The nation’s leading ultra-Orthodox umbrella organization is preparing to go to bat for a disgraced prison chaplain who is accused of giving favors to Jewish inmates.
Agudath Israel of America has drafted a letter to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg expressing support for Rabbi Leib Glanz, a rabbi affiliated with the Satmar Hasidic movement who is a chaplain in New York City jails. News reports over the last week have indicated that Glanz gave favors to Jewish prisoners and allowed a wealthy Jewish inmate to hold lavish catered parties in the prison for his son’s bar mitzvah and his daughter’s engagement.
A draft of the letter—which has not yet been sent—says that the groups signing onto it are concerned with “the tenor of media reports about Rabbi Leib Glanz.”
“The reports in the media pillory Rabbi Glanz, in the most cynical and derogatory fashion imaginable, for his role in accommodating Jewish prisoners’ religious requirements and helping them participate, personally or vicariously, in milestone family celebrations,” the draft letter says.
While Glanz’s action’s may have crossed lines, the draft letter states, “We also have no doubt that any such improprieties were nothing more than lapses of judgment; and that they emanated from a good place, a heart overflowing with empathy and concern.”
Rabbi David Zwiebel, the executive vice president of Agudath Israel, said that he drafted the letter, but he added that it was still being refined.
“It is not inconceivable at the end of the day that the letter won’t go,” Zwiebel said.
An email listing the organizations that have signed onto the letter included a number of ultra-Orthodox organizations based in Brooklyn. The list also included the Jewish Community Relations Council of New York and the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations. Officials at both organizations said that they had not, in fact, signed onto the letter and did not plan to.
A top official of New York City’s Department of Corrections has resigned over the scandal. But thus far, Glanz has only been suspended from his job for two weeks.
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Of course he's writing a letter, he did the same for Rubashkin and many other wealthy indictees. His organization and it's great leaders have protected us with bans on cell phones, internet, Lipa music, incorrectly dating the age of the earth, and strawberries.
I'm still waiting for a letter about child abuse, spousal abuse, Messianism, fraud, Charedi scams, alcohol abuse by minors, protecting criminals, rabbinic molesters, rabbinic endorsement of fraud, and a thousand other "frum" crimes that go unmentioned, encouraging their proliferation.
Well said, Yossi G.
Whenever a Jew does something that proves to be a complete chillul Hashem-- from the molesters, to the Rubashkins, to Madoff, to this clown who throws lavish parties in the slammer-- you can always count on Agudah to rush in and make things even more appalling and embarassing.
June 17, 2009 Rabbi Resigns as City Chaplain After Jailhouse Bar Mitzvah By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM Rabbi Leib Glanz, the part-time chaplain for the city’s Department of Correction who is under investigation for allowing a man convicted in a $1.7 million fraud to hold a lavish bar mitzvah for his son in jail and for allegations of other improprieties, resigned on Tuesday, a department spokesman said.
“I can tell you that Rabbi Glanz resigned today,” said the spokesman, Stephen J. Morello. “He submitted his resignation to the department today, effective immediately.”
The move by the rabbi came a day after the resignation of the chief of facility operations, Peter Curcio, who was responsible for security in the jails and had been with the department for more than 20 years.
Mr. Morello said he was unable to say why the rabbi, who had worked as one of the department’s seven rabbis since 2000, had quit. He said he could provide no further information.
Rabbi Glanz was questioned over the weekend by the Department of Investigation as part of the inquiry into the bar mitzvah and into what several agency officials said was his longstanding practice of using his influence to transfer Orthodox and Hasidic Jewish inmates from Rikers Island to a more hospitable jail in Manhattan.
The rabbi, who, like the department’s 41 other chaplains, carried a badge, was suspended last Wednesday for two weeks for his role in the bar mitzvah.
The rabbi's lawyer, Richard A. Finkel of Meissner, Kleinberg & Finkel said in a statement that Rabbi Glanz had reluctantly resigned in an effort to "cease the adverse publicity that has been visited on the Department of Correction" stemming from the disclosures about the bar mitzvah.
"The rabbi made every effort to ensure that the staff and inmates of the Department of Correction had access to religious ministry and human services irrespective of their religious affiliation," he said. "Unfortunately, recent press coverage of allegations concerning Rabbi Glanz’s efforts as chaplain and activities of the Department of Correction have clouded and besmirched his efforts.".
The six-hour bar mitzvah was held Dec. 30 and transformed the gymnasium of the Manhattan Detention Complex into a banquet hall with 60 invited guests, kosher catering and live music.
Several senior officials in the department have said that the recent disclosure of the bar mitzvah stemmed from a power struggle inside the department that began when the commissioner, Martin F. Horn, announced that he would be leaving to take a teaching post at the John Jay College of Criminal Justice.
Chief Curcio said in an interview on Monday that while he had not approved the bar mitzvah — that was done by the head chaplain, Imam Umar Abdul-Jalil, who signed the paperwork clearing the way for the party — he understood that he was responsible for all the operations of department facilities.
“I regret the embarrassment this caused the mayor and the City of New York,” said the chief, among a trio of three three-star bureau chiefs in the department’s uniformed service but considered the first among equals.
Copyright 2009 The New York Times Company
The Agudah floating a trial balloon? That's new.
Oh, Please. You are comparing Madoff, and Rubashkin to Aryeh Leib Glantz?? You think he made this bar mitzvah for himself.. and again, he didn't do it without someone signing off on it.. I would say its completely gutsy to even ask for something like that.. as jewish chaplain , YES, his job is to look out for them.. While he shouldn't have gone over that line.. (probably time and time again... ) this is not a selfish crook.. this is someone that went against the law to help another jew..
No matter what, I had any jews' back....
Has anybody asked themselves why we have not heard any thing about the tens if not hundres of prison guards and adminastrative staff?? Where were they? By their rules they are required to report any improrieties (excuse the spellin) I have no doubt there is more to this story then what we are hearing, I'd even wager to say that there was money involved, BUT I do not think the Rabbi received any money, he truly cares about fellow jews and honestly feels like they are ALL his literal brothers.
Agreed, this isn't a thing that has hurt many like Rubashkin or Madoff, but it still is a major Chilul Hashem. Doesn't that mean anything?
Defending him by pointing out that he apparently didn't profit personally is weak. Caring about your fellow Jew is good, but if he's in jail does he really deserve or even need regular fressing parties? Getting him kosher pre-packaged meals is very different from having private kishke & cholent parties every night in the chaplains office.
Jail is meant to be a deterrent, not a reward, and now that it is so comfortable, people are less afraid of it. Perhaps that's why there are so many frum felons now!
Every single one of you above criticizing Glanz should never ever need to get to his services but should you ever end up incarcerated in a prison cell you can be sure you would need his help and get it! Whatever he did stemmed from pure love for a fellow Jew he didn't get paid for providing these conveniences for the inmates he did because a little boy was getting bar Mitzvah and wanted his dad there. It may sound absurd on the news but is that sooooo wrong?! Every single person in prison should have someone looking out for him! That’s what chaplains are there for. To make it easier. Prison is prison and lessons are usually learnt. Rabbi Glanz never differentiated between yarmulkes as to whom he will help and whom not – Every Jew was seen as his brother and helped. Rabbi Glanz we are with you all the way!
As to the idiot above regarding a letter on Child molesters… what do you want the letter for and to whom do you want it addressed to?! What would you gain except bashing your fellow Jews who are being taken care of in a quite fashion with out ruining their dear families in the process?
"[The] improprieties were nothing more than lapses of judgment ... and emanated from a good place, a heart overflowing with empathy and concern." It's more likely the "lapses" emanated from another place entirely, namely a wallet overflowing with bribes.
As for the letter regarding orthodox child molesters, it should be addressed to every person who has been bamboozled into believing that their children were safe with religious fanatics. Was nothing learned from the pederasty of the Catholic priests? People who claims to be "men of God" bear close watching, closer than normal people.