Suffern, NY – Recent press coverage of an unfortunate development within the Eternal Jewish Family (EJF) has included inaccurate information about the organization. The following is a review of some of the falsehoods that have appeared in news reports and blogs about EJF:
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False Statement: EJF has been paralyzed by the current situation.
Truth: EJF continues its full slate of programs throughout the world, under its rabbinic leadership. Its offices in the USA, Europe, and Israel are fully functioning.
False Statement: There has been no change in EJF.
Truth: EJF is in the process of restructuring its rabbinic leadership, including its rabbinic board. Rabbi Chaim Blum, rabbinic liason and Interim Director, is spearheading the effort to reach out to the many gedolei yisroel who support its mission.
False Statement: EJF conversions are now very much in question
Truth: There is no such concept as an “EJF conversion.” It simply does not exist. EJF is not a bais din and has never and will never perform conversions. Conversion applicants who seek EJF support and guidance, and whose sincerity is verified by a reliable sponsoring rabbi, are always referred to separate, independent batei din.
False Statement: EJF is one-dimensional organization focused solely on conversion.
Truth: EJF is involved in a broad kiruv program to head off intermarriage before it happens. It has partnered with such well-known kiruv organizations as Gateways, Ohr Somayach, Arachim, Nefesh Yehudi and Hidabroot, preventing hundreds of young Jews from intermarrying.
False Statement: EJF encourages conversion, which is contrary to halacha.
Truth: EJF’s mission of support to batei din and candidates for conversion is only in the narrow case of an intermarried couple where the Jewish spouse is a fully observant baal teshuva and the non-Jewish spouse is committed to a universally acceptable halachic conversion. All the leading poskim, led by the late venerable posek Harav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, have ruled that, in such a case, the conversion is mandated by halacha.
False Statement: EJF has diluted the standards for conversions.
Truth: On the contrary, EJF’s rabbinic and dayanim conferences, which are detailed on its website, address the havoc wrought by assimilation and intermarriage, including the devastating effects of improper conversions. In response to this issue, EJF has helped establish a network of continually growing batei din that operate under the guidance of gedolei yisroel, according to the highest halachic standards. Sincere conversion candidates are guaranteed universal acceptance by any Jewish community throughout the world.
The EJF was victimized by an unfortunate event which has resulted in falsehoods, mistruths, and simply vicious accusations. The mission and support for EJF is sound. As it prepares to emerge stronger than ever before, EJF remains committed to continue its valuable work for klal yisroel under the strong leadership of moronon v’rabbonom, gedolei yisroel from around the world.
Unfortunately any organization that can have this stuff going on for so long and not pick up on it is filthy and rotten. I don’t know if they should shut down or not but many changes need to be made. Most importantly, do not give any one person so much power. Tropper had waaaaay too much power and authority. There needs to be transparency and a system of checks and balances. This story is unforgivable and steps must be taken that it never happen ever again.
whatever
Yeah, whatever… Now I want to hear the truth from the other side…
i fear for the future if this is the world that so-called “gedolei yisreol” are leaving us with for the next generation to take over. hashem yeracheim.
As for the real truth…
Wait so let me get this straight; EJF is the victim here?!!?!?!?!?
Why don’t you “darlings” just disappear!
wow i feel so sorry for all these “Victims” … Tropper…EJF…
It’s time to take some RESPONSIBILTY!!! Enough with this “i was a victim” garbage.
How can they say that the support for EJF is sound when the man who bought the support from some gedolim has been exposed as a charlatan?
R’ Reuven’s yeshiva got $3 Million from Tropper’s money man. Are we to believe that this had zero influence on the support of EJF?
And not all gedolim held of EFJ before this mess. They need to get new haskamos to have any credibility.
Sounds like EJF needs to go through a conversion process.
it is not true, ejf does tell its bais din what to do. i know of two bais din one in monsey new york and the other in boro park that tropper told the bais dins what to do and because they did not listen to him he dropped them from their list of accepted bais dins
Once again another paid Public Relations Release that is so brazenly chutzpahdik with total disregard for reality and the truth! This again only compounds and magnifies the humongous chilul Hashem!
– B’ikvisa d’moshicha yihiyeh beis vaad l’znus – v’hoemes neheders!
– V’chol bais yisroel yivku es hachilul Hashem hanorah!
The EJF is as responsible for the actions and misconduct of its representatives most especially its Director and basically leader/founder as any other corporation and organization.
Therefor anything that LT did, any conversion he nullified in the name of the EJF, any conversion he promulgated in the name of the EJF, any person he humiliated, hounded, scammed, blackmailed, etc. they are 100% accountable for!
They should have asked questions, they should have had a checks and balance system in place.
“only in the narrow case of an intermarried couple where the Jewish spouse is a fully observant baal teshuva and the non-Jewish spouse is committed to a universally acceptable halachic conversion. All the leading poskim, led by the late venerable posek Harav Moshe Feinstein, zt”l, have ruled that, in such a case, the conversion is mandated by halacha. ”
Except for its not true. They have advertised for and have been involved in conversions where the couple was not married but interested in married. This statement is, therefore, a lie. Who made this statement. Was it Tropper or are there other people in the organization that are currently lying???
EJF interested in eliminating Intermarriage? Reb Shlomo zalman Aurebach, OB”M told me that the only cause of the high incidence of intermarriage is the “kulos” being used by wine & bishul akum, fun de americana Rabonim. He also said that education has nothing at to with it. Reb shlomo Zalman said “do a proper bishul yisroel & a proper wine in New York and you will eliminate intermarriage in Paris.
There is no reason to publicize all the juicy details Tropper maybe Tiger like but the frum world isn’t the secular world and theres no reason to know all the people and exact details.
This organization and those similar that preach godliness and act contrary to their preaching, should be shunned. Perhaps the oft quoted phrase is well placed; “do unto them as they would have done unto others”; by retroactively cancelling their affiliations and relationship with orthodoxy.
There has NOT been a condemnation or even disassociation from tropper and his evil behavior.This happened on their watch as well as their awful kana-us vis a vis the “giyores in pants” and Rabbi Slifkin.Hodoas ha-chet is the first step of teshuva: even that has not begun! We don’t need this treifa chabura of self serving shkotzim. Disband!
Wow! EJF really, really need’s a PR firm. I have never seen a organization handle a scandal so poorly.
while it is true that ejf does not do conversions, they have, by all accounts, used ‘rabbinic muscle’ to force batei dinim to do things according to their will. I spoke to a modern orthodox rabbi in manhattan who personally told me that he was threatened by the ejf. he said that they came to him and said “you’ll use these rabbunim, you’ll do this”, listing several things, most of which were chumras, some of which were just politically motivated, and “if not, we’ll get a psak from rav elyashiv, rav kanyevsky, r’ feinstein”..etc, “that your conversions are no good”
unfortunately, while ejf has not made conversions, ‘rabbi’ tropper and his rabbinic cronies have used the ejf as a platform from which to retroactively revoke conversions done years before. unfortunately for them, the halacha is clearly written in black and white that “ger sh’chozer l’suro, dino c’yisroel mumer hu’, that a convert who lapses in observance is no different than any other jew who ceases to be religious. this is all done according to ‘daas beis din’, which means that even if we found a paper years later, from the day of the conversion, signed and stating that the convert was not sincere, he’s still a jew!
There is a money trail that needs to be followed. The public could ask EJF to account for the millions of dollars that it raised. Once this is understood, we will know why there is silence about Tropper’s “indiscretions” and why he was allowed to bully everyone all these years. Vehamaven Yavin.
The Badatz of Yeushalayim and the Igud Horabonim were outspoken from day one against EJF. The claim that their work is in accord with Halacha is simply not true. We are not allowed to reach out to non-Jews encouraging them to convert. Halacha does NOT make a distinction whether the non-Jew is already living with or married (by secular law) to the Jew. It is absolutely against Halacha and Mesorah.
Plainly, were it not for the big monies funded by the honorable Tom Kaplan, the fiction known as EJF would never have lasted one day. All the so-called rabbinic conference were funded by Tom Kaplan, with generous contributions going to “leaders” suck as R. Reuven (3 million sounds just about right). Every rabbi attending a “conference” in Israel or Florida had plane tickets, hotels, and other amenities fully paid for, even for wives!!! Had they not paid, how many rabbis would have showed up???? Also, the rabbinic “leaders” of the EJF are chushiva yidden but they are not Mireh Halacha (what sefer tshuvos did R. Reuven write?) nor Manhigim. With all due respect and honr, the leaders may be Talmidei Chachomim and Roshei Yeshiva, but they are not Poskim.
Enough said. Frogive me haShem.
does it maen that the organization is going to continue witl all these sex plays?
is this part or requisite for a conversion?
what credibility you can have if you do not t ake responsabilities!
true false, what kind of game is this?
why they do not address to the public all the real problems?
what are the doing with guma’s millions?
they have to return them to Guma
is these kind of sex parties that the donations are going for?
I have known Reb Leib for thirty years. In all that time, he has always done whatever he could to help me and my family and many others I know personally. I never found him to be avaricious or duplicitous.
The circumstances which make it appear as if, in the last year, he could not defeat the yetzer hora, have yet to be fully explained.
This is not the worst thing ever top happen to the Jewish people, although it threatens to be a very sad parsha.
If anything took place, it was certainly a set up, and only consenting adults were involved.
What is the rush to ruin Leibel Tropper?
There’s plenty of time to pile on the mud, but in the meantime, why not a have little rachmones for everyone who’s heart feels broken today?
Its still an open question how bad this thing is but for sure, Reb Leib has at least four decades of mitzvas to his credit.
It is also worth considering whether those who brought this sordid mess to the attention of the entire world caused more Chilul HaShem than allegedly Reb Leib did.
All the big, chashuve rabbonnim includidng Rav Kaievsky, Rav Yosef, Rav Liebsdorf and others of their stature have at various times spoken out strongly on behalf of EJF and their work on behalf of klal yisroel. This one incident which has been blown way out of proportion should not detract from their vonderful reputation.
Hey! We now have The Monsey Meat Factory. Finkel’s Dead Meat and Tropper’s Live Meet. Come on guys. Shut EJF down. If the Gedolim feel there’s a need for this organization… Start Fresh. Maybe we should reopen Finkel’s place under new management? WHY? Uviarto Horo Mikirbecho!
If you look on the new EJF website which changes every other day, where as predicted tropper has been removed, erased from the collective memory of the organization, one can see a blatant falsehood. They claim that they do not get involved in the geruis of the boti dinim, but just look at the International Rabbinical Board includes Harav Mendel Senderovic . Can he deny that he has done no EJF conversions in Calgary, Alberta? How much are these Rabbis being paid to be on the Board? Its time EJF came clean on its activities.
“Always follow the money trail and then you will get to the truth”
Rush Limbaugh
How could EJF be a totally independent referral agency while Tropper was personally supervising this Goyeres? What was Tropper doing? Did he have this relationship with others? Why did the Rav and Beis Din supervising the Goyeres not think the relationship between her and Tropper was unusual? There are so many questions that must be answered. I just don’t understand what can be done to metaher this organization.
As long as Jewish practices such as kashrus and geirus can be used for money and power ventures we will have the problem of people who love money and power trying to control these things. We will have scoundrels dressed in rabbi clothes trying to control us, for their own benefit! Where are the leaders of just a generation ago? It is unthinkable that our leaders such as R. Moshe and R. Kamenetsky etc would ever be involved in these kinds of filthy embarrassing scandals which make Orthodox Judaism repugnant to non-frum people and alienates even the frum. This stuff is pure Chillul Hashem and these weekly disgusting scandals are having a terrible effect on our generation and our chidlren’s generation. Please Hashem send us real spiritual leaders. We are a generation of orphans!
You need to come out denouncing and condemning the one who headed your organization all these years the disgraced Leib Tropper then you can begin to try and gain back some credibility by the public!
Wnne a rav of such proninence can fall so low or a maggid shiur of a daf yomi can serve yidishe clients treif vichulu vichulu it makes one shudder. The booshes these people pût themselves through, their innocent families, the chillul Hashem. Just by having semicha or being a lamdan is NOT ENOUGH!!!! Derech Eretz kadma liTorah.Years back the Lubavitcher Rebbe zya implored every one Asey Licha Rav. Go to someone you respect as a Mashpia to seek guidance and direction whether or not you yourself are a Rav or not you can not be objective. Look nebech at the results when one does not. Lets get serious and learn a vort Chassidus or a vort Mussar. Let us take a lesson from the Baalei Teshuva who really worked on themselves and let not any Rosh Yeshiva or Rav remain arrogant enough to say I am above all that. The alternative is nebech tragic. Moshiach Now!!
This whole issue of invalidating conversions should be brought to the discussion forum. This was a very dirty business Rabbi Tropper was involved in. There is no precedent for this in our history. To think that in one of the cases the woman’s conversion was taken back because she was caught wearing pants. That’s not grounds to invalidate a conversion. There are no grounds actually.
to Commentator 44: The concept of retroactively invalidating a conversion applies exclusively in instatnces where it is fpound that the convert was not sincere in the purpose of conversion, such as the convert continued going to church, etc. However, in the instant case where the woman convert was observant and, as some modern orthodox women regularly do in some neighborhoods, was “caught” wearing slacks, there is no justification of invalidating the conversion. As we obviously see with our own eyes, the invalidator (tropper) in this instance was invalidated and found to be depraved and unworthy of any further public or religious trust.
Doesn’t it say in Pirkei Avos to never judge a person “Ad shetagia limkomo” ? I wonder how many of us would stand-by a “Nisoyoin” like this, my guess is, very few, if any.
Non of us know how many times he rejected her advances, before he fell for them after she was in a “paid mission” to bring him down.
If you don’t know the facts, maybe do some research
Oh Please – I can’t believe how stupid people think we are. (#48 et al)
For G-d’s sake he was PIMPING her besides for whatever ONGOING deviant sexual
relationship they had. This was not just that the yetzer hora got to him at weak moment(which in itself would be unforgivable certainly for a man of his background and position).
He is a certified MUSHCHAS & MENUVAL and should go into golus in a desert (where he wont be tempted) and do teshuva.
He should surrender his “Rabbi” title and NEVER be alowed in a position where he councels others or gives “musser shmuzen”.
His conduct is a disgrace not just for a poshut “supposed” frum jew but even for a goyish lout. A pimp is considered a lowlife as well as anyone who sleeps around
(even if they are not married). This poor excuse of a man is a walking chillul hashem.
The point is that she has the power of selectively produce which ever conversation she wants us to hear, and we form an opinion based on that alone. Chances are there is much that we don’t & won’t ever hear. If we would, we might’ve come to a different conclusion (based on this, of course we only hear his advances)
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I notice that everyone is surprised and angry over this matter and REACTING to this issue in different manners but has anyone entertained the notion of possibly seeking a cause as to how our system has allowed for the creation of such a godol? How is it possible that such a person could have been overlooked by all the so called gedolei hador of today and dare I say the gedolim of yesterday’s generation including this man’s own teachers whom he received his smicha from? What makes one respected in today’s frum world? Our great sages tell us “Kol hameitzar l’yisroel naaseh Rosh”. Unfortunately, there are large elements in our frum world (many who actually exist on this forum) who’s oxygen is despising other yidden who don’t walk THEIR walk and talk THEIR talk. Passeling yidden or groups of yidden that don’t follow their version of frumkeit is a serious machle that has been produced unfortunately by many of our own gedolim and has become mainstream in many ways. Today, if you have a bit of kano-us or zealousy and mah tov if you know how to learn a bit and have the guts to stand up and spew hatred on a group that might not be the most popular (for whatever reason) by the mainstream charedishe world, you have the recipe for a Godol in the making.
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If we are to take any lesson and sincerely create change simply for the sake of our children who are r”l disallusioned BIG TIME because of this MASSIVE chillul Hashem and lack of true emesse leaders we must immediately make an about face to our entire approach to TOLERANCE and in the realm of nohagu kovod zeh bozeh.
If you think that we can continue our old shtetel style kanu-us-zealous-judgemental attitude (which may have worked then in closed environments etc.) and expect to maintain the respect and kovod Hatorah by our youth you are dreaming and heading for a dangerous road up ahead for our children who are ALREADY RUNNING AWAY FROM US IN DROVES R”L!! We need to WAKE UP, Rabbonim, Roshei Yeshiva, Kvod Kedushas Moreinu V’Rabbeinu – TAFSIKU from the sinas chinam amongst ourselves. Get real, we are living in an open society where our children can see straight through us and are looking for EMESS L’amito not pseudo values but respect and reverence for one another. If they see that Frumkeit doesn’t breed tolerance and one can easily put down the other for silly reasons of this chassidus or that chassidus or lubavitch verses litvish, breslov verses satmar but R’L they see that by the goyim there’s tolerance where do you think they’re heading?
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It’s a fact, we need to wake up and smell the coffee, I hear from my Chabad contacts who work b’urei hasudeh b’chol katzvei tevel around the world that many many many of our frime kinder are valgarin zich and are farblonchet beyond belief. These poor souls when they open up to the rabbunim or shlichim they say that they’ve lost total respect from the very roshei yeshiva they revered in their youth simply because of the infighting and judgemental attitude that they DO NOT SEE by the goyim who accept people for whom they are and can’t accept a yiddishkeit that fosters such an attitude.
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Sikkum: The issue with the Tropper parsha is not just about immorality but about our allowance to accept such intolerant gedolim in our midst. Our hachlata should be that our berometer of what a godol comprises of is one who reflects only ahavah v’achdus yisroel and one who shows signs of intolerance should be thrown from our machaneh with the same kanu-us as we treat immorality as in the story in the gemora with the tziduki and the esrogim in the beis hamikdash. May our very hachlata towards achdus yisroel arouse the rachmonus of hakodosh boruch hu to release us from this bitter choshech hagolus bimheira.