Is 'Stop Snitchin' a Jewish Value?
by Daniel Treiman The L.A. Jewish Journal’s Amy Klein had a great in-depth article in 2008 on the alleged money-laundering and tax-fraud scheme that has resulted in the indictment of leaders of the Spinka Hasidic sect. Reporting from both coasts, and visiting the Spinka sect’s home base in the Borough Park section of Brooklyn, Klein tackles a number of interesting issues that the case raises, including the debate among Orthodox Jews over criminality in their community. The most interesting aspect of the article, however, is Klein’s treatment of the question of how the community regards individuals who report their fellow Jews to law-enforcement. In the Spinka case, an informant dubbed “RK” — whom Klein says is actually businessman Robert A. Kasirer — played a key role in helping prosecutors assemble their case. And some are quite angry with him for doing so. Klein reports: …the most talked-about aspect of the case — both among bloggers and at Shabbat tables on both coasts — has been th...