Yakov as Risk Manager

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According to Torah Org's Rabbi Aron Tendler, Yakov ben Yitzak ben Abraham was a risk manager.

No, R. Tendler didn't come right out and state the fact.

But for Perashat Vayishlach the rabbi wrote that when Yakov learns that Eisav is coming to meet him with a 400-men force, he (Yakov) "applies a three pronged strategy in preparation for the confrontation: a) Tefilah - prayer; b) diplomacy; and c) war."

Granted, that may not be "risk management" as we now think of it, but Yakov - like Noah before him - understood, in a Biblical way, preparation, mitigation, and recovery.

Yakov prays for Devine assistance and guidance. He's been known to try to "buy" HaShem (if you promise me this, I'll let you be my god) much in the way we "buy" a vendor (it you'll back up your offer with proof you can meet the Service Level Agreements, you can be my vendor). Yakov, in his own way, is preparing for his inevitable confrontation with his estranged brother.

Yakov then comes up with a mitigation plan. Figuring he cannot avoid meeting his brother - no escape if he is to do as G-d tells him - he decided to send gifts to Eisav, to mollify his anger.

Finally, Yakov "prepares for war."

I disagree with the rabbi on this point. The Torah clearly states that Yakov wanted to preserve as much of his assets as possible; he elected to split his possessions - including wives, concubines and off-spring - into four groups. The Torah has given no indication that Yakov was anything but passive his whole life - the only time he did anything in his own defense was when he wrestled with a man (B'reishit 32 25).

Obviously, in today's world, if we are to instigate risk management into our lives we would try to identify the risks.

On a family level, out first priority must be to the family members: spouse, children, parents. We look at what could happen to them and look for ways to avoid or mitigate the risks. Something as simple as a tetanus shot (flu shots being suspect for some) or having arrangements with neighbors to watch our youngest (and eldest) dependents.

Then we look beyond our most precious "resource" to housing and sustenance.

At the synagogue, the first priority must be protecting people. Most of us don't have to worry about terrorist attacks (thank G-d), but we do need to be concerned with fire, flood, and structural integrity. We need to make sure the sefri Torah are safe; in a fireproof and waterproof aron. (Why people first? "From the grave who will praise you?" gives us the answer.) After that, membership information, both for current and previous members. Then, if the building "goes away," where can the congregation meet?

As risks are identified - and financial risk is a very real concern - ways must be found to avoid or mitigate the risks.

Avoidance and mitigation usually have a price tag. Sometimes the price is minimal - if, for example, all the congregation's records are on a computer, the "cost" is the price of a portable, external back-up hard drive and the time for someone to copy data from computers to it (not all data has to be copied each time so while copying should be frequent, it need not be unnecessarily time consuming). It is understood that all congregational structures will have fire detection and suppression systems installed, but water tends to do mean and nasty things to computers and to paper. Likewise fire (before the detection/suppression system has time to work).

Identifying risks is a "group" process that includes all members of the congregation, local police and fire personnel, and risk experts from the insurance company; it is time to prioritize the risks (remember, avoidance or mitigation usually has a price tag and most congregations have a limited budget) based on (a) probability and (b) impact on the organization.

So far, we only rated the risk to determine which are most critical to the organization.

Now it's time to look for avoidance and mitigation options. As before, the entire congregation should be involved, as well as the outside resources mentioned above.

The board will have to decide which avoidance or mitigation options need to be implemented and set an implementation schedule.

Once that is in place, plans need to be developed "in the event of."

For example, ushers and synagogue leadership need to be trained to safely move people out of the facility in case of fire (or broken pipe). Perhaps a Members' Handbook could be developed that, in addition to congregation bylaws, customs, and "how to do" for honors, includes a map with all exits noted as well as where fire extinguishers, ACDs, and other first aid equipment are located.

Synagogues are a business, just like General Mills or a Mom-n-Pop market; they have risks that need to be considered and, as appropriate, avoided or mitigated. Synagogues, like a doctor or lawyer or plumber or electrician provide a service (or several); that generates income. The source of income (the service) must be protected.

If the service "goes away," the income may also go away - to another congregation or, worse, to be lost completely.

Certainly we should put our trust in HaShem, but as the following old tale suggests, we need to do our part, too.

Seems there was a gentleman who owned a home in a flood plain.

The rains came; the creek overflowed its banks and the water came into the fellow's home.

Some friends came by in a truck and offered to carry the man to safety. No, he said, G-d will provide.

The water rose higher and he was forced to the house's second floor.

The Fire Department floated by in a boat and offered to take the man to safety. No, he said, G-d will provide.

The water rose still higher and the man was forced to the roof of his home.

The National Guard came over in a helicopter and offered to take him to safety. No, he said, G-d will provide.

The water rose higher and the man drowned.

The fellow insisted on seeing G-d and the angels acquiesced.

Standing before HaShem he demanded to know how he, a religious man who depended on HaShem, could have let him die by drowning. "I put my trust in You; why didn't you save me?"

Replied HaShem: I did try to save you; I sent the neighbors in the truck; I sent the Fire Department in the boat, and I sent the National Guard in the helicopter.

As the fellow in the flood, we should depend on HaShem, but we also need to do our part, and that includes protecting ourselves, our families, our business, and certainly our congregations.

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail.com
Enterprise Risk Management practitioner available for new projects

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Looking for a new job

I received word the other day that I was left off the 2010 budget.

Translation: I am looking for a new "home." Preferably - and that is the "operative word" - working in a staff or staff consulting job preferably - that word again - in, or from, southeast Florida; however, all opportunities will be considered.

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Experience	More than 13 years creating programs and complete plans for Defense, Energy Exploration, Financial, Fortune 100, Government, Insurance, International, and Transportation organizations
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Management	Diplomatic manager and mentor to personnel at all levels Managed 47 sites in 17 states from virtual office in Florida As many as 20 direct reports; unknown number of indirect reports
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Other	Disaster Recovery Journal (DRJ) Editorial Review Board Active member, DRJ Forums and Blogs Maintain professional Web presence and professional blog
Citizenship	United States, evidenced by active U.S. passport
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Resume	A detailed resume and list of references is available upon request Yohanon.Glenn @ gmail.com or 1.727.542.7843

 

Thanksgiving

 

American Jews seem to have a mixed opinion on what to do about Thanksgiving.

One religious leader I know refuses to celebrate the holiday - despite enjoying this country's freedoms since his birth - so he deliberately has macaroni and cheese on the last Thursday of November. Seems to me his thumbing his nose at one of the few American holidays that ALL Americans can celebrate is an acknowledgement in its own right - a special Thanksgiving Day meal.

Many in the Ashkenazi Orthodox community agree with our "mac-n-cheese" guy, but not all.

Most observant Sefardi Jews, even those who were born outside the 50 States, acknowledge the holiday; some celebrate it, understanding that of the UN's 193 member countries, the United States ranks in the Top 5 of countries where Jews are treated as "just another citizen" - the mark of a truly free people.

Is (national) Thanksgiving a non-Jewish custom rooted in idolatry or is it a foolish custom?.

Ran (Rabbenu Gerondi Nissim 11th Century) and Maharik (Rabbi Joseph Colon ben Solomon Trabotto, 15th Century) rule that only customs that have a basis in idolatrous practices are prohibited. Apparently foolish--but secular--customs are permissible so long as they have a reasonable explanation (and are not immodest). Normative Halakhah follows the ruling of the Ran and Maharik. (1)

According to Rabbi Moshe Feinstein in four published responsa [rabbinic rulings] on the issues related to celebrating Thanksgiving, all conclude that Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday but a secular one.

Rabbi Feinstein reinforces his understanding that Thanksgiving is not a religious holiday in a responsum published in 1980. He states: "On the issue of joining with those who think that Thanksgiving is like a holiday to eat a meal: Since it is clear that according to their religious law books this day is not mentioned as a religious holiday and that one is not obligated in a meal [according to Gentile religious law] and since this is a day of remembrance to citizens of this country, when they came to reside here either now or earlier, halakhah [Jewish law] sees no prohibition in celebrating with a meal or with the eating of turkey. One sees similar to this in Kiddushin 66 that Yanai the king made a party after the conquest of kochlet in the desert and they ate vegetables as a remembrance.

"Nonetheless it is prohibited to establish this as an obligation and religious commandment [mitzvah], and it remains a voluntary celebration now; in this manner--without the establishment of obligation or religious commandment--one can celebrate the next year too with a meal.

Rabbi Joseph B. Soloveitchik also agreed that Thanksgiving was not a Gentile holiday, and ruled that it was permissible to eat turkey on Thanksgiving. Rabbi Hershel Schachter, in his intellectual biography of Rabbi Soloveitchik, Nefesh HaRav, writes:

"It was the opinion of Rabbi Soloveitchik that it was permissible to eat turkey at the end of November, on the day of Thanksgiving. We understood that, in his opinion, there was no question that turkey did not lack a tradition of kashrut and that eating it on Thanksgiving was not a problem of imitating gentile customs. We also heard that this was the opinion of his father, Rabbi Moshe Soloveitchik."

Others have also recounted that Rabbi Soloveitchik ruled this way, and that he found it difficult to comprehend how one could consider Thanksgiving a Gentile holiday or that it was prohibited to celebrate it. Indeed, there were instances when Rabbi Soloveitchik implied to his students that he and his family celebrated Thanksgiving, although shiur [class] was always held on Thanksgiving.

An exactly opposite approach to the rulings of Rabbis Feinstein and Soloveitchik appears to have been taken by Rabbi Yitzchak Hutner. Rabbi Hutner argues that it is obvious and apparent that--whatever the merit of celebrating Thanksgiving the first time in the 1600s--the establishment of an annual holiday that is based on the Christian calendar is, at the very least, closely associated with idol worship and thus prohibited.

Rabbi Hutner argues that such a celebration becomes a "holiday" through the creation of an annual observance and celebrating Gentile holidays is obviously wrong. Rabbi Hutner concludes: "In truth, one must distance oneself from these types of customs and even from those events that are similar to these types of customs . . . The truth is simple and obvious."

But Rabbis Feinstein and Soloveitchik, giants of their generation, ruled that Thanksgiving is not a religious event. Moreover, Thanksgiving does not fall on a specific date (as do, for example, Jewish holidays) but on a specific day (Thursday) of a specific month (November).

In Israel, in his sedur v'Zerah haShemish, Hakham Shalom Messes notes that the whole Hallel is said on Independence Day (fixed date, not day) either with, or without, the related blessings (depending on tradition).

We are told (Jeremiah 29:7) to "Seek the welfare of the country where I have sent you into exile; pray to the L-rd for it, for your welfare depends on its welfare.”

The Mishnah, too, enjoins us to pray for the government. In Pirkei Avot, Chapter 3, Mishna 2, it states: “Rabbi Chanina deputy of the Kohanim said ‘Pray for the welfare of the government. If it were not for the fear of the government, each man would eat his neighbor alive!’”

In the 14th century, Rabbi Dovid Abudraham first included a prayer in the Siddur, writing that it is the “custom to bless the King, and to pray to G-d that He may give him victory.

The preceding 3 paragraphs from Ask Moses at http://www.askmoses.com/en/article/577,2067239/What-is-the-origin-of-the-prayer-for-the-welfare-of-the-government.html

As Thanksgiving (and by extension, July 4, Independence day in the US) is a national, vs. religious, holiday, there is a question about reciting Hallel for US holidays, even though we (Jews) enjoy greater freed to practice our religion here than almost anyplace else in the world.

At my synagogue, Thanksgiving is recognized as a holiday by starting shaharet one hour later than usual (I'd rather it started one hour EARLIER than usual, but I'd probably be the only one there). Will Hallel be recited? Don't know; this is my first Thanksgiving holiday with this congregation.

I'm a red, white, and blue son of the US of A; I'm also an Israeli. Finally, I'm the father of a young woman (born in the USA and now in Israel) who will not celebrate the holiday. A religious issue? No; for her it is a moral issue; she abstains in honor of the Indians the Europeans killed with sword and disease. (For those who play at "political correctness," Indian is the proper term; just ask the Seminole Tribe of Florida, "a Federally Recognized Indian Tribe, the only tribe in America who never signed a peace treaty (http://www.seminoletribe.com/)."

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com

 

(1) All information, unless otherwise noted, is from http://www.myjewishlearning.com/holidays/About_Holidays/Non-Jewish_Holidays/Thanksgiving.shtml

 

By the way, if anyone needs a certified and experienced Enterprise Risk Management (Business Continuity) practitioner, please send an email to the above address. I am available.

 

Barely made a minyan

 

My congregation always - always - makes minyan. Sometimes, for weekday minhah, it's close in the winter time, but we manage.

The other night we had a meeting to nominate candidates for 3 vacancies on the board.

This is a pretty big congregation. On Mondays and Thursdays we have 30 or more men for shareet; other days at least 20 show up. Shabat, of course, is THE day and a turnout of less than 60 would be a major surprise.

If you're new to this blog, my congregation is traditional Sefardi (mostly Moroccan with a scattering of other traditions); translations: Only men are counted in the minyan.

That's not to suggest the ladies stay home. The balcony usually is well-populated on Shabat, although rarely does a woman show up for a weekday service. (Occasionally one will show up for a gomel or with a special request for a mi sha'barak.)

But yesterday evening was a surprise.

We could have "made minyan" and there were five ladies present, but for something as important as nominating board members (with whom we're "stuck" for two-year terms), the turnout was nothing short of pathetic.

Apathy? Possibly. The session was well publicized, so an "I didn't know" is not acceptable.

According to some serving board members, the turnout was not surprising. The congregation has "shrunk" over the years - some defections due to internal politics, others do to dues (already the lowest of any established congregation - excluding Lubavitch and Aish minyans), and still others who found a minyan in their neighborhood (I have two within a few blocks of my home; the synagogue is 8/10ths of a mile distant, so on a stormy Shabat, the temptation is great to make minyan with the "locals" ).

I moved here to be a member of this congregation and, with dues "paid in full," I intend to get my money's worth - in other words, I'll make the trek on Shabat "no matter what" and I'll show up at other congregational events. My wife already is active in the Sisterhood (which means that on an occasional rosh hodesh I am "confined to quarters" or told to "go someplace and stay out" until late while the ladies "do their thing" at our house. It's not so bad; the Spouse prepares enough goodies to feed an army so there always are leftover munchies.

I guess we are burdened with too many people who are willing to let someone else make their decisions for them and then complain later. I don't think these people will show up for the elections, either. Maybe just as well.

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com

 

Not black, not white

 

The Torah - biktav - makes it clear that no one is without fault and, similarly, no "rasha" is 100% bad.

All of the avot had blemishes.

Moses was less than perfect.

But the midrashim and misniyot try to play down the faults; to show that when, for example, Moses struck the rock, he was so frustrated by the people he simply lost it, but he held his "cool" longer than any man could be expected to do so.

On the other hand, while the Torah cites the positive aspects of the "bad guys," the rabbis who gave us the midrashim and misniyot have a field day with verbal tar and feathers. A few renegades do find something positive to write, but in general, the press is all bad.

Esav, for example.

The Torah tells us that he was hardly what we would call a "refined gentleman." The rabbis jump on that and build tales based solely on their imaginations.

What most - and this has to be emphasized, "most" - rabbis fail to tell us that Esav had some good traits, too.

Torah makes it abundantly clear that Esav had "kabod l'av v'em" or at least respect and honor for his father. There is no indication that his brother shared this trait for his father or even his mother.

Many rabbis take Yitzak to task for wanting to give the behor (first born) blessing to Esav; then they excuse it because, they insist, Esav was cunning and two-faced. The Torah never suggests that.

My rabbi, who is very much into "k'ruv" - bringing Jews closer to Judaism and the mitzvot - acknowledged both Esav's honor of father as well as the opinions that he simply was duping his dad.

To go off on a slight tangent, the good rabbi has, over the last two Shabatot, talked about communications between husband and wife (Abraham failing to tell Sara that he was taking a trip to sacrifice Yitzhak and Rivka failing to tell Yitzhak what HaShem told her as she labored with the twins). I moved where I live specifically for this rabbi and his wisdom - and, to be honest, his humor, too.

Bila'am, who made an appearance in this blog earlier, is a prophet of HaShem, yet that's typically forgotten or glossed over by the rabbis who gave us midrashim and misniyot that paint him as evil as humanly possible.

In truth, I have no problem with midrashim and misniyot PROVIDED they are introduced as what they are and not - as too often is the case - "mi Sinai" (from Sinai).

Yes, I know Torah ba'al pe - the Talmud- is considered "mi Sinai" as much as bik-tav.

We - Jews - have been "underdogs" for most of our history; as such, we should be looking for ways to point out that even the worst of us has something to be said in his or her favor.

Moses hit the rock; Esav honored his father.

No one person is totally good or totally evil.

I wish all of our rabbis would realize that.

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com

 

Pretzel reporting

 

It's really amazing what some reporters - or editors (I've been on both sides of the desk) - will do to "twist" a story to their editorial point of view (without actually stating "Editorial").

The following BBC article is an excellent case in point.

The BBC, never a friend of Israel, starts off with kudos for the Jewish state - Israel is allowing (giving?) "around 3,000" head of "cows" into Aza (Gaza) for the Moslem celebration of Eid al-Adha.

Anyway, the article quickly turns from Israel's "good deed" to the plight of the so-called "Palestinians" in Hamas-controlled Aza.

Seems the Azans can't rebuild the homes destroyed when Israel invaded Aza - lest we forget as the BBC apparently forgets - to put an end to Hamas rocket attacks on Israel.

Israel, the story states, embargos building materials it fears will be used against it.

But, the article goes on, the UN - those people who allowed Hamas to fire at Israelis from its building in Aza - promises to make sure Hamas won't get the materials.

Interestingly, the BBC article notes, albeit only in passing, that "As a result of the Israeli blockade, most fresh meat is brought into Gaza THROUGH SMUGGLING TUNNELS UNDER THE BORDER WITH EGYPT, WHICH HAS ALSO IMPOSED RESTRICTIONS. Live animals are scarce and expensive."

Egypt - a Moslem country - is blocking its border to prevent FELLOW MOSLEMS from entering. Understand that Egypt, in its deal with Begin, refused to accept Aza as part of its country; Begin's biggest mistake of his political career. (Jordan doesn't want it either - nor does it want the occupied "West Bank," remembering "Black September" when these same people tried to assassinate the royal family and topple the government._

The BBC article includes two photos credited to the AP - one, a tight shot of cattle that could have been taken in Texas, and one of a woman in Islamic garb standing outside a tent. It also has a pull-out of a statement by Maxwell Gaylard, the UN's Humanitarian Co-ordinator, stating how "miserable" life is in Aza.

So, read on and learn how the BBC twists a humanitarian good will gesture by Israel into a condemnation of the only country that seems willing to help the people of Aza, people who routinely try to murder the people that help them..

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn @ gmail dot com

 

Israel allows Eid cows into Gaza
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/8352076.stm

Sheep or cows are traditionally slaughtered on Eid al-Adha

Israel is temporarily easing its blockade of Gaza to allow in thousands of cattle ahead of a Muslim festival.

Around 3,000 cows are expected to be shipped into the coastal territory before Eid al-Adha in late November.

Earlier, a UN humanitarian official said thousands of Gazans whose homes were destroyed in Israel's offensive in December faced another winter in tents.

The Israeli authorities have restricted the importation of building materials since imposing a blockade in 2007.

They say cement, steel and other raw materials could be used for military purposes by the Islamist group Hamas, which controls Gaza.

'Living in tents'

On Monday, 330 cows were brought into Gaza through a southern border crossing in a move that a spokesman for the Israeli military spokesman said was a "goodwill gesture".

During Eid al-Adha, Muslims who can afford to, slaughter livestock, usually sheep or cows, in remembrance of the prophet Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son when God ordered him to.

As a result of the Israeli blockade, most fresh meat is brought into Gaza through smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt, which has also imposed restrictions. Live animals are scarce and expensive.

During a tour of the territory on Monday, the UN humanitarian co-ordinator for the Palestinian Territories, Maxwell Gaylard, said the border restrictions were also severely limiting the ability of people to rebuild homes destroyed in the Israel's 22-day offensive last December and January. The UN estimates around 20,000 Gaza residents were made homeless.

"We know that there are hundreds of families still living in tents. We know that there are more than that living in the ruins of their own homes," he told reporters.

The UN says 20,000 Gazans were made homeless by the Israeli offensive

"They need materials to repair their houses. They need fuel to be able to keep warm during the winter. They need good water and sanitation systems."

The UN has lobbied Israel for months to allow in materials that would allow it to complete construction projects worth $80m. Mr Gaylard said the organisation had repeatedly promised Israeli officials that they would not allow Hamas to use the materials.

"For the people in Gaza, life is miserable, life is not getting better, winter is coming, the rain is coming," he added.

Palestinians and human rights groups say more than 1,400 Gazans were killed during Israel's offensive, but Israel puts the figure at 1,166. Thirteen Israelis, including three civilians, died.

 

"Ponzi" is not a Jewish name

 

It’s happened, I knew it would.

Thanks to the likes of Bernard Madoff and Scott Rothstein, anti-Jewish – anti-Semitism is the wrong word here - feeling is once again finding new friends.

Thanks to the Internet, Jew haters easily gather to lend each other support.

We, Jews, have our share of scoundrels, probably no more than any other “group.” What type “group” are we, anyway? Religious? If Madoff and Rothstein were observant Jews they would not have done what they did. Ethnic? Judaism has too many converts to be ethnic. The only ones who can define us are the Jew haters, and there are many.

I’d like to say that, unlike some Moslem leaders, Madoff and Rothstein never killed anyone. But I’m not so sure. When Madoff’s treachery was discovered, I understand some committed suicide; the blame lies squarely at Madoff’s feet. He also ripped off charities that now may not be able to help needy people.

Funny we don’t hear about Moslem-on-Moslem murder; Aza (Gaza) is a prime example of Murder By Management.

While Madoff and Rothstein – who, to be fair has not been convicted of anything as this is written – drilled holes in the Jewish boat, not caring or ignoring the fact that as the boat sinks, we all sink with it, a number of others also were aboard the ponzi scheme luxury liner.

What is interesting and something the Jew haters conveniently overlook is that there are many, many ponzi schemes perpetrated by non-Jews.

Even the name, “Ponzi” is not Jewish – it honors the Italian-born Charles Ponzi (March 3, 1882 – January 18, 1949) who, according to Wikipedia (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charles_Ponzi), “was one of the greatest swindlers in American history.” The same source notes that ”Ponzi was probably inspired by the scheme of William F. Miller, a Brooklyn bookkeeper who in 1899 used the same scheme to take in $1 million.” There is no evidence to suggest that Miller, despite his Brooklyn address, was Jewish.

In the 1980s, according to http://dealbook.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/12/15/a-century-of-ponzi-schemes/, a Ponzi scheme was exposed at J. David Dominelli’s currency trading firm, much to the shock of San Diego’s upper crust. About 1,000 investors lost a total of $80 million in Mr. Dominelli’s fraud, which promised returns of about 40 percent or so. One suspects that, given J. David’s family name he, too, was not Jewish.

The following are from http://www.neatorama.com/2008/12/22/9-most-brazen-ponzi-schemes-in-history/

 

 

Maria Branca dos Santos, or more commonly called "Dona" Branca, was a poor Portuguese woman when she decided that she would open her own "bank" in 1970. To make it attractive, she promised an interest rate of 10% per month, and got thousands of clients (including the working poor of Portugal) to give her their money.

The scheme lasted more than 14 years, and during this time she's known as "The people's banker." Dona Branca was arrested and sentenced to 10 years in prison. She died poor, blind, and alone.

In 1993, her crime inspired a Portuguese soap opera titled A Banqueira do Povo ("The People's Banker").

 

 

In 2005, a Pakistani high school science teacher Syed Sibtul Hassan Shah went to Dubai. When he came back to his hometown of Wazirabad, Pakistan, he convinced his neighbors to give him their savings, which he doubled in just 7 days, based on a "stock program" that he had learned in Dubai.

Words soon spread of the "Double Shah" and people began investing with him. In 18 months, he took in over Rs. 70 billion (about US$880 million) from 3,000 people and was even considered to be the next political leader from the area.

When police arrested Shah on charges of robbery in 2007, thousands of people descended to the streets to protest against his arrest. He is now in custody and his case is pending.

 

 

In 1992, Damara Bertges and Hans Gunther Spachtholz founded the European Kings Club, a "non-profit" association that rallied against big European banks and promised to help the "little guys."

Investors buy a "letter," which was kind of a club share, for 1,400 Swiss francs. This entitled them to 12 monthly payments of 200 Swiss francs, which meant doubling their money in just a year.

The European Kings Club meetings were a hoot: they sang their own anthem, and the duo made a show of pressing money into the hands of the "club members."

When the scheme collapsed 2 years later, some 94,000 German and Swiss investors were bilked out of US$1 billion. In the Swiss cantons of Uri and Glarus, it was estimated that one in ten adults had fallen for the scheme.

But even after authorities raided the EKC offices and captured Bertges, her investors still believed that she was their champion. When Bertges went put on trial, her "victims" applauded so loudly that the judge had to clear out the room. For defrauding people out of US$1 billion, Bertges got 7 years and Spachtholz got away with less than 5 years in jail.

 

 

In 1999, Wang Fengyou founded the Chinese Yilishen Tianxi Group and hatched a scheme so crazy it's brilliant: ant farming. He convinced poor farmers to give him 10,000 yuan (about $1,500). In return, they got a box of "special ants" and a list of very strict instructions: spritz the ants with a sugar and honey solution at 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. every day, and feed them cake and egg yolk every three to five days. Under no circumstances were they to open the box. Every 74 days, workers from Yilishen would come by and pick up the ants to be ground up and made into an aphrodisiac. For their troubles, the farmers get 13,250 yuan, a 32.5% premium every 14 months.

By 2006, Wang was a very rich man. His company was featured in newspapers and on TV. He hired celebrities to publicize his company and hobnobbed with government officials. He even got the "China's Top 10 Entrepreneurial Leaders" award from the government. His ant aphrodisiacs were sold in some 80,000 pharmacies across China and by some accounts, over 1 million people bred ants for Yilishen, giving the company an annual turnover of 15 billion yuan (US$2 billion).

In October 2007, Wang's scheme collapsed. The company started to miss payouts and thousands of ant farmers descended on his company's headquarter and government offices. A month later, Wang Fengyou was arrested.

Unlike other Ponzi scheme con artists who got off after only a few years in jail, Wang's fate doesn't look good. In the same year Wang's scheme collapsed, the Chinese government started cracking down on 3,747 pyramid schemes. Wang's rival, who conned people with a similar ant-breeding scheme, was sentenced to death.

Oh, and did his aphrodisiac ants really work? Actually yes, but not because of the ants. His products contained sildenafil, the active ingredient in Viagra.

 

 

Just one million people? Meh, said Sergey Mavrodi. His scheme duped two million people!

Mavrodi was a Russian scammer who along with his brother Vyacheslav Mavrodi and Vyacheslav's future wife Marina Murayveya, founded the MMM company in (the triple Ms came from the surnames of these three people). In the early 1990s, MMM promised dividends of 1,000%, promoted itself heavily in TV ads, and delivered on its promise. At its peak, Mavrodi's company was taking in more than $11 million a day from the public! Within 5 years, Mavrodi took in $1.5 billion from at least 2 million people.

When the whole thing unraveled and the police raided MMM offices for tax evasion, Mavrodi pulled another fast one: he convinced his "investors" that it was the government's fault that they lost their investment. He even ran for the Russian State Duma (the lower house of parliament) to get the government to initiate a "payback" program ... and he was elected! That was a good thing because he got himself a parliamentary immunity.

When his immunity was later revoked, Mavrodi went on the lam. In 2003, he was arrested , fined $390, and sent to a penal colony for four-and-a-half years. That translates to about $38,052 swindled per hour in the slammer.

 

 

In Denver CO (http://www.miamiherald.com/business/nation/story/1337109.html) “Federal regulators have accused four people and two companies of fraud in an alleged $30 million Ponzi scheme that lured 300 investors nationwide in purported eco-friendly investments.

“The Securities and Exchange Commission alleges Wayde McKelvy and Donna McKelvy, who were married, used their Centennial, Colo.-based company Speed of Wealth to find investors for Bala Cynwyd, Pa.-based Mantria Corp.

“The SEC filed a complaint in federal court Monday in Denver alleging the McKelvys and Mantria executives Troy Wragg and Amanda Knorr of Philadelphia overstated Mantria's successes to lure investors. “

Jewish names? Not one.

 

 

According to the Mortgage Blog (http://www.mortgagefraudblog.com/index.php/weblog/permalink/former_mortgage_broker_pleads_guilty_to_a_20_million_mortgage_fraud/ ), “Edward William Farley, 47, Hoschton, Georgia, pled guilty in federal district court to committing mortgage fraud, bankruptcy fraud, operating a real estate investment "ponzi" scam involving over 150 victims, and a check-kiting scheme.

“Farley was charged in a criminal Information on October 15, 2009 with bank fraud and conspiracy, which included the bankruptcy fraud. He pleaded guilty to those charges. He could receive a maximum sentence of up to 60 years in prison and a fine of up to $2,000,000, plus full restitution to all victims. In determining the actual sentence, the Court will consider the United States Sentencing Guidelines, which are not binding but provide appropriate sentencing ranges for most offenders.”

I don’t think “Farley” will be found In a list of Common Jewish Family Names.

The bottom line is that while Madoff and Rothstein are embarrassments to us, financial crimes are not something uniquely Jewish. As a matter of fact, our representation in any rogues gallery of criminals probably is proportionate to that of the so-called “general” population.

And yes, we have our share of terrorists – Lewisburg Penitentiary in Pennsylvania had a Jewish population. When I visited there, I asked my guard-escort what the forks with the traditionally (Ashkenazi) Jewish names did to deserve residence as guests of the Federal government I was told white collar (financial) crimes and anti-war/anti-government terrorist crimes (this was the Vietnam era).

We are supposed to be a “light unto the nations” and we are failing miserably in that area, so to write that we are “no worse than anyone else” is hardly a compliment, although it is pretty accurate.

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn @ gmail dot com

 

Billy Wordsworth - Well read in Eastern Bloc (?)

 

Gmail does a pretty good job of separating spammers from "real" mail and I have a pretty high level of trust that Gmail doesn't dump "real" mail into the Spam "folder."

But sometimes, just to be sure, I check the spam list.

I am a reader - I got my first library card before I went to first grade (I had "proteckzia" as they say in Israel) and I have been addicted to books since. Mind, I can't SPELL worth a bean, but I do read OK.

My daughter, Morgan, inherited her father's reading habits and, like "dear ol' dad" she can sit down to read the Unabridged for hours - sometimes we actually get to the word that caused us to open the tome in the first place.  (In a hurry, it's http://m-w.com - much faster. but not nearly as interesting.)

Anyway, back to the point, I recently looked through the list of subjects caught by Gmail's spam detector and discovered a "pot full" of literary teasers.

Most of the spam came from .ro (Romania) or .ru (Russia), although an interesting one came from .pt (Portugal).

Initially I thought the spammers were becoming literate. Subjects included

{Subject} Thou Faery Voyager that dost float
[Wordsworth, To H.C.; http://www.online-literature.com/wordsworth/poems-in-two-vols-1/17/]

{Opening line} Bewicks History of British Birds http:||vtime.do.sapo. pt/alcoholism . html
[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thomas_Bewick]

{Subject} Ere a leaf is on a bush
[Ere a leaf is on a bush, In the time before the thrush. Has a thought about her nest, Thou wilt come with half a call, Spreading out thy glossy breast ... from a poem by Billy Wordsworth - see http://www.everypoet.com/archive/poetry/William_Wordsworth/william_wordsworth_200.htm]

{Opening line} And fly about in the air together http:||nfsbu.by . ru/geography . html
[Wordsworth, Redbreast Chasing the Butterfly, ibid.)

{Subject} And Thou if they should totter teach them to stand fast
[Wordsworth, Ode to Duty; http://www.online-literature.com/wordsworth/poems-in-two-vols-1/17/]

{Opening line} It longs to get trapped in the fishermen's net
This one stumped me and Google Search.

{Subject} Where the early pumpkins blow http:||vlahuta . ro/malabar . html
[Ed Lear, http://www.nonsenselit.org/Lear/ll/ybb.html]

{Opening line} There sometimes does a leaping Fish
[Wordsworth, Fidelity, ibid.)

{Subject} But we will downwards with the Tweed http:||podium.h1 . ru/cheekbone . html
This one also got the best of Google and this scrivener.

{Subject} Like something fashiond in a dream (Note lack of "e" in "fashioned")
There were a number of "fashioned" and "dream" hits, but no matches with, or without, the missing "e."

{Opening line} Oh vain and causeless melancholy http:||vascotrade . ro/narrower . html
[Wordsworth, To H. C., ibid.)

It seems that someone "discovered" Poems in Two Volumes and cut-n-pasted some lines that caught their fancy. Mostly the purloined phrases come from within the poem (rather than the title).

I must - OK, I don't have to, but I will - admit that I don't have Poems in Two Volumes on my shelves; Google (my other Search Engine Of Choice is the Librarian's Friend, Dogpile) made the "who wrote that" search painless.

Many of the spam mails included a Google warning that the link may not be what it seemed and to consider carefully the possibilities of a virus or Trojan horse waiting for my visit. I took the warning for what it is worth - if I failed to do that, my AVG "protection against everything on the WWW" also would have cautioned me.

It's sad, but my Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) is to delete-without-opening all email with an Eastern Bloc address with the exception of a known good addresses and URLs.

Still, I have to wonder - could someone who reads William Wordsworth REALLY send me spam? Would their missive possibly lead to something nasty invading my computer? How uncouth! How crass!

 

Yohanon Glenn
Yohanon.Glenn at gmail dot com