Bar Mitzvah on Death Row: A Texas Rabbi’s Unique Challenge
by Menachem Posner – Chabad.org
Jedidiah Murphy has spent the last 15 years on death row in Livingston, Texas. Like all of the men in the Polunsky Unit, he’s been convicted of terrible crimes. On Oct. 4, 2000, high on cocaine, he shot and killed a 79-year-old woman, stole her car, and used her credit cards to purchase alcohol and cigarettes. Less than a year later, at the age of 25, he was sentenced to death.
“We first met a few months ago,” says Rabbi Dovid Goldstein, director ofChabad-Lubavitch of West Houston, associate director of Chabad Outreach in Houston and the lead Jewish chaplain in the Texas prison system. “I was in the prison to meet another inmate and came to visit him as well. We began talking, and he opened up. He told me about his childhood with his Jewish grandparents in Texas who raised him because his parents in New York were not able to, and he told me about his childhood in foster homes after his grandparents were no longer able to keep him.
“When I showed him my tefillin and asked him what they were,” continues Goldstein, “he told me, ‘Yeah, those are tefillin. I was in foster care by the time I was 13 and never got to have a bar mitzvah. For the past 15 years, the rabbis from Aleph Institute have been visiting me, and each time, they were prevented from putting them on me.’ ” The Florida-based, Chabad-run Aleph Institute provides services and support to Jewish servicemen and women, as well as to Jews in prison and their families.
State law generally forbids prisoners on death row from having direct contact with their visitors, but Goldstein was determined to see if he could arrange for an exception.
‘Reach to the Soul’
When asked how he manages to work with people who have committed serious crimes, Goldstein replies that he makes a point of never researching the inmate’s criminal records. “If they tell me what they did, that’s their choice, but I never ask,” he says simply. “It’s not my place to research their challenges and conditions. My purpose is to reach out to the soul that’s beyond any external deficiencies and help that soul shine.”
This would not be the first time he would be putting tefillin on a death-row prisoner. He had done the same for Douglas Feldman, 55, in 2013—a week before Feldman would receive a lethal injection at the Texas State Penitentiary at Huntsville for a pair of double murders he committed some 15 years earlier. In that case, he was allowed direct contact with the prisoner—the first Jew known to have been executed by the State of Texas—since thetefillin were considered the man’s “last rites,” for which special allowances could be made.
Goldstein has a long history of advocating for the rights of Jewish people in prisons. “I first got involved shortly after my wife, Elisa, and I moved to Houston as Chabad-Lubavitch emissaries in 1998,” recalls the red-bearded rabbi, who grew up in McAllen, Texas.
“There was an older rabbi, Ted Sanders, of blessed memory, who was tasked with caring for the Jewish prisoners, and he asked that I assist him with some of his duties.
“One story that pierced my heart was that of a religious Jew from out of the country who was incarcerated near Dallas. He could not get matzah forPassover or even enough kosher food to subside. At that time, there was no kosher facility in the Texas penal system, and there was just no system in place to facilitate religious observance. He could not even wear tefillin every day since it needed to be kept in the chaplain’s office, and the chaplain did not work every day.
“Here is the tragedy that really set a fire in my soul: For years, he begged and pleaded for a sukkah—a small, branch-covered booth used during the holiday of Sukkot—but we were always rebuffed. One year, I purchased a small collapsible sukkah and brought it to a meeting with the prison brass. Seeing that it could be easily taken up and down before and after every use, they relented. That year, he would finally sit in a sukkah like Jews all over the world. Three days after the meeting, he collapsed and was diagnosed with acute leukemia. He passed away on Rosh Hashanah, two weeks before Sukkot.
“From then on, the work I did to facilitate religious observance for Jewish prisoners is in his memory.”
Goldstein began drafting plans for creating an infrastructure that would accommodate Jewish prisoners, much of it based on what is already standard procedure in federal prisons.
Today, four units cater to the needs of Jewish prisoners (there are between 60 and 120 Jewish people incarcerated in Texas), and one “enhanced” unit, which has a kosher kitchen, weekly classes, and other services provided by Goldstein and Rabbi Mendy Traxler, program director of Chabad Outreach.
Goldstein also reports that he is often inspired by many of the inmates’ sincere wishes to better themselves. “There was one man who joined our kosher program barely knowing a word of Hebrew. One day, I’m in prison for services and I notice that he is praying in Hebrew as fluently as someone who grew up with it. That takes real dedication,” he notes, adding that some of the men regularly attend his lunch-and-learn classes after their release.
“I feel that prison is about rehabilitation,” he says. “I’m not there to judge them. They’ve been judged. I’m not here to punish them. They’ve been sentenced. I am here to help them live the rest of their lives and reach their potential from this day going forward.”
‘You Can Always Find Light’
It took the rabbi three months to make arrangements for the tefillin for Murphy, but he was finally allowed to return to Polunsky Unit on Feb. 2 with it in hand.
“When he saw that I brought the tefillin for him, he smiled—and no one ever smiles on death row,” recalls Goldstein. “I had to give the guards the tefillinand kipah, as he was on the other side of a glass wall the whole time. He put a kipah on his head, and followed my lead as he wrapped the tefillin and said the Shema together. I purchased some chips and soda from the vending machine, and we had a bar mitzvah reception.”
Murphy asked to keep the kipah he wore that morning as a souvenir, as is commonly done by attendees at “normal” bar mitzvahs, but he was forbidden to do so.
He did have a photo taken, however. The rabbi paid the standard fee of $3, and a guard snapped a shot of the two of men separated by the glass wall.
“I know that people will be horrified by the fact that a man who committed murder is smiling in this picture, and I respect that,” acknowledges Goldstein, “but I sincerely believe that there is a spark of G‑d in each and every soul, and that my job as a rabbi is to reach into their souls and touch that spark to the best of my G‑d-given ability.
“Within the greatest darkness, you can always find light. Prisons—and especially death row—are the darkest places in the world. Can you imagine the light that came into the world when a Jewish inmate put on tefillin?”
Picaboo Shimon
What? Why do animals who committed heinous crimes get a rabbi to personally come to jail and teach them classes, but my 16 year old son who has never been in trouble can’t get accepted to yeshiva because our family are baal teshuvas and our surname is not a hierarchal lubavitch royal name….
S.R.
Agreed. According to our communal education system, your son has a better chance of someone teaching him torah if he commits a terrible crime and has a self-aggrandizing rabbi teach him torah in jail for free than if you want to pay a yeshiva to teach your son.
Ezra
So a fellow Jew is an “animal” to you. Very nice. Maybe that explains the problems you are facing? You might get more accomplished for your son and for yourself by being less judgmental.
very sad
the yeshiva leaders are Busy fighting in court and spending Millions of dollars so the rich lawyers get richer
Picaboo Shimon
To Ezra.
You sir are very misinformed. Of course someone who purposely murders another is an animal. Actually, worse than an animal, because animals are not capable of rational thought.
You sing the praises of this Jewish criminal and want to see him get free services that he doesn’t deserve.
I guarantee you would not let him marry your daughter. I think you should let him marry your daughter because of the spark of godliness in his holy Jewish neshama.
You accuse me of being judgemental, so what gives you the right to be judgemental of me and my family?
Ezra
Picaboo, look at yourself. All I said is that the man is a fellow Jew and not an animal; how that gets twisted into me “sing[ing] his praises” and suggesting that he marry my daughter (who is all of one year old, by the way) is beyond me.
So I think we begin to see the outlines of the problem here: it is that you tend to look for the worst in people. If that’s me being judgmental, it is no more than looking at your own words and drawing conclusions thereof.
And yes, I believe that this is at the root of the problems you’re having finding a yeshivah for your son. Few administrators are going to want to deal with someone who comes in with a chip on their shoulder and accuses them of discrimination. Be reasonable with them, and they will be happy to help you find an appropriate placement – if not in their yeshivah, then in another one.
(And FWIW, Lubavitcher yeshivos around the world are full of children of BTs, contrary to your initial rant to the contrary. One of my sons, for example, is in a class in Oholei Torah comprised largely of such boys, and they have the best rebbi for that grade!)
Ezra
And just to clarify my point about working with the administrators:
They may tell you that your son isn’t a good fit for their yeshivah. You seem to take the jaundiced view that they’re doing this because you don’t have “a hierarc[hic]al [L]ubavitch royal name,” but odds are that this is wrong. Work with them; ask which yeshivah they would recommend. I can tell you that we had to search hard for a yeshivah for our oldest, but we found the right one and it is a perfect fit.
Ezra
And one more comment, because you’re right, I am being too harsh and judgmental.
You’re a baal teshuvah. Which means that you had – and still have – the strength to abandon one lifestyle and take on another. That’s no small thing; I don’t know if I could do it.
So call on that strength and that refusal to be daunted by circumstances, and use it to push – not with bitterness, but with firmness – for a placement for your son. יגעת ומצאת תאמין.
Picaboo Shimon
Ezra- Since you took the time to explain yourself , I wanted to reply that I apologize for being so harsh in my comments. Please forgive me.
Ezra
Most certainly. And I hope you are mochel me too.
Best of luck with your son’s placement and with everything else materially and spiritually.
Miriam Rellason
They shouldn’t be allowed tefillin cause it could be used as a weapon.
Chaim 613
If rabbi goldstein was a fair person, he would also go to the kevarim of the victims and daven for their neshomos.
Andrea Schonberger
Rabbi Goldstein is a 100% better person than me. I couldn’t do what he does.
Of course
Of course you couldn’t do what he does andrea. As a woman you would be attacked in less than three seconds if you visited death row
Can you imagine
Can you imagine the outrage if a family member of the victim sees a rabbi taking a selfie with a smiling murderer?
to #6
u have a point
I understand
The rabbi had good intentions. The prisoner deserves the right to do teshuva.
But….
I wish rabbis in our community would treat our youths better and give them the opportunity to go to yeshiva if they want to learn torah.
yitzchok
The comments above are understandable, but not rationally thought out, it sems to me.
The Rabbi said it like it is: Every Yid has a spark of a holy Neshama. That is what Rabbi Goldstein is addressing- the Neshama.
Emotionally, it is possible to only hate a man on death row, and not acknowledge that he has a holy spark. However, that only ultimately does no good at all. Though a man is sentenced to die for horrible crimes, that does not mean that he can’t do some teshuva. Can people please recognize that??
As for the comments about the Rabbi not davening fore the civtims, and that a person has to commit a bad crime to get sincere and caring intention, etc.- please consider-
A Rabbi is reaching out to hurt men who have done terrible things. Please se the good in that!! There are plenty of other injustices in the world- no question about that. Let’s all do what we can, and stop so much criticizing. What will really do good? If we see good being done, maybe learn from it, and don’t put it down, for G-d’s sake.
Thanks.
B"H
May the Rebbe continue to shep nachas from all his chossidim.
I have been in a correctional facility for many many years now….first as an correctional officer, then a became police officer…and BARUCH HASHEM I then began teshuvah (I hope). I now and have for many years worked a civilian job in the same correctional facility that yes I worked in as an officer and arrested people that are incarcerated here. I am locked up with them for many long hours. I pray that one day soon I can be on schlicus working with prisoners.
These people are “people” …. We must do whatever we can to help another Yid come close….EVERY JEW IS EVERY JEWS RESPONSIBILITY.
Prisoner outreach is something that is very close to the REBBE.
We can not judge another person because we have not walked in their shoes. We are all a part of the same body.
In Eretz Yisroel Rabbi Grossman has changed the lifes of the majority of prisoners he has had contact with. Rabbi Lipskar has done an amazing Kiddish Hashen with Aleph here in west.
Please understand that by saving a life you are saving the world.
It is clearly documented that the recidivism rate for Jewish prisoners who begin teshuvah is well slim to almost none.
I had the honor to meet Rabbi Taxler a couple of years ago and assist him with the construction a mikveh in my community, Rabbi Goldstien please keep your momentum going with blessings of health and renewed alacrity in your avoda in your work as true chossid.
Picaboo Shimon
So why not let them all out of jail and invite them to come to 770 for a chassidus shiur cause it might bring them close?
Talking about being judgemental… if you arrested people then you are being judgemental and judging that they committed a crime and did something wrong. How dare you. Instead of arresting them you should have bought them airline tickets and brought them to the arizal’s mikveh so the pure waters could cleanse their neshama.
Picaboo Shimon
Wouldn’t it be nice if all these rabbis would use their time better. Instead of wasting time teaching torah to murderers, spend that time teaching torah to the youths in our community that can’t get accepted to yeshiva.
Inky
I agree with Shimon but on one condition. Let those youths who are not in yeshiva join the rabbi when he goes to teach torah in prison. This way they get to hear words of torah for free, and also get a lesson by seeing what’s it’s like in jail so they can be scared straight and make a good life for themselves instead of doing crimes.
Are you insane?
Inky are you insane. You want us to send our kids into a prison where violent criminals can snap at any moment and attack them?
Oholei torah is a much safer place to learn torah than death row !