The pre-trials of Yoel Goldstein and Yosef Greenwald, two of the bochurim being held in Japan, are taking place today and tomorrow. All are asked to say Tehillim for Yoel Zev ben Mirel Risa Chava, Yaakov Yosef ben Raizel. The four-man global team of Dayan Chaim Yosef Dovid Weiss, Rav Yaakov Bleich, Reb Meilich Bindiger and Reb Aron Nezri – the devoted askanim who have taken on the case of the three boys – are working around the clock with the boys’ attorneys to ensure that the maximum hishtadlus is being done. They have gone through thousands upon thousands of papers, documents and files, and have conducted hundreds of hours of investigative work in preparation for the trials. They have left no stone unturned in their quest to prove the boys’ innocence, though the Japanese justice system is a difficult one to maneuver in.
The youngest of the three boys, Yosef Bando (Yosef ben Ita Rivka), was sentenced eight weeks ago to eight years in jail.
The pre-trials for Yoel Goldstein and Yosef Greenwald began at 11 a.m. Japanese local time (GMT +9 hours; 10 p.m. EST Tuesday night and 5 a.m. IL). Sources tell Matzav.com that the pre-trial for Yosef Greenwald is taking place first.
As Matzav.com has reported, the story began last April when the three bochurim from Yerushalayim and Bnei Brak, two under age 20 and one under age 18, were asked to transport some antiques from Holland to Japan. The friend who asked them for the favor offered them $1,000 each and assured them that everything was legal.
Once in Amsterdam, they were given the “antiques” – concealed inside false-bottomed suitcases. Told that this was a precaution against theft, they once again suspected nothing, and flew on to Tokyo. In Japan, the false bottoms were quickly detected and broken into by customs officials – who found there not antiques, but $3.6 million worth of Ecstasy pills.
May we only hear besuros tovos.
{Dovid Bernstein-Matzav.com Newscenter}
Please Klal Yisroel daven for these boys the correct names are Yoel Zev Ben Mirel Risa Chava and Yaakov Yosef Ben Reizel. They really need our tefilos. Also if people would take on, one small thing in their zechus, it would go a long way, wouldn’t you want Klaal Yisroel to do the same for you?
Can we add Yonatan ben Malka to these tefillohs? How about the zechus of dan lkaf zechus it may make the world a better place to live in?
This story is so sickening. To hea about two innocent bochurim being jailed because they were fooled by a rodef is not justice. The rabanim in Israel should take the rodef from Isarael and send him to Japan in exchange for the two innocent bochurim. Let the one who sent these two teenagers rot in a Japanese jail.
The people that are protecting this rodef in Israel are sick people. Many rabanim have been very outspoeken about this issue and said the same.
Chaim K
Ya I agree they should take the guy who did this
And turn him over to the court in japan these
Boys don’t deserve this- I mean everything is from
hashem but still these boys should be allowed to
Free but it only happen with our tefilos so pour
Out your hearts think about it like this if you were
In some sort of situation and you need all of klal
Yisroels help they would daven for you! Now you
Do the same for them!
Anonymous and hopeful, your comments are exactly right on!! About three months ago, I wrote a letter to the Yated, which they printed, in which I stressed this point — let’s go after the real villians in this case!
Soon after that, in their Israeli News Briefs, the Yated related that the Israeli police HAD actually arrested this wicked fiend (who had set up the three bachurim) and had broken into and were working on arresting others in his criminal underworld ring.
Now you are proposing that this wicked fiend should be sent to Japan, and we should thus request that the Japanese government should accept him as a switch for the three really innocent bachurim. (Furthermore, the Japanese would thus probably give him a good taste of oriental style punishment, which is real painful punishment, and is thus much more fitting for this wicked Rodef than the fake prison terms of the Western countries!!)
And you say that Gedoley Torah have said that this should be done? If so,it sounds like an excellent idea; Im Yirtza HaShem, it should happen very soon!!