Schlesinger twins: Beth discusses the issue of psychological assessments typically required in custody cases

Rabbi Tzadok has raised some important questions regarding this custody case. I asked Beth Alexander to respond to his questions as well as to clarify and explain the facts. Her response should correct a number of misunderstandings that have been expressed by some of her supporters and opponents.I still stand by my original proposal. If Dr. Schlesinger has a psychiatric evaluation by a neutral expert it would end the dispute. If he gets...

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Good Chanifa (chanufa) - the basis of personal mental health and a healthy society

update see talmid chachom should conceal his true feelings Last week Dr. Shulem I were discussing the issue of Psychology and Judaism. The question was raised regarding the mental dynamics that a rabbi and a psychologist have to assess and prescribe changes when a person reports not functioning well.One of the issues that I have noted is the ignorance of the multiple roles that a healthy and successful Jew lives with. For example Rabbi Yitzchok Berkowitz...

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Schlesinger Twins: Sarah's guest post regarding Rabbi Biderman

Sarah promised to discuss the Schlesinger Twins case with Rabbi Biderman if I posted his written testimony to the  court from 2012. I have fulfilled that condition  and I am looking forward to her guest post describing that discussion. I would also accept a guest post from Rabbi Biderman himself or from Dr. Schlesinger or one of his supporters. Allan Katz  has raised the central issueR-Biederman, even if the kids were doing well...

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Transformative Mediation: Professor Baruch Busch describes his theory and practice

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Schlesinger Twins: Rabbi Biderman's testimony regarding the twins

Due to requests for the voluntary testimony that Rabbi Biderman - the head of the kindergarten that the twins attend - gave to the court, I am posting this translation from the German---------------- Dated 15.5.2012I, Rabbi Jacob Biderman, born on 28.11.1957 declare the following in testimony to the court:In the last few days I was contacted by a Rabbinic colleague in England who informed me that an acquaintance of Beth Schlesinger has initiated...

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Schlesinger Twins: Rebbitzen Rosenberg comes to Vienna community to help Beth and her children

Guest post by Rebbetzin Miriam Rosenberg. The Rebbetzin is the wife of Rav Sariel Rosenberg from Bnei Brak -  a major talmid chachom and posek who is a member of the beis din of Rav Karelitz. She is very actively involved in helping woman who have lost the custody of their children. She has visited Vienna a number of times and spent much time investigating Beth's case and she was appalled at the lack of support for  Beth as well as...

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Interview of Rabbi Yitzchak Goodman on his New Translation of “Marvels of our Blessed G-d’s Torah”

Five Towns Jewish Times by Rabbi Yair HoffmanYH: So Rabbi Goodman, I understand that you have recently translated what has been described as “Rav Aharon Kotler’s favorite Sefer.”RG:  Yes, I was always fascinated by that sefer, “Niflaos MiToras Hashem Yisboroch” ever since I heard Rav Aharon Kotler greatly praised it and called it a segulah for Yiras Shamayim.YH: What does the sefer do exactly?RG: He proves that nobody but Hashem could have...

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Rav Triebitz's Introduction to my Daas Torah - cited by Dr. Sperber

Seforim Blog  excerpt from Dr. Sperber's , On the Relationship of Mitzvot Between Man and His Neighbor and Man and His Maker. From Chapter 4Here we may also call attention to R. Meir Triebitz’s insightful analysis (in his introduction to R. Daniel Eidensohn’s Daas Torah: A Jewish Sourcebook [Jerusalem: 2005, 31–35]). He begins by noting that God commands us twice to study Torah: once in Deuteronomy 11:19, and again in Deuteronomy 4:9–11. He...

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Holy amnesia: remembering religious sages as super humans or as simply human

University of Portsmouth reprints by Yohai Hakak (2009)  AbstractThe last decade has witnessed a wave of Haredi literature dealing with the education of children and youth in particular. A common question raised in this literature is that of the proper way to describe the Torah sages of previous generations, i.e., what needs to be remembered and what should be forgotten about them. Many of the writers criticize the ways of writing customary...

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How is Empathy different from Sympathy - Dr. Brene Brown

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Time-Out or Time-In by Allan Katz

Allan Katz    Time-outs are a popular discipline tool as they can be implemented immediately and can be over in a couple of minutes. Time-outs are described as 'Punishment Lite' .They are  less destructive than other punishments such as spanking. The term is derived from 'time-out from positive reinforcements' techniques used with animals and the idea is that we use love withdrawal or not give attention when the child is...

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Today’s Girls Love Pink Bows as Playthings, but These Shoot

NY Times    Once upon a time, Grace Maher twirled around the house in Disney princess costumes, a vision of sequins, tiaras and pink.She’s 8 now and done with all that. The only pink left is her new bow and arrow.That would be her Nerf Rebelle Heartbreaker Exclusive Golden Edge Bow by Hasbro, a petunia-colored weapon with gold and white trim that shoots colorful foam darts. Forget Ariel, the beautiful mermaid princess. Grace’s...

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Yosef Kolko pidyon shvuyim fund in Lakewood

http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2013/10/kolko-gets-15-years-after-judge-rejects.html http://daattorah.blogspot.com/2013/05/yosef-kolko-pleads-guilty-to-charges.htmlhttp://daattorah.blogspot.com/2012/06/yehuda-kolko-faces-13-year-old-accuser.htmlupdateReb Daniel,I'm sorry to report, that apparently your blog is not widely read in Lakewood...Even after you published that the פדיון שבוים is for Kolko, the sign is still up in two shuls that I visited over...

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Schlesinger Twins: Is Dr. Schlesinger concerned about the welfare of his kids?

Dear All,                                                                                ...

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Steven Pinker & Rebecca Goldstein: The long reach of reason

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Lonna Kin Divorce: Unwilling to Allow His Wife a Divorce, He Marries Another

NY Times   The wedding was a modest affair, held in a reception hall overlooking an artificial lake tucked behind a suburban strip. But just minutes after it ended, the bride and groom hurriedly scurried past dozens of protesters here who were chanting “Bigamist!” and “Shame on you!” [...]Meir Kin, the new husband, has been divorced for more than seven years, under California’s civil law. But he has refused to give his previous wife...

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New Drugs May Transform Down Syndrome

Scientific American   People born with Down syndrome have always been considered to be incurably developmentally delayed—until now. In the past few years a number of laboratories have uncovered critical drug targets within disabled chemical pathways in the brain that might be restored with medication. At least two clinical trials are currently studying the effects of such treatments on people with Down syndrome. Now geneticist Roger Reeves of Johns Hopkins University may have stumbled on another drug target—this one with the potential...

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TJC Inteview with Lonna Kin - one side of a two sided story

TheJewishChannelTJC  Also see Rabbi Tzadok's post Problematic Seruv of Meir Kin&nb...

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Schlesinger Twins: The Vienna community suffers from deafness and a stone heart

Help Beth writesOver the past 3 years, the inboxes of the leaders of the Viennese Jewish community have been flooded with emails of requests and emotional pleas to intervene to help relieve the continued suffering of Samuel and Benjamin. And yet the so-called leaders continue to bury their heads and refuse to take responsibility for this tragedy happening on their doorsteps while the rest of the world looks on in horror and disbelief,...

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Chasam Sofer: Seek truth - don't be concerned to please others and win their approval

Rabbi Simcha Friedman (Emunat Hakhmim in Tradition 27:4): ... I model myself upon what I have learned from R. Moshe  Sofer in a responsum written after R. Zevi Hirsch Chajes had presented him  with a copy of his book, Torat ha-Nevi'im. In his introduction, R. Chajes ex­pressed the fear that critics will reproach him with the argument that he had innovated nothing new, and therefore there seemed no purpose in his writ­ing what he did. The...

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