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Tuesday, November 06, 2007

The Analysis -- In UOJ-Speak!

This is an abbreviated version of The Jewish Week article, to see the article in it's entirety, go to: thejewishweek.com My comments are at the end.



No Religious Haven From Abuse

New study finds Orthodox women are sexually victimized as much as other American women are.

by Debra Nussbaum Cohen
Staff Writer


Despite the widespread impression in the Orthodox world that sexual abuse doesn’t happen within its precincts, or happens less than in the “outside world,” a report in the November issue of the journal of the American Psychiatric Association says that Orthodox Jewish women suffer as much of it as other American women do.

Twenty-six percent of respondents in a study about the sexual lives and attitudes of married Orthodox Jewish women — 55 percent identifying as Modern Orthodox and about 45 percent as fervently Orthodox — indicated that they had at some point suffered sexual abuse.

That figure is on par with the 25 percent to 27 percent of American women in general, without regard to their marital status or religion,
who have reported in numerous studies that they had been sexually abused.

The new article also says that fervently Orthodox women are more likely than Modern Orthodox women to have experienced sexual abuse, to have experienced it multiple times and to have experienced it the first time before age 13.

Fifty-eight percent of fervently Orthodox women who participated in the study reported experiencing sexual abuse multiple times, according to the article, compared to 39 percent of Modern Orthodox women.

Among the ultra-Orthodox respondents, 20 percent said they had experienced abuse by the age of 13, while among the modern Orthodox respondents it was 12 percent.

“It’s very important to note that this is just a slice,” said Rachel Yehuda, a professor of psychiatry at Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan, and one of the paper’s lead authors. “We only studied married women who agreed to be studied, and we have no idea of how representative these women are. More importantly, we didn’t study single women or women who decided not to be Orthodox anymore.

“Nonetheless, the observation that this is not less of a problem here is important. ... One can’t walk away saying Orthodox Judaism is protecting women against abuse,” said Rachel Yehuda.

“We’re not the first to show that heightened religiosity may be a response to trauma,” says Dr. Michelle Friedman, a psychiatrist in Manhattan who is the article’s other lead author. Living an Orthodox life is viewed as “a whole lifestyle of perceived protection and meaning, of clarity and order.”

The article, which focuses just on sexual abuse, is based on information drawn from a broader study of Orthodox married women’s sexual lives and attitudes that Friedman and Yehuda conducted about four years ago. Respondents ranged in age from 19 to 58, and were required to report regular use of a mikveh, or ritual bath, in order to be included in the findings.

The researchers advertised the study in synagogue bulletins, Jewish organizations, newspapers, Jewish listservs and Web sites, and through medical offices, like pediatricians and obstetricians/gynecologists, whose practices include many Orthodox women.

They did not count as abused respondents those who said that their adult experiences had been consensual even if uncomfortable, or said that they had abuse threatened but not carried out, or who experienced something that might not be strictly considered abuse, for example, someone who reported that a stranger fondled her rear end on the street.

Of the 380 respondents, 208 of them defined themselves as Modern Orthodox and 172 described themselves as ultra-Orthodox. The study found that the ultra-Orthodox women were more likely to report that their husbands had forced them to have sex — 5 percent compared to 1 percent of the Modern Orthodox women.

The article hopes to illuminate the need for greater sensitivity to sexual abuse among those who might treat its victims, and also to the reality of its existence in Orthodox Jewish communities.

Religious life is not necessarily protective of the human condition,” said Friedman. “In theory, it’s clearly forbidden. But in practice it happens, and people suffer.”*****

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"Religious life is not necessarily protective of the human condition!"

Why not? What is there to protect if human life is not sacred? And that's why we're here in crazy-land today, the Charedi Orthodox Establishment exposed....butt-naked!

A recent phone call marked as urgent on my e-mail went something like this from a horrified Yiddishe mama.

"Boruch Hashem my daughter got away (divorced) from this very sick kollel man...he forced himself on her - whenever, he anally raped her - whenever, he anally raped a baby girl in his family...the bruises were all over her buttocks.....the police were called finally...to find out after months, that the police report disappeared, not a trace of it!

This kollel man denied all of this to a local bais din and was "believed", although he had a violent sexual abuse history as well as other members of his family!

I called a member of the Moetzes (Agudath Israel leadership)...I spoke to the rebbetzin, the rabbi refused to come to the telephone; I heard him saying in the background" he was exonerated!"

UOJ...I have no further axe to grind with this sick and evil man, my daughter is free and safe....I just wanted to protect his next victim from being condemned to death and worse"! He sodomized a baby... and my daughter....and the rabbi would not come to the phone?"

The numbers and the facts are trickling out....and my self-educated guess on this subject is - that by the time we see the entire picture, there will not be any true believer left, not one! There's a reason Jewish kids are running away from traditional Orthodox Judaism, and that reason is you bogus rabbis!

Thank you Agudath Israel and the rest of you criminals...I hope this sick bastard marries one of your daughters or granddaughters!


Steep rise in child sexual assault complaints among Haredis

By Ruth Sinai, Haaretz Correspondent - Oct. 29, 2007

The National Council for the Child reports a steep rise in recent weeks in the number of requests for help from child sexual assault victims and their parents. Council head Yitzhak Kadman found that 30 percent of the new requests came from the ultra-Orthodox community, which had previously almost never contacted the organization about sexual assault.

The council provides volunteers, usually law students, who accompany sexual assault victims through the process of filing a police complaint, the investigation and criminal proceeding. More than 1,500 children have been helped in the seven years since this project began.

Kadman said that over the past few weeks, the council had fielded dozens of requests per week. Callers are referred to the council by police, juvenile investigators from the Social Affairs Ministry, welfare offices, doctors, schools and other community facilities.

Kadman sees the awakening of the Haredi sector as a real "breach of barriers." Contrary to expectation, the Haredim who apply for help do not want a Haredi volunteer to assist them, nor do they care whether the volunteer is a man or woman, Kadman said.

HARRY MARYLES - YOU ARE ONE OF MY FAVORITE IDIOTS!

Hey Yutz!:

Before you "speak" as an authority on anything, make an attempt to do a little reading! You are clueless...and have way too much time on your hands. Get a job for God's sake and for the sake of the naive people that read your stupidity on your blog. You may actually cause some people to believe some of the nonsense you espouse and start beating the crap out of Haredim - because Harry said so. What a collection of misguided, boorish, unadulterated horse manure-laden, uneducated, unitelligible - pile of dog-dung - words without meaning! Certainly..you had help Einstein, I can't possibly imagine one person able to collect all this genius without assistance! Thanks to Steve, I actually took a look at your pitiful writings and laughed my mechila aka tukhess - off...! Now I gotta go find it!

From the Dallas Charter:

..."Number of priests who are currently serving: 44,000

Number of cases of abuse per priest:

Most priests were accused of a single event!

1,112 priests (25.0%) had two or three allegations
578 priests (13%) had four to nine allegations.
133 priests (2.9%) had ten or more allegations.

Factors contributing to the abuse problem, as stated by the report:

Failure by the hierarchy to grasp the seriousness of the problem.
Overemphasis on the need to avoid a scandal.
Use of unqualified treatment centers.
Misguided willingness to forgive.
Insufficient accountability.

According to Paul McHugh, a member of the National Review Board, the epidemic of child abuse cases sprang up "...early in the 1960s and reached tidal-wave proportions in the 1970s and early 1980s." The report suffers from what public-health workers call "reporting bias." Some details of the 11,000 cases of alleged abuse are known.

But there exists another "pool of victims of unknown size...outside of their accounting..." They might never come to light.

By reaching back to the year 1950, the John Jay study showed that the 1950s were comparatively free of predators. It went relatively unrecognized during the 1970s and 1980s".
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One of my favorite commenters, Steve, rages on:

This was my response to Harry Maryles who called Avi Shafran one of his "favorite people" and who villified UOJ and this blog:

Harry,

This was the response of one of your "favorite people", Avi Shafran, after Kolko's arrest last December:

"Why would we have comment about the arrest of an individual? Because he was an employee, more than 30 years ago, of one of the camps we run (that have had thousands of employees over the years)? I don't think that requires comment on our part.

We are not even a party anymore to any lawsuit filed against the accused, as I understand it. The suit of the accuser who included Camp Agudah in his action (John Doe #1) has been dismissed (without prejudice, I believe, so it can still be refiled, but hasn't been)."

How about showing some sensitivity to the countless victims, many of which were from Camp Agudah? And don't tell me that Shafran wasn't aware of the allegations that stemmed from the camp. The bais din that was convened in the 80's was brought about by victims of the camp. Also, look at his response to the NY Magazine article of June '06- (On The Rabbi's Knee - nymag.com). In a nutshell, his response to the reports of sexual abuse in the community was that we are not as bad as the Catholic Church.

Now before you call UOJ a villain, I challenge you to name one individual that he wrongfully accused. As for the way he runs his blog, at least he has a noble goal and mission, which is to rid klal yisrael of molesters and corrupt leaders. I cannot say the same for your blog whose purpose seems to be simply to foment sinas chinam amongst klal yisrael.

All you do is take a news item and try to twist it into another anti-chareidi rant in which you stereotype and label groups of people. At least UOJ backs up his words with action, as evidenced by the fact that six molesters that last year were in chinuch are now either in prison, awaiting extradition, under indictment, or have been fired.

The man was matzil nefashos and as you know if one saves one Jewish soul, it's as if he saved the world. How many nefashos has your pathetic blog saved? All you've accomplished is to stir up old arguments between chareidim and MO's, thereby promoting sinas chinam, and delaying the coming of Mashiach.

So Harry you and all your corrupt "favorite people" can continue to villify UOJ, just like they did last year at their convention. Your words are empty and meaningless because we can see right through your transparent hypocrisy.

Amen!

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Hi, I'm the filmmaker behind "Without A Voice". It's currently still in development. We're still looking for more survivors who are willing to go on camera and tell their story. So please contact me ASAP if you're someone who will tell their story. Whatever age and whatever gender please come forward (teens, parents of survivors etc.) Please also forward this note to as many groups and blogs as possible.

Thank You
Michael Schulman
Contact me at: film2write@yahoo.com

How's The Torah Umesorah Sex - Offender Registry Going Shea Fishman? Climate Right Yet? What Will It Take?

Dear UOJ readers:

UOJ has kindly permitted me to post here in order to seek corroborating testimony on a rebbe I had in grade school. He taught my fourth and sixth grade classes in 1972-73 and 1974-75, respectively. He taught at a Modern Orthodox yeshiva in Monsey, NY from at least the early 1970s to the mid-1980s. Although the school was (and is) Modern Orthodox and pro-Israel, the teacher in question was (and is) chassidish. He was in his early 30s when he taught me; he is now 67 or 68. I don't know if he has continued to teach, or to have contact with children, since leaving the yeshiva.

As a child, I was repeatedly sexually abused, but denied it even to myself. (This is called "dissociation.") After years of difficulty, I finally entered therapy, and within two weeks, the grief, anger, and pain of that time came flooding back. Memories, at first fragmentary and confused, came back, too. I know that relying on "recovered memories" is controversial. I don't like the phrase, myself. Nevertheless, in the words of an experienced researcher and therapist who teaches at Harvard Medical School, "Amnesia for childhood sexual abuse is a condition. The existence of this condition is beyond dispute.... At least 10% of people sexually abused in childhood will have periods of complete amnesia for their abuse, followed by experiences of delayed recall." This is a conservative estimate based on published research (see http://www.jimhopper.com/memory/).

After more than two years of therapy, I am 90% sure that this rebbe is responsible for repeated, deliberately humiliating, sadistic sexual abuse. This belief is not based on scenarios of abuse suggested to me, nor leading questions asked of me, by anyone. The memories are mine alone. But as long as that 10% doubt remains, I will not act without corroborating testimony. UOJ told me that he is "aware" of this man, and that "his name has come up in confidential inquiries." He further told me that "When there are three people willing to put their name (confidentially) on an accusation, I investigate the matter fully... If I were to receive two more people on [this man] with names (never to be divulged by me), I would contact [him] and [the then-principal of the school] directly."

I believe I have given enough information for any former student of this man to recognize him. If you know of any specific incidents of sexual abuse he committed, I urge you to contact me at: sarasminion@yahoo.com. I trust UOJ's promise never to divulge your name, and I add my promise to his. If even a fraction of the things I remember are true, this man needs to be stopped! I also have evidence that the then-principal of the school (now principal emeritus) knows of allegations against this rebbe, and is covering them up. If this is true, then for the sake of children's safety, he needs to be told that the cat is already out of the bag, and that he must act accordingly.

Thank you so much,

A Survivor