Schlesinger Twins: Why am I reminded of the Emperor's new clothes?

Wikipedia. The phrase "emperor's new clothes" has become an idiom about logical fallacies.^[28] The story may be explained by pluralistic ignorance.^[29] The story is about a situation where "no one believes, but everyone believes that everyone else believes. Or alternatively, everyone is ignorant to whether the Emperor has clothes on or not, but believes that everyone else is not ignorant."^[30]

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A psychologist's role in religious change - is there one?

Case 1

Chassidim view that the rebbe's views are true and are based on ruach hakodesh. A chasid comes to a therapist and says he is unhappy, his wife is unhappy and so are his kids. He is following the views of his rebbe and his wife and children try their best to follow the guidelines of the rebbe. He has gone a number of times to the rebbe for guidance, but the rebbe says that his suffering is because of his yetzer harah and he just needs to try harder. However the chasid reports having no sense of fulfillment, spiritual accomplishment, emotional connection. There is no shalom bayis and the kids are depressed. There is no evidence of psychological problems being the cause of these complaints. The chasid reports serious doubts about the validity of his chassidus after he had a serious of discussions with friends who are Litvaks and different types of Chassidim. He yearns for intellectual independence and psychological space from the community and in particular the rebbe who he does not respect. He feels that he is trapped playing a role that for him is phony and hypocritical. He feels energized by immersing in different views and trying to clarify his own views of hashkofa. The therapist concludes that the problem is that the chasid and his families psychological and emotional needs are not met by this particular chassidus.

Case 2

A Litvak from a long line of Litvaks has it made and is the envy of his friends. He has mastered Shas, is a successful rebbe in a major New York yeshiva high school. Married the daughter of a well-known gadol who is a successful teacher in a seminary and a popular speaker. They have 5 kids who are doing well in yeshiva/Beis Yaakov. They have no health or financial worries. However collectively they are report that religion has become a culture and that they find nothing meaningful in what they do. While they are perceived as role models, they feel emptiness both spiritually and psychologically. Over the last year they have found a great attraction to Chassidus because of a couple they met Pesach at a hotel. He now yearns for the spiritual certainty and vibrancy he sees in chassidus – something that surprises him because he was raised to have disdain for Chassidus and rebbes. He feels a need to be a part of a community and to be able to be given guidance by a rebbe. The independence that a Litvak treasures, he views as alienation and distance from G‑d.

Case 3

The 17 year of daughter of a gadol finds it unpleasant living up to everyone's expectations of how a gadol's daughter should be. She would like a career which requires a college education. She wants to marry someone who is frum – but not a Torah genius who will spend the rest of his life learning 18 hours a day. She wants a husband who is a friend that she can relax with – not a revered figure that she must sacrifice her own needs to support and tend to. In short she does not want to be a rebbetzin who is married to the Chofetz Chaim – which is what her family expects of her. She really wants to have a comfortable existence and not the life of poverty that she grew up with sharing a 4 room apartment with her parents and 10 siblings. She came to the therapist because of migraine headaches, periodic bouts of depression and has recently started to cut herself (though she hasn't told her parents).

These cases are not really psychological problems but the result of a mismatch between the nature of the person and religious identity. Is it appropriate for a therapist to suggest a major religious change? If so how should he go about presenting the idea?

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How Science Mimics Faith

Scientific American   Religion provides a sense of meaning and comfort for believers, and studies show that such beliefs intensify during threatening situations. Now research suggests that some people's faith in science may serve the same role.

Miguel Farias and other researchers at the University of Oxford and Yale University investigated whether it is belief in religion that is beneficial or in fact any belief about the world's order and our place in it. In two related experiments published in November 2013 in the Journal of Experimental Psychology, the scientists developed a scale to measure belief in science—the view that scientific inquiry offers a superior guide to reality. As expected, belief in science was inversely correlated with religious beliefs. Next the researchers assessed whether belief in science increased in threatening situations.. [...]

“It is likely that some people use their ideas about science to make sense of the world and for emotional compensation in difficult situations in the same way that religious people use their supernatural beliefs,” Farias says. “Our findings suggest that it may be belief itself, regardless of its content, that helps people deal with adverse situations.”

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A psychiatric examination of Dr. Schlesinger should decisively resolve the custody fight

After spending  countless hours dealing with this sad case, I think it is necessary to take stock and ask a simple question. What will resolve the dispute? From the many comments of the supporters of Beth and Michael - it is clear that many perhaps most commentators on both sides really have no idea of what has gone on and what is going on now. However there are a significant number that clearly have knowledge about the events and the people. 

After having seen the documents involved it becomes clear that what is going on is a dispute by two sincere intelligent individuals who have totally different understanding of reality.  In other words one of these parties has a serious misunderstanding of objective reality in this case. The result is not only pain for both of them, but their children are being destroyed.While I hope to publish the main documents with translation in the near future, I don't think that is going to resolve the issue. Let me explain why.

One of the most forceful and cogent opponents of Beth is a commentator name Bubbe.   see comments here. Bubbe obviously has full access to Dr. Schlesinger's inner most thoughts as well the documents in this case. In fact she/he sounds amazingly similar to Dr. Schlesinger himself. Nevertheless Bubbe's understanding of events is not that of Beth nor is it consistent with my understanding or that of of others familiar with the case. Thus publishing the documents probably will not resolve anything.

It is very important to note the incredible fact that through all of this - Dr. Schlesinger has not been given a psychiatric examination.  Clearly either he or Beth is seriously misunderstanding reality. Beth has already been examined by a professional and declared to be free of mental illness. 

 I think that the final resolution of this matter would come about if Dr. Schlesinger agrees to be  given a mental health evaluation by a neutral psychiatrist (i.e. has no ties to him or his family or judges who are connected to his family). If he is declared to have a serious problem in understanding the reality in this case that would validate Beth's position. On the other hand if he gets a clean bill of mental health - I don't think that Beth would have any further basis for continuing her fight.

Therefore I call on both parties to reach an agreement as to what conditions the fighting will stop - which includes as a minimum as psychiatric evaluation of Dr. Schlesinger. I think in addition that it would also be important if the twins are given a full mental health and developmental evaluation. The goal of the evaluation should be to determine what is in the best interest of the twins.

If the evaluations determine that the fault lies with Beth - as Bubbe claims - then I think she shoud agree to stop fighting for her children. On the other hand if the fault lies with Dr. Schlesinger - he should give up custody and Beth should be allowed to return with them to England.  

Update: I am not calling for a public posting of anyone's psychiatric reports. I am simply requesting that Michael have an evaluation as mandated by the Vienna Appeals and Supreme Courts and which was never done.  

It is important to note that this proposal is my own and I have not discussed it with either Beth or Dr. Schlesinger.

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The New York Asifa by Rabbi Yair Hoffman

update: Rabbi Hoffman's rebuttal of Rabbi Slifkin's comments

update Rabbi Slifkin sent me this rebuttal

Five Towns Jewish Time   This is a response to my good friend Reb Barry Jacobson’s remarks on the Asifa this past Sunday in Manhattan.  It also addresses his inquiry printed in the Five Towns Jewish Times about Torah sources regarding Bnei Torah continuing to study rather than serving in the army.  There is no question, of course, that the soldiers who are protecting the nation against the enemies of the Jewish people are fulfilling a remarkable task and a holy role.  Certainly, all of us who are beneficiaries of their bravery and dedication should express our sincere hakaras haTov and pray for their welfare and well-being.

The leading sages of America, Degel HaTorah, Agudah in Eretz Yisroel and the sages of Shas – the Sefardic Torah organization had all signed on for the call to join in the mass gathering in the Wall Street area.  The mass gathering was to show solidarity with the Torah community in Israel that is facing the unprecedented law in the state of Israel’s history to draft Yeshiva students into the armed forces.

This response is an explanation and a historical overview about the confluence of army service and Torah study.   Not everyone will agree with the explanations and positions set forth here.  However, those that do not agree must realize that they do come from a very different socio-religious milieu than those in the Chareido world who have been brought up with and raised with a deep appreciation of Torah being the only definition of true life.

Serious-minded Chareidi Jews do not merely recite the words of the blessings of the Shma perfunctorily.  No.  When they recite the words, “Ki haim chayeinu – for they are our life – v’orech yameinu and the pathways of our life..” – they truly mean it. [...]

What is missing in all this, however, is the realization that we are all children of the same mother and father.  We are all parts of the same body and we should treat each other with the respect and love that we must have for our family members – even if we do disagree as to what approach should be emphasized or adopted.   Recently, we have seen two conflicting PR Youtube videos to a song entitled “Anu Mashkimim v’haim Mashkimim.”  The song explains how we awaken early for the right purposes, they awaken early for useless purposes.  The song was used by both sides of the debate to denigrate the other side.  Both uses of the song are wrong.  We stand now in the month of Adar.  The Manos HaLevi, Rav Shlomo Alkabetz, explains that the concept of Shalach Manos is to further brotherly love and ahavas Yisroel among ourselves.  It is to counter the statement of Haman that the Jewish nation is Mefuzar and Mefurad throughout the nations because of their lack of unity.  The month of Adar should counter the spirit of disunity and contribute to family love.

May Hashem speedily grant mutual respect and unity among us.  Amain!

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Schlesinger Twins: Excerpts from court documents regarding Dr. Schlesinger

The following are excerpts from court documents relating to Dr Schlesinger's attempt to have his wife committed to a mental hospital falsely claiming she was a paranod schizophrenic and  that he was a psychiatrist. There are a number of facts cited from documents which clearly indicate problems with Dr. Schlesinger - that were ignored by the judge who awarded him custody.

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Failure of the courts to take any account of Schlesinger’s abuse of the mother and its traumatising effect on the children

1. Not only did Schlesinger enlist his friend, high court Judge Konstanz Thau to assist him in wresting the children from my care, he also manipulated his medical friend and colleague, Dr Paul Földes, head of psychiatry in the Wilheminen Hospital where the father was doing his traineeship to support Schlesinger´s plan to falsely diagnose me and have me sectioned.
2. Göttlicher held a hearing on 9 August 2011 to hear the witnesses – police officers, police psychiatrist and paramedics who were present the day the father tried to commit me to a mental hospital. After hearing their evidence, Göttlicher could have been in no doubt that I was not mentally ill and the diagnosis was fabricated by the father and his friend and colleague with whom he colluded, Paul Földes. In fact Göttlicher herself stated the following in her order granting the father unsupervised access, 31.7.2010:

“Die Feststellungen, zum Umstand, dass haben weder Amtsarztin noch einschreitender Sanitater einer psychischen Erkrankrung der Mutter sahen, stutz sich zum einem auf vorliegenden Polizeibericht samt amtsartzlicher Bescheinigung nach $ 6 UbG, ON 3, sowie auf die zeugenschgaftlichen Einvernahmen dieser beiden Personen im Scheidungsverfahren der Streitteile”

“It can be concluded that neither the police psychiatrist, not the paramedics that were present saw any indication of mental illness in the mother, which is supported by the documented police reports, the medical report by the police psychiatrist, as well as their witness testimonies in the process of the divorce proceedings.”

Witness testimony of events of 11.2.2010 and 16.2.2010

3. Statement by the police psychiatrist, Dr Schreitl:

“Es ist richtig, es war ein Bekannter des Ehemannes, ein Psychiater (anm. Dr. Földes), dabei, der auch sagte, dass die Frau eingewiesen gehört. Der war auch vor Ort. … Ich habe danach auch noch am Gang mit ihm gesprochen und habe ihn gefragt, wie er auf die Idee kommt. Er sagte mir, dass er die Geschichte nur vom Ehemann weiß und dass er selbst die Frau nicht exploriert hat. …. Ich habe ihn darauf hingewiesen, dass er sich zunächst selbst ein psychiatrisches Bild zu machen hat.“

Ich war daraufhin nicht unbedingt freundlichen am Gang. Ich habe ihn auf seine Kompetenzen als Psychiater hingewiesen und darauf, dass er ein Facharzt ist, dass man so fachkundig nicht vorgehen kann, und dass er nahe am Rufmord vorbeischrammt. …. Ich habe ihn darauf hingewiesen, dass er sich zunächst selbst ein psychiatrisches Bild zu machen hat.“

Translation: “It is true that there was a colleague of the father, a psychiatrist (Dr Földes) there, who also stated that the wife must be sectioned. He was also there...I then spoke to him in the corridor and asked him how he came to such a conclusion. He told me that he knew the story from the husband but that he himself had not examined the wife.......I told him that he was then obliged to carry out his own psychiatric assessment.

I wasn't completely unfriendly after that. I questioned his competence as a psychiatrist and said that as a specialist, such an expert he could not behave in that way and he had totally abused his powers....”

4. Further statement from Dr Schreitl demonstrating that the father fabricated the diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia:
5. Auf Frage der KV an Dr. Schreitel, wie es dazu kam, dass ich in Richtung einer Erkrankung aus dem paranoid-schizophrenen Formenkreis zu untersuchen sei, sagte Dr. Schreitl:

„Die Polizisten haben mir gesagt, der Ehemann hätte ihnen das so erklärt.“

Translation: In response to the question to Dr Schreitl how it came about that I examined the mother for evidence of paranoid schizophrenia, Dr Schreitl replied:

“The police told me so, the husband had claimed it.”

6. Statement by Police Inspector Aigner:

„Es hat uns wieder der Ehemann empfangen und uns mitgeteilt, dass die Frau krank ist und dass sie eingewiesen gehört.“

„…Da ist der Ehemann dann in die Küche gegangen und hat dem Rettungsdienst immer wieder das Telefon hingehalten und gemeint, sie sollten am Telefon mit jemanden sprechen, mit einem Arzt (Dr. Földes).“

Translation: The husband repeatedly insisted that his wife was mentally ill and needed to be sectioned....

then the husband went into the kitchen and kept telling the paramedics they must speak to someoone who was on the phone, to a doctor (Dr Foldes)

7. Statement by Paramedic, Thorsten Brandstetter (paramedic):

„Er (Dr. Schlesinger) sagte uns dann auch, dass er mit einem Oberarzt telefoniert hat, und dass er will, dass sie ins Krankenhaus kommt.“

Translation: He (Dr Schlesinger) also then told us that he had called a specialist and that he also wants the wife to be hospitalised.

8. On 11.2.2010, after I called the police because of the father's violence (he again pushed me as I was holding one of the babies) the father, a trainee doctor lied to the police that he was a psychiatrist.
9. Statement by police inspector, Ing. Franz Trittremmel

„Auf Frage unter Vorhalt, dass hier dokumentiert ist, der Ehemann habe sich als Psychiater genannt:

Ich neige nicht dazu, etwas zu erfinden. Ich würde so etwas nicht an der Haaren herbeiziehen. Für mich als Einschreiter ist es ja irrelevant, ob sich der Ehemann als Psychiater, Staatsanwalt oder sonst jemand bezeichnet. Ich gehe daher davon aus, dass das, was drinnen steht, so auch gefallen ist.“

Translation: In response to the event where it is documented the father (falsely) claimed he was a psychiatrist:

“I do not invent things. I wouldn't document something as false. However, for me it is irrelevant if the husband is a psychiatrist, attorney general or something else. I can only state that if I wrote it, then that is what was said at the time.”

10. Dr Krenn reported both Dr Schlesinger and Dr Foldes to the Medical Chamber for massive abuse of their powers but as far as I know, no action was taken against them.
11. While he may not have been struck off as a doctor, his abuse of his doctor´s credentials as well as the subversive attempts to separate the the twins from their mother should, in any event, have excluded all possibility of the father ever gaining custody of the children. Indeed, he was prevented from unsupervised access for a whole year because of his actions on this day. (It is questionable why the Supreme Court decided to overturn his supervised access without any new evidence).
12. Not only was this episode not taken into account by Göttlicher, it was later discovered that these documents are missing from the custody file. (This will be dealt with later in the report under 'suppression of evidence')
13. The subsequent Appeal Courts have also failed to take any account of the father´s documented abuse in this shameful episode.
14. Although all the other witnesses clearly heard Schlesinger and Földes falsely diagnose me with paranoid schizophrenia, (as above) Földes denied diagnosing me, stating that this is a serious diagnosis that he would not label people with lightly. QUOTE
15. Göttlicher accepts Földes false testimony, ignoring the contradictory evidence of the police witnesses who clearly heard him diagnose me with paranoid schizophrenia and in her custody decision refers only to Földes’ own account that he was only of the opinion that the history and the situation at that time was “enough to result in a psychologically stressed situation.” The appeal court similarly stated, somewhat remarkably, that “the relationship problems between the mother and the father and the events surrounding the eviction of the father are no longer decisive elements.”
16. Göttlicher refers in her Custody decision to my claims that Schlesinger was also violent generally during throughout the marriage. However she goes on to say that “the expert [Willinger] found nothing in the whole examination that indicated that the father might be aggressive, violent or not in control of his impulses. Göttlicher did not send Willinger copies of the police documents of this episode and all mention of it is omitted in her report.
17. In the custody decision, Göttlicher failed to mention Willinger’s hypothesis as stated by her in the 10 hour court hearing, that either the mother is not mentally ill and everything she alleged about the violence is correct, or she is mentally ill and is paranoid. My lawyer asked what we could deduce about the father if I were not mentally ill and willinger stated this would be 'manipulation' by the father:

“Wenn man die Gegenhypothese annimmt, dass die Mutter nicht krank ist, dann ist das Ereignis für sich allein eine Manipulation.

“If we accept the opposing hypothesis, that the mother is not mentally ill, then the father's actions can be seen as manipulation.' Transcript, court hearing Willinger, 24.7.2011

As three further psychiatric reports (including a court commissioned one) all confirmed the mother is clearly not mentally ill, according to Willinger's reasoning, the father is manipulative.

18. That Földes abused his position by relying on Schlesinger’s account without performing his own assessment is beyond question. The only question is what was his motive in doing so. The only logical explanation is that of collusion between Schlesinger and Földes, his colleague and friend. That Schlesinger is capable of manipulating friends in this way in an attempt to have his wife sectioned should surely have been an immense concern for the judge in evaluating his suitability to be given custody over children.

Effect of violence on children

19. The children witnessed this entire barbaric episode: a team of 5-6 armed policemen in our apartment, a team of 3-4 paramedics, a police psychiatrist, Dr Földes, a violent father insitstent on the children´s mother being taken away. The children displayed signs of trauma immediately afterwards: sleeping and eating problems, clinginess and general insecurity.
20. The Appeal Court (par x above) stated that events between parents and children were irrelevant to a custody decision.
21. However, when questioned in court about the effect of witnessing domestic violence on children, Expert psychologist Dr Sinko-Sanz:

„Auf Frage der Vertreterin der Mutter nach der Trennung der Eltern am 16.2.2010, und dass die Kinder in dieser Situation waren, ob das auch einen Einfluss auf die Entwicklung haben kann.

Das ist etwas, das ein Punkt sein kann und sicher zu berücksichtigen ist. Es ist bekannt, dass Kinder, die eine belastende Aaussensituation erleben, sich zurückziehen.“

“In response to a question from the mother´s lawyer about the separation of the parents on 16.2.2010 and that the children were in this situation, whether that may have an impact on development.

This is something that can be a point and must surely be taken into consideration. It is known that children who have experienced a stressful situation, withdraw themselves.

22. In fact, the expert states that her initial impression of the children was that they were underdeveloped because they were traumatised. She therefore recommended calm and stability:

“Es ist vorstellbar, dass ein derartiges Sozialverhalten dann entsteht, wenn es eine schwere Traumatisierung in der frühen Kindheit gegeben hat. Das war meine erste Vermutung in der ersten Vermutungsdiagnose. Ich habe daher diese Empfehlung nach Ruhe und Gleichmäassigkeit gegeben.“

"It is conceivable that such a social behavior arises when there has been severe trauma in early childhood. That was my suspicion in the first diagnosis. Therefore I recommended calm and regularity. "

23. It is therefore very likely that the father´s own violent behavior and actions towards me and the children was the very cause of the developmental delay in the children which is the main subject of Willinger´s report. Yet Willinger failed to take this into account.
24. Expert Witness, Dr Sinko-Sanz, Court hearing 17 June 2011:

„Auf Frage der Verteterin der Mutter, dass wenn Kinder Gewalt erlebt haben, ob das auch einen Einfluss haben kann:

Prinzipiell ja.

Auf Nachfrage der Vertreterin der Mutter, dass für den Fall, dass die Mutter verbale und psychische Gewalt erlebt hat und die Kinder die miterlebt haben, ob dann die Kinder in ihrer Entwicklung beeinträachtigt sein könnten:

Grundsätzlich ja, das ist vom ausmass, dem Alter und den umgebenden Konstellation abhängig.”

“In response to the question posed by the mother´s lawyer that if children have experienced violence, whether that may have an impact:

In principle, yes.

In response to the further questioning by the mother´s lawyer that in the event that the mother has experienced verbal and psychological violence and the children have witnessed it, whether that also has an influence on the child´s development:

Basically, yes, that depends on the extent, the age, and the surrounding factors.”

25. It is totally unclear why Willinger accepted the father´s testimony over mine when it had been proven he had repeatedly lied, even to the police that he was a psychiatrist when he was in fact a trainee doctor. His false diagnosis of me was fully disproven by the police psychiatrist and later by 2 further court psychiatrists, whereas nothing I have said has been disproven.
26. Willinger claimed everything I said about the father was untrue:

Die Kindesmutter gibt an, tief getroffen von der Tatsache zu sein, dass der Kindes vater ihr eine psychische Erkrankung zuschreibe, und zeigt u.a.während der Befunderhebung eine herabgesetzte Stressbelastung auf (unvorhergesehene) Ereignisse…Darüber hinaus lässt sich eine herabgesetzte mentale Flexibilität in Bezug auf Inhalte, die den Kindesvater betrefen.“ P.75 Willinger report

The children's mother admits to being deeply affected by the fact that the children's father ascribes mental illness to her, but shows during the diagnostic assessment a reduced stress to (unexpected) events ... In addition, she showed a reduced mental flexibility in terms of content that concerns the children's father. "

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Schlesinger Twins: Dr. Schlesinger refuses to let Chief Rabbi hand twins to mother

This is documentation that Dr. Schlesinger refuses to let the Chief Rabbi hand over the twins to their mother for free. He insists that she continue paying 50 euros to a government agent to do the same. See further information here

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