o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at
office@ikg-wien.at
Herr Oskar Deutsch, IKG,
We are half way between International Holocaust Remembrance Day in January and Yom HaShoah in May – the day that Israel remembers the Holocaust. There were many atrocities during this dark time in history but perhaps the most heart-wrenching are the stories where children were separated from their parents. Children who grew up without the unconditional love of a parent that most of us take for granted. Parents who had to go on living with unhealable wounds in their hearts.
It is interesting that the international day marks the date that the allies liberated the Jews from Auschwitz. The date that the victims were rescued. In Israel we remember on the date that the Jews in the Warsaw Ghetto fought back. Yes, we were victims, but rather than sit comfortably in that role for perpetuity, we choose to move forward in strength as a deterrent. We will not let this, or anything like it happen again.
Except that in a small pocket of the Jewish world – Vienna, Austria to be exact – the Jewish Community were complicit in tearing Sammy and Benji Shlesinger from their mother, Beth Alexander. Corruption in the Austrian court based on a false psychiatric report stating post-natal depression, a judge who was influenced by a fellow Judge from the Jewish community, and lies spread by the community, resulted in the two babies being snatched from their home by the police whilst their mother was feeding them supper.
After a decade of sporadic visitation rights, often only under supervision, Beth was eventually denied all contact with her sons. Since when has post-natal depression, which Beth did not have, meant losing custody of your children? Unfortunately, the same judge has been on this case for the full 10 years so for justice to happen the same judge would have to admit that she was wrong. The same judge who went to have tea with the father, Dr Michael Shlesinger, a man with a history of physical abuse resulting in a restraining order, to check out the home environment. At no time did she personally assess Beth’s home environment, with or without tea.
In the beginning there were a few years when Beth and her parents were allowed to see the boys. There is a video of a wonderful day out boating on a lake. The boys were happy with their grandparents and their mother. But Shlesinger, an abusive and vindictive ex-husband would rather destroy his sons’ lives rather than see them happy with their mother?
One problem is that although the Austrian social workers, and even the police, saw no untoward or alarming behaviour by Beth and the social workers tried to help her, the Austrian Jewish Community have undue influence as a result of their long-time victim status since WWII. They supported one of their own, and the children be damned. And yet they continue to hide behind this charade of victimhood by claiming that there is nothing they can do in the face of the law.
The boys attend the Lauder Chabad School in Vienna, run by Chabad’s Rabbi Jacob Biderman. Rabbi Biderman turned against Beth, preferring to keep his standing in the community than to speak the truth. The boys were regressing, depressed, and Benji was self-harming by continuously running into a brick wall. Yet Biderman continued to declare that they were fine. This Head of a school is no champion of child welfare. Beth pleaded that she be allowed to attend the boys’ 5th birthday in school as all parents do, but Biderman ignored her. This is the picture of Chabad that is being shown to the world. Not a nice picture.
In the wake of the twins’ upcoming Bar Mitzvah in June, 6,000 people from around the world joined the Facebook group Reuniting Beth with her Sons. We wrote to Herr Oskar Deutsch, the head of the Vienna Jewish Community, and pleaded for his help. His reply was insulting. He wrote that he has no authority over the courts. However, even though it was nothing to do with him, he had called Shlesinger about not allowing Beth to come to the Bar Mitzvah. Shlesinger denied this, although Beth knows nothing of the arrangements or even the exact date. Herr Deutsch then suggested they go to mediation and berated Beth for starting a media campaign where a simple email would have sufficed. Sufficed for what? That Beth could be a spectator at her sons’ Bar Mitzvah? And obviously an email would have been preferable to Herr Deutsch as he could control that situation without any negative publicity.
We in the Jewish world, all know how a community can exert pressure in the name of justice, if they really want justice. The community who spread lies about Beth, could shun Shlesinger until he makes positive changes. The leaders could deny him any communal or spiritual role in their synagogues and schools. But they don’t.
Instead, lead by Oskar Deutsch, they make speeches and hold ceremonies on Holocaust Day, shouting “Never Forget!” and Never Again!”, whilst allowing two more Jewish babies to be forcefully separated from their loving mother. Despite his lofty words, Deutsch seems totally oblivious to the irony. He has no regard for grieving grandparents, a bereft mother, young boys semi-orphaned even though their mother is available to them. How can such a man represent people who suffered so much when he can’t even help two children on his own doorstep in 2021?
So now we turn to Chabad and Ronald S. Lauder, Chairman of the World Jewish Congress, to step in where the Vienna community will not. Please don’t allow the Rabbi who heads the school in both your names, to tarnish the reputation of Chabad and that of Ronald S. Lauder himself. If you have an ounce of loving-kindness in the face of an inhumane travesty, we beg you to use your influence for the good. If not for Beth, then to save the lives of two young boys so that they grow into upstanding men among the People of Israel instead of being destroyed by denying their human rights to their mother’s love.
Rachel Selby
Jerusalem
#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons
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