“I will leave Russia!” Marianne Grin on TV, in front of children

The Iene TV show demonstrates how easy it is to expose false claims. Just check them.

- with English subtitles

- русские субтитры

On May 2, 2012, the hugely respected Italian investigative news program, Le Iene, aired a report on the children’s abduction by their mother, Marianne Grin (Марианны Гринь).

In Pelazza: Social Services in Russia, senior Iene reporter Luigi Pelazza flew to St. Petersburg to investigate the children’s living conditions in Chabad orphanages, their denial of contact with their father and family, and their isolation from childhood friends.

Luigi Pelazza, investigative reporter for Le Iene in Italy

Pelazza interviewed Grin and let her speak. He then showed how each of her statements are plainly contradicted by official records, her own mother, and the people in Russia who have seen how she has treated the children since abducting them at the end of August 2011.

Pelazza also catches Grin showing why she was deemed an inadequate parent by the courts. With all four children seated in front of her, she makes false accusations of violence against the father and, despite Pelazza’s humanitarian entreaties, refuses even to let them see a video of his greetings. Still in front of the children, she makes a vulgar Italian gesture and states she “doesn’t give a damn” what the law says (“me ne frego!”).

Some of the highlights:

• Marianne Grin’s mother, Inessa Grin, looking vibrant and intellingent, is interviewed via Skype after Marianne claims her mother “has Alzheimers and lives in a nursing home in California.” Inessa complains that her daughter told the same lie 10 years ago, after she refused her daughter’s demand she sign a false declaration. Inessa expresses deep concern for the children, and fears over her daughter’s mental instability.
• After Grin denies having put her children into orphanages, teachers confirm the children lived in Chabad-Lubavitch run institutes “for children whose parents suffer from alcoholism and drug addiction”. They teachers also comment on Grin’s instability as a parent.
• Rabbi Chaim Tolochinsky, the director of the yeshiva/orphanage where Grin had abandoned her sons, says it is “evident” Grin has psychological problems and is “acting like a hunted animal”. He doubts she is able to provide basic care for the children.
• But the most unsettling and bizarre statements is from Grin herself, when believes the cameras are off. She bluntly confides her real plans, and they don’t include Russia: “If that a–hole [expletive] continues, we’ll go to another country. I have the financial resources, so if he continues, ‘arriverderci!’” And, again, all while she is seated in front of the children. As the court-appointed expert in Italy observed, Grin’s behavior is “pathogenic,” meaning she transmits her paranoias and disturbed version of reality to the children.

The Italian news program makes clear – through Grin’s own behavior – why the courts in Italy ruled her unfit to have custody of the children, and why Russian courts have so far been reluctant to second-guess that decision.

Religion as a Weapon

The abducted children were all raised within the Florence Jewish Community. But during her divorce, Marianne Grin, their mother, distanced herself from the community when they did not take her side against her ex-husband.

The community’s reaction was understandable. They took the side of the children, not either parent.

So Grin went looking for a religious group that would take her side against her ex and not question the veracity of anything she said. Her first stop was Chabad-Lubavitch. Her next stop is the Russian Orthodox Church. Read on….

In 2009, Grin left the Florence Jewish Community for a small Lubavitcher group in Florence lead by an American Lubavitcher, Elie Borenstein, who operated out of a small store-front in via dei Pilastri. Chabad-Lubavitch is an ultra-orthodox sect of Judaism (see http://www.judaism.about.com).

The children were not raised in a Hassidic family and had no Hassidic background. But this did not deter the Lubavitch rabbi. He had a past of poor relations with Florence’s Jewish Community. In Grin, he found a weapon of his own.

At Grin’s request, he publicly took her side in the divorce. He helped her use Judiasm to create a rift in the family, instill resentment in the children towards non-Jewish family members, and sowed suspicion that their friends in the Florence Jewish community (an Orthodox community) were “not real Jews” because they did not believe in the Lubavitch “Messiah.”

For the most part, the children were unswayed. Friends are friends, after all. They’d grown up in this community.

This only inflamed Borenstein’s zeal to separate the children from their family and friends. He assisted Grin in taking the children away from their friends and the Synagogue in Florence,  to participate in Lubavitcher services in Venice, three hours away by train. He sent defamatory letters on Chabad stationary calling the father an anti-Semite. Why such vehemence? Because the father had successfully kept the children in the Jewish community in which they had grown up, where they attended the preschool at the Synagogue and took Talmud Torah (lessons in Hebrew and Jewish culture and history).

In fact, the accusation of anti-semitism offended members of the community who had seen the lengths to which the father had gone to ensure continuity in the lives of the children. Subjecting the children to dramatic changes in the type and place of their religion also did not pass the notice of social workers, psychiatrists, and the court-appointed expert, who all commented with dismay on how the children’s lives were being upended.

Child Abductors

In October 2011, the Venice newspaper reported that the same Chabad-Lubavitch group helped Grin abduct the children to Russia.

http://nuovavenezia.gelocal.it/cronaca/2011/10/15/news/i-figli-rapiti-passati-per-il-ghetto-1.1597052

After being abducted to Russia, Sam, Elliot, Sara and Ezra have spent the last seven months in Chabad-run institutions operated by Lubavitch rabbi’s Pewzner and Tolochinsky. These Lubavitcher rabbi’s have denied the father, family, and the children’s friends any access, without any legal basis. They have refused to lift a finger even to convey birthday greetings from grandparents, ensuring the total isolation of the children while kept in their institutions.

But these institutions have now been exposed in the media in Russia and Italy for what they have done to the children.  See, for example:

Corriere Fiorentino article April 4 2012 copy

http://corrierefiorentino.corriere.it/firenze/notizie/cronaca/2012/4-aprile-2012/io-guerra-miei-figli-rapiti-lasciati-un-istituto-2003949712222.shtml

http://www.fontanka.ru/2012/03/22/024/

So, while requesting decent and moral behavior did not help, there is now the possibility that media attention will cause them to refrain from keeping the children so isolated in the future. This remains to be seen.  Of course, there is also a chance they will say they cannot force Grin or the children to speak with their family or friends, coldly hiding behind the mother or their own indoctrination of the children to avoid responsibility for what they have done.

But let’s assume Chabad-Lubavitch in Russia stops isolating the children.  What then?  Grin has a back up plan. She has already disclosed it in Russian court.

Goodbye Chabad-Lubavitch, hello Russian Orthodox Church!

In a St. Petersburg court, Grin has now produced a letter from the Russian Orthodox church in Florence, Italy claiming her ex-husband had denied the children access to the Church since they arrived in Italy in 1999, and making false accusations against the father. The letter was addressed to the Russian Ombuds for Children, Pavel Astakhov, and demands he help Grin.

This, to put it mildly, is bizarre, considering the above circumstances. But it makes sense if Grin is planning a “move” to the Russian Orthodox Church, or has already joined while her children were being isolated in the Chabad orphanages. And the new religion and institutions will of course help the newcomer at least until they, too, realize they are being scammed and their charity misused.

In fact, when confronted by the family about their letter, woman who signed the letter, the wife of the priest, said she only wrote what Grin had requested. They apparently trusted Grin as they would any other member of their congregation, so they didn’t verify her claims. They were shocked to learn the truth, especially since they were receiving appeals from her again to send money to her in Russia.

They have since written a letter of retraction, after being shown evidence that all of their accusations were false.

They also did not know Grin and the children were Jewish.

Perhaps, soon, they won’t be…

Those who isolate abducted children – The St. Petersburg Rabbi

UPDATE – 2 April 2012

The father reports having now met with the Yeshiva director, Rabbi Tolochinsky, who has promised to try to arrange visits with the children and to pass along messages from family and friends. He said the meeting seemed constructive, but family and friends are holding judgment until the children are in touch with their family and friends and so far this has not occurred. The community of Florence is praying that the director does this and puts an end to the inhuman terrible isolation of these children.

The concern is that the Yeshiva, having kept the children isolated from their lives for months, will now claim the children don’t want contact with family and friends, or simply that Marianne Grin refuses to collaborate with them. No one is so naive to accept such excuses. The Yeshiva created the problem. The Yeshiva is responsible for fixing it; they cannot now hide behind it, or behind Grin.

ORIGINAL POST

The Yeshiva where Marianne placed the boys after their abduction (Sam 14, Elliot 12, and Ezra 6) offers lodging for orphans and children from troubled families. http://eng.jewishpetersburg.ru/modules.php?name=Content&pa=showpage&pid=291

Adult inmates of modern prisons are allowed more communication with family and friends than these abducted children being guarded in the yeshiva.

The institute director is Rabbi Tolochinsky and it is under the authority of St Petersburg Rabbi Mendel Pewzner. They have taken no steps to put the children in touch with their family and have ignored pleas to permit them to contact the abducted children. Over the past months, family members and friends have repeatedly attempted to speak with the yeshiva’s director and have begged him to pass messages to the children and allow family to speak with them. The Yeshiva has refused to let the father see the children, although he has personally visited it on many occasions. Rabbi Pewzner, who has ultimate authority over the yeshiva, must explain why he allows this to occur.

The institute’s director has not answered e-mails, nor responded to telephone calls, not even from Marianne’s own mother who called repeatedly in Russian, and was not even allowed to convey happy birthday wishes.

Rabbi Pewzner simply says he does not want to get involved. Except he is involved, and he is responsible. He is illegally and immorally allowing this child abuse to occur.

Things are supposed to work the other way around. A good, decent person – and especially a devout religious man – would never have waited for family to get in touch with the children. He would have taken the initiative on his own to reach out to the family, and help the children communicate with their abruptly stolen lives. But not those responsible for the yeshiva of St Petersburg.

Below are just a few examples of many e-mails sent to the children, and which were not delivered.

We will publish more correspondence on this blog, because we believe there may also be decent human beings in these environments who care about the psychological well-being of children, and who will be deeply disturbed by the cruelty of keeping abducted children in deep isolation, and that Rabbi Pewzner is allowing this to take place.

We are hoping to find someone who can in secret provide the messages of family and friends to the children, so they know they are loved and missed. If the Rabbi of St Petersburg thinks children can be treated as prisoners, we’ll adopt prison tactics for communicating with them.

—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Uncle Kevin
To: “tchaim@mail.ru” <;;;tchaim@mail.ru>;;;
Cc: “sinagoga@list.ru” <;;;sinagoga@list.ru>;;;
Sent: Wednesday, March 28, 2012 9:26 AM
Subject: Yeshiva (Sam and Eli)

Dear Mr. Tolochinsky,

I was hoping that you could give this note to both Sam and Eli.

Thank you,

Kevin

Dear Sam, Eli and Ezra,

Just wanted to say hi to you guys and let you know that I am thinking of you. Today I am in Boise, Idaho working at a computer chip company. I have to give an hour presentation to a group of people and then tomorrow I work in the lab here. Should be fun! The weather her is about the same as in St.Petersburg but still it is a little cold but no snow so I should be happy.

Next week I have to attend a meeting in Boston and work at the Harvard Medical Center. Should be a long week.

Last weekend I got a new electric skateboard. This one is really fast and goes about 22mph which is a little over 35kph. Kinda scary but a lot of fun! I’m trying to have my older one fixed but won’t know until Friday if it can be fixed. I’ll have to let you guys ride it (it has a slower safe mode:>;;;) when you next come to visit California.

Well have to go but just wanted to send you a quick note saying hi.

Love,

Your uncle,

Kevin

From: Edo
Sent: giovedì 22 marzo 2012 21.27
Subject: Re: Messages

these are some that I sent to mr.Tolochinsky….

Ciao Elliot qua sono successe davvero tantissime cose e te devi ASSOLUTAMENTE TORNARE!!!! sono state sospese molte persone (—-, —– ecc…) perchè la preside è veramente inca**ata x tutti questi rapporti….
Di rapporti di classe ne abbiamo 2, 1 perchè il—-, —-, e —– hanno urlato fuori dalla finestra alla gente offese….
Senza di te non è la stessa cosa, ma non ti abbbiamo dimenticato…
Appena torni in Italia sarai sicuramente in classe nostra, ti aspettiamo!!!
Tutti aspettano il tuo ritorno!!!!
La nostra classe non è completa senza di te!!!!
Spero tutte le nostre lettere x te dalla classe siano arrivate!!!!

Elliot non so se questa email ti è arrivata quindi te la rimando….

Ciao Elliot, come stai?
Ci manchi tantissimo e ci piacerebbe riaverti qua con noi….
ti è arrivata la lettera?
qua abbiamo cambiato tantissimi professori….alcuni meglio ed alcuni peggio…quello di arte ci fa ridere e con quello di lettere nn si fa mai nulla…
se puoi andare su internet scrivimi o pure telefonami dal telefono di casa o della scuola….
qui sono 3 ore indietro (qua sono le 22 là sono le 1…)
ti prego torna da noi ci manchi davvero tantissimo…
qua ci si diverte ma senza di te non è + la stessa cosa…

la classe nn è + la stessa…
neppure la mensa =P
mino probabilmente verrà sospeso x aver preso 3 rapporti….
ciao, Edo…
ps: e vai su un comp qualsiasi torna s&f cosi messaggiamo…. ho trovato un gioco bellissimoooo kiamato wizard101 ed ho soperto ke ci giocano emi, andrea e cosimo…
tanti saluti!

—– Forwarded Message —–
From: Uncle Kevin
To: “tchaim@mail.ru” <;;;tchaim@mail.ru>;;;
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2011 8:33 PM
Subject: Для передачи Эллиоту МакИлрату

Hello Mr.Tolochinsky,

I am Eli’s Uncle from the USA/California and I would appreciate it if you can deliver this message to him.

Hi Eli,

I hope your doing well. Your father gave me an e-mail address that I could contact you at.

This is my personal e-mail address and you can write to it at any time.

I have just returned from a business trip to Boise, Idaho and am now I think home and not traveling for the rest of the year.

We painted my house and it looks great! We did it ourselves and it took only about 2 days but actually were still not finished (we still need to do the windows and the garage:<;;;(

Since I was not able to contact you since this summer and now that I have a way to contact you I thought I would write.

Lisa and Haley say hi and Haley can't wait to go to the waterslide park again with us if you can come to California next summer.

If you need anything please let me know.

I hope everything is well buddy.

Uncle,

Kevin

———- Forwarded message ———-
From: Aunt Molly
Date: 2011/12/22
Subject: Re: Samuel and Elliot
To: tchaim@mail.ru<;;;mailto:tchaim@mail.ru>;;;

Dear Dr. Tolochinsky,

Hello, my name is Molly and I am Samuel’s and Elliot’s aunt. As I’m sure you know, we have not had any contact with them in nearly 4 months and are very concerened about their well-being. I would like you to please give this message to them that their family is always thinking of them and especially during this time of Chanukka’. We hope to be able to see them soon. They have a 2 year old cousin, Zoe, who misses her cousins and asks for them all the time.

I look forward to your reply.

Thank you.
Sincerely,
Molly