Hasidic Drug Smuggler Supporters Make Anti-Japan Music Video

A new haredi music video made to publicize the plight of two Satmar yeshiva students imprisoned in Japan for drug smuggling implies God caused the earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disaster that devastated part of Japan because the Japanese won't release the two Satmar yeshiva students.

Shloime Daskal, one of the video's two performers along with Avraham Fried, sings the following lyrics as footage of the tsunami fills the screen:

טאטע טאטע
ברענג אהיים די ווייטע
כלל ישראל וועט נישט שווייגן
ווילאנג עס וועט זיך צום גוטנ’ס בייגן.

Here's a rough translation into English:

Father, Father [i.e., God, God]
Bring home the far [i.e., the Satmar yeshiva students imprisoned in Japan]
Klal Yisroel [the Jewish people] will not remain silent
As long as it [Japan] won't bend to goodness [i.e., as long as it (Japan) won't become good]

Alternately, the last two lines could read as follows:

Klal Yisroel [the Jewish people] will not remain silent
As long as it [Japan] bends to goodness [i.e., as long as it (Japan) becomes good – meaning the Jewish people will pray for and help Japan recover from the disasters if Japan repents and frees the Satmar yeshiva students imprisoned for drug smuggling]

The video was produced by the same person, Danny Finkleman, who made the Sholom Rubashkin Unity music video and who is currently making a 'documentary' on the Rubashkin case.

http://failedmessiah.typepad.com/failed_messiahcom/2011/03/new-haredi-...

The spiel for this video from YouTube:

Learn more or donate visit http://thejapansong.com In an effort to raise both funds and awareness for two Israeli young men who are still being held in a Japanese prison almost three years after unknowingly bringing drugs into the country, Danny Finkleman, producer of the Unity project to benefit Sholom Mordechai Rubashkin, has created another stunning music video, this one featuring two of the top names in Jewish music, superstars Shloime Daskal and Avraham Fried.

The Japan Song is a remake of the Dveykus 2 classic, In A Vinkele, later re-recorded as Tatte by Yaakov Shwekey, featuring all new lyrics by Moti Ilowitz and Moshe Kravitsky in both English and Yiddish. Filmed on two continents, much of the footage for the moving video was filmed at the Chiba Detention Center where the two are being held, only days before Japan was devastated by an earthquake-tsunami combination that claimed the lives of thousands.

The seven minute long video describes the plight of Yoel Zev Goldberg and Yaakov Yosef Greenwald, who are imprisoned in Japan after suitcases that they were carrying for someone else were found to contain drugs. The two, who passed polygraph tests, have long protested their innocence and a third young man, Yosef Bando, has already been released. Produced and directed by Finkelman in conjunction with Teltech Entertainment, The Japan Song is sponsored by the Aaron Teitelbaum Orchestra and Hitech Merchant Services, with musical production by Eli Lishinsky and Nir Graf and cinematography by Mauricio Arenas and De Grupo Films.

While filming in Japan, Daskal and Finkelman had the opportunity to spend thirty minutes with each of the two young men. Meeting them and spending time at the Chiba Detention Center left Daskal and Finkelman feeling even more inspired than ever to do whatever they could to help the pair.

"While I was impressed with the good nature of the Japanese people and their respect for us as Jews," said Finkelman, "it was heartbreaking to realize that despite the fact that these two young men are imprisoned just a few feet away from each other, they are kept separated and have not spoken to each other for almost three years. While so many of us pray for the welfare of these two young men, it is important that we remember them both with prayers and the donations that are so desperately needed to fund their defense."

Donations can be made at TheJapanSong.com, which also features the actual music video, song lyrics, information about the case and pictures of both the Chiba Detention Center and the recording sessions in both Japan and New York. Contributions can also be mailed to Ezras Rayim c/o Japan Boys, 17B Cedar Lane, Monsey, New York 10952.

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A YouTuber comments:

  • Love the video...Wouldn't it be great to see a video such as this one made for JONATHAN POLLARD? Also a brother who has been put away for far too long...

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A translated article from http://www.bhol.co.il/article.aspx?id=26181&cat=1&scat=3
"The prison was shaking like a ship tossed in a storm. Apter earthquake shakes lasted about two hours. The prison was crazy everyone went wild, broke into cries of horror from the cells of people were screaming like crazy. Wardens and staff fled to a hiding place, so the number of prisoners to Japan, Joseph Jacob reconstruction chilling moments Horror in jail.

"I felt like a dove on the ship", describes Joseph, "the prison was shaking for a long time tossed like a ship in a storm," said American cadres who arrived today in Tokyo where the totals on stage was the legal value of Ahpoligerap conducted.

American activists see Aaron Benizri R. Elimelech Bindyger arrived in Tokyo today on the occasion of the discussion held in court on Ahpoligerap.  Date of the final stage in the trial of Joseph Jacob set for 16 May.   After court hearings and activists met with the young father.   Rabbi Aaron Benizri said that meeting lasted about twenty minutes, maximum time in jail is enabled.

Joseph was elated excitedly described fearful he spent two hours on Friday, where the earthquake occurred.  He added that Joseph Talmud tractate Brachot page anti-tank says that when the children of Israel are in captivity God takes two tears fall into the ocean.   "That's why the earthquake," said Young.  

The activists then met with the guy Joel Wolf also told him when the last earthquake. Joel Wolf said that this year he sent Purim God, in the form of tears, "I asked God to give me Manot, the Messiah.
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And from the comments section:

Arrogant and rude and evil (to
 
ירושלמי 10:08 29/03/2011 Yerushalmi 10:08 29/03/2011

 He was not in captivity, is in custody in a country with an effective legal system in particular and organized anti-Semitism that has no history and culture.
 

 Suppose he is guilty - is not captured but justly punished for his crime
 

Suppose that because of error or negligence is not guilty, but sits like a thousand others.? And that twenty thousand people died?

 Does the prophet Jonah virtue?  Is that why anyone else should Lhisarte leg?
 

Haughtiness of heart, malice, insolence, selfishness. וI restrain myself

Cheeky felon (for ")

יעקב מבני ברק 12:54 29/03/2011 Jacob Bnei Brak 12:54 03/29/2011

 So many people suffer as you suffer because of a criminal drug smuggler did not release him from prison.

Sassy

וAnd you are a rude and stupid given what this fool.


 Instead of throwing up that our people, Clear need to try to get them from prison but only a small effort that we just got tired of them of little brains who are willing Shiochps holy name of huge public because of their lust for money is easy.

Flew around the world as we dealt with at the outset that our public should realize as soon as possible and easy money is money not at 95% of cases if a person asks you move the airport had a suitcase if you do not know better not to do good and not get involved.

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From a sarcastic YouTuber:

  • WARNING! WARNING! WARNING!

    Don't put Jews in jail ! After the US gov put Rubashkin in jail there was major flooding in Iowa and the greatest economic collapse since the depression !

    As for japan !! A 2 week roller coaster of earthquakes ! A tsunami that claimed over 10,000 and a nuclear disaster that has not ended yet

    I say, you want to end the economy collapse and the nuclear crises ? You better release Rubashkin and these boys and fast !!!!!

  • -------------------------------------
Sunday, May 03, 2009 Is Drug Smuggling to the Outside World So Bad?
"I don't want it near schools -- I don't want it sold to children! That's an infamia. In my city,we would keep the traffic in the dark people -- the colored. They're animals anyway, so let them lose their souls..." - dialogue from the 1972 Academy Award winning movie about organized crime -The Godfather.

When my parents lived in Bnei Brak - circa the late 70s and 80s - my father used to attend a nearby Shteeble for his weekday Minyanim. The Rav (Rebbe) there was a Satmar Chasid. My father was not a Satmar Chasid but had an affinity for Chasidic Shteeblach. After a while he became a relatively close friend of that Rav. My father was very upset by the rabidly anti Israel position of Satmar. But as long as that subject wasn’t discussed - the two got along well.

At one point during their relationship a wealthy ‘member’ of that Shteeble was caught smuggling drugs. My father was enraged that a man with a long beard who wore a Bekeshe, and Shtreimal could be involved in such a thing.

He expressed those views to his friend, the ‘Rebbe’ of that Shteibel. Instead of joining my father in outrage his response to my father was to say ‘Reb Shimon… you have to understand.’ ‘This fellow had a lot of children to support.’ My father could not believe his ears. I was in Israel visiting at the time. He came home and had a tirade against this attitude.

Excusing the selling drugs?!!! What was he talking about?! Now this Rav was a Talmid Chacham and a Posek - who gave Shiurim daily. Not just a simple Chasid not conversant with Halacha. Let me be clear. This Rebbe was not excusing selling drugs to non Jews. But he was reflecting an attitude that there was a context which should make this crime more acceptable.

Fast forward to today. From Ha’aretz:

A Japanese court sentenced an Israeli to eight years in prison on Friday after convicting him of attempting to smuggle Ecstasy into the country, according to friends of his family.

This young man is a Satmar Chasid. And his Satmar ‘boss’ in Bnei Brak were arrested in Israel for drug distribution. Based on the incident in Bnei Brak of 25 years ago and this incident - there seems to be a level of tolerance for this kind of behavior if it is directed ‘outward’. As long as drugs aren’t being sold to Jews – it isn’t so bad.

I believe this stems from an over-a disdain for non Jews carried over from Europe where it was more justified. Cheating an anti Semitic government via an underground ‘black market’ economy was the only way certain European Jews could survive – especially in Chasidic communities where – I’m told – the harshest expression of anti-Semitism existed.

That was carried over here and transmitted to the children and grandchildren of those European immigrants. They simply do not trust Goyim. They think that every non Jew is a closet anti-Semite and deserves no better than what they get. If one can cheat them without getting caught it serves them right. And once you're dealing with anti-Semites - well - why not make some money off of them by selling them drugs?

This is so ingrained that even those that get out of their insulated communities and go into the business world have little if any contact with non-Jews – other them for business purposes. They will be civil to their customers and vendors but their attitude remains one of disdain. These young teens learned learned that lesson and their actions reflected it. Of course they went too far even by Stmar standards.

Not that this attitude is the sum and substance of Satmar. It isn't. In many respects they have admirable Midos. As I have said many times their Chesed organizations are legendary.

Nor is this attitude exclusive to Satmar type Chasidim. There are plenty of Jews from the entire spectrum of Orthodox Jewry who have similar views. But not as a group. While there are exceptions - to these kind of Chasidim it is almost a religious belief – as the attitude by my father’s ‘Chasidic Rebbe’ friend seemed to indicate.

That’s one reason that I believe these young people may very well be guilty.

Now there are some who might say - how dare I not be Dan L’Kaf Zechus? Why not assume that these young adolescents just didn’t know what they were carrying? That is possible and the view put forward by their defenders. But in my view it is unlikely. This young man was given a fair trial in a democratic country and convicted.

Is 8 years in prison a fair sentence for smuggling drugs into Japan? I don’t know. Justice tempered with mercy may have produced a lighter sentence. But if this sentence is consistent with that of other democracies, then I am saddened but nonetheless think it is just.

I am more concerned with the Satmar type Chasidic attitude that may very well be responsible for the behavior of these young men. An attitude that may yet produce another crime like this.

There has been a huge outcry by the Torah world in trying to get these three boys out of Japan. I support that. But only if it is done honorably and not underhandedly.

So what’s my over-all reaction here? Well if this young man (and his friends - yet to be tried) is innocent then there has been a miscarriage of justice and that is a travesty.

But if he is guilty which I suspect he is - then I think we ought to accept it with sadness and equanimity. And we should learn from it. We ought to see it as a lesson from Above that God does not like it when we mistreat His creations - creations that were made in His image. Because when we do mistreat them - God will mete out justice quickly.
http://haemtza.blogspot.com/2009/05/is-drug-smuggling-to-outside-world-so.html

Submitted by andie531 on Wed, 2011-03-30 18:31

This pathetic video has been flagged by me as "Hateful and Abusive content" on Youtube. Let's see if only one kind of supposedly hateful and abusive content merits Youtube's censoring.

Sullivan | Wed, 2011-03-30 20:29

...much of the footage for the moving video was filmed at the Chiba Detention Center where the two are being held, only days before Japan was devastated by an earthquake-tsunami combination that claimed the lives of thousands.

Surely G_d is making the Japanese pay for this. 

If Charlie Sheen can get away with having a briefcase full of coke and still not end up in jail, why not these nice Yeshiva boys?

andie531 | Wed, 2011-03-30 21:00

Toss 'em in the reactor until it is fixed.  I hear that they are good at fixing up things. 

musique | Thu, 2011-03-31 09:08
andie531 | Sat, 2011-04-02 02:50

I think if someone wants to use ecstacy it's their choice. And if it were legal the drug market wouldn't be nearly as lucrative. Also there's been research recently that's shown that ecstacy isn't as harmful as once claimed: http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2011/feb/19/ecstasy-harm-brain-new-s... I probably wouldn't ever take it but that's my opinion.

Infinite | Sat, 2011-04-02 08:14

Ecstasy is an Israeli monopoly and frankly, I would not trust any press saying it's safer. 

Many prescription drugs (Vicodin, Oxycontin) cause lowered brain function.

People in general would be much better off taking care of their brain's health than "altering" it for a temporary fix.

My hospital has given me so much Vicodin that I can open a drug store.  I rarely use it, most of it is still sitting in my kitchen.  They love to hand this out for just about anything, including bronchitis, which is the last reason they gave it to me. 

andie531 | Sat, 2011-04-02 17:55

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