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Jacob Ostreicher in Bolivia

Bolivia: Jacob Ostreicher a Fugitive

Bolivia’s government says it considers Orthodox Jewish businessman Jacob Ostreicher a fugitive after unknown groups helped him flee across the border into Peru.

From the Associated Press:

Justice Minister Cecilia Allyon said in a press conference Tuesday she doesn’t know whether the U.S. government played a role in Ostreicher’s escape. She said Bolivia is alerting Interpol.

Allyon said Ostreicher entered Peru illegally and then boarded a U.S.-bound plane on Monday.

Ostreicher has yet to appear in public since arriving in the U.S. Family members initially feared he had been kidnapped.

Ostreicher spent 18 months in a Bolivian jail without charges on suspicion of money laundering while trying to salvage a rice-growing venture. He was released a year ago and put under house arrest after actor Sean Penn asked President Evo Morales to free him.

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20 Comments

    • Der Elicher

      Because Rabbi O is corrupt, should I say Let’s hear from all the champions of “Halacha” now?

    • I said dina demalchusa

      Mr Milhouse, dont get so excited over here. I wrote that in refrence to vaccinations, there are people that think they can practice medicine with out a licence & make major public health campaigns and decisions with limited first hand knowledge of the epidemology subject at hand regarding the safety of the klal. Yes, i dont have the source handy but will look for it, but I have seen that it says, to practice medicine one should be licenced & practice in accordance with government protocol. Yes vaccines is a big part of government protocol

      That statment I made has nothing to do with all the injustice a government can impose against religion & individuals etc.

    • Milhouse

      Vos mishst du do arain vaccines? Mah inyan shmita eitzel har sinai?

      What you’re probably remembering is a halacha that if a doctor is mumche lorabim then he is exempt from liability if he harms someone (as doctors inevitably do). To become mumche lorabim a doctor must have permission to practise from the community leadership. Nowadays, this function has been replaced by the government licensing of doctors; a licensed doctor is considered mumche lorabim and can’t be sued in beis din by those whom he harmed while trying in good faith to heal them.

      But this has nothing to do with the malchus, or dina demalchusa dina. It so happens that whether governments should license doctors or not, they all do, and they seem to do a competent job of it, while roshei kohol and rabbonim would not be good at it, so we rely on the existing system. But it’s not because they’re the malchus. If there were a private body that did such certification that would be just as good, even if it were illegal.

    • Curious

      We have someone that know all there is to know about everything. Milhouse, why not run for office and help influence society…do you have a job?

    • K

      Just like cholov stam, we rely on government certification and “mirsas”, right? So pass me a Hershey chocolate.

  • Yitzchok Halevi

    Better to be a “Fugitive” than a Prisoner of this corrupt country. B’H, he was able to get out.

  • Dina demachusa dina

    We have to bring him back because dina demachusa dina and you’re allowed to maser because he is a roidef (he ran away). Everyone without ge’on yaakov chime in.
    Dina demachusa dina
    Dina demachusa dina
    Dina demachusa dina
    Dina demachusa dina
    The night time is the right time
    The night time is the right time
    The night time is the right time
    The night time is the right time

    • Anonymous

      he is a fugitive like Jews escaping the Soviets or the nazis were fugitives. Should we send them back too? He was held without being charged for over 2 years. The initial people who arrested him have themselves been arrested for corruption in his case, but that corrupt socialist country still didn’t charge him or send him home.IT’S BEMOMMON DINA D’MALCHUSA DINA. HOW CAN YOU EVEN CONSIDER THAT TORAHES EMES WOULD SAY TO TURN HIM OVER TO THESE PEOPLE??
      btw Bolivia no longer has a functioning Chabad house directly because of gv’t. pressure.

    • Milhouse

      Um, how could the previous poster have made it more obvious that he agrees with you?

    • Anonymous

      BTW a roidef in halacha means one running to do an averiah, not running for his freedom or life or running from doing an averiah. By tour definition, someone running to do an averiah with to someone and that other person running away from being involved in an averiah would both be a roidef????? DON’T THINK SO!

  • Mazal Tov

    on the good news that this guy is out of that country.

    Can someone please explain the connection between this and Crown Heights?

  • please

    is this another case of corrupt yid? PLEASE it can’t be. Yidden can’t afford it. The fact is that when one yid is corrupt, it is poyel on other yidden, chas ve shalom.

    • Absolutely not!

      It’s a case of the corrupt Bolivian government. He was STILL not charged with ANYTHING yet.

  • That's sad!

    There are actually commenters( #8 & # 9) that have no clue about this heartbreaking story??? Go to freejacobnow.com and read up about it! It will do u good to know what this fellow yid went through! Thank you Hashem for saving him!!!

  • Boruch Maatir Assurim

    he got out, after putting all the corrupt Bolivian government officials in jail. There’s no way he’s a fugitive. rumor has it he got back every penny the corrupt Bolivian government stole from him

  • The truth can be frightening

    most of the comments above are stupid & moronic. the fact is he was held prisoner for over 2 years for nothing abused etc. B”h he is home safe with his family tell Bolivia where to go how to get there & a Big Yasher Koach to those who helped him get out of that hell holeWe should all be very happy for him & his family & the peanut gallery should just shut up with the stupid & derogatory comments already haven’t we had enough of it?

  • Hakoras HaTov

    we need 2 thank everyone involved in his escape, but especially the actor or producer( don’t know, but he seems to be well known and popular)Sean Penn for his efforts. Whatever his job he seems to have gone way out of his way to help Ostreicher. Well Done!!!