The Denver Jewish news., 1923-03-07
Our New York Letter
ssWen, What Will You? It's America!" Rabbini-
cal Student Turned Priest, Then Slanderer
of Jelus and Finally Rabbi in
Nelu York Congregation


here. with the help of an unsuspecting
rabbi. was recommended to and nc-
ccpted by budding congregation in
the Fordham section OF the Bronx. rs
Rabbi Yudel Elfenbein.
Indefatigable Dame Rumor was doing
its work in the meantime. Somebody
told somebody else in Second Avenue
Cafe that he suspected Tillinger the
'meshumcd'' and "mosur" was an orth-
OtlOx rabbi somewhere in New York.
The Jewish Correspondence. Bureau de-
cided to probe the rrmOr. to run it
down. If necessary. Suspicion fell up
on Rabbi Yudel Elfenbefn and he was
asked concerning the rumOr. Rabbi
Elfenbeim spluttered and gibbered.
fumed and foamed-and lied like n
trooper. He had never heard of TILL
niger. Of Lemberg, of Jesuit news
paper or of Youngstown. He il n ROu-
manian Jew. he could prove it by per-
sons who had known him all their
lives He has good and room Jewish
children. TIE rumOrs are baseless alb
sured, and he had good mind to
thrash the reporters for their unheard-
of "chutzpe.'' He did call the police. i.
And no Monday afternoon following
the Thursday interview Yudel Elfen-
bein appeared at the special sitting of
a committee Of the Union of Orthodox
Rabbis to answer the charge that he
Is Tillinger. The writer had seen him
once before and observed him quite
closely during the hearing. And the
writer is prepared to concur in the
opinion that Tillinger-Elfenbein, II not
mud. Is u case for the sFrcutlians.
To begin with. asane devil incarnate
need not have answered the Rabhis'
call. He had sent word he was Ill and
TINT all questions would he answered
by friend. He might have stuck to
that. given the friend. whoever he was.
an photographer sketch furnishing
a complete alibi. A demon in human
shape would have resisted every at
tempt at questioning him face to face.
Whereas an hour after the appointed
time Tillinger did appear. Conscious
of his guilt, he might have taken shell
ter behind some legal immunity. or.
knowing the rumOrs had Overtaken
him. might have disappeared rs he did
Nh wnlll1
have exposed himself voluntarily to n
cross-exa animation ut which. as he had
rensOn to know. there would be tell
tale eye-witnesses. His behavior mt the
hearing is similarly battling. One look
ed for n proud annihilating gesture. n
brazen, whats all this got to do with
me?" Instead, he cringed and cover
ed. neither admitting nor denying. ex-
cept to humble n helpless plea that his
eye-sight is poor or his memory weak.
And when he saw all was up. even then.
no straightforward confession was
forthcoming. He offered to give any
written undertaking that would be re-
uuired that he will never again engage
in any Jewish activity. either as rabbi.
prencher or teacher. With II trembling
hand he wrote and re-wrote the "confes-
SION which is typically vague. having
but one reference to the "misdeeds
of youth which are generally known y
And the paper written, seeing the
rabbis and others edging away from
him us something lecherous, he did not
walk out with bowed head. but like n
child afraid of the dark. begged now
one and then another to protect him.
There was nothing in his ruddy face
and fiorid complexion or nervous eyes
to indicate he was contrite of heart.
There was nothing to show he realiz-
ed what had happened to him. An
hour before. during the Minchah serv-
ice, he beat his breast along with the
most pious of the orthodox rabbis. Now
the exposed ''meshumed'' was beseech-
ing the most reverent of them to ac-
company him to the street. If truly
penitent he should have confessed all
and begged forgiveness. Nothing more
at any rate would have happened to
him than did happen. If sane but
desperate he should have dismissed
everything with scornful gesture and
left the rnbbis wondering whether after
all they, were not mistaken about his
identity. He is neither sane nor peni
tent. He is mad.
Perhaps our psycho-analytic friends
might tell US what compleXcs are al