interview that he talks about children you wouldnt believe he could hurt any,he was a good person jewish or not. rest in peace.
A person of color?? Yes, white…he bleached himself because he didn’t like being black.
As for Shmuely Boteach…he’s quick to jump on the bandwagon once again. Hey, even a dead guy will be material if it gets him some more press.
The whole thing is sick. So he’s dead. Big whoop. There are plenty more worthy yet ordinary folk who die every day. Give it up.
i find it interesting that this post got so many responses more than any on this site,it goes to show he had an impact on the whole world,even our tight knit community,and i think thats because he was a good person.
Some of you are saying he had no talent. You are obviously wrong. We strongly disagree with his private life but the man/child had talent. He was a great talent but man o man was he really #$$%%^ up!
There is talent by ayno yehudim too. Its ok to admit it.
Disgusting to write such comments! I as a jew would never be able to write such nasty comments on a human being, its sad that he died, its a tragedy to all his friends and family.
If he did utter a few anti semitic remarks its bad enough, but that doesn’t make him deserve a death wish.
gitta nacht.
I do not understand why he called us like the fruit they serve in Chinese restaurants. How is that an insult?.
us jews have been called many things but leeches is a frist…what does lmean by leeches `we suck blood `?