Chaim Weis

[daughter of zion]

i had a dream about this case. I know that it doesnt mean much but i was told to come here and post this.
i was told it was a male child.
he was a little older then Chaim.
and he was very close to him like a brother. it was over envy.
he is related to the family. it will soon be found out.

[Tap Dancer]

They showed a boy sitting on a bench that they can't identify/locate. I always assumed we're supposed to suspect that the mystery boy did it...or that he knows who did.

[dawnfla6aa2]

Yeah I never quite understood what the relevance of the boy on the bench was.

[spark19]

Today was the first time I saw the case. Based on all of the information, I'm getting the sense that it was one of the other students there who did this.

But, I was also thrown off by this mysterious boy on the bench. What I seem to have gotten from it though was this is a private school with dormitories, and I'm assuming uniforms? And I'm going to make another reasonable assumption here that students weren't really allowed out of the school alone, or without supervision? So, perhaps this mystery boy happened to be a student from the school, in uniform, and that's why he seemed out of place. And the jogger can't identify him?

But that wouldn't really make sense, because surely if it was a student from the school that the jogger saw, he could be able to tell which student it was from their photos or just seeing them?

[Mimmy]

This is one of those stories that I think about from time to time and try to make sense of it. I just can't picture the killer being an intruder, to me it has to be someone in the school, a student. There was a lot of hate involved, and anger. And I think that more than one person out there knows who did it. I'm not using the facts of the case, just my gut feeling. It would be interesting to see what other people think.

[Tap Dancer]

I know they have their beliefs, but it's hard to understand not talking to the police when a murder is committed. I've seen this segment many times and I can't remember if Chaim's parents were interviewed. If not, how come? He was only 16, so you'd think his parents would be begging for help. But I can't remember seeing them on the show...

[Mimmy]

Originally Posted by Tap Dancer

I know they have their beliefs, but it's hard to understand not talking to the police when a murder is committed. I've seen this segment many times and I can't remember if Chaim's parents were interviewed. If not, how come? He was only 16, so you'd think his parents would be begging for help. But I can't remember seeing them on the show...

This one was on today, but I missed it. However, I do remember that his father was interviewed in the segment and seemed pretty distraught.

[egswanso]

Originally Posted by Mimmy

This is one of those stories that I think about from time to time and try to make sense of it. I just can't picture the killer being an intruder, to me it has to be someone in the school, a student. There was a lot of hate involved, and anger. And I think that more than one person out there knows who did it. I'm not using the facts of the case, just my gut feeling. It would be interesting to see what other people think.

I would agree, it's hard to see why this would be an intruder... there is nothing presented to suggest Chaim had any enemies, and no reason why he would be targeted... and a yeshiva isn't exactly the kind of place you'd expect someone to break into, nor is there any evidence of hate crime aspects.

Yet, as the segment states, all the students and rabbis received polygraphs... while polygraphs aren't fool-proof, they are suggestive of innocence, and the door opening and closing, assuming it has any relevance, suggests someone looking for Chaim.

Regardless, I do think his death was religious-related; perhaps a dogmatic argument with another student, in his Yeshiva or another, or with someone in the neighborhood... people certainly kill over religious passions; perhaps a religious argument got out of hand. This seems far fetched, however, and I think has as much to do with any lack of cogent alternative being presented in UM, that is, the picture of Chaim presented is that of a studious, devout, Yeshiva student... which seemingly eliminates your normal trifecta of sex, drugs, and money.

[UM Zealot]

This case is a perfect illustration of the difference in quality between the old U.M. and the new one.
The original segment was one of the most mysterious and haunting in the show's history. With the music and attention to detail, one really got a sense of the eerie solitude and secrecy of the Jewish school.
In the new U.M., the segment has been edited to shreds and completely depleted of its unique flavour and mystery.

[Tighthead]

I've always wondered if there was a sexual element to this one. Boy's boarding schools, regardless of religious affiliation, have a centuries old tradition of experimentation amongst students and exploitation by staff. If any such activity was going on, the school would certainly want to keep it quiet - that is another tradition. Chaim Weiss could have been a victim, witness, participant, whistleblower, who knows.

Egswanso, I don't think you can eliminate the whole trifecta.

[charmedsignora]

Originally Posted by Tighthead

I've always wondered if there was a sexual element to this one. Boy's boarding schools, regardless of religious affiliation, have a centuries old tradition of experimentation amongst students and exploitation by staff. If any such activity was going on, the school would certainly want to keep it quiet - that is another tradition. Chaim Weiss could have been a victim, witness, participant, whistleblower, who knows.

Egswanso, I don't think you can eliminate the whole trifecta.

Really? That never crossed my mind. You may have something there!

[TracyLynnS]

Oh yes, poor young Mr. Weiss.

All these years, I just assumed that he had been killed by a fellow student who was probably jealous that Chaim had beaten him in a contest at school, or had won some kind of an award, that caused the killer to become envious.

But now, after reading these recent posts, I'm wondering... How long was Chaim a student at that particular Yeshiva? Had he been there long enough to be sexually abused by an instructor, and intimidated to the point of keeping quiet about it, but now, at 16 years old, the perpetrator realized that Chiam was a young man who was refusing to be victimized any longer and may well have been threatening to tell.

I can see an adult instructor following the religious customs of placing the body to the lowest place in the room, opening the window, etc. as was done in Chaim's case. I don't know if a youthful offender, such as a fellow student would have cared enough to follow these orthodox beliefs upon Chaim's death.

[lilmissd]

I'm thinking it could have been someone visiting the school maybe a friend or a relative of one of the student's. Someone who obviously new Chiam or traveled in the same circle. My gut feeling is that the kid was killed because he knew something about certain goings on and the individuals involved at the school. He was singled out. And I don't think it was a student because the person wouldn't have gone around opening doors to different rooms, and would have known right away which room was Chiam's and that he didn't have a roommate sleeping in there that night. I think maybe one or two students may have seen or heard something that night and were threatened with violence if they said anything, and I think that is why everyone remains silent about that night.

[justins5256]

I believe a relative posted a while back and said that the case was still unsolved and that Chaim's parents had strong suspicions about an individual at the school, but the poster did not go into more detail about who that was or why the parents were suspicious. I don't know why he was killed, although the molestation angle is interesting and very possible. I will say that I tend to think the killer was an adult though. I can't see a kid going through all the Jewish post death rituals after killing Chaim. There are also some aspects about the murder that make me think it was pre-meditated and not just some kids fighting that got out of hand or something along those lines.

[Tighthead]

Originally Posted by justins5256

I believe a relative posted a while back and said that the case was still unsolved and that Chaim's parents had strong suspicions about an individual at the school, but the poster did not go into more detail about who that was or why the parents were suspicious. I don't know why he was killed, although the molestation angle is interesting and very possible. I will say that I tend to think the killer was an adult though. I can't see a kid going through all the Jewish post death rituals after killing Chaim. There are also some aspects about the murder that make me think it was pre-meditated and not just some kids fighting that got out of hand or something along those lines.

One extra thought - if an adult discovered the body, they may do the ritualistic stuff.