Let the religious outrage begin. After last week’s FBI crackdown following a two-year corruption and international money-laundering investigation (in which super influential Brooklyn rabbi, Saul Kassin, was pinched), the ‘net is abuzz with the head-scratching and finger-pointing that usually follow a major criminal blow-up. And, as per usual, much of the editorial being churned out by feverish newspapermen and bloggers amounts to a house of sand built on a foundation of straw–i.e. it’s basically all speculative bullshit.
Here’s my favorite quote, which comes from The Jerusalem Post:
"Anti-Semitism was behind the highly publicized arrests last week of rabbis, including three from the Aleppo-Syrian Jewish community in New York and New Jersey, according to Yitzhak Kakun, editor-in-chief of the Shas weekly Yom Le’Yom."
Oh, really? That’s news! Well, it would be news if Kakun actually had a basis for this claim. Instead, he goes on to say:
"’Regardless of the details of the case – I am not familiar with the precise charges and the evidence – you would never see the FBI and police behaving that way with Muslim sheikhs or Christian priests. It is so obvious that the whole thing is motivated by anti-Semitism.’"
Well, good to know you did your research, Kakun. And, yeah–those priests always come out smelling like roses, don’t they?
So typical of the right-wing ultra-Orthodox mindset. They are always the victim.
Is that the father of Matisyahu?
….or maybe older long lost brother
Why on earth would he admit to not knowing the evidence of charges? What happened to the good old days of pretending you knew what you were talking about before making outrageous claims :(