Correction: Rabbi Dwek Is Not "Sitting Shiva"

A side story in the big story about the rabbis and politicians rounded up in New Jersey is whether the key informant in the case, Solomon “Shlomo” Dwek, is being disowned by his family.

The news Web site PolitickerNJ.com reported Monday that Dwek’s father, Rabbi Israel Dwek, the spiritual leader in the Syrian Jewish in Deal, N.J., Rabbi Israel Dwek, “took to his pulpit on Saturday to cite the Talmudic Law of Moser that prohibits a Jew from informing on another Jew to a non-Jew. Rabbi Dwek then renounced his son.” According to the Web site, “Rabbi Dwek will sit Shiva for Solomon Dwek, observing the Jewish custom of mourning for an immediate family member who has died.” By Tuesday morning the story had been picked up by Jewish Web sites and The New York Post.

But a popular Orthodox blog that picked up the story, Vos Iz Neias, now says it’s untrue:

We contacted the New Jersey reporter, who claimed that his story was accurate and came from a reliable source. Based on this claim, VIN posted the story.

VIN News has now been able to confirm directly from Rabbi Dweck and family what transpired this past Shabbos.

Rabbi Dweck delivered a very emotional sermon in which he strongly denounced the phenomenon of a Jew informing on other Jews, said that he is also a victim in this saga together with Klal Yisroel, and asked for prayers from the entire Jewish community for his terrible suffering.

Rabbi Dweck did not renounce his son, nor is he sitting shivah according to halachah.

VIN regrets the error. We unconditionally apologize for any anguish the erroneous report may have caused to the Dweck family.

Correction source is here.

P.S. And as a disclaimer, I'd like to add that I'm sure not all rabbis deal in human body parts.