Stamford, CT – A former New York city councilman had strong words about lawbreakers during a panel discussion at one of the opening sessions at this year’s Agudah convention when asked to offer his thoughts on how members of the Jewish community are negatively stereotyped in the media.
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Met Council CEO and executive director David Greenfield responded passionately to the question posed by Agudath Israel of American’s New Jersey director, Rabbi Avi Schnall, who expressed concern about the prevalence of headlines proclaiming unsubstantiated allegations of wrongdoings committed by Orthodox Jews.
Reflecting back on his time in the City Council, Greenfield shared that as chairman of the land use committee, he participated in one meeting where an official said that a project required a second look because it involved “one of those developers.” Questioning the statement, Greenfield said that it took him a moment to realize what he had just heard.
“It hit me as I was sitting there with my yarmulke and a beard that ‘one of those developers’ meant it was someone from the community,” explained Greenfield.
Acknowledging that minority bias does exist, Greenfield stressed the importance of fighting back against unfounded accusations before launching into a passionate speech on calling out those who flout the law.
“When someone is actually guilty, and we know they are guilty, and they’ve embarrassed the community, we should throw them out of our shuls, and we shouldn’t accept them in our communities, and we should send a very clear and straight message that that kind of behavior is unethical, it’s illegal, it goes against halacha and our hashkafa and who we are as Orthodox Jews,” said Greenfield.
Taking a public stance of shunning those who commit crimes would go a long way towards improving the Jewish community’s public image, explained Greenfield.
“When you see that happening, when the next time a guy comes into shul and he did all sorts of horrible things but he is going get shishi because he gives $10,000 a year to the shul, when you throw the bum out, that’s when you’ll start seeing the tide will change,” said Greenfield.
Lakewood Township Committee member Meir Lichteinstein suggested that the media’s appetite for stories that portray the Jewish community in a bad light could be a tactic to drive profits, gently chiding Greenfield for falling pretty to the media hype. But Greenfield refused to back down, saying that while there is no doubt that there is media bias against the Orthodox Jewish community, those who are guilty of committing serious crimes should face consequences within the community.
“In some cases where everyone agrees someone did something horrible and offensive and against Torah values and in my opinion that person should be thrown the heck out of the community,” said Greenfield.
Rabbi Schnall and the Agudah’s New York director of government relations, Rabbi Yeruchim Silber, broached the topic of repentance creating atonement for past misdeeds, prompting Greenfield to draw an emphatic parallel between those who steal and those who publicly desecrate Shabbos.
“I think if we are having an honest conversation once a year about the challenges of the community, if you’re asking me, one of the ways to fix that perception is that when that when someone is in fact a crook, or when someone is in fact a gonif, or when someone has in fact done something where he created a massive chilul Hashem where you open up the papers every single day and this guy is in the papers, don’t give him an aliyah,” said Greenfield, adding, “yes, you can quote me on that. I stand by that just as how if someone pulls up in a Ferrari in front of shul on Shabbos don’t give him an aliyah either.”
Greenfield also respectfully disagreed with Assemblyman-elect Simcha Eichenstein who suggested that how someone is treated when they walk into a synagogue is unrelated to the media’s portrayal of Orthodox Jews. Greenfield criticized the practice of wealthy individuals who have committed crimes being honored at dinners just because they have deep pockets.
“I think the media sees that and they say ‘are you being honest or are you not being honest?’” remarked Greenfield. “And they are rare exceptions and it is rare that it happens in the community, but when it happens we should set a firm line and say ‘those people do not represent our community,’ because they don’t.”
Watch the discussion below.
Unfortunately Greenfield is right
If Greenfield would have said this as a council member, he would have never been reelected in the community..he would have been shunned, shows that he doesn’t have the guts to say the truth, only when he is out.
I would love to review the list of all who donated over the years to Greenfield’s campaign, and see if i find anyone who is a convicted criminal, would he refund the money?? I’m not so sure.
While logically and common-sense Greenfield is right, but halachically i’m not so sure.
David, you’re talking Narishkiten, the fact is the media is looking to sell papers, they couldn’t care less if we give ‘Shishi’ to criminals in shul or not, it makes a good story to the media to show Jews who hold themselves in a better corrected position then the Goy, is the same criminal as the rest.. that’s what sells.
The rich ones would just start their own shuls.
Lo Signov; Lo Sa’aneh B’raichah Aid Shaker.
Mr. David let me ask you a question…First we can not throw out a person from shul by accusing him of stealing only if a Bes Din rules that he is guilty and has to pay up. So now lets go to step # 2. How fast can you get a bes din today to listen to both sides and give a fair Psak? i was involved in suing someone at beth din for 15,000 . It cost me $12,000 to defend myself i won a judgement from beth din which the other side refused to pay up then i got a heter arkues to sue him in supreme court , and after i won the judgement in court the guy filed for bankruptcy.
So now you have a person ripping you off and still walks into shul.
The bes din does not issue any Seref that this person can not have Aliyeh to the Torah, send his kids to cheder, or being shunned from and social gatherings, so why should he keep to bes din psak if there is no consequences ?
Couldn’t agree more. As long as they continue to support kollelim, schools, shuls etc communities will look past their transgressions and honor them even if the financial support is with stolen money. Those of us who don’t have money would not get such a pass.
I could only imagine if David would have said this while being a councilman representing Borough Park, he would have gotten hell from so called community leaders..
Agudath Israel, I’m sure David won’t be invited again to any discussion panels.
David, you become met council CEO after the previous executive was a convicted crock, is Rapfogel shunned in your community?
Greenfield was most likely referring to the terrible media stories in past few days of some so called police liaisons…
Unfortunately this is true, I’ve witnessed this firsthand. While I do agree that papers are in business to sell we as frum people should realize who we stand in front of and make better ethical decisions. When u wear a uniform yes u will be judged for it and therefore should behave and go lefnim mishures hadin because that’s what a certain group of people are trained to believe. Also, I’ve seen who gets the respect in shul and it’s not my working class hubby. Then again if I owned a shul which was my sole income and had bills to pay, support my kids in learning etc I don’t know if I’d act differently! Then again I wouldn’t put myself or my family in that position.
Instead of inviting politicians and rabbis to preach how to handle the media, why don’t Agudath invite actual media outlets to the convention and have a discussion with them in a panel group.
Says the guy who made a BACKROOM deal with his best friend and treasurer kalman Yeger, that got the Dem line without having to do the ground work and THEN took a job making $600,000 a YEAR “fighting” poverty and where he brought a bunch of his friends in as underlings. Yes technically what he said is true and sounds good to give musar BUT people in glass houses shouldn’t throw bricks which is what he just did.
Ah mechayah, at least someone had the guts to say it!
define horrible David, sex crimes, financial crimes, is Rubashkin horrible?
Thank you, thank you, thank you Reb Dovid. About time someone spoke the truth.
It’s called a chilul Hashem for a reason. Of course the media,goyim etc. are going to exploit our misdeeds. It’s up to us to behave in the proper manner.
David, I didn’t know you are a Posek.
Who decides who is a crook, 12 jurors that you wouldn’t trust in your home (never mind in Shul)?
If a conviction gets thrown out on appeal does the Shul have to allow the person back in, and would you join his minyen again?
Who is a crook, only the ones that get charged?
How about a man that is a liar, stingy, an abusive man, bad middos etc etc etc.. would you daven with their minyen.. let’s say it’s the only Minyen in town??.
On the other hand David has a point, but I’m not sure he’ll find a minyen with only Lamed Vuv Tzadikim in it.
That’s why we have Hashem.. we need to allow him to do his job while we do ours.
he is Right !!
I was at a meeting where a lawyer who was involved with the liquidation of National Heritage Life turned to me and named all the so called shiner menten who kashere for Sholam Weiss, scum like that make it so much harder a real erlicher people who trying to a honest living to be taken seriously. Go David GO
Why don’t we start with stopping to celebrate and telling kids to emulate ex convicts (like SR) before you throw them out of Shul. I wonder if Mr Greenfeld would throw out his predecessor and someone like Shelly Sulver or is he only talking about visible Chassidim which he appears to dislike. The sins of the people he’s talking about is getting caught. We all know many others who steal govt benefits and stores and rich people who underreport income if we throw them out of shuls we’ll have problems with finding a minyan! About 25 years ago at a similar aguda convention they had a similar simposium on the terrible chilul Hashem of the growing frum prison population. Former Bureau of Prisons Sr Chaplain Jacob Honig made a suggestion similar to a Greenfeld and look where we are today where serving in prison is like going to a beautiful bungalow colony
I have no issue with Billy Rapfogel or any of the three of his cohorts not being given kibbudim same with Shelly Silver. When you have one of the largest operators of nursing homes in Florida in the federal pen, Sholam Weiss who is now doing his second bid and embezzled an insurance company etc etc, and these people are admired by the community? I have more respect for a child molester then I do for these people a molester has metal issues these people dont