Monday, June 30, 2014

Rivky Stein and Yoel Weiss:The "Mediator's Report" - Was Joseph Bamberger accepted as a mediator?

Joseph Bamberger
One of the key documents in this case is a court document labeled as being written by the "mediator." It is one of the documents available on the Redeem Rivky site   "Mediator's Report".

It struck me as strange that a mediator - someone who is supposed to arbitrate for the welfare of both sides and thus is officially neutral - should write a report for public consumption that clearly views the husband as the one responsible for the marriage breakup. There is no indication whether he is a psychologist, rabbi or social worker - no credentials are associated with his name. There is no indication of whether he is experienced in this work or whether he was used because he had the trust of both sides and was trusted to be neutral and viewed as having wisdom and commonsense.

Bamberger writes:
During early April 2013, Yoel Weiss requested my assistance to help mediate between him and Rivky Stein. Having in the past successfully helped numerous  couples traverse their divorce and custody amicably, I attempted to provide the same guidance to Weiss and Stein.
 The document has the name of the mediator inked over - presumably because the mediator didn't want his name used [DT- he confirmed that in an email]. However the full report is available elsewhere in the court documents - and includes his name - Joseph Bamberger and email address and phone number. 

I asked Yoel Weiss about this report. In particular why the mediator had apparently taken sides.

Yoel Weiss responded simply that Joseph Bamberger was not the mediator and he had never accepted him as such. These are his word,
He was not a mediator he was there for one purpose to remove the order of protection and that's it
 I have also asked Ezra Stein - Rivky's older brother to respond - and have so far not received any response.

 But Joseph Bamberger has responded to my email for more information.
I have no interest in being involved any more than I have, I am declining your request...

This obviously raises some very serious questions as to the significance and validity of this document. It is also strange that a court document wasn't notarized. [to be continued]

Sunday, June 29, 2014

סגן רה"ע צוריאל קריספל: "רב העיר התיר לפרסם את תמונתו של החשוד בתקיפת ילדים"

update: Further details here
=====================

פרשת התקיפה באלעד: עד ליום שלישי, אם לא תתקבל החלטה אחרת, אברך בן 33, תושב העיר החרדית אלעד, יישאר במעצר במשטרת ראש העין, זאת לאחר שבית המשפט השלום בפתח תקווה האריך את מעצרו קודם השבת לאחר שנחשד בתקיפת ילדות - תושבות העיר 
.
פרקליטו, עו"ד, יהודה פריד הגיב הבוקר בשיחה עם "כיכר השבת" ואמר הם מכחישים את המיוחס למרשו: "הדיון מתנהל בדלתיים סגורות ולכן אסור לפרסם אף פרט מזהה. אנחנו מכחישים את כל המיוחס לו". פרקליטו מסביר: "יש החלטה של בית המשפט שהדיון מתקיים בדלתיים סגורות ומי שמפיץ כל דבר הקשור לחקירה עובר על החוק. ביום שלישי יתקיים דיון בהארכת מעצרו 
".
עוד קודם הארכת מעצרו, ברשתות החברתיות הופצו תמונותיו של החשוד, כמו גם סרטון בו נראה החשוד נמצא עם אחת הנפגעות לכאורה, במבנה בית-הכנסת. פרקליטו מבהיר כי בכוונתם לתבוע את המפיצים: "הפצת הסרטונים אסורה על פי החוק ואנחנו נתבע כל אחד ואחד. דיון בדלתיים סגורות ומי שמפר את זה, מפר את החוק".

צוריאל קריספל, סגן ראש עיריית אלעד, אמר ל"כיכר השבת" כי רב העיר התיר לפרסם את תמונתו של החשוד:
"

 התקשרתי לרב העיר לאור החשש שיופעלו לחצים על משפחת הילדה שלא להעיד וזאת למרות שהייתה תלונה במשטרה, שאלתי אותו האם מותר לפרסם את תמונתו של החשוד כדי שאם חלילה ישנן נפגעים אחרים שיראו את תמונתו ייגשו להעיד. הרב השיב ללא כל ספק את האנשים האלה צריך להוקיע בכל צורה שהיא, בכל דרך, לא לוותר ולא לרחם. ושזו היא דעתם של כל גדולי ישראל. בכל דרך שהיא צריך להילחם בתופעה ולהוקיע אותה".

Rivky Stein Yoel Weiss divorce:An Open Appeal to the Rabbis and Kehillos of Marine Park and Mill Basin, Brooklyn:

Guest post by Recipients and Publicity
As this is Rosh Chodesh Tamuz, and the terrible days of The Three Weeks approach, it behooves us to strive for peace and improve on the mitzvos bein adam lechaveiro. In this spirit we turn to you in the matter of a Jewish couple fighting in public over their bitter divorce proceedings that is causing an increasing chillul Hashem berabim. In the zechus of helping to try make peace between a warring couple, or at least resolving their acrimonious dispute hopefully peacefully as soon as possible, we turn to you for your help in locating the bais din and rabbis who have issued the documents commencing the get etc to understand their role in this matter and explain it to the best of their abilities in fuller Halachic terms. 
You may have by now become aware of a very serious matter (see "http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/jewish-woman-launches-social-media-campaign-convince-hubby-grant-article-1.1840953#ixzz35bIXJrkj">Orthodox Jewish woman launches social media campaign to convince her husband to grant her a religious divorce
" NY Daily News, June 23, 2014 and "http://www.redeemrivky.com/">") that now involves the names of your communities in both Marine Park and Mill Basin concerning a supposed bais din by the name of "BEIT  DIN  ZEDEK  OF  MARINE  PARK  &  MILL  BASIN" that appears on documents published online at  
"Psak Beit Din" and on "Siruv Against Yoel from Beit Din" (see also  "Notice of Excommunication") the address of this supposed "BEIT  DIN  ZEDEK" appears as "1278 East 77nd (sic) Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234, Tel (347) 875-7874, [Email:] BDmillbasin@gmail.com" In addition on those documents the names of three ""dayyanim"" are listed as: "Rabbi Chaim Taub ('dayyan') Rabbi David Binyamin Abales ('av bais din') Rabbi Yehoshua Goodman ('dayyan')"
However, there is till no verification available as to the bona fides of the above-named bais din and its reputed "dayyanim" in spite of serious requests for clarification among those who are seriously following the case resulting from posts by Rivky Stein at http://www.redeemrivky.com/">www.redeemrivky.com
and by her followers and detractors on various blogs and on social networking sites or by those who have read about this case in a full page article in the NY Daily News or by those on blogs and websites that are now closely tracking, getting to the source of the matter, and trying to genuinely and truthfully understand what is going on since this sordid matter has been broken wide open and thrown to the international Jewish and non-Jewish worlds via the Internet starting with Rivky Stein and her publicists and supporters who are working to help her obtain her get ASAP.
Thus so far, in spite of many requests and questions no one seems to have heard of the bais din in question or of its three "dayyanim" including its "av bais din":  "Rabbi Chaim Taub ('dayyan') Rabbi David Binyamin Abales ('av bais din') Rabbi Yehoshua Goodman ('dayyan')"!

The basic question is, does such a bais din actually exist in your communities of Marine Park and Mill Basin and are its three "dayyanim" known to you or anyone else? If so, is this bais din recognized as being respectable and upstanding and a good one to use in your communities and do you have any experience with this particular bais din, particularly in the area of gittin ("divorce cases") and issuing seruvim ("refusing to submit to judgment") and issuing decrees of niddui ("excommunication") against "recalcitrant" husbands or any other Jews? When was this bais din set up and who gives a haskoma to this bais din and who would be its best references?
If you or anyone has any further information about "BEIT  DIN  ZEDEK  OF  MARINE  PARK  &  MILL  BASIN" and/or its rabbis "Chaim Taub, David Binyamin Abales, Yehoshua Goodman" please ask them to respond or please contact Rabbi Dr. Daniel Eidensohn, a noted author, Halachist and psychologist, who is the owner of this blog known as the "http://daattorah.blogspot.com/>Daas Torah - Issues of Jewish Identity
" blog (see it for the latest posts regarding this matter) he can be reached via Email at  yadmoshe@gmail.com, since he, and many of us who wish to help settle this matter peacefully in the best interest of Klal Yisroel, are making a constructive good faith effort to genuinely understand what is going on and to hopefully help to resolve this entire sad chapter as soon as possible so that it does not cause any more of a Chillul Hashem than has already taken place.

Thanking you in advance.
Sincerely,
RaP

P.S. To anyone reading this who may be able to locate anyone who may be able to resolve the existence and status of the above-named bais din and/or its rabbis, please post the information on this blog or contact the blog owner at yadmoshe@gmail.com Thank you!

Rivky Stein and Yoel Weiss Divorce: An invitation to both sides to present the facts

updated 6/29/2014 Up until now I have not made a post regarding the Stein Weiss divorce case. Having spent a week trying to get a clarity of what is going on - I have still not gotten a clear picture. There clearly is a major media blitz by Rivky Stein and her advisors (I was told that Shira Dicker of Dodelson's pr battle is a major factor). I have seen the documents and heard the charges - but on a halachic level and as an outsider - I still am not sure what the issues are.

Since neither side has responded to my invitation I will simply post their statements that they have made on the Internet.

update - Below are  their statements
Yoel Weiss statement from  Redeem Rivky Facebook Page.
          Rivky Stein's statement is from the  NY Daily News

Rivky's extensive accusation are also found on the Redeem Rivky website Redeem Rivky website /with documentation and links to article in newspaper and television. These include a statement from her Beis Din of Mill Basin, Mediator's report, court filings and videos.
         There are also various videos on youtube
 ============================================
Rivky Stein's viewpoint: From the  NY Daily News

An Orthodox Jewish woman who has been unsuccessful in her attempts to secure a religious divorce from her husband has brought her case to social media, hoping to convince him to finally grant her a “get.”

With the help of family and friends, Rivky Stein, 24, created a Facebook page detailing her purportedly nightmarish relationship with hubby Yoel Weiss, 31, whom she married in a religious ceremony shortly after she turned 18 years old, in 2008.

“I want my get very badly,” she told the News. “But this is not just about me. It’s about fixing the problem so it doesn’t happen to anyone else.”

They had two children together, but Stein left Weiss after a series of alleged abuses, which she says included raping her and punching her in the stomach while she was pregnant. She says she never sought to have him criminally charged, but is now speaking to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s office.

-----------------------------------------

Yoel Weiss viewpoint
My name is Yoeli Weiss. Unfortunately, I'm involved with a messy divorce and custody battle widely publicized by my wife Rivky Stein. On the advice of an adam gadol I stayed silent for the past two years, not responding to the many false ugly accusations she concocted against me and my family. Recently however, she caused an outrageous chillul Hashem. She launched a website exposing herself-- posting seductive pictures of herself, sharing false stories, with delusional graphical bedroom scenarios, inciting men and women in our frum community to be busy debating it. I was told, that her website was negatively circulating among the hottest topics in the mikva, beis hemedrish, at home, at work, and of course on the social media network. The website is nothing but a fabricated story caused by her desperate need for attention. Not satisfied with the massive feedback and the amount of money she raised through her website, she moved her chillel Hashem to the next level, when she shared her false website story together with some family photographs to the Daily News. I spoke to this adam gadol again yesterday, he voiced his great concern for klal yisroel. He is currently engaging other rabonem making them aware of this new chillul Hashem through social media, a dangerous tactic invented by Rivky Stein. This is a ''kosher porno website'' camouflaged under a ''free aguna site''. This adam gadol urged me to respond and obey the positive commandment of the torah ''V'huyesem Nemeyiem M'shem V'myisroel Amo''. Accordingly I am writing this letter.

Minus some minor discords that occur among most newlyweds, after being happily married for 4 years, out of the blue in the spring of 2012, being under the spell of some demon[s], she suddenly decided to destroy her family and did not return home. Without ever mentioning before a single word about demanding a divorce, she initiated an aggressive and hostile (secular) court proceedings against me and my entire (extended) family, which included obtaining an order of protection against me totally under false pretences. Thereafter, over the next few months she caused me to be arrested 5 times, again with false accusations, and each time after spending the night in jail, her allegations were dismissed by the court as meritless. Eventually, the court realized her viciousness, terminated all orders of protection. In her litigation, she concocted the most ludicrous horrifying illogical accusations, all with the hope of a single goal to secure full custody of our two children, while at the same time seeking a money judgment reward of nothing less than 480 million dollars. I hired an attorney who is representing me in this messy litigation process, and the courts are slowly chipping away from her story and realizing the truth. As well, members of my family have had to hire an attorney, at the cost of tens of thousands of dollars.

Notwithstanding her accusations, the pain and shame she brought onto me and my entire innocent family, neither ,I nor anyone in my family ever retaliated in any way shape or form against her, not even by saying one bad word against her. After all, she is the mother of my two children. While I have enough unpleasant information about her and her family, and specifically about the two acquaintances, responsible for wrecking my home, I decline sharing this or any other lashan harahs with the public, simply because this is not the derech haTorah, and then again she is the mother of my children and I wish to spare my children this pain. Sooner or later, my children will be able to understand it all, and it’s my hope and desire that when they grow up, they'll realize that their father sacrificed his own pride by not divulging and exposing their mother, all in order to secure their well being. Rivky, on the other hand, seems not to care about the children at all. Her stability has been on a seesaw, and is, unfortunately, on a constant decline. The judge presiding two years on the marital case finally got the gist of what's really going on, recently ordered a complete psychiatric evaluation on her. Her impulsive and outrageous behavior with her website and the media speaks for itself.

As a father of two adorable children, I'm sincerely concerned that she can Chas vesholem end up harming them either physically or emotionally or both. That's why I am now fighting for full custody before it’s, chas vesholem, too late. Once the custody issue is resolved, she will receive her get with pleasure, and she can go l’chaim ve-l’sholem wherever her heart desires. Rivky does have issues: she is desperately seeking attention. And yes, she is a great actress, very convincing, believes in her own lines and her own illusions, therefore she comes across sincere and honest. I perfectly understand how some of the public is being swipalloeded away by her website, becoming quickly judgmental without giving me the slightest benefit of the doubt that perhaps there is something wrong with her story. Wouldn't you ask yourself, if her story would remotely hold the truth, why would the judge dismiss her allegations along with the orders of protection, and award me equal custody rights? I am certain you all recall the name Susan Smith. She too put up an act that the public was so convinced, but not the professionals. She too cried in front of the cameras attempting to convince the world that a black man killed her children. However, despite all her acting talents, the truth in the end always prevails, however it was too late -- she already killed her two children.

Rivky's website and u tube comes across sincere and honest. I know it’s hard not to believe her. Were I be an outsider not knowing her, I would probably believe her too. After all, she has fooled me and my entire family for more than 4 years. The highlight of her acting talents was played out during the last few weeks when we lived together. Over that period she secretly made plans and arrangements for an order of protection and to move in with her foster parents, while at the same time being an actress, she played and showed a most peaceful beautiful atmosphere at our home, and a most wonderful romantic relationship between us. So, I am asking the innocent public who is clinging to her website, to please give me the benefit of the doubt. Check carefully with her friends and the court rebuttals. Please don't get caught up in accepting and believing and repeating this lashan harah. I am certain many of her 5 thousand followers (as she claims on her website she has) are voicing their opinions believing its purely l'shem shumayem. I beg you to be careful and patient till the outcome of the court proceeding-- the very proceedings she initiated, before you condemn and slander an innocent person. Ultimately the truth may leave you feeling guilty for jumping to conclusions prematurely.
 ======================================================
Regarding her RICO charges  see this post -   co-defendants lawyers' responses
 ==============================
Here  is confirmation that Shira Dicker is behind the pr campaign


==============================
Guest post by Recipients and Publicity.

What is the purpose of the PR campaign by Rivky Stein-Weiss?

One possibility may be that Yoel could just throw the towel in and obtain a "heter meah rabbonim" and just leave Rivky to rot on the vine so she is getting in a pre-emptive strike to tie his hands. But there is more, from the RICO complaint it is clear that like the Count of Monte Cristo who was wrongfully exiled to the chateau, she is out for one thing "revenge" at all costs and that is both a high-stakes gamble and a very dangerous thing because it could backfire in unexpected ways. "Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned" they say.

Another possibility may be that Rivky is both short of cash and is hungry for PR. Somehow or other she may have been connected with the Dodelsons or some others with cash to burn on behalf of Agunos and the Dodelsons or ORA-backers who give money for Agunas that are PERHAPS giving her cash and funding this PR campaign.

Every cause needs its martyrs and living examples and right now Rivky is the perfect "poster child" for the cause of "poor little agunos" fighting the "horrible ogre" mean husbands who do not want to give them a get.

So Rivky is perhaps being used by the Dodelsons or some other very rich supporters who help her connect with the Shira Dicker-type publicists and pay for web sites, web hosting and all the PR trimmings by getting her story in the papers and onto online social networking sites and beyond.

What it boils down to is an implied statement by the women fighting for a get, that they have just traded in one set of "fixers" for another.

Now that they do not have recourse to heavy-handed physical tactics they instead are now using PUBLICISTS and the media and the Internet to the same ends, to fight back (as they see it) and "beat up" on the "recalcitrant" husbands.

Now as if to say "you may have stopped us in one way by blocking our access to the rabbis who used to beat you up and force you to sign, now instead we will use the PUBLICISTS and media and the Internet to shmeer you so badly you will wish you weren't born" it's a do or die battle to the death as it were.

After all if some women and their backers could afford to pay $50,000 to have their exes beaten up they can also easily find a willing PR hack who can do the same damage verbally to the reputations, careers, names and families of the get-refusers, because as they say "all's fair in love and war"!

No doubt here may be other reasons but for now this is some food for thought.

How are the battle-lines shaping up at this early stage?

Men: sympathize with the guy (Yoel) she is a liar and manipulative and craves attention. She's from a troubled background what can you expect from a crazy mixed up kid?

Women: what other options did Rivky have? she couldn't threaten to have him beaten up, Yoel's family threatened her, Yoel refused to give a get, he could get a heter meah rabbonim and leave her to rot, and Yoel was abusive to her and the kids and a just a nightmare.

So, people are just basically mindlessly lining up, in a male versus female thing. Women support Rivky while men have a kneejerk response for supporting Yoel.

Take your pick.

Whose is really to blame?

The real parties to blame were the cynical shadchanim who set them up: a guy who left his very chasidish family to be more "modern" (meaning dress and act outwardly "yeshivish" but inwardly he's confused) and matched him up with a beguilingly good looking yet equally troubled teen of 18 (Rivky) looking for a good life who was vulnerable and had been in foster care most of her life.

The problem is that there are currently many off the derech (OTD) or near off the derech kids being married off as a "cures" for their problems which actually only makes it worse because what happens is they then have a kid or two, revert back to their patterns of abusive behavior or manipulation, or passive aggression or what have you and then there is an explosion.

Normal people from normal families don't get it, they project their normal assumptions onto a scenario that is just crazy from the start.

There is no solution really, sad as it may be it's the truth, this is a "war of the sexes" and part of the ongoing "sexual revolution" that has not been tamed and has infiltrated even the best Jewish homes all over, added to the massive breakdown of society it's a high speed downward spiral that will just go on and get much worse until Mashiach comes.

Even in the Talmud there are situations of "teiku" where the great sages have no answers and leave it up to Eliyahu to come up with future solutions, and today there are tragically plenty of "teikus" that only Eliyahu Hanovi could solve for us.

Saturday, June 28, 2014

Rivky Stein and Yoel Weiss Divorce:Co-defendants' lawyers claim this is not a RICO claim - court documents

Disclaimer: I am not a lawyer and the following is based on Wikipedia

One of the unusual characteristics of the Rivky Stein vs Yoel Weiss divorce case is that she is attempting to have this made into a RICO case. In other words she is claiming that she not only suffered abuse at the hands of Yoel but that there was an organized conspiracy of his family to commit crimes that make this into a RICO case. RICO has different rules of evidence - it is enough to show a pattern of conspiracy to do criminal acts and there is no requirement that the leader of the organization actually did anything wrong. Penalties are severe - both in terms of jail and money. In the following documents his lawyers attempt to argue that there was no criminal organization but it is simply a dispute between Rivky and Yoel and therefore doesn't qualify for a RICO claim. The judge at present has not decided whether he will let this proceed as a RICO claim. Apparently  no proof of the criminal acts that Rivky claims has been presented and so at this point it is a he said/she said - as he denies he claims.
=====================================
Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, commonly referred to as the RICO Act or simply RICO, is a United States federal law that provides for extended criminal penalties and a civil cause of action for acts performed as part of an ongoing criminal organization. The RICO Act focuses specifically on racketeering, and it allows the leaders of a syndicate to be tried for the crimes which they ordered others to do or assisted them, closing a perceived loophole that allowed someone who told a man to, for example, murder, to be exempt from the trial because he did not actually commit the crime personally.

RICO was enacted by section 901(a) of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970 (Pub.L. 91–452, 84 Stat. 922, enacted October 15, 1970). RICO is codified as Chapter 96 of Title 18 of the United States Code, 18 U.S.C. § 1961–1968. Under the close supervision of Senator John Little McClellan, the Chairman of the Committee for which he worked, G. Robert Blakey drafted the "RICO Act," Title IX of the Organized Crime Control Act of 1970, signed into law by Richard M. Nixon. While its original use in the 1970s was to prosecute the Mafia as well as others who were actively engaged in organized crime, its later application has been more widespread.

Under RICO, a person who has committed "at least two acts of racketeering activity" drawn from a list of 35 crimes—27 federal crimes and 8 state crimes—within a 10-year period, if such acts are related in one of four specified ways to an "enterprise," can be charged with racketeering. Those found guilty of racketeering can be fined up to $25,000 and sentenced to 20 years in prison per racketeering count. In addition, the racketeer must forfeit all ill-gotten gains and interest in any business gained through a pattern of "racketeering activity." RICO also permits a private individual harmed by the actions of such racketeers to file a civil suit; if successful, the individual can collect treble damages (damages in triple the amount of actual/compensatory damages).

When the U.S. Attorney decides to indict someone under RICO, he or she has the option of seeking a pre-trial restraining order or injunction to temporarily seize a defendant's assets and prevent the transfer of potentially forfeitable property, as well as require the defendant to put up a performance bond. This provision was placed in the law because the owners of Mafia-related shell corporations often absconded with the assets. An injunction and/or performance bond ensures that there is something to seize in the event of a guilty verdict.

In many cases, the threat of a RICO indictment can force defendants to plead guilty to lesser charges, in part because the seizure of assets would make it difficult to pay a defense attorney. Despite its harsh provisions, a RICO-related charge is considered easy to prove in court, as it focuses on patterns of behavior as opposed to criminal acts.[1]

There is also a provision for private parties to sue. A "person damaged in his business or property" can sue one or more "racketeers". The plaintiff must prove the existence of an "enterprise". The defendant(s) are not the enterprise; in other words, the defendant(s) and the enterprise are not one and the same.[2] There must be one of four specified relationships between the defendant(s) and the enterprise: either the defendant(s) invested the proceeds of the pattern of racketeering activity into the enterprise; or the defendant(s) acquired or maintained an interest in, or control over, the enterprise through the pattern of racketeering activity; or the defendant(s) conducted or participated in the affairs of the enterprise "through" the pattern of racketeering activity; or the defendant(s) conspired to do one of the above.[3] In essence, the enterprise is either the 'prize,' 'instrument,' 'victim,' or 'perpetrator' of the racketeers.[4] A civil RICO action can be filed in state or federal court.[5]

Both the federal and civil components allow the recovery of treble damages. [,,,]
================================


Friday, June 27, 2014

Rivky Stein and Yoel Weiss: Who are the members of the Beis din of Marine Park and Mill Basin?

 An appeal to the mystery dayanim of "Beit Din Tzedek of Marine Park and Mill Basin"
Guest post by Recipients and Publicity

To Whom It May Concern in the matter of Rivky Stein and Yoel Weiss:
No one seems to be sure who you are and where you are located because of confusion about your address and the inability to contact you in any way. No one seems to know if you even exist! 
A recent post addressed serious questions to the Chabad rabbis located in Mill Basin and Georgetown, Brooklyn because as a result of discussions and research by some serious posters on this choshuve blog, it seems that you may be located at the Chabad house of Georgetown since your address matches theirs in so many ways. Since some say you do not exist, so maybe the Chabad rabbis will help to lead us to you once they can clarify what is going and if they are being falsely involved or not.
In the interim while looking at the documents you supposedly issued in the matter of the supposed get proceeding by Rivky Stein also known as Rivky Weiss, on  
the name of your bais din and its address appears as "1278 East 77nd (sic) Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234, Tel (347) 875-7874, [Email:] BDmillbasin@ gmail. com"
So what follows are questions that so many of us have:
Is that address correct or not and whose address is that exactly and why has it become so difficult to trace both you and the address of your bais din?
You sign yourselves in English on "Notice of Excommunication" as:
Rabbi Chaim Taub
Rabbi David Binyamin Abales
Rabbi Yehoshua Goodman
this is a very serious thing, to "excommunicate" another Jew so you need to provide your bona fides since this has now become a public battle by the person you ruled for as she has gone to professional PR agents and her case is now in the papers and online, did you also authorize that? If so when and why and on what bais, and can you provide the documents and Halachic basis for your actions besides the blanket decree of "excommunication"?
It has been impossible to find out who you are and where you are located (besides the problematic confusing address). What kind of rabbis are you? Meaning where did you get your chinuch and shimush? Chasidish? Litvish? Sefardish? Modern Orthodox? Israeli?
Do you have any affiliations with the Chabad rabbis in Mill Basin and Georgetown? Did you ever use the premises of the Chabad house of Georgetown or of any Chabad house there? If so, were you and all the rabbis involved approved by the main Chabad bais din in Crown Heights? If not then who do you turn to when you have your own shaylos? Have you ever convened to conduct gittin and other dinei Torah previously, if so can you cite some general examples and numbers and if not, why did you convene now? Were you paid serious fees for your services.


Mostly importantly why did you not wait for a rov or posek or bais din representing the husband to come forth with his own claims?
You all claim to be rabbis qualified to commence with get proceedings and on "Siruv Against Yoel from Beit Din" you each sign yourselves as "harav" and on top of that Rabbi David Binyamin Abales signs himself at the center as "av bais din" but since no one has ever heard of you, except Rivky Stein and her publicists (by the way, how did she find you and who referred her to you?) it is a great mystery how you arrived at your current positions.
Do you all have the required semicha (especially yadin yadin) to be known as "harav" and act as dayanim and as an "av bais din"? Who are your own rabbinic references and mentors?
All this should not be a secret now that this case is out in the open and your letters and signatures are out there for the whole world to see for themselves.

If in any way you are genuine and wish to and will clarify all the above questions and if any way it is shown that it was case of being "choshed biksherim" I offer my complete unqualified apology to you and beg your forgiveness. But please understand that because this matter has now become an international case by virtue of your client's recourse to promoting her plight very publicly, which may well be serious, this is not to question that, but you need to understand that you therefore have a great responsibility to the klal for preventing this from becoming and even bigger Chillul Hashem R'L than it has already become.
It is in your hands and the world awaits to hear from you and to know who you are and to trust what you have done. Otherwise the cloud of  doubt will just get darker and much worse for all concerned.
Sincerely,
RaP

Rav Shlomo Zalman Kaufman's Contract of Arbitration: Is it Arbitration or Beroorin? or Neither?

Contract of Arbitration
We the undersigned hereby irrevocably and unconditionally submit to Arbitration all the controversies including claims and counterclaims between the undersigned parties including but not limited to the following:
Dissolution of their marriage Divorce , Get, custody, visitation, division of assets alimony, monetary issues ,property settlement, debts, maintenance, education of children, child support any and all other issues The Husband agrees to give a Get and the wife agrees to accept a Get if so requested by the Rabbinical Court
1. The arbitration shall be heard and determined by the rabbinical court of Rabbi Shlomo Zalman Kaufman
2. It is agreed that 50 % of the arbitration fees and or /expenses shall be paid by each party to the controversy.
3. The Arbitration shall make their award based on Din Torah, compromise, settlement what is just and proper or any other way they wish to reach a decision .The Arbitration shall take place pursuant to any procedure the members of the Arbitration panel may decide.
4.No transcripts of the proceedings need be made unless the arbitrator …parties to request to hires a stenographer or minute taker whose cost be paid by the parties
5. Hearings may be held on Sundays and other legal holidays. the award or decision/s shall be in writing and shall be signed by the majority of the arbitrating panel and need not be acknowledged or notarized to be confirmed or enforced.
6. In the event that one arbitrator resigns or refuses to continue or is incapacitated and cannot continue refuses to for any reason the remaining two Arbitrators may elect to continue the proceedings and have the same powers and authority.
7.The parties herby hold harmless and release the members of the arbitration of liability for any act or omission whatsoever in connection with this arbitration or otherwise or the imposition upon the members of the arbitration panel of any or expense for any reason the parties herby release the members of the arbitration panel from any such obligation or with respect to any third person and shall severally defend and indemnify the Rabbinical court of Rabbi Kaufman against any claim made against Rabbi Kaufman's Rabbinical court by any person arising thereof and to fund or pay any such fee cost or expense in a timely fashion.
8. Each party has the right to be represented by an attorney and /or rabbinical counsel (to’en) in the arbitration at any time, but any part may elect to proceed without an attorney or to’en and argue for themselves before the arbitration Panel and by doing so they waive any claims whatsoever base on that election.
9. The members of the Arbitration panel shall make all reasonable efforts to accommodate the parties and counsel with regard to scheduling but their decision regarding the times, dates and location shall be final.
10. The parties waive the right to any specific form of notice of the time and place of the arbitration proceedings and notice for any purpose shall be given in the manner most reasonable and practical under the circumstances’.
11. The Arbitrators exclusive jurisdiction over the Arbitration shall and does continue until after their final decision or award is issued and all issues have been resolved and complied with to the understanding and complete satisfaction of the Arbitration Panel.
12. The Arbitration panel need not disclose to the parties or to anyone else the halachic legal, factual or other basis for their award and the parties herby waive any right to seek, demand or compel disclosure thereof as they otherwise may have.
13. The Parties shall abide by and perform any interim or final award rendered by the members of the members of the arbitration which shall be enforceable in any court of competent jurisdiction ,except and not withstanding anything herein to the contrary as provided in the agreement which language will prevail.
14. The parties agreed that the arbitrators shall have the right to hear testimony and evidence without the presence of the party if the party doesn’t attend a scheduled hearing.
15. The Parties waive personal service of process in connection with confirmation or enforcement proceedings .Service shall be sufficient if mailed via regular or via certified mail return receipt requested to the parties at their last known address.
16. The Arbitrators shall not be required to take oath or administer on oath for any witness or party at the hearing.
17. The members of the panel may not be appealed or otherwise submitted for review other than for purposes of enforcement in any tribunal court of other forum, whether religious or civil ,whatsoever. The foregoing constitutes a complete waiver of any legal or halachic right of the parties may otherwise have to proceed in any other such forum regarding adjudication of the disputes.
18 .The parties have agreed that the decisions of the panel are final, binding and not appealable, provided, If in violation of any agreement Party initiates a proceeding in a Bais din tribunal or court whatsoever whether religious or civil purporting to open ,invalidate ,modify or nullify the award in any ground whatsoever including but not limited to due to acclaim of the discovery of new evidence or a procedural or other flaw error or irregularity the party shall pay all legal costs as well as full arbitrators for any expenses incurred by any other party as well as the legal expenses of the arbitrators plus their full Arbitrator fees and expenses regardless the outcome of such proceedings The parties agree that Arbitrators shall have sole jurisdiction on all matters to the extent permitted .
19. Each arbitrator and counsel for Rabbi Kaufman shall have the same common law immunity as a judge has from suits for damages or equitable relief and from compulsory process to testify or produce evidence based on or concerning any action, statement or communication in or concerning his service pursuant to this Arbitration Contract as well as privileges and immunities provided under state law.
20. If notwithstanding the foregoing any party brings an action against any Arbitrator or Rabbi Kaufman's counselor any Rabbinic adviser or naming the same as a party is in violation of that immunity regardless of the theory of recovery under which action may be brought such party shall be liable for and shall indemnify such arbitrator Rabbi Kaufman’s adviser for any liabilities costs and expenses including Attorneys and lost professional time that may be incurred in resisting that effort or as a result of that action.
21.No party may depose call as a witness seek testimony or subpoena any arbitrator or rabbinical adviser or their respective counsel or Rabbi Kaufman’s counsel in any legal or Judaic administrative proceeding of any kind including but not limited to the arbitration for any reason whatsoever nor may any party seek to obtain through any method whatsoever including without limitation to produce any…..or documents related to the arbitration or rabbinical advisers services If any party attempts to compel such testimony or production such party shall be liable for and shall indemnify persons for any liabilities costs and expenses including attorneys fees and lost professional time The forgoing provisions are intended and agreed to be for the sole benefit the respective arbitrators and rabbinical advisers and their respective counsel for employment in their discretion and no party is entitled to rely on them for any purpose or is intended to be a third party beneficiary of them.
22 .no party shall by signing the contract of arbitration have waived or restricted impaired or amended any right or privilege set forth in any other contract or the agreement to which such party including the arbitration panel and counsel for Rabbi Kaufman be otherwise entitled under halacha or at law ……except with regard with adjudication of the disputes besides the arbitration named heroin and their respective counsel and as specified Rabbi Kaufman’s counsel as well as the rabbinic advisers and their respective counsel there are no intended beneficiary thereof nor may any others besides the arbitrators named heroin Rabbi Kaufman’s counsel or the rabbinical advisers and their respective counsel seek to endorse the terms of this contract of arbitration for their behalf and no other person not a signatory to this Contract of arbitration is intended to be nor shall any person be deemed to be a third party beneficiary hereto or hereof
23. The Arbitrators shall have full and final jurisdiction with respect to any questions regarding the interpretation of this contract of arbitration and their rulings .Notwithstanding the forgoing if any terms or provisions of this contract of arbitration should be held by a court of competent jurisdiction to contrary ….under the law of any particular jurisdiction such ruling shall not affect the validity thereof in any other jurisdiction nor shall such determination affect or impair the other terms or provisions thereof .
24. The parties submit themselves to the personal jurisdiction of the courts of the state of New York or New Jersey or any other competent court of jurisdiction for any action or proceeding to confirm or enforce a DECREE of the Arbitrators.
25.The parties bind themselves from this very moment and onwards to all the terms and provisions of the paragraphs set forth above and full complete content of this contract of arbitration with total awareness under the doctrines’ of Bais din chasuv Ofen Hamoiel lo kiasmacta Udloi k tufsa Dishtara Hakol shorer vikayom .
26. No condition or provisions of the Contract of Arbitration Shall be Invalid under the doctrine of Tnai Kaful or any other Halachic ground all of which are hereby waived.
27. Contract shall be valid and binding if signed in counterparts. 28. The parties acknowledge that they understand and comprehend all terminology used heroin or have been given a full opportunity to seek independent explanation thereof as well as to obtain review of any provision or term hereof by independent counsel rabbinic guide or other qualified person
We understand and agree to all the above.
Dated ______ Signature_________ Signature____________
Dated_______ Signature __________Signature______________

Rivky Stein and Yoel Weiss Divorce: What is the beis din she claims she used?

Questions for the rabbis of the Chabad houses in and around Georgetown-Mill Basin, Brooklyn concerning the use of a Chabad house and address to convene a bais din.
Much of the discussion on this blog in the last day has rightly begun to focus on something that needs to be clarified. To debate the names of streets in Brooklyn and New York while not being there can and is usually confusing (even people in Manhattan get confused about street names in Brooklyn and Queens and the other way around) because streets often start with the prefixes of "West" (abbreviated as "W") or "East" (abbreviated as "E") or sometimes without those and it can and does get confusing. But that is to miss the point since now we know that the reputed bais din and supposed rabbis that Rivky Stein-Weiss is relying upon can be traced back to an address at the (taken from their own website at http://www.chabadofgeorgetown.com/): "Chabad of Georgetown 1278 East 72 Street Brooklyn, NY 11234 718-444-3770" and one needs to move on from that point to the next points.
Now the next questions to ask, is does a bais din ever convene at "Chabad of Georgetown 1278 East 72 Street Brooklyn, NY 11234" or has a bais din ever convened there for the purposes of arranging a get?
If so, it would be very strange because presumably a Chabad house located in BROOKLYN would not do such a thing since it can and should easily rely on the main Chabad bais din known as the "Bais Din of Crown Heights" that is a recognized bais din. See http://www.chkosher.com/BeisDinHours.htm,
390A Kingston Avenue, 718-604-8000 and headed by Rabbis Y. Osdoba, Schwei, Segal (718 360-7110), A. Osdoba (718-771-8737, also call if urgent) and if urgent call Rabbi Y. Heller (718-756-4632).
So did the ad hoc bais din that supposedly worked out of the "Chabad of Georgetown 1278 East 72 Street Brooklyn, NY 11234" have the authority from its presumed higher authorities in Crown Heights to do so? And if so who authorized it? This should be easy to establish with a few phone calls.
It seems that the Chabad house in question can also be found at http://www.millbasinjewishcommunity.org/shul-directory/ and is listed in the Shull Directory of the "Orthodox Jewish Community of Mill Basin, Georgetown, Flatlands" that lists at least thirteen Orthodox shulls in that area, including "Chabad of Georgetown" and two other local Chabad houses "Chabad House of Mill Basin" at 2111 E65th Street, Brooklyn, NY headed by Rabbi Yehuda Friedman, (718) 209-0707, (718) 241-8899 Email: chabadmillbasin@gmail.com ; and "Chabad of Mill Basin & Georgetown" at 1228 E. 69th Street, Brooklyn, NY headed by  Rabbi Ahrele Sheinberger, 718-241-8899; 718-473-5937; 347-729-6558, and of course the one in question here: "Chabad of Georgetown" at 1278 E 72nd Street, Brooklyn, NY headed by Rabbi Avrohom Holtzberg, 718 444-3770, Email chabadofgeorgetown@gmail.com
www.chabadofgeorgetown.com
Now while the above Chabad of Georgetown does not seem to list its rabbi, another search of Chabad.org at http://www.chabad.org/centers/default_cdo/aid/118629/jewish/Chabad-of-Georgetown.htm confirms " Chabad of Georgetown, 1278 East 72 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234 USA, 718-444-3770, Fax: 718-251-8552" with "Rabbi Avrohom Holtzberg, Director" so now at least we have a name to contact, that is,  Rabbi Avrohom Holtzberg, Director of Chabad of Georgetown who, together with his two other local Chabad rabbis, should be asked the following questions:
1) Are you aware that the address of your Chabad house at  1278 East 72 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234 is now at the center of a serious divorce and get dispute that has the potential to become a great Chillul Hashem?
2) Have you or anyone you know ever convened a bais din on the premises of the Chabad House at 1278 East 72 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234 on behalf of Rivky Stein aka Rivky Weiss? If so who was on that bais din?
3) Do you all have the type of required semicha (yadin, yadin) to qualify undertaking such a din Torah, or any Din Torah for that matter, as a duly constituted bais din, issuing "pesakim" "seruvim" and other things normally undertaken and adjudicated by established batei din?
4) Did you ever seek or were you ever authorized by the main Chabad bais din known as the Bais Din of Crown Heights to undertake a process of gittin or any other dinei Torah?
5) Did you ever receive any renumeration for your services and if so who paid you and how much for the use of your supposed bais din, the use of your premises and its address? If you don't know about any of this why have you not protested or can you please provide an official letter stating that you and your Chabad house/s have nothing to do with this entire divorce saga initiated by Rivky Stein-Weiss against her husband Yoel Weiss?
6) Since Chabad of Georgetown shares the name of "Georgetown" with another one nearby (namely, Chabad of Mill Basin & Georgetown) so presumably you are all colleagues and that Rabbis Avrohom Holtzberg (of Chabad of Georgetown) and Ahrele Sheinberger (Chabad of Mill Basin & Georgetown) cooperate so is there any chance that any of you, with Rabbi Yehuda Friedman (of Chabad House of Mill Basin) formed the disputed bais din in question? If none of you know anything about this matter then please accept a sincere and unqualified apology but please understand that this question only arises because the address of Chabad of Georgetown is at the center of a serious get dispute that has the potential of erupting into something much bigger.
7) Do Rabbis Y. Osdoba, Schwei, Segal, A. Osdoba, Y. Heller of the established main Chabad bais din in Crown Heights known as the Bais Din of Crown Heights know that  a bais din was reported to have convened at the Chabad house of Georgetown and do they agree or disagree that the Chabad of Georgetown location and address were and are being used at the center of major dispute? Do they approve that any rabbis in that area such as Rabbis Avrohom Holtzberg, Yehuda Friedman, Ahrele Sheinberger should lend any of their Chabad houses or their addresses to be used on get documents and letters containing arguments that show them to be housed in Chabad houses?
8) Since as a result of the Chabad house of Georgetown in Brooklyn having its address and location dragged into a serious Halachic discussion it behooves them to clarify why such immature and UN-Halachic letters etc are coming out from their location and how it could be that any rabbi serious and knowledgeable about the Halachic process involved in gittin (Jewish divorces), piskei halacha (Halachic rulings), and other such documents appear to be not up to standard and not befitting the name of any serious bais din thereby degrading the accepted Halachic practices and processes used and required in such complicated situations?
Since this is a matter of great urgency, anyone with access or familiarity with any, or with some, or with all of the above-mentioned Chabad rabbis contact them and get something in writing in response to the above questions ASAP and notify the blog owner.
To repeat, if anything in this post is found to be untrue and unjustified a unqualified apology is hereby given that none of these rabbis or the parties are known to me personally and that the only reason for this post is to clearly establish if, or not, the above rabbis and Chabad house/s are in way familiar with this dispute that on documents filed by Rivky Stein-Weiss has pointed to the address of the Chabad house of Georgetown located at 1278 East 72 Street, Brooklyn, NY 11234.
Thank you!
RaP