The Grossman Circus: Kind or Cruel?

I wasn't planning on saying a word about the Grossman execution, but I cad hardly take it anymore. Starting on Wednesday or Thursday last week, I started to receive requests to sign the petition for the Florida Governor to grant clemency for Martin Grossman who had been sitting on death row for a quarter of a century. After a ridiculous amount of time, Grossman had exhausted appeals and the time to carry out the sentence was nearing. I was surprised to see how many known organizations, from the spectrum of Orthodoxy, had joined together in protest and the strength of the campaign certainly made me feel like I was doing something wrong by not penning the letter.. I am not a bold talk show host who throws out predictions, but I had some misgivings.

Shortly after the execution, a circus began confirming every single one of my misgivings and leaving me, and others, in pain.

My first concern was that the petitions were only giving the information they wanted to give. Turns out that information was withheld. I know of some people who sought advice and wrote letters that feel very duped. One person stated if he knew what he knew now, he would not have petitioned. Read Govenor Crist's statement:

On December 13, 1984, Mr. Grossman violated the terms of his probation by leaving Pasco County and having a stolen firearm in his possession. In a routine stop, Florida Fish and Wildlife Officer Margaret Park found the weapon. When she reached for the radio in her patrol car to report him, Mr. Grossman attacked her with her own large flashlight, beating her over the head and shoulders 20 to 30 times. When Officer Park tried to fight back, Mr. Grossman took her .357 Magnum revolver and shot her in the back of the head, killing her.

Mr. Grossman took several carefully planned steps to cover up this horrible crime. The weapon was buried, and Mr. Grossman attempted to burn his clothes and shoes, which were later disposed of in a nearby lake. The following day, Mr. Grossman thoroughly cleaned the van and changed its tires to mislead law enforcement.
Officer Park’s autopsy revealed lacerations on top of her head, hemorrhaging inside the scalp and extensive fracturing of the skull. All of these injuries resulted from Mr. Grossman’s attack. The facts of this crime clearly meet the definition of heinous, atrocious and cruel, and his actions afterward demonstrate his well-reasoned attempts to cover it up.

The defense being pushed by major Orthodox Jewish groups is that the death sentence was inappropriate because he was mentally deficient, a drug user, and had a very bad childhood. How many murderers are not at least one of the above, it not all of the above? This summary of the murder is sickening, and worst yet are the comments at YWN, VIN, MATZAV, and the letters that will soon come to other major Jewish publications. The comments being made about the Governor are especially sickening, and those disparaging the legal system that protects us are downright irresponsible.

Which brings me to my next concern: Why did the Jewish Organizations involved in this campaign seek the involvement of the Jewish public? I'm saying this as someone who is politically active and has intentions of becoming more politically active in the future. A mass campaign was asking for trouble. A number of years ago, I attended a meeting within the Jewish community where there was going to be a small push for greater funding for private schools. Those who came to the forum were able to meet with state and local politicians. I believe every politician there was Democrat and not particularly open to additional funding for private schools, and certainly not vouchers. After some nice back and forth, a hot tempered man in the community (a loose cannon by all means), attacked one of the female politicians shouting her down and accusing her of all sorts of things. I think nearly everyone was horrified as the scene developed for what felt like at least 10 minutes. I was waiting for one of our leaders to kindly escort this man out of the room to take a breath. He was doing our cause no favors! Spend a short amount of time on any Jewish news website, and it should be obvious that we have plenty of loose canons in our midst. Letters from the NCYI, or the OU, or the Aleph Institute, sent to the Governor's Office would have made the point that they wanted made without the embarrassment that transpired.

It has been reported that Ms. Park's mother was harrassed by people in the Jewish community. While everyone pats their back for their rachmanus, I am horrified. I don't know the extend of the harassment, but this is certainly an example of being cruel to the kind! I am not going to speculate if the rachmanut for Mr. Grossman was misplaced, but I do believe that this massive effort has been completely cruel to the Park family, from the calls (of hopefully only a few) to the comments that are being made all over the news sites and blogs. Even in the stories where Ms. Park's mother expresses her feelings, people have the audacity to rub salt in her wounds by accusing her of being revengeful and asking if she would support the death penality had her child murdered. Her child did not murder. This is shameful. This is painful. This is not rachmanus, this is cruelty! And this is the state of chinuch.

Speaking of chinuch, over at imamother, what in the world was a school doing discussing an execution with 8 year olds?

The real circus has been developing ever since the execution. Have we no busha? A very public funeral attended by thousands in Monsey. I don't think anyone would disagree that Mr. Grossman should have a proper Jewish funeral. But the frum community is walking a very fine line between making this man a hero, and just providing a kosher and modest funeral. (If anyone can translate this video through the raw emotion, please do). There are people speaking as if he died al kiddush Hashem. There are people speaking of his great teshuvah. That is for Hashem to decide. But as a parent, I am very concerned about the elevation of criminals (and accused criminals) of various stripes to tzaddikim.

I think now it is time for the News Blogs and every other publication to just lay low and exercise some self-control. Let's not pile on the governor trying to referee his every move in executing justice, such as being done on Matzav right now. Let's not make anymore asinine comments for the family or friends of Ms. Park to read. Let's take some time to think about her, rather than pat ourselves on the back. Let's not threaten to derail the governor's career or accuse him of acting only politically. If you disagree with the death penalty, fight that battle instead.

You're not registered to vote? You are kidding me, right?

During the last presidential election, 2 years ago, I found out that a number of our neighbors and friends were not registered to vote. Now, voter apathy is commonplace in America, but I don't believe I'd ever met a Jew of voting age who not only didn't vote, but never even registered to vote. Certainly, one would admit that they didn't vote. Most times, I've found myself wishing that American Jews as a whole would vote differently. But, I can say that at least they vote.

Now, I have no evidence that our friends/neighbors who are not registered to vote are not complete anomalies. So, I don't want to paint a broad brush. But, a part of me thinks that voter apathy (amongst the young) in some segments of our communities, is not uncommon. But, I really don't know. Your take?

One conversation that led to my discovery was about the previous days activities. Wife: So, what did you end up doing last night? Me: Oh, my husband and I finally sat down with our sample ballot and researched the candidates for the local school board. We didn't know too much about them. Wife: Why do you care? It's not like your kids will be going to school there. Me: G-d willing we will be able to send our children to Yeshiva or day school, but I still want to see strong schools in our district, whether or not we use them (and plenty of frum people do have to take advantage of the public services). In addition, the values of society affect everyone, and given the controversy over much of the social education in this district, I'd prefer to see more conservative officials sitting on the board, for the sake of all students, including our own. (Continued) Me: Have you thought about who you are voting for? Wife: No, we really don't care. Me: Oh, well, you must have a choice for the presidential candidate? Wife: My husband and me aren't even registered to vote, so I guess we couldn't vote for Bush if we wanted to. Me: You're not registered?

Another conversation went like this? Neighbor: So, do you vote? Me: Yes. Neighbor: So, who are you voting for (Bush or Kerry)? Me: No question, Bush. Neighbor: So, is he good. Me: He is too big government and spends too much for my taste. But, I believe that he is best for foreign policy and just look at the alternative. So, who are you voting for? Neighbor: Oh, we can't vote. Me: Well, why not register for next time and look into some of the important issues? Neighbor: Hmmm.

Honestly, I can't even relate. The day that I turned 18, my parents gave me the keys to the car (didn't happen very often!) and I celebrated my newfound adulthood by driving to the courthouse to register to vote. It happened that I also got to vote shortly after, on my own high school campus, in my first primary election, which made me feel very grown up. Most of my classmates were not old enough to register in time for the primary, and (while it may sound silly), coming from a strict household where I didn't have a ton of freedoms, this gave me a feeling of being a real adult. And, knowing a number of classmates and friends who were already in the Armed Forces or had already enlisted, didn't hurt when it came to understanding the great importance of voting.

On the frum front, so many sages have stressed and do stress the importance of voting in this medinah shel chessed. And, so many local Rabbonim, organizations, and Yeshivot, in nearly every Orthodox community and across the spectrum of Orthodoxy, stress the importance of the political process and make large efforts to acquaint their communities with candidates. No matter what your interpretation of da'at Torah is, I think the evidence that we should be participating in the political process is heavily stacked in the favor of exercising the privledge and right to vote.

So, in conclusion: get out and vote! And, if you haven't registered, register for next time!
Below, I have posted another great piece from Rabbi Yakov Horowitz that arrived in my box while I was in the middle of writing my piece. As usual, he expresses great thoughts, much more gracefully.
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Do You Exist?
Please Take the Time to Vote on Election Day
By: Rabbi Yakov Horowitz

If we don't vote, we don't exist. Those words, spoken with passion and conviction by my dear chaver Rabbi Yechiel Kalish, stopped me in my tracks during an enjoyable dinner that we were sharing recently.

Rabbi Kalish ought to know. He serves as Coordinator for Agudath Israel of America's Commission on Government Affairs and as their Midwest Director. He is charming, engaging, and extraordinarily knowledgeable in the ways and means of how government operates.

Rabbi Kalish and many other dedicated officers in Jewish communal organizations represent you in governmental matters that are important to your life. Securing financial support for mosdos Hatorah. Getting government grants for chesed organizations. Lowering your taxes. Protecting your rights in the workplace. Equally important are the initiatives that the leadership of Agudath Israel and other Jewish organizations are working tirelessly to actualize. School vouchers. Tax credits for yeshiva tuition payments. Financial aid for parents of learning disabled or handicapped children.


It is exceedingly difficult to understand why so many members of our community donÂ’t feel the obligation to vote in each and every election. In this malchus shel chesed (benevolent country), we ought to be model citizens and exercise our civic duty by voting on Election Day.

Perhaps equally as important, voting allows each of us to be heard. Which candidate you vote for doesn't matter much in the broader scheme of things. Just that you vote regularly. Rabbi Kalish points out that the level of sophistication in today's data collection allow elected officials to track voting patterns and almost effortlessly find out how many voters he represents each time he advocates for us. Not how many people, but rather how many voters.

Because if you don't vote, you don't matter. If you don't vote, you don't exist. If you don't vote, you don't have an elected official caring about your existence or needs. Rallies and protests get headlines, but they are a merely sideshows. Elected officials direct their attention to the main event, Election Day.


Especially now, with the very real and terrifying threats faced by our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel, I feel that it is almost pikuach nefesh (a life-and-death matter) for each of us to vote and be heard.

I was only eight years old in 1967, but I clearly recall the raw fear that gripped the adults in my life during the build-up to the Six-Day War. Gamal Abdel Nasser, the President of Egypt, fashioned a coalition of the Arab states. Egypt, Jordan and Syria massed their troops on the borders surrounding Eretz Yisroel and announced their intention to Push the Jews into the sea. And by all accounts, they seemed to have had the ability to do just that, Hashem yeracheim. Russia, then in its heyday, was supplying the Arabs with seemingly limitless numbers of tanks and weapons, and the Arab troops combined outnumbered the Israeli soldiers by many multiples of ten.

Here in America, things were far from normal during those days and weeks. Survivors of the churban in Europe (most of the adults in those days) cried unabashedly in shul during davening as they pleaded with Hashem to spare the lives of our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel. Mass tefilah gatherings, not a common thing forty years ago, were held.

My most vivid memories from those frightening weeks was awakening each morning and seeing my parents huddled around the kitchen radio with drawn faces, listening to the reports of events in Eretz Yisroel. There was a tangible feeling of an existential threat to Klal Yisroel one that, with the chesed of Hashem was removed with the stunning victory that became known as the Six-Day War.

Sadly, history is repeating itself once again. Our brothers and sisters in Eretz Yisroel were subjected to horrific destruction and terror with thousands of rockets rained on all of Northern Eretz Yisroel this past summer. A sea of enemies sworn to our destruction surrounds us. The leader of Iran, who is attempting to create a nuclear arsenal, repeatedly calls for the eradication of Israel, and publicly stated that, Israel's destruction is the solution [to the conflict]. The vile, hate-filled, anti-Semitic rhetoric emanating from many leaders in the Arab world and most of the Arab Street is at least equivalent to that of the Nazi propaganda machine in the late 1930's. The vast majority of nations would deny us the right to return fire and protect our women and children by any means possible.

We hope that Hashem will be merciful to us and remove these threats to our existence. But if there is chas v'shalom another war in Eretz Yisroel; Rabbi Kalish, his colleagues at Agudath Israel, and dedicated leaders of other Jewish organizations will be called upon to rally support from elected officials in every level of government to support the defense of our brothers and sisters.

With the burgeoning Arab population in the United States and Europe, elected officials have many voices whispering in their ears. They will rightfully wonder how many voters Rabbi Kalish and his colleagues represent. Remember not how many people, but how many voters.

So I ask you; will you exist, should Klal Yisroel need your help? Only you can answer that question on Election Day, Tuesday, November 7th.

Please, please take the time to vote; for yourself, for your community, and for Klal Yisroel.

Vote as if Jewish lives depend on your involvement. Because they may.

© 2006 Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, all rights reserved