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Rabbi: Inbreeding Happens, But That Doesn't Make People Killers
By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 22, 2011
Modified Dec 22, 2011
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By
Ben Yakas
Published Dec 22, 2011
Modified Dec 22, 2011
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Yesterday, the lawyer for Levi Aron, the man who confessed to killing and dismembering 8-year-old Hasidic boy Leiby Kletzky this past fall, stirred up controversy when he unveiled his defense strategy, blaming Aron's alleged insanity on a childhood head injury, schizophrenia, and most contentiously, inbreeding. While lawyer Howard Greenberg was chastised by Assemblyman Dov Hikind for "degrading to our entire community,” one rabbi told the Post that inbreeding wasn't uncommon amongst Orthodox Jews...but that still doesn't mean they grow up to be killers: “There are thousands of [married] people in the community who are related and there’s no problem. It’s preposterous to say that because there’s a possibility of his parents being related, [Aron] would be crazy,” said Rabbi Bernard Freilich.
Freilich, a community leader in Borough Park and other Orthodox neighborhoods, questioned whether Aron's siblings, Rocky and Joe, showed any signs of trauma themselves: “Aren’t there other children in [Aron’s] household? Are they nuts?” Greenberg brought up the allegations of inbreeding in multiple interviews yesterday: "Look, everybody knows when blood relations have offspring, there can be genetic defects," he said. It's something that needs to be investigated down to the ground." He added, "That's an aspect of his familial history."
Hikind, who represents Borough Park and has contact with the Kletzky family, was appalled at the suggestion of inbreeding: “This lawyer is simply out of his freaking mind. He’s a sick, self-hating Jew who’s making a mockery of this case. It’s insulting and degrading to our entire community. He’s a perfect match for Levi Aron.”
In addition to the inbreeding claims, Greenberg said that Aron suffered head trauma when he fell off a bike about the age of 10, and that he is a diagnosed schizophrenic—previously, Aron was found to have a personality disorder, but a judge ruled that he was nevertheless mentally fit to strand trial. Greenberg also thinks Aron's initial confession can't be counted: "My opinion is this guy would admit he shot Kennedy if you spent enough time with him," Greenberg said. He also is staking his reputation on getting Aron an insanity plea: "You can quote me on this. I will quit the practice of criminal law if Levi Aron is not found insane."
Tagged
brooklyn
inbreeding
leiby kletzky
levi aron
orthodox jewish
rabbi
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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