Rav Avrohom Ausband Among Those Who Flatly Refused FBI Informant
A number of people, including Rav Avrohom Ausband shlit”a, beloved rosh yeshiva of Yeshiva of Telshe Alumni of Riverdale, were approached by the FBI informant behind last month’s arrests, but turned him down. The Jersey City Reporter now reports that NJ Councilman Bill Gaughan and Councilwoman Viola Richardson also say they were approached by the FBI informant but refused him.
23 Hudson County officials and political operatives were arrested on charges of corruption, primarily for taking bribes from the informant in exchange for promises to help the fake developer obtain zoning approvals for a fictitious development project on Garfield Avenue. One of the key figures arrested is Jersey City City Council President Mariano Vega, who is charged with accepting $30,000 in bribes in exchange for promised support of the project.
The Jersey City Reporter published an article saying that Gaughan said the informant approached him asking for support for the project, but that he grew suspicious because he offered no plans or paperwork for the project.
Earlier, The Jersey Journal reported that Hoboken Acting Mayor Dawn Zimmer and Councilwoman Beth Mason both said they had been approached by the informant.
According to sources, Rav Ausband, when approached by the informant, told him in unequivocal terms that he wouldn’t even consider it, as it is unethical and against the law. Upon being pressed further, the renowned rosh yeshiva repeated that there was no way he would even consider listening to an illegal proposal, having always conducted himself according to the strictest letter of the law.
{Noam Amdurski-Matzav.com Newscenter}
28 Responses to “Rav Avrohom Ausband Among Those Who Flatly Refused FBI Informant”
2. Comment from Chaim
Time August 24, 2009 at 6:03 PM
Agav, Rav Avremel is a tzaddik yesod olam. A holy Jew. So the fact that he told himt o fly a kite is no surprise.
3. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 24, 2009 at 6:04 PM
how’s he related to rav isaac ausband
4. Comment from misaskim
Time August 24, 2009 at 6:26 PM
how could he do that?!! and he thought rav ausband would go for it. he’s too smart for that.
5. Comment from talmid
Time August 24, 2009 at 6:34 PM
I learned by Rav Avremel. He would do anything off color in a million years. He is the straightest person I know.
As for his lineage, he is a a son Rav Eizik Ausband shlit”a, Rosh Yeshiva Telshe Cleveland and a son in law of Rav Binyomin Zeilberger zt”l, Rosh Yeshivas Bais Hatalmud.
6. Comment from hadenough
Time August 24, 2009 at 7:01 PM
renews my faith that most people are inherently honest….those who are not are the news
7. Comment from Moshe 2
Time August 24, 2009 at 7:15 PM
What they are going out against big Rabbis that is wrong but Rav Ausband did the right thing.
8. Comment from Aron
Time August 24, 2009 at 7:31 PM
I read that the informant was also rejected by Rav Dovid Yosef, a son of Horav Ovadia, and the Boyaner Rebbe also said no to him. Apparently he tried every which way to get them but b’h they refused.
9. Comment from Moish
Time August 24, 2009 at 8:50 PM
Why don’t you refer to the informant by his real name?
10. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 24, 2009 at 9:19 PM
Kol Hakavod to him and the others who refused. He’s a true Telzer.
Now can we get this story into the secular papers -emphasizing just how many rabbis *didn’t* play along?
11. Comment from anonymous
Time August 24, 2009 at 9:20 PM
The informant happens to be an alumnus of Telshe of Riverdale. He tried to set up his own rosh yeshiva!
12. Comment from Torah is beautiful
Time August 24, 2009 at 9:56 PM
He never approached me, and i don’t know what i would have done.
13. Comment from gfb
Time August 24, 2009 at 10:08 PM
also the oilam says he went for Rabbi Aaron Kotler, who didn’t go for it.
14. Comment from NetRabbi
Time August 24, 2009 at 10:14 PM
How low can one sink??? Nebach.
15. Comment from Anonymous
Time August 24, 2009 at 10:50 PM
Ver zogt az er iz a tzaddik yesoid oilam.
Efsher…
Shoimer pesoim Hashem?
16. Comment from a rebbi knows his talmid
Time August 24, 2009 at 11:45 PM
as the passuk says:yodea tzadik nefesh b’hemto…..it is no surprise he knew what the informant is up to.
17. Comment from Barzilai
Time August 24, 2009 at 11:51 PM
Since it is impossible that even this pereh adam would do this to his own Rebbi, it must be that he knew Reb Avremel would not accept, and he set up the meeting to show the FBI that there are some of us that respect the law.
18. Comment from zalman
Time August 25, 2009 at 1:50 AM
The real issue is not that the roshei yeshiva didn’t cooperate, that is taken for granted. The FBI did not do their homework, and that is the issue. Don’t go after straight people, go after the slightly crooked ones. Maybe like the ones who photoshop almost full batei medrash.
19. Comment from Kish Ka
Time August 25, 2009 at 10:52 AM
It’s a shame he didn’t try to trap Obama - he certainly would have agreed - and America would have been saved!
20. Comment from annoyed
Time August 25, 2009 at 10:57 AM
#17
This Pereh Adam did worse then that. FBI ? HOMEWORK? THEY WERE HAVING A BLAST WITH THIS GUY
21. Comment from No Name
Time August 25, 2009 at 1:32 PM
In my opinion this story only shows that the FBI did try to catch people who before that mosur has approached them, never did anything like that, so in this case the FBI’s act is considerd entrapment, the FBI should be sued in court.
22. Comment from dovid
Time August 25, 2009 at 1:34 PM
To misaskim
The Rosh Yeshiva, shlit’a, is an ehrliche Yid. He has respect for the law of the land and gratitude for the freedoms to Jews enjoy in the USA. I find your comment, “he’s too smart for that” demeaning.
23. Comment from NetRabbi
Time August 25, 2009 at 2:14 PM
Number 15: Your sharp sense of humor is only outweighed by your unmitigated chutzpah.
24. Comment from Rabbi K
Time August 25, 2009 at 6:19 PM
What a total dope this informant guy is. He must have a vendetta against Rabbis
25. Comment from shlomie
Time August 25, 2009 at 7:07 PM
the informant gave riverdale over 1,500,000 and was aguest of honor at one of their dinners.
26. Comment from Leib Shmukler
Time August 27, 2009 at 5:13 AM
21./No Name, FBI has been a Catholic, anti-Semitic rogue and INCOMPETENT agency.
Kiddush HaShem of the Maran Rosh Yeshiva Talmidei Telz, shlita, underscores the difference between the dchak of Bnei Torah and McMansion opulence of the Moiser, imach shmoi, and his kind!
27. Comment from Enough
Time August 27, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Why don’t you just come out already and say that the informer is a low life?
28. Comment from Leib Shmukler
Time August 27, 2009 at 7:15 PM
Enough 27. It is a DEFINITION of being a low-life to reside in McMansion, have unlimited gelt, steal from people, and then to try to “bring down” Yiddishe people that did no wrong to him
1. Comment from yodeiya sefer
Time August 24, 2009 at 5:57 PM
This is ubelievable. I didn’t know he tried to trap Rav Ausband. Wow Wow Wow.