A Letter To Madoff

Don't blame him for being a "bad" Jew. About one in six New Yorkers is Jewish. An even greater percentage of financial service workers in NYC is Jewish. There are many, many crooks in this industry. He was just a statistic.

The fault lies with the Jewish "charities" which could not trust a non-Jew (i.e., a legitimate financial service company which was open to inspection and honest about its investment strategy) to manage their finances.

Your paranoia is pathetic. Do you really think the tiny portion of US anti-semites are the biggest threat to Jews? The real threat to Jews is the insular and selfish views of Jews like Rabbi Gellman. To understand the Madoff scandal only as a loss to Jews is so narrow. Try understanding that Jews are not special, but merely humans of equal value as any other in the world. Then you'll really understand God. And you wouldn't feel so betrayed, but might feel for others (non-Jews) who were cheated by life. Your overzealous fears cripple you! You sound like a spoiled, selfish child.

You'll have greater power to change negative views of Jews if you learn to truly love non-Jews. The measure of the effect of the scandal is not the financial losses of Jewish charities but whether Jews can learn to be more caring beyond their own group...or will they remain self-pitying?

Twisting Madoff's crimes into a subtle lecture on anti-semitism preached at non-Jews shows Rabbi Gellman has a long way to travel. Try to actually GET IT, Mr. Gellman!

Don't blame him for being a Jew. About one in six New Yorkers is Jewish. An even greater percentage of financial service workers in NYC is Jewish. There are many, many crooks in this industry. He was just a statistic. The fault lies with the Jewish "charities" which could not trust a non-Jew (i.e., a legitimate financial service company which was open to inspection and honest about its investment strategy) to manage their finances. Your paranoia is pathetic. Do you really think the tiny portion of US anti-semites are the biggest threat to Jews? It is the insular and selfish views of Jews like Rabbi Gellman that create a problem for Jews. Try understanding that Jews are not special, but merely humans of equal value as any other in the world. Then you'll really understand God. And you wouldn't feel so betrayed, but might feel for others (non-Jews) who were cheated by life. Your overzealous fears cripple you! You sound like a spoiled, selfish child.

A Jewish friend of mine whom I love like a brother told over this past summer that he always attended Jewish summer camp as a child . He told me that many of the nastiest sexual degredations that you could do to one another were perpetrated on a daily basis to the weakest in the summer camps that he attended. He said this was a yearly occurence when he would attend Jewish camp. Then he became so distressed about the things he witnessed that his parents put him in gentile camp . He witnessed a sea of change and finally enjoyed himself at others not being persecuted during their so-called summer break . I asked why he though this would go on at these camps he said because of the competitive surroundings that he and his counterparts are brought up in where the weak are destroyed. I simply said "that's interesting" . THat story will never leave me , I know this for sure. When I heard about Bernie Madoff this is the story that I immediately thought of , fair or unfair it is now a lasting impression with me .

does the word "consience" exist for mr. madoff??????????? how can he live with himself, knowing how many people have been brought down because of him??? we are talking about future generations that will still suffer as a result of his actions of the past years. may G-d give him his due punishment!

One greater than all of us will pass judgment on Mr. Madoff's cup of abominations.

One greater than all of us will pass judgment on Mr Madoff for his betrayal of the trust he held from close friends and strangers alike.

We Jews were always taught that we should be a light unto the nations- Bernie has put out the light -" mir shemsish var de veld"

In yiddish there is a saying which goes like this " ah beszoyin var de goyim

Freud is absloutely right! A man's capacity to destroy himself is as great as his will to live...So please, please think twice before you start grabbing for more money and more power. You may be your worst enemy and your fellow beings!

Freud is abslutely right. A man's capacity to destroy himself is as good as his will to live!

Applause Rabbi Marc Gellman. There is a morale truth here and you have spoken it. An 'abomination' is a word which begins to describe this intentional and immoral act. As a Jew I understand your desire to publically speak to this immorality so that the world beyond Jews does not align other Jews wth Madoff's immoral, destuctive and reprehensible acts. Mr. Staler I agree that as a community of investors many were blinded by the returns and lost their ability to see, to regulate, and to be smart about investments and indeed there is that to address. But if we do not proclaim the morale outrage we not only lose our investment we lose our humanity. Ann Cohen

Addendum. Where does Rabbi Gelman preach? Does he have a congregation? Does he have a portfolio of accomplishments or a body of writing? There seems to be no biography attached.

Rabbi???s rarely have a clue to what is going on in the world. Religion detaches them from reality. They are an insulated lot who work hard to care for their flocks and their contracts. It is probable to say that this rabbi has not lost money in this debacle. What the world does not need is a another moralizing rabbi exhorting to us the terrible foibles of Madoff et.al. We all know we have been betrayed. But what we don???t need more advice, rabbinic or otherwise. What the rabbi misses here is that regardless of the melodramatic mantra of ???financial terrorist???, we have been had by a sociopath of the highest order. Jews are not the only victims. And while the good rabbi drones on, we all have to face decisions that will not rely on one iota of what he has said. The letter causes extreme damage to view that Jews are victims in society.
The one idea that describes the situation best is our loss of vigilance. A good sociopath can either con us with a smile or threaten us with violence. In a sense, there is no psychological difference between Bernie Madoff and Adolph Hitler. As a community we lost our ability to see. And with our loss of sight, we could not be vigilant. Without vigilance there will be no stewardship. We did not deserve this situation. But what will we do to see that this will not happen again? And what is the larger meaning for us all? And how do we teach ourselves to become more vigilant?
The enemy from within is our susceptibility to demagoguery. Madoff is just one part of this tragedy. The greater issue is our vulnerability to trust without skepticism.
Nathan Satler

I would like to find out from Madoff is WHY he did this (especially to the people he did it to). I think that is the biggest aspect to this event than the event itself. ......but I don't think "any" word out of his mouth can be believed from here on out.....

That rotten bastard wiped out my family and he should die a slow painful death. He also wiped out many other families and hard working chariities. He best watch out for me because I will put a bullet in his head and glady serve my prison time for doing it.

This comment is to autoflea @ 12/29/2008 9:26:47 AM since I feel you are a total fool to have written what you did. The rabbi wrote what was in his heart and it was all true and for a good purpose. Why you would think he had any ulterior motives is ridiculous since the despicable crime that Madeoff has perpetrated against his trusting fellow human beings is enough to make any honest and caring human being cringe. The fact that he is Jewish makes this a much more heinous crime since he has just opened a Pandora's box to give anti-Semites more reasons to hate us once again.

That was amazing.