DUTCH CON-RABBI

Sometimes you run across a news item which just tugs at your heart-strings.


A young Dutchman, of Jewish background, traveling through Northern California, got robbed of his money and his passport, and needed a little help to tide him over and get him to Los Angeles, where lodging has (had) been arranged until his flight back home.

Fortunately, his Rabbi back in the Netherlands stuck his neck out for him, and called the Rabbi of the Jewish community nearest to this young man's place of peril, and asked that the local Rabbi be so kind as to come to the aid of a fellow Jew.

Which is very much in the Jewish tradition - certainly traveling Jews have had to rely on the assistance of a local kehilla before, and of course help can be drummed up one way or other.


Except that in this particular case, it's a load of codswallop.

Utter balderdash.

A congame.


See:
http://www.jewishsf.com/content/2-0-/module/displaystory/story_id/5059/edition_id/93/format/html/displaystory.htm


The purported Dutch Rabbi goes by the name 'Rabbi Mikhail Slovik ', of Temple Beth Israel in Amsterdam, the Netherlands.

I cannot find a Temple Beth Israel in Amsterdam listed anywhere on the net, and I'm fairly certain that there isn't any such critter. Same goes for Rabbi Slovik.

Besides, the article makes pretty clear it's a scam.



What's remarkable is that it's a variation on an old one.

Years ago, crossing over the hill at night after working at the restaurant, a gentleman approached me, and in the most believable and heart-rending way related how he was up in the Bay Area visiting his brother, a serviceman who had been on leave, and how after parting he had gone back to where his pick-up was parked, only to be jumped, robbed, and have his money and his pick-up stolen. And how he needed thirty-two dollars for a hotel-room - someone had already taken care of his ticket back to Los Angeles the next day.

I wasn't too well-funded that evening, so I gave him twenty dollars, and wished him the best of luck.

Four months later I ran into him again.
Same story, no differences whatsoever, and same place.
I listened with admiration - it was still heartbraking. But I declined the opportunity, as regretfully I was somewhat short of the ready green. Really.

A year later I ran into him again - and this time, I explained that I had already heard him out twice before (and once passed him telling someone else his tale of woe), this time I would not give him any money, but if he wanted, we'd go to a late-nite coffee shop, have a warm beverage and perhaps a bite to eat, and he would tell me how he became such a convincing con-artist.

He muttered "sorry, I'm working!"

I never saw again him after that.

Darn good act, though.


Recently, there's the soldier on leave from Iraq, who has spent all his money but needs to get to Moffet Field or Alameda or wherever by a certain time, or else he's gonna be listed as awol.
His is also a good act.

He's in danger of being awol at least two or three times a month, on California Street, throughout the dry season - about seven or eight months. I fully expect to see him being in danger of being awol again this year once the rainy season is over.


Regarding that alleged Dutch Rabbi: All rebbeiim in the Netherlands are listed on the internet by their branch of Judaism, on many different sites.

Credentials and antecedents of both "rabbi" and "victim" can be checked, and a long distance call to a synagogue office in the Netherlands does not cost that much. For that matter, to the best of my knowledge all yeshivos in the Netherlands have been defunct since the war...... so where did this rabbi get his smicha? It's worth asking. One would think that his classmates would be all over the place, whether in the US or in Israel. The Rabbinate is truly trans-national.

The chief rabbi of Amsterdam is actually in New York: Rabbi Aryeh Ralbag (Young Israel of Avenue K, plus Beis Din of Agudas Ha Rabbonim (tel.: 718-258-5596 fax: 718-252-8418), plus posseik of Triangle K). Note that I am not sure how current this information is, but it's a good place to start.


So anybody who gets taken got taken because they suspended their cynicism, like I did crossing the hill.
Sometimes it is good to do so, though. I do not feel duped, I feel ennobled by the experience (and am full of admiration for the acting skill and bravado of the con-artist).


By the way, the young man who turns up after the alleged Dutch rabbi has gotten the okay from the local rabbi claims to only know the Shema Yisroel in Dutch, and claims the same for the blessing for the Torah.

How..... odd.


Just to satisfy your curisity, here's the Shema Israel in Dutch:

Sjma Jisrael Adonai Elohenoe, Adonai echad!
Hoor, Israel; de Eeuwige is onze God; de Eeuwige is één!

Baroech Sjem kvod malchoeto le'olam va'ed.
Geprezen de Naam van Zijn koninklijke Majesteit, voor alle eeuwigheid.

Ve-ahavta et Adonai Eloheiga, begol levaveiga oevegol nafsjeiga oevegol me-odeiga.
Gij zult de Eeuwige, uw God, liefhebben met geheel uw hart en met geheel uw ziel en met geheel uw kracht.

Vehajoe hadevariem ha eele, asjer anogie metsaveiga hayom al levaveiga; vesjinantam levaneiga vedibarta bam, besjivteiga beveeteiga, oevelegteiga vaderech oevesjogbeiga oevekoemeiga.
Wat ik u heden gebied, zal in uw hart zijn, gij zult het uw kinderen inprenten en daarover spreken, wanneer gij in uw huis zit, wanneer gij onderweg zijt, wanneer gij nederligt en wanneer gij opstaat.

Oekesjartam le-ot al jadeiga vehajoe letotafot been eeneiga.
Gij zult het ook tot een teken op uw hand binden en het zal u een voorhoofdsband tussen uw ogen zijn.

Oegetavtam al mezoezot beeteiga oevisjareiga.
En gij zult ze schrijven op de deurposten van uw huis en aan uw poorten.