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ParnasaFest Baltimore II

<http://parnasafest.org/cities/baltimore/>

Tuesday October 27 – 7:00pm – 9:30pm

Beth Tfiloh, 3300 Old Court Rd, Tuvin Room.

ParnasaFest is a networking event (for job seekers, employers, and other well-networked individuals), not a job fair.   Please feel free to bring business cards, but not resumes. Dress code is business casual.

Please pre-register for FREE at www.parnasafest.org

On October 20th, 2009, just after 2 PM in the afternoon at the Clarence M. Mitchell, Jr. Courthouse in Baltimore City, R. Yaakov Wagner, who was previously indicted for theft of over $13,000 from Yeshivat Rambam between January 2007 and May 2009, plead guilty to the charges brought against him.  In exchange for his plea, R. Wagner was given a suspended 2 year prison sentence with unsupervised probation (meaning, he does not have to serve jail time).  R. Wagner can appeal to the court in one year’s time to receive probation before judgement, which would mean that all record of the case would be expunged from the system within a few years time.  As a prerequisite, R. Wagner made complete restitution of the missing funds, in part to PNC Bank and in part to Yeshivat Rambam directly.

R. Wagner was sworn in and asked if he was of sound mind to make a guilty plea.  Judge Timothy Doory asked R. Wagner if he understood that by pleading guilty, he was waiving his right to a trial, and to his right to be considered innocent until proven guilty, to which R. Wagner acknowledged.  The State’s Attorney then presented evidence in support of R. Wagner’s guilty plea.  The State’s Attorney noted that Yeshivat Rambam’s bookkeeper, in the process of normal financial reviews, noticed a unusual number of checks made out to the defendant.  This lead to an investigation with the State’s Attorney (BaltimoreJewish had previously reported that the school was not involved in the indictment proceedings, which was incorrect; the school was listed as the complainant on the original indictment - copy of the indictment).

The evidence presented consisted of seven checks, the first in January of 2007, the final six from March, April and May of this year.  The checks ranged in value from $1300 to close to $5000.  Some of the checks were made out to “Cash,” others were made out to R. Wagner directly, with forged signatures.  In addition to copies of the checks, the State presented photographic evidence of R. Wagner in various banks cashing or depositing the checks; the photos clearly show R. Wagner at the bank at the time the checks were deposited.  The State’s Attorney stated that if called, representatives from Yeshivat Rambam would testify that R. Wagner did not have authorization to cash or write checks on behalf of the school, and that R. Wagner was not authorized access to the school checkbook.  R. Wagner was paid an annual salary of $80,000.  The judge heard this evidence and agreed to accept the guilty plea, and asked R. Wagner if there were any community service or therapy programs that he would like to be ordered by the court to undertake as part of his probation; R. Wagner declined.

In a brief interview after the trial, R. Wagner told BaltimoreJewish that despite his guilty plea, he maintains his innocence, and that he plead guilty to avoid a trial to diminish the pain to his family, and that he had not been treated fairly by the justice system by being held longer than required upon his initial arrest.  In a subsequent letter sent to friends and other members of the community, R. Wagner made similar statements.  R. Wagner had no comment at this time regarding the evidence presented in court.

For additional information, see the press release issued by the State’s Attorney’s office.

Researchers at University of Arizona have released a study which shows that Kohanim descend from multiple unrelated male lines:

Recent research on the Cohen Y chromosome indicates the Jewish priesthood, the Cohanim, was established by several unrelated male lines rather than a single male lineage dating to ancient Hebrew times.

The new research builds on a decade-old study of the Jewish priesthood that traced its patrilineal dynasty and seemed to substantiate the biblical story that Aaron, the first high priest (and brother of Moses), was one of a number of common male ancestors in the Cohanim lineage who lived some 3,200 years ago in the Near East.

The current study was conducted by Michael F. Hammer, a population geneticist in the Arizona Research Laboratory’s Division of Biotechnology at the University of Arizona. Hammer’s collaborators in the study include Karl Skorecki of the Technion-Israel Institute of Technology and Rambum Medical Center in Haifa and colleagues and collaborating scientists from Tel Aviv University and the Russian Academy of Sciences.

The full paper, entitled “Extended Y chromosome haplotypes resolve multiple and unique lineages of the Jewish priesthood,” will be publised in the July 2009 issue of Human Genetics.

More coverage from the Arizona Daily Star.

More details on the original research at Wikipedia.

[Note: see below for updates, including press release from the Maryland State's Attorney's Office]

In a letter sent out today to parents, Yeshivat Rambam disclosed the circumstances behind the sudden and unexplained departure of R. Yaakov Wagner, who held the position of Assistant Elementary School Principal until the last two weeks of the 2008-09 school year.  The letter states that the school, in the course of a regular review of their finances, detected irregularities and identified missing funds. The school, with the help of their bank and the Maryland State’s Attorney’s office, was able to recover the misappropriated funds.  The letter states that “The investigative process, conducted by the State’s Attorney’s office, has led to the indictment of Rabbi Jay Wagner, a former Assistant Principal of our elementary school.”

At the end of the 2008-09 school year, with only two weeks left in school, R. Wagner took a sudden leave of absence.  Ten days later, the school and R. Wagner issued a joint letter stating that R. Wagner had elected to take personal leave, that his leave was not instigated by the school, that the school could not have anticipated this leave, and that the school remained receptive to the possibility of R. Wagner’s return.  It was also announced that Mrs. Anita Preis Rubin would be taking over R. Wagner’s duties.  The school, following advice from its legal counsel and out of respect for R. Wagner, remained silent as to the nature of the departure until the investigative process, culminating in today’s indictment, had concluded.

R. Wagner came to Yeshivat Rambam in 2005.  A bio archived on the Yeshivat Rambam site from 2005 reads: “Rabbi Wagner taught at MTA in Monsey and Manhattan Day School where he contributed to curriculum design and programming. He received a Bachelor’s degree, a Master’s in Jewish Education and Administration, and smicha from Yeshiva University.”  Another bio, no longer available, states “Jay Wagner:  B.S. from Sy Syms School of Business , New York , New York . M.S. from Azrieli Graduate School of Jewish Education and Administration, New York , New York . Rabbinic Ordination – Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary, New York , New York . Rabbi Wagner is from New York where he has been at Manhattan Day School and Yeshiva University H.S. for boys. He has over seven years of experience in Jewish education and administration. Rabbi Wagner is currently pursuing his Ph.D. in administration. This is his first year at Yeshivat Rambam.”

R. Wagner quickly established himself as a leader in the school, gaining favor with both students and parents with his affable nature and overt friendliness.  R. Wagner led the Parent/Child Saturday Night Learning Program, which under his guidance became an incredibly popular and successful program with the elementary school students.

Over the summer, Yeshivat Rambam hired R. Shmuel Feld to replace R. Wagner.

The school held a meeting with teachers to discuss the indictment, and to guide them in how to be sensitive to students reactions to the news.  Dr. Schwartz, Yeshivat Rambam’s Middle School and High School Principal, and Dr. Sharon Buck are available if students are distressed about the situation.

As far as the details of the indictment, we’re still gathering information.  We do know that Yeshivat Rambam is not involved in the indictment, it is between the State and R. Wagner, with the main aggrieved party being the school’s bank. Download a copy of the indictment here, which lists Yeshivat Rambam as the complainant.

UPDATE: the case has been posted to the Maryland Case Search website.  The indictment is for “Theft/Scheme: $500 plus,” which would make this a felony.  If convicted, R. Wagner could be facing 15 years incarceration and up to a $25,000 fine (Maryland Criminal Law, Section 7-104).

The full text of the letter issued by the school is below:

September 14, 2009
- Important Information Bulletin -

Dear Yeshivat Rambam Parents and Friends:

Several months ago, through our normal internal controls and procedures, it became clear that our school had experienced some financial irregularities and, in addition, that school funds were missing. Our bank and the State Attorney’s office thoroughly investigated the incident.  With the help of our financial institutions, we have every expectation that we will fully recover all misappropriated funds; the vast majority of missing funds have, in fact, already been recovered.

The investigative process, conducted by the State’s Attorney’s office, has led to the indictment of Rabbi Jay Wagner, a former Assistant Principal of our elementary school.

On the advice of counsel, and in the hope of a happier resolution, we remained silent during the investigative phase of this situation. While we are deeply saddened by this turn of events, we are confident that this matter will be resolved in a fair, impartial, and judicious manner.

In closing, Yeshivat Rambam remains a financially strong and vibrant institution, committed to providing the Baltimore Jewish community with excellence in education, both Judaic and secular.

UPDATE: the Office of the State’s Attorney for Baltimore City issued a press release today.  The full text is below:

OFFICE OF THE STATE’S ATTORNEY FOR

BALTIMORE CITY

208 THE CLARENCE M. MITCHELL, JR. COURTHOUSE

BALTIMORE, MARYLAND  21202

Patricia C. Jessamy

State’s Attorney

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For Information Contact:        Margaret T. Burns

Chief, Communications & Governmental Affairs

Office (443) 984-1121 or Cell Phone (443) 474-7479

Or

Joseph Sviatko, Deputy Division Chief

Office (443) 984-1122 or Cell (410) 790-3248

MEDIA ADVISORY

BALTIMORE CITY GRAND JURY INDICTS JAY KENNETH WAGNER

FOR CONTINUING THEFT

Baltimore, MD – September 15, 2009 – State’s Attorney Patricia C. Jessamy announced today that the Baltimore City Grand Jury indicted Jay Kenneth Wagner, 32, of the 3400 block of Labyrinth Road for continuing theft.  The indictment was filed September 10, 2009.

Court documents allege that between January 2007 and May 2009 Jay Kenneth Wagner stole over $13,000 from Yeshivat Rambam School.  Wagner worked as assistant principal at the school.  It is also alleged the theft was discovered by the school and involved a series of school checks taken by the defendant which were either cashed or deposited into the defendant’s account.

An indictment is not a finding of guilt.  An individual charged by indictment is presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty at some later criminal proceeding.

Wagner was released on his own recognizance.

An arraignment is scheduled for October 19, 2009 before Judge Charles G. Bernstein, 434 Mitchell Courthouse.

[Editor's Note: Obviously, we're being very careful as to what comments are posted here.  The only way you have a shot at getting your comment approved is if you a) have something relevant to add and b) provide a real or identifiable name and a valid email address (email address will not be publicly displayed).  All other comments will be moderated.]

The Washington Jewish Week reports:

The JCC Cafe, a kosher dining fixture in the District for more than a decade, has been shut down due to a “very blatant” violation of kashrut standards that employees had tried to cover up, according to a spokesperson for the Vaad Harabanim Rabbinical Council of Greater Washington, which supervised the establishment.

The article continues:

the incident occurred when the cafe was running low on steak. A tray of about five nonkosher sirloin steaks that had been purchased from a nearby Safeway supermarket were then brought into the cafe, apparently to make up for the shortage.

When the Vaad’s on-site mashgiach, or kashrut supervisor, briefly glimpsed an employee carrying a Safeway bag, he suspected that something was wrong.

At one point, according to Sanders, some cafe employees attempted to shield the mashgiach’s view or otherwise create a “diversion” that was intended to draw attention away from the unkosher meat.

A few items in the news regarding Jewish educational instituations that have had to close due to the current economic situation:

• The Jewish Star reports that the popular post-high school Yeshiva Ner Yaakov will close it’s doors for the 2009-10 year.  Typically, enrollment was 80 first year bochrim; this past year was 60, with only 18 registered for the coming year.  The yeshiva opened in 1988, and has many alumni in Baltimore.
• The Jewish Star also reports that Shalhevet High School for Girls, an offshoot of HAFTR, is closing after opening last year.

In related news, the oldest Catholic school in Baltimore, in operation for 86 years, Towson Catholic, has had to close it’s doors for the coming year.

Tuition rates for yeshiva day schools in the Baltimore area continue to rise.  Bais Yaakov, TA and Yeshivat Rambam all increased tuition for the coming school year.  Below is a chart with the new tuition rates for the three schools for the coming academic year.

Update: we’re updating the spreadsheet to make it more accurate. We’ll re-post it when it’s complete.

The 2009 Kosher Community Survey for the Baltimore area is now open. Please take a moment to visit the Kosher Community Survey website and fill out the survey. It’s an invaluable resource to the community.

Health officials for Baltimore County have confirmed five cases of swine flu at Ner Israel Rabbinical College.  All of the cases were mild, none of those affected were hospitalized, and all recovered within 24 to 48 hours.  According to the Baltimore Sun, this brings the total number of cases of H1N1 in Maryland to 83.

From the Baltimore Sun:

The board of directors of the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore has approved a request to begin opening a community center in Owings Mills on the Jewish Sabbath.

…

The JCC now will open its Owings Mills center on Saturday afternoons beginning June 6. The later hours are intended to avoid conflict with morning synagogue services. Jewish employees would not be compelled to work and there would be no cash transactions or food service on the premises.

From the Baltimore Jewish Times:

The vote tally was 97-33 with four abstentions.

The approval to open came via secret ballot Wednesday afternoon by the Board of Directors of the Associated: Jewish Community Federation of Baltimore.

Board members voted after listening to some 30 minutes of discussion.