So, the top news story on LoHud this morning was “Cow slaughtered in yard of Ramapo yeshiva.”  Not much of a surprise. It’s a pretty wild story: Neighbors say that a cow was tied to a tree at Yeshiva Bobover on Route 306 in Monsey, unincorporated Ramapo, bordering the villages of Pomona and Wesley Hills (edited by nc) and then slaughtered as the boys who attend the yeshiva watched.

Most comments (70 by mid-day) in our forums were critical of the events. And there’s plenty of criticism from those within the Orthodox community. Vos Iz Neias?, a blog that dubs itself “The Voice of the Orthodox Jewish Community,” carried an item yesterday about The Journal News/LoHud story. The comments there, too, often expressed embarrassment that this would happen, and shock that others would see nothing wrong with slaughtering an animal in a suburban backyard. One commenter (rough translations in parentheses) said:

This whole episode is a shanda and a busha. (shame and major embarrassment.) Would you like in your neighborhood. Chilul hashem. (Putting Jewish people and religion in disrepute.) What about all the diseases that spread before it is cleaned up. What about the children who are terrified. If you go along with this charpah, (perversion of Jewish ways) you have lost your mind.

This yeshiva, in a residential neighborhood, has quite a history of building code violations, and operating a school without getting a public water use permit. So its track record with neighbors in this mixed religious and secular neighborhood is less than stellar. This last event certainly won’t help. The school’s lawyer had said the school officials were unaware of the incident, and the yeshiva’s administrator told VIN that people learning kosher butchering had “used our lot for their practice without our permission.” But staff writer Jane Lerner reports today that Ramapo police said a member of the school’s board of directors said he had granted permission for the activity. And, a cow head and entrails—and blood-covered knives—were found in separate boxes in a nursery school classroom at the yeshiva.

So, the track record of the Bobover yeshiva is one that neighbors know well, and frustrates many, including those in the religious community.
Dr. Mandell Ganchrow of Monsey, the former long-time president of the Orthodox Union, has spoken about the issue of behavior by some Hasidim being not seen as individual, but indicative of a group. In a 2001 interview with The Journal News, he said:

It makes a difference when you wear certain garb that says, ‘I’m Orthodox. I believe in Torah, morality and ethics’ … But we have to be very careful not to judge Hasidim by the deeds of a few. Most Hasidim are hard-working, honest, family-oriented.

Well, we are two-thirds of the way through the endorsement hearing process for school board candidates. The interviews are being recorded and can be viewed in our School Elections 2009 section on LoHud.com. You can also find candidate questionnaires. So far, half of the 30 candidates vying for 19 seats up in Rockland’s eight school districts have their questionnaires filled out an available for viewing. The election is Tuesday, May 19, and each disrict’s proposed 2009-2010 budgets will also be on the ballot, plus some districts have referenda.

Last week, we talked to Pearl River and Clarkstown candidates. Today, we met with Nanuet and East Ramapo. Tomorrow, it’s Ramapo Central at 9 a.m., followed by North Rockland at 10 a.m. Not every candidate can make it, but we follow up with interviews later for endorsement purposes. Unfortunately, those who can’t make the appointment time aren’t on the video. It’s very difficult to get everyone scheduled (throughout the Lower Hudson Valley, we have more than 50 districts, so it’s pretty much an scheduling nightmare.)

So, if you live in the North Rockland or Ramapo Central school districts, tune in on LoHud, and you can contribute questions using “Cover It Live.” If your district’s school board endorsement hearing already took place, peek in and see where the candidates stand on the issues.

As Justice David Souter plans to resign from the Supreme Court at the tender age of 69 (a mere pup!) there’s plenty of speculation on who President Barack Obama will nominate.

Here’s a name that’s been floated around: Sonia Sotomayor. Judge  Sotomayor of the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals was one of three judges on the panel that put the kibosh on a new trial for convicted Brinks getaway driver Judith Clark. She was convicted to serve 75 years in the 1981 armored truck robbery by a group of radicals. Two Nyack police officers and a security guard were killed.

Clark has tried to get a new trial because she wasn’t represented by a lawyer during the 1983 trial. That’s because she and her co-defendants refused legal representation.

Sotomayer’s questioning in that case was key. She and the other judges noted taht a defendant has the constitutional right to represent herself. Sotomayor stated during a Feb. 26, 2007 hearing:

You’re saying a court must override a competent defendant’s decision to make a political statement (and represent herself) … A trial judge should then override a defendant’s rights?

Interesting point. Clark continues to serve her prison term.

Some other info on Sotomayor. She’s considered to be on the shortlist because she is a woman, and Hispanic (Puerto Rican), both of which are considered a real draw to bring balance and diversity to the high court. And, she’s interesting. She was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at age 8, which surely shaped her life experiences. Plus, she was the judge in 1995 who issued the injunction that let to the settlement of the 1994-95 Major League Baseball strike.