Suspect in Ortiz Bombing Case Fit to Stand Trial
 

The "Jewish terrorist" who tried to murder members of an Israeli Messianic Jewish family because of their faith, has been declared fit to stand trial.

The Jerusalem District Court decided this week that Jack Teitel would stand trial for the murder of two Palestinians in separate incidents as well as for placing a bomb disguised as a Purim holiday gift basket at the home of David and Leah Ortiz in 2008.

David Ortiz is an outspoken Messianic pastor and his wife Leah is a Messianic Jew. His son Ami, 15 years old at the time, opened the gift package. It exploded in his face, nearly killing him. Doctors said it was a miracle that he survived.

Teitel's lawyer had said he did not know if his client should be held criminally accountable for his acts, and last year a psychiatric examination deemed him unfit for trial.

Teitel, a religious Jew who was quoted as saying at the time, "I don't know if I'm sane. I don't recognize the jurisdiction of this court. I feel good." However, a later psychiatric evaluation contradicted the first.

When the announcement was made more than a year after the attack that Teitel had been arrested, Ami's parents told CBN News they were chilled by the news.

"It was very chilling," Ami's mother, Leah, recalled. "In other words, I felt like my heart go cold. Because even though we know that there are people, actual flesh and blood people, that did it, just the fact that we found out what settlement they were from, that there were neighbors."

"I felt pain for these people. I prayed for them this morning," Ami's father, David, said. "I mean, he's going to try and kill people, assassinate people, and ruin your whole life."

Publication: The Jerusalem Post
Type: Online
Date: December 7, 2011
Country: Israel
Title: Court rules Yaakov 'Jack' Teitel fit to stand trial
Reporter: Joanna Paraszczuk
Section: National News
Article: link

Court rules Yaakov 'Jack' Teitel fit to stand trial

By Joanna Paraszczuk
 

American-born "Jewish Terrorist" indicted on 14 charges including two counts of murder and one of attempted murder

The Jerusalem District Court ruled unanimously on Wednesday that Ya'acov 'Jack' Teitel, the American- Israeli indicted on murder and attempted murder charges, is fit to stand trial.

The panel of three judges, Zvi Segal, Moshe Hacohen and Moshe Yair Drori, said in Wednesday's hearing that Teitel's ability to conduct his defense was "beyond question" and therefore he is fit to stand trial.

RELATED: Teitel trial postponed; state studies psychiatric evaluation

For a court to rule that a defendant is not fit to stand trial, his attorneys must convince judges that he is suffering from a mental disorder such that he is unable to conduct his
defense or instruct an attorney to do so, because he cannot understand the charges against him, the nature of the criminal proceedings or communicate with his counsel.

Dubbed "the Jewish terrorist," Florida-born Teitel, 39, was indicted in 2009 on 14 separate charges including the 1997 murder of Palestinian taxi driver Samir Balbisi, who was found shot dead in his taxicab.

The indictment also charges Teitel with the murder of a second Palestinian man, Beduin shepherd Isaa Mousa'af Mahamada, who was shot dead near the West Bank settlement of Carmel, near Hebron, in August 1997.

Teitel is alleged to have committed both those murders while he was still a US citizen on vacation in Israel.

In 2000, Teitel immigrated to Israel and lived in Shvut Rachel, a West Bank settlement north of Jerusalem, where he married and had four children. That same year, he was
arrested by police on suspicion of carrying out both the 1997 murders, but later released for lack of evidence.

In March 2008, according to the indictment, Teitel attempted to murder 15-year-old Amiel Ortiz, the son of American Christian missionaries in Ariel.

Teitel allegedly sent a bomb in a Purim gift basket to the Ortiz's home, which exploded when Ortiz opened it.

Other charges include planting homemade explosives at the home of Prof. Ze'ev Sternhell, a left-wing scholar from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, in September 2008 and attacking a police station in 2006 during a gay pride parade.

Teitel was arrested in Jerusalem in 2009, while distributing leaflets lauding a deadly shooting at a Tel Aviv gay youth center, although police do not believe he was involved
in that attack.

Teitel was remanded in custody in a secure psychiatric facility, and though an initial psychiatric assessment in 2010 deemed Teitel unfit to stand trial, later tests showed
that he was able to face prosecution.

"We conclude that [Teitel] is not detached from reality, he possesses an impressive verbal ability and is capable of maintaining a good connection with those talking to him,
that he is well aware of the legal process and its outcomes, he knows he is in court and is aware of the various functions of the legal process," Segal said.

Publication: YNet News
Type: Online
Date: December 7, 2011
Country: Israel
Title: Court: Jack Teitel fit to stand trial
Reporter: Aviad Glickman
Section: Israel News
Article: link

Court: Jack Teitel fit to stand trial

Trial of 'Jewish terrorist' charged with murder of two Arabs set to resume in coming weeks

Aviad Glickman
Published: 12.07.11, 16:38 / Israel News

The Jerusalem District Court on Wednesday ruled that the alleged "Jewish terrorist" Jack Teitel is fit to stand trial for the murder of two Arabs and a series of other serious offences. The court considered various opinions on the matter before reaching a decision. Teitel's trial is set to resume in the following weeks.

Attorney Michael Ironi, representing Teitel, motioned for a hearing on his client's criminal accountability. The panel ruled that there are no grounds for summoning expert witnesses again and that a hearing on the issue of accountability will be held during the trial.

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Publication: MAOZ Israel
Type: Online
Date: May 29, 2011
Country: Israel
Title: Urgent Prayer Request From The Ortiz Family
Section: MAOZ Israel Blog
Article: link

Urgent Prayer Request From The Ortiz Family



Below is an excerpt from an email prayer request from Leah and David Ortiz:

Hi to all. A hearing will be taking place (on Monday May 23) in the Yaakov Teitel case to determine whether he is psychologically fit to stand trial. The hearing was set for 14:00 in the district court in East Jerusalem on Salah-a-Din Street, but now the prosecutor called our lawyer and said that the hearing might take place earlier at 11:30 and it might take place behind closed doors.
We feel like we're playing musical chairs, and that we and those who support us are being discouraged from attending the hearing as well as the press. This depletes our energy but it is how it has been since the beginning.For those who don't know, someone hired 13 private psychiatrists to evaluate Teitel's mental state, and it is not clear to anyone where the money came from for this. Also, the last hearing was suddenly postponed for almost two months without any explanation on the day of the hearing when everyone was already sitting in the courtroom.

UPDATE FROM LEAH ORTIZ

We just heard from our lawyer that the hearing will take place behind closed doors, and that it is not the last hearing or summation of the hearings, but one or two before the last. We will let you know what happened during the hearing when we get the information.

Please pray that justice will be done! That Teitel will be found fit to stand trial! Please pray for wisdom for the prosecutors and the Ortiz's legal team. And please pray for the Ortiz family and all the other families who have been victimized by Teitel.

Thank you,

Leah

Publication: The Jerusalem Post
Type: Online
Date: March 29, 2011
Country: Israel
Title: New security bosses will face sharper challenges
Section: Defense
Reporter: Yaakov Katz
Article: link

ARTICLE EXCERPT

The Shin Bet usually treads carefully when operating within settlements and working to uncover Jewish terror plans. But there have been cases in recent years – like Jack Teitel, the American- Israeli who allegedly murdered at least two Palestinians and was behind a string of bombings and attacks – that demonstrate the potential danger.

Publication: YNet News
Type: Online
Date: January 23, 2011
Country: Israel
Title: Teitel's associates: He's gone mad
Reporter: Yair Altman
Section: Israel News
Article: link
 

Teitel's associates: He's gone mad

Sources close to 'Jewish terrorist' say Prison Service trying to conceal his deteriorating mental state before court decides if he is fit to stand trial. In one incident, they say, he injured himself while 'fighting demons' in his cell

"Jewish terrorist" Yaakov (Jack) Teitel, who was charged with murdering two Arabs, sustained light injuries to his hand at the Ayalon Prison when he imagined he was fighting demons and threw a pot at a mirror in his cell, Ynet learned overnight Sunday.

Teitel's associates are accusing the Prison Service of trying to conceal his mental deterioration and preventing him of proper care. According to them, Teitel lost his sanity a long time ago and has even been deemed unfit to stand trial by prison psychiatrists.

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Psychiatric Evaluation
Victims: Teitel lying about mental state / Aviel Magnezi
Jewish terror suspect faked psychosis to evade justice, victims' relatives charge following psychiatric evaluation; Arab who shoots Jews is a terrorist, but Jew who shoots Arabs is insane, MK Tibi says
Full Story

-

A district court is expected to address the matter this month.

Teitel's acquaintances said his mental state has deteriorated over the past few weeks. During this time, they said, he has been "fighting demons" he believes are attacking him, jumps around and hides inside his cell.

In one incident Teitel "fought a demon" he claimed was hiding in his mirror. He threw a pot at the mirror and lightly injured his hand. In another incident Teitel was found unraveling the velvet curtain covering the Ark of the prison's synagogue, claiming demons were hovering around it.


'Fighting demons.' Teitel in custody (Archive photo: Gil Yohanan)

One of Teitel's associates said he should be committed to a mental hospital, "but the Shin Bet is preventing it because in a month's time there is a hearing on his mental state and the prosecution claims he is fit to stand trial. If he is committed the State would essentially be admitting its mistake, so for the time being he is suffering and other inmates are suffering from his behavior."

In November 2009 Teitel was indicted for a string of offenses he had allegedly committed over the course of more than a decade, including the murder of two Palestinians, planting an explosives device outside the home of left-wing professor Ze'ev Sternhell and placing a bomb at the home of Messianic Jews in Ariel.

Attorney Adi Keidar, who is representing Teitel, said, "The Prison Service is doing everything it can to prevent Teitel from receiving the necessary psychological treatment. His condition has recently deteriorated, but instead of sending him to a psychiatric evaluation at a hospital, he was returned to the ward.

"It seems as though the Prison Service is trying to hide the fact that he is deteriorating and that he has not received proper medical treatment. Another prisoner would have been committed to a mental hospital a long time ago," said the attorney.

The Israel Prison Service said Teitel was being treated by a psychiatrist from the Health Ministry.

Publication: Ha'Aretz
Type: Online
Date: December 1, 2010
Country: Israel
Title: FBI and Shin Bet began tracking 'Jewish terrorist' year before arrest
Reporter: Chaim Levinson
Article: link

FBI and Shin Bet began tracking 'Jewish terrorist' year before arrest

Teitel refuses to cooperate with his attorney, saying he does not recognize court's authority.

By Chaim Levinson

Tags: Israel news Jewish terrorist

A year prior to Yakov "Jack" Teitel's arrest, the Shin Bet and the FBI were in close contact as part of an investigation into bombings targeting homosexuals, messianic Christians and left-wing figures, Haaretz has learned.

Teitel was arrested on October 7. However, the initial exchanges on the case between the two security services on the case began in October 2008, when a Shin Bet officer, code-named Ariel, contacted the FBI with a request for assistance in the investigation. Eventually, the authorities would come to suspect Teitel as the person behind the bombings.

Meanwhile, deliberations were held at the Jerusalem District Court Monday on Teitel's case. Teitel has refused to cooperate with his attorney, saying he does not recognize the court's authority and Monday it appointed two new defense lawyers, who are to respond to the charges against Teitel by next month.

The Shin Bet and the police were building a profile of the bomber as avenues of investigation had reached a dead end. One of the conclusions in the investigation was that the bomber probably was an American, which led to the cooperation with the FBI.

The Israeli authorities considered translating the pamphlets on how to make explosive devices the bomber had made for dissemination to other intelligence services in the hope of possibly finding a link through their data bases.

Haaretz has learned that in May 2009, two FBI agents visited Israel to assist in the Teitel case. The Shin Bet investigators were becoming increasingly convinced Teitel was the prime suspect. The FBI agents shared the information they had on Teitel's activities in the U.S.; he had a police record.

Teitel himself told the Shin Bet that in 2000, he fought with his landlord, who threw him out of the apartment. As he fled, Teitel used his car to hit the landlord's dog, and he reportedly carried an unlicensed pistol, fearing trouble with the police. He then fled to Israel.

The FBI played a two-fold role. It had information on Teitel but also probed cases involving Americans who have been targets of terrorism. The FBI began investigating such instances in the 1980s with the help of local authorities, and its office in Tel Aviv covers incidents in Israel and the Palestinian Authority. The head of the office met with Lea and David Ortiz, whose son Amiel was badly injured in a Purim package bomb believed to have been sent by Teitel in March 2008.

This story is by: Chaim Levinson

U.S. Report Cites Religious Intolerance in Israel

The U.S. State Department’s 2010 International Religious Freedom Report, released November 17, found numerous violations of religious freedom in the State of Israel. While the Israeli Basic Law on Human Dignity and Liberty affords the protection of religious freedom to all individuals, the report cited a continuance of governmental and legal discrimination against non-Jews and non-Orthodox streams of Judaism.

The report cited cases handled by the Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) concerning illegal exclusion of citizenship and immigration rights to Jews holding Messianic convictions as well as attempts made by the Ministry of Interior (MOI) to deny services to and/or revoke the citizenship of persons adhering to such beliefs. The report highlighted the MOI’s blatant refusal to comply with an April 2008 High Court ruling, which granted citizenship to three Messianic Jews (a refusal which was overcome this year by a Contempt of Court Petition from JIJ).

In addition, instances of individuals being interrogated, detained and denied entry at the Ben-Gurion airport solely for religious reasons or on suspicion of so called "missionary activity" were also cited, while the report asserts the existence of MOI watch lists containing names of suspected individuals.

The report maintained that religious minorities, including, Evangelical Christians and Messianic Jews, continue to face harassment, assault, abuse, and persecution by radical Jewish activists and organizations, such as Yad L’Achim (anti-Missionary organization). Among the examples cited was the desecration of a Messianic congregation in Be’er Sheva along with the assaulting of its members by hundreds of Orthodox Jews.

Evidence of connections between Yad L’Achim and the MOI was found and cited within the report. “Yad L'Achim pressured landlords, employers, and MOI officials to assist its campaign against groups it deemed ‘dangerous cults,’" the report stated. Furthermore, the report reveals that Jewish terrorist, Yaakov (Jack) Teitel, who was arrested and charged in the bombing of the Ortiz residence, was indeed a member of Yad L’Achim and targeted the Ortiz family due to their Messianic beliefs.

With the increase of violations of religious freedom in the State of Israel, Jerusalem Institute of Justice (JIJ) plays a vital role in the fight against religious intolerance and discrimination of religious minorities. Having now handled over 390 cases including 17 Supreme Court victories, JIJ helps to combat the ultra-Orthodox hegemony in Israeli society and to advance Israel’s fledgling democracy. We believe that by doing so, we help to legitimize the Jewish State in the international community. Accordingly, while JIJ fights to preserve civil rights and religious freedom within the nation, it likewise continues to advocate for the State of Israel and enhance her foreign relations and public diplomacy worldwide. After all, regardless of the need to improve in areas of religious freedom, Israel is still the only democracy in the Middle East.

To access the U.S. State Department's 2010 International Religious Freedom report on Israel, press here.

The family of Ami Ortiz, the Messianic Israeli teenager who was nearly killed by a bomb planted at his doorstep almost 3 years ago, is asking for prayer ahead of the trial of the main suspect in the case. At risk, warned Ami’s mother, Leah Ortiz, is the future safety of believers in Yeshua (Jesus) across Israel.

On Purim 2008, Ami stepped outside his family’s house in the Samarian town of Ariel to find an anonymous holiday package, a common practice during Purim. When he opened it and set off the powerful bomb inside, Ami was critically wounded. Doctors believed he would never fully recover from his injuries, but they were eventually proved wrong, and Ami is today whole and healthy.

For years the police dragged their feet investigating the case, presumably because appearing to aid a Messianic family would not be viewed favorably by the Orthodox religious establishment. At one point, the police even made the outlandish assertion that the Ortiz family had brought the attack on themselves by being so open about their faith.

Last year, police finally captured Jack Teitel, the man believed behind the Ortiz bombing and a string of other attacks. On December 2, Teitel goes on trial, but his defense is working hard to make sure he is declared mentally unfit for prosecution, and instead have him sent for treatment to a psychiatric hospital.

Leah Ortiz explained in a letter to supporters that this is dangerous for two reasons.

First, details of the investigation tying Teitel to the aggressive anti-missionary organization Yad L’Achim will not come to light. Bringing that evidence to light would obligate certain legal action against and restraints on Yad L’Achim and the rabbis who back the organization, resulting in far less persecution of Messianic Jews.

Second, said Leah, “this will set a very dangerous precedent for the Messianic Community in Israel, as there are many like [Teitel] who will be emboldened and willing to give up a few years of their lives in a mental institution in order to murder those that believe in Yeshua as the promised Messiah.”

In light of these dangers, the Ortiz family is asking for prayer that true justice will be served and that Israeli believers will find themselves more secure rather than more imperiled by this ordeal.

To learn more about the attack on Ami Ortiz and the ensuing legal battles, visit www.amiortiz.com

The man accused of trying to kill Israeli teenager, Ami Ortiz, with a bomb may not have to stand trial.

A three judge panel will decide if the suspect is mentally fit for the court case that's attracted world wide attention.

As Jack Teitel entered the courtroom, he claimed Israel's legal system had no authority over him.

"This house of prostitution has no legitimacy," he said.

Teitel is accused of planting a bomb at the home of Ortiz and his family. The blast nearly killed the teenager.

Teitel faces a number of charges in other cases, including the deaths of two Arabs and an attempted murder of a liberal professor.

The Ortiz family must wait until December for the judge's decision.

"It's going to be very, very important because they're really going to decide within one hearing whether he can be deemed responsible, mentally responsible for what he did in the past, and also, if he's fit to stand trial now," Ami's mother, Leah Ortiz, said.

Since the 2008 bombing, Ami's parents have faced an emotional ordeal, but still pray for their son's accused attacker.

"We feel at peace that God's in control," Ami's dad, David Ortiz, said. First of all, when we're at home with our family, we continue to pray for him. We continue to pray for him, with all these things that have taken place, that God will visit him."

As for Ami, his mother said his progress has defied the doctor's prognosis and exceeded expectations.

"They told us a long time ago he would never be able to run again like he did before. He will never be able to jump as high as he did before, but I mean he wins all the races," Leah said. "He runs faster than anybody. He dunks the ball and jumps really high. I just believe the Lord is going to restore him completely."

"He's a wonder in my own eyes. How peaceful, how he's taking it. He has a vision to go forward, and he feels that this is in the Lord's hand," David said.

In the meantime, the Ortiz's hope people will stand with them in prayer for the man who nearly killed their son.

"In our hearts, we feel, we don't feel anger, we don't feel bitterness. More importantly that Ami does not," David said. We continue to pray for him, and we continue to pray that God with this case will continue to glorify Himself, and this is the main thing in all of this is that the name of Yeshua should be lifted among the people of Israel."