Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : PARENTAL ALIENATION IS A FORM OF CHILD ABUSE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Oskar Deutsch,

I met Beth Alexander several years ago at a Sukkot event here in London, however I knew about her story several years prior to meeting her. We met whilst celebrating a holiday dedicated to the concept of joy and happiness, whilst Beth has been experiencing the complete opposite. However, her personality and warmth, and becoming my friend, added to my own personal joy and happiness, which is a testament to the person she is, and I am blessed to have her presence in my life. 

I had recently shared on my social media that I had been hospitalised with a serious life threatening condition. Despite the stress and heartbreak Beth is going through, and has done so for many years, she was one of the first to check in on me and to wish me well. She put her friend (me) above herself. She is the true definition of an Eshet Chayil, a Tzedakes and indeed has maternal instincts towards her own children and her friends. Depriving her children of her warm and generous nature is a grave error and is hugely detrimental to their development. 

As Samuel and Benjamin approach their bar mitzvah, their friends will be experiencing their learning of their Torah portions, and organising their parties, with both their mothers and fathers. It cannot be easy for these two boys to approach manhood without the woman who gave birth to them and showered them with love, by their side for this huge milestone in their lives. 

Parental alienation is a form of child abuse, and will shape the way that a child deals with relationships and their own parenthood, once they have their own children. As Samuel and Benjamin approach their teens, and adulthood, being deprived of the love and bonds with their mother will undoubtedly have a detrimental effect, and this can become a vicious cycle. 

I urge you, in your position, to break this cycle of parental alienation, and to use your position to ensure that Samuel and Benjamin are reunited with their kind, warm, compassionate and loving mother, Beth Alexander. That you assist in allowing these two beautiful boys to flourish into well developed young men, who will treat their future partners and children with the same love that Beth instils upon her own children and community. Please ensure that you do the right thing for these two special children, and put an end to the abuse that they have been forced to endure against their will. Samuel and Benjamin deserve to live like their friends and deserve to have their mother by their side as they enter the new chapters in their lives- please help to write the chapters with a happy ending. 

Yours sincerely, 

Natasha Field Levene

#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : NEUTRALITY HELPS THE OPPRESSOR NEVER THE VICTIM

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr Deutsch,

Two boys

12 years old

144 months

626 weeks

4380 days

105120 hours

6307200 minutes 

378432000 seconds… 378432001 seconds… 378432002 seconds… 378432003 seconds…

Without their mother.

How many more seconds will you actively deprive Beth’s sons of their human rights through inaction?

“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” - Elie Wiesel

When Samuel and Benjamin come to you one day, and ask why?- When you look into their eyes, what will you say?

I pray and hope you will say that you were brave enough to do everything in your power to right a wrong, to ensure two boys be reunited with their mother before they are Bar Mitzvah.

I pray and hope. And I write to you.

Kind regards,

Hannah Morris

Chaya Devorah 

A mother understands what a child does not say.

#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : TAKE ACTION

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

Does one more make a difference?

I am well aware that by now you would have received many letters from all around the world with regards to the case of Beth Alexander and her two sons. I began to wonder if my letter would make any difference to add to the pile of others. But then I realised that is precisely why I need to write to you.

Just like my input might help move a mountain, so can you.

In a few short years, Samuel and Benjamin Schlesinger will be out in the world with their own adventures and no doubt inquisitive about their background. It won't take them long to find out the truth. That their devoted mother tried every avenue to keep them in her arms. I am a psychologist but I am not going to lecture you in the extensive research into maternal deprivation. No expertise is needed to know how fundamental a loving mother is to the well-being of her children.

I am just going to tell you this:

You can make a difference.

After discovering the truth in the not so distant future, do you want these 2 boys to look back with despair at not having had an official representative fight for that crucial maternal bond they so devastatingly lost?

Or do you want them (and the world) to look at you with respect and gratitude knowing you stood up for what is right?

No child should be prevented from being nurtured with that instinctive maternal love.

No mother should have doors slammed in her face at just the simple desperate wish to hold her children close.

I first met Beth in person in 2012, and despite all the trauma thrown her way, she has always held herself with such grace. Always keeping Sammy and Benji's welfare and happiness at the forefront. Constantly showing unwavering motherly love, positivity and strength. She literally has moved every mountain that exists for just the simple wish to be a mother to her beautiful boys. And now after her most recent devastating blow it is time for us to be a rock for her and break through this seemingly limitless mountain.

Please don't just sit passively and take a back seat. Take action.

I can see you really care about doing good in your community. You may feel this case is nothing to do with you, or that it goes against what the rest of the Viennese community think, or that your input is insignificant. Take this opportunity to show the world that you care, that you are a step ahead and lead in what is right and just.

I promise you one day the boys will appreciate all that you did. And the world will respect you more than ever.

May Hashem give you the courage, wisdom and strength to stand up tall and stand with Beth, and in return shower you and your family with blessings.

This is your opportunity to make the biggest difference of your life.

Kind regards,

Olivia Saunders

UK

#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : BASIC HUMAN RIGHTS ABUSES

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch

I am writing to you about the case of Beth Alexander who has been denied access to her sons Sammy and Benjy. I believe that a huge injustice has taken place in the denial of access rights to Beth.  

It appears to me that Beth is a loving mother who only wants to care for her children and support them as they develop. It seems that the decision to deny Beth the access rights she deserves has been taken with disregard to the children’s welfare. They have suffered as a result, being denied the natural bond with their mother all children undoubtedly crave.

It has been reported online that the basis of the judge’s decision to deny Beth access rights is a questionable psychiatric report, obtained after interference from another judge who is purported to be a friend of Dr Schlesinger.  An Independent psychiatric report found no evidence of Beth suffering from mental illness when Beth was assessed in 2010 - https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/a-tragic-battle-with-only-losers/.  There is also information online indicating that Beth was in fact a victim of abusive behaviour from her ex-husband. In 2010, Dr Schlesinger was removed from the couple’s home on police orders after he sought, unsuccessfully, to have his wife committed to a mental institute https://www.timesofisrael.com/sordid-custody-battle-in-vienna-stirs-international-uproar/.

For a Court to take the drastic action of removing children from the care of their mother there must be some evidence of a risk of harm or neglect posed to the child. In Beth’s case there is no evidence of such concerns. It appears that a massive miscarriage of justice has taken place.

I’m sure you will agree that family life is so central to our lives as Jews that the miscarriage of justice taking place at the expense of Beth and her sons places a wider burden on the Jewish community to bring healing to the situation. This is in addition to the basic human rights abuses that appear evident in this case. My request is that as leader of the Viennese Jewish community you intervene in this situation in whatever way you can to bring a positive outcome for Beth and her sons.

I wish you well.

#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : BETH IS BEING PUNISHED

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch, 

My name is Carole Sewelson.

I am writing to you with a plea, as a Jewish mother and grandmother. I am pleading with you to get involved with the help of reuniting Beth Alexandra with her twin boys. The court judgement is a great injustice to keep their mother away from her boys the most precious things in her life it cruel and unfair.

There are two sides to every story, where is Beth’s side?

Beth is being punished by the boys father and the Austrian court. How can a judge be partial when going to the Schlesinger house for afternoon tea? Is this a normal procedure? I would think NOT, this is highly unusual.

What gets me how the Jewish community in Vienna choose not to get involved to help Beth, where are all the JEWISH MOTHERS? Where is the help to get Beth true justice not built on lies. Why is the FATHER believed and not the MOTHER?

There are a lot of questions to be answered. The Twins are coming up to their BARMITZVAH, how can a Jewish mother be deprived of being there it is a very proud moment in Jewish life and the father and the court is banning her from going shame on them.

The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. Michael's mother did the same thing stopping her son seeing his FATHER. See what it has done to him depriving Beth from seeing her sons? Will the father pass this down to his sons? Very likely if help is not given to Beth. Before any damage can be done, they can be returned to their mother so she can bring them up with love. Hopefully these letters sent to you will be read and notice taken of them, and not be ignored. As you can see how the MANCHESTER JEWISH COMMUNITY have come together as ONE.

Yours sincerely,

Mrs Carole Sewelson

#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : ONE DAY SAMMY AND BENJI WILL READ THESE WORDS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I write to you, as do many others, to ask your help in reuniting Beth Alexander with her two sons, Sammy and Benji. I read about Beth's battle many years ago and was shocked and appalled to discover last month that this distressing situation is ongoing and that she now has no access to her sons at all. 

As the leader of Vienna's Jewish Community please use your position and influence to help Beth and her sons. 

To put it into a global perspective, this situation has developed against the backdrop of a rapidly changing world, a world now opened up by the internet revolution. People's connectivity with one another has become so strong that in just a few weeks an online platform has gathered together a strong international group of thousands of supporters and activists, whose sense of justice has been outraged and whose hearts bleed for Beth and her sons. These people want to help reunite Beth with her children and are prepared to fight for this. 

The Internet has also enabled a rapid and widespread dispersion of ideas and knowledge. Pertinent to the story behind Beth Alexander's case, there has been a shift in knowledge about and attitude to women's issues. #MeToo was born, and this is just the beginning of opening up conversations about the types of abuse women suffer at the hands of men. Beth was in abusive relationship and what was once seen as an isolated issue occurring within a small Jewish community can now be seen in the wider contexts of violence against women, emotional abuse, post separation abuse and most sadly parental alienation. 

As it happens I was also in an abusive marriage. My ex husband once threatened me, when I was pregnant, that if I left him, he knew powerful people who could have me certified mentally unfit to look after my children and he would get full custody. He had no basis for this threat, it was made to control me, to scare me, keep me in my place and said with venom and spite. Some men- and also women- do take this sort of threat further to hurt the other parent, often resulting in very sad and hurtful consequences for the children. This threat hung over me for a long time. Incidentally my ex husband's family had escaped Vienna in 1938. Having learned of Beth's experience, I thank G-d that my marriage did not break down in Vienna. 

One day Sammy and Benji will read these words, these letters written to you. They will know of Beth's fight for their right to their loving mother and who helped to right a wrong and who did not. I respectfully urge you to be on the right side of history and use your influence to change the path of these lives. Please take up the cause of Beth and her twin sons and work towards a situation where they can benefit from being a family and the boys can benefit from knowing their mother and her love for them.

Yours sincerely

#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN THE HEROICS OF INDIVIDUALS THAT HAVE ENSURED OUR EXISTENCE

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I hope you are well.

I am practicing solicitor in the UK. 

I have followed the Beth Alexander twins case for years and feel heartbroken that there is a caring mother who cannot see her beloved children. With my legal experience, I can say that the court decisions have been cruel, callous and a miscarriage of justice.

It is now time for someone to step forward and make a difference. As we have seen in our rich Jewish history, it has always been the heroics of individuals that has ensured our existence. My understanding is that the twins father has full discretion to Beth's access.  Beth's access is certainly in the children's best interest who need their mother more than ever.  

I, therefore, respectfully ask you to help in reuniting Beth with her sons. As President of IKG, a leader, a humanitarian and a person with influence, you are best placed to help. 

Please let me know if there is anything further I can do in assisting you to help Beth.

Kind regards.

#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : MY MOTHER WAS THERE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Oskar Deutsch 

When I had stomach pains in kindergarten. 

My Mother was there.

When I had struggles with school. 

My Mother was there.

When I needed a lift, physically and metaphorically...

My Mother was there.

When I split my head. 

My Mother was there.

When my Art teacher at school showed ZERO support. 

My Mother (&Father) were there.

When my brothers had challenges  at Cambridge University. 

Our Mother was there.

When we were sick. 

Our Mother was there.

When we needed advice. 

Our Mother was there.

When we needed home cooking, even away from home. 

Our Mother was there.

When we felt lost and stressed. 

Our Mother was there.

When we simply needed a hug. 

Our Mother was there. 

..... because we experienced all of this, our departed Mother, who passed away September 10th 2021, is with us all the time.

Beth Alexander and her 2 boys, have been grossly and unjustly deprived of all these experiences.

Part of the essentials of growing up. 

Learning the tools to deal with the world that a loving Mother can offer. 

Creating beautiful memories that will stay with them till they breathe their final breath. 

As Morrie Schwartz said in the book "Tuesdays with Morrie" Death ends a life, but NOT a relationship."

She has been refused even the most basics of a relationship.

It's SHAMEFUL and it hurts!!

It hurts her family, it pains her friends, but it's nothing in comparison to the pain inflicted on Beth, a truly loving Mother. 

Herr Oskar Deutsch, I really hope you had such a loving relationship with your Mother. 

Don't deny Beth Alexander and her two boys, the exact same rights.

I would not wish her situation on you Herr Deutsch, or on anyone else for that matter.

By any barometer, IT IS SIMPLY NOT RIGHT. 

Fix it please.

Steven J Selig.

#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : PEOPLE WHO FAIL TO ACT IN THE FACE OF EVIL

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr. Deutsch,

My name is Dr Naomi Sopher. I grew up in the North Manchester Jewish community along with Beth Alexander.

I am sure that by now you aware of Beth's plight. Aware of how she has been denied access to her beloved children for many years. I understand that the Jewish community in Vienna has failed to aid this Jewish mother who was once a member of your community. I understand that your community in Vienna alienated her when she most needed the companion and assistance that a community gives.

History is littered with "good" people who fail to act in the face of evil. Are you, Mr Deutsch, just another man in power, enjoying all the privilege of your position without fulfilling your obligations to ensure the wellbeing of the community that you lead? Your actions can lead to good, to reunite a loving mother with her beloved children and stop the hate that they are being fed against her.

We implore you from all corners of the world to do the right thing and help this one time member of your community from the evil committed against her and her children by this current member of your community.

Yours sincerely 

Dr Naomi Sopher 

MbCHb

#openletterstodeutsch #reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : HOW CAN YOU LOOK IN THE MIRROR

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr. Deutsch,

Whilst we don’t know each other, we have something in common: the well-being of Benji and Sammy Schlesinger. However, it seems that our thoughts and actions and diametrically opposed.

It is important to note that I don’t personally know Beth Alexander and therefore my comments are of an objective nature. Nevertheless, as a father of three kids myself, I can say unquestionably that a mother’s love and involvement in the upbringing of her children is fundamental; of paramount importance in their lives.

The Jewish Austrian Community, led currently by you, has been for the last ten (10) years and continues to be complicit of an unforgivable crime (actively or passively) in denying Beth Alexander the inalienable right to bring up her children. This is simply unforgivable.

It is the Viennese and wider Jewish Austrian Community’s responsibility to be assisting (in any way) Beth Alexander in obtaining the right to bring up her children without the need social workers and the so called ‘unbiased‘ Austrian judiciary’s involvement.

Whilst the blame doesn’t solely rest of the shoulders of the Austrian Jewish Community, it is guilty by association in allow this crime to be perpetrated.

Indeed, a large amount of blame and guilt stands firmly at the door of this so-called ‘Judge’ Gottlicher who has actively allowed this abomination to continue for so long! Rest assured, the wider international community is now focused on correcting this wrong. Judges need to be leading by example and not be above the law! 

Judge Gottlicher‘s actions will face the weight of her profession and the wider world in actively assisting in the heinous crime!

My great uncle remembers seeing the Jewish Community frogmarched out of Vienna by the Nazis. He luckily managed to escape the plight of the majority of the Jewish Community in 1938 when we were able to resettle in London.

The Austrian Jewish Community should know only too well how xenophobic actions can destroy a community.

By your personal and Community’s actions, or should I say inaction, you and a large part of your Community are perpetrating a similar xenophobic crime by ostracising and assisting in the separation of a community in this case Beth and her two boys.

The Viennese Jewish community for the most part is acting as ‘silent bystanders’ in doing nothing!

Herr Deutsch - this is your time both personally and as the Austrian Jewish Community leader to do wherever is necessary to bring this matter, this crime, to an abrupt end in allowing first and foremost Beth Alexander the right, without preconditions, to see her children and bring them up in a loving environment.

I have two (2) questions for you Herr Deutsch.

1) The Truth Will Come Out:  The twins are almost 13 years old. In only five (5) years time they will be legally adults and no doubt very inquisitive as to where their mother has been for all these years!

Facts are fact and cannot be whitewashed when coming from so many independent sources.

We know that you have received thousands of emails and probably see the videos, blogs and newspaper articles regarding this matter both locally and globally. Whilst the boys are currently young, they cannot have access to these sources and are emotionally immature to handle this information even if they could. However, as they get older and are able to do so, they will clearly see that their loving mother, Beth Alexander, has tried to do everything in her power to see her boys and conversely see how their father Mr. Michael Schlesinger has done everything in his power (legally or not) to stop this from happening!

What will you do when the boys confront you in a few years, which they will! What will you answer them?  “I did everything in my power to help or I sat on my hands and did nothing”.

2) What would you do if you were in Beth Alexander’s shoes: Herr Deutsch - what would you do in the same situation? Would you do everything in your power to gain access to your children if the same crime was perpetuated against you. How can you look in the mirror on a daily basis and not think that you, as the Leader of the Jewish Austrian Community, in a position of influence and power is not helping a loving mother gain access to her blood / her boys!

The Jewish Community in Austria is very much in the limelight! The entire Jewish world is looking at you and waiting to see what your next steps will be: either one of leadership; of doing the right thing or continuing to do what has been until now - nothing! Rest assured people will not stop until Beth Alexander AND her boys Benji and Sammy have been reunited.

You and the Viennese Jewish Community need to ACT NOW!

Nicky Stone

Israel

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : BEYOND APPALLED AT THE SHEER CRUELTY OF THE VIENNESE COURTS AND JEWISH COMMUNITY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr Deutsch,

I write to you as a Jewish mother, grandmother, primary school teacher and as a twin. I know that you have received an avalanche of similar requests, so I will keep this brief.

Alongside thousands of people worldwide, I have been beyond appalled at the sheer cruelty the Viennese courts and Jewish community have inflicted on Beth Alexander and her twin sons Benjy and Sammy Schlesinger. By alienating a loving and devoted mother and children from each other, and denying the grandparents, uncles, aunts, and cousins from a normal family relationship, in favour of supporting their father, himself the victim of child/father alienation and, I believe a deeply disturbed individual, untold damage has been caused.

In your position of leader of the Jewish community with your connections and power, you could facilitate a swift end to this tragedy. I implore you to do what any sane and normal person would know is the correct thing to do, and help to bring about the immediate reunification of mother and sons, and allow the process of healing and recovery to all the unnecessary damage caused.  

Yours sincerely

Lucille Phillips 

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : PLEASE STOP THIS UNLAWFUL AND CRUEL SEPARATION

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I have been reading through the letters of support for Beth. Every letter is filled with so much love, sincerity, admiration, sadness, honesty and deepest empathy for a mother who has had her human rights taken away from her, as have the twins, to grow up having the special, unique bond between mother and child. 

Benjy and Sammy are always in her heart and mind, they are her every breath. This enforced separation has been based on a catalogue of cruel and damaging lies and deceit by various individuals in the Viennese Community; and assisted by those whom are in a position to help, yet choose not to do so. She has fought for her boys for 10 years, 10 long painful years. 

I, along with thousands of others around the world, have read various documents and seen evidence – there is so much to read, factual information, excerpts from court documents, interviews, and many articles and pictures to inform oneself and become fully aware of this travesty; instead of accepting/believing the fabricated stories certain individuals have created to cause as much damage as possible and alienate Beth from her boys.

Please do something to reunite a loving, devoted mother and her very vulnerable twins. The boys need to know how deeply their mother loves and cares for them. Please stop this unlawful and cruel separation. People around the world are reaching out to you Mr Deutsch. The boys have grandparents and an extended family waiting for them with open arms. We wait for our prayers to be answered and for this terrible Miscarriage of Justice to be put right.

Yours sincerely,

Lisa Feuer

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : SOCIAL MEDIA IS RAISING HUGE AWARENESS ON THIS APPALLING CASE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am writing to you to appeal to you 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.

The Austrian courts have barred the boys' loving mother from having any contact with them. This is a grave miscarriage of justice. But you, on the other hand, risk the reputation of the whole Viennese community as social media is raising huge awareness on this appalling case and this news is rapidly spreading to communities all around the world.

Please do what you can and do what is right  to work with Michael Schlesinger and with the courts to allow the boys to spend time with their mother - in particular in the lead-up to their b'nei mitzvah.

Yours sincerely,

Gila Lazarus 

(England)

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : DENYING A MOTHER TO HER BABIES IS NOT RIGHT

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

By now I am sure you are aware your inbox is full to the brim of letters for justice for Benjy and Sammy.

I have known Beth since our time at King David High School and we have remained firm friends since. Many people marry and divorce; however at the centre of it all should be how to safeguard children if they are involved. For me safeguarding has gone out the window in this case. The poor boys have been used as pawns. 

Let me tell you about Beth; something the authorities have failed to do. Beth grew up in Manchester in an orthodox family with two brothers, Graeme and Adrian. Beth is softly spoken and caring. She has always taken pride in her Jewish roots, becoming a Madricha at Bnei Akiva. Beth would go above and beyond to help anyone who needed her help.

She met Mr Schlesinger at a European Jewish Event and they hit it off and so their relationship developed. As a friend, I was very happy for her. She had everything going for her as she was also studying at Cambridge. When she announced her engagement, I was so happy. I knew she would relocate to Vienna and it would be tough due to the language barrier, but I knew it would be Vienna's gain.

Beth never discussed her pregnancy but when I found out, I could not have been happier. I could tell she was very excited and with twins! It brought a smile to my face as I had just found out my sister was pregnant with twins. 

In late 2009,  I decided to throw my sister a baby shower and when I found out Beth was over with Sammy and Benji, she was invited. I'm bringing this up because during the baby shower, I noticed Beth was not her usual self. Her eyes were sad and I could tell her mind was elsewhere. Little did I know what had happened in Vienna. It was only months later when Beth and family members confided in me the true horror.  

On that very visit where she came to my sister's baby shower, she was introducing her sweet baby boys to their uncles, cousins and friends; those who she had not seen for long periods of time. They were catching up and spending quality time together. Mr Schlesinger was not present but threatened Beth to bring the boys back to Vienna immediately otherwise he would contact the authorities and claim that she had kidnapped them. Even though he had agreed to the visit at the suggestion of heir marriage counsellor! I can only imagine Beth's heart break. 

I later found out other controlling and abusive behaviour that took place after the twins were born; notably Mr Schlesinger making Beth walk the streets for hours on end with the twins in Vienna in the height of summer as he said he needed to sleep when he came home from work at lunch times and the babies disturbed his sleep. Only after he gave her permission to return, was she "allowed" to bring  the twins home. I do not want to think what would have happened if she returned early. There are many other issues that I am sure you are aware of. 

The last point I want to make is regarding the Get. Mr Schlesinger told Rabbi Biderman that he would only grant a get subject to Beth agreeing to certain conditions, including waiving her right to custody, something which of course Beth would never have agreed to. This is coming from a person who had shown up until that point no paternal instinct. I am aware of 'Agunah' - being a 'chained wife'. I know the past few years the orthodox community are trying to put an end to this abuse. In fact it is abuse! Just imagine using that and the children as a weapon! You as a human being, Mr Deutsch, know that is not right. Denying a mother to her babies is not right by any stretch of the imagination.

In January 2023, my twin nephews are being bar mitzvah-ed and of course I will be there. It really pains me to see Beth alienated from her boys through no fault of her own. It pains me to think of all the false information being fed to the boys.

Please help bring Beth back to her boys. Let them form a relationship with her again.

If you want to get in touch please do not hesitate.

Kind Regards

Lauren Goldstone

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : DEEPLY SADDENED AND SHOCKED

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Sir,

I have served as a Justice of Peace in Magistrates Court in Greater Manchester for 19 years and I have worked on a team supporting Oldham families in crisis. I am also a member of Manchester Jewish community and am deeply saddened and shocked that your community has allowed these boys to become so separated from a parent who is clearly very able and very willing to be a part of their lives.

Please support to rectify this situation to enable Beth to have some emotional and physical contact with her children and for these boys to know their mother’s love.

As an active grandma, I also hope that Beth’s parents and family will be able to share their love with these children too.

Yours sincerely

Denise Journo

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : THIS TRAVESTY OF JUSTICE IS UNACCEPTABLE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Sir,

I write as an orthodox Jewish mother.

How do you and your community hold your heads up in prayer in the synagogue. 

Your inaction to solve this travesty of justice is unacceptable.

Please do everything in your power to resolve this family’s plight.

Rochelle Gilbert

Jerusalem 

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : WHERE IS YOUR CHESED AND YOUR RACHMONUS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

As president of the Jewish community in Vienna, I would like to think that you have the power and influence to help put an end to this terrible miscarriage of justice levelled at her.

You have for over 5 years been saying that there is nothing you can do and it is in the hands of the courts, but the courts don’t care. Especially they can’t care about the boys or they would never deprive the twins of their mother’s love, care and support. Beth fought as much as she could, after having to suffer the lies and awful treatment from not only the courts but also her ex husband, that after years of this terrible treatment she returned home to the UK broken and without her boys.

I have known Beth Alexander for over 30 years and only ever known her to be a very kind, caring and intelligent person, so the  assertions that were levelled at her are a complete anathema. Beth might have returned home without her boys and broken, but now 5 years later she is anything but broken. She is working even harder than ever to get this awful wrong, righted. She has an army of supporters, who will never give up on her and will shout as LOUD as is necessary to get justice for her and get her reunited with her boys.

Where is your chesed, and your rachmonus for this dreadful situation? This year the boys are to be Barmitzvah, so how can you think it is correct to deprive Beth the Nachus that every Jewish mother would get watching her children on the Bimah.

I appeal to you to intervene and do something to help her and lift this awful cloud that is most definitely hanging over your community. The Jewish world is watching and waiting to see what you will do, but more importantly so is Hashem.

Please don’t let them down.

Yours

Evayne Bentley

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE HELP

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

Please please please help to reunite Beth with  her boys - Sammy and Benjy. 

I can’t believe this is still going on. My heart breaks for Sammy and Benjy that they don’t have their warm, kind and courageous mummy in their life. I believe you can help her and I am begging you to do what is right.  

This has gone on for too long.

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : CAUSE OF GREAT SHAME TO THE ENTIRE JEWISH COMMUNITY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am writing to ask you, as the president of the Viennese Jewish community and therefore a person in a position of authority and respect, to lend your support to the cause of Beth Alexander's reunion with her beloved sons, Sammy and Benjy.

I am aware that you are currently receiving numerous communications from Beth's support network around the country, full of history and detail. I am hopeful that you are reading those emails too, so will keep this short and simple.

This tragic situation is causing immense harm to the boys and their mother, and should be a cause of great shame to the entire Jewish community. As the Talmud says, "כל ישראל ערבים זה בזה", we all bear responsibility for each other. Beth, Sammy and Benjy deserve to be together, and to have the time and space to repair and rebuild their relationship, which will now undoubtedly involve a lot of additional intervention due to the prolonged suffering they have experienced.

She is their mother. She loves them. It is that simple.

Please lift up your strong voice and use your position to ensure justice for this family.

Yours sincerely,

Rachel Creeger - Comedian, Writer, Director, Speaker

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : IT IS UP TO YOU TO MAKE IT HAPPEN

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr Deutsch,

You have by now received an avalanche of letters from those of us supporting Beth Alexander in her fight to be reunited with her young sons. I am adding my voice to the thousands who cannot begin to understand how this terrible miscarriage of justice has been allowed to continue, with the Vienna Jewish community at best turning a blind eye, at worst condoning this situation. 

I first met Beth at a mutual family wedding, when the boys had not long since been horrifically snatched from her. It shouldn’t have to be said how kind, caring, bright and determined she is – but I’m saying it anyway because it is not even remotely conceivable to think there is anything about her that warrants removing her children from her care. (My daughter worked with a child whose father was in prison for murder and even he was allowed visits with his children!) 

As a mother of four I can’t begin to imagine the torture of having my children taken from me. How the community and legal system have brought this about is shocking and to be honest, frightening. It was a terrible story then – I am utterly appalled that all these years later it is actually even worse.

I don’t know the workings of the Vienna community, but this case is a terrible terrible stain on your reputation. "Tzedek tzedek tirdof" – our rabbis say that whoever pursues justice, trying to bring about justice as soon as possible, it is counted as double. You have an opportunity here to perform one of the greatest mitzvot. As the head of the community it falls to you to lead the way in restoring justice for Beth and reuniting her with her beloved sons. I don’t know what it will take but it is up to you to make it happen, and thousands of us in communities around the world will support you in doing so.

Wishing you strength and courage to do the right thing,

All the best

Kate Gerstler

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : I TRUST THAT YOU WILL DO WHAT’S RIGHT

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Oskar,

I hope this email finds you well.

I am sure you are aware of the tragic case of the Schlesinger twins – Sammi and Benji - who were forcibly taken away at the age of 2 years old from their mother Beth. This happened in your very own community in Vienna, more than 10 years ago. Beth is and has always been a loving, caring and devoted mother to her twin boys, and is still fighting for them more than 10 years on.

I am not sure if you have heard of John Bowlby a world renowned psychologist, psychiatrist, and psychoanalyst, notable for his interest in child development and for his pioneering work in attachment theory. In his theory he writes the following ‘Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis suggests that continual disruption of the attachment between infant and primary caregiver (i.e. mother) could result in long term cognitive, social, and emotional difficulties for that infant. Bowlby originally believed the effects to be permanent and irreversible’.

Beth’s boys will have suffered huge long term psychological damage as a result of what has happened to them, with their strong attachment and bond to Beth being broken in their crucial years of early development. Unfortunately we cannot change what has happened in the past, but we can act now, and I urge you as the President of the Jewish Community of Vienna to use your influence for the good to do the right thing and ensure that Beth is united once again with her twin boys. It is only then that the damage done to these boys can start to slowly be repaired and healed.

I trust that you will do what’s right for these boys and Beth who have suffered for long enough.

If you have any further questions, feel free to be in touch.

Kind regards,

Danielle Lamski

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : INTOLERABLE TORTURE

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I write this email to you today to ask for your action to support a mother, a member of your community who has for the last decade suffered intolerable torture in being torn away from her twin sons. 

A life lesson I was taught by my late grandfather from Pirkei Avot 4:13 

“There are three crowns — the crown of Torah, the crown of priesthood and the crown of sovereignty — but the crown of good name surmounts them all.”

This is your opportunity Mr Deutsch to assist and support the efforts of so many others from around the globe to reunite Beth with her children and earn the title of a “keser shem tov” - the crown of a good name. 

This situation Beth has found herself in cannot sit right with you as an upstanding member of the community in Austria.

I knew Beth personally during our school days in Manchester some 20+ years ago. Beth is undoubtedly one of the kindest and most caring people I have ever met and it is nothing short of tragic that her boys have missed out on sharing everyday moments with their mum. 

Please right this wrong and do whatever you can to speedily reunite Beth with her boys IY”H. 

Many thanks for your time in reading this email. 

Kind regards,

Ben Cooper

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : RESPONSIBILITY TO HELP

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I’d like your help in resolving a situation that I’m sure you are familiar with. But first, I’d like to explain my involvement in this.

I’ve known Beth Alexander since around 2001. She always struck me to be an incredibly polite and caring person. But it wasn’t until her wedding night that I really understood. That night, she left a lasting impression on me.

As her partner was not from the UK, he didn’t have men to dance with. So Beth asked me, along with other male friends, to come and support him during the dancing. But that is not what impressed me. What impressed me was that, towards the end of the evening, when the Kallah is usually busy dancing with her own close friends or saying bye to relatives, she stopped, and came over to each and every male who danced with her husband, and personally thanked them.

While many brides would be totally focused on themselves, she stopped and thought to thank us for coming. We didn’t even dance with her! She didn’t even know we were there! It left me speechless.

So when I found out that her struggles were still ongoing, I contacted her and offered my assistance.

If someone can take the time, out of their special day, to think of others, I have a responsibility to help them.

I was nervous at first, that this situation had broken the good person I once knew. But over the last few weeks, I’ve had the privilege to reconnect with her, and she continues to amaze me. Not only does she want to be allowed to be the good mother she is, but she also wants to help thousands of people in situations like her own.

Beth has shown me, through how she acted prior to marriage, what she did on the wedding night, and how she continues to think about others, that she is an absolutely incredible person, and extremely caring.

And so, there is absolutely no doubt in my mind that she is an incredibly loving and capable mother, and with your help, she can be allowed to show it.

I would really really appreciate it if you could assist in efforts to mediate the situation, so that the children can be safely and happily reunited with their mother.

Thank you for reading this. Please contact me via the details below if there is anything I can do to help with this.

Kind regards

Dan Journo

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : MY HEART BREAKS FOR THE SUFFERING OF BENJI AND SAMMY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am writing to you in your capacity as President of the IKG to implore you to do everything in your power to help Beth Alexander be reunited with her precious twin sons.

I am sure by now your inbox has been filled with many letters  from people from all parts of the world, writing to you about this case. Therefore you are already well informed about the gross miscarriage of justice that has taken place in Vienna over the past decade.

I am writing to you as a mother of twins. My twins are 6 months younger than Sammy and Benjy and I, like any mother, if I don't see or hear from them for a few hours if they are at school or doing sport or out with friends I start to panic. I don't think I am particularly special in this, I think the majority of parents all over the globe would agree with me.

In today's society where everything is online and communication is immediate, we can easily keep in touch with our kids in a matter of seconds wherever they are in the world.

My heart breaks for the suffering of Benji and Sammy. They have not had their mother's love for too long and this has to be corrected. Beth is a loving, caring lady who just wants to be there as their Mum. She has already missed out on raising them in the early years which are crucial in a child's development, but as I see with my own kids, teenagers need their parents even more. The teenage years are filled with questions and changes and in order for kids to develop into well functioning adults that can be upstanding members of society, the basic principles of a mothers love will guide them in the right direction.

I implore you to get involved in this case, to see justice done, and for Beth to once more play a vital part in Benjy and Sammy's lives.

Thank you in advance for getting involved and helping to correct this massive injustice.

Suzanne Yantin

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : MUST NOT LOOK THE OTHER WAY

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

My name is Charlotte Yitzchak and I am the mother of four children. I cannot imagine the pain of being separated from them for any length of time and I can only imagine the damage it would do to them to be removed from a loving, caring, parent. I am writing to you, like so many others, to ask you to do as much as you can to intervene on the behalf of Beth Alexander.

The Jewish community of Austria must not look the other way and in doing so be complicit in this tragic situation. You as the leader of that community have the influence to help right this wrong.

Yours sincerely

Charlotte Yitzchak

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : AREN'T YOU EMBARRASSED

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Mr Deutsch

I know you have been inundated with communications over the last few days demonstrating an army of supporters for Beth Alexander. She has been through so much injustice over the last 12 years and this has to stop now.

I grew up in the Manchester Jewish community - and although I don't know Beth personally, I know of her family and many many friends. Doesn't this outcry over the last few days demonstrate what happens when a Jewish community stand together for what is right? It is beyond conceivable what the Vienna Jewish Community have put her and her gorgeous boys through over the years - aren't you embarrassed to lead a community that behave in such a manner, especially when you can now see how worldwide communities come to together in such force to fight injustice. Harmony is much more pleasant than enemies.

I pray that you can step up as a leader of the community and make some decisions and exert your authority to support Beth's fight to reunite with her boys. I will stand by her all the way, along with her worldwide supporters until this injustice is over. She has an abundance of love to give to those boys who have so desperately lacked it from a mother figure over the last 10 years. I ask you to reflect on mine and  all the requests over the last few days and MAKE A CHANGE! LEAD BY EXAMPLE. SHOW THE WORLDWIDE JEWISH COMMUNITY THAT YOU HAVE A HEART - you know she has been wronged and now is your time to correct it.

Thank you

Debbie

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : SHAME UPON THE LEGAL SYSTEM, UPON THE JUDICIARY AND UPON THE RABBINICAL AUTHORITIES

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I writing to appeal to you to do everything you can to bring justice to the case of this wronged mother.

I live in the UK trained and practised as a lawyer and above all am a wife and mother myself.

I know that those not parties to the couple’s disagreement will not be in possession of all of the facts however in UK law the children’s rights and needs are paramount. Whatever issues there may be between the husband and wife these should be secondary to the best interests of the children. It is an acknowledged fact that only in the most serious circumstances should it be thought fit and proper for a child to be separated so completely from one or other parent. This will cause untold stress and lifelong damage to have a child believe mistruths about an absent parent. The damage to the mother should be acknowledged of course but principally I am appealing to you to consider the lifelong damage the separation will cause to both children. If one wishes to consider evidence for such damage one only has to know that the father in this case suffered similar enforced separation from his own father. What impact do we know this has had on him to move forward in his own life as a husband and as a father?

The manipulation of justice is a serious affront and to allow this within a Country where Jews suffered directly from the perversion of justice is to seriously undermine our collective responsibility. We should be a light into the nations. It is utterly unacceptable that a parent is manipulating the legal system and thereby causing the children to transgress the commandment that a child should honour its parents- parents not parent.

This case brings shame upon the legal system, upon the judiciary and upon the rabbinical authorities indeed upon all those behind by commission or omission allow this travesty to occur.

We have just observed Internationally Holocaust Memorial Day - the perpetrators could not have succeeded in committing such evil were it not for the thousands of disinterested bystanders who looked the other way.

My family have never forgotten the evil that can be allowed by becoming a bystander and got this reason I appeal to you step forward and say something to help these poor children.  It is not enough to stand idly by and allow it to happen.

Regards

Melanie Diamond

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : SIMPLY INHUMANE FOR BOTH THE MOTHER AND THE BOYS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am a resident in the UK and an Indian national. I am sure you must have received quite a number of emails regarding Beth Alexander’s case, I am writing to you for the same. 

I don’t come from your community, I am a Hindu by my values. But irrespective of where we come from or what we believe in, I am sure we understand the importance of why this case needs a humanistic eye and approach. Beth is a mother of two beautiful boys, and has been separated from them, with each passing year her contact time being reduced to none now. This is simply inhumane for both the mother and the boys. I implore you too look at this case not through the prism of opinions that have been legally presented so far, but from a humanistic eye and help her. 

I request you to intervene in this matter for Beth Alexander and more importantly her boys Sami and Benji who are growing up without a mother. In no religion, culture or community should that be acceptable. 

I am standing by a mother and her sons, hoping desperately to see if you will! Our hopes are pinned on you. 

Kindest regards,

Swati Raina

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : EVEN MURDERERS IN PRISON ARE ALLOWED FAMILY VISITS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Herr Deutsch,

I hope you are well.

I and many many others are writing to you, indeed we are pleading with you to right this dreadful injustice to Beth Alexander.

Beth is a loving, caring and empathic person. 

She has put herself through law school and became a Lawyer.

She has the backing of the British Parliament, she has the backing of the British Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis. 

All have looked into her situation deeply, and do you honestly think these important institutions would support her if she was a terrible Mother? You know the answer to that already.

Even Murderers in Prison are allowed family visits. 

My Mother died on Sept 10th 2021, 3 days after her Hebrew birthday, 2nd day Rosh Hashana. She was 86 years old. She was the template of a wonderful Mother and caring human being. I dare not think where I would be today without the love, care, advice and wisdom of my Mother. I'm not sure I would still be around.

Beth is also a caring Mother. I KNOW she is, and there has been a most dreadful wrong  acted against her. 

I got divorced in Aug 2017 after 20 years marriage. The divorce was farely amicable, but one thing that my ex wife,and both sets of our Parents agreed upon was. 

Keep the corridors of communication open. This is absolutely vital. 

My Mother used to say there is NOTHING more important than Family, didn't matter how much you earn or don't, Family comes first. Her boys are being denied this by the dreadful decisions of the Austrian Judiciary.

It is almost Dreyfus like in its injustice. 

Please help to right this wrong. Some things in life we KNOW are just plain WRONG..... and this is definitely one of those situations. 

Sincerely 

Steven J Selig.

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : TRUE EVIL

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Oskar Deutsch

You who are aware of the incredible farce of justice and Chillul Hashem that has occurred in your community, with a father who supports his children by denying his mother Beth Alexander.

The whole world, the press and the Jewish and non-Jewish communities around the world expect the Jewish community of Vienna to correct this injustice and this form of mistreatment, you are key in this worldwide request to remove the bad reputation have made your Vienna community. 

Return the children to Beth immediately.

The court was "fixed", Biderman who no one in the world considers him a rabbi since he did the Chillul Hashem instead of carrying his title with dignity. He did it with evil and for the benefit of himself and ex-husband Michael Schlesinger.

That he manipulated all the chips to achieve his malice against Beth and her own children. Now are shaking all the uniforms to take out all the garbage that they shelter! Such a bad reputation that nobody wants to get married or go to live in your community because you corner the people, you already have Cherem. Solve it immediately before you fall into your own hole!

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

The Jewish community in Vienna has facilitated this evil and has kept a mother away from her children. What Chillul Hashem. What true evil to deny a mother her own children and deny those children a mother who loves them. Leaving the children in the care of an abusive man who poisons his children against his mother! The same history that Michael’s mother made to him and his sister! A “groise “example …

It is SHOCKING that this has happened in a traditional Jewish community. What the hell has happened to the Jews in Vienna that this has been allowed to happen and continue for so many years? Another “holocaust “ between your own people”

Act now!

#BBMC #WIZOAustria #JUKO Jugendkommission #Chabad #engelmayer

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : ON THE SAME SOIL WHERE THE NAZIS RIPPED JEWISH BABIES FROM THEIR MOTHERS' ARMS

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Herr Deutsch,

I am writing to express my dismay over the reports of corruption in the Viennese Jewish community, specifically in regard to the Beth Alexander case.

In describing Adolph Eichmann, the philosopher Hannah Arendt wrote about "the banality of evil" - how "terrifyingly normal" the man responsible for so many horrors seemed. 

Arendt's chilling words come to mind when I think about how Judge Susanne Gottlicher - who is responsible for depriving a sane, loving, capable mother of her twin sons - met community member Dr. Michael Schlesinger for tea and cakes before awarding him final custody of the boys. And the banality of evil comes to mind when I read about the chilling silence this case has been met with within the Viennese Jewish community.

(Yes, on the same soil where the Nazis ripped Jewish babies from their mothers' arms 80 years ago, the community remains comfortably silent as history repeats itself.)

In 2007, you stood before the community and said, "I listened carefully when my grandparents spoke about the Holocaust. Most of it was simply unimaginable, for a human being to have done to another human being. As a grown man I am incapable of comprehending how inhumanities as cruel as these could have occurred."

As a grandchild of survivors myself, I understand and agree. And while we can't undo the trauma of the Shoah, we can - and must - take a stance against the unspeakable cruelty that is being carried out today against a Jewish mother and her children.

As the leader of the community, you are in a unique position to help. And you have a unique responsibility to do just that.

Investigate the corruption (it is not hard to find). Apply pressure to the bad actors in this case. Let your voice be heard. Be a force of justice and morality.

I urge you to work to remove this great stain on your community's character, and the stain on your own good name.

Respectfully,

Paula Margulies Sion

Ra'anana, Israel

#reunitingbethwithhersons

Open Letter To Oskar Deutsch : LACK OF SUPPORT AND EXCLUSION

 

o.deutsch@ikg-wien.at

office@ikg-wien.at

Dear Mr Deutsch,

I am writing to you again about the same case, mainly because I am not able to see whether my previous email was received, and it is very important you get these emails and get the chance to read them properly.

I hope this email finds you well.

As you already know, I am very concerned to hear about this case of a young mother who has been denied ALL CONTACT to her two sons, for no obvious reason at all. I understand she is a good, capable mother and loves her sons more than anything. Her experience in the Jewish community in Vienna seems to have been one of lack of support and exclusion. This is where you, as a leader of the community, have an opportunity to help out. In addition, the children's father, a member of your community, has the option of allowing more contact with the mother. As a leader, who clearly cares about the well-being of the families in the community and its children, you have the opportunity to try and mediate so this should happen. Children need their parents and grandparents, however bitter their parents' relationship should have become (and you could say even more so in those circumstances).

It is simply very hard for me to understand how a community, who clearly takes their children's well-being and education seriously, would not cry out against something like this. Of course I don't know all the details of the case but, if you know differently, feel free to share that information.

I would very much appreciate a response from you, with any further information and what you feel you can do for Beth and her boys, as this is an issue that now concerns a large group of people around the world. We all care about justice for parents and families and the well-being of children after divorce. As a mother of two boys myself, I can only imagine the pain of a mother not being able to see her children. It makes me very uneasy that something like this could happen in the modern world, with supposedly sound legal systems and in a country where I also have spent some time living and where I felt safe and welcome in my time.

You CAN help. Please don't waste that opportunity.

Best regards,

Kirsten Simons