The media and social media jumped all over it. An Orthodox Jew kidnapped a kid in Brooklyn! What a story!
He’s surely an abuser. A molester. Throw the book at him.
Here’s how the vaunted NY Post reported it:
A creep tried to abduct a 9-year-old boy from a Brooklyn synagogue Wednesday — but was thwarted when the kid’s mom showed up and saw him trying to carry her son away, police said.
The boy was attending a bris for a family member at the Hesed Le Avraham Synagogue on East 7th Street in Gravesend shortly after 9 a.m. when a man who had been praying inside approached him, cops and the congregation’s rabbi said.
The stranger asked the child to go outside with him — and when the kid refused, he picked him up by the shoulders and tried to carry him out through the front door, according to police.
The mother spotted the creep carrying her son and jumped in — asking the boy if he knew the man from the synagogue, cops said.
When he told her no, she ripped her son from the man’s arms, police said.
The suspect then ran off — hiding in a nearby yeshiva, according to law enforcement sources.
Cops had K9s out in Brooklyn hunting for the man, who possibly suffers from a type of mental illness, according to the sources.
Except that the story – all of it – was fake news.
No one tried to kidnap anyone.
And video footage proves it. Watch it below.
In the meantime, an innocent man was dragged through the mud by the media – including portions of so-called “frum media,” which has no limits on what it will report and won’t bother doing a modicum of investigation.
The only “creeps” in this story are the reporters and news outlets who couldn’t run fast enough to release a story without knowing the facts.
What really happened was that after Shacharis at the shul, since a bris was being held, women filled the shul hallway, preventing the man in question from passing through, as halacha dictates that a man may not walk between two women. The man is clearly seen in the video asking the young boy if he could walk with him down the hallway. The boy agreed.
This was a bilbul, a defamation, a story aimed at painting this man, and the general Orthodox community, in a bad light.
But while the video vindicates the man, those who already did the damage – the media and its cohorts – will once again escape, with no apology, no accountability, nothing.
Shame on them all.
WATCH:
{Matzav.com}
A strong lesson in the importance of being dan lekav zechus.
The Sdei Chemed! May Hashem bench him in the same way.
What’s most surprising is that the media didn’t blame Donald Trump for the kidnapping!
It is a terrible thing what was done here…and it is the fault of Shomrim as well…this is a yungerman in the Mir yeshiva…they told the mother to call the police…they could have gone to the yeshiva and spoken to the man…they could have watched the video and seen he let go of his shoulder after a few steps before anybody approached him…shomrim’s course of action of calling the police is completely against the halacha and should be condemned, no matter how much they help in other cases…what about the fact that he sat in jail with all the criminals for who knows how long, and maybe they left some charge against him (very easy to come up with charges) and he is in some legal trouble? Again, this is terrible…
In the year 2023 with all the issues going on in the world, shomrim our liaison with the police, has to assume the worst. We can’t waste time looking for video and proof of innosence. If he wasn’t jewish you’d be saying throw the book at him even now. The real issue is that it took to long before the nypd looked for the video.
shmendrik: let’s see if you sing the same tune when you are accused falsely, arrested, jailed, maligned by the media and forced to hire a lawyer to defend you. You really are a shmendrik!!!!!
Wow!! What a backward thing to say: Lock up people and then see if you can “prove their innocence”.
And a special thanks to “frum” news for smearing a Kollel man for keeping mitzvas. By the way, the Mir had singing and dancing for the kollel man who was forced to spend the night in jail. A special thanks to the “frum law enforcement” for helping locate the kollel man as he sat in yeshiva learning with no idea that the cops and detectives were looking for him, and having him placed in jail overnight. Shame on all of you. You must ask mechillah from him and his family!
Not their fault. They followed what they were presented with. If you had evidence you should have presented it at the scene. In the moment, no one saw the video and no one showed it to the police either. Next time be Mr on the spot with proof of innocents.
Shemdrik: The saddest part is that people like you still don’t realize that you shouldn’t have to present “evidence” that you’re innocent. The burden of proof is on the accuser, not the accused. What would have happened if there wasn’t a video? An innocent man’s life would have been ruined and a shmendrik like you would say “well, in today’s day and age you can’t be too careful”. Lock people up and let them prove that they’re innocent. Sooner or later, someone will falsely accuse you and then maybe you will stop being such a shmendrik. Shame on you!
Headline in the article, calling the story fake news, is extremely insincere. We are all happy to learn that it was a mistake. However, the reporting of the story in all places was based on what was told to the authorities. If you tell the police claiming someone has been kidnapped, then get corroborating stories from people on the scene, can’t be called fake news. The post wrote the article based on what the police had on their public information. If someone with connections contacts the post, they may issue a redaction.
You really are true to your screen name – a shmendrik
In a sinister manner the so called “Agunah” crisis is also mass media reporting unsubstantiated stories, mostly promulgated by orginzations who receive substantial government funding.
Any man who refuses to give a GET or woman who refuses to accept a GET after B’D determined one should be executed should be shunned from the community in the halachahiclly sanctioned manner.
Mass protests are unhelpful and may invalidate the GET.
Yes Rabbi Moshe Feinstein Shlit’a.
Thank you Matzav for staying above the fray. Some of those other so-called “Frum” websites were roasting this Yid, ain leshiur. Terrible nasty accusatory comments.
Thank You Matzav
Chasid shotah?
No.
In what persons right mind is it ok for an adult man to touch a child you do not know ?! In the name of halacha?? Give me a brake.
just because it may not be a good idea does not make him a kidnapper
He touched is shoulder for 3 seconds didn’t hold him or anything creepy dont be so self righteous
He touched the kid on the shoulder to get his attention!!! What’s wrong with that? You never tapped someone on their shoulder to get their attention?
break
What a tzadik everyone should get brachos from a man like this who took such bizyonais for no reason
Instead of hearing what happened everyone waited to pounce
Not true.
What’s not true? A man was falsely accused and arrested!!!!
Someone had already clarified this as an aunt of the boy, in the comments on a different website. Not sure why noone investigated her assertion that what happened is exactly what you describe.
Maybe now you will pay attention to the phrase “FAKE NEWS”. A significant percentage of the news you read is either completely false, wrong or slanted. It’s a shame that we really can’t get a straight news article today.
can somebody give me his number for a Brucha
I second that
B”H for the video. If it didn’t exist there are those who would claim “Cover up” and others who wouldn’t be 100% sure the accused was totally innocent. Now we can all see beyond a shadow of a doubt that the man is completely innocent of any wrongdoing whatsoever.
Very true. The “me too” movement took away the presumption of innocence. An allegation is now the same as a conviction. The rush to get justice for a possible victim now justifies maligning and destroying the reputation of someone who may very well be completely innocent.
The Rabbi is interviewed and said the video showed an abduction which it clearly doesn’t show. This was not just a story by the press, the Rabbi testified to it to all, and it is available for all to see and hear.
What’s your point? Multiple people acted out of haste and condemned and maligned an innocent man. Just because all of the guilty parties can point a finger at each other doesn’t make them less guilty.
Let’s also see some acceptance of responsibility on frum news websites who ran with the initial story.
What’s most surprising the media didn’t blame Donald Trump for the kidnapping!
Absolutely. That is definitely the most surprising part of the story… tippish.
I know the person personally. A big Tzadik. I called him now to Daven on behalf of someone.
For those saying this tzadik was still inappropriate with this boy for touching him – give me a break. We must do everything possible to make sure nothing inappropriate happens to children, but saying what is witnessed on this footage is a problem is going way too far. This is totally normal behavior that happens often in situations like this one. This is no where near a case of chosid shoteh.
No one should ever ask a child to do anything to help in such a situation without permission from a parent. If it was my child I would’ve reacted the same way. I tell my children all the time not to go with neighbors without my permission. Even in shul. There is no heter at all. Get an adult to assist or nothing to do. Stay in that shul until everyone else leaves.
You’re as neurotic as the child’s mother. Hope your kids don’t suffer too much by having an obsessive paranoid parent like you.
The man should learn halacha. The women have to be four amos of each other. He can carry something in his hands, such as a sefer, as a “mechitza”.
The Novaminska Rebbeh, during the Agudah conventions, many times, had to pass through a hallway full of women. He used to grab a boy by the elbow and say, ‘Let’s go together’.
It’s a good thing that the mothers over there didn’t try to arrest him.
if someone tries to keep Hashem’s laws is he a shoteh? Maybe you should try to appreciate an ehrlicher Yid!
There is the “fifte shulchan aruch”, some seichel
Ab: Judging by your comment you aren’t very well versed in the “fifth chelek of shulchan aruch yourself. What a foolish comment! How was he supposed to know that he would be accused of abducting a child because he asked him to walk with him a few feet in the shul hallway? Stop shifting the blame. The yungerman is the victim. The neurotic mother (who called the Shomrim), the Shomrim (who didn’t investigate before encouraging the mother to file a false police report) and the media (for reckless reporting) are the aggressors.
It’s 2023, we don’t hold a strangers hand!
Ask the ladies to move, or ask the kid to ask the ladies to move.
Poor guy though:-(
shame on the mother, shomrim, the synagogue and so on
Wow I think we have become really paranoid. Does anyone really think he would have kidnapped a child with all those people around? You can clearly see him conversing with the boy before walking away with him. Does anyone think he was asking him for permission to “kidnap him”? He should sue as many people as he can for defamation!!!
I’d love to get a bracha from this man.
BH the story turned out to be all innocent. I still think the guy could’ve used more common sense.
As for the initial outrage, well important to remember that just like shmiras shabbos when dealing with pikuach nefesh, you don’t say you’re being maikel on shmiras shabbos, but you’re being machmir on pikuach nefesh.
Here too you’re being machmir on potential child abuse which is often a form of pikuach nefesh.
The story apparently did ramp up hysterically too fast. However the Yiddisher oilam has an infamous history of hiding these issues and protecting the abuser even when he’s a Rabbi or other highly respected communal leader. So here in this case when some started defending him or hiding the story, many people’s “radar” went off and was suspicious.
Perhaps if these issues were not shoved away, the olam would not be so cynical.
For all those screaming “chosid shota”, please let me know who you are so I won’t dance holding a boys hand by hakafos next year in front of you, as you may call the cops on me (yes, on yom tov i.e. it’s pikuach nefesh, darchei noam, chilul hashem etc.)
Wrong. Never ask a child not your own to do anything what so ever. It’s at minimum maras ayin. It’s 2023 where there are stories daily all over the world. You can’t assume just because someone is jewish they are good people and have only good honest intentions.
There was no kidnapping but I still question his actions based on this footage. It appears the man didn’t let go of the boy until his mother intervened, but then, it appears that he walked straight to the door without explaining to the mother what was happening. He literally just ignored her and walked straight to the door. Of course the mom is going to think something sinister is happening.
I don’t believe we’ll ever know what was in that man’s head, but it’s fair to say that questions should be asked.
Thank you Matzav.com, thank you, thank you.
You are one of last responsibly kosher outlets left. I hope you always remain that way.
People assume the internet is dangerous because of arayos, but in truth the kefirah and bizayon hatorah found on frum websites is ALOT worse. כי דבר ה בזה הכרת תכרת.
i think this is a lesson to NOT work with Shomrim moving forward until they get clear guidance from rabbanim.
Shomrim or police don’t protect us. It’s amailus batorah that protects us.
The blame for the sick mentality that has lead to this story lies primarily with… THERAPISTS
Emes l’amito!
Here is where our teachers are failing our daughters. The women , all frum, ought to have known that they needed to gather to one side as to permit a single man to pass by. It is our collective haughtiness that brings klal Yisroel shame.