Wednesday, February 2, 2022

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : YOU HAVE TURNED YOUR BACK

 



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

It's been 10 long years that I have been supporting a young lady, who came to live in your community having married one of your local boys. Michael Schlesinger. 

I have been trying to support Beth Alexander, whilst you have turned your back.

In 2013, you promised to help Beth, when she and her dear parents Sylvia and Anthony came to see you, but then you turned your back.

Many of our prominent leaders in the UK including your counterparts have tried to convince you to make sense of this awful situation, where twin boys are being deprived of their loving and capable mother for no good reason.

It's time now Mr Deutsch for you to stand up and make sense of this tragic situation. You cannot allow a Jewish boy, a member of the Jewish community in Vienna to behave in such an atrocious way.

This problem is not going away, because enough is enough. It has to be dealt with.

Austria and the Jewish community are getting a bad name. This can be seen by the strength of Beth's support, including the British Government and our own Chief Rabbi, Rabbi Mirvis and countless others.

We all have children, who want to marry but they have all been warned off Austrians.

Mr Deutsch  You have power in your community.

Let the world see that you care about these two boys who are about to be Barmitzvah in May and as Rabbi Mirvis quite rightly said. This event should not go unmarked.

Those of us who are experienced parents and grandparents know how much children especially boys need their mothers in their teenage years. 

Please don't allow two innocent lives. The lives of Sammy and Benji Schlesinger be destroyed. They need to know they have a mother, who loves them.

This needs to happen now. 

Please let the world see that you are an upright honourable man, who does the right thing.

I look forward to hearing from you.


Kind regards,


Gillian Kaye


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : YOUR OWN PERSONAL LEGACY AT STAKE

 


o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch

For over two thousand years we as Jews have set the example to the world of how to raise children, how to engrave on their hearts our hopes for the future; we, more than any other people, have led the way in education and respect for children.

We have learned through the centuries that children need their mothers to grow and become members of our community and faith.

You, sir, stand on the threshold with your own personal legacy and the legacy of all your forebears at stake.

Do not let them down.

Please do not leave behind you a lost opportunity to reunite a Jewish mother with her children and secure their future.


Thank you


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : HOW CAN THIS BE RIGHT OR ACCEPTABLE IN CIVILISED SOCIETY

 



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Mr Deutsch, 

I am aware you have received many emails addressing the plight of Beth Alexander and her twin sons. With respect, I would like to add my own thoughts to you, and I thank you in advance for hearing my voice.

I only discovered Beth’s and her family situation recently, but have been deeply moved and, above all, appalled, by what I have learned. 

Since time began, the mother’s role in her children’s upbringing - her love, guidance, support and teaching - has been recognised. In the most extreme of cases only will a mother be denied access to her children. And yet I am heartbroken to read that Beth is deemed unfit to parent and has been documented as such by her embittered ex-husband, who, it appears, is being protected from any justice being served to him by the Austrian courts. Worse still, this miscarriage of justice has been allowed to continue for ten years, with no apparent end in sight. How can this be right or acceptable in civilised society?

There is no clear reason for custody to have been denied to Beth, an upstanding member of the Jewish community and a professional woman. The twins have been denied the presence of their mother in their lives. Instead, I learn that they are living in a toxic environment, poisoned by their father against Beth, and their future is being shaped without any positive input from their mother to balance this.

The Austrian courts have ruled that Beth is not a fit mother, and that the boys are best served living with their father and childminders. In whose interest has this decision been made? Certainly not the boys’. They have grown up with an absent mother, but unaware that she is fighting with every fibre of her being to be allowed to be in their lives, indeed to secure custody of them. To rebuild the relationship, and repair any psychological damage that her forced absence will have caused to them. This does not represent the actions of a bad mother. This is the behaviour of a fiercely protective, intelligent, grounded adult woman who has love for her sons in abundance. Given the chance, Beth Alexander will be nothing short of an exemplary parent. 

I implore you to examine all the positive reasons for Beth to be reunited with her two sons and exert your considerable influence to enable this outcome. 


Thank you for taking the time to read this.


With hope and anticipation, 

Tonie Jascourt


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : GIVE BETH HER BOYS BACK

 



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I've known Beth since we were teens in Manchester, England. While we haven't been in direct contact since then, I've followed her on social media over the years.

Beth and I went on a school trip when we were in our late teens to France. She's 2 school years older than me, yet I still remember how kind, mature, and maternal she was even at that tender age. Beth is the epitome of good. What she's going through now is a complete nightmare for her, and what her boys  are living through is a true crime of nature. Her sons need her. Whether they know it or not. I wouldn't wish what she and her boys are going through on anyone.

The decision to keep Beth away from her sons reflect your country, your system, your government. Yet, based on this situation, I'm sure that many, many people will come to the conclusion that they wouldn't trust your system. They wouldn't have faith in you. 

You've worked hard to get where you are. You are obviously smart, and can make decisions based on fact. The fact is, Beth is an amazing human and a wonderful mother who doesn't deserve even one more hour away from her boys.

Luckily, you have the power to change this. You have the power to think about what's the right thing to do. To make the right choices, changes and decisions.

Don't be the system that's disappointing. Be the system that people can trust to look after them and their families. Do the right thing. Give Beth her boys back.


Humbly yours,


Abi Gantz


Tuesday, February 1, 2022

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : EVEN PRISONERS ARE GIVEN RIGHTS

 


o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I was shocked to hear that British born Beth Alexander is still forbidden to have any contact with her sons. Even prisoners are given rights to continue having some family life.

What has she done to deserve such an appalling situation? The Vienna Jewish community must put all the necessary pressure to stop this from continuing any further - so much damage has been done to the boys, the mother and extended families.

Enough is enough.

You must do what you can to help this appalling situation stop continuing any further and help Beth be reunited with her own flesh and blood.

I gather the ex husband was abandoned by his mother. This clearly has had a terrible impact on him if he is now perpetrating such an unspeakable act on the mother of his children.


I look forward to seeing a positive outcome to our efforts globally to help Beth.


Jane Myers

London

England


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : SHOW KINDNESS AND COMPASSION

 



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am sure you have received a number of emails on the issue of Beth Alexander, the British mother of twin boys, who has been forced apart from her children so I will keep this message brief.

As you know, Ms. Alexander is forbidden from any contact with her children. The boys in question live in Vienna and Ms. Alexander is forbidden by the Austrian legal system to have any contact with her sons.

I am not Jewish but understand you have the ability to influence the father, Dr. Michael Schlesinger, and persuade him to allow Ms. Alexander to have contact with her children. And while I may not be Jewish, I do understand the strength of a mother's love for her children and hope you will help to resolve this terrible situation. A mother's love for her children does not just last the 9 months in the womb but lasts for a lifetime and beyond.

Ms. Alexander wants one thing only - to have contact with her boys and to help raise them and care for them.

I implore you to do what you can to help Ms. Alexander, to show kindness and compassion and to do simply what is right.


Yours sincerely,


Susanna A Bellino, London, UK


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : PLEASE FIND IT IN YOUR OWN HEART

 



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I hope this email finds you in good health. 

I am writing to you, along with many others, to ask for your support in helping to reunite Beth Alexander with her twin boys. 

As a mother to two boys I cannot even imagine how they, or I would cope without being with each other each day, week and month. Not only that but I know with all my heart that my husband would never want to deprive our boys of a loving family, especially a relationship with me, no matter what the circumstances. 

Beth is a kind, caring, loving human and I have followed her story for the last ten years with a heart full of love and hope for her and her wonderful family.

Beth and I are distantly related as her Aunt was married to my Uncle before they passed. They both spoke of her with affection and pride for the amazing woman she is. 

Please find it in your own heart to help resolve these terrible circumstances so the twins can receive all the love of their mother and her family for every day of their lives!


Yours sincerely,


Emma Wisnia



Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : MASSIVE CHILLUL HASHEM

 



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr Deutsch,

I am writing to you to ask for your help in the case of Beth Alexander. It's truly heart breaking to read the facts of this case. Please support Beth in reuniting her with her sons. No mother should be denied her rights to see their children, especially in this case where Beth has been proved to be sane, able and capable. 

This is really a massive Chillul Hashem.  


Kind regards 


Rachel Varley 

Manchester, England

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : IT'S BEEN 10 LONG YEARS

 



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

Is it worth writing to you? Do you really read these messages?

I would like to ask you to help Beth Alexander a good Jewish Mother who wants to be Reunited with her Twin Sons.

I am a Jewish Mother and Grandmother I have 5 wonderful children. My eldest two are Twins and have 5 Beautiful Grandchildren . I am telling you this as an ordinary person who is begging you to help get Beth Reunited so she can be with her Twins who she Carried for 9 months who nurtured them till they were cruelly taken off her.

She and their grandparents should be at their Barmitzvah, the Proudest moment of a mother's life. You can help with this as a Jewish man and maybe a father and Grandfather yourself. I am from Manchester England and the Austrian Jewish Community should be ashamed of turning a blind eye to this. I am pleading with you as many others who are following Beth HELP HER DONT IGNORE HER REUNITE HER WITH HER BOYS ITS BEEN 10 LONG YEARS OF TRYING PLEASE PLEASE HAVE A HEART. As a Human being as a man of Compassion she is just a mum that wants her children is that so wrong?


Yours Sincerely


Roz Shaw


Thank You


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : TSUNAMI OF VOICES FROM ALL OVER THE WORLD

 


o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


Dear Mr Deutsch,

Reading about your background and many achievements, it is obvious you are a man who has accomplished much during your career, both in the Jewish and the wider community. You have also won the respect of many, and as a leader would have had to deal with many conflicts, hearing diverse opinions and having to make difficult decisions.

Perhaps none is more challenging than the situation that Beth finds herself in, deprived of the boys she loves for their entire childhood. Miscarriages of justice happen, and mostly we are powerless to do anything about them. Recently however, the amount of people who have become aware of this particular miscarriage within the Viennese Jewish community has grown into a tsunami of voices from all over the world.

There is certainly power in numbers, but even more power resides in the President of the Vienna Jewish community. This is your Churchill moment: you can rise to the challenge and use your influence to restore the boys to their loving, caring and highly intelligent Jewish mother, or you can choose to stand idly by.

By rising to the challenge, you will redress a terrible wrong, which contravenes all the tenets of Judaism, where the woman has a vital role in the upbringing of the children of the marriage. Undoubtedly the father is important, but children brought up without a mother often suffer life-long problems, especially if they are lead to believe that the mother was uncaring or unfit. Both parents are important, and no just person would deny them a part in the nurturing of their children.

Even more devastating is that two innocent boys, Sammy and Benji, have been torn away from the woman most connected to them, their mother, and their human rights denied.

 Please, Mr Deutsch, take courage, step up and let your voice be heard. Not only will you restore justice to Beth, but your action  may well ameliorate  the plight of anguished parents everywhere who have been unfairly alienated from their children.


Rarely does the opportunity arise to be a hero. This is your moment!


Pam Hopf

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : SEE THE ERROR OF ITS WAYS

 




o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


Dear Mr. Deutsch, 

I met Beth Alexander in 1999 at the International Bible Contest. We have been in touch on and off ever since. I have been absolutely appalled by the circumstances in which she and her boys find themselves, where they are not allowed to see each other at all and barely speak. To my understanding, the Austrian community has closed ranks around the father and completely refused to help bring this situation to a just and logical conclusion, one in the best interests of all parties and not just one.  

Since I met Beth at a Bible Competition, I will use a bible analogy. When Austria received Beth as a guest, they should have received her as did Avraham Avinu, with open arms and generous hearts.  Instead, it seems like she was treated more like the 2 angels who went to Sodom.  Thankfully no blood was shed, but as a mother I can attest that having your children literally ripped from your arms is akin to having your soul ripped in half. I truly hope that the Viennese community, with you at its head, will see the error of its ways and work with Beth to reunite her with her sons and to undo the terrible wrong that has been perpetrated against her and her sons.


Thank you

Carolyn Gehr

Montreal, Canada


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : LOOKING AT YOU AND YOUR COMMUNITY WITH HORROR

 



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


Oskar Deutsch,

Jewish communities all over the world are looking at you and your community with horror. What a cold as ice, and uncompassionate bunch you all are! Just standing by, and doing nothing to stop this injustice of a mother being torn from her babies. This campaign is just at the start, and will not stop until Beth and her children are reunited.

You live in a Country that not so long ago was complicit under the Nazi era, in the separation of Jewish children from their parents.


Think about that!

Leah Borkin


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : AUSTRIAN COMMUNITY TO CORRECT THEIR WAYS



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


Mr Deutsch,

This has gone on too long, I implore you to reverse the terrible injustice that has prevented Beth from having contact with her sons. It is time for the Austrian community to correct their ways before even more damage is inflicted.

We know Beth wants the best for her children and see no reason why she has been denied a relationship with them. Who can possibly think this is in their best interests? 

Leora Zackon


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : FOR THE SAKE OF TWO INNOCENT CHILDREN




o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


Dear Mr Deutsch,

I will keep this short as I realise you may be receiving many messages. Please understand this is purely for the sake of two innocent children and not an attempt to bombard or intimidate. 

When Sammy and Benji Schlesinger are one day reunited with their mother, and are old enough to want to understand, they will no doubt ask how this situation unfolded and who fought for their basic right to have a mother. What will you tell them?

It is not too late for this horrific injustice to be corrected. I am writing from Melbourne, Australia. Jewish communities worldwide are urging you and your community to do the right thing for the sake of two innocent children. 


Yours sincerely,


Helene Ross


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : GONE ON FOR FAR TOO LONG


 


o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Sehr geehrter Herr Deutsch,

I am writing to you to express my concern at the tragic situation faced by Beth Alexander, in that she has been seeking access to her children for over a decade.

I am sure that you are well aware of the situation, which has unfortunately gone on for far too long, without any resolution in sight.

I write to you in the spirit of asking for you and the IKG - Austrian Jewish Community to do whatever you can in order to bring this tragic situation to a speedy and just resolution for both Beth and her sons, who are now in their Barmitzvah year.

I have been friends with Beth for several years, and I know her to be a responsible, capable, intelligent, caring and loving individual. She deserves, as it be the right of every mother, to be reunited with her sons.


I thank you for your time and consideration. 


Mit freundlichen Grüßen,


Asher Harrison J. Bar-Shimon

London NW4 4RJ

United Kingdom


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : THIS IS NOT GOING TO GO AWAY



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Oskar Deutsch,

I am writing re the case of Beth Alexander/Schlesinger custody issue.

I have known Beth for many many years and in fact went to her wedding.

I have watched by, horrified at what has happened to what I know to be a lovely person. It is so wrong on so many levels, not least for the children.

By your lack of action, you have continued to deny these children the experience and nurture of a loving mother, stunting their development, enabling the father to drip feed and manipulate them for his own benefit against their mother. In essence you are contributing to the destruction of the children's and their mothers future by doing absolutely nothing! What an utter disgrace!

It is so completely wrong on multiple levels. You have the power to change this. This is not going to go away, and Beth and her many supporters will carry on fighting, and it will get harder and harder for you to ignore this. We will not relent. She has thousands of supporters now and it is increasing.


Please help Beth reunite with her children.


DO THE RIGHT THING!!!!


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : WITH THE WORLD WATCHING


 


o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch,

As a leader of the Vienna Jewish Community, and with the world watching, I am writing from Israel to ask you to please do everything in your power to assist Beth Alexander to be reunited with her two young sons living in your community.

As you know, this travesty of justice began a decade ago, and it will not end until a loving and devastated Jewish mother torn from her children, is reunited with them. I have confidence that you can use your influence to make this happen.


Praying for a happy and swift end to this heart-rending case.


Tamar Wisemon

B'hatzlacha!

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : JEWISH COMMUNITY IN VIENNA IS NOT A POSITIVE ONE

 



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


Dear Mr. Deutsch,

Please help Beth Alexander. I have been following Beth’s trauma for over a decade now and the situation needs to change. No child should grow up without knowing his mother. You, as the President of the Viennese Jewish community, have the power to change this.

The Schlesinger twins need to spend quality time with their mother – freely – they need to get to know her again, they need their mother’s love. Please use your contacts and familiarity with the community to allow Beth to be with her boys again. Please put the past behind and look forward, there is still time to make this better. Please do not wait - each day that passes is another day wasted, another day of heartbreak for Beth and for her boys (whether they are aware of it or not).

Please give Beth the chance to be a mother to the twins, please give the boys a chance to have more love in their lives and be with their mother. This pain needs to stop.

The Jewish community needs to step up and help. At the moment the view of the Jewish community in Vienna is not a positive one at all, the Jewish community needs to change this and you as their leader need to show them how. Please arrange for Beth to have quality time with her sons now and from now on.


Good luck!

Naomi Kresh, Israel

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : GRAVE INJUSTICE



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


Herr Deutsch,

צֶ֥דֶק צֶ֖דֶק תִּרְדֹּ֑ף

As a person of influence within the Austrian Jewish community, and as President of the IKG, I write to ask you to support Beth Alexander so that she can be reunited with her sons.  

As a mother, I can't imagine the pain of being separated from my child. And as an adult child, I can't imagine the pain of realizing I'd been taken away from my mother.

I beg you to do anything you can to help Beth in this grave injustice.

This will surely hasten the coming of Moshiach.


Yours sincerely,


Rosie


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : TERRIBLE REFLECTION OF THE STANDARDS OF THE AUSTRIAN LEGAL SYSTEM



o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


Dear Mr Deutsch,

I write concerning the case of Beth Alexander being denied any contact with her sons. 

The situation Beth has found herself in is complex and heart-breaking, but the basic facts are simple: a loving and devoted mother is being denied the opportunity to fill her boys’ hearts and minds with the love and security that is essential to sustain them in their lives ahead. Instead, her beautiful sons have been placed under the custody of a father who cannot, or will not, see the untold damage that he is causing by depriving them of a relationship with their mother. In short, they are under the care of a man who chooses to prioritise his own ego and sense of entitlement over their well-being. 

That this situation has arisen at all, is a terrible reflection of the standards of the Austrian legal system. Sadly, it appears that you and your community are complicit in this travesty - supporting the selfish wishes of the father before considering the needs of his children and thereby depriving them of the opportunity to be nurtured, guided and supported by a wonderful loving mother. 

As leader of your community, you can help. I ask that you please use the influence you have to help rectify this awful miscarriage of justice.


Many thanks,


Rhona Goldberg


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : IT IS INCUMBENT ON YOU


o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


[Lisa Joseph has already sent multiple emails to Mr Deutsch but has yet to receive any response. See here and here.]


Dear Mr Deutsch

I know you are receiving a lot of mail about Beth Alexander and thought I would give you some practical steps as you are hopefully now fully aware of the situation and that a miscarriage of justice has occurred in your community.

Reach out to Beth Alexander and tell her you will be supporting her right as a mother to be with her children.

Call on your community member Michael Schlesinger and tell him you will not tolerate his abusive behaviour towards his ex-wife and children.

Announce to the Vienna Jewish community that anyone who has backed Michael Schlesinger's lies, made up stories for him or has hidden the truth due to fear, MUST NOW SPEAK UP. They are doing the entire community a tremendous disservice by staying silent, as well as perpetuating this continuing evil. You can assure people their testimony can be in confidence if they are worried about backlash from the Schlesingers.

Speak to UK Chief Rabbi Mirvis, who supports Beth and can advise you on what can be done halachically in the community to ensure the truth is outed.

Finally, make sure the world knows that you will be doing everything you can to fix this. It is incumbent on you to take this responsibility and lead the way to justice.  There are plenty of people ready to back you with advice, support, backstory etc if you need it.


Lisa Joseph,UK


Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : I PERSONALLY AM SO DISGUSTED

 


o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch

I don't personally know you, but am surprised that was a President of a Jewish community, you are letting Austria and the Jewish community there get such a bad name.

One of the first things I learnt in my Jewish life was ואהבת לרעך כמוך. Love your friend like yourself. Would you let this happen to any of your family/friends?

I am sure you are familiar with the sad unfair treatment of Beth Schlesinger (Alexander) whose twin son's at the age of two, were unfairly taken from her by her ex husband Michael Schlesinger. Despite the paramedic and the police at the time vouching for Beth's sanity!

It isn't normal for children to be taken from their mother (or denied access to her or grandparents). 

I am sure you realize what damage this does to a child 

Sammy and Benji are going to be Barmitzva in May. Before this event happens they need to be reunited with their mother Beth.

Beth is a loving, caring person who is getting support from many people including members of the British Government and the British Chief Rabbi - Ephraim Mirvis.

In every court of law, world wide (unless there are valid reasons, which in this case there isn't) a mother is given the children. I personally am so disgusted by what has happened to Beth, I would no way want my children, grandchildren or anyone I know marry somebody from Vienna (your community).

Please intervene, get your community involved and get Beth reunited with her son's before irreversible damage is done!


Thank you

Gita Kramer

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : wird nicht ruhen, bis diese beiden Jungen wieder mit ihrer Mutter vereint sind



 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at


Sehr geehrter Herr Deutsch,

Als ehemalige Wienerin wende ich mich heute an Sie um für eine jüdische Mutter und Kinder zu appelieren.

Als Frau die in Wien geboren und aufgewachsen ist, als ehemalige Schülerin der ZPC Schule, weiß ich aus erster Hand dass die jüdische Gemeinde in Wien das Wohlbefinden ihrer Kinder sehr ernst nimmt und priorisiert. 

Deshalb kann ich nicht verstehen wie es möglich ist, dass die selbe Gemeinschaft in der ich aufgewachesn bin, es toleriert dass zwei kleine Buben, Sammy und Benji Schlesinger, ohne ihre Mutter aufwachsen. 

Herr Deutsch, als Präsident der Gemeinde, appeliere ich an Sie dass nicht zuzulassen, und stattdessen alles in Ihrer Kraft zu tun um diesen Missbrauch der Justiz zu korrigieren. 

Herr Deutsch, sie sind ein Jude und ein Vater. Beth Alexander ist unsere jüdische Schwester, und eine Mutter. Benji und Sammy sind zwei jüdische Kinder. Als Mutter kann ich nicht schalfen wenn ich an Beth, Benji und Sammy denke. Ich hoffe dass auch Sie, Herr Deutsch, und die ganze jüdische Gemeinde in Wien, nicht ruhen werden, bis diese zwei Buben wieder mit ihrer Mutter vereint sind. 

Fur mich ist die Not einer Mutter und ihrer Kinder leider auch sehr persönlich. Ich wohne schon über zwanzig Jahre in Amerika (New Jersey) und war mit einem Amerikanischen Mann verheiratet, der hier die ganze Familie und Verbindungen hatte, während ich hier die Auslanderin war. Ich hätte mir als naives Mädchen in Wien nie vorstellen können dass religiöse Juden (nicht Nazis oder islamische Terroristen) zu solch unmenschlicher Grausamkeit fähig wären, die ich leider in meiner Ehe und Scheidung miterelebt habe. 

Was noch viel ärger war als die Gräueltaten die ich ertragen musste, war das Schweigen oder die Komplizenschaft der Umstehenden. Wie Eli Wiesel so berühmt sagte: "Neutralität hilft dem Unterdrücker, niemals dem Opfer. Schweigen ermutigt den Peiniger, niemals den Gequälten". Ich weiss dass (genauso wie bei den Schrecken des Holocaust) man sich solche Sachen sehr schwer vorstellen kann wenn man sie nicht selbst erlebt hat, und das dass oft zu Schweigen, Gleichgültigkeit und falscher Neutralität führt. Aber man kann lernen und es besser machen, und es ist nie zu spät. 

Herr Deutsch, ich appeliere an Sie, als ehemalige Wienerin, die leider hier in Amerika als Ausländerin ähnliche Gräueltaten wie Beth überlebt habe: Bitte tun sie als Präsident der Gemeinde das Richtige und Menschliche. Es ist nicht zu spät, und es ist nie zu spät, das Richtige zu tun. 

Es gibt nur einen Grund warum Benji und Sammy keine Mutter haben, obwohl sie am Leben ist (als lebende Leiche die nicht wiklich leben kann ohne ihre Kinder - was Sie sicherlich als Vater gut vorstellen können). Der einzige Grund ist in diesem Falle der Vater, dessen ganzes Lebensziel es ist, die Mutter seiner Kinder grausam zu bestrafen, und dessen Kinder einfach die Schachfiguren sind um dieses Ziel zu erreichen. Bitte lassen Sie das nicht zu. Solange Michael Schlesinger das alles ohne Konsequenzen von der Gemeinde machen kann, ist die ganze Gemeinde ein Teil des Problems. Die jüdische Gemeinde auf der ganzen Welt wirft momentan einen verurteilten Blick auf das Wien meiner Jugend. Bitte, korriegieren Sie dieses Unrecht. Bitte verwenden Sie Ihre Macht und Verbindungen in Wien um den persönlichen Holocaust von Beth, Benji und Sam endlich zu beenden. 

Ich hoffe auf gute Nachrichten und Danke Ihnen im Voraus für Ihre Bemühungen.



Translation:

Dear Mr. Deutsch,


As a former Vienna woman, I turn to you today to appeal for a Jewish mother and children.


As a woman who was born and raised in Vienna, as a former student of the ZPC school, I know first hand that the Jewish community in Vienna takes the well-being of their children very seriously and prio Rise up.


This is why I can't understand how it is possible that the same community I woke up in tolerating two little boys, Sammy and Benji Schlesinger, growing up without their mother.


Mr. Deutsch, as the president of the municipality, I appeal to you not to allow it, and instead do everything in your power to correct this abuse of justice.


Mr. Deutsch, they are a Jew and a father. Beth Alexander is our Jewish sister, and a mother. Benji and Sammy are two Jewish children. As a mother I can't sleep thinking of Beth, Benji and Sammy. I hope that you too, Mr. Deutsch, and the entire Jewish community in Vienna, will not rest until these two boys are reunited with their mother.


Unfortunately, the need of a mother and her children is also very personal to me. I've lived in America for over twenty years and was married to an American man who had all the family and connections here while I was the foreigner. As a naive girl in Vienna, I could never have imagined that religious Jews (not nazis or Islamic terrorists) were capable of such inhumane cruelty that I unfortunately experienced in my marriage and divorce.


What was much more annoying than the atrocities I had to endure was the silence or the complicity of the survivors. As Eli Wiesel famously said, "Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim." Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormentor." I know that (just like with the horrors of the Holocaust) it is very difficult to imagine such things if you have not experienced them yourself, and that often leads to silence, indifference and false neutrality. But you can learn and do better, and it's never too late.


Mr. Deutsch, I appeal to you, as a former Vienna woman, who unfortunately survived similar atrocities here in America as a foreigner as Beth: Please do the right and humane thing as the president of the community. It's not too late, and it's never too late to do the right thing.


There's only one reason why Benji and Sammy don't have a mother, although she's alive (as a living corpse who can't live wikky without their children - which you certainly can imagine well as a father). The only reason in this case is the father whose whole life goal is to punish the mother of his children brutally, and whose children are simply the chess figures to achieve that goal. Please don't let this happen. As long as Michael Schlesinger can do all this without consequences from the community, the whole community is part of the problem.


The Jewish community around the world is currently taking a condemned look at the Vienna of my youth. Please, correct this injustice. Please use your power and connections in Vienna to finally end Beth, Benji and Sam's personal Holocaust.


Hoping for good news and thank you in advance for your efforts.



Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : I WRITE TO YOU IN GOOD FAITH


 


o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch

I write to you in good faith, wishing you and your community good health and that you should each be blessed with fulfilling lives to live in peace. 

I hope you can help to bring that peace and fulfilment to Beth who has been without her boys for so long it’s unimaginable. As a mother I cannot fathom the torture it must be for her to be forced into this separation and the detrimental impact on the children being torn from their mother for so long. Being deprived of the love and nurture of a parent is not healthy in any way for the children where that love and support is available. 

I ask you, as a leader of the community, that you stand up and fight for the sake of the children who are a part of your community and their future which is your community’s future. I ask you, as a human, with feelings, with love, with compassion that you can help to reunite Beth with her boys and allow them the access to all her love and mothering so they can grow to live their lives fulfilled and not look back and see how they were deprived of the care and nurturing that their community should have allowed them to have. 

I beseech you to really look deeply and find the truth, ask for Hashem's help to lead your community on the path to do what is best for the boys and allow their mother into their lives. 

I send you my blessings that Hashem leads you along with the community to bring this joy to the boys and Beth and by reflection much joy to the community and the wider Jewish world.

May this be a building block to hasten the Moshiach. 


Best wishes,


Mrs L sykes

London


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