The funeral for Martin Grossman took place Wednesday evening at the Niklesburg Bais Medrash in Monsey. Rabbi Mendy Katz of Aleph Institute and Rabbi Leibel Miller of Florida's Chevra Kadisha assisted in the arrangements.
Martin Grossman, executed in Florida Tuesday evening for the 1984 murder of a 26-year-old wildlife officer, was buried in Liberty, NY, Wednesday night.
Rabbi Mendy Katz of Aleph Institute and Rabbi Leibel Miller, Executive Director of Chevra Kadisha of Florida, arranged for Grossman's body to be flown to New York by private plane after it was released from the Alachua County examiner's office Wednesday morning.
The funeral was held in Monsey Wednesday evening at the Niklesburg Bais Medrash. He was later buried at Shel Emes Cemetery in Liberty.
Rabbi Isaac Lieder of Monsey organized the funeral and burial.
A number of people and organizations had rallied in support of Grossman, and a number of Orthodox Jewish groups also asked the governor for clemency.
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Photos: Meir Pliskin
Opinions and Comments
1
Sad but...
Why is every1 Satmar? Was Grossman??
(2/18/2010 3:42:32 AM)
2
quit it already
grossman was not frum in the least. why is everyone turning him into a martyr??? honestly, give it a rest
(2/18/2010 3:48:42 AM)
3
spooky
Moshiach NOW
(2/18/2010 3:50:55 AM)
4
#2..u r #2
he died a baal teshuva, with shma on his lips. who are we to judge?
(2/18/2010 3:59:44 AM)
5
wow
amazing what us Jews do for each other. He died a baal teshuva that's for sure and to #2 it's not everyday someone gets the death penalty, it's rare..and it's DEFINATELY NOT everyday a Jewish man gets it while saying shma on his death bed.
(2/18/2010 4:09:24 AM)
6
still
okay then he was a baal teshuva...maybe because he was so close to death and thats great but it is very embarrassing that everyone is so overly horrified at the death of a murderer. its fine that everyone got involved to protest the execution but the funeral was extreme in attendance and emotion for someone who took the life of another human
(2/18/2010 4:23:17 AM)
7
îùåâòéí øãå îäââ
äåà éäåãé äåà éäåãé åàéï ìðå ìùôèå
(2/18/2010 4:42:59 AM)
8
No. 6, I couldn't agree more with you.
Fine he died al kiddish Hashem saying Shma, that's for sure. And that he took another life knowingly... so Hashem meted out his justice of an "eye for an eye". But why these chassidim are crying and mourning greatly, is the dictum of "please Hashem - wipe away the sin that they may do teshuva", - not wipe them off the face of the earth. Well, zol zein azoy, a bi gezunt I say.
(2/18/2010 4:51:53 AM)
9
Isroel af al pi shechoto Isroel hu!
He died a baal teshuvah. He said shema. Yesh koineh oilomoy beshoho achas! Go all learn a little and get some wisdome kids!
(2/18/2010 5:00:03 AM)
10
Justice=Game
Martin Grossman did not have a good upbringing, actualy was very though for him special with his unstable parents, he end up doing drugs and yes he got into trouble and he did murder an officer, NOT INTENTIONALLY it does not take much to understand that Martin had to be under some kind of influence, he was not him self. a normal person in normal conditions would not ever think to do harm to another, again he did not have the luxury of a healthy and fair upbring, his life was upside down, He was involve in something terrible wrong NOT CONCIOUSLY, He spent 25 years in prision like an animal, no help, no family,no friend never in the 25 years did he make any trouble, he did reach the point that he really understood what he did with great pain in his hart, he suffer all this years in prison, he apologies many time with great pain, HE REPENT-HE REPENT-HE REPENT, He was not, completly not the same person which committed the crime, The Governor committed the crime of killing an individual that never got a fair chance in life, SHAME, DISGRACE,
Just look at OJ walking around a free man after killing two innocent people, just because he was a celebrity and had the monie to pay attorneys and play the justice game.
(2/18/2010 5:53:32 AM)
11
Someone
It´s so sad to see this...
(2/18/2010 6:04:04 AM)
12
To # 10
I couldn't have said it better !
(2/18/2010 6:28:19 AM)
13
#10
you are sooo gullible that I actually feel sorry for you_but it is also an embarrassment.First read the facts of the case.He did torture her and not just put a bullet in her head.Oh yeah the drugs, the upbringing, the I.Q and find as many excuses as you can-and sure,they may be true but NOT ACCEPTABLE when you are a cold-blooded murderer.He took the life of an innocent girl.DO YOU GET THAT THROUGH YOUR HEAD ??
(2/18/2010 6:33:26 AM)
14
To all
ENOUGH already Martin died as a total baal tshuva
who are you to judge?
(2/18/2010 6:50:25 AM)
15
thank you, 14
(2/18/2010 7:01:16 AM)
16
a brother is a brother
It's unbelievable how many commenters here are so influenced by "democracy" and "justice" that they completely forgot compassion for their own flesh and blood brother.
(2/18/2010 7:08:51 AM)
17
#13 you miss the whole point
No one is minimizing what was done in the PASS, we are talking about what was done now in the present , NOTHING JUSTIFIES TAKING ANY LIFE. what was accomplished? Civilize people need to act civilized This was simply barberic,inrresponsible,pure revenge.
(2/18/2010 7:15:43 AM)
18
Justice was served
He paid the price of his crime and let us hope this neshomah has a kapporah and his teshuva will be accepted by the Beis Din shel Maaloh.
(2/18/2010 7:19:44 AM)
19
to #. 13
A cold blooded murderer is someone who has tought out and planned his evil act. And yes, all the environmental, educational and personal factors have to be taken into account. Do you know how you would react to a scary situation when under the influence of alcool or drugsand in mode of survival with no one to take care of you? Don't ever judge because you never know how you could be tested. If that innocent girl died, it was meant to be and he had to exercice his free will, which was totally impaired , and that's why he spent the rest of his life in prison. But he did teshuva and the Torah tells you to not bring back the past of a baal teshuva. If H... can forgive, who are you to know better. I prayed for him but i also think that after doing teshuva and taking responsibility for his past actions, he is finally Home and won't have to spend the rest of his life with inmates in a prison cell. May he plead for all of us to come out of our own jail.
(2/18/2010 7:21:08 AM)
20
michal
Can anyone translate the hesped of the nikolsburger rav?
(2/18/2010 8:03:07 AM)
21
#2 AND #6
yOU CRY BECAUSE HE WAS A YID AND EVEN IF HE DID WHAT HE DID YEARS BEFORE. wAS HE REALLY DEALING WITH A FULL DECK AT THAT TIME. EVERY JEW DESERVES TO DO TESHUVA. AND I THINK HE DID SO NO NEGATIVE COMMENTS PLEASE TO ANYONE WHO WROTE ONE ON HERE
(2/18/2010 8:36:47 AM)
22
Ahavas Yisroel
what beautiful ahavas yisroel on the part of these chassidim! wow!
(2/18/2010 8:58:02 AM)
23
i cant believe it
ALL THESE PEOPLE WHO SAY ANYTHING AGAINST HIM! ARE YOU PPL JEWS! DON'T YOU CARE?? HE DIED A BALL TSHUVA!! WHAT IS YOUR ISSUE! YOU SHOULD BE TOTALLY ASHAMED! YOU'RE RIDICULOUS!
(2/18/2010 8:58:09 AM)
24
sad to say..butg reality
coz a rebbe sees the neshoma that is in a guf and not the guf gashmi, what do we know what about the rebbe saw in his neshomo? who are we to judge? evrything that happens in life is a lesson given by Gd to us, may each and evrey single one of us find the apropriate lesson, and all we can say is boruch dayan hoemes
(2/18/2010 10:19:42 AM)
25
Chodesh Adar Marbim Besimcha
Lechaim Yiden, The Governor will have to drink AD SHLOY YODA, Now it is his problem
(2/18/2010 12:36:46 PM)
26
chas v'sholom
you're right he did die a baal teshuva, and so it makes one feel bad. however, see the flip side of things. what if, chas v'sholom, it was your daughter that he killed? would you still be so forgiving?
(2/18/2010 1:54:46 PM)
27
mendy
hey.. yossi schartz... good to see you!
(2/18/2010 2:33:25 PM)
28
parents were not unstable
He did not have unstable parents they were far from that. His dad was ill. They provided everything and anything Martin could ever want. Please do not put his parents down
(2/18/2010 2:39:36 PM)
29
translation?
What is he saying in the video about avodah zara?? those were the only two words I understood. Can anyone translate the clip? And please- we are yidden. We have concepts of teshuva, and to #26 - FORGIVENESS. yes, when someone has done such complete teshuva - it's our place to forgive. Learn from the midah of Hashem - don't we want Him to forgive us??? and how sincere is our teshuva?
(2/18/2010 4:33:00 PM)
30
Life vs death: legal execution vs state sponsored murder:
The life and death of Mr. Martin Grossman
On Feb 16th 2010 the state of florida executed via lethal injection Mr. Martin Grossman. He was sentenced to death for murdering Ms. Parks, a park ranger, 25 years back. This was in accordance with florida state law which states that the death penalty can be given to someone who: 1.commits an especially cruel and violent death or 2. Kills in order to evade arrest or evade being sent to prison. With thousand of others I submitted my plea to the governor of florida to delay Mr. Grossmans execution.I n his reply to me (via email) he pointed back to the above two criteria that warrant the death penalty, according to florida law ,and that the circumstances of the case fit with the law to have Mr. Grossman receive the death penalty It is time to examine the Torah (divine) law in the matter of the death penalty. All Torah Jews believe in the Death Penalty. However all Torah Jews know that when the Death penalty is not mandated it is an act of state sponsored murder. Dina D’malchusa Dina (The law of the land is the law) is legal in monetary matters only. No one will say that the people of Sodom were in their legal rights to murder those who gave charity in their city because it was the law of the land, or that communist Russia or Nazi Germanys mass murder was legal because it became the law of the land. Or, to be contemporary, that abortion is legal because it is the law of the land. The is true for blatant murder or for murder that may be more subtle. Murder is murder. The question is, was Mr. Grossman subject to the death penalty according to Torah law? To answer that we must first lay down the two conditions which must be fulfilled and they are: 1. Two witnesses to the murder 2. Azhara- he had to be warned before the murder not to commit it. Every halachic authority will agree that Mr. Grossman was not subject to the death penalty. As such, his execution by the state of Florida was an act of state sponsored murder. We might say that it is wrong to have an open discussion about this since the law of murder in torah is different for jews and non-jews. The circumstances would be enough to find a non jew guilty of murder but not a jew. Therefore since Mr. Grossman was a jew he was not subject to the death penalty and his execution was state sponsored murder. To bring this difference out into the open would be fanning the flames of anti-semitism and hatred of the jewish people who have a different law. But since it is murder for us, the question really is directed to us and the answer is directed to us. We must understand and realize in what kind of country we live. To put it plainly. We live in a country that legalizes state sponsored murder. We live in a country that legalizes abortion. We live in a country where there is no balance in this area. In one part of the country the law allows cruel, cold, calculating killers- the luxury of life. In other parts much more general variables are used to condemn someone to death. We have become desensitized to murder. We are a far cry away from the times (in the torah) when there was a civil war because one murder was not addressed by the tribe of Benjamin. The laws of life and death must be overhauled if we don’t want to find ourselves living in a Sodom-like society. If we can’t change it then really we should leave as those living in Sodom should of left. But, really where can we leave to? In which part of the world are conditions better? Where in the world is society run based on the principles of the Torah? Or is there a place where life is given the proper respect and esteem it deserves? I welcome any thoughts any one might have on this topic!
(2/18/2010 7:43:34 PM)
31
to number 30
Wow you got a busy job:) Where do you work?
(2/19/2010 12:57:43 AM)
32
sociopaths
Having worked with many of them, they all come to do "teshuva" and yes we are Jews and yes orth Jews but that doesn't mean we do not see torture/murder of another as something to be FORGOTTEN.Gd knows what teshuva he did or didn't do and NOT YOU.Obviously Gd did not intervene either so stop blaming everything aND everyone else.When you go to sleep at night try and remember the screams and pain the victim felt as her last day on earth so not preach to us about "teshuva". And you sleep well after you visualize what she went through!!
(2/19/2010 6:14:38 AM)
33
#30
Do you live in the US?What makes you think the judicial system will or should take into account the Jew. law?And to all the bleeding hearts let me tell you something as I worked with quite a few sociopaths.They all see "the light" when death stands in their shadow. when you go to sleep at night try and visualize the pain and screams for the poor victim on the last day of her life.Don't you dare preach to us until you get a good night's sleep- bec obviously the victim means so little to many of you.
(2/19/2010 6:20:12 AM)
34
to 30
have nothing else to do in ur life, than convince pple?!?
(2/19/2010 6:36:54 AM)
35
to #26
first of all he was on drugs & could'nt help it & he's jewish & did teshuvah so he should'nt have got the death penalty ,and thats the reason every body is making it a big deal ,and i agree it would be hard to forgive , but u just have to live with it ,and especaily in such a case like this even if he was not jewish all that should happen is prison for life acording to the law ,for he did teshuva and was on drugs from presure
(2/19/2010 9:37:13 AM)
36
Not Frum
To all negative comments, Sorry, but you don't sound frum, or at the very least no JEWISH feeling. To all those who's herat is GOING OUT for the 'Goyte'; MY HEART goes out to you!
(2/20/2010 2:02:46 PM)
37
Now!!!!
Moshiach NOW!!!
(2/20/2010 6:46:08 PM)
38
moshiach now
as yidden we need to have rachamim thats why dovid said a group of "jews" should lose there status of jews!
(2/21/2010 6:43:10 AM)
39
so sad
(2/21/2010 9:46:30 AM)
40
be nice
you guys judge him favorably its the biggest mitzva b/c he can`t repay now
(2/21/2010 10:47:02 AM)
41
who's the guy in the 17th pic in the left?
(2/23/2010 3:59:44 AM)
42
to # 1
they are not satmar, they are knickolsburg
(2/23/2010 11:45:20 AM)
43
Boruch N. Hoffinger BS"D
#10, Yes you are 100% right, the FL governor had no right to kill 'one of the holy people,' a Jew. However, re: 'The Pelegish in Givon' that you discussed, the drunken Jews that did it were not 'chaiv mita.' It was manslaughter. This story is one of the most amazing and tragic stories ever told. According to 'The 7 Noahide Laws' if a non-Jew is as 'drunk as Lot' he is not responsible. That's really the question with Martin Grossman, A"H.
who are we to judge?
And that he took another life knowingly... so Hashem meted out his justice of an "eye for an eye". But why these chassidim are crying and mourning greatly, is the dictum of "please Hashem - wipe away the sin that they may do teshuva", - not wipe them off the face of the earth. Well, zol zein azoy, a bi gezunt I say.
Just look at OJ walking around a free man after killing two innocent people, just because he was a celebrity and had the monie to pay attorneys and play the justice game.
Martin died as a total baal tshuva
who are you to judge?
what was accomplished?
Civilize people need to act civilized
This was simply barberic,inrresponsible,pure revenge.
If that innocent girl died, it was meant to be and he had to exercice his free will, which was totally impaired , and that's why he spent the rest of his life in prison. But he did teshuva and the Torah tells you to not bring back the past of a baal teshuva. If H... can forgive, who are you to know better. I prayed for him but i also think that after doing teshuva and taking responsibility for his past actions, he is finally Home and won't have to spend the rest of his life with inmates in a prison cell. May he plead for all of us to come out of our own jail.
ARE YOU PPL JEWS!
DON'T YOU CARE?? HE DIED A BALL TSHUVA!! WHAT IS YOUR ISSUE! YOU SHOULD BE TOTALLY ASHAMED!
YOU'RE RIDICULOUS!
evrything that happens in life is a lesson given by Gd to us, may each and evrey single one of us find the apropriate lesson, and all we can say is boruch dayan hoemes
And please- we are yidden. We have concepts of teshuva, and to #26 - FORGIVENESS. yes, when someone has done such complete teshuva - it's our place to forgive.
Learn from the midah of Hashem - don't we want Him to forgive us??? and how sincere is our teshuva?
On Feb 16th 2010 the state of florida executed via lethal injection Mr. Martin Grossman. He was sentenced to death for murdering Ms. Parks, a park ranger, 25 years back. This was in accordance with florida state law which states that the death penalty can be given to someone who: 1.commits an especially cruel and violent death or 2. Kills in order to evade arrest or evade being sent to prison.
With thousand of others I submitted my plea to the governor of florida to delay Mr. Grossmans execution.I n his reply to me (via email) he pointed back to the above two criteria that warrant the death penalty, according to florida law ,and that the circumstances of the case fit with the law to have Mr. Grossman receive the death penalty
It is time to examine the Torah (divine) law in the matter of the death penalty. All Torah Jews believe in the Death Penalty. However all Torah Jews know that when the Death penalty is not mandated it is an act of state sponsored murder. Dina D’malchusa Dina (The law of the land is the law) is legal in monetary matters only. No one will say that the people of Sodom were in their legal rights to murder those who gave charity in their city because it was the law of the land, or that communist Russia or Nazi Germanys mass murder was legal because it became the law of the land. Or, to be contemporary, that abortion is legal because it is the law of the land. The is true for blatant murder or for murder that may be more subtle. Murder is murder.
The question is, was Mr. Grossman subject to the death penalty according to Torah law?
To answer that we must first lay down the two conditions which must be fulfilled and they are:
1. Two witnesses to the murder
2. Azhara- he had to be warned before the murder not to commit it.
Every halachic authority will agree that Mr. Grossman was not subject to the death penalty.
As such, his execution by the state of Florida was an act of state sponsored murder.
We might say that it is wrong to have an open discussion about this since the law of murder in torah is different for jews and non-jews. The circumstances would be enough to find a non jew guilty of murder but not a jew. Therefore since Mr. Grossman was a jew he was not subject to the death penalty and his execution was state sponsored murder. To bring this difference out into the open would be fanning the flames of anti-semitism and hatred of the jewish people who have a different law. But since it is murder for us, the question really is directed to us and the answer is directed to us. We must understand and realize in what kind of country we live. To put it plainly. We live in a country that legalizes state sponsored murder. We live in a country that legalizes abortion. We live in a country where there is no balance in this area. In one part of the country the law allows cruel, cold, calculating killers- the luxury of life. In other parts much more general variables are used to condemn someone to death. We have become desensitized to murder. We are a far cry away from the times (in the torah) when there was a civil war because one murder was not addressed by the tribe of Benjamin. The laws of life and death must be overhauled if we don’t want to find ourselves living in a Sodom-like society. If we can’t change it then really we should leave as those living in Sodom should of left. But, really where can we leave to? In which part of the world are conditions better? Where in the world is society run based on the principles of the Torah? Or is there a place where life is given the proper respect and esteem it deserves?
I welcome any thoughts any one might have on this topic!
Where do you work?
Yes you are 100% right, the FL governor had no right to kill 'one of the holy people,' a Jew.
However, re: 'The Pelegish in Givon' that you discussed, the drunken Jews that did it were not 'chaiv mita.' It was manslaughter.
This story is one of the most amazing and tragic stories ever told.
According to 'The 7 Noahide Laws' if a non-Jew is as 'drunk as Lot' he is not responsible. That's really the question with Martin Grossman, A"H.