Opuscula We have Met the enemy And he is us

Our bad behavior shames
Jews before the entire world

 

Here we are, just days away from Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur and we read headlines such as

Rabbi Pinto Agrees to Plea Bargain Agreement

WikiLeaks delves into Dead Sea sales scam and Raft of complaints over Dead Sea kiosks

It seems, on first blush, that both the rabbi and the Dead Sea product sales folks share one thing in common:

GREED

The greed of these people plays into the hands of the anti-Semites who joyfully shout: "See, we told you they want all our money."

The people are drilling holes in the proverbial boat in which all Jews must sit.

I'm curious.

Will Yoshiyahu Yosef Pinto, who comes from distinguished families on BOTH sides. On his father's side he is the great-grandson of Haim Pinto, a Moroccan sage; on his mother's side, he is the grandson of Rabbi Yisrael Abuhatzeira, the Baba Sali.

According to a Wikipedia biography, Pinto graduated from Ashkenazi Lithuanian yeshivot, and studied under Ashkenazi and Hassidic rabbis, including Rabbi Shmuel Auerbach, director of the Lithuanian-style Ma’alot Hatorah yeshiva located in Jerusalem. Pinto also was influenced by Satmar Hassidism and his teachings.

For Pinto, his plea bargain in Israel is only the tip of the proverbial iceberg. He also has a slew of legal problems in the U.S., most if not all civil (not criminal) issues. A number of his followers, however, have been investigated for possible criminal charges.

DEAD SEA SCANDAL

According to Stuff.co.nz, A diplomatic cable released by whistleblower website WikiLeaks has shed new light on the mysterious activities of Israelis selling Dead Sea beauty products at malls in New Zealand and the US.

The cable, prepared by the previous US ambassador to Israel, James Cunningham, alleges immigration fraud, illegal labour, money laundering and worker exploitation in an industry now worth a billion dollars.

An aside.

My First Born is a cop. He visited his parents when we lived near Washington D.C. On a trip to a local high-end mall we spotted some Israel's selling Dead Sea products.

Being an Israeli-born wise guy, he approached the Israelis, flashed his badge, and demanded to see their papers. Instant panic. None of the Israelis were in the U.S. on a visa that permitted them to work.

Next time you hear someone complaining about "Mexican wetbacks," know there also are many Israeli wetbacks.

According to the New Zealand sites (ibid.), Dead Sea beauty kiosks are turning over millions of dollars - despite continual complaints about aggressive and deceptive sales tactics. Tony Wall reveals who is behind the kiosks, and why the malls won't clamp down on them.

The money flowing through Dead Sea beauty kiosks is staggering, according to insiders. Sources familiar with the Israeli-run operation here and overseas have told the Sunday Star-Times it's a licence to print money.

"They're literally doing 10 to 12 grand a day per stall, and that's a bad day," an informed source claimed of the New Zealand business.

A US source said he was speaking out because he felt the businesses there were unethical, charging customers who were perceived as wealthy hundreds or even thousands of dollars for beauty products that cost only a few dollars to produce. Customers perceived as "poor" would be charged a fraction of that, he claimed.

"They are predators, it's just an ugly business."

 

This is not Pogo's first appearance on this blog. The "We have met the enemy" comment appeared on March 24, 2014 in an entry headed: We met the enemy and he is us, a few thoughts about the diplomats' strike.

Clear the air In the courts

Day in court for Yoshiyahu Pinto may reveal truth

An article in Israel HaYom is heded "AG: No deal with scandal-ridden rabbi, case to go to court ". The teaser under the hed reads: Rabbi Yoshiyahu Pinto fails to convince officials he should be let off the hook in corruption case in exchange for damning information on senior police officer • Pinto allegedly tried to obstruct probe into possible campaign finance violations overseas.

I don't know if Pinto is guilty of anything in Israel or in the U.S. or, for that matter, anywhere else.

I do know there has been an inordinate amount of conjecture and that there are too many people with too little to do lined up on both sides of the issue(s).

At one time, if it was even suggested that a rabbi was involved in a nefarious act, the rabbi was shunted aside. Guilty or not, the fact that the rabbi's name was besmirched was sufficient.

Today, that's not the case.

Why?

With today's ability to send a rumor or accusation - false or not - to the eyes and ears of millions via the internet, it's easy of a malcontent to publish anything "to the world."

No one bothers to check facts. Immediately people take sides; forces line up like opposing armies ready to defend their positions. It is extremely hard for a person to back down and admit that perhaps - just "perhaps" - he or see lacks all the facts and maybe - just "maybe" - the decision to stand on this side or that of the fence was made in too much haste.

I would like to see Pinot vindicated. He is from a famous Moroccan family, a relative of Rabbi Israel Abuhatzeira (aka Baba Sali) to whom, at least as far as I know, no scandal ever was associated.

Hopefully - בע''ה - the Israeli court will look at Pinto and his accusers as "just another group of litigants standing before the bench" and will treat both sides impartially.

Let both sides present their cases; clear the air. If the prosecution claims Pinto did something, allow Pinto the opportunity to refute the prosecution.

I know the Israeli court system isn't the same as the U.S. court system - it's closer to the English system on which it is based - but one hopes that when the gavel bangs for the final time that both sides will be satisfied with the verdict.