Tuesday, July 21, 2009

Mother Update

B"H

I haven't had the time looking through all the haredi and secular news sites yet. Sitting on the bus from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv in the early morning, I just read the Hebrew edition of the JERUSALEM POST as well as the Hebrew daily ISRAEL HAYOM.
Both papers reported that the Mea Shearim mother is undergoing psychiatric treatment today. The doctor will be Dr. Yaakov Weil.
She has to, as her house arrest is only valid until Thursday.

However, her lawyer David HaLevy brought to the judge's attention that the mother underwent a very difficult time being thrown into jail with criminals and was then questioned by the police. If his client couldn't have it a little easier ?

There are many many things I still don't get.
Why didn't the hospital and the social service notice the situation of the child ? I know that I have raised the question before but it seems so odd. If a child is loosing so much weight, why is no one checking out the cause ?

Lawyer HaLevy is right but one has to consider that the mother obviously did something wrong. At least if you look at all the accusations and there seems to be a video showing the abuse.
If I steal something and are caught, I will end in jail with criminals. According to the law, the mother abused her child and this is a crime. Of course, it would have been better putting her into a psychiatric hospital but this is what happened. Everything could have been handled better and the social service staff even warned the police that there may be haredi riots.

Whatever the situation is, the entire case is becoming too political. It seems like it is not about a violent mother and her child but rather about the power position between the Edah HaCharedi and Jerusalem's Mayor Nir Barkat.
So many people are involved now: There is David Zilberschlag as the representative of the mother's family. Then there are Rabbi Avraham Freulich (Frohlich) and David Schmidel.
Freulich is called a lobbyist and works together with the Edah and Nir Barkat. His friend Schmidel is the head of the Chevrat Kadisha (burial organization) and has organized demonstrations in the past.

Who is who ?
Anyone interested could write a whole book about all the wheelings and dealing going on in Mea Shearim.
Maybe any of the readers has a suggestion or further explanations on the above mentioned case participants !

I am just asking where the mother is ? Is anyone (besides the father) visiting the child ? Although the Edah is accusing the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital of evil crime, why is none of their Rabbis going to have a look at the child ? Even if the hospital is a "Zionist" institution.

To me it looks like as if the mother is getting away due to all kinds of threats. Threatening the Hadassah doctors to blow up their cars or the Toldot Aharon also threated to organize further demonstrations in case the child is not being released from hospital soon.

The whole issue should have been handled differently and the Edah and everyone around have to realize that every society in this world has problems. Even the Toldot Aharon.
There is simply not perfect society on this planet and our task is to find an appropriate solution in order to deal with the victims and people like this obviously abusive mother.
We cannot just deny everything but have to act and help.

I am not around in the center of Jerusalem too much but when I was walking through Jaffa Road and some surroundings yesterday evening, I didn't see anyone from Toldot Aharon. Usually I have to watch out because I know some group members and, during the week, I do wear pants. I just don't feel to comfortable when some of the TA women see me this way. One of the women knows me that way and she found it rather amusing.

However, last night there was just no one. I was just wondering if this was by accident that I didn't see any members walking downtown or if there is something like an order from the Edah that their population should rather remain in their own neighbourhood these days.

1 comment:

  1. B"H

    The child will be released from the Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital and given back to the Edah.

    This decision was made at a meeting taking place between the head of the Edah, Rabbi Tuvia Weiss, and the head of the Hadassah Hospital, Prof. Shlomo Mor Yosef.

    See here in Hebrew:


    http://www.kikar.net/article.php?id=2480

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