NY - Massive Arson Fire. Rabbi Jonathan Max Targeted. Brooklyn. 13 June 2019

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  • #1
"The Brooklyn home of a rabbi accused of being a pedophile was engulfed in flames early on Thursday in what police suspect was an arson attack.

Nearly 200 first responders raced to the four-alarm fire that raged at the home on East 17th Street in Midwood. The flames decimated Rabbi Jonathan Max’s home and spread to two neighboring houses. Thirteen people, including a newborn baby, were injured. Authorities said none of the injuries were life-threatening, but 12 people were taken to the hospital, including nine civilians, two firefighters, and an EMS medic.

According to New York Post, investigators found evidence of arson, including surveillance video from a nearby home that shows a person pouring a liquid around a car parked by Max’s home.

According to the Daily News, authorities quickly identified a suspect – Menachem Karelefsky – a Pittsburgh resident, who also goes by the name “Matthew,” and who has held a grudge against Max, a teacher at the Chaim Berlin Yeshiva, whom he accused of being a pedophile."


https://www.israelhayom.com/2019/06...used-of-being-a-pedophile-torched-13-injured/

"The Pittsburgh resident, who also goes by Matthew, posted on his LinkedIn profile that Max, a teacher at the Chaim Berlin Yeshiva, molested him in the yeshiva’s dormitory...

Whether Karelefsky in fact had any contact with the rabbi — or what the nature of that contact was — is unclear. There do not appear to be any other public accusations of sexual misconduct against Max. Karelefsky has repeated his allegations on various Orthodox blogs.

The rabbi’s son told the Daily News that Karelefsky was “a psychopath.”"


Brooklyn rabbi's house burns down in suspected arson, 13 injured - Jewish Telegraphic Agency
 
  • #2
Cops suspect arsonist with a grudge in massive fire that ripped through three Brooklyn homes and hospitalized 13 — including an infant
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A tattoo on the arm of Menachem Karelefsky.
Karelefsky’s telephone voice mail greeting is a recorded message in Hebrew saying the rabbi should be erased from history.

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A four-alarm fire at 1488 East 17th Street in Midwood, Brooklyn is pictured early Thursday morning. (Vic Nicastro/for New York Daily News)
The fire reached four alarms before it was brought under control about 7:15 a.m., officials said. More than 170 FDNY firefighters and medics were called in to douse the flames and lend medical aid.

Flatbush Arsonist Matthew (Menachem) Karelefsky is Convert to Christianity - The Jewish Link
Shimon Gifter, a photographer who lives in the neighborhood, said Karelefsky has been threatening to kill Max for years.

“He lives in Pittsburgh but people saw him around the neighborhood yesterday. He was asking people where Rabbi Max is, ‘I want to kill him.’ But people didn’t believe him. He’s been saying stuff like that for 10 years,” Gifter said. “He said to me, ‘I want him to drop dead.’”

Added Gifter, “He said he was molested by Rabbi Max when he was his 14-year-old student… He blames Rabbi Max for his divorce and that he can’t see his kids. He needs psychological help. He’s been making threats for the last six weeks. The signs were there.”



A 41-year-old Pennsylvania Jewish native who later converted to Christianity has been arrested by authorities in connection to the fire that destroyed three homes in Flatbush, Brooklyn, last week."
 
  • #3
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Brooklyn, New York -
Matthew P. Karelefsky, 51 -
Accused of Arson Injuring Thirteen -
Thursday, 13 June 2019 -

Defendant:
Matthew Phil Karelefsky
White / Male / 51 Years Old
Born: 16 Jan 1978

1)) New York Times:
Man With ‘Kill Rabbi Max’ Tattoo on Arm Is Arrested in Arson
( Includes Tattoo Photo )

But, Will the "...Kill Rabbi Max..." Tattoo Be Admissible?

May Prompt Justice Be Served.
[Contribution # 6529
Thread # 451509]

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Last edited:
  • #4
  • #5
Is there any actual proof the Rabbi and this arsonist actually knew each other or crossed paths before?
 
  • #6
"Rabbi Max denied the accusation on Sunday. “I didn’t know him as a child,” the rabbi said. “I met him as an adult with children.” The two men had worked together at Mesivta Yeshiva Rabbi Chaim Berlin more than a decade ago; they shared lunch hours, and Rabbi Max got to know Mr. Karelefsky’s family.

“He’s a very amiable fellow,” Rabbi Max said. “You talk to him, he’s the sweetest guy. There’s no anger in me toward him. He’s sick. How can you be angry at disease?”

But these days, the rabbi said, “When you take the word ‘rabbi’ and put it next to abuse, people think it’s a natural association.”

The problem started when Mr. Karelefsky began having marital issues and accused the rabbi of encouraging his wife to leave him, Rabbi Max said. After the marriage ended and one of Mr. Karelefsky’s sons stayed with the rabbi and his wife for a few days, Mr. Karelefsky started threatening to kill him, Rabbi Max said."


Man With ‘Kill Rabbi Max’ Tattoo on Arm Is Arrested in Arson
 
  • #7
"Karelefski was going to stand trial here in Pittsburgh in 2017 for terroristic threats to kill Max. But Allegheny County Judge Randal Todd ruled that because police couldn't prove the defendant was in Pittsburgh when he posted the threats on Facebook, he could not be tried here for the alleged crime.

"the victim resides in the state of New York, not Pennsylvania. The Commonwealth is unable to prove where the defendant was and from what device these threats were sent. This court lacks subject matter jurisdiciton. The venue for this matter should be where the victim resides within the state of New York," wrote the judge in his order order dismissing the case. He wrote that his order was granted "without prejudice to be refiled within the proper venue.""

Pittsburgh man says he tried to warn authorities about McKeesport mans' desire to kill New York rabbi; local threat charges against suspect had been tossed out by judge
 

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