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Wednesday, October 26, 2011

THE FOLLOWING WAS WRITTEN BY FORMER STUDENTS OF R. MOSHE LAZER BLUM AND R. SHIMON GOLDBRENER OF MONSEY.


One day during a Shiur, MLB. ‘hinted’ to us that the building we were in wasn't suited for such a Chushiveh Mukom Torah like ours, and if only we could make this one burn down, we could collect on the insurance policy…
We immediately started making plans to burn the building down. It started out as an open secret, that only our class knew about, but eventually everybody was in on it. MLB helped with planning the job, and made sure we didn't make it look like an arson. The plan was to disconnect the oven from the gas line, and leave the pipe open over the Channukah vacation, meanwhile we lit a yartzeit candle in a far corner of the room… The Sifrei Torah ‘should be’ secure because they were in a safe at the opposite end of the building, but the rest of the seforim would have to be collateral damage if we wanted to get away with it.
Before I go on, I have to point out that the building we inhabited had been a shul for many years, and MLB had only bought it a few years before. Part of the deal was that the congregation - which mostly used it on Shabbos and Yom Tov - let us use their siddurimseforim, and sifrei torah, all week, but it still belonged to them…
L’Kavod Channukah we got released on thursday afternoon - instead of the usual friday afternoon, and we sprang into action. We filled several trash bags with “the important stuff” we didn't want to lose, and hid it behind the Viznitz girls school (why specifically there - I’ll never know). We set up our sophisticated Jewish lightening rig, and ran home.
Sunday morning came, and the building was still there! Our master plan hadn't worked. The candle had gone out, and all we were left with was a building that smelled so bad, we had to stay out of the top floor for days.
We had to rethink our methods,so we decided to go with the old faithful boiler. A little while later, the Yeshivah put on a Melaveh Malkah as a fund raiser in Yeshiva Spring Valley which is just a few hundred yards down the street from our building.
This time we came prepared, we had two-way radios, spotters, and scouts. We laid out a haphazard-looking row of towels from the boiler to a wooden table, and then dropped some paper towels into the pilot. We waited till we saw flames, and then left the building.
We went across the street to the Bais Dovid parking lot, and watched. This time it worked. It didn't take long for flames to start shooting out of the windows. Eventually the sirens started, and the fire department showed up. The fire wasn't that big, and it didn't take them too long to put it out, but we weren't satisfied. We waited for hours till everyone was gone, and snuck back into the building, and lit it on fire again! We again waited till we saw substantial flames, and then went home. Early the next morning I ran as fast as I could to the Yeshiva building, and sure enough, it was destroyed. Part of the roof had caved in, and the inside was completely burnt out.
Long story short, MLB and company got away with it. We went on Galus for a while, roaming from shul to shul, but when the money finally came in he bought a house, and (illegally) converted it into a Yeshiva building. We had all the amenities, indoor mikvahbeis hamedrash, dorm rooms, big kitchen, and dining room. Once in a while we had to hide the fact that we had converted a residence to a school, if the ‘suits’ showed up we’d rearrange rooms, and hide half the kids. But we obviously did a good job, because he was never caught.







One day the boys were assigned chavruses (studying partners). R. Goldbrener  and R. Blum paired me up with this kid, I didn't want to study with, so I told them that I would like to learn with someone else. The response was NO you have to learn with him. I argued back, of course, and R. Goldbrener took me into a nearby room and slapped me once, then he asked me "are you gonna partner up with that kid, yes or no?" so my answer was "no", so he slapped me again, this went on for a while (maybe 15-20 minutes) as he kept on asking "yes or no?" and my answer constant "no". (Wasn't he giving me a choice by asking me yes or no? I answered his question!) The beating got harder and more violent, (the entire time I was thinking, if only R. Blum would find out what R. Goldbrener is doing to me, he would get in trouble from R. Blum) so after about 15-20 minutes R. Blum came into the room and asked R. Goldbrener if I already answered and he responded that "no he didn't" so then came the worst; two adults started beating on me. After another ten minutes of two adults beating on me, I of course answered yes and they stopped. Later on, R. Goldbrener told me that I was a stubborn child & he would knock it out of me, but little did he know that he ruined me for life and I'm now more stubborn than ever.





Shortly after I turned thirteen, my parents sent me to a "sleep-away" yeshiva located in Monsey, where we lived. By the afternoon of the first day, I was calling home in tears, begging my mother to come get me. In trying to describe the physical and emotional abuse that went on there, I'm doing the place a disservice. Beatings were so normal a sight, they were ignored by other students. Rebbeim bragged about how much they intimidated us, and kids walked around with bruises, welts and all sorts of marks.
Besides the physical abuse, there was the mental pressure put on us, every second of every day was controlled, starting with waking up at the crack of dawn, to the fifteen minutes we had to run to the mikvah, haul ourselves back and be seated at our spot, (Heaven help you if you were seconds late) to laying down on the left side and waking up on the right. Not tolerated were: laughing, talking about anything aside from what we were studying, contact with the outside world, no food or snacks outside of the three meals served to us (fifteen minutes per meal, no talking), no personal books, tape players, etc.
When I say beating, I'm not referring to a little slap or even a backhand to the head. I'm talking about all out, go for broke: fists, elbow, sticks, anything handy were all fair game. I've seen coffee jars used as weapons, heads slammed through drywall, chairs and trash cans thrown - all in one session!
I could fill a book with all the stories that happened to me and other bochurim. It got to the point where we were immune to the beatings and we bragged about how badly we got hit that day. I even remember thinking to myself one day that today was the first time an entire day had gone by without begin hit once. That day was one and a half years into my time there.
My parents, being naive, as so many parents are, believed that anyone with the title Rebbe, Rosh Yeshiva or Menahel could do no wrong. No matter what I said to them, the answer was the same, "He's a Rosh Yeshiva, he must know what he's doing".
I eventually gave up trying to convince my parents to remove me. After I left the yeshiva, I made a conscious effort to forget and get over my experiences there and to a large extent, I was successful. I moved on, for the most part blocking the whole thing out of my head, but certain things wouldn't go away. to this day, I never sit with my back to the room. I get jumpy and easily startled and I flinch when people "high five or back slap" me. I avoid talking about the whole experience because when I do, I get physically ill (as I am typing this, my heart is pounding and my hands are shaking).





I don't know how many of you know the difference between a 6 slice yarmulke (kippa) and a 4 slice, but that R. Blum sure does know the difference. One fine afternoon it all seemed to be going well, I went into town and bought a new yarmulke. I went from a 6 slice to a 4 slice (one difference is that the 6 slice was soft & the 4 was more stiff) I threw out the 6 slice and I rolled into yeshiva with my new 4 slice yarmulke. I didn't pay much attention to my new yarmulke, just that it was more comfortable on my head. All of a sudden R. Blum comes up to me and tells me to get rid of the 4 slice yarmulke and wear the 6 slice. I explained to him that I like this one and that I threw away the other, then R. Blum took my yarmulke off my head and left me with nothing on my head, so I was like if the so called rabbi can remove my kippa and if I'm doing a sin, it's on his responsibility. Then the he started pounding my head with his fingers and he kept on saying "put on a yarmulke put on a yarmulke" and I was like, "so give me back mine", but he refused. Then while his hand is knocking on my head, I put my head down on the table (like taking a nap) and the pounding got stronger and harder. Then he asked one of the boys for a blade, and he cut my yarmulke in to 4 pieces and there was my yarmulke all cut up and I'm not wearing any, that made him even more angry because I kept on asking and I was upset that my yarmulke was cut, so the pounding continued until it got real ugly. He threw me on the floor and started kicking my head (it looked like he was playing soccer with my head as the ball). I can tell you one thing, I was beaten..... I don't even remember the end of the story.  I just know that I'm still alive to tell the story and nowadays I proudly wear only 4 slice yarmulkes. It did leave a trauma because I wouldn't change that style for anything. It goes so far that my daughter once came home and said that her friends were making fun of her that her dad is wearing a 4 slice yarmulke. My wife gave me that look like she would appreciate if I would change it, & I explained to her that I suffered so much for that yarmulke, even nearly lost my life over it, and I hope she understands, she did understand. And that's where this story ends. May they never have a peaceful day.






This weekend I saw an invitation for a Tea Party for a yeshiva in Monsey. After reading it thru, I noticed something that all of a sudden started heating my blood and I felt my pressure rising. The trigger was a name on there: "Shimon Goldbrener". After reading that, I started having flashbacks from back in the day when I went to the yeshiva of Moshe Lazer Blum & Shimon Goldbrener. At the same time, the left side of my neck was killing me and that got my blood pumping even more. I started remembering what had happened in that school, I don't think about it every day and can even go by years that I don't think of it, but at that moment it hit. The story with the hurting shoulder/neck/back was as follows: (when I do think about that man, I will never forget the details on the story and nor will the kids that watched it either) On May of 1994 there was a ceremony in Brooklyn and I wanted to attend, so being that the yeshiva was in Rockland County, I asked the administration (Rabbis Blum and Goldbrener) if I could go tomorrow to Brooklyn and they said yes. Next morning came and I woke up a bit late, I rushed to mikvah and then rushed into shul. They were already in middle of davening (basically, I was late) so after davening, one of those two came up to me and said to me that I cannot go to Brooklyn because I arrived late to prayers. I tried arguing that we didn't make any kind of deal like that and that he can't stop me from going but it still didn't help and he said no you can't go. Later after breakfast and just about walking into class, R. Goldbrener told me that he would allow me to go but on one condition; he will give me 50 punches on my shoulder and back and after that I can go (mind you this guy was about 250 lb and I was a little 13 year old, maybe 125 lbs tops). And me wanting to be a hero said no problem it's a deal. Having all students sitting around one big table (a few tables put together, about 15-20 kids) he started punching one after another. I was sitting next to him on his right side & my left shoulder was his punching bag, as he kept going one after the other, and the students counted with him, 21, 22, 23 and so on. When it came to 33, the students counted that # twice. I was like "that's not fair" but my screams were disregarded. When it came to 49 the guy stopped and said that I cannot go because he didn't give me FIFTY punches. We argued and argued, he even at one point threatened me that if I don't stop arguing he would beat me up. At the end, the students stuck up for me and they said that when counting they counted one of the #s twice so that means that really it was 50 not 49, so I was granted permission to go. In Brooklyn, at the ceremony there were so many people and there was lots of pushing going on, and when people were pushing on me it hurt so bad that while the trip almost wasn't worth it, it was still worth it since I had gotten through that. This is only one of the many, many stories I myself had there, G-d is my witness that I'm not making this up.





R. Shimon Goldbrener is currently a Maagid Shiur in a Yeshivah, and R. Moshe Lazer Blum is currently opening a new Yeshivah. Would you send your kids to study under them?

29 comments:

  1. Thank you for so bravely posting your experiences. I will be reposting on the Jewish Parents for Safe Yeshivos (JPSY) Facebook page.

    ~ Sara @ JPSY

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  2. I find these "stories" hard to believe. I am not a naive person and am well aware of what goes on but this just seems way over the top. I'm sure that this person had a tougher childhood than some but it sounds like some vicious slander with no real basis. Is there anyone else that went through these kinds of torment from these two Rabbi's, or is he alone? Let more people step forward and then it should be dealt with. However, be very careful of whom you slander so harshly. I'm sure these words have some real meaning yet with some exaggeration.

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    1. @ Anonymous
      Sadly this can all be very true (Besides maybe the fire story which sounds like he added a few details)
      My self growing up as a kid i was beaten almost daily by my teachers (Rabbis) but i believe that they were also brought up the same way.
      But as far as i know today there's hardly any beatings going on anymore.

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    2. You cannot make this stuff up, I believe every story here.

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  3. Dear anonymous: first of all these are four different stories from four different people so no "he" is not alone.
    Second of all I didn't personally attend this yeshiva but my brother and a couple of my friends did attend this yeshiva, and I could tell you that these pair of psychos were capable of these stories and much much worse. Just wait till more people who've gone to this yeshiva come out of the woodwork and post their stories you'll see that this particular hellhole was worse then any other yeshiva. So don't be so sure that "these words have some real meaning yet with some exaggeration" untill you've actually spoken to someone who went there.

    P.S. you say you are "well aware of what goes on" yet you don't sound like you know what's going on. You might need to open youre eyes a little more, just saying.

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  4. I learned in that yeshiva on 27 Francis Pl.
    for 2 yrs. These 4 stories do not come close to my experiences.

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  5. What does that mean, anonymous? Are these stories milder than your experiences or much worse?

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  6. @ anonymous 1: I'm glad you find these stories hard to believe, maybe these unbelievable stories should actually disturb you and make you want to take action.
    Just sayin'.

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  7. I learned in that yeshiva on 27 Francis Pl for 3 years and i believe everything he writs that is what that place was all about. you can writ a book of such stories

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  8. ill sewer that its all true and he left out a lot.
    i was hit with a phone, jumped on be S,G. ETC ETC
    i watched how this shmuck knocked the wind out of a 13Y old.
    every time i see MLB i lose control, and if hes lucky i wont see him again i just might just........

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  9. the story is far more then the truth what i saw with my own eyes was worst then anything ive ever seen and experienced ive been hated protested discriminated against chairs and glass cups were thrown at me his cordless phone i had to pay for it cause he broke it on me etc. the list goes on bottom line is they shouldn't be allowed to open any yshiva or anything like that ever and with gods help they wont

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  10. i was in his yeshiva on 55 college rd for 3 years and i learned privately with shim on goldbrener for 8 years prior to that. i can write a book longer and far more interesting and commixed than harry potter (no jokes) he abused the living hell out of me all the while taking large fees from my parents saying that i was a hard child to handle thing got way worse when i found myself without a high school at the age of 14 and for lack of other options my parents pushed me in to his yeshiva and didn't hear what i had to say about the sadist nazi monster. the 2 years i spent on that hell hole are years i would wish on my worst enemies between the beatdowns emotional and physical abuse and mental abuse i went thru i left like a soul-less zero self esteemed individual . he would beat me up and then threaten me that if i told my mom the truth he would lie to her about it and say i made lots of trouble in school. he used to make me go home and change my eyeglasses shirts shoes watches and once slapped me for smelling better than him while all i did was wear what my parents got for me and what was accustomed in my household i would gladly testify against him in court for all the anguish he has caused and finally after a few years my parents see who he really is and when they confronted him all he said ur son is a rotten apple a bum he doesn't keep the jewish halachos u guys don't know how to be machanech ur child n all. to this very day i shudder when i hear his name i have lots of friends who have strayed far far away from judaism since leaving his school the percent rate from my grade alone is over 50 and some of them still wear the full levush but do not have anything to do with yiddishkeit. he deserves to rot in hell for all the pain and grief he has caused. ps and for all those that are busy saying u have to be dan leaf zechus and maybe ur exaggerating look me in the eye and u wouldn't say the same and so can many other

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  11. I'll testify against him in court as well, more then 50% of the ppl that went will pbly testify without any qustion. I lose control every time I see one of those bastards, I was hit with the handset from the public phone and then thrown down the flight of stars for calling my father 5mins after I got a betting from SG and MLB. I got a betting for not answering what he wanted me to say for something that I didn't do. May thay both rot in hell.

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  12. I was in theseYeshiva when i was 13, i can say most of these story's are true --
    sorry i want to stay Anonymous for now

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  13. Please g-d give me the courage to write about this hellhole where yiddish neshumas were crushed. BH I'm not affected by the horrors that Moshe Lazer Blum put me through but most are. Besides the personal encounters that I had with him there was a fear like the nazis would of been there when MLB was around. I hope to write here so he does get to hurt another yiddish neshumah. May he burn in hell and do tshuvah

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  14. i have allot more to add everything is true""" i remember everything like its would happen today this min i learned on 27 Francis for 1 year bloom beat me up every single day from the beginning of the year till the last day i have a new name for him instead bloom bilum nazi doggy rusha achzer

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  15. I learned in monsey by SHIMON GOLDBRENER and all I wanna say is that what ever you will hear about him is not only 100% true its much worse ! All my friends say the same thing about him I don't k.ow not even one bucher that will try to be on his side ! His biggest enjoyment in life is to torture young kids............... Wouldn't mind to c him ............

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  16. What's the point of this blog if we all just kvetch on here?! Is there even anything we can do???

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  17. I was in the yeshiva for 6 months I could type all day and not be able to tell u 5 percent what blum and goldbraner did to me first let me tell u that I was a frum bucher in chider I was from the best kids over there I want to the yeshiva when I was 13 years old I don’t know where to start because Avery day was hall I have 100 of stores what the did to me I don’t have the time and words how to tell it for all of u when he used to hit me really badly I was not allowed to call my father if I did he use to call me in the office and I don’t manna writhe out what he did I just want to tell u the last story I was in class and blum came to farher and ask all the bocherom who know how to panig other kids of course Avery won sad NO when he came to me I Sade no (let me tell u I was quiet bocher did do any thing bad ) than he picks him self up and string to kick me if front of all bocherm saying HITTLRT WHAT U OR HITLER WHAT U OR!!!!!!!!!!! U OR WORST THAN HITlEL BECOUSE HITLER ONLY PANIG YIDEN 5 YERS AND I DO IT 13 YERS let me tell u that I was In class whit 15 bocherm there is know won that can tell u that I was a bad kid that night I called my father and my father called him he told that I am a big liar 930 pm. some won tells me that blum is calling me in office and he tells me that goldbraner is there I was till black and blue from the Moring so picket my self up and ran out and I true away my tfilen in garbage but did not have where to go I was on the street for 2 days sleeping in shule till some good people help me out I will not say what after but my father was crying to I should understand him that he did know what is going on over there
    p.s. sorry for my spelling I am not the best in it but let me tell u I am bh marred 2 kids successful man bh I living in Williamsburg but who wants to start a court against him should email me I will pay for all the legal themes
    when I have time tell u all details what he did I just need l lot of time to type it up
    my email is moshe1234512345@aol.com u can email me I will call u back and tell u my name and all details what u manna here

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    1. Wow Moshe, you are a brave man. Kol Hakavod.

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  18. Yes I do remember what he did to u was next to u in class room its 1000% true
    p.s. my father called ur father so u know who I am

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  19. This Shimon Goldbrenner that you mention is behind this scam;
    http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/national-news/internet-averse-haredi-schools-reaping-millions-federal-tech-funds

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  20. SG is quoted telling someone in shul yesterday that he is not concerned about the ongoing erate investigation I betchya he covered his ass same way he did with the fire on Maple Ave ill never forget his reaction next day how we need to raise money for MLB now.

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  21. I don't why guys took the beatings after my rebbe in first grade hit me for not having my finger on the place I hit back my rest of time in yeshivah I never took a beating from a rebbe sitting down I always fought back no matter how big he was

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  22. I believe its true just because I had a few Shulem bayis "sessions" I can very much understand the emotional torture. There are plenty of woman that will testify against him. Because helps with Shulem bayis by making a get and torturing the woman and kids. Can we pleaaasse all come forward and stop him from abusing more ppl. I know that R Moshe Green is very much against him and will help in bringing him down. (Heard it first hand)

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  23. Did you know that it is the job of the of the public schools to monitor what happens in the yeshivas? Did you know they made a deal with the yeshivas to look the other way, allowing you to be abused, in return for the rabbis telling courts to stay home when there was a school budget vote. Did you know that all the public school teachers were getting raises that were bought with your blood and suffering? That all the public school kids were getting their excellent education at your expense? Now the tables are turned, but again it is kids who suffer while corrupt adults profit. But thanks to the internet we are now talking, and justice is coming, because sunshine is the best disinfectant!

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  24. You guys are describing classic PTSD (post traumatic stress disorder). Thankfully, or sadly, we really figured out how to heal PTSD, as so many of our vets from Iraq and Afghanistan have it. You owe it to yourself to get a trauma therapist. EMDR is a treatment typically indicative of a therapists specialization in trauma work. Kudos for having the courage to openly post about your horrible, terrible experiences.
    -Shlomo

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  25. why don't people report him for the fire????????

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