Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : YOUR COMMUNITY HAS FAILED TO SUPPORT BETH

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Sehr geehter Herr Deutsch

I write to you as a lawyer, as a mum, as a Jew and as a European. As such we have many things in common.

I saw your tweets on Holocaust Memorial Day seeking to underline the responsibility we have to overcome all forms of prejudice and I agree. I then struggle to reconcile those thoughts with the situation in which Beth Alexander finds herself, with respect to your community. Remembering the Holocaust and wishing to counteract the consequences of it, are intrinsically linked to the importance of family and community and of course Judaism.

Beth Alexander is an intelligent, softly spoken lady with no stain on her character. She was a member of your community. She is a loving mother who wishes only to demonstrate that love to her sons.

I wonder frequently, do you actually know why the community has failed to support Beth? Was it the same xenophobia you say we have a responsibility to fight to ensure genocide never happens again? Or now, 10 years down the road, is there a feeling of shame at not acting before and a lack of understanding at how to bridge the gap? It is never too late. Please be honest with yourself about why you have never responded and supported Beth. Please put aside your pride in the interests of giving Sammy and Benjy back their loving mother.

We the Jews of the UK, Israel, the US and as far as Australia are watching and waiting for the brave individual who stands up and questions Beth’s forced alienation from her beloved sons and turns the tide in this tragic situation. You are a person of influence, you have spoken with pride of the achievements to rebuild the Jewish community in Vienna, but I would argue that nothing could be more powerful, as a sign of what the community stands for, than being the agent for change in Sammy, Benjy and Beth’s lives.

You said recently “Das Erinnern dient der Zukunft!” I would argue that where children have traumatic childhoods, remembering these will not serve the future. If nothing changes, the boys’ trauma will stay with them into adulthood. This can be changed with reconciliation and the appropriate support and I strongly believe it is within your gift. If you fail to act, as a community leader, this failure will be your legacy.

Please take this opportunity to use your power and influence to improve the lives of three individuals. I implore you.

Kind regards,

Tamara Franks

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : GRAVE GRAVE DARKNESS WILL OVERSHADOW THE VIENNESE COMMUNITY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Sehr geehrter Herr Deutsch

All kind-hearted humans know and feel both impulsively and on a very deep level of consciousness that - without any prejudice, favouritism or corruption - the bond between mother and child is the deepest possible connection between humans.

No-one is naïve enough to believe that a woman deprived of her boys for one year or one decade, by a parent capable of such an alienation, has not been maligned by the present parent.

Ms Alexander is an intelligent and honest woman from a loving, religious and unified family. She is an aunt to 9 children. She graduated from the world’s most revered educational establishment, Cambridge University. She is truly a woman of valour and dignity, a true Eshes Chayil.

There is nothing in her character or her history that causes her to be stripped of her motherhood for a single day, let alone a decade. 

The world is surely watching. If nothing is done, then a grave grave darkness will overshadow the Viennese Community for a very long time to come. It is past time to act. Positive action or zero action.  Zero action or passivity is akin to negative action of the worst kind.

On a personal note, the deep sadness caused by this case is truly and deeply heart-felt by thousands if not tens of thousands, soon hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and around the world, Jewish and non-Jewish. We need a real hero, a real Mensch or a few good souls in Vienna to really stand up and make a change. Action will be recognized as much as inaction. 

Please. 

Kind Regards,

Daniel Benisty

Concerned Friend of Beth Alexander

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : NO CHILD SHOULD BE WITHOUT ITS MOTHER

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Sehr geeherte Herr Deutsch

Greetings from Israel! I hope that you are well in these strange pandemic times that we are living in.

I would write in German, but my German is rusty and I will better articulate the message I wish to send in English. Please accept my apologies for not expressing my thoughts in your native tongue.

I do not know whether you have children of your own, nieces, nephews, grandchildren and/or friends with children but what I do know for a fact is that you are human and I appeal now to your sense of humanity and better nature to help put an immediate stop to an ongoing injustice in this world which is occurring right before your very eyes.

You will by now be very familiar with the tragic situation of Beth Alexander and her twin boys and her decade-long struggle to attain a basic human right both for herself and for her twin sons who have suffered so much- the ability to be with and care for her children. The ability to live, laugh and love with her children and to create the strong relationships, bonds and foundations in life which the boys so deserve.

It matters not what has gone before, nor the acts or omissions of people in the Vienna Jewish community over which you preside. What matters now is that immediate action is required and it is not too late to right the wrong that has been perpetrated against Beth and her sons over numerous long years. It is no longer an option for you and your community to stand by idly and choose to ignore the situation and remain uninvolved. 

No child should be without its mother. The tragedy in this case is that Sammy and Benji’s mother is alive and well, sane, healthy, willing and capable, loving and nurturing. There is no reason in the world why these boys should be denied the bond and love and care they so deserve from Beth and with every day that passes, as your community allows this heart-wrenching separation to continue, precious time and memories that cannot be replaced are sadly lost forever. Please do not let another day go by when these boys are torn apart and alienated from their loving mother!

Please Herr Deutsch, as a man of integrity and values, as a man of high standing, as a man who is respected and as a Jewish man who upholds Jewish values and the importance of justice in this world, I urge you to step up and step forward and make your voice heard now. Please cry out against this terrible injustice and help in the mitzvah of righting a wrong where such righting is long overdue! Please involve yourself in this case and exert your power to bring about a fair and proper outcome and reunion for Beth and her boys.

I and thousands of others eagerly await your response and your action. The whole world is watching.

Kind regards,

Natalie Seeff

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : GROSS MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

My name is Rebecca Fisher. I am an English and Israeli lawyer and a member of the London and Tel Aviv Orthodox Jewish Community. I had the pleasure of studying with Beth Alexander at Cambridge University, where she was a kind and gentle friend to everyone around her. If I had to use words to describe Beth they would be: Sweetness. Honesty. Calmness. Humility. Affection. Love. Warmth. Honesty. Intelligence. Depth. Understanding. Modesty.

I also had the pleasure of attending Beth's wedding to Michael in Manchester, where they seemed very much in love and we all celebrated what seemed like the beginning of a beautiful future together. I hoped Beth and Michael would create a home of love, laughter and safety, and when I heard that Beth was expecting, I could only dream of the kind, loving, gentle mother that she would become.

Unfortunately as we are all aware, things took a different turn.

I am writing to you today to beg that you consider the benefits that Beth could bring to her children's lives and that you use any influence you may have in order to push for a future for her and her dear children, a future that involves both parents being present in their lives.

I am aware that other concerned followers of this sad story are also reaching out to you at this time. Please take this as a sign of the love that so many people have for Beth and our strong conviction that a gross miscarriage of justice has occurred here. The voice of a community can make a difference, and if Beth could have the support of the Austrian community in her hour of need, we trust that your community's voice would be listened to.

I cannot imagine my sweet and gentle friend Beth in an abusive or violent marriage, or being deprived of the ability to care for her children. I hope and pray that justice will prevail, and that Sammy and Benji can be blessed with the benefit of both parents in their lives. Anything that you can do, and any open-mindedness that you can bring about, will be highly appreciated by me personally, and by thousands more who love Beth.

Best wishes

Rebecca Fisher

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : TRAVESTY AND A CRUEL AND INHUMAN TREATMENT

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Sir,

We in England have been following the tragic and heart breaking case of Beth Alexander who has been separated from her twin sons.

It is a travesty and a cruel and inhuman treatment to both mother and children. Where is the compassion, where is the chessed or rachmonis?

The Rebbe of Blessed memory said a mothers love is sacred and to deprive these boys of their mothers love and nurture is a sin. Whatever the judge says, we are all answerable to a Higher Judge. Dayan Emet.

Please, if you have any compassion and respect for mothers everywhere you will surely want to try to reunite a loving mother with her boys. She carried them in her body for nine months, they are part of her heart and soul. I beg you, as a mother, to do whatever you can to rectify this gross miscarriage of justice. If you have a mother, if you are a father, look at your wife, your mother and can you say with a clear conscience you would want this for them.

We are now as one. Today there are 5000 supporters and we will not give up. Be a good person and support us. Seeing the films of the Holocaust and children ripped from their mothers arms is wicked so have a heart and help Beth be reunited with her children.

I speak from my heart to your heart.

Yours sincerely

Mrs. Gloria Levene

Manchester

England

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : HORRENDOUS INJUSTICE

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

My dear friend Beth Alexander was married to your community member Michael Schlesinger. They have 2 sons of who live with their father in your community. Due to court error, they are no longer in contact with their mother. This is a horrendous injustice. Every child deserves their mothers love and guidance. 

I am begging you to try and intervene and help this situation out.. if not for their mother to see her precious sons but for the boys who haven’t had contact with their mother for too long to receive her love. This will have an impact on their development and upbringing and I am pleading for your help to right this terrible injustice. I ask for you to consider, if this was happening to your loved one… how would you feel?

Please help.

Best regards,

Mirri Samuel

Israel

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : IT CANNOT BE RIGHT

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch,

As President of the IKG, and with the influence that your position brings, I write to ask you to please intervene and support Beth Alexander so that she can be reunited with her sons. It cannot be right that the Austrian courts have barred the boys' mother from having any contact with them. I do not see any evidence that she is a risk to her sons; but you, on the other hand, risk the reputation of the whole Viennese community as this miscarriage of justice is rapidly spreading to become media news around the world.

For the sake of Sammy and Benjy who deserve to have a relationship with their mother, for the sake of your community, and for the sake of our shared Jewish heritage which places such a strong emphasis on justice, please use your power and influence to work with Michael Schlesinger and with the courts to do what is right, and to allow the boys to spend time with their mother - in particular in the lead-up to their b'nei mitzvah.

Please right a terrible wrong - and do so before more weeks and months elapse. Beth and the boys pain have gone on for too long.

Yours sincerely,

Chani Hirsch

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : RESTORING BALANCE IN THE PARENTAL ROLE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch, 

My name is Esther Seymour. I’m a Jewish mother, a child and parent trauma therapist and, I’m sure like you, I have a good moral compass. 

My work with the mind has given me a deep understanding of how humans work and why we behave in the ways we behave. Repetition of experience is the biggest factor in how we live our lives, which is why people of all faiths, when learning so young, stick to their faith throughout their lives. 

It’s also the reason why we have fears (past experience), good or not so good behaviours, addictions or why we laugh at silly things (our childhood experience still plays out in adulthood) and how we believe we should treat our fellow humans. 

I have been following the story about Beth Alexander, her children and their father on and off for far too many years. And I can hand on heart say that not allowing a mother to see her children is having a huge impact on both her children and Beth and whether or not it is showing now, it will show in the future. It will dictate how they treat their wives, it will dictate how they treat their children. They can only know what they know. 

I wonder what happened in the lives of the people who are allowing this to happen for them to believe that this is ok? That this is “normal”. Who has experienced something g similar for this to not seem irrational? There’s no blame here, they’re playing out experiential repetition - but it’s evident that there’s lots of healing to be done for all parties involved to ensure that the children don’t repeat these behaviours when they’re older. 

I’m sure everyone feels they have their reasons, and their reason may feel really valid to them because they’re being led by all that they know but actually, what if we looked outside all we know and look at the family models all across the world. 

Mothers and fathers who have addictions, have abused their children, live in squalor, live in danger all still have the option to be rehabilitated as the main objection is always to keep children with their parents. 

Beth has done none of these. She doesn’t need rehabilitation, she has committed no crime. Her children are safe with her, her children are loved by her, she has continually fought for them with a broken heart and will continue to do so for as long as it takes. 

Can you, had on heart, with G-d as your witness, say that these children - in fact - any children except those with parents who are beyond help - should not be seeing their mother regularly?  The woman who carried these children in her own body? Who loved and nurtured them into the world?

I do not believe for one second that G-d condones this… he created life with duality. Masculine and feminine. Positive and negative. Light and dark. 

All children need to experience both parents, whether they are together or not.

This needs to be readdressed and I’m sure you’ll agree, an independent investigation, outside of the same people who have already been involved (to prevent experiential bias) needs to be conducted. 

Beth needs to be reunited with her children and them with her. 

I’m writing this letter to you to facilitate the putting of all the wrongs back to right. For restoring balance in the parental role in this families life. 

If all fathers were able to do this, if this is the tone that is set, it won’t be too many generations before there are no mothers left to continue our great religion. If these children believe this is normal, just as their father does, what will stop them from doing this to their own? And their own and their own… Is this the beginning of the end? It doesn’t need to be. The generational trauma can be healed and duality restored. 

Please consider putting pressure on your community to restore what was intended by G-d. 

Yours, in trust, 

Esther Seymour

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : THIS IS GOING ON IN YOUR LOCAL COMMUNITY

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I write to you with the hope you can help correct an ongoing injustice.

I’m sure you have been able to spend time with family members over Shabbat. I, for one, was lucky to spend time with my husband and children. I have family overseas, but can’t bear to travel alone to see them, can’t bear to leave my children behind for more than a few days.

Beth Alexander doesn’t have that basic human right.

She isn’t allowed to see her children, because the father of her children won’t allow it, and because the local court won’t allow it.

This is going on in your local community.

Beth is a UK citizen who is suffering daily due to her treatment by the father of her children; bruised by her experience as a newcomer to the Jewish community in Vienna.

We have seen weak leadership by Rabbis and community activists who claim nothing can be done to support Beth.

However, as an Orthodox Jew, Dr Michael Schlesinger cannot function without the help and support of the institutions of the community to which he belongs.

How can a man behaving in such cruelty be allowed to participate in communal prayers?  How can he enjoy social support while the mother of his children is not allowed to raise them? How can he be allowed to send his children to community schools? How can local organisations, at worst, take part or, at best, fail to protest the way Beth’s children are deprived of their mother? 

The Torah teaches us communal responsibility shown by leaders when a newcomer to a town comes to harm: “Then all the elders of the town..shall wash their hands..And they shall make this declaration: “Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done”.

Please be the one to end this tragic saga. Help two innocent boys have their mother back. Show decisive leadership, and present a model of justice for the world to see. Because the world is indeed watching, and waiting for justice.

Sincerely,

Rachel Bass

Manchester, UK

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : BASIC HUMAN DECENCY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

A short email that would be polite to answer.

All it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing.

It appears that you are not helping Beth Alexander to have access to her twins.

This is not something that you can dismiss by deleting emails. Failure to help Beth leaves a huge stain on your character and that of the Viennese Jewish community.

Do you really believe that causing a mother (and her children too at some point) to undergo mental torture is somehow a good thing?

I wish you good sense, and basic human decency.

Sharon Blaukopf

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : NO MORE STONE WALLING

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am sorry that this traumatic story is still ongoing.

I myself am a mother of twins who are now grown up safe in the knowledge, together with their siblings that they have a happy history of wonderful memories that we as a family have created.

This simple, basic human right has been denied to Beth and her boys. I remember a good few years ago I tried to get involved to try to help as I simply couldn't bear to think how much was at stake in this sad story. I remember feeling so blessed to feel the hugs of my own children and I simply couldn't bear to think about how much Beth was missing through no fault of her own.

I blame myself for not doing more, questioning myself how could I have stopped campaigning.  A serious breach of humanity was continuing in front of our very eyes and I was sleeping peacefully in my bed! How could I let this happen? I'm so grateful that this is belatedly, being addressed.

I implore you to take a good, cold, hard look at the case and DO THE RIGHT THING. No more stone walling.

If this was happening to you or to someone close to you, would you be able to sleep at night?

Let's leave no stone unturned to restore justice where it rightfully belongs.

I thank you for reading and Please GD responding to this campaign.

Many thanks

Suzy Goldberg

Blessed mother, grandmother, teacher and friend 

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : TZEDEK TZEDEK TIRDOF

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Dr Deutsch

I know that you have received many communications about the Schlesinger twins.  I do sincerely hope that you are actually reading them and not merely deleting them. 

As the leader of the Viennese Jewish Community you are in the position of being able to exert influence over Dr Schlesinger to modify his totally unreasonable and vindictive behaviour towards his ex-wife, Beth.  To wilfully deny a mother contact with her children is an abuse of not only Beth's but Benjamin and Samuel’s human rights and will have catastrophic effects on the boys' own future developments and relationships.   

If Beth were an abusive mother, an alcoholic, a drug user or neglectful mother, these could be justifiable reasons for denying her contact with her sons.   However, Beth is none of these things.  She is a kind, caring devoted mother who through what can only be described as a less than satisfactory legal process and a malicious, vindictive ex-husband, has been deprived of a mother’s right of normal contact with her children.  

The legal process by which this decision was reached is unfathomable.  A psychiatric report obtained after interference from another judge who is a friend of Dr Schlesinger formed the sole basis of the judge’s decision, that all reports in support of Beth were discounted by the Judge, proves that due legal process was not adhered to. That the Jewish community have colluded with this state of affairs and not done anything to help Beth, should be a source of shame to you. 

Raising a family is a sacred duty to Jewish people, a way to express loyalty to Judaism. Judaism recognises that each parent has something different to give to their children, to contribute to their religious, educational, emotional, social and material needs. In Jewish families, parents and children are responsible for each other as a way of honouring Hashem. Parents are seen as partners in Hashem's creation of each human being, so to honour one's parents is to honour Hashem. To alienate a child from a parent is dishonouring Hashem. 

Tzedek, tzedek tirdof. Justice, justice you shall pursue, one of the most important commandments in Judaism. I would ask you to use your influence to ensure that you pursue justice for Beth and her sons. 

Respectfully yours

Ruth Leveson

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : BEYOND HEARTBREAKING FOR ALL CONCERNED

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr Deutsch, 

Like so many other people I am writing with regards to Beth Alexander, such a cruel injustice that has been done to her and her sons. 

The British Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, along with The British parliament fully support her efforts. They recognise the horrendous situation that Beth finds herself in. When a marriage breaks down it should not break down the parents rights to spend at the very least equal time with their children. It’s beyond heart breaking for all concerned.

There must be something as President of IKG, that you can do in order to help correct the situation.   

Kind regards 

Fiona Samuels Radnor

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : ASHAMED AND DISAPPOINTED

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am the grand daughter of the late Charlotte Kohn who grew up in Berndorf, Austria. If it were not for the horrors of the Holocaust I would very likely be a member of your Jewish community in Vienna. Yet today, I am ashamed and disappointed by the inaction of that community which is abetting a father who has alienated his children from their mother. How sick.

I am heartbroken to have learned of the plight of an ordinary young woman from Manchester who has been denied a normal relationship with her sons. How under any circumstances can the Austrian Jewish Community welcome a man who is unable to prioritise the needs of his children? It takes a selfish and cruel person to alienate children from a loving mother. Most separating parents do everything to avoid harming their children but Mr Schlesinger is apparently happy for the children to be collateral damage in the twisted punishment of his ex-wife. Whilst unjust decisions have been made by the Austrian courts (and these may be hard to overturn), it seems within the power of the Austrian Jewish community to speak out and help the children to see their mum. This would not break the law. In virtually no circumstances should a mother be separated from their children – even those who are dangerous or extremely unstable are normally encouraged to maintain contact. Beth, is most evidently, a normal, loving and law-abiding person and not a deranged criminal. What is going on? I feel great shame towards the Austrian Jewish community for not speaking out in favour of the children. Just a statement to say that this loving mother ought to see her children frequently may help. Community leaders must get involved in facilitating this.

As I understand the father seems to have suffered childhood trauma himself which has affected his ability to appreciate that keeping the boys away from their mother is abnormal and disturbing. How sad for transgenerational abuse to continue. Surely you would not want a daughter or son of yours to be separated from their children – under any circumstances.

 

Please act now to stop this Chillul Hashem.

 

Yours sincerely,

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : FRAUGHT WITH PAIN AND DIFFICULTY

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Oskar Deutsch,

I write as a fellow Jew who has followed the journey of Beth Alexander and Michael Schlesinger and their custody battle over their beautiful twin boys Benjamin and Samuel.

As you know, this has been an upsetting situation, fraught with pain and difficulty - with the unusual step of blocking a kind and loving mother from seeing her children.

Please could you, as a person of influence in the Vienna Jewish community, do the right thing and allow the boys access to their loving mother. Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis, Beth's member of the British Parliament Matthew Offord MP and Naomi Dickson head of Jewish Women's Aid charity and countless others (including myself and our family) have testified to Beth's kindness, positive wellbeing and good character.

It is nearly their barmitzvah and it is time for the boys to be reunited with their mother, a mother who loves and misses them every day.

Please help us to reunite Beth with her sons at this important time and allow her more access to her children.

From our heart to yours,

Warm regards,

Eleanor and Robert Mandelstam

(London, UK)

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : NO JUSTIFICATION FOR WHAT HAS HAPPENED

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am sure you will receive many emails and letters in the coming days about the case of Beth Alexander. Having known Beth since childhood, it is clear that she does not deserve the abuse she has suffered.  

How can the Austrian Jewish community stand by and not intervene after so many years of pain? Their has been no justification or explanation for what has happened – just brick walls to shut out Beth and anyone who tries to help. It is now time for all good people with influence to do the right thing, if not for Beth, then for her innocent children.

I therefore wish to add my voice to those calling for the Austrian Jewish community to use whatever pressure it can to force her ex-husband to end this disgraceful Chillul Hashem.

 

Regards,

 

Benjamin Black

London

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : HOW CAN WE BE BYSTANDERS

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

As leader of the Austrian Jewish community, I and many many others are writing to you to ask for your help regarding the deep injustice that Beth Alexander is having to endure.

Beth is a loving, caring and empathic person who has put herself through law school and become a lawyer. She has the backing of the British Parliament and of the British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis.

How can we be bystanders to a community that is keeping a remarkable Jewish mother apart from her boys? A courageous person Beth needs to see and be with her boys for her sake and theirs.

Her boys are being denied this by the dreadful decisions of the Austrian Judiciary.

Please help to right this wrong.

Sincerely,

Lauren Hamburger

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : ENOUGH IS ENOUGH

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am writing to you as you are a person of influence within the Austrian Jewish community to ask you to do everything within your power to reunite Beth with her sons Benjy and Sammy. 

It is a devastating miscarriage of justice that the Austrian courts have barred all contact between them. We cannot stand idly by while both Beth and her sons suffer from this.

The boys are coming up to their Bar Mitzvah and Beth has had no direct contact with her children for 5 years. 5 years too long. Enough is enough.

Please do everything you can to liaise with Michael Schlesinger and ask him to do what is right for the boys and what is right for their mother. If this conversation isn’t successful, what are the alternative next steps in order to get Beth back with her boys?

Yours sincerely,

Rebecca Rubinstein 

(England, UK)

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : FOR THE SAKE OF YOUR COMMUNITY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Herr Deutsch,

I hope you are well. I am writing to ask you to support Beth Alexander so that she can be reunited with her sons. As a mother myself, it is unthinkable to be separated from my children for any length of time, let alone the enduring and unjust separation that Beth Alexander has endured from her boys and them from her. It is a huge miscarriage of justice that the Austrian courts have barred the boys' mother from having any contact with them. I do not see any evidence that she is a risk to her sons; but you, on the other hand, risk the reputation of the whole Viennese community as this miscarriage of justice is rapidly spreading to become media news around the world.

For the sake of the Sammy and Benjy who deserve to have a relationship with their mother, for the sake of your community, and for the sake of our shared Jewish heritage which places such a strong emphasis on justice, please use your power and influence to work with Michael Schlesinger and with the courts to do what is right, and to allow the boys to spend time with their mother - in particular in the lead-up to their bar mitzvahs.

Yours sincerely,

Nicky Kay.

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : STILL A CHANCE FOR THE FUTURE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Oskar Deutsch, 

My name is Heidi Lazarus, originally from Glasgow, Scotland but now living in Israel. 36 years ago, when I was just 6 years old my mother sadly passed away after a short fight with cancer. 

My amazing father was left at age 38 to raise me and my 2 brothers and thankfully he did a great job. We grew up in a loving family surrounded by people who wanted the best for us. 

I grew up however, with a longing for a mother I did not know or have much memory of. At key events, my bat mitzvah, my brother's bar mitzvah, our weddings, there was always something missing. It was only when I became a mother myself did I realize what a huge loss and trauma I had been through. My brothers felt the same and went through their own challenging journeys at various times. 

I'm writing to you with utter sadness that there are two young boys in your community, Benjy and Sammy Schlesinger, about to be bar mitzvah, who have been deprived of that motherly love for so many years. No child should be without a mother, let alone children who have a mother who wants to love and care for them, nurture them and support them as they grow and mature. The years past can never be given back but there is still a chance for the future. 

I am urging you from the bottom of my heart to get involved in the Beth Alexander case. I do not know Beth or the father of the boys. My only concern is for these two boys to have access to a loving parent. Please please help to reunite Sammy and Benjy with their mother. 

Thank you for taking the time to read this. 

Heidi Lazarus

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : INJUSTICE OF INORDINATE PROPORTIONS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr President,

I am writing to you in the hope that as President of the Vienna Jewish Community, you can help resolve this dreadful situation.

No mother should ever be deprived of her children and no children should be deprived of their mother.

It appears to be an injustice of inordinate proportions and as such casts a stain on the Jewish community of Vienna.

I am disturbed for a number of reasons but most of all for the coercion which seems to have been brought to bear to discredit the mother Beth. As a result it would appear that she has no contact or visitation rights with her children whatsoever. 

Please goodness with your help this loving mother can be reunited with her children Sammy and Benjy and can start their loving family life which has been denied to them for so long.

With warm wishes,

Mrs Sarah Taylor

David Alroyi 9/13

Jerusalem

9210812

Israel

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : HORROR AND DESPONDENCY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I write to you as part of a growing chorus of support for Beth Alexander regarding the deep injustice that has been done to her and her sons. I have known Beth since she was forced to abandon her life in Vienna and try to make a new one in London, without her sons. As a Jew and a father myself, I spend much of my time talking proudly about Jewish values and especially about the overriding care and concern we have for our children, the next generation.

I am a separated father and was forced to go through a difficult time in the UK family court, the result of which was that I became the main parent in my son's life. The UK has made great progress in rejecting the word "custody" in favour of words which reflect the fact that neither parent should have the "power" to control the other or to inflict parental alienation on their child/children.

No matter how messy and bruising the conflict between the parents, every parent with any decency and moral compass knows that you must *never* alienate your kids from the less present parent. If the non-Jews now realise this, how much more so we Jews ?!

And yet to my horror and despondency, I have seen nothing but parental alienation, character assassination and sickening injustice inflicted on Beth Alexander and her sons. How can it be that a Jewish community, of all communities, allows this to happen? What kind of Chillul Hashem is this?

I urge you to listen to the many voices now crying out to you, as leader of the Viennese Jewish community, to take immediate action and put an end to so much unnecessary suffering and damage.

Sincerely,

Robert Dwek

London, UK

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : IT IS NO LONGER ACCEPTABLE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

As President  of the Viennese Jewish community you have the power and influence to put an end to this miscarriage of justice which has taken place on your doorstep.

It is no longer acceptable for the community over which you preside to say “we don’t want to talk about it” or “it’s in the hands of the courts”.

This line has gotten you and your community through the last 5 years when, broken and defeated, Beth returned home without her boys.

Five years later she is anything but that. She is strong and courageous. She is a Jewish mother without her children who will not give up this fight and and now has an army of supporters behind her who will not retreat. They will just get louder and LOUDER until justice is done and her boys are returned to her.

So I appeal to you to please intervene and do something to help remove this deep stain your community has put on their name and their reputation. Don’t allow them to continue to be seen  as people who support such a situation. 

World Jewry is waiting to see what you do next. Please do the right thing.

Kind Regards,

Tanya Duman

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : ONE OF OUR OWN IS IN PAIN

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch,

It's a pleasure to make my introduction. I am sure you're rolling your eyes at yet another email from a stranger to plea the case for Beth Alexander.

I now live in Kansas City, but am originally from the UK. I attended high school and Bnei Akiva with Beth and have watched from afar as she has battled for access to her dear boys, Sammy and Benjy. Beth was always a role model and a shining example to everyone around her. Her love and care for everyone around her is as clear as the sky is blue.

I was raised by a single mother. I had little contact with my father between the age of five and 25. This wasn't the fault of a court system or community influence, and my mother did everything in her power to make sure I knew my father was a good person, even if he wasn't actively in my life.

Once I was a parent myself, my father and I had the blessed opportunity to create a relationship of our own. We now visit each other's homes and he has a relationship with my three children too. As an adult, I was able to create this relationship but as a child and teenager, this void in my life had deep consequences on my education, behavior, and relationships. I cherish the Chumash my father sent me for my Bar Mitzvah, despite the fact I was heartbroken that he wasn't able to attend.

It pains me that these two young souls are being deprived of all contact from the mother that so clearly loves them. As a community leader, your voice has power. Your voice has the chance to make a real change in these lives.

The outcry of support that is overwhelming your emails is coming from a community that stands by its word and sees injustice. A people who are saying one of our own is in pain and Am Yisrael are standing together to right this wrong. As community leaders we preach tikkun olam, and yet there's a tikkun that needs to take place right now.

I turn to you as a leader to fill the shoes you stand in and ask that you embrace true leadership in a difficult situation, and get involved for the sake of Sammy, Benjy, and Beth.

I expect you have many emails to reply to. I promise that if you would like to take the time to speak to me, I will drop whatever I am doing and make the time.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : RIGHT THESE WRONGS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr Deutsch,

Two years ago I lost my wife suddenly. I was left bereft and a sole parent to five young children. Not a day passes do I wish that my children had their loving mother to help and support them through their life.

In the case of Beth Alexander, a friend, and a wonderful woman, I can't understand why the Austrian Jewish community continues to perpetuate the alienation of Beth from her boys, Sami and Benji.

These boys are being raised without the love and care of their mother; affecting both the long term mental health of the boys and their mother, Beth. This seems absurd, the mother is capable and available and yet being denied her basic right as a mother.

I am writing to ask you to put pressure on your community to right these wrongs, to enable Beth to be a mother once again, and to prevent any further tragedies that may leave a permanent stain on the reputation of the Austrian Jewish community.

Best Regards

Howard Glick

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : A DECADE OF INJUSTICE HAS BEEN PERPETRATED

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch, 

I come short to understand how the case of Beth Alexander  is still struggling to surface he realm of common sense and fairness justice . 

I do not know of Beth Alexander as a mother but I know Beth as a person, as a human being who has showed to the thousands of people what a mother would do to get reunited with her two twins. Two twins that have been with the most unfortunate circumstances, ripped off by the most basic necessity, a mother care. I'll approach you today with hope you’ll take time to read this email as the many more that will ping your mailbox with the Title "Help Beth Reunite with her Children". 

I approach you today as I know of you as being a  man  who has done a lot for the Jewish Community. Has met great leaders both in Israel and Austria / Europe. A man who values the Jewish traditions and its historical roots. In that spirit, Israel is the mother of her sons, and the Jewish religion is the only faith whereby religion itself is given by the mother. This isn’t a just flawed incident of history, it's the ultimate meaning of our Jewish roots and the importance of a Jewish mother to our kids. It's the inner wisdom and strength  to what we are, Jewish men.

But I'm not here to merely attempt to teach you of history, as the English says "not teaching to suck an egg". You have excelled in many ways that others didn’t, but wish to bring a few points that I hope will come across from someone who in this case comes from an angle that is slightly different. 

I myself, come from an investigative background. Since 2009 Beth Alexander has relentlessly fought her case with the Austrian Courts, the Jewish Community, the Rabbis of the Jewish Community, the allegations against her, the police that arm raided her home as if a women with two kids flagged the worst of humanity, fought the prejudices against her, went through a set of mental ordeal with the media / defence solicitors / social services/ psychiatrist / doctors and not forgetting the initial account of Domestic Violence that took place when her ex-husband was removed custody with a non molestation order, and suddenly by some miracle and utter magical reappearance, Beth’s ex-husband managed to flip all the cards and remove her to the point of erasing who she is as a mother against all odds.

You’ll have to agree with me, Mr Deutsch, that in that sense, neither you nor I can pretend to know what Beth has been through. For that alone, she deserves the respect of us all. It doesn’t matter what one say - what matters is the action we take that makes a difference. Beth Alexander has proven that and continues to do so. The many would have collapsed under the veil of depression and utter self destruction. I, unfortunately in my own line of work - see that too many times.

We have a choice here to see the true picture and / or pretend that with time - it never happened . And from looking into Beth's case from a distant eye, I suspect her ex-husband kept an extremely cautious, careful low profile, in hope that it’ll be over soon.

But here we are, since 2009 and she is still standing and fighting to get her kids back. And believe me, even if the odds are against her, once more - I suspect she’ll continue to fight, for a mother love is for eternity and it requires no special request, no willing to be seen as a hero or the voice of the unheard, all she does is to reach back for her kids.

The civil Justice system, whether in Austria or the UK has many intricacies and once parental custody reaches the courts, it's highly likely that justice and injustice will cross path. We are not asking you to revert a court decision. Nor to do the impossible. But it is time for her ex-husband to realise that a decade of injustice has been perpetrated. There are no winners here. Her ex-husband is no winner in this situation. Him having sole custody of the kids is not a win. Wining the courts appeal is not a win. Alienating the kids against their mother is not a win.

The only possible correction is to reunite the mother with their kids. 

We approach you to seek mediation towards a solution of a man that is a member of the Austrian Jewish Community. To bring moral and values where there are none left. UK Leaders have spoken and took side along Beth, the UK Jewish Community have embraced Beth appeals and beg for Beth to be reunited with her children.

I come here to ask you personally to bring hope and allow the courts and all social services and any parties involved/concerned to review the facts accordingly and accept that mistakes have been made but resolution can and must happen.

Your sincerely,

Daniel Dahan

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : WE CANNOT STAND BY AND WATCH OUR BROTHERS AND SISTERS BLEED OUT

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch,

It is probably no secret to any of us that the world can be a cold, cruel, mercurial place. Tragedies happen in the blink of an eye, and most of the time, all we can do, is stand by and watch. Maybe strive to learn lessons from those past tragedies. We can't control cancer or the elements. We are left frustratedly watching these tragedies play out, with very little control over their outcome. Very often.

But lest we be lulled into a resigned sense of complacency, there are things we can prevent. There are ways we can heal some of the endless pain we encounter. We are able to fight injustices. Nay, we must. You are not obligated to complete the work, but crucially, neither are you free to just walk away.

When we can help it, we cannot stand by and watch our brothers and sisters bleed out. We are exhorted again and again to intervene. Justice, justice shall you pursue. A life long's mission. As a people, we cannot stand by while others suffer.

I am sure that you know all this, I do not write to you to give a shiur. But I am so troubled by the injustice currently being suffered by one our own, a mother who has been cut off from her children. I don't have children, but I imagine that must feel something like losing a limb.

Beth Alexander is a mother in pain. A person who brought two wonderful boys into the world - flesh of her flesh, treasured even more than that. She has been in that kind of agony for far too long. I don't pretend to know what goes on in heaven, but I imagine God crying every one of her tears with her. Beth isn't alone, there are now a lot of us crying her tears with her. 

I'm writing to beseech you, as leader of the Vienna community to intervene and help rectify this injustice. To hear the cries of a mother who has done nothing but love them and fight for them since she was forcibly separated from them. Please do not stay silent in the face of the suffering of not just the mother, but those two boys who are being deprived of everything wonderful our mothers give us. 

Sincerely

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : HONOUR AND DIGNITY OF THE VIENNA JEWISH COMMUNITY AND YOUR OWN

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Sir,

I read with much interest, your posts on facebook about the Shoah in conjunction with International Holocaust Day. I saw your empathy for the suffering that took place at that time. I am always especially upset by accounts of the separation of children from their parents and parents from their children, tragically in most cases, never to be rectified. You cannot reverse death.

And yet, in your community of 7,000 Jewish souls, no one does anything to help a mother separated from her children and them from her, as a result of lies and legal manipulation. I don't expect every one of your members to have the know-how or the clout to make much of a difference.

But you are their leader. You are a man of high position and they look to you for example. We cannot fathom this lack of action in the face of injustice. ("We" are fellow Jews from all over the world who are astounded by the lack of support from a Jewish community for a mother and two young boys who have been shamefully wronged.)

I beg you to take some of the empathy you so eloquently expressed for victims of the Shoah and think about one mother and her children who you could actually help today. During the Nazi era, so many Europeans felt helpless to do anything. However, there were also Righteous Gentiles who risked their lives to save children and parents so that they could eventually be reunited. Who do we revere?

You may think it insensitive to equate the plight of Beth Alexander with mothers in the Shoah, so let's take it down a notch. No one is asking you to risk your life or endanger your family. Beth is alive and available for her boys, but no one is allowing her to have any meaningful contact or relationship with them. What has Beth done to make you and the Vienna Jewish Community, including Chabad, turn your backs on her? Why do you justify this tearing apart of a loving mother from her children?

I strongly urge you to address this matter for the sake of the honour and dignity of the Vienna Jewish Community and your own.

Rachel Selby

Jerusalem

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : DEVASTATION AND DESPAIR

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Oskar Deutsch,

I am writing to add my voice to the many that are asking for your help in reuniting Beth with her sons. I have recently read about Beth and the story of the tragedy that has followed, with her being so abruptly removed and eradicated from her sons lives.

Recently becoming a mother myself it pains me to imagine the devastation and despair she must be in every day to not have the love of her children and to not be present in her children's lives at all. She has tried every legal route and desperately needs your support and voice to path a way to reforming a meaningful relationship with her children.  Please help Beth. She will be in my prayers until she finally reunites with her children. 

Yours sincerely,

Nicole Zubaida

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : THE COURTS HAVE BEEN CORRUPTED

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am sure you are aware of this tragic case in which a loving and caring mother has been separated from her children for many long years.  As a mother, I implore you as a person of influence within the Austrian Jewish community to do everything within your power to reunite Beth with her sons.   

It is a huge miscarriage of justice and it is clear that the courts have been corrupted. No reasons were given as to why Beth was denied custody or proper access. 

We beg you please to help this mother be with her sons again whether that be through legal means with a new impartial judge, or persuading the father to allow proper and unrestricted access. Beth’s sons are being turned against her which is heart breaking. Show that the Viennese community can act to do the right and just thing and end this family’s torment. 

With best regards 

Louise Rosen - London

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : FAILURE OF THE JUSTICE SYSTEM AND THE LACK OF SUPPORT

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr Deutsch,

As a childhood close friend to Beth Alexander and as a Jewish mother of two Jewish children, I am writing to you to ask for your help to reunite Benji and Sammy with their loving Mother.

This might just be one of many emails or cases to You, but please try and understand that for the Boys and their Mother, this is their only life and unfortunately, the reality of it.

I have known Beth since 1998 for 24 years and have spent summers with her and her family in Manchester and later together with my family in Budapest. She is one of the most intelligent, caring, funny and empathetic people I have come to know in my life and the failure of the justice system and the lack of support towards her from the Jewish community in Wien deeply saddens me.

No one should ever have to go through this single most traumatic experience I can imagine in life, the loss of contact with their children, be it in any way.

I beg for your empathy here, in honest hope that you would look into what happened in these boys' case and help in any way that you can, given your respectful and impactful position in the community.

I sincerely wish You well and all the best in your endeavours and thank You for your time to read my message!

Kind regards,

Judith Edelstein

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : DENIED THE LOVE FROM THEIR MOTHER

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch

As someone who has known Beth and family for many years and has followed this tragic case from the start and most importantly as a mother myself I respectfully urge you to intervene so these boys are not denied the love from their mother and maternal family any longer. 

This situation can surely not be beneficial for anyone involved but the longer this goes on the more the mental and emotional damage is being cause to Beth and her boys. 

Please do the right thing and help. 

Kind regards

Beth Leventhall

Manchester England

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : INCOMPREHENSIBLE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Oskar,

As a mother myself, it is incomprehensible to understand the pain Beth has been going through over the past 10 years. The Manchester community was extremely saddened and concerned by the situation many years ago when it first started. Personally, I was shocked and horrified to learn this was still not rectified.

We have a responsibility to help a fellow Jew and Beth is most certainly a fellow Jew who needs all of our support. Ultimately, Sammy and Benji are the ones who have been denied their mother, and those years they will never be able to gain back. Please use your position to put pressure to the relevant people to ensure they don't lose any more precious days.

Sending this email is not in my comfort zone. But it is an indication of how much I respect Beth. Her strength of character, calm persona, friendliness and warmth are something to be admired. She is most definitely someone who deserves to be a mother to her children.

May Hashem bless you with the clarity, strength and resources to help a positive outcome to be reached for Beth and her boys. 

Kind regards,

Debra

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : PUT AN END TO THIS SITUATION

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I refer to Beth Alexander, a young British woman and qualified lawyer, who has recently been forbidden by the Austrian courts to have any contact with her precious twin sons, Benjy and Sammy.  I am sure you are aware of the circumstances of her situation so I do not intend to repeat them here. 

As many others are doing, I am writing to you to you, also as a mother and an English qualified lawyer, to ask that you, as President of the Vienna Jewish Community, reach out to those in your community and do everything in your power to put an end to this utter travesty and reunite Beth with her sons. 

Beth is from my home town of Manchester. I did not know her personally but we have mutual connections. She is a very bright, loving, wonderful mother who has so much love to give to her beautiful children. 

To deprive a child of a mother’s love is beyond cruel.  The longer this situation continues, the emotional damage caused to her sons risks becoming irreparable.  

The basis on which the twins’ father has alienated their mother is unfounded and false.  You must know in your heart and soul that the actions taken by the twins’ father is wrong.  

The boys’ barmitzvah is coming up. What a travesty if their mother cannot share their simcha, such an important milestone in a Jewish boy’s life. 

In your position of authority, you must now do all that you can to put an end to this situation. For Beth. For Benji and Sammy.  I dread to think of what lies ahead for the boys and Beth without this dreadful wrong being put right. 

I really hope and pray you will stand by Beth and her sons. I look forward to a positive outcome in the very near future. 

Yours sincerely,

Paula Margolis

London

UK