On Wednesday August 7, Agudas Yisroel of America hosted “Dina D’Malchuta Dina,” an event geared toward informing the charedi community of how they can stay in compliance with the and halacha in their personal lives and the business world. Hundreds of men and women were in attendance at Ateres Chaya Hall in Borough Park to hear how they can be spared from agmas nefesh (undue pain and anxiety) from unknowingly violating U.S. and Jewish law (which, as Rabbi Schorr noted, is even stricter). Among the speakers was Martin Handler, a local individual who had been indicted for alleged daycare fraud in the Bronx.
Other organizations participated in the evening’s lectures: Living Kiddush Hashem, whose purpose is to raise awareness of uplifting Hashem’s honor through acting with derech eretz. The Aleph Institute is dedicated to meeting the needs of Jewish inmates, but as Rabbi Chaim Dovid Zwiebel, president of Agudah, stated, the night’s event was to help with “preventative pidyon shevuim,” assisting people in avoiding jail time in the first place. The Aleph Institute’s Project 432 helps adults and children alike learn business halacha and make the right choices in life. Rabbi Aaron Lipsker, CEO of Aleph Institute, said that one frum inmate waited a few years to see his children until he was transferred from a maximum security prison to a medium security environment so his children would not be traumatized by the element and procedures of a hard jail atmosphere.
KnowUs.org, a project of Agudas Yisroel, is dedicated to stemming the tide of Antisemitism by combating false representations of yeshiva families in the media. When someone is accused of defrauding the government, said Rabbi Zwiebel, it causes antisemitism and makes it hard for all yeshivas to get funding. Additionally, the secular media has produced page after page on negativity in our world; we need not give them fuel. We do a lot of good, and they should see as much, he said.
The program also included remarks by Rabbi Binyomin Eisenberger, rav of Heichal Hatefillah of Borough Park, who admonished the wearing of designer belts and the high costs of clothing worn by yeshiva bachurim. People are under pressure to keep up, he said. And when one stops receiving family support, leaves the beis medrash fulltime and goes into the workforce, the nisyanos increase; basic business knowledge must increase as well.
Rabbi Avraham Schorr, rav of Nezer Gedalyahu in Flatbush, and author of numerous sefarim, implored the crowd to learn the basics of business halacha. “I didn’t know” is not an excuse. Read and ask questions now to avoid the pitfalls of jail later, including the nisayon (test) of mosering on (reporting to the authorities) a fellow Jew.
While each legal and business situation is unique, the importance of the evening in helping the Jewish public conduct their own due diligence in the real world cannot be underestimated. This point was highlighted by the keynote speaker of the evening, noted criminal defense attorney Ben Brafman, who said that one should be careful what they write. It is very hard to construe what you put in black and white any differently than what you put on paper; it can bite you later. While the number of frum Jews engaged in wrongdoing is very small, we are all indicted in these cases, he said. This is compounded by the fact that very few frum Jews serve on juries.
It is admirable to see bikkur cholim organizations assisting in hospitals; no other group does this, said Mr. Brafman. Stick to your beliefs, he cautioned the crowd. One story Brafman related was of a time 20 years ago when he was rushing home on a Friday afternoon after winning a case on behalf of a criminal defendant. The press asked him how he felt about the verdict. Ben replied, “I have to get home for Shabbos.” A widower, who was pressured to work into Shabbos by her employer, saw the quote in the New York Times. She showed the article to her boss and said, “I am leaving early next Friday for Shabbos. If you don’t like that, you can speak to my attorney, Ben Brafman.”
In sum, the speakers and organizations of last week’s event encouraged the Jewish public, young and old alike, to comply with the law, make a kiddush Hashem and learn how to detect fraud. This can help one avoid defrauding others, both knowingly and unknowingly. Additionally, it will cause others to look at us more favorably. Living as a frum Jew is costly, yes, but the cost of cheating is even costlier. Hopefully, Agudah’s event will serve as a lesson and inspiration for all.
