Friday, Ibrch 10, 1918 21 ME DETROIT JEWISH NEWS Orthodox Group Studying `Jewish Crime' By BEN GALLOB Inc.) (Editor's note: This is the first in a two-part series.) The unprecedented task of seeking to create, in the open American society, a channel and a means for Jews to combat the upsurge of Jewish crime — most notably dramatized by the convictions of operators of • New York and New Jersey nursing homes for fraudu- lent misuse of Medicaid funds — is the declared im- petus for the organization of a Jewish Ethics Committee. The first report in an English-language publica- tion of the formation, his- tory and goals of Yosher — Hebrew for honesty — was published in the current issue of "Present Tense," the quarterly publication of the American Jewish Committee. Yosher and its organizers are Orthodox. According to the article, Yosher was organized in the spring of 1975 by four Or- thodox Jews who had be- come "impatient with the lack of a significant re- sponse by the Orthodox community to revelations of Jewish wrong-doing." The four were listed as Robert Goldman of Dor Hemschekh, a zionist group; Rabbi Saul Ber- man, chairman of the Jewish studies depart. ment at Stern College for Women; Prof. Steven Donshik, a teacher at the Wurzweiler social work school at Yeshiva Uni- versity; and Perry Davis, senior special assistant to the president of the New York City Board of Edu- cation. Davis wrote that the goal of Yosher was "to develop a group that would, in the framework of Halakha, in- crease the sensitivity and accountability of the Jewish community to lapses in moral conduct and to the ways in which people treat one another." (Copyright 1978, JTA, Yosher claims more than 200 members; students, rabbis, professionals and businessmen in the New. York area. Yosher has held two conferences on Jewish ethics, in Manhattan in 1975 and in Brooklyn in 1976. "We launched a Jewish ethics library in the social work library of Yeshiva University's Brookdale center, galvanized opposi- tion to 'Las Vegas Nights' in synagogues as a desecration of places of worship, pub- licized the problem of in- flated kosher meat prices, and issued a halakhic perspective on the need for complete honesty in income tax payments," Davis wrote. He added that cur- rently Yosher and the New York Metropolitan Coordinating Council on Jewish Poverty are con- ducting a survey of high kosher food prices. Davis also reported that while Yosher had been "welcomed in many quar- ters," there have also been negative reactions. He said the "most common" criti- cism was that Yosher "high- lights embarrassing situa- tions, such as the fact that many yeshivot spend little or no time teaching the rud- iments of ethical behavior. Others say Yosher is self- righteous in its approach to internal Jewish problems." He described the common reaction among Jews to re- ports of crime involving Jews: "Jews are not sup- posed to commit crimes. When they do, they -make other Jews liable to guilt by association. They embolden/ the anti-Semites. They bring dishonor to the entire community." Davis made a point of dif- ferentiating between crimes committed by Jews and Jewish crime. An example of the former would be a Jew who com- mits a holdup, a situation in which his religion is inci- dental. But "Jewish corruption is a much more serious matter to the Jewish community" because the religion of the suspect is "more than coin- cidental. The accused is clearly an ethnic Jew" who may be a rabbi or layleader. The crime may involve a Jewish institution. In some cases, the religion of the suspect "actually serves as a 'cover' for crime. Often the accused persons are Orthodox Jews and some of them choose to publicize their Jewishness as a charac- ter reference." De, -ring that when the facts of a Jewish crime come to light, "fear of anti- Semitic reaction always de- velops," Davis wrote that "beyond this, and more painful, is the realization that men once considered models of uprightness, many long esteemed and even revered, have done un- ethical or criminal deeds. Then indeed there is not only anxiety but often an- guish." Davis then listed a number of highly- publicized cases, most of them involving Orthodox Jews and -Orthodox institu- tions. One, Bnai Torah In- stitute of Brooklyn, is cur- rently under three federal investigations into possible improper relations with Congressmen and the U.S. Labor Department. Last year, four former Bnai Torah officials were in- dicted and convicted on charges stemming from the organization's mishandling of federal funds for summer food programs. Davis also cited the nurs- ing home-Medicaid investi- gations. trials and convic- tions of Rabbi Bernard Bergman and Eugenie 1101- !ander. cribrindoes that -Ike issue of nsaral oak anneons unmeshed and irelland do- ' lemma• paned be Me AN, Is called prow frunenens these canon neelarlista Jane engaged is fillutpir-eari. moral acts ---- continues to confound the Jewish com- munity." Davis wrote that "the collective impact of reve- lations of Jewish crime hit the Jewish commun- ity like a bombshell. In homes and shops, in synagogues and on the streets, people talked about them, exchanged the latest rumors, be- moaned the disgrace. Some leaders commented publicly; others kept si - lent. Some organizations issued official state- ments; others avoided in- volvement." There was "consterna- tion" in some quarters of the Orthodox community, he reported. Some Orthodox Jews felt that the media had dwelt "in lurid detail on the Orthodoxy of several per- sons accused of crimes; in some quarters it was sus- pected that an attempt to discredit the entire com- munity was involved." The Mizrachi, which Bergman headed, did not issue any statements about the nursing home charges "though, reportedly, quiet attempts were made to have him resign during the hear- ings." Hasidic and right- wing Jewish organizations made no public comments. We Make Our Own Glasses thodox Jewish Congrega- tions published an editorial in its magazine, "Jewish Life," declaring that lying and fraud, "though common in business life," had "no place in the Torah world." • HEADQUARTERS FOR LATEST DOMESTIC AND g ailli‘ IMPORTED FRAME FASHIONS '.. cipi r ,b.... 1 From their pulpits and in synagogue bulletins, "some Orthodox rabbis spoke out against the nursing home scandal as a Hillul Hashem," a desecration of the Divine Name. • • PRESCRIPTIONS FOR GLASSES ACCURATELY FILLED • DESIGNER FRAMES • Reosonobly Priced In•nediote Repair ROSEN OPTICAL SERVICE 13720 W. 9 MILE nr. COOLIDGE U 7 - 5068 OAK PARK, MICH. S. A1/4.1..-Fri. 9:30-6 Cloud Wednesday 5 et? WHILE THEY LAST! Ac BRAND NEW '77 PONTIAC ASTRE 2-DOOR EXAMPLE STOCK #2649 — AUTO TRANSMISSION ! 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