Our Update #9
Bloomgarten Campaign
• In preparation for the campaign event in New Square, our menahel, R’ Yoel Usher Labin, Chaim Kompel and Shlome Heller went in to the Skverer Rabbi to receive a Brocha . The Rabbi displayed a passion for the cause and inquired about the case details. Concluding the meeting, he gave our delegation his holy blessing and $300 towards the campaign.
• On Tish’a B’av between mincha and ma’ariv, campaign coordinator Yoel Usher Labin delivered an impassioned speech in the main shul in New Square regarding the appeals set for the following day. A crowd of more than 1,000 people listened intently and warmed to the cause. His speech made an impact, and we b”H was a huge success.
• With tremendous siyata diShmaya, appeals in court were highly successful, here is a note we got right after the hearing:
• Howard’s attorney and the prosecutors just left the court house with a big victory for Howard.
The discussion was about documents that the prosecution had not handed over to the defense.
The judge emphatically stated to the prosecutor that the defense should have full access to the documents. The prosecutor disagreed. But the judge insisted, and adjourned the court proceedings for the following month.
• Our menahel, R’ Yoel Usher Labin followed up with another interview on Kol Mevaser with updates on the Bloomgarten case.
Food Program
• After several meetings with the owners of Meal Mart over the kosher foods they serve in prison, Arye Leib Glancz was successful in improving the quality of ingredients in the food served to the inmates.
• Dror conducted a tasting of the improved kosher foods in Otisville. The yidden in the facility expressed delight over the better-tasting menu and thanked our volunteers with full mouths.
• Dror sent a brand new microwave to Otisville. Our sincere thanks to Moshe Dovid Guttman and Tovia Gedalya Fleishman from Krekes food equipment.
Prison Triumphs
• Arye Leib Glancz traveled to Monsey to meet with Yitzchok Aron Hirshfeld. They discussed the financial problems a family is facing with an upcoming wedding as the father is in prison.
• With great effort, our New Jersey legal team, headed by Eliezer Elya Moskowitz, arranged that the father be allowed to come home for the wedding.
• Eliezer ‘Eli’ Moskowitz had a successful meeting with one of the owners of the halfway houses in New Jersey. He was treated to a private tour of the premises.
• Special thanks to Misaskim’s Reb Yanky Mayer: Dror had received an emergency phone call about the arrest of an elderly person. In a short amount of time, Yanky had worked out to get him out on DAT.
Miscellaneous
• Our sincere thanks to attorney Stacy Richmond for taking on a new case pro bono.
• Final preparations are being made for an upcoming ladies’ event, arranged by the Dror ladies auxiliary.
Warm Wishes
• A heartfelt mazal tov to Yanky Lieberman of Mendleson’s Pizza upon his wedding.
• Mazel tov to R’ Efraim Stein upon the engagement of a grandson.