Miriam From Jerusalem
".....I am at war with ignorance and intolerance. I am at war with decisions by rabbinic leaders which I believe are harmful to Klal Yisroel. I am at war with any individual or group that causes a Chilul HaShem. And I will continue speaking out on those issues. NOT because I am at war with people, but because I am at war with what they do. Even if they do so in the name of God! Those who act in ways which create a Chilul HaShem while claiming to be doing a Kiddush HaShem will succeed only in the former and fail in the latter.
Am I always right on every issue? That is my hope, but I freely admit that I may be wrong on some issues. Since I am only a human being with only finite wisdom, all I can do is follow my conscience. A conscience that was formed by my upbringing, my education, and my experience. I see an injustice and I use my own God given intelligence to analyze and comment on it. That is the least anyone can ask of a human being.
But to sit silently by while our world, the Torah world, goes to hell in a hand-basket, even though the road to it is paved with the best of intentions... is to violate at least the spirit if not the letter of the Torah's admonition Lo Samod Al Dam Reiacha. Do not stand idly by, while your friend's blood is being spilled. And my friend is Klal Yisroel, all of it... or an individual part of it.
To look the other way when an individual or a group of people who identify... and are identified by others... as religious Jews, while they commit grievous Chilulei HaShem...to ignore decisions that affect the well being of tens of thousands of religious Jews by rabbinic leaders who refuse to make necessary changes in their communities... to sweep under the rug violations of a sexual nature by others because it reflects badly on 'us' at the expense of the victims... well, I'm not going to do that.
Just to be clear. I do not say that I have an exclusive monopoly on the truth in those instances in which I speak out.[ And I am not in any way accusing any of the rabbinic leadership of our people of nefarious motives or evil, God forbid. They are all certainly great people who are far more knowledgeable than I am in Torah. People with great wisdom indeed. And I am absolutely convinced that their decisions are based on their best interpretation of justice and right as seen through the eyes of the Torah as they understand it.(For the historical record-I absolutely do not agree with this statement that is parenthisized, Miriam does not know the facts or the evidence - UOJ- *** more below)] But even though I am not as great as these people, I will still speak out if I feel their decisions are wrong in spite of their great wisdom. People can disagree with me and that is their right. But I am not going to stop.
And anyone else who sees injustice should speak out as well. Often! Until they are heard. When there is injustice in the world, especially in our world, the Torah world, we must do everything in our power to try and stop it, without creating other injustices in the process. That is why I speak out. That is why we all should."
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****The terrible honest mistake Miriam makes (in parenthesis) is based on an error in our thinking. Yes, there are rabbis with Torah knowledge that may have more Torah knowledge than the average Jew. Does that necessarily mean they have more knowledge or any knowledge on sexual abuse?
Does that mean that any rabbi whether on the East Coast Or West Coast, that was aware that a teacher was a child molester, and permitted that teacher to be among kids, is not a criminal, rasha, and an evil despicable vicious ignoramus?
Do these people have any wisdom? Does common sense mean anything? We must learn that the answer is a resounding NO!!! The rabbis can not be trusted blindly. There must be accountability from every person, every institution, everyone that is in public life.
Look at Kashruth! Half of the foods certified as kosher are clearly NOT! The plants supposedly under kosher supervision, have NO supervision. Who are they afraid of? Belsky? Heinemann? The biggest money-grubbing pigs in Kashruth. Who is watching anyone at the various plants around the world? NOBODY! Nobody is watching in America...do you think the Chinese give a hoot about some putz with a beard that shows up at their plant twice a year to pick up their check?
No Miriam, the rabbis of this generation are imitators of real rabbis. There may be some with Torah knowledge, so what, too many of them are horrible humans (not all). We must trust nobody because of their clothing. We must trust nobody blindly! Nobody! Look at the situation of Orthodox Judaism and cry!
UOJ
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BREAKING NEWS
Hit the bastards in their pockets...the only language they understand!
LA church to pay $600M for clergy abuse By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES - The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will settle its clergy abuse cases for at least $600 million, by far the largest payout in the church's sexual abuse scandal, The Associated Press learned Saturday.
Attorneys for the archdiocese and the plaintiffs are expected to announce the deal Monday, the day the first of more than 500 clergy abuse cases was scheduled for jury selection, according to two people with knowledge of the agreement. The sources spoke on condition of anonymity because the settlement had not been made public.
The archdiocese and its insurers will pay between $600 million and $650 million to about 500 plaintiffs — an average of $1.2 million to $1.3 million per person. The settlement also calls for the release of confidential priest personnel files after review by a judge assigned to oversee the litigation, the sources said.
The settlements would push the total amount paid out by the U.S. church since 1950 to more than $2 billion, with about a quarter of that coming from the Los Angeles archdiocese.
It wasn't immediately clear how the payout would be split among the insurers, the archdiocese and several Roman Catholic religious orders. A judge must sign off on the agreement, and final details were being ironed out.
Lead plaintiffs' attorney Ray Boucher confirmed the sides were working on a deal but would not discuss specifics. He said that negotiations would continue through the weekend and that there were still many unresolved aspects.
Tod Tamberg, archdiocese spokesman, declined to comment on any settlement details.
"The archdiocese will be in court Monday morning," he said.
Steven Sanchez, 47, was one of the plaintiffs set to go to trial Monday. He was expected to testify in the trial involving the late Rev. Clinton Hagenbach.
Sanchez, a financial adviser, said the past few months have been especially difficult because he had to repeat his story of abuse for depositions with his attorneys and archdiocese attorneys in preparation for trial.
"We're 48 hours away from starting the trial, and I've been spending a lot of time getting emotionally prepared to take them on, but I'm glad," he said. "It's been a long five years."
The settlement would be the largest ever by a Roman Catholic archdiocese since the clergy sexual abuse scandal erupted in Boston in 2002. The largest payout so far has been by the Diocese of Orange, Calif., in 2004, for $100 million.
Facing a flood of abuse claims, five dioceses — Tucson, Ariz.; Spokane, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Davenport, Iowa, and San Diego — sought bankruptcy protection.
The Los Angeles archdiocese, its insurers and various Roman Catholic orders have paid more than $114 million to settle 86 claims so far.
The largest of those came in December, when the archdiocese reached a $60 million settlement with 45 people whose claims dated from before the mid-1950s and after 1987 — periods when it had little or no sexual abuse insurance. Several religious orders in California have also reached multimillion-dollar settlements in recent months, including the Carmelites, the Franciscans and the Jesuits.
However, more than 500 other lawsuits against the archdiocese had remained unresolved despite years of legal wrangling. Most of the outstanding lawsuits were generated by a 2002 state law that revoked for one year the statute of limitations for reporting sexual abuse.
Cardinal Roger Mahony recently told parishioners in an open letter that the archdiocese was selling its high-rise administrative building and considering the sale of about 50 other nonessential church properties to raise funds for a settlement.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge overseeing the cases recently ruled that Mahony could be called to testify in the second trial on schedule, and attorneys for plaintiffs wanted to call him in many more.
The same judge also cleared the way for four people to seek punitive damages — something that could have opened the church to tens of millions of dollars in payouts if the ruling had been expanded to other cases.S. church since 1950 to more than $2 billion, with about a quarter of that coming from the Los Angeles archdiocese.
It wasn't immediately clear how the payout would be split among the insurers, the archdiocese and several Roman Catholic religious orders. A judge must sign off on the agreement, and final details were being ironed out.
Lead plaintiffs' attorney Ray Boucher confirmed the sides were working on a deal but would not discuss specifics. He said that negotiations would continue through the weekend and that there were still many unresolved aspects.
Tod Tamberg, archdiocese spokesman, declined to comment on any settlement details.
"The archdiocese will be in court Monday morning," he said.
Steven Sanchez, 47, was one of the plaintiffs set to go to trial Monday. He was expected to testify in the trial involving the late Rev. Clinton Hagenbach.
Sanchez, a financial adviser, said the past few months have been especially difficult because he had to repeat his story of abuse for depositions with his attorneys and archdiocese attorneys in preparation for trial.
"We're 48 hours away from starting the trial, and I've been spending a lot of time getting emotionally prepared to take them on, but I'm glad," he said. "It's been a long five years."
The settlement would be the largest ever by a Roman Catholic archdiocese since the clergy sexual abuse scandal erupted in Boston in 2002. The largest payout so far has been by the Diocese of Orange, Calif., in 2004, for $100 million.
Facing a flood of abuse claims, five dioceses — Tucson, Ariz.; Spokane, Wash.; Portland, Ore.; Davenport, Iowa, and San Diego — sought bankruptcy protection.
The Los Angeles archdiocese, its insurers and various Roman Catholic orders have paid more than $114 million to settle 86 claims so far.
The largest of those came in December, when the archdiocese reached a $60 million settlement with 45 people whose claims dated from before the mid-1950s and after 1987 — periods when it had little or no sexual abuse insurance. Several religious orders in California have also reached multimillion-dollar settlements in recent months, including the Carmelites, the Franciscans and the Jesuits.
However, more than 500 other lawsuits against the archdiocese had remained unresolved despite years of legal wrangling. Most of the outstanding lawsuits were generated by a 2002 state law that revoked for one year the statute of limitations for reporting sexual abuse.
Cardinal Roger Mahony recently told parishioners in an open letter that the archdiocese was selling its high-rise administrative building and considering the sale of about 50 other nonessential church properties to raise funds for a settlement.
A Los Angeles County Superior Court judge overseeing the cases recently ruled that Mahony could be called to testify in the second trial on schedule, and attorneys for plaintiffs wanted to call him in many more.
The same judge also cleared the way for four people to seek punitive damages — something that could have opened the church to tens of millions of dollars in payouts if the ruling had been expanded to other cases.
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EVERY SIGNATURE MATTERS - THIS BILL MUST PASS!
CLICK - GOAL - 100,000 NEW SIGNATURES! 75,000 SIGNATURES HAVE ALREADY BEEN SUBMITTED TO GOVERNOR CUOMO!
EFF Urges Court to Block Dragnet Subpoenas Targeting Online Commenters
CLICK! For the full motion to quash: http://www.eff.org/files/filenode/hersh_v_cohen/UOJ-motiontoquashmemo.pdf
36 comments:
Good Day. Bad Day.
Rabbi Yehuda Kolko, a rebbi at Yeshiva Torah Temima, and an alleged child molester, was arrested yesterday following charges that he sexually molested a nine-year-old student in 2003 and 2004. The arrest and charges against Rabbi Kolko were not connected to the much-publicized lawsuit filed last May by a former student of Kolko, who alleged that Kolko sexually assaulted him in the 1980s. This spring, New York Magazine gave extensive coverage to the story of abuse and the lawsuit that was filed.
According to a police statement in reference to today's arrest, Kolko has been under investigation since the first suit was filed. Apparently, this week's lawsuit is a break the police have been waiting for.
They're not alone. Thousands of mostly religious Orthodox Jews, too, have been waiting for this day. Many, including this blogger, expressed their frustration and outrage that an accused child molester would be allowed to remain free to molest, shielded from publicity and prosecution by Jewish communal leaders, and making a mockery of our Batei Din, Geolei Yisroel, and religious observance.
Last November, a blog called The Unorthodox Jew (UOJ) broke and championed an active campaign to stop Rabbi Kolko and shame his protectors. The blog precipitated the lawsuits now pummeling Rabbi Kolko and his employer, Rabbi Lipa Margolis. Rabbi Margolis is the founder, owner, and operator of Yeshiva Torah Temima, a Brooklyn yeshiva named in the suits as where much of the alleged abuse took place.
Anecdotal reports on UOJ claim that Rabbi Kolko’s proclivities have long been known to mainstream community leaders and the Jewish courts. And long ignored. The reports describe obfuscated justice and Halachic contortionism to excuse and dismiss his behavior. If these anecdotal reports are to be believed, some very powerful rabbonim, for reasons we may soon know, proactively enabled the Kolko cover-up.
Comments on UOJ indicate the profound anger of many Orthodox Jews about these events. Disturbingly, an equal number of commenters on UOJ and elsewhere assumed the roles of apologists and defenders for Rabbi Kolko and Rabbi Margolis.
Since December, UOJ has been targeted by hackers, was successfully muted by investigative 'outers', and recently resurrected, ironically, by overt reference to his blog at this year's Agudah convention. A seminar decrying the negative influence of blogs effectively declared that UOJ was Public Enemy # 1. The unexpected publicity sparked renewed interest in the site and motivated UOJ to emerge, if not partially, from his self-imposed retirement.
Since the convention, a blog mirroring UOJs long stated claims, albeit more delicately, was created and is now posting a well constructed open letter to the Agudah convention’s keynote speaker, Rabbi Matisyahu Solomon, and provides a detailed timeline of Kolko’s abuse and the grassroots efforts to stop him.
So it’s a good day for those thousands of Orthodox Jews who see that justice does ultimately get served. It's a good day for tens of sexual abuse victims, adults and children, who can feel vindication, despite the lifetimes of pain and disorder they have been forced to suffer. Perhaps some may now feel better able to approach the healing process, however difficult and ultimately incomplete that may prove to be.
It's also good day because, finally, the egomaniacs and charlatans who pose as religious leaders, but who in reality are whores and manipulators, have good reason to fear their positions and reputations. Now, a watchful eye is at long last focused on their self-interested activities, and moreso, their self-interested apathy.
But at the end of the day, it's really a bad day. It's a bad day because this sad episode brings us face-to-face with serious gaps in Jewish justice and a lack of personal responsibility in our community.
It's a bad day because this reminds us how weak and cowardly some of our leaders are.
It's a bad day because a Jewish person, putting aside the decades of suffering he caused, is proven to be seriously ill -- yet incomprehesibly permitted to act on the symptoms of his sickness to preserve a train wreck of religious inertia conveniently couched in debate-stopping terms such as mesirah, loshon horah, and psak halacha.
It’s a bad day because we now see, or should see, for ourselves that the reality exceeds the anecdotal reporting. And that people long regarded as gedolim and leaders are in many cases far sicker than Rabbi Kolko for allowing a serious sex offender to masquerade as an educator for over a generation.
It's a bad day because now we must face that we ourselves have been spiritually abused. We allow ourselves to be manipulated to believe that young adults, our children, despite myriad positive qualities, strong education, and favorable attributes are at risk of being deprived of a happy marriage in retaliation for their parents' public outcry against injustices committed by our leaders.
It’s a bad day because we are seeing the proof for ourselves that Daas Torah, despite the rosiest claims, is not nearly as absolute as our leaders would have us believe. We see that the infallibility of our gedolim is far from reality, rather a fantasy concept wrongly adopted from the Catholic Church.
It’s a bad day because the beginning is only beginning. The floodgates will open. This will be a national story. This will reflect terribly on Orthodox Jewry at a time when everything about Orthodox Jews is reflecting terribly. And Torah Temimah will collapse in the wake of its fleeing supporters and parent body.
It’s a bad day because these supporters and the parent body aren't running for the exits because they are bravely facing evil and fighting to destroy it. Really, they will run simply because that will be the fashion. Just as they stayed put because they were concerned how it would look if they bolted when the alegations first surfaced, now they will flee because they will be afraid of how it would look if they stayed.
So in truth, they, too, are just cowards who live in fear of the repurcussions that result from bucking the status quo. They only act on their misplaced fear of what people will think, while feeding false fears that their worthy children will remain unmarried if they were to dare speak unpopular truths.
Then and only then, out of fear and cowardice, will they will move to act. Sadly, their fear is what enabled the Kolko saga to occur in the first place.
posted by Still Wonderin'
Who cares if it's a bad day for Klal Yisruel? All I care about is that Avi Moskowitz Esq. didn't show up to our meeting today because he's having a bad hair day.
With the woes in the sub-prime sector and record levels of defaults every month, what's happening with Margo and the Catholic Church is not good for the market. The properties destined to be dumped at 555 Ocean Pkwy and around the country will further depress a market already in need of life support.
UOJ promised 5 days ago that if the RCC doesn't deal with Shalom Tendler, he will.
Does the RCC have a deadline to comply?
I can handle the coming Margo bankruptcy because he only doled out free food once, at the recent kesivas Sefer Torah, but if the Agudah gets pulled under by the lawsuits, where are we supposed to stuff our faces?
What UOJ is doing is an outrage!
http://yudelstake.blogspot.com/2007/07/hebrew-national-v-rubashkin.html#comment-3277950350961906262
Anonymous said...
Yudel Shain said...
By Rubashkin it'$ different-look how many of their own (Rabonim) are reaping the benefit$ & laughing to the $wi$$ alps at the gullible con$umer.
Ask Rabbis Weismandel, Brody & all the certifiers etc.
Fri Jul 13, 05:34:00 PM 2007
It is remarks like this that make it hard to listen to you. Who went to the $wiss alps with the money that Rubashkin paid to them? Can you back it up? How can you prove it?
Keep to facts - either on a Halachic level or on an American Judicial level and more people will listen and act.
Sun Jul 15, 06:47:00 AM 2007
Yudel Shain said...
You think Rabbis Weismandel et al are putting the annual 200,000 under the mattress?
Maybe Rabbis Brody, spiegel, steinmetz could tell you.
"ki-hashoi'chad-......"
Yes they are blinded, but they see well enough to lead klal-yisroel astray.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GBe_if7KFrA
Did Margo incorporate YTT Lakewood separately to shield it from the lawsuits?
http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/07/is-rabbi-avrohom-braun-attempting-to.html#1007467886613094731
Anonymous said...
"Rabbi Braun is always very quick to defend those accused of sexual offenses who have attended Ohr Somayach. "
Can you provide any examples instead of just throwing around vague accusations?
July 15, 2007 11:53 AM
Anonymous said...
o Anonymous 11:53 AM
Ask rav Braun how many cases he knows of where there were allegations made against one of his students? Once he answers ask him how many of his students did he defend?
I don't think his students were innocent. I think it's because he cares the reputation of his institution.
Most women who have made complaints are to afraid to go directly to Braun because they know of his reputation of protecting his boy/young men.
I wonder what the PR nightmare is for Ohr Somayach right now with the case of Horowitz being in the news. Ohr Somayach has high school students on the campus now and also back in the 1980's when Alan Horowitz was there.
Remember the reputation of the yeshiva comes before protecting unsuspecting victims from being molested.!
July 15, 2007 5:57 PM
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/local_story_196202227.html
"... there is a certain degree of tension between Brooklyn D.A Charles Hynes and Assistant U.S. Attorney Roslynn Mauskopf and their staffs ..."
I forgot to mention that my hat is dusty.
http://www.ou.org/index.php/jewish_action/article/14543/
La Différence, La Similarité
By Avi Shafran
I may not be a typical Chareidi Jew (if there even is such an animal), but I’m a musmach of Rabbi Yaakov Yitzchok Ruderman, have been a member of Agudath Israel for many decades (and have served as the organization’s spokesman for the past thirteen years), don’t own a television and wear a black hat.
And I have often related wonderful divrei Torah from the Mei Marom (Rav Yaakov Moshe Charlop) at my Shabbos table—as well as from the pulpit when asked to speak at the Agudath Israel shul where I daven. I have done the same with words of Torah from Rabbi Elchanan Wasserman and the Satmar Rav.
And I know many Jews whose upbringing naturally leads them to sources like Rav Charlop or Rav Kook, but who would never hesitate to cite the Chazon Ish or Rav Schach at their own Shabbos seudos or in public.
My point is simple: While there may be very real differences between, say, the average Orthodox Union member and the average Agudath Israel one (and, for that matter, the average Satmar chassid and the average Gerrer chassid, and the average Litvisher “Lakewooder” and average Israeli “Chardal”), there is no lack of unity amid the divergence.
I have a long and abiding admiration for both Rabbi Berel Wein (a warm mazel tov to him and his kallah!) and Rabbi Emanuel Feldman. One of my beloved sons-in-law is a talmid of Rabbi Wein’s, and I have been privileged to communicate on several pleasant occasions with Rabbi Feldman. Both are undeniably perceptive and sagacious men. Which is why I am puzzled that they both (Rabbi Wein in this issue of Jewish Action, Rabbi Feldman in the preceding one) have taken a broad look at contemporary Orthodox society and emphasized its internal divisions without acknowledging its cohesiveness.
What they describe is a balkanized Orthodox world characterized by “bitterness … demonization [and] exclusivity” (Rabbi Wein’s words) and by “an innate lack of concern for the future of the Jewish community” (Rabbi Feldman’s).
To be sure, communities, no less than in the case of individuals, do well to take stock of themselves and ferret out areas where improvement might be had. And there are certainly areas—including ahavas Yisrael (loving your fellow Jew) and hava’as shalom bein adam le’chaveiro (bringing peace between a man and his neighbor)—that the Orthodox world in all its variation would always do well to be mechazek itself.
But it seems to me that much of the Orthodox self-excoriation that has appeared in Jewish Action’s pages of late is misconceived. At least, it presents only part of a much larger picture—a picture that, for all its serious gaps and harsh shadings, should give us all a tremendous sense of pride.
It is a picture that shows growing consensus along the “Chareidi-Centrist” divide over such matters as the centrality of limud Torah, the non-negotiability of halachah, the importance of kiruv rechokim (outreach), the dedication to tzedakah and chesed and the recognition of the dangers inherent in what goes by the name of “Jewish Pluralism.” It also shows growing, across-the-board concern over some of the scourges of modern-day social pathologies that have infiltrated Orthodox Jewish homes of all stripes, across-the-board activism in attempting to address such challenges as the growing singles crisis and the high cost of tuition, and across-the-board resolve to mobilize forces and resources to help our beleaguered brethren in Eretz Yisrael. Daf Yomi shiurim are delivered and Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah proclamations are posted in Orthodox Union-affiliated shuls, and the OU’s kashrus standards are respected in countless Chareidi homes.
Like UOJ says, "you can run but you can't hide!"
http://www.wten.com/Global/story.asp?S=6780634
NEWS10's Demetra Ganias has more on Horowitz's return to the Schenectady County Jail.
Horowitz's return concludes a nearly year-long manhunt for the convicted child molester. In 1992, he was convicted of sodomizing a 9-year-old boy. But officials say his history of crimes against children goes back a decade before that.
"Horowitz's crimes are particularly heinous," says George B. Alexander, Chairman of the NYS Division of Parole.
Horowitz served 12 years in prison after abusing several of his patients. He then violated his probation after fleeing the area in June of last year. He was picked up in India this past May and extradited back to Schenectady County, where District Attorney Bob Carney says Horowitz is a huge threat to children.
"As long as force is not needed...in his mind, is perfectly normal," Carney says.
The D.A. says it is that mentality that makes Horowitz a particularly disturbing criminal.
"Horowitz should be the poster child for civil confinement," says Carney. "Even at 60-years-old, he is a danger to children of the world."
Horowitz now faces roughly six years in prison, if convicted of the felony count of fleeing from justice. Parole officials say Horowitz's capture should send a message to other criminals who are considering the same path.
"We will expend every resource to bring you to justice," Alexander says.
Message from Vicki Polin at The Awareness Center, Inc.
Rabbi Alan Horowitz has been claiming to be an ordained orthodox rabbi since at least 1991. Over the last sixteen years there has never been a public statement made that Alan J. Horowitz was lying about his ordination -- that is until today.
Over the last several months The Awareness Center created a "Call To Action" asking that a public statement be made from the Orthodox Union, Rabbinical Council of America and Agudath Israel of America -- denouncing Rabbi Horowitz's behavior and also finding a way to have his rabbinic ordination removed.
Since The Awareness Center's "Call For Action" was made -- we have received countless e-mails and phone calls from various rabbis in both the United States and Israel stating: "All The Awareness Center needs to do is declare he is no longer a rabbi and his rabbinic ordination will be removed."
The Awareness Center was informed a few years ago that Alan Horowitz received his rabbinic ordination from an orthodox source while either attending Ohr Somayach in Monsey or while studying in Israel.
Towards the end of the following article Rabbi Avrohom Braun (dean of students at Ohr Somayach) is alleging that Rabbi Alan Horowitz never received a rabbinic ordination.
Rabbi Braun has been claiming that Ohr Somayach does not have a record of him being ordained by their institution. What he fails to tell reporters is that his institution is not mandated to keep records of rabbinic ordinations and also that an institution does not necessarily give an ordination. The ordination can come from an individual rabbi.
As part of Alan Horowitz's probation agreement back in 1983, he was court ordered to study Torah (bible) and live on the campus of Ohr Somayach. While on probation and under the supervision of the rabbis, Alan Horowitz illegally left the United States and moved to Israel even though this was a violation of his parole.
One of the many questions we all should be asking is how did Alan Horowitz do this? Did any of the rabbis or other staff members of Ohr Somayach of Monsey assist in Alan Horowitz fleeing the country?
Do you think Rabbi Braun would have records regarding this?
I think it's imperative we get answers to these question.
Many who know the case of Rabbi Alan Horowitz do not believe a convicted sex offender on probation could have illegally left the United States on his own. Alan Horowitz must have had help. Twenty-four years have gone by and no one was ever been held accountable for this happening. Don't you think it's time for us all to know the truth of what happened? Remember Alan Horowitz molested countless more children while he was on the run in the 1980's and also more recently.
http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/07/is-rabbi-avrohom-braun-attempting-to.html
I wonder what Leiby Puretz says about his mechutan Rabbi Braun from Monsey.
http://wcbstv.com/topstories/topstories_story_197085247.html
http://jewishsurvivors.blogspot.com/2007/07/does-anyone-know-whats-happening-with.html
UOJ has already instigated 4 Leizerowitz victims to go to the Police. How do we stop him?
The Awareness Center wants to remind everyone that harassing an alleged victim (or family member) of a sex crime is against the law. It is called witness tampering. If you are a survivor and this happens call your local police immediately.
"Prior to escaping to Israel, Leizerowitz resided at: 1742 58th St, Brooklyn, NY. 11204"
Isn't that the block in Boro Park that a lot of out-of-towners and baalei teshuva live on? I wonder if Leizerowitz molested any of them and they are not aware of the blogs and police investigation at the yeshiva?
Does anyone know if the New Hempstead News was hacked by Tendler supporters? It's disappeared from Blogger.
Kosher Today, the Kosher food industry's trade publication, today reports on the latest Rubashkin scandal. (This is not online yet; what follows is the email version.) As usual for Kosher Today, which is run by Menachem Lubinsky, a paid consultant who works regularly for Rubashkin, misrepresents the story. It also fails again to disclose the financial and personal relationship between Lubinsky and Rubashkin:
BREAKING NEWS: New PETA Video Against Schechita Irks the Indians
Gordon, NE... When Agriprocessors agreed to operate a shuttered meat plant two years ago, it was hailed as an act of extreme kindness by the Oglala Sioux Tribe living on the Prime Ridge Reservation. The plant had closed in 1996 leaving many of the Tribe's members unemployed. In fact, President Bill Clinton in a visit to the reservation cited the area's 75% unemployment, which led to the creation of The Oglala Oyate Woitancan Empowerment Zone. When it reopened as Local Pride, owned by the Rubashkin family of Postville, IA, the plant employed 80 of the Tribe's members. A new illegal video by the People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA) alleging inhumane treatment of animals at the plant was immediately dismissed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Officials as well as rabbis confirmed that all procedures at the plant were in full compliance with halacha (Jewish law) as well as US law. PETA has continued to target Agriprocessors as part of what many rabbis believe is an attempt to discredit and possibly ban schechita in the US. But the sharpest words for PETA came from John W. Steele, the President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe: "A year ago, we celebrated Local Pride's one-year anniversary with Governor Heineman and over 500 of our neighbors. Now, on Local Pride's second anniversary, we find our success under attack by political extremists who care nothing for our area, our people or the community we are trying to build." Mr. Steele continued: "despite the fact that PETA's political operatives lied and trespassed to gain access to the plant, the USDA investigated PETA's allegations and found no violations of the Humane Slaughter Act. If PETA's real concern was the treatment of animals at Local Pride, instead of their radical agenda to end the eating of meat and the owning of animals, it should have dropped the matter. Instead, dissatisfied with the USDA's conclusion, PETA has asked the Sheridan County Attorney to investigate and has launched a national media campaign with a bull's-eye painted on Local Pride and Gordon." KosherToday in an exclusive report has learned that the PETA Web site doctored a photo of a box used in the kosher slaughter of animals. The box in the photo was never used at the plant. Attorney Nathan Lewin, who has defended AgriProcessors in the past, told the Forward, that the new video "proves that PETA is out to destroy or make unlawful" kosher slaughter.
Steele's assertion that the USDA "investigated PETA's allegations and found no violations of the Humane Slaughter Act" does not mean no violations took place. It means that, after announcing their intention to inspect the plant, the subsequent inspection found no violations. This is like warning a massage parlor that the police will be inspecting your operation in a few days, and then noting that, because the police found no prostitution at the parlor, no prostitution had ever taken place there. That is why the USDA was quick to retract its quote, found only in the AP rush article on the scandal, that no violations were found. The USDA, from last Monday evening onward, has insisted that it is conducting an ongoing investigation into alleged Humane Slaughter violations at this Rubashkin plant , and that the AP article did not accurately portray the agency's attitude toward the alleged violations.
The claim that PETA, "dissatisfied with the USDA's conclusion," has asked the Sheridan county attorney to prosecute, is also misleading. PETA asked local Iowa prosecutors to prosecute Rubashkin shortly after the 2004 scandal broke, while the USDA's investigation was ongoing. Why? Because states have their own animal cruelty laws and their own jurisdictional responsibilities. It is also true that the Bush Administration has reduced USDA enforcement and oversight to new lows.
And then we have this:
A new illegal video by the People for the Ethical Treatment for Animals (PETA) alleging inhumane treatment of animals at the plant was immediately dismissed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Officials as well as rabbis confirmed that all procedures at the plant were in full compliance with halacha (Jewish law) as well as US law.
The USDA's FSIS Senior Spokesperson Steven Cohen told me via email a moment ago that, "No one from FSIS spoke to" Kosher Today.
Who are the "officials" mentioned by Kosher Today? Who knows. Whoever they are, they do ot represent the FSIS or its investigation.
Here are some questions to pose to your local Orthodox rabbis, the OU and other Kosher supervision agencies (including the Saint Paul, Minnesota-based United Mehadrin Kosher):
Is it kosher to probe an animal's shechita wound with a meat hook a few seconds after shechita and before the animal has lost consciousness, bled out and died?
Is it kosher to cut off a portion of an animal's ear a few seconds after shechita and before the animal has lost consciousness, bled out and died?
If either or both acts are kosher but cause pain to the animal, does the resulting pain (tzaar in Hebrew) violate tzaar baalei hayyim law?
If it does, does that violation render the meat unkosher?
Does it make a difference if most animals at Rubashkin are treated this way, making the suffering a halakhic certainty?
The OU pledged in 2005 to stop using a meat hook on the throats' of animals, yet we see that pledge has not been kept. How does this effect the OU's trustworthiness with regard to kashrut?
What I think most rabbis will tell you is as follows:
Yes, but it's better not to.
Yes, but it's better not to.
No. The animal is halakhicly dead from the time the knife first begins to cut.
No.
That's a complicated question that will take some research to answer properly. Can I get back to you?
I'm not familiar enough with the details of this to comment.
By the way, although he does not look the part, many sources have told me that Menachem Lubinsky is a Gerrer hasid, active in his community and close to the Gerrer Rebbe.
U.S.-based babyfood company Gerber is recalling around half a million packs of organic rice and oatmeal cereal because of a risk babies might choke on the product, a spokesman said on Monday.
Gerber, owned by Swiss drugs group Novartis, said there was a danger that lumps of the cereal might not dissolve properly in milk or water "and pose a potential choking hazard."
The packages were distributed in the United States, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean, the company said on its Web site.
It said the sale of Gerber to Nestle, the world's largest food group, would continue as planned.
Does Schiffenbauer believe they are "innocent" like Kolko?
(July 15) - A couple who authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.
The children of Michael and Iana Straw, a boy age 22 months and a girl age 11 months, were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors saw them after social workers took them to a hospital, authorities said. Both children are doing well and gaining weight in foster care, prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts each of child neglect. Each faces a maximum 12-year prison sentence.
Viloria said the Reno couple were too distracted by online video games, mainly the fantasy role-playing "Dungeons & Dragons" series, to give their children proper care.
"They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games," Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.
Police said hospital staff had to shave the head of the girl because her hair was matted with cat urine. The 10-pound girl also had a mouth infection, dry skin and severe dehydration.
Her brother had to be treated for starvation and a genital infection. His lack of muscle development caused him difficulty in walking, investigators said.
The Straws have been given public defenders. Jeremy Bosler, head of the county public defender's office, declined to comment to The Associated Press on Saturday.
Michael Straw is an unemployed cashier, and his wife worked for a temporary staffing agency doing warehouse work, according to court records. He received a $50,000 inheritance that he spent on computer equipment and a large plasma television, authorities said.
While child abuse because of drug addiction is common, abuse rooted in video game addiction is rare, Viloria said.
Last month, experts at an American Medical Association meeting backed away from a proposal to designate video game addiction as a mental disorder, saying it had to be studied further. Some said the issue is like alcoholism, while others said there was no concrete evidence it's a psychological disease.
What's the food like at Ohr Sameach events? That's the only thing I give a damn about.
We are the owners of Lake Compounce. If anyone has information about pedophiles like Yudi Kolko trying to sneak onto our property with little boys in bathing suits, please notify us and the onsite management immediately.
http://finance.google.com/finance?cid=14354579
4800 Kennywood Blvd.
West Mifflin, PENNSYLVANIA 15122
412-461-0500
Management
Harry Henninger
Chairman
Pete McAneny
President
Mary Lou Rosemeyer
Public Relations Director
Kosher Today in its new issue sent today (and not yet online) accuses PETA of doctoring evidence:
KosherToday in an exclusive report has learned that the PETA Web site doctored a photo of a box used in the kosher slaughter of animals. The box in the photo was never used at the plant.
PETA's Matt Prescott, responding for PETA VP Bruce Friedrich, tells me that the photo in question (seen to the right here and taken from Yeshiva World) never appeared on PETA's Rubashkin investigation website and that the photo appeared on Yeshiva World. Prescott noted that PETA has a firm policy never to doctor photos, video, or other evidence.
But it is more complicated than that. I traced the picture to Answers.com. Answers.com lists the source of the picture as Dr. Temple Grandin, the noted expert on slaughter (see several interviews with her linked on the sidebar of this page). The picture is clearly labeled as "Cattle restrained for stunning just prior to slaughter." The image is copyrighted and may only be used if the owner, Temple Grandin, is acknowledged and the image description is properly credited. Yeshiva World did neither.
In other words, Yeshiva World took the picture without attribution and now either Menachem Lubinsky is lying (or mistaken) or Yeshiva World is lying (or mistaken).
One of Shmarya's readers posts a comment where he refers to Margo as "Moron, Rasha Hayeshiva."
Does anyone know when Yudi Kolko received his smicha, from which Rabbi and from which Yeshiva it was?
My office is now investigating the possibility of bringing a lawsuit against this Rav and the Yeshiva for gross and wilfull negligence.
SO WHATS THE DEAL WITH COLMER? WHEN WILL HE STAND TRIAL AND BE FORCED TO RETURN TO THE USA TO FACE HIS CRIMES?
By GILLIAN FLACCUS, Associated Press Writer
LOS ANGELES - Sobs and a moment of silence for those who died during years of negotiations punctuated a Monday hearing at which a judge accepted a $660 million settlement between the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles and alleged victims of clergy sex abuse.
"This is the right result," said Los Angeles County Superior Court Judge Haley Fromholz.
The settlement is by far the largest payout by any diocese since the clergy abuse scandal emerged in Boston in 2002. Individual payouts, to be made by Dec. 1, will vary according to the severity of each case.
Cardinal Roger Mahony, whose archdiocese counts 4.3 million Catholics, sat through the hearing but did not speak. He issued an apology Sunday after the settlement was announced and said Monday in a statement that he would spend the rest of the day praying for those who claimed abuse.
Ray Boucher, the lead plaintiffs' attorney, asked his clients to stand during the hearing and thanked them for their resolve and their courage, before breaking down in tears.
"It's their courage and commitment that made this possible, and I think they deserve a tremendous debt of gratitude," he said.
"I know it's hard for most of the victims whose scars are very deep ... and I know many will never forgive the cardinal," he said. "But he took steps that I think that only he could take, and if left to the lawyers and others in the church, he would not have settled this case."
The attorney for the archdiocese, Michael Hennigan, also appeared emotional as he told the court that his views of clergy sexual abuse changed dramatically during the years he spent trying to hammer out an agreement. He said private meetings with 70 of the plaintiffs made the most impact.
"It changed us all, and it changed our perspective on what's happened here," he said.
"I'd like to say that the church would have been reformed without these cases, but I don't know that's true," he said. "These cases have forever reformed the Archdiocese of Los Angeles. It will never be the same."
Mahony made several trips to Rome in recent weeks to get the Vatican's support for the settlement, Hennigan said.
District Attorney Steve Cooley said in a statement that there could still be a criminal case, despite a U.S. Supreme Court ruling on statutes of limitations in molestation cases.
"We are aware there could be records that may become available to us as a result of today's settlement. If these documents reveal evidence of criminal activity on behalf of individual priests or anyone else, we will pursue them," Cooley said. "The book is not closed on our investigation."
Dozens of people who have alleged abuse gathered outside the courthouse to talk about the settlement.
Mary Ferrell said she was abused for two years beginning in 1956 by a priest in San Pedro. Ferrell said she never imagined she would be talking about it in a public square.
"When I was 7, I didn't tell anyone," she said. "I didn't know what he'd done to me, and I didn't have the terms. I was totally alone, and I carried it with me for all these years."
Because of the abuse, Ferrell said, she has spent a lifetime battling with alcoholism and drug abuse.
"I isolate myself because it's the only place I feel safe. Having met all these other victims, it's like they're my brothers and sisters," she said.
Esther Miller, 48, said she was repeatedly sexually abused as a teenager by a deacon in Van Nuys. The deacon, who was later defrocked, would sing Gregorian chants and make her wear a scapular while he molested her, she said.
Because of the abuse, Miller said, she has lost 19 jobs and been divorced three times. She currently does not work and has problems controlling her anger, she said.
"This settlement means I was telling the truth, I was telling my truth. It was not an allegation," Miller said, crying. "I'm going to show the world."
Mahony said Sunday that the settlement will not have an impact on the archdiocese's core ministry, but that the church will have to sell buildings, use some of its invested funds and borrow money. The archdiocese will not sell parish properties or schools, he said.
The deal settles all 508 cases that remained against the archdiocese, which also paid $60 million in December to settle 45 cases that weren't covered by sexual abuse insurance.
The archdiocese, the nation's largest, will pay $250 million, insurance carriers will pay a combined $227 million and several religious orders will chip in $60 million.
The remaining $123 million will come from litigation with religious orders that chose not to participate in the deal, with the archdiocese guaranteeing resolution of those 80 to 100 cases within five years, Hennigan said. The archdiocese is released from liability in those claims, said Tod Tamberg, church spokesman.
Plaintiffs' attorneys can expect to receive up to 40 percent of the settlement money — or $264 million.
The settlements push the total amount paid out by the U.S. church since 1950 to more than $2 billion.
Previously, the Los Angeles archdiocese, its insurers and various Roman Catholic orders had paid more than $114 million to settle 86 claims. Several religious orders in California have also reached multimillion-dollar settlements in recent months, including the Carmelites, the Franciscans and the Jesuits.S. church since 1950 to more than $2 billion.
Previously, the Los Angeles archdiocese, its insurers and various Roman Catholic orders had paid more than $114 million to settle 86 claims. Several religious orders in California have also reached multimillion-dollar settlements in recent months, including the Carmelites, the Franciscans and the Jesuits.
BooBoo Bruno & Shelly Silver were all over the news tonight because of Bloomberg's thus far failed attempt to add another hidden tax called "congestion pricing."
Shelly Silver is starting to look like a shriveled up fish face.
http://www.northcountrygazette.org/news/2007/07/16/cash_for_grades/
Don't just look at Touro. Investigators should be all over YTT because Margo seems like the kind of guy who would alter transcripts for cash under the table.
When oh when will the legal eagles take up the cases of sexual abuse and its cover up by members of the moetzes gedolei hatorah. These bastards in rabbinic cloth should have to give up personal houses and institutions to compensate the dozens of victims of YTT and the gerrer mesifta.
Whereas YTT parents will be able to say (perhaps) that they didn't remove any kids from the yeshiva cause they had nowhere else to go, the gerrer parents DO have a choice. A competing yeshiva and mesifta opens this Ellul. Stay tuned right here for I promise to publish on this very website blog (with Reb UOJ's permission- of course) the names of every father registering children in the old mesifta on 16th avenue. Let the names of these cruel parents live forever in infamy and let the consumer beware when it comes to shiduchim for these families. As long as the pig Duvid Oleffsky stays in that whorehole it is forbidden by the torah to send kids there.
Remember! on 7-11-2006 we successfuly drove leizerowitz the gay mashgiach off this continent and with g-d's help we will prevail in chasing this enabler from any position of influence with children under the legal age of consent.
A Settlement in Los Angeles -New York Times
Published: July 17, 2007
In announcing a $660 million settlement for more than 500 victims of sexual abuse by clergy members, Cardinal Roger Mahony of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles tried to soothe the turbulent waters with conciliatory oil. “Once again, I apologize to anyone who has been offended, to anyone who has been abused,” he said.
It is up to the survivors to judge what those words are worth, but it helps to know the context in which they were spoken. They came just before the first trial would have started, at which Cardinal Mahony would have been required to testify. They followed four years of stonewalling and legalistic warfare by the archdiocese, the nation’s largest, that needlessly delayed this outcome and prolonged the suffering of hundreds of plaintiffs. And they came, of course, far too late for the children and adults whose innocence and trust were violated by priests.
Facing two avenues of public confession — apologizing before cameras or testifying about what he did or did not do about predatory priests — Cardinal Mahony took the gentler path. Facing the possibility of jury awards, and the exhumation and examination of evil acts, the archdiocese bought an expensive blanket of silence and financial closure.
The latest payment — millions of it from insurance companies, religious orders whose members were abusers and other sources — leaves the archdiocese free to move on, its leadership untouched and its parishes and schools unaffected. Adding in previous settlements, the archdiocese will end up giving more than three-quarters of $1 billion to the people on whom its priests preyed. The Catholic Church in the United States has paid more than $2 billion to survivors and their families — so far.
Those victims will never be made whole. The Los Angeles survivors will have about $1.3 million each, for treatment and therapy. They have the consolation of public vindication, the acknowledgment by the cardinal himself that a “terrible sin and crime” was inflicted upon them. And many have avoided reliving their anguish at trial.
But many also remain dissatisfied that the full truth about that sin, how it was abetted and tolerated by church leaders, may never be revealed. The settlement calls for the archdiocese to turn over internal files on abuse cases to a retired judge, who will decide whether and how to make them public. Plaintiffs’ lawyers say they expect still more struggling as the diocese fights to keep incriminating documents under wraps.
Three years after the Catholic bishops resolved in Dallas to set their house in order, the spirit of openness, humility and reconciliation from that historic meeting has failed to take root. Cardinal Mahony, like many of his counterparts, has avoided having to square his words with his deeds in open court. The money may bring some comfort to the church’s surviving victims, but their hunger for the full truth and accountability has yet to be satisfied.
Parashas Devarim
Erev Shabbos Chazon
Laminatze'ach mizmor l'David bvo ailav Nasan Hanavi...
"To the conductor, a song of David when Nasan Hanavi came to him.."
Perek 51 of Tehillim is a chapter of song composed by David HaMelech after Nasan Hanavi had rebuked him and informed him of the impending punishment for his sin with BasSheva.
Why did David HaMelech compose a mizmor, a song? Should he not have become saddened and depressed when he found out how Hashem viewed his behaviour?? Would it not have been more appropriate for him to cry out in agony and sorrow? He had just heard that he was about to be punished!!
The Shaim MiShmuel quotes the Alshich, who says:
Human nature is such that a person always looks to rationalize and justify his behaviour. Thus, he becomes desensitized to the implications of his wrong-doing, and never gets around to correcting it. In the case of David HaMelech, he knew that BasSheva was his pre-destined soul mate, plus, she was already divorced. Until the Navi came and informed David of Hashem's attitude to his deed, how was David ever to figure out that he had made a mistake? When Nasan came to David and reproached him, David had great cause to rejoice. Now that he knew where he truly stood, and what he had done, he could begin to repent, he could begin to repair the damage he had wrought through his misdeed. This was very good reason to compose a jubilant song.
YEDIAS HACHET, clear awareness of error is a most important clause for correction of our mistakes. Our readiness to acknowledge and to confront our weaknesses is most vital for our commencing an authentic teshuvah process.
What are the obstacles???
Like we heard in the name of the Alshich, no one naturally relishes the notion of admitting their weaknesses and their mistakes to themselves. The yetzer harah is most resourceful in finding any and every way to distract a person from Yedias Hachet.
In this vein, it is related that the churban was made possible by the neviai hasheker, the false prophets, who covered over the decadence of the society by saying that everything the people were doing was fine, and therefore everything was fine, shalom shalom v'ain shalom. They obstructed the possibility of yedias hachet, and thus prevented the nation from repenting. These false prophets were actually the leaders in the time of the churban, they occupied positions of power and prestige. What they accomplished is that they distracted the people from the real focal points of problem, that is their behaviour.
What of the neviai emes? Where were they? Why were they not visible at the forefront? Why was their message of warning not audible?
The Baal Shem Tov teaches that there are three categories of galus, ascending in severity:
1. Yisrael in exile by the nations of the world. We are ridiculed and derided as being cast off by G-d.
2. The Bnai Torah exiled and ridiculed by the Amai Ha'aretz.
3. The authentic and sincere Talmidai Chachamim ridiculed and shamed by the insincere, disingenuous talmidai chachamim.
The three categories are all linked.
One of the most terrible and tragic occurrences in the time of Churban Bayis Rishon was the murder of Zechariah HaNavi. When Nevuzaradon saw the blood of the Navi frothing, he killed eighty thousand young Kohanim. Zechariah had been murdered on Shabbos, on Yom Kippur in the courtyard of the Bais Hamikdash. The murderers were Amai ha'aretz and resha'im gemurim, thoroughly evil characters.
However, the one who gave the first SLAP to Zecharyah Hanavi was a ROSH SANHEDRIN. He approached the Navi, exclaiming, "You are an ignoramus who prophesies!"
He poisoned the atmosphere.
Only when he was through, did the amai ha'aretz come and finish off the job.
Afterwards, the goy, Nevuzaradon stepped in, and did his part.
But why??
Why was there a concerted effort to muffle the words of the Navi Ha'emes?
As the Alshich says, people are afraid of confronting themselves and their weaknesses.
We look to escape. We are afraid of true, authentic leadership, because if the leaders are truly our representatives, then they will be there to help us face ourselves. It might hurt. We would rather escape than confront.
This being so, it follows that pseudo leaders, who fail to exert leadership, are where they are, because they are catering to their followers' search to deny the real issues, namely seeing themselves and their deeds in need of repair, and acknowledging that they have made bad mistakes. These neviai hasheker are difficult to identify. Their costume is highly professional. They sit in positions of prestige, and profit from the population's quest to cover over and ignore their own shortcomings. This is because they provide a very much sought after service, namely, they cater to those who are looking not to shake up their existential complacency by arousing feelings of guilt and hence discomfort. Therefore, they enjoy popularity and are able to maintain their places..
Ultimately, those whom we look up to and to whom we pay any form of homage are a reflection of our inner aspirations.
The Rosh Sanhedrin who gave Zecharyah Hanavi the initial slap across the face could not have done it unless he felt confident that he had the public behind him, and that he was carrying out their job.
A fright.
We all make mistakes.
We all have egos.
The only difference between a tzaddik and a non-tzaddik is that a tzaddik is open with himself about his weaknesses. He is perpetually ready to recognize his limitations and to start again. And the central figure whom the tzaddik seeks to improve and to change is HIMSELF.
Only when we are ready to truly acknowledge our weaknesses and mistakes, do we prepare to be receptive to and deserving of leaders who will help us with Yedias Hachet, the key to Teshuvah and Geulah..
Va'ashivah shoftayich kevarishona v'yoatzyich kevatchilah...
And I will restore your judges as at the first and your counsellors as at the beginning..(Haftarah)
Amen.
http://www.nypost.com/seven/07162007/news/regionalnews/rat_may_squeal_regionalnews_larry_celona__stefanie_cohen_and_dan_mangan.htm
CHarlie Hynes is a whore for jurisdiction. He's trying to stop the Feds from taking over the case of the three thug cop killers who shot an NYPD officer in the face. Hynes knows that the rotzchim will be spared the death penalty if his office doesn't get the case taken away from them. All he cares about is stroking his ego.
Legal and moral cloud still shadows Mahony
As the D.A.'s probe continues, cardinal must repair reputation.
By Richard Winton and Steve Chawkins, Times Staff Writers
July 17, 2007
Calling Cardinal Roger M. Mahony's actions a "moral failure," Los Angeles County Dist. Atty. Steve Cooley said Monday that his five-year investigation of how top church officials handled sex-abuse accusations hinges on whether he can obtain confidential church files under a record settlement.
"Cardinal Mahony and many others are going to have to live with their conscience and live with their incredible moral failure to the people of Los Angeles," Cooley said. "We've done everything we can under the constraints of the laws of California."
J. Michael Hennigan, attorney for the Los Angeles Archdiocese, said he is "generally a big fan of Steve Cooley," but that the district attorney's remarks were "irresponsible."
"It is irresponsible for a law enforcement official to suggest that a crime has been committed when he has no evidence of it," Hennigan said.
The settlement with 508 victims, formalized Monday, calls for a private judge to review and release church documents obtained during the negotiations, although attorneys and advocates for the victims noted that details of the handoff have yet to be worked out. They said they doubted the full truth would ever emerge.
John Manly, an attorney for some of the priests' accusers, questioned whether Cooley would follow through with criminal action even if the files produced evidence, saying he suspected the prosecutor does not want to alienate Catholic voters.
"Steve Cooley has played politics with this thing," Manly said.
Cooley spokeswoman Sandi Gibbons denied the speculation, and Deputy Dist. Atty. William Hodgman, who heads the church investigation, noted that the deadline for filing charges was fast approaching as the church pursued its long legal fight to shield the files from view.
Although Mahony has repeatedly apologized to the victims of priestly abuse, the scandal has at least temporarily dimmed his reputation, casting a shadow over the leader of 4.3 million Catholics in the nation's most populous archdiocese.
Hollywood-born, Mahony rose with rare swiftness through the hierarchy of the Roman Catholic Church — from shepherding a tiny Chinese-American parish in Stockton to membership in the College of Cardinals, the august body that selects the pope.
Father Thomas Reese, an expert on U.S. bishops and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University, predicted that the settlement would deflate the abuse issue, freeing Mahony to reassert himself on his signature causes, such as immigration, labor and poverty.
"Now that this is over," Reese said, "there will be a big burst of publicity for a few weeks, then it will be on the back pages and then disappear."
But the church has yet to tell anxious parishioners exactly how it will pay its share of the huge settlement, and what services and ministries will have to be cut back — decisions that could again generate unwelcome headlines focusing on the cardinal.
One Los Angeles priest, who asked for anonymity because of fear of retribution, said it was "laughable" that Mahony can restore himself as a national voice for social justice: "How can he possibly talk about justice," the priest asked, "when he pays huge settlements to cover up for himself?"
And Cooley's investigators still have to plow through the files that Mahony and other church officials have so long concealed.
The church kept confidential files on problem priests, containing parishioners' complaints, letters, police reports, referrals for therapy and reassignment memos. According to reports and documents released during the litigation, Mahony left 16 priests in ministry for periods up to 13 years after parishioners raised concerns about their inappropriate behavior with children.
The cardinal has apologized for his actions in the cases of Michael Baker and Michael Wempe, priests who allegedly went on to molest again after Mahony had sent them to treatment and shifted them to other positions. Wempe was convicted of molestation, and Baker has charges pending.
If the documents fuel criminal action against Mahony or his top officials, the most likely charge would be conspiracy to obstruct justice, prosecutors said Monday.
Even if alleged molestations occurred long ago, a conspiracy can be charged if one overt act — such as destroying a piece of evidence or soliciting someone's silence — took place in the last three years.
"If you managed to keep the crime secret along with others, you may be free from being prosecuted from the crime itself, but you may be prosecuted for conspiracy — the conspiracy of concealment," said UC Davis law professor Diane Marie Amann, speaking in general terms.
VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Sexual abuse of children is not just a Catholic Church problem and other institutions should take steps to acknowledge and deal with such "wickedness" within their own ranks, the Vatican said on Tuesday.
The Vatican's chief spokesman, Father Federico Lombardi, also said the record $660 million settlement between the Archdiocese of Los Angeles and victims of sexual abuse was an attempt to "close a painful chapter and look forward."
"The Church is above all clearly pained by the suffering of the victims and their families, by the deep wounds caused by the grave and inexcusable behavior of some of its members," Lombardi said.
"It has decided to commit itself in every way to avoid a repetition of such wickedness," he said, adding that the Church now had a "a policy of prevention and creation of an ever more secure atmosphere for children and young people in all aspects of (its) pastoral programs."
Lombardi reaffirmed a position taken by other Catholic Church leaders in the past -- that other organized religions and institutions should also deal with paedophilia as publicly as the Catholic Church has been forced to by various scandals.
"The problem of the abuse of childhood and its adequate protection certainly does not regard only the (Catholic) Church, but also many other institutions and it is right that these take the necessary decisions as well," he said.
Lombardi said the Church was aware of its educational responsibilities to youth and intended to be "a protagonist in the struggle against paedophilia," which he said was on the rise worldwide.
ABUSE DATING BACK TO THE 1940s
The Los Angeles decision involved 508 plaintiffs in cases dating back to the 1940s. The pre-trial settlement means Cardinal Roger Mahony will not have to testify in court.
The settlement reached on Saturday after 4 1/2 years of negotiations came before the first trial was due to begin on Monday. Victims' attorneys would have called Mahony to testify about the church hierarchy's protection of abusive priests.
The Los Angeles settlement dwarfs other landmark payouts. The Archdiocese of Boston, where the U.S. scandal erupted in 2002, reached a 2003 deal for 550 people worth $85 million.
Boston's archbishop, Cardinal Bernard Law, was forced to resign in disgrace in December 2002.
Leaders of the U.S. Catholic Church were found to have moved priests who abused minors to new parishes instead of defrocking them or reporting them to authorities.
In his interview with Vatican Radio, Lombardi spoke of the "sacrifices" the settlement would impose on the archdiocese.
The settlement funds will come from the archdiocese selling real estate assets, including the archdiocese's headquarters, insurers and various Catholic religious orders.
Before his election as pope, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger went out on a limb to decry the "filth" in the Church.
Benedict, who was elected in 2005, has taken a tougher stand on sexual abuse in the Church than his predecessor. Last year he disciplined Rev. Marcial Maciel Degollado, the 86-year-old founder of the conservative Legionaries of Christ, who had been accused of sexually abusing boys decades ago.
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