Tokyo Japan – Israel Working to Have Hareidi Yeshiva Bochur Serve His Time in Israel

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    Tokyo Japan – The Israeli Justice Ministry has begun the process of asking Japanese officials to transfer a hareidi youth named Yosef to Israel to serve what’s left of an eight-year-sentence handed down last week as one of three hareidi tourists found with 90,000 Ecstasy pills at a Japanese airport in April of 2008.

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    The trial of the other two, Yoel Goldstein and Yosef Greenwold, is scheduled to start in a month and a half. The three continue to contend they believed they had been given archaeological items to take to Japan.

    The transfer process is expected to take six months to a year. If approved, an Israeli court would confirm the sentence and he would be treated like any other Israeli prisoner with furloughs and time off for good behavior.

    If not, he would go before a Japanese parole board in five years. Two thirds of the 266 days he has already served will be recognized, (as was reported here on VIN News).


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    58 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    may hashem help these kids they should get through this gezaira and those that sent them should be zoche to do tsheuvah.

    just wondering
    just wondering
    14 years ago

    i hope it happens just wondering why would the japanese let what’s stopping the israelis from freeing him.

    Oh My!
    Oh My!
    14 years ago

    8 Years?? I thought 5.

    bigwheeel
    bigwheeel
    14 years ago

    …The shlechte “Tziyoinim” are still better than the (farsholtene) upstanding japanese! Would any other country have done that?! One question that is on everyone’s mind. Why doesn’t the “person” who sent those Bochurim go sit in prison in japan instead of them?!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Did he not serve much more than 266 days? also why 8 yrs it was stated 5 yrs less days served and a third off for good behavior. that left him with 2yrs and 7mnths. i hope the japanese choleras get him over to israel FAST , much faster than claimed. my heart goes out for them.

    Simon
    Simon
    14 years ago

    Answer to No 1-they sat 400 days already, the judge aknowledged the days they sat since the sentencing-266 days. May hashem have mercy- let’s pray but also remember the gemoro EVERYTHING GOD DOES IS FOR THE GOOD! Let’s already merit to see the good with our fleshy eyes!

    PMO
    PMO
    14 years ago

    8 years is a good and fair sentence for antiquities fraud and illegally transporting counterfeit good accross international borders (the crimes they admitted to). Had they really wanted to get them on the drug charge they could have goten 15-20 years for their crime in Japan much like here in the US. Hopefully they can serve it in E”Y as they will have an easier time devoting their years to learning.

    I sincerely hope that every other bochur has learned a lesson from this. You cannot go through life choosing to be completely ignorant of the world around you. Learn well in the Beis Medrash… but also learn well in life.

    I hope these boys stay safe and secure throughout their sentence.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    They should make a prisoner exchange, add up all the time of the three boys, free them to go home in Israel ant take Mr. B. Miller to Japan for sending them on this mission, unless Mr. B. Miller can prove and lock up his boss if he claims to be innocent.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Yosef was a prisoner in mitzrayim but eventually he was freed had a family etc…

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    the bochrim knew about the drugs , they admittted it, duh!!!!
    it’s there fault now there getting what they deserve.
    i feel bad for them but what can we do, they dug there own grave.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    the 3 sides to the argument are very strong, innocent, naive/stupid or guilty. Most heimishe yiden feel for them and subconciounsly keep thinking about them even the guys with the heartless comments I have no doubt feel a jolt of pain every so often like everyone else. I’m a big boy and i know this sounds soppy but i wish this whole parsha would never have happened. I wish Miller would not have sent them, I wish their Rabonim or friends would of smelt they were up to no good, I wish their parents would’nt of given them a free reign to jet set across the globe for no logical reason. This parsha will go down in History and for as long as these people are sitting they will be on our minds. they are no more then a bunch of babies who on the street I would’nt give them a second look but now they are on my mind and thousands of others throughout the day. Gilad Shalit is imprisoned as an Israeli soldier, Jonathon Pollard for passing Naval Secrets it is unfourtunate and they should both be freed but they both had a slight inkling of the possibility of capture these 3 i doubt had a clue of the risks they were taking. and thats the nebechkeit over here that they had no idea in a million years what risks they were up to. Wether the Japs offer 5***** accomodation or a russian Gulag I promise you these sheifalach are missing shabbos at home and even for a million dollars they would not have done this trip had they had the slightest idea that this would cost them their best years of their lives.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    just make believe its your child, nephew, brother…better yet…IT IS
    perhaps then you feel some rachmanos (it is sefira now)

    PMO
    PMO
    14 years ago

    This is becoming the most dishonest conversation I have ever seen. Do you people live in la-la land?

    Gilad Shalit is a HERO soldier who was defending E”Y from terrorists and was captured. Every day he is in captivity pains each and every one of us. To compare an innocent, brave soldier like Gilad to a pack of criminals sitting in prison is to spit in his face and you should be ashamed of yourself for even thinking that way!

    These guys are CRIMINALS. No matter how stupid or ignorant they are… they are still CRIMINALS.

    #34 says “…hey had no idea of the consequences, and the seriousness of what they were doing.”

    Whose fault is that? Ignorance of the law is not a defense. Perhaps if they had learned something about the world, they would have had some idea of the risk. Their rebbaim failed them, their parents failed them, and they failed themselves by choosing to live a life of pathetic ignorance. Instead of learning from their stupidity you just sit and cry like a weak-minded fool. Maybe you should take a look at your own children and ensure that they know enough about the world they live in so that they do not go down this path. Ignorance is not bliss… Ignorance is DANGEROUS.

    I am so sick and tired of listening to people make excuses for every frum yid who commits a crime. If they were goyim dealing in phony sifrei Torah you would be demanding 50 years in prison!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    Please post ehere we can donate to help them.

    Shu
    Shu
    14 years ago

    Israel needs to be very careful in diplomacy in this.
    Once they are safely back, and there are no Japanese observers, then we (in Israel) can start comforting them and healing them from their ordeals. But until then, Israel might need to be agreeing to the Japanese that they are criminals and that Israel knows how to deal with criminals. All, this, in order to have some chance in saving the from the worsed, before they are dead.

    Askupeh
    Askupeh
    14 years ago

    Because Gilad Shalit is in much more dire consequences doesn’t diminish the pain for these Bochurim. We have Rachmoness on all of them.

    Milhouse
    Milhouse
    14 years ago

    “Japan is a friendly, freedom-loving nation that has strict regulations on human rights including rights of prisoners. “

    What are you talking about? The Japanese are barbarians, with a thin veneer of civilization painted on by the Allied occupation. You have no idea what their prisons are like, or how little they care about the rights of prisoners. In fact, we can shorten that: You have no idea.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    14 years ago

    why are people so makpid with each other ?? with more tolerance and love(UNCONDITIONAL) we will bring all the yeshuos home quickly

    Sherree
    Sherree
    14 years ago

    .My tefilos are truly with him. I believe he suffered enough at his young age for his greed and stupidity and that he has learnt a tremendous life lesson. I do hope he can get transferred as soon as possible to the Israeli facility and I hope we all learn a lesson about honesty and greed from this as well. It wouldn’t hurt to learn a little bit about gratitude either because the Japanese judge did not have to take any of “our” arguments into account or the fact that he was an exemplary prisoner. So if the attorneys feel it is appropriate to send letters of gratitude to the court please post info on that.