Schlesinger Twins: Does Michael's tragic family history explain his cruelty to Beth? Part I

updated with Beth's father-in-laws testimony and prohibition to see grandchildren.
Just received the following letter from Beth Alexander in which she speculates about the basis for her husband's cruel campaign against her involvement with her children. I will be publishing additional information regarding this in another post.

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Last week the father wrote another spiteful letter to court denying the children greater access to their mother. He also insisted that the current arrangement whereby the handovers are done at a visiting centre every second Sunday and outside supermarkets on Tuesdays by a private person (former worker at the visiting centre) mustn't change and that I must continue to pay 50 Euro per visit.

He refuses to allow me to pick them up from the kindergarten because he claims I would 'disrupt their routine and calm' Why is he so afraid of me meeting the teachers and other parents? What is he trying to hide?

He refused the generous offer of Chief Rabbi Eisenberg to supervise the handovers for free because of the 'tension between them'.

He denied the twins weekends or overnights with their mother because he claims they need 'intensive therapy and I 'don't recognize their needs.'He said they need stability with 'the father and his family!' The children are mostly seen with the Filipinos. I wasn't aware that 2 Filipinos are part of the Schlesinger family.

Why, after almost 3 years, is he still hell bent on denying Sammy and Benji their mother?

I can only surmise that his own tragic family history explains much of his behaviour today. His own father fought a ten year battle just for visiting rights to Michael and his sister Tina. Michael's mother used the same tactics to deny him all contact. He missed out on their entire childhood. She poisoned the children against their father and to this day they still bear a searing hatred for a man they don't even know - they were 3 and 6 when their mother and her parents decided to dispose of Abraham Mandel. Is that what Michael is trying to repeat with me?

His actions contradict the statement he made to court in 2011 (before he was awarded custody):

'The children's father doesn't consider the mother his enemy...but he recognizes that painting a positive picture of the mother and allowing regular contact with the children is essential for the healthy development of his sons.'

Court application, 10.6.2011

'Der Kindesvater betrachtet die Kindesmutter nicht als seine Feindin...sondern anerkennt, dass ein positives Bild der Mutter und ein regelmaessiger Kontakt zu den Kindern ein wesentlicher Bestandteil fuer eine gesunde Entwicklung seiner Soehne ist.'

After we separated I established contact with my father-in-law, a kind, gentle man who like me, was denied his role as a parent to his children. I invited him to come regularly to visit his grandchildren, Sammy and Benji, whom he soon grew to love.

He witnessed the dramatic and poignant moment his son, whom he hadn't seen for over 30 years, cruelly and violently snatched his newly discovered grandchildren from their mother.

[ Abraham Mandel (aka Jonny) has provided the following written testimony concerning this event. This is translated from the German text is placed at the end of this post].

I hereby testify on oath with full knowledge of the penalty for untruthful testimony. On 26.7.2011 my daughter-in-law Beth Schlesinger called me and asked me to come urgently to her apartment because there was a court order that the children were to be taken away.

I came by taxi as quickly as possible. As I arrived, I met Rabbi Hofmeister, my daughter-in-law, her parents and the children outside the building. A woman I did not know suddenly appeared in the lobby. She was waving some papers. I was holding Benjamin in my arms. This unknown woman (the lawyer) pointed her finger at me and ordered me to leave the building.

l stood next to Rabbi Hofmeister, whose phone was ringing continually . The Rabbi held the phone to my ear and told me quietly that my son was hounding him with calls claiming that I had no right to be there to see the children being taken away. I could hear on the Rabbi's phone how hysterically he was screaming, that he couldn't remove the children as long as I was there. He constantly threatened he would immediately call the police unless I left the building. I told the Rabbi that I would not be intimidated. I wanted to be with my grandchildren one last time.

Suddenly, out of nowhere, my son together with my daughter stormed into the building and she started screaming hysterically at me: 'Get out of here! What do you want? You ruined my life!'

I stretched out my hands to calm her down but she kept screaming louder and louder, 'Get out! You ruined my life!' Then the following occurred: I passed by my son, he made a sudden movement and hit my toes with his foot. I was under the impression that it was deliberate and asked him whether this was a reaction or whether he had hurt me on purpose. He didn't answer.

Both children saw everything and were crying. They cried incessantly and reached out their arms to their mother who was herself in shock. My son, daughter and the unknown woman then quickly left.

The mother took the crying child and tried to calm him down. I went up to the apartment with Rabbi Hofmeister, my daughter-in-law and her parents. My daughter-in-law couldn't unlock the door. We were all shocked to discover that he (my son) had had the lock changed before he came to take the children away.

There was a note on the door saying that the new key was in the postbox. Beth's father collected it. The Rabbi went back down to the lobby. I went into the kitchen with my daughter-in-law and the children. Beth sat the children down and gave them dinner. The children calmed down and began to eat.

A short time later four policemen came to the door and ordered the children to be taken away immediately. I was watching the children eating. They were immediately taken out of the apartment

My daughter-in-law wanted to go with them to the front of the building to say goodbye. A policeman held her back and the others blocked her so unfortunately she couldn't move.

Beth's father and Rabbi Hofmeister took the children and carried them down the stairs. I accompanied them. The children began to cry again. My son simply grabbed them and quickly disappeared. The children's cries could be heard long after they left the building.

After Jonny saw the children during one of my visits shortly after Michael was awarded custody, he was so horrified at their pitiful neglected state that he registered a danger report with the Social Services to have the children immediately removed from their father's custody.

The Social Services, instead of doing an immediate unannounced house visit to Dr S, instead broke all rules of confidentiality. They called him up, informed him his father had called them and said they were coming over for a chat. I had no idea any of this had taken place and was meanwhile waiting at the visiting centre for my Tuesday visit. I was then informed the father was angry at me because he thought I'd colluded with his father and he denied me my visit.

After that he denied me 4 subsequent visits and refused to reinstate my contact with the children unless I promised not to allow my father-in-law to see his grandchildren ever again. If not, he threatened to cut off all my contact with the children.

In a court hearing, the judge, Goettlicher forced me, at Dr S's insistence, to sign a declaration forbidding me from granting the children's paternal grandfather any more access to his grandchildren. There was no justification whatsoever for this order. It was based on pure spite and baseless hatred.

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German text of Abraham Mandel (aka Jonny) -  Beth's father-in-law's-  testimony.