Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

jennifer de filipo — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 01:06:13 GMT

SANDRA,

I know Gitty. She has an order of protection against your psycho son. He stalked her and made her a life a living hell.

You did a horrible job raising him and you should be ashamed of yourself for having your 34 year old son still living with you.

Why are you bashing Gitty? Are you getting paid by the Satmar Hasidim for spreading these malicious rumours or are you bitter because the rest of your kids don't talk to you and you want to prevent Gitty from getting custody of her own daughter out of pure spite.

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

sandyrug — Tue, 29 Jul 2008 19:10:21 GMT

I AM THE MOTHER OF A 34 YEAR OLD SON LIVING IN BENSONHURST BKLYN.WE ARE OF ITALIAN DESCENT AND ARE ROMAN CATHOLIC.I HAD THE MISFORTUNE OF MEETING GITTY GRUNWALD IN SEPT. OF 2007.FOR APPROXIMATELY 3 MONTHS SHE MADE MY LIFE A LIVING HELL.SHE PRACTICALLY MOVED INTO MY HOME AND DISRUPTED THE LIVES OF MY WHOLE FAMILY.AT THIS TIME SHE MADE NO EFFORT TO REGAIN CUSTODY OF HER CHILD.MY SON HAD AN ONGOING BATTLE WITH HER OVER THIS.HE EVENTUALLY LOST HIS JOB OVER THE SITUATION.HE WOULD TAKE DAYS OFF WORK TO GO WITH HER TO FAMILY COURT BUT SHE WOULDNT EVEN GET OUR OF BED TO GO WITH HIM.AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED SHE IS USING THE SYSTEM FOR HER OWN MEANS AND NOT IN THE BEST INTEREST OF HER CHILD.THERE IS SO MUCH MORE I CAN SAY BUT TIME WILL ALLOW THE PUBLIC TO FIND OUT THE TRUE NATURE OF GITTY.I CAN UNDERSTAND HOW SO MANY PEOPLE HAVE COME TO HER AID FOR SO DID I UNTIL I DISCOVERED HER TRUE NATURE. .PLEASE STOP AIDING HER IN THIS WITCH HUNT AND INVESTIGATE HER FURTHER BEFORE YOU CONTINUE TO ENLIST THE AID OF THE UNSUSPECTING PUBLIC..........SANDRA RUGGIERO BKLYN NY

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

sam — Wed, 23 Jul 2008 15:35:25 GMT

I know this case all mr. kjacobson wanted to do was get her on his side 2 b able to fuck her

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Equazcion — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 03:29:22 GMT

You can talk about how much the article goes overboard in painting Gitty as the victim, and you can defend your own Satmar lifestyle as being less wacky than what's been portrayed, but there are a few facts I haven't seen refuted yet - like the fact that the child was abducted by masked men in vans.

To Chap Lach, who writes, "Her husband was awarded custody by the family court and Gitty did not return the child at the time agreed upon so he simply picked her up," parents in custody battles aren't supposed to take it upon themselves to execute court orders and simply "pick up" a child when the other parent is unresponsive. Law enforcement handles court orders. If your ex-wife refuses to hand over your child, you call the police. You don't wait for the child to come out of school and get your friends to help throw her in the back of a van (while wearing masks, appaently). This is not the behavior of civilized human beings.

There is also the only-slightly-less disturbing account of the encounter with the "Vaad Hatznius". People who perform their own neighborhood watch to ensure religious observance crosses a line. There's a reason we separate church from state here in America, and when religion becomes an issue of enforcement, you start down a dangerous path. A recognized government might not be running it, but it is possible to create your own "state" to uphold your "church", and that seems to be what has happened here.

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Preston Leschins — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:06:02 GMT

From my perspective (an attorney who knows and understands both the KJ community and the secular Jewish community), this article can be easily mis-interpreted, misconstrued and misunderstood (by Jews and non-Jews alike). Other than the fact that this article is more likely to hurt Gitty in court than it is likely to help her, the most unfortunate thing about this article is that it does not reflect favorably on the Jewish community as a whole.

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Daniel — Fri, 18 Jul 2008 08:14:56 GMT

Despite what people might say about Gitty, clearly there is fundamental truth to her experience as can be gotten from the general setting of the story. A person striving to live as individual after suffering repression for years is bound to exhibit some behavioral irregularity; to think otherwise would be foolish and idealistic. Equally foolish would be to misconstrue these phase-like tendencies as an indication of her "permanent" state of mind.

Gitty's life will settle down; it will run the course of its "correction". We are human beings and as such we all cycle through varying states of mind throughout the course of our lives. Gitty's situation isn't any different, and a momentary sampling of her reflexes (or "liberation") cannot be taken as a precedent of her mothering abilities.

I salute you Gitty! Stay the course. Best of luck!

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Chap Lach — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:13:17 GMT

This is distortion at best and blatant lying at worst.

There was no kidnapping! If there was it was perpetrated by Gitty herself. Her husband was awarded custody by the family court and Gitty did not return the child at the time agreed upon so he simply picked her up! If there would have been a kidnapping the courts would have returned the child to Gitty, since that didn't happen the story must be twisted.

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

KJ girl — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 22:08:24 GMT

I know Gitty personally, She comes from a disturbed background and was always a narcissist. She used to leave her "beloved" baby and husband alone for days while out on drinking sprees.

How considerate does she sound when she flaunts herself in front of her husband while he wants to follow Jewish law, however ancient and archaic it might be. She can do whatever she likes, but how can she force him to see her that way? When she married him she agreed to follow the laws, is it right of her to expect him to come along when she decides to drop it?

Jewish religious men, for your information, are commanded to treat their wives with more respect than themselves. And they stick to it. They don't force their wives to do anything. We live in the 20'th century, for heaven's sake! You honestly believe we would sit there and take all that abuse!

Gitty is an unbalanced individual by anyone's standards and I don't believe any responsible person would entrust their child in her care for one day, so why should her husband do that with his own daughter?

Just goes to show how much trust the media deserves nowadays. Not that I blame anyone who doesn't know the community firsthad for being appalled at the horror presented.

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Rivka — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 21:36:25 GMT

I am a member and can testify that the picture presented is totally distorted.

I am 21, I know about the world out there, I even know who Michael Jackson is! Still I choose to retain this lifestyle. I was never brainwashed and there is no mind control used.

I challenge you to visit the Monroe school and see for yourself what it's like. The kids get a well rounded education with none of the baloney about dinasour bones and specks in the sky that Gitty fed the magazine.

Gitty definitely spoke to her husband before getting married. She happened to meet him on her own, without going through her parents like most Satmar girls do. But all Satmars talk with their prospective mates before getting engaged, even the most conservative among them. There is no such thing as a forced marriage in KJ!

The jewish laws were twisted beyond recognition, I suggest you go to sites like aish.com to get the true picture of ultra orthodox jewish life.

If you accept the article at face value I understand why you would be horrified, you just need to take the time out to visit any hassidic community near you, be it Williamsburg, Boro Park, Monsey, and Monroe, to name a few, and my point will be proven. You will see women dressed in all colors. Leading a very happy and satisfied life.

Nobody is forcing anyone to stay, yet most do. There are some very good reasons why. One very good one is to avoid the very lifestyle Gitty chose to adopt.

No job, no marriage, some drug use, no sense of modesty or privacy- Is that really so attractive?

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:36:34 GMT

Min,

Sounds like you missed the point entirely. This as nothing to do with traditional Jewish anything. These are cultists living in a small, isolated sect who do not follow any of the rules or values you write of. The "Jewish roots and values" you praise were lost on her because these wackos use mind (and life) control to destroy people, to break them down into nothing. This is not what traditional Jewish people do.

Or maybe you're a member?

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Min Halev — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 20:19:13 GMT

This article deserves a response the size of a book, but I will only make a few short points.

Gitty will forever be a holy Jewish neshama (soul), regardless of how far she will stray from her Jewish roots and values. Chances are very good that she will eventually return to a meaningful Jewish life, perhaps even more than she had ever experienced. Of all Orthodox Jewish "rebels" that leave the fold, it is estimated that 65%-75% make a come back within 5-10 years. Most even become much stronger in observance than what they were before leaving the faith. It may just take some time before she will realize the void and emptiness the world she now fantises about, has to offer. Some become inspired by witnessing the literally tens of thousands of former secular Jews who embrace Orthodoxy. These by-the-way includes celebrities etc. from all walks of the entertainment and professional world.

Regarding the content and facts given in the article, it is unfortunate that many people will accept blindly what was presented, when in fact it is saturated with misleading information. This includes the facts that Orthodox Jews reject science and art, have arranged/forced marriages (granted, that these were not Gitty's issues, but only of the Jewish author) and many more. However, there are a few very important lessons which need to be learned from this article. Obviously Gitty was never taught that Judaism encourages asking questions, which is something that is lacking in many Orthodox Jewish institutions. If only she would have been given the opportunity to discuss her issues with a competent and well educated Rabbi, she would have realized how much deeper and more meaningful Judaism is.

It is also sad that seemingly (if the facts are accurate) her family and friends do/did not know how to relate to such situations.

Gitty - Hashem still loves you.......

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Brian Fairbanks — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 14:19:10 GMT

Well, I should just say that they aren't traditional Jews. This is basically a cult that's isolated up there in the Catskills. From what I recall from the story, she saw the guy out a window, he looped the block, and then she was told she'd seen her husband, end of story. I don't remember how much of a fight she put up, maybe not much of one, but the next thing is she's married and trying to figure out how to have sex.

So, yeah, I wouldn't say it was like a Warren Jeffs forced marriage, but probably not too far from it. Somebody else may have their copy of the story handy and can elaborate.

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Monsey_Guy — Thu, 17 Jul 2008 10:41:07 GMT

The only thing is....this story probably isn't true. Halacha (Jewish law) does not allow forced marriages.

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Solstice2005 — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 22:46:20 GMT

In this country (as in most countries with a certain level of education), marriage is a civil act: you have to go to a civil institution to get a license just as you need to go to a judge to pronounce a divorce, all civil authorities. SO, WHAT THE FUCK DO WE ALLOW RELIGIOUS AUTHORITIES TO HAVE THEIR SAY IN THESE MATTERS!

We have gone way beyond religious freedom to a place where we are afraid of claiming our rights in front of the assaults of zealots who do not believe in freedom of religion (or anything they do not believe in)

re: Crush of the Week: Gitty Grunwald, Fighting An Hasidic Cult For Her Daughter

Meny — Wed, 16 Jul 2008 20:53:17 GMT

Gitty! I'm with you all the way!!!!!