The Tombs: "Private Club" For Some "Orthodox Jewish Jailbirds"

In Goodfellas, prison life still meant eating well

The Post follows up its awesome story about how the Tombs—you know, the Manhattan Detention Complex—hosted one inmate's son's bar mitzvah party—complete with knives!— by saying the correction facility "was like a 'private club' for a group of Orthodox Jewish jailbirds, whose politically connected prison-chaplain rabbi regularly treated them to feasts of roast beef, salmon and chicken with all the trimmings." The Post also got hold of a corrections memo which read, "The inmates are untouchable. When it comes to the Jewish inmates, all rules are put aside."

The blame is apparently on prison chaplain Rabbi Leib Glanz, who was suspended after the bar mitzvah-in-the-Tombs gym news broke out. The Post details some of what he did: "Twice a week unloaded an SUV filled with food for the Jewish inmates, including 'sodas, salmon, roast chicken, roast beef, mash potatoes, vegetables, cakes, condiments'"—just like in Goodfellas, though that was Italian food (video)—and held a summer picnic where "Jewish inmates are allowed to cook and serve the food [at a summer picnic], and then they are allowed to sit at the table and eat like invited guests. [When the picnic is over] other inmate workers... come and clean up the place, which usually consist of the black or Hispanic inmates." He also gave Christmas presents to various Tombs employees, which helped people defend him when complaints arose. The city is investigating the blowout—and Mayor Bloomberg is pissed too!

The inmate who held the bar mitzvah, Tuvia Stern, was in February convicted of grand larceny related to a $1.7 million financial scam. And Stern, who is now at a state prison, apparently also held his daughter's engagement party at the Tombs right before getting transferred to state prison because the bar mitzvah was so great!

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By Jen Chung in News on June 12, 2009 11:15 AM

Comments [rss]

dadoc

Today's NYP gives more details. Would make a great screenplay. Actually hilarious if it weren't so disgusting. Criminal charges coming? I think not.

JacqueMehoff

no shame I tell you.

just watched chan 7 visit the good rabbi in his williamsburg home and his neighbors are saying, good for him, he's bigger than a politician.

what does bloomturd say? nothing but plaxico burress get's a talking down the day after.

NannyState

"Hey, someone put tax files in the Torah Cake!"

Snoopy

You kill me every time. And here I thought you only worked the night shift.

1987porsche944

Great idea! The city can generate some much-needed revenue by renting out jails and detention complexes for parties!

Snoopy

And what did the Manhattan DA Bob Morgenthau, or the judge Hymie Goldfarbstein, have to say about this? "So move him upstate a bit so he has a shorter commute. And from give him a raise already."

dadoc

Tax-funded towns, schools, "community patrol" (with cars, unforms and a "command center"), free extra police protection, DHS funds for "security", exclusive tax-funded memorials, perpetual "get-out-of-jail-free" cards,

the ability to run to a non-extradition country after stealing and/or molesting, AND the ability to run a cash business, avoid taxes AND collect welfare for your twelve inbred children, and now this! Such persecution of this poor group must stop! Oy, such anti-"Semitism" in this world! (Dov, whilst hanging the sheet up, just closes his eyes & imagines that she's Demi Moore from GI Jane)

grandzu

The Tombs chaplain looks like the father in Arrested Development with a fake beard on in the Post pic.

UnrepentantFenian

Welcome to New York. There are certain unchangeable facts in this city:

Avenues run north / south

The subways and buses only accept metrocard

And the jews are untouchable

I'm no antisemite and if they can get away with it god bless 'em. Anyone bitching about this is just jealous they can't pull this stuff off.