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

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : DENIED A LOVING AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THEIR MOTHER

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch

I am emailing you regarding the tragic custody case of the Schlesinger family. It seems that it is a case of history repeating itself since Michael Schlesinger was denied contact with his father after his parents divorced, and now his children are bring denied a loving and close relationship with their mother.

Please put pressure on the Austrian Jewish community to do the right thing and to help a caring loving mother have regular and frequent access to her sons. The community should do everything they can to ostracise Michael and his mother for their wrongdoings. The United Kingdom have the best legal system in the world and this case would NEVER have had this outcome in the UK.

Just as communities pressurise men who refuse to give a 'get', for example ensure they never enter a shul, so should the community put the same amount of pressure on narcissistic people like Michael Schlesinger and his mother who have willingly denied these children of their basic human rights to have the best possible relationship with their mother.

Yours sincerely 

Chava Silverman 

Edgware, United Kingdom 

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : HISTORY AND HASHEM WILL JUDGE YOU

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear President Deutsch

Will you be like Rabbi Mirvis in the UK who embodies the commandment to pursue justice at any cost? Will you show the rest of the world that there is indeed an influential voice in the Viennese Jewish Community who will bravely stand up for what is right, and grant Beth Alexander her children?

Or will you remain - like your peers in Vienna - a coward who does the bidding of the wealthy and/or influential families who have abused Beth by proxy for too long?

History and Hashem will judge you.

Yaffa Finkelstein

Ra'anana, Israel

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : CRUELTY OF SUCH MAGNITUDE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I studied at Cambridge University with Beth Alexander. I shared in the joy of her marriage and courageous move to Vienna in pursuit of love. And I shared, together with all the Anglo-Jewish community, in the unfolding horror of her separation from her sons. 

We know that the crime of separating tiny children from their mother could not be carried out by one person alone. We know that the legal system bear much responsibility in this. But we know as well that the Jewish community lives and breathes as one, and that no cruelty of this magnitude could be perpetuated within it for so many years if the community leadership stood up against it.

Please show some concern for your fellow Jews. Please take a stand against the alienation of Beth, a good, loving mother, from her children. 

Thank you for your attention.

Yours sincerely,

Jessica Sacks.

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : SHOCKED

 

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 twin sons who are living with their father in the Vienna Jewish Community. 

Tonight I had yahrzeit for my late mother who volunteered for 70 years for WIZO. She was also a member of the Chief Rabbi’s Women in the Community committee in the UK, together with the wonderful late  Lord Rabbi Jonathan Sacks. When I lit the candle for my mother, I said a prayer for Beth and her sons. As a grandma of twins I can’t imagine the heartache that Beth and her family have been going through for so many years. 

How can any Jewish religious leaders or leaders and members of a Jewish community let this continue? My mother Shirley Berwin zl would be horrified to think that after all her hard work as Life Vice President of WIZO UK that a Jewish community could let this be happening in 2022. 

Please please do what you can to help this appalling situation and help Beth be reunited with her sons. She has already missed out on far too many years of their lives and they have missed out on having contact with their own mother,

Beth’s plight is being made public again after many of us were sure that she must have been reunited with her sons years ago. It is being publicised in the world media and on social media. Be assured that thousands of people including the Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and many esteemed politicians are 100% behind Beth. 

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

Sincerely 

Anne Bechar

Israel

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : DENIED THE RIGHT OF EVERY MOTHER

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I'm writing on behalf of Beth Alexander who has been fighting to regain access to her children.

I've known Beth for 20 years since we went to the same high school. Although I was a few years below her she was always sweet, quiet, dignified, and well liked in the school.

As a young mother myself now my heart goes out to her as she is being denied the right of every mother to see her own children and form a relationship with them.

We, as a community, beg you to intercede on her behalf and bring her suffering to a close.

Regards

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : I AM BEGGING ON BEHALF OF A DEVASTATED MOTHER

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Shalom,

I am emailing to respectfully request that you take a look at the situation with the Schlesinger twins and their parents with a set of fresh, objective eyes.

I understand that there are many sides to a story and many viewpoints. However, I can not understand how a mother with no history of physical or mentally abusing her children could be ripped from her children and refused any contact whatsoever. What could possibly warrant such a severe punishment? I am begging, on behalf of a devastated mother, to please reassess the Jewish community's stance on this matter.

Respectfully,

Aliza Mayer

United States

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : IST DIE INTERNATIONALE JÜDISCHE GEMEINSCHAFT EMPÖRT ÜBER DAS UNRECHT

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Lieber Rabbiner Engelmayer, sehr geehrter Herr Deutsch

Wie Sie vielleicht schon gehört haben, ist die internationale jüdische Gemeinschaft empört über das Unrecht, was Beth Alexander angetan wurde.

Natürlich kenne ich nicht die genauen Details. Aber es gibt keinen Grund, ausser in sehr extremen Fällen, die Kinder von ihrer Mutter zu trennen. Einige meiner Freunde kennen Beth und schätzen sie für Ihre Freundlichkeit, Intelligenz und Mut.

Ich selbst bin Familienvater und bitte Sie inständig, Erbarmen mit Beth und ihren Kindern zu haben und Ihren Einfluss auf Michael Schlesinger geltend zu machen, damit er das einzig Menschliche und Richtige tut: Beth soll ihren Kindern eine Mutter sein dürfen.

Mit besten Grüssen

Jechezkel Frank

Zürich

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : STAINS ON YOUR COMMUNITY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am writing to you to express my concern over the plight of Beth Alexander.

As I'm sure you are aware, Beth has been separated from her sons for over a decade. No good reason has been given. This case is a serious miscarriage of justice that stains the reputation of your community.

As the president of the Vienna Jewish community, I implore you to put pressure on Mr Schlesinger so that he will allow Beth to be reunited with her boys without further delay.

Every loving mother deserves access to her children and all children should be given the opportunity to build a relationship with their mother.

Yours sincerely,

Rachel Alper

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : IMPLORING YOU TO INTERVENE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch

I am emailing you from England to implore you to intervene to allow Beth Alexander full access to her sons, Sammy and Benjy Schlesinger.

Kind regards

Tracey Yardley

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : TRUE HONEST CHESHBON HANEFESH

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch,

I have followed the story of these children for many years now. It is a truly heart-breaking situation. 

You are the leaders of your community and have the power to change the situation.

I have a simple question to ask you and all those in a position of authority in your community. Are you confident and comfortable that Ad 120 when you stand before your Creator and are asked if you acted in the best interests of these children you will be able to hold your heads up and say YES we honestly and genuinely considered what was best for these children? 

If cannot say this then there are two options: 

1. You don’t care – Oops. There is still time…. 

2. You haven’t fully considered it – in which case, I suggest you sit in a quiet room, consider and act accordingly. 

I genuinely pray for the sake of all the Neshamot involved that you make a true honest cheshbon hanefesh and act accordingly. 

Yours sincerely 

Irene Friedman 

Jerusalem

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : SHOW TRUE LEADERSHIP

 o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch,

My name is David Orenstein and I am from Israel originally from England.

I have known Beth Alexander since the age of 9 years old when my family moved from London to Manchester and I went to school with Beth. As a teenager, I was a joint madrich with Beth in Bnei Akiva, where we were personally challenged to lead a group of extremely rowdy young boys whilst still instilling within them meaning and a strong Jewish identity. I was always amazed how Beth, who was softly spoken could lead with love and care showing passion and true emotional intellect. Tools she had from a young age that would only be finer tuned to being a caring mother, dedicated to her children.

Unfortunately and painfully Beth has been denied this by a member of your community. As a medical professional as well as a citizen of Israel I have painfully seen too many times, cases where children have been denied a parent due to succumbing to illness or even worse been taken due to terrorism, and I have also seen the equally and possibly more tragic opposite where a parent has lost a child. I have also seen terrible effects of a bad divorce on children, torn in a battle not based on their best interests. I have learned first-hand that in all of these occurrences it is not sufficient to leave the families to "deal with it" internally, but its the responsibility of the community to get involved to make sure that all those involved are given their due rights, especially as those closest decisions are effected due to personal involvement. Children shouldn't be denied the love and access of a parent and visa versa, to many children and parents don't have that option, in the case of Beth with Sammy and Benjy, they do have the option, but that's unfairly in the controlling hands of your community member.

I call and turn to you as a leader, whether it's by choice or forced on you, to show true leadership in a difficult situation, and get involved for the sake of Beth, Sammy, and Benjy.

Please feel free to reach out with any assistance you might need.

Kind regards,

David Orenstein

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : WORLD JEWRY IS WAITING TO SEE WHAT YOU DO NEXT

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

As President of the Vieneese 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

Vikki Goldstein

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : THE TRUTH NEEDS TO COME OUT

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr Deutsch,

I am writing as a friend of Beth Alexander, the mother of Samuel and Benjamin Schlesinger, who are now twelve years old and living in Vienna. Please will you do everything in your power to ensure that the facts are made clear in the story of how Beth was refused access to her sons. As I understand, decisions were made in Austrian courts that flew in the face of evidence that supported Beth's assertion that she was and remains a loving and conscientious mother. In order to achieve justice for her sons, the truth needs to come out. There needs to be an explanation as to why the court decision appears to have given more weight to very flimsy evidence supporting the boys' father's claim that their mother must be kept away from her sons. 

We cannot undo the past, but we can work for a better future. It cannot be good for the boys to be deprived of access to half of their family. Our communities, and the authorities, need to come together, so that a plan can be made for everyone to work in the best interests of these boys. 

Many thanks, best wishes,

Leonora

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : UNJUST PARENTAL ALIENATION

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch, 

I understand that you are aware of Beth's case at this point. I hope you can see that the multitude of messages are our best attempt to help Beth from afar. I believe that there must be some way to resolve her awful situation and that this is the first step forwards. 

As a mother of a 2 year old myself, my heart breaks for Beth having been separated from her children at such a vulnerable age. It is clear that Beth's goal is to give her children the best upbringing she can in a healthy home. This campaign is happening now, at a point where these boys are reaching teenage-hood, since it is clear that having their mother in their lives will be crucial for their healthy, stable development. 

I believe that with the right pressure, the custody decision can be re-examined. The Jewish community has a strong influence, and I ask that you do whatever is in your power to exert pressure for this to happen. I cannot imagine that the Jewish community would want to be held as complicit in continuing this unjust parental alienation. 

I am grateful in advance for all you can do to help. It is not too late for this horrific injustice to be corrected. I am writing from Israel as a fellow Jew trying to help a mother who has been struggling without communal support these past ten years. Jewish communities worldwide are urging you and your community to do the right thing for the sake of two innocent children. 

Best wishes,

Abi Cheirif

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : I WROTE TO YOU YESTERDAY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch

Yesterday I wrote to you regarding the horrendous travesty that has occurred in your community, with one of your own, Michael Shlesinger, abusing his children Sammy and Benji by withholding them from their mother.

I hope you will be taking the matter seriously, as thousands of others are.

You are in a position to uncover the lies and corruption that brought this situation about.  Make the Jewish community in Vienna aware that they are perpetuating a terrible evil by continuing to cover up lies and deception of Michael Shlesinger.  Anyone who stood by his lies now needs to come forward and admit there has been a wilful corruption of justice in court.  Make it known that the Jews that have allowed this to happen are an accessory to this evil.

Please, step forward and do your utmost to fix this twisted situation.  The world needs to see the Jews in Vienna stand up for what is right, and at this point, more and more people around the world are realising there is a serious problem in Vienna.

Lisa Joseph, UK

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : MY HEART BREAKS FOR BETH

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch

I followed the story of Beth Alexander some years ago. I was particularly taken with it, as my own son is the same age. When I didn't hear for some time about the case, I assumed her beautiful boys had been rightfully returned to their mother. 

 

As I watch my own 12 year old son grow and reach teen-hood, approaching barmitzvah age, my heart breaks for Beth for all the milestones she has missed and is missing out on. Whilst her twins may not be babies or even toddlers any more, there are still so many stages of their growing up that are passing her by. That is totally devastating and no mother should ever have to endure this pain of separation.

As mothers we birth these children, we physically bring these wonderful human beings into the world and having them ripped away is just plain and simple inhumane.

As a man that holds such a position as yours in the community, please show your people what true compassion is. Show them that wrongs can be corrected, and you can help Beth to fill the giant void in her arms. 

Thank you, 

Ruth Corré 

Israel (formally of London)

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : BITTE TUN SIE ETWAS, UM ZU HELFEN

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Sehr geehrter Herr Deutsch,

ich lernte Beth in Wien kennen, als ich eine ähnliche Situation mit dem Gericht durchmachte. Glücklicherweise erkannte die Richterin, dass mein Ex-Mann völlig falsche Anschuldigungen über meine psychische Gesundheit machte, und meine Kinder wurden mir nach sechs Wochen zurückgegeben, und ich erhielt sofort das alleinige Sorgerecht.

Diese sechs Wochen ohne meine Kinder waren die schlimmsten Wochen in meinem Leben. Ich kann mir nicht vorstellen, wie es Beth nach Jahren ohne ihre Söhne geht.

Bitte tun Sie etwas, um zu helfen.

Mit bestem dank und freundlichen Grüssen

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : REUNITING BETH WITH HER BOYS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

REUNITING BETH WITH HER BOYS

Dear Oskar Deutsch,

We are beseeching you to get involved in helping Beth to be reunited with her sons who are  due to be barmitzvah very soon. She has had to endure years of being separated from her sons through a miscarriage of justice in the Austrian courts & also through Chabad in Austria who have shown allegiance to the father against the mother who has never done anything other than love her sons & want to care for them as is a mother’s right. Please can you exercise your position of power in the community to research this case & bring the truth to a different set of judges & Chabad leaders who have not been persuaded by people who have managed to sway them against an innocent mother. 

If you read the true history of this case you will find it impossible to find against Beth.

Many thanks & hoping to hear some positive good news very soon.

Jennifer Hyman

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : HORRIFIED

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Oskar Deutch,

I am horrified that Beth Alexander's ordeal is still ongoing and plead with you to do whatever is in your power to remedy the situation in any way possible.  Beth has suffered a terrible miscarriage of justice and has been denied first custody and then even visitation rights.  She is known by all as a wonderful person and there  is no justification whatsoever for the courts to have stolen her children from her.  Any pressure that the community can put on the father and the school would be most appreciated and bowing to such an immoral court ruling is itself immoral. 

Best,

Lea Colton Maruvka

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : WOULD YOUR WIFE/MOTHER/DAUGHTER THINK THE CURRENT ARRANGEMENT IS SUITABLE?

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Oskar Deutsch

I hope you are well.

I have read some recent newspaper articles in the international press about the case of the Schlesinger twin boys who are approaching their batmitzvah age.

My wife and daughter were quite alarmed that Beth, their mother, has been denied any reasonable contact with her sons.

Would your wife/mother/daughter think the current arrangement is suitable?

I personally would think it wrong to deny a mother of two small boys reasonable contact.

I believe that tens of thousands of people in the UK, including the Chief Rabbi, have expressed dismay at the current situation, which clearly needs to be resolved.

My wife and I visited Vienna in 2011 and found the Vienna Jewish community to be friendly and vibrant, but unfortunately this situation has cast a very shadow over our memories of the city.

Happy to discuss further with you at an agreeable time. 

Kind regards

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : A PLEA

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am writing to add my support for Beth Alexander (formerly Schlesinger), and to plead for your help for her children, Benji and Sammy Schlesinger of Vienna.

I have known Beth since Cambridge, and was present both when Michael Schlesinger first asked her for a date and at their wedding. The Beth I know is a sweet, loving woman who does not deserve to be separated from her children.

When Beth got married, my own parents were getting divorced. For many years, one of my parents unfortunately manipulated me against the other. This caused lasting harm to my relationships with both parents, as well as to my own sense of self.

My case is nowhere near as extreme as Benji and Sammy's, and I can barely imagine the mental damage that has already been done to them by their estrangement from their mother, Beth. If they are to have any chance to recover and to live as healthy adults, they must be at least allowed to heal their relationship with Beth and her side of their family.  

I do not know much about you other than that you are the leader of the Vienna kehilla. I also do not know what pressure is being put on community members behind the scene to turn a blind eye to what is happening here. However, I do know that true leadership means taking a risk and stepping out of one's comfort zone to create change. A few weeks ago, the midrash spoke of Nachshon ben Amminadav showing leadership by stepping into the Yam Suf before it parted. Your own namesake, Oskar Schindler, put his life on the line time and again to save Jews during the Shoah.

Benji and Sammy will soon be bar mitzvah. As leader of the community, if there is anything you can humanly do to allow Beth and her family to attend the bar mitzvah and become part of their lives again, now is the time to act.

Kind regards

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : PUT A STOP TO THIS MADNESS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

As a member of the orthodox Jewish community in the UK, I have been following the case of Beth Alexander and her dear sons Sammy and Benjy with great trepidation.  I believe that the scale of the injustice, and the increasing public attention this is getting, is a stain on the Viennese Jewish community – a tremendous chillul hashem caused by those involved in the appalling treatment that Beth has received thus far.  

Anyone who knows Beth cannot fail to be touched by the love that she has for her dear children. It is also obvious to all who know her that Beth is extremely intelligent and a highly capable mother. It is sickening beyond belief that anyone could think to use these young lives as pawns to spite another. It is even more sickening that this appears to have been done without any regard whatsoever for the welfare of the children. I cannot comprehend why the Jewish community of Vienna have not spoken out about this to a greater extent.  

As we approach the boys’ bar mitzvah years, it behooves us all to do whatever we can to put a stop to this madness and allow Beth to be involved in the children’s upbringing.  I am sure you will agree that a mother plays a unique role in a child’s life, and that this must only be denied as a last resort and in the most extreme adverse circumstances. Anyone with a modicum of intelligence can see that this does not apply in Beth's case.

Can we count on you in your position of leadership to stand shoulder to shoulder with Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis and with the various politicians who share the concerns outlined, and do what you can to support the welfare of two young boys and the basic human rights of Beth Alexander?

I eagerly await your response.

Yours sincerely

Stuart Braverman

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : HATE EVIL AND LOVE GOOD

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

"Hate evil and love good, and establish justice in the gate… Let justice well up like water, righteousness like an unfailing stream." - Amos 5:15,24“You are not obligated to complete the work, but neither are you free to desist from it.” – Pirkei Avot 2:21

I hope this message finds you well. I know you are receiving other messages, and trust you understand that their intent is not to bombard or overwhelm you, but to show the depth and extent of passion for those who know, love and support Beth Alexander, and our belief that there must be some resolution to her awful predicament. I hope it shows the emunah that if only enough of us with good intent could come together, there could be some righting of wrongs which have taken place.

I was at Cambridge University with Beth. She was the first person to greet me at the Jewish society and as an older student, only showed kindness, welcome and sweetness to me. I was at her wedding to Michael, and we watched a young couple who seemed so in love.

We now know that people are not how they seem. Whatever your perspective, robbing a loving mother of access to her children is unjust. As a mother of two small boys, I cannot begin to put myself in Beth's position. The decision to alienate Beth from parenting her children has been perpetuated by the Austrian courts to the point that they are intransigent to reconsider. Nevertheless, the legal system is not an impenetrable bubble, and pressure can and must continue for a re-examination. The Jewish community has a strong voice, and I ask that you do whatever is in your power to exert pressure for the case of Beth to be with her sons.

Additionally, in this year of the twins bar mitzvah, what the Jewish community can control is how to facilitate a meaningful opportunity for Beth to be with the boys, be part of their bar mitzvah preparation and celebration. As a community organiser myself, who has worked with bar and bat mitzvah occasions where parents are separated, the lessons learnt are that both parents must be equally involved, communicated with and given a meaningful part in the celebrations. Anything else makes the Jewish community complicit in parental alienation.

I am grateful in advance for all you can do to right some of the wrongs that have taken place, and alleviate some of the suffering.

Best wishes

Miriam Lorie

Open Letter To Oskar Deustch : MASSIVE MISCARRIAGE OF JUSTICE AND CLEAR CORRUPTION

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

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 massive miscarriage of justice and clear corruption 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 Bar Mitzvah and Beth have had no direct contact with her children for 5 years. Enough is enough.

Please do everything you can to liaise with Michael Schlesinger and impress upon him to do what is right for the boys and what is right for their mother.

Yours sincerely,

Chantal Shaw (England, UK)

Open Letter To Oskar Deustch : YOU KNOW IN YOUR HEART WHAT IS THE RIGHT THING TO DO

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch

I am asking you to assist Beth Alexander with urgency to be allowed to be a mother to Benjamin and Samuel Schlesinger, to have access to them on a permanent basis and to be able to attend their upcoming barmitzvah along with members of their English family.

A  grand miscarriage of justice  has already been done to an honest, religious, intelligent and loving mother but more importantly these young boys are being denied a basic human right, the love of their mother.

Under your leadership, I believe it is possible for you to try to persuade the Austrian Jewish community, and Mr Schleisinger to put aside his feelings towards Beth and to do what I know and I'm sure you know in your heart, is the right thing to do. Failure to try and to keep trying, in my opinion is to add to the harm that is being inflicted upon two innocent children. Every child has the right to know his or her parents, and especially in this case where the mother has done nothing wrong whatsoever.  

Please help in giving the children the chance to have their mother in their lives, in giving them an informed choice in this matter which is currently impossible for them, because they are being separated from her in the most unbelievable manner.

Please do all you can to help..

kind regards

Danielle Cohen
(London)

 

Open Letter To Oskar Deustch : DO WHATEVER YOU CAN

 

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am writing to ask you to do whatever you can, within your power, as Head of the Austrian Jewish Community, to reunite Benjamin and Samuel Schlesinger with their loving and devoted mother, Beth Alexander.

The sheer corruption of the  Austrian courts involved in the barring all contact between a devoted mother and her vulnerable young sons is beyond belief. It is a despicable act, a total miscarriage of justice and absolutely beyond belief.

It is incomprehensible to imagine that two boys approaching Bar Mitzvah are being denied the love and involvement of their devoted mother, who wants nothing more than for her precious sons to be a part of her life. That they have had no direct contact with their mother for 5 years cruel in the absolute extreme.

I ask you as a fellow member of the Jewish community, to liaise with Dr Michael Schlesinger and implore him to do the correct thing for Benjamin and Samuel, and of course their mother.

Yours sincerely

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : Do the right thing

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch,

10 years on and it still saddens me that your community has continually and purposefully stopped the mother of these 2 children, nearly barmitzvah, the right to see her children. You and I know that the reports of Beth having mental issues is baseless and completely falsified as they have been debunked by many a specialist since. It is a Chillul Hashem of the highest degree what has happened to her and the way she has been treated by the Schlesinger family and the community you lead.

The outrage from the across the world by Rabbonim and leaders of communities still casts a very dark shadow over your community, and the only way to lift this shadow is to help Beth have her rights as a mother returned. It is the Torah way to allow a mother to have a relationship with her children. The time for turning a blind eye or shielding whatever you may have to hide as a community is over. It is time for you to stand up and be a righteous, Hashem fearing, upstanding member of the worldwide Jewish community and stop this outrage from continuing a minute longer. It is in your hands to do what is right for the children and their mother, to create light from the darkness that has been enveloped over your community for far too long.

I know that you don't need this hassle. You want a good life running a community you can be proud of, one that the Jewish and non-Jewish world can look on favourably and know that its being led by people who follow the Jewish teachings fully and acts in the correct way to serve Hashem. You don't need all these people, Rabbonim, heads of worldwide Jewish organisations, members of parliaments, even heads of state sending you letters and emails of discontent in the way that your community is behaving in this situation.

Its in your hands. Do the right thing.

Please keep me updated as to how you are working to right this wrong. I look forward to your correspondence.

Yours,

Michael Marks
Manchester, UK

Open Letter To Oskar Deutch : THE WORLD WILL REMEMBER YOU FOR THIS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch

I hope that you are aware of the incredible travesty of justice and Chillul Hashem that has occurred in your community,  with a father who is keeping his children alienated from their mother.

Michael Schlesinger has spearheaded a campaign of evil and abuse against his ex wife,  Beth Alexander. He falsified testimony in the past, and now keeps her children away from her.

The Jewish community in Vienna has facilitated this evil and kept a mother from her children. What a Chilul Hashem. What true evil to deny a mother her own children and deny those children a mother that loves them.  Leaving children in the care of an abusive man who poisons his children against their mother.

It is SHOCKING that this has happened in a frum Jewish community.  What on earth has happened to Jews in Vienna that this has been allowed to occur and continue for so many years?!

Here in the UK, our Chief Rabbi,  as well as members of parliament,  the press and the Jewish and non Jewish communities are looking to Vienna to correct this injustice.  You still can.

Show the world that Vienna does NOT support abuse against women and abuse against children.  I want to see Vienna rise up to reunite Beth with her children and not stay dormant and uncaring a moment longer.

Sort it out please, and the world will remember you for this.  

Lisa Joseph

Open Letter to Oskar Deutsch : Have You No Shame?

 

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

 

Mr Deutsch,

 

Have you no shame?

 

You are the president of a community in which a mother and her 2-year-old children were forcibly separated at the hands of armed police, yet you have done nothing and said nothing. Have you no shame?

 

The Jewish community in Vienna were instrumental in the corruption that instructed the courts to separate a mother from her children. Have you no shame?

 

Your speeches regularly warn the Austrian people of rising anti-Semitism, yet you are happy to be president of a community that encourages the persecution of an innocent mother and condemned two innocent children to unspeakable suffering. Have you no shame?

 

You are the first to critise the Austrian government at any hint of anti-Semitic language, yet your community were happy to deliberately propagate lies and deception about an innocent mother as a means of driving her out of the country. Have you no shame?

 

You stand at holocaust memorial events urging the world to never forget the evils that happened on the Austrian ground you stand on, yet you remain quiet when the Jewish community has directed those same courts once again, under the threat of loaded guns, to remove two crying children from their loving mother. Have you no shame?

 

The international media coverage of the Schlesinger twins has outraged the world whilst you look away, deny, claim ignorance and distance yourself from any responsibility. Have you no shame?

 

Each day during the past ten years, you have chosen to take no action in the face of such overwhelming injustice, each day you are happy to let the suffering of innocent children continue, each day you allow corruption, distortion and evil to propagate unrestrained throughout the community you represent. Have you no shame?

 

You call yourself the president of the Austrian Jewish Community, you call yourself Jewish, you call yourself human.

 

Have you no shame?

Jewish Telegraph 31st December 2021

Editorial comment from the authors of the helpbeth.blogspot site

As mentioned in the article below, the case of Chaim Walder has shocked the International Jewish Community. Most importantly, it is clear now, perhaps more than it has ever been, that Jewish Communities wilfully engage in cover-ups of abuse at the expense of victims. Despite various attempts by some to convince the wider community that this is not the case, the ongoing unresolved situation of the Schlesinger Twins is a clear demonstration that nothing has changed in practice. As long as there is little protest from Rabbis and Jewish leaders around the world about this case in Vienna, the message continues to be that abusers are favoured and protected over victims.

𝗔𝘂𝘀𝘁𝗿𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗰𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘁 𝗯𝗮𝗿𝘀 𝗠𝗮𝗻𝗰𝗵𝗲𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗺𝗼𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗿, 𝗕𝗲𝘁𝗵 𝗔𝗹𝗲𝘅𝗮𝗻𝗱𝗲𝗿, 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘀𝗲𝗲𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝗲𝗿 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝗻𝘀 (𝟯𝟭.𝟭𝟮.𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟭)

Manchester mother Beth Alexander has suffered a fresh blow in her tragic custody battle through the Austrian courts. A new court ruling has now denied her all contact with her 12-year-old twin sons Benjamin and Samuel. The case has made headlines throughout the world over a decade.

The court claims it “would not be in the children’s best interests” to see or speak to their mother.

The latest judgment follows new proceedings brought by Beth under The International Child Abduction and Contact Unit (ICACU), which was established to enforce the Articles of the 1996 and 1980 Hague Convention.

Following a series of rulings, which Beth views as “suspect”, made by the Austrian courts in favour of the twins’ father, Dr Michael Schlesinger, of Vienna, the 37-year-old Cambridge graduate says she lost all faith in the Austrian jurisdiction. She had entertained renewed hope following Brexit and sought to reopen the case for a retrial through what is purported to be an independent legal arena under the auspices of the Hague.

In response to Beth’s application for indirect and direct contact with her sons, the Austrian courts ruled that no other jurisdiction would be recognised and seized conduct of the case themselves, sending it back to the local Austrian district court and on to the desk of the same judge, Susanne Gottlicher who made the initial highly contested decision to remove the children from Beth’s care and control to award sole custody to the father.

Beth has always alleged that he subjected her to psychological terror and physical violence throughout their short marriage. Following a series of decisions that she dubbed as “dubious”, Beth launched a media campaign and lobbied British MPs.

An unprecedented motion by the latter saw Beth’s case raised in parliament in 2014, alleging corruption in the case based on what MPs described as highly irregular and inexplicable decisions taken by the Austrian courts which, without any real justification, deprived a mother of her basic human rights.

Rejecting the latest application for unsupervised contact, Judge Gottlicher ruled that no court contact would be ordered, leaving it at the discretion of the father to decide when and how often the mother can see the children, despite the mother’s having presented evidence of the father’s history of blocked phone calls and communications.
Having lost everything, Beth left Vienna in November 2016 to embark on a law degree and now practises as a family solicitor in London.

On receiving the Austrian court decision Beth said she was “stunned” and “re-traumatised by the blatant and ongoing injustice” in her case.

“He is inflicting untold damage on his own children, which will undoubtedly leave deep scars and cause long lasting effects throughout their lives.”

Beth met Michael at the age of 22 and moved to Vienna following their marriage in 2006. She alleged that her husband was abusive from the start but the abuse and intimidation worsened after the birth of their twin sons. “Coercive control is a criminal offence in this country, with perpetrators facing a prison sentence of up to five years,” said Beth. “Yet, in my experience of family courts, the abuser has been allowed to continue waging his abuse in full glare of public view.

“Being a man, the religious community of Vienna have closed ranks to protect and support him.”

“I only hope that the latest developments in both the Chaim Walder and Ghislaine Maxwell scandals, will be enough to shake up our rabbis and leadership. “Harsher measures must be taken to start rooting out abuse to stop more lives being destroyed by shameless abusers who consider themselves above the law.”

In response to a comment on Facebook querying whether the Jewish Telegraph has fully investigated the story from both sides, we have featured the plight of Ms Alexander extensively over the years. We twice visited Vienna and spoke in person to many of those involved, as well as interviewing others by telephone. One key player apologised to Ms Alexander over her own involvement, insisting that her actions had been as a result of pressure from the Schlesinger family. We even spoke to Dr Schlesinger’s own estranged father who revealed that history was repeating itself. We remain convinced that there is something inherently rotten about this case.

 

A Story About Chelm

[This story was inspired by this post, although no affiliation exists between this site and the Rationalist Judaism site.]

This is a story about a town called Chelm in pre-war Europe. It was run by a king who had little interest in what was happening in the town or its people, in fact, he didn't have much interest in anything other than himself and his palace. The people of the town had a pleasant life and were happy with their king who let them live as they pleased.

One day a poor merchant arrived in village and decided to stay, so bought himself a modest house in which to live. Some months later, in the middle of the night, a wicked person set fire to the house and it started to burn, along with everything in it. The man desperately ran into the street to seek help to put out the fire. His neighbours told him he must go and get help from the king to put the fire out. After all, the king was very powerful, and could easily call upon his personal fire service with all their equipment, to put out the blaze in minutes. Unfortunately, before the man could reach the king, the king was approached by the elders of the town, who heard about the fire and advised him to let the fire burn instead. Having little interest in the common folk, the king agreed as he trusted that the elders knew what the people wanted, and was happy to accommodate their wishes. So the fire burned.

Gradually, all the people of the town heard about the man's house that was on fire, and also heard about the elders who advised the king to let the fire burn. Even though some may have felt sorry for the man as his house was burning down, they didn't want to upset the elders. After all, they didn't know when they might need to rely the elders for themselves, or even speak to the king on their behalf if they needed. They told the poor man there was nothing they could do, as only the king controlled the fire service. So the fire burned.

As news about the fire spread to other towns, people felt bad for the man and were shocked that the king did not call upon his fire service, so they contacted the king themselves to ask them to help the poor man and put out his fire. But the king continued to listen to the elders of Chelm, as it was only they who knew what the people of Chelm really wanted. So the fire burned.

But the news of the fire continued to spread far and wide, and eventually other kings and governments from other countries asked the king to put out this poor man's fire. But the king continued to listen to the elders of Chelm, because it was only they who knew what the people of Chelm wanted. So the other governments and people from the other towns went to speak with the elders of Chelm to plead with them to tell the king to put out the fire. But the elders of Chelm said that they had not spoken to the king and were unable to do so. Only the king would be able to decide whether to put out the fire and they said they were powerless in telling the king what to do. So the fire burned.

Ordinary people from far and wide pleaded with the people of Chelm to tell their elders to speak to the king and put out the fire. But the people of Chelm didn't want to offend their elders, so they said that only the king could put out the fire so there was no point in speaking to the elders. So the fire burned.

As time went on, there was growing anger from all over the world towards the town of Chelm, their king, their elders and the people, because nothing was being done to put out the man's fire. The people of Chelm decided that they would tell the world how much they are helping the man in all different ways. Some people dedicated hours and days to pour gallons of water on all the other houses in Chelm, whilst other people would tell the man how sorry they were for his situation and that they were doing everything they could. So the fire burned.

The fire continues to burn because the king is listening to the elders, and the elders want the fire to burn. The elders loudly and falsely continue to claim that only the king can put out the fire and that they are powerless before the king. The people of Chelm are loyal to their elders but will say how sorry they are to hear about the fire, and explain how much water they have poured over everywhere else in Chelm to try to put out the fire.

The fire burns to this very day.