| Revision as of 21:22, 21 December 2009 editZsero (talk | contribs)12,092 edits keep the resignation story together. and stick to english.← Previous edit | Revision as of 21:58, 21 December 2009 edit undoTruth Transparency (talk | contribs)41 edits I used spell checker this time,” if you cannot attack one’s message attack his spelling” I will try to stick to correctly spelled English !!! hapi ?Next edit → | ||
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| Tropper founded the Eternal Jewish Family (EJF) project, which advocates tougher standards for ], and also assists intermarried families with conversion issues. Until 2009 he was its director and chairman of its Rabbinic Committee. | Tropper founded the Eternal Jewish Family (EJF) project, which advocates tougher standards for ], and also assists intermarried families with conversion issues. Until 2009 he was its director and chairman of its Rabbinic Committee. | ||
| In 2006, Tropper is alleged to have revoked a woman’s conversion months after supervising it, upon learning that she occasionally wore trousers.<ref name=TJW /> Tropper denied this accusation, claiming the woman had in fact been breaking the ] since immediately after her conversion, and that his role was confined to relaying this information the appropriate authorities.<ref><!--http://www.eternaljewishfamily.org/about_response.html dead link as of December 20, 2009 --> EJF press release, 30 May 2008</ref> | In 2006, Tropper is alleged to have revoked a woman’s conversion months after supervising it, upon learning that she occasionally wore trousers.<ref name=TJW /> <ref></ref> Tropper denied this accusation, claiming the woman had in fact been breaking the ] since immediately after her conversion, and that his role was confined to relaying this information the appropriate authorities.<ref><!--http://www.eternaljewishfamily.org/about_response.html dead link as of December 20, 2009 --> EJF press release, 30 May 2008</ref> | ||
| On December 14, 2009, the EJF suddenly announced that Tropper had resigned two days earlier, that he had been replaced as chairman of the Rabbinic Committee by Rabbi Elya Ber Wachtfogel, that Rabbi Chaim Blum would be taking over as interim director, and that Rabbi Reuven Feinstein, the chairman of the Halachic Committee, would take a more active role in overseeing the organization's activities. No reason was given for these changes.<ref><!--http://www.eternaljewishfamily.org/site/news/article/change_in_ejf_leadership dead link as of December 20, 2009 --> EJF press release, December 14, 2009</ref> On December 18, 2009 Wachtfogel issued a letter denying that EJF is under his direction. The press release was then deleted from EJF's website. On December 20, EJF put out a new press release omitting all mention of Wachtfogel or the chairmanship of the Rabbinic Committee.<ref></ref> The EJF web site still lists Wachtfogel as chairman of the Rabbinic Committee.<ref></ref> | On December 14, 2009, the EJF suddenly announced that Tropper had resigned two days earlier, that he had been replaced as chairman of the Rabbinic Committee by Rabbi Elya Ber Wachtfogel, that Rabbi Chaim Blum would be taking over as interim director, and that Rabbi Reuven Feinstein, the chairman of the Halachic Committee, would take a more active role in overseeing the organization's activities. No reason was given for these changes.<ref><!--http://www.eternaljewishfamily.org/site/news/article/change_in_ejf_leadership dead link as of December 20, 2009 --> EJF press release, December 14, 2009</ref> On December 18, 2009 Wachtfogel issued a letter denying that EJF is under his direction. The press release was then deleted from EJF's website. On December 20, EJF put out a new press release omitting all mention of Wachtfogel or the chairmanship of the Rabbinic Committee.<ref></ref> The EJF web site still lists Wachtfogel as chairman of the Rabbinic Committee.<ref></ref> | ||
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Rabbi Leib Tropper (born 1950) is a Rosh Yeshiva and founder of the Kol Yaakov Yeshiva and Torah Center in Monsey, New York.
Education
Tropper was born in New York City to Rabbi Yehuda Tropper, a teacher at Rabbi Jacob Joseph Elementary School, and Rivka Tropper, the daughter of the Valbolneker Iluy, Rabbi Leib Forer. He was educated at the Rabbi Jacob Joseph school, the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia, the Telshe Yeshiva in Cleveland, and then at Yeshivas Torah Ore in Jerusalem, under the leadership of Rabbi Chaim Pinchus Scheinberg. He received four semichas: from Rabbi Serayah Deblitzky, a student of the Chazon Ish; Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, former Sephardi chief rabbi of Israel; Rabbi Betzalel Zolty, Ashkenazi chief rabbi of Jerusalem; and Rabbi Elazar Shach, a rosh yeshiva at Ponevezh Yeshiva.
Outreach
After leaving Torah Ore, Tropper accepted a position at the nascent Ohr Sameach institutions. After five years in Jerusalem teaching baalei teshuva, Tropper returned to the United States to become the educational director of Ohr Sameach, New York located in Yonkers and Monsey. In 1981, Tropper joined in founding a new yeshiva for baalei teshuva, the Kol Yaakov Torah Center, and became its rosh yeshivah.
In 1995, Tropper founded a new outreach program called Horizons, focusing on educating and inspiring the unaffiliated to experience a Torah lifestyle. As its director, Rabbi Tropper has traveled across the world lecturing and teaching. He has also written three books, including a halachic work based on the decisions of his mentor, Rabbi Scheinberg.
Eternal Jewish Family
Tropper founded the Eternal Jewish Family (EJF) project, which advocates tougher standards for conversion to Judaism, and also assists intermarried families with conversion issues. Until 2009 he was its director and chairman of its Rabbinic Committee.
In 2006, Tropper is alleged to have revoked a woman’s conversion months after supervising it, upon learning that she occasionally wore trousers. Tropper denied this accusation, claiming the woman had in fact been breaking the Shabbat since immediately after her conversion, and that his role was confined to relaying this information the appropriate authorities.
On December 14, 2009, the EJF suddenly announced that Tropper had resigned two days earlier, that he had been replaced as chairman of the Rabbinic Committee by Rabbi Elya Ber Wachtfogel, that Rabbi Chaim Blum would be taking over as interim director, and that Rabbi Reuven Feinstein, the chairman of the Halachic Committee, would take a more active role in overseeing the organization's activities. No reason was given for these changes. On December 18, 2009 Wachtfogel issued a letter denying that EJF is under his direction. The press release was then deleted from EJF's website. On December 20, EJF put out a new press release omitting all mention of Wachtfogel or the chairmanship of the Rabbinic Committee. The EJF web site still lists Wachtfogel as chairman of the Rabbinic Committee.
While this was happening, recordings were circulating on the internet of conversations between a man alleged to be Tropper and a woman whose conversion he is alleged to have been supervising, and which appear to show that the two were having a sexual affair.
Controversies
In 2004, Tropper was a main force behind the ban of Rabbi Natan Slifkin's books which explore the relationship between traditional Judaism and modern science.
In October 2009, Tropper was sued by philanthropist Guma Aguiar for allegedly misappropriating funds given to Tropper by Guma for charitable purposes. The lawsuit followed an altercation between Guma and Tropper in a Jerusalem hotel. Tropper claims that Aguiar threatened to throw him out a window. Aguiar's attorney denied any threat was made.
References
- ^ "Outreach Rabbi Resigns Amid Cloud Of Scandal". The Jewish Week. December 15, 2009.
- Ultra-Orthodox Rabbis Are Reversing Conversions By the Fistful
- EJF press release, 30 May 2008
- EJF press release, December 14, 2009
- EJF press release, December 20, 2009
- Who's Who at the EJF
- Reuven Blau and Melissa Klein (December 20, 2009). "Sex-tape rabbi tries to 'share' hottie". New York Post.
- Natan Slifkin, An Account of Events
- Baruch Gordon (8 October 2009). "Jewish Billionaire Sues Prominent US Rabbi". Arutz Sheva.
- Yuval Goren (9 September 2009). "U.S. rabbi accuses Beitar patron of threatening to defenestrate him".
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