|
KOSHER DELIGHT - YOUR JEWISH ONLINE MAGAZINE!
|
|
|
KD MAGAZINE!
ב"ה
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
|
| |
Have a Safe Trip!
By Rabbi Shea Hecht,
Posted: February 3, 09
|
Recently, three yeshiva students were arrested in
Japan on drug smuggling charges. The three had been approached
by a chassidic Jew, who had offered to pay their way to Lizhensk
for the yartzeit of the Holy Rabbi Elimelech, so long as they
make a stop in Japan to deliver antique books. The students were
overjoyed that they would have the opportunity to take such a
trip in exchange for doing a favor for this "chassidisher yid".
The way this story ends is sadly typical. The books were not
ordinary books of course but full with drugs. The three boys had
been unwittingly duped into acting as the mule for a drug
dealer. The Japanese authorities, who have very advanced
resources for dealing with smugglers, easily detected the three
boys and arrested them with an "unprecedented" amount of
narcotics.
These stories are becoming more and more common, unfortunately.
Supposedly "religious" Jews are using their trusting and naïve
brethren to transport various types of contraband all over the
globe, without any regard for the tremendous peril involved.
Religious Jews, it seems, have the perfect resume for this line
of "courier" work. They are customarily trusting,
non-threatening and discreet. Unfortunately for the hapless
mule, and as the growing number of arrests confirm, this sort of
"holy" demeanor is no longer a shield from suspicion. The
methods employed by airport security and customs have become
extremely advanced and no longer discriminates in the favor of
the religious Jew.
The sad reality is that it's no longer acceptable to undertake
the risk of transporting packages overseas for anyone, excluding
immediate family. The risk of sitting in an overseas prison and
being at the mercy of the laws of a foreign government is too
great. The benefit, the free delivery of that box, bag or
envelope for that "friend of a friend" is simply not great
enough.
Many, the sender included, might say that refusing to do this
simple favor shows a lack of Ahavas Yisrael, and you may in fact
have a desire to help a Jew in need. If you decide to do so, I
might recommend the following: Pull out your digital camera and
take a picture of the individual holding his package. Then ask
to see his drivers license and note his name and address. Then
let him know that you intend to show the package to authorities
on both sides of the border. If he's still standing there I
think it's safe to say that he has an honest request.
Barring that, however, there's no reason that in an era where we
have UPS, Fedex, DHL and a whole host of couriers fighting over
our business that we need to accept the possibility of acting as
a drug mule. The mitzvah of Ahavas Yisrael is performed by
acting in the best interest of another Jew, not by imperiling
our own freedom and well-being.
|
| Rabbi Shea Hecht
is the
Chairman of the
National Committee for
Furtherance of Jewish Education .
His web site is:
www.sheahecht.com |
|
|
| |
|
|
|
KOSHER DELIGHT MAGAZINE
|
