Deal, NJ – In a taped conversation with government witness Solomon Dwek, Eliahu Ben Haim, a well-respected Deal rabbi, makes a startling admission.
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“This is illegal, what we’re doing,” Ben Haim, 58, of Long Branch said to Dwek on Oct. 31, 2007, according to court documents.
A year earlier, Ben Haim, at the time the principal rabbi at the Congregation Ohel Yaacov in Deal, bluntly stated, “I’m a money launderer. .. I’m going to be arrested.”
Once a regular visitor to Israel who ministered to Sephardic Jews at the Jersey Shore and in Brooklyn, Ben Haim now leads a much more restricted life.
Ben Haim wears an ankle monitor and must carry a global positioning device when he travels to New York City’s five boroughs.
He has surrendered his passport and agreed not to apply for another.
Last month, a U.S. magistrate judge denied his application to travel to Israel for the “bris,” or ritual circumcision, of his 14th grandson.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Maureen Nakly said Ben Haim “poses a serious risk of flight” in arguing against his application. Ben Haim’s attorney, Lustberg, had argued that his client had no intention of fleeing the country, citing his extensive ties to New Jersey, along with the fact that his $1.5 million bail had been secured using property owned by Congregation Ohel Yaacov as collateral.
Ben Haim, who had been in attendance at the bris for his first 13 grandsons, also posted a $1 million personal appearance bond, but U.S. Magistrate Judge Mark Falk was unconvinced and refused to modify the conditions of Ben Haim’s bail.
Previously, the court had denied Ben Haim’s request to remove his electronic monitor so that he could immerse himself in a “mikvah,” a traditional Jewish ritual bath. Ben Haim has also not been permitted to stay overnight at his daughter’s Lakewood home.
Nabech. Hashem should help all of us
I really wonder if that is what he said, or it was taken out of context?
and Dwek is still walking the streets a free man………………
i admire this guy…he is educated
Just wondering, what can he do?
Well, well, well……I am the poster who got attacked a few days ago on the Dweck posts. I told you where to look to find the quotes from the rabbi’s own mouth, and got an onslought of insults hurled at me. So, now are you still going to refuse that he knew what he was doing was illegal?? Now what?
Why are we not surprised. After all the screaming about “setups’ and “innocent victims” the truth will show that most of these politicians and rabbonim who conspired with Dwek did know what they were doing was illegal but did so anyway. Whether it was out of greed or stupidity (or both) the point is these were not naive victims but rather intelligent leaders of the community who chose to commit crimes to advance their own agendas. Lets focus on deterring such behavior in the future (as the recent educational efforts by Agudas Yisroel and other groups have been doing) rather than whining about the fact that those who broke the law will be severely punished.
You are all hypocrites. Each and every one of you. You cried he was an innocent man….didnt know any better…….so where are the posts declaring you were wrong??
olam hafuch – when murderers run free and the real perpetrators of crimes are not imprisoned – it gives you a nice warm feeling to know that justice is really served in america. even someone who does launder money – the punishment is way more severe than necessary. murderers get less – o.j. anyone?
If Dwek were a goy and had done this to non Jews he would currently be residing in a hospital or a cemetery. Why are we so bleeping tolerant?!
solomon dwek should be imprisoned for life, how dare you snitch on other jews, according to halacha such a person, very hard to do tshuvah
I think even if these “Frum Rabbis” made a national announcement that they knew what they were doing was wrong and illegal, people will still deny it, defend them and accuse everyone of antisemitism, or blame the CIA for hypnotizing these tzadikim to get a confession out of them. Truth is uncomfortable for people to handle.
Dwek is still walking because he is the smartest frum white collar criminal. Once he was caught red handed, he COOPERATED to be an informant for the feds to get a better deal in punishment. He wasn’t relying on his community or Agudah to do smear campaigns against the government in last ditch effort to save himself. He took responsibility for his involvement and understood how the legal process works and took advantage of the offers that the feds were giving him.
dear #17 …tshuva is not hard…ooo tsvhava, zidaka and maley gezarah….are you with me?
This doesn’t change anything. Nobody ever said that they had no inkling that what they were doing was illegal. Only that they were coersed by Dreck to vuolate the law under the pretext that he was starving and that their help would allow him to put food on the table. The fact that Ben Haim said it on the tapes only shows that he regreted that he was being put in such a position and was pointing it out to Dreck so that Dreck should realize what a favor he was doing for him.
Its very convenient for the govt to leak out snippets of the tapes out of context. But I bet if you heard the tapes, the regret would be evident in his voice.
As a member of the Syrian Sephardic community I’m outraged by the attack placed upon us.It is a gigantic Cheelool Hashem to all Jews but even a bigger sin to pass judgment by your fellow brother that’s called lashon Harah especially
with out knowing the facts because I’m certain none of these people are from the prosecutors office.
In this world we as Jews have been persecuted since the beginning of time and still continues so instead of passing judgment or condemning
one of our own we should pray for all of these persecuted not to destroy all of the accomplishments and great things thus far.
Additionally I Personally know the Father of Rabbi Ely Ben Hiam Chacham Baruch AH”
and Ely as well and if the Apple does not fall far from the tree hes far from bad and closer to great and from my past dealings with Rabbi Hiem I can tell you his life is devoted to helping others and if broke the law than it was likely necessary requirement.
understanding its wrong and illeagal to launder money this has been a practice of every non profit org since the beginning of time and we should look closer at the other non Jewish Organizations like the SUSAN G KOMEN who does no different
Dwek does not have any idea of what’s waiting for him in Gehenom.
He knew he was a thief. He knew he was helping thieves. There’s really nothing more to say except that I hope he does teshuvah for his crimes while he’s in jail.
To all jew-haters posting here. Are you clean? How many counts would the FBI find on you if they just start digging at you. Most probably when the muser dweck (sheim reshuim yirkuv) cried to him that he doesn’t have for shabbos he should do him this favor, he said between words that I can’t continue by doing this I’m laundering money and I’ll be arrested. Its just jumping on somebodies innocent words. I learn from these words just the opposite that he did not want to commit a crime. Take off your sunglasses please.
just pointinh out that, without knowing the facts of this particular case, rabbis yosef shalom elyashiv the tzitz eliezer and the aruch hashulchan hold that mesira does not exist in our modern day democracies and rabbi shmuel wosner and the maharom schick hold that whenever a law is covered under dina demalchusa dina it is not mesira to report a violator, although their can still be other issues depending on the case
tmtsa-gavi
This rabbi was begged by dreck to help. That’s what they do help people at a risk to themselves. The money went ot help the school or the needy. Think of it as an entraped robinhood.
The people who Dwek managed to snag into his net did it to help him. I know for a fact that he pleaded with a person who owns a gemach to help him because he needs to feed his family, etc. He came again and again.
Baruch Hashem that person had the seichel to refuse. But the others didn’t refuse because they felt bad for Dwek, who made himself into this big nebach. They did not do it for personal gain. It’s true breaking the law is breaking the law. But they felt obligated to help a Jew in need.
Dwek is a moser who will rot in gehinom.
To all of you with your nasty comments…guard your tongue…you will all be looking where to hide at your Yom Hadin and no one yes no one will be there to be a sneigor for your poor souls…as the chazal say “bmidah shodom modeid modedin lo”…….