Celebrity Englewood Rabbi Threatens to Sue Newspaper, Reports Say
Newspaper report raised questions about congressional candidate’s charity funds.
Photos
Englewood Rabbi Shmuley Boteach, a bestselling author and 9th District congressional candidate, has threatened to sue a Jewish newspaper for publishing a “materially false” and “misleading” article questioning payments made by his charity, according to reports Wednesday.
The Jewish Daily Forward reported in February that “the charity Boteach heads spends a significant portion of its revenues on payments to Boteach and his family.”
In a letter dated April 16, an attorney for Boteach called the article “a grievous departure from journalistic standards,” according to freebeacon.com, a conservative news website, which published the letter.
The charity covered by the Forward’s report, called The Jewish Values Network, is run by a board of directors separate from Boteach and his family, the letter said.
The letter, from attorney Robert Wolf, calls for the Forward to remove “the entirety of this offending article” including “false and misleading statements.”
Forward editor Jane Eisner said by e-mail the newspaper stood by its article, but declined further comment.
Boteach, known for books including “Kosher Sex,” could become the nation’s first rabbi in congress if he wins the redrawn 9th District. Bergen County’s Republican Organization voted to support the rabbi in March.
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Robert L. Friedman
5:09 pm on Wednesday, May 9, 2012
Should this be such a big surprise?
Keith Jensen
1:49 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Bergen Record silenced me too.
While Mr. Cohen, Editor of the Teaneck Patch will respect both sides of the story, the North Jersey Media Group who prints the Bergen Record is as biased as The Jewish Daily Forward it seems.
http://teaneck.patch.com/articles/op-ed-former-republican-assembly-candidate-responds-to-weinberg-editorial
I pointedly asked The Record to print my response to Senator Weinberg's personal attack on our Governor and her position on our schools. I felt as an active person in the Teaneck Community I would be allowed to provide a counter, however the Record does not allow it.
Read the email sent to me by the Record here:
"We were and are open to any response to Sen. Weinberg the governor's office chooses to submit, but they have not done so.
Your piece rose, as I mentioned before, some good points, and some of them were well written.. but your piece also was largely directed personally to the senator, with a number of slaps against her. We run and welcome criticism of positions, not persons. The letters page is a bit more accommodating of this type of commentary, but I cannot speak for that page. I did send your email to Charlie and he may well consider running at least portions of your commentary. I hope he does, some of your points were very good.
Thank you again for writing.. "
I feel the censorship to protect their chosen matriarchs is illegal and should be prosecuted. I hope the Record changes their mind and prints my Op-Ed this weekend.
Legal Notice
9:53 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Keith you should do your legal homework on the Bergen Record and first amendment issues. You will find out that there are prominent members of your own county party involved in the silencing of political free speech with the Bergen Record
What Lola Wants
7:58 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
Has the rabbi paid his past due property taxes yet?
Legal Notice
9:49 am on Thursday, May 10, 2012
The Rabbi should be very careful after all he is now a public figure and is fair game for any political attacks. He should have thought of this before entering the political arena
Dan
4:13 pm on Monday, June 11, 2012
The rabbi has been a public figure for many years. What's different now is that he's the Republican candidate for Congress. Yes, he's fair game for political attacks, and always has been.
As for his charges of the Forward being biased, that's a complete crock. I went to his charity's Form 990 for 2009, and every word Nathan-Kazis wrote is correct. Boteach was paid $229K, his assistant, about 53K, and a "consultant," another 58K. In addition, the charity is run out of his home so he charges himself "rent."
In 2009, this charity took in about $650K in revenues and disbursed a bit less than $70K to its intended recipients.
What's really dangerous is that a political candidate, when caught with his hands in the cookie jar, threatens to use that ancient form of Jewish martial art against those who would oppose him: I Sue.