| |
My Cooperation with Rabbi Fuerst
On approximately Feb. 15,2000,
during a three-week visit to Memphis, I received a phone call from
Rabbi Feurst informing me that Danny Shabat wanted Rabbi Feurst to
summons me to a Din Torah regarding my irreligious filing of a civil
law-suit in Chicago. Rabbi Feurst asked me to explain my justification
for resorting to the secular courts, and asked if I was willing to come
before his Beit Din to respond to Shabat's complaint.
To the latter question I responded affirmatively. To the former question,
I explained to Rabbi Feurst that from Sept. 1998 thru January 2000,
I had religiously invested exhaustive efforts to meet the Shabats in
Beit Din, to no avail; and that I was exercising my right to seek
adjudication in civil court per the permission of the C.R.C. Beit Din.
I then faxed to Rabbi Feurst all the written communication between Thomas
& C.R.C. Beit Din & Shabat evidencing this.
On the eve of my departure home to Israel, on Feb. 28, 2000,
I received a first summons to choose a date to appear before Rabbi
Feurst, to defend my filing a civil suit. I returned to Israel on
March 1, 2000.
On March 21, 2000, I responded in writing
to Rabi Feurst that I would come at any time to defend myself in his
Beit Din, but that in view of my recent lengthy stay in the U.S. that
was not utilized for a hearing, I felt that Shabat should pay my
expenses to attend, if a hearing was desired before my next scheduled
trip to Chicago in July. I received no response.
Two months later, on May 23, 2000, I received another summons from
Rabbi Feurst entitled, "Second Summons" that read "Danny Shabat is
still summoning you to a Din Torah. Please contact me..." Attached
thereto was the Shabats' rabbinical representative's objection to my
request for expenses. I telephoned my response to Rabbi Feurst, that
I would be in Chicago in July for a hearing in Circuit Court, and that
directly thereafter I would be available to appear before his Beit din.
I did not receive any response.
During my July
2000 trip to Chicago, I again heard from Rabbi Feurst. On Wed., July 19,
at 10:00 P.M., I arrived home and there was a fax waiting for me from
Rabbi Feurst. It was entitled "Third and Final Summons" and in it, Rabbi
Feurst threatened to excommunicate me if I don't come before his beit din.
I called him immediately to protest his reference to a "third summons",
and after an initial few sentences he hung up abruptly saying he didn't
have time for me that night and that I should call him "tomorrow".
Thurs., July 20, afternoon.
I called back Rabbi Feurst and asked when I could come over to respond
to his summons. He answered that I couldn't come over, but rather
I would have to speak with him over the phone. I explained that I did not
wish to speak about such matters over the phone, and that I felt I had a
right to a face to face hearing. He adamantly refused. I asked him if he
had spoken to Danny in a face to face setting. Rabbi Feurst hesitantly
answered that he had spoken to Danny face to face, and that Danny had
told him "what happened".
I insisted that in that case I
had a right to a face to face communication, and I asked if it was
proper for a purported Dayan to listen to one side, ex parte. He was
annoyed by my inquisitiveness and quite indignantly stated that he was
not required to provide me with a "din vecheshbon" (an accounting).
I was in the middle of a sentence that in a neutral tone
began, "It seems to me Rabbi Feurst that you are quite interested in
protecting Danny and Margie from public disgrace; ..." (my intention was
to politely tell him that publicity was going to happen soon in any case)
and Rabbi Feurst cut me short saying, "I don't have to listen to your
baloney", and he hung up the phone in my face.
Oct. 30, 2000 - 11:30 P.M.
Phone rings in Israel. It's
Rabbi Feurst on the line.
He asks me if I'm planning to
take my claim out of civil court. I say to him that I don't foresee that
happening, because I'm well within my rights. He says that I'm leaving him
no choice but to excommunicate me. I tell him that I will be very upset
if he does that.
He hangs up without a good-bye.
Monday, Dec. 4, 2000
Howard Hoffmann (Shabat's attorney)
calls me in the morning to continue his attempts to explore settlement
possibilities. My intransigence becomes clear to him, and we disengage
about 12:00. Within an hour, there is an envelope delivered to both me
and my host declaring my being excommunicated by Rabbi Feurst. It's
dated and signed October 31, 2000.
TOP OF THIS PAGE |
|