This is a day that will live in infamy for all children of New York State!

by survivor of abuse

"The Lopez Bill" made it this time by a vote of 18 - 1. This is a day that will live in infamy for all children of New York State.

As for Dov Hikind...how could you Dov? We backed you. We believed in you. We gave you time. We gave you a chance. We even looked the other way when you backed out of your promise to help Joel Engleman get rid of Reichman and save innocent Satmar kids. We should have listened to Pearl Engelman about you.

And you sell us out to the Agudah, Satmar and the Catholic Church? You deny those of us who were abused as children the right to sue our abusers? You won't do anything to stop them? You won't do anything to help us? But at least allow us to defend ourselves. It is like the Nazis not allowing Jews to have guns. You have taken away the one potential way that innocent children can get justice for what has been perpetrated on them by your friends, Dov. Why?

Shame on you. You are neither a "frum" Jew nor a caring person. You are "nuch" a politician, and we will not forget what you have done.

Shame on you and your whole family. Shame, shame shame. How can you look any Jewish child in the face now? Knowing that for the sake of "getting along with Satmar and Agudah and the Catholic Church" you took away the only weapon given to a victim of abuse by the United States government? You took away their chance to have their day in court! The victims of Mondrowitz and Kolko and all the rest will never forget and never forgive.

URGENT MESSAGE TO OUR COMMUNITY!

PLEASE EXPRESS YOUR OUTRAGE AT ASSEMBLYMAN VITO LOPEZ’S ATTEMPT TO SNEAK HIS PREVIOUSLY DEFEATED BILL NUMBER A.05708A THROUGH THE ASSEMBLY CODES COMMITTEE.
OUR COMMUNITY IS IN SHOCK OVER SEXUAL ABUSE CASES NOW BEING MADE PUBLIC ON AN ALMOST DAILY BASIS. UNFORTUNATELY LAWS CURRENTLY ON THE BOOKS PROTECT CHILD MOLESTERS.

THANKFULLY, ASSEMBLYWOMAN MARGARET MARKEY HAS SPONSORED ASSEMBLY BILL NUMBER A2596. THE “CHILD VICTIMS’ ACT OF NEW YORK” WHICH OPENS UP A “WINDOW” TO ALLOW VICTIMS OF SEXUAL ABUSE TO EXPOSE THEIR ATTACKERS AND BRING THEM TO JUSTICE. THE MARKEY BILL PASSED A CRUCIAL VOTE IN THE ASSEMBLY CODES COMMITTEE ON MARCH 17, 2009. MARKEY’S BILL WILL BE UP FOR A VOTE BEFORE THE ASSEMBLY IN THE COMING WEEKS AND HAS THE OVERWHELMING SUPPORT OF THE ASSEMBLY. IT IS EXPECTED TO PASS.

THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND A FEW ORTHODOX JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS, ESPECIALLY THE GEDOLIM AT THE AGUDATH ISRAEL WHO HAVE BEEN PROTECTING PEDOPHILES FOR MANY DECADES, ARE DESPERATELY TRYING TO PREVENT THE PASSAGE OF MARKEY’S BILL. THEY HAVE PERSUADED ASSEMBLYMAN VITO LOPEZ TO SPONSOR A COMPETING BILL, THE “LOPEZ BILL,” WHICH PROTECTS PEDOPHILES AT THE EXPENSE OF OUR INNOCENT CHILDREN.

ASSEMBLYMAN VITO LOPEZ’S BILL A.05708A IS BEING VOTED ON IN THE ASSEMBLY CODES COMMITTEE, TODAY, ON MARCH 31, 2009 AT 11:00. VITO LOPEZ’S BILL PROTECTS PEDOPHILES AND MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO PASS

PLEASE CALL AND E-MAIL ALL OF THE ASSEMBLY CODES COMMITTEE MEMBERS AND TELL THEM THAT YOU ARE AN ORTHODOX JEW WHO OPPOSES ASSEMBLYMAN VITO LOPEZ’S BILL A.05708A AND THAT THEY MUST DO EVERYTHING IN THEIR POWER TO BLOCK THE LOPEZ BILL NUMBER A.05708A AND MAKE SURE IT IS NOT PASSED OUT OF COMMITTEE.

15 MINUTES OF YOUR TIME TODAY WILL HELP SAVE THE LIFE OF AN INNOCENT CHILD TOMORROW.

THE TIME TO ACT IS EARLY THIS MORNING. YOUR VOICE COUNTS MORE THAN YOU CAN POSSIBLY IMAGINE. EVERY SINGLE CALL AND E-MAIL COUNTS. PLEASE CALL AND E-MAIL AND ASK YOUR FRIENDS AND FAMILY TO DO THE SAME.

"Deliver Us From Evil" - Agudath Israel & The Catholic Church!

Available at Amazon.com

Written and Directed by Amy Berg

A Welcome Step In The Right Direction!

Lifting the Veil of Silence
By Rabbi Pinchos Lipschutz - Editor Yated Ne'eman

There is an issue that has been on my mind for several years. It is an extremely sensitive topic and I tried writing about it many times but couldn’t find the right words with which to express what I wanted to say in a way that would be beneficial and adhere to standards of derech eretz and fairness.

I have discussed my predicament with many gedolim and they all encouraged me to write about it here in the Yated and said that Hashem would help me find the proper voice.

The sad fact is that children in our community are being abused by perpetrators who prey upon their innocence and our silence. We don’t have a count of how many people are hurt, but it is much larger than we realized, even a short time ago. There is no real debate about the catastrophic effects of abuse.

The innocence and purity of children is destroyed for life. The victims remain hurt, shamed and scarred. They suffer in silence, afraid to reveal their secret to anyone. They are hounded by feelings of guilt and embarrassment and live lives of tortured pain. The overwhelming majority of survivors suffer in silence, unless they are lucky enough to endure agonizing, arduous, expensive therapy. However, even a lifetime of therapy doesn’t ensure that the victim can ever be fully healthy again. Not every young victim’s psyche can be healed. Victims are much more likely to go off the derech, become addicted to drugs and lead a life of abusing themselves and others.

Let us be clear: For too long, we weren’t tuned in to these innocent victims’ stories and their pain. For too long, we weren’t sufficiently aware that this problem existed and thus were able to ignore the quiet pleas, the sad eyes, the pained lives, and the personalities withdrawn. We didn’t recognize the warning signs and thus largely ignored the phenomenon. Equally clear, this inattention was not a function of some high level conspiracy to harm people or cover up for criminals or abet nefarious activities. It was simply a function of a lack of education about a complex and highly sophisticated problem. It was a result of our leadership simply being unaware of the depths that such sordid people could sink to, and the extreme skill perpetrators exhibit in covering their tracks. And yes, it was undeniably a gezeirah, which, as so often is the case, claims innocent holy souls - bikroyvai Ekodeish.

I am all too aware that it is fashionable in certain circles to blame this all on our rabbinic leadership. These people have yet to explain why our rabbonim, who devote their lives to serving people, would want to hurt anyone. The days when being a rov or rosh yeshiva meant strictly paskening shailos or teaching Torah are long gone. Rabbonim routinely spend an overwhelming portion of their time dealing with every type of personal problem imaginable. I don’t have to elaborate on this now, but suffice it to say that it defies logic to accuse our most choshuve leaders, who exhibit much mesiras nefesh, of coldhearted indifference. As I said, the problem was a lack of understanding.

Those days are behind us. We understand our challenges now and we have to live up to them. There are many things we have to do to help prevent future cases. In fact, in recent years, much has been accomplished. It would probably surprise some of the critics to know that in the past five years, the Vaad Roshei Yeshivah of Torah Umesorah has devoted many meetings, encompassing scores of hours, to these issues. As one who regularly attends these meetings, I can tell you that no single subject has been discussed in greater length and depth, in excruciating detail, than preventing abuse. Many sophisticated guidelines and programs have been designed and disseminated in all our schools. Implementation has not been universal, but we have clearly begun to turn the tide in the school area. I will devote another article to detail some of these efforts. Today, I want to focus on the topic I began with - the innocent victims.

We almost never do anything for these victims. We look at them as small children. We don’t peer into their little hearts. We don’t follow up with them. We don’t do anything to assuage their piercing pain and harrowing hurt. Usually, we don’t know who the victims are, for their parents are petrified lest they be stigmatized for life.

They go through life distressed and tormented, and the fact that they think that we don’t care adds insult to injury and makes the wounds that much more difficult to heal. They think that if we would know what happened to them, we wouldn’t respond with compassion and love. They think that the world around them would turn a deaf ear to their cries and be uninterested in their stories.

So they go through life feeling isolated, betrayed and abandoned. It is about time that as a community we join together and shout out to them that we have been silent for too long. We have been oblivious for too long. And we are going to do something about it. This is what we say:

“We realize it wasn’t your fault. We realize you didn’t do anything wrong. We realize that you were singled out for punishment due to no fault of your own. We realize you were taken advantage of. We love you. We care about you. We are here for you. We will listen and we will hear. You are not alone.”

We have to get a message to the children who have been wronged that they don’t have to resort to drugs or worse to cleanse themselves and restore their self respect and self worth.

How do we get that message across? Neither by being quiet, nor by being shrill. First we strengthen those groups in our machane who are devoted to counseling and aiding victims. We tell the victims they are innocent; we feel their pain and are here to help them. We prove that by continuing to implement parent and community-wide education and prophylactic programs to prevent future horrors. Above all, we deliver the message by living lives of Torah - a Toras Chesed and Toras Emes - by being kind and compassionate to all. We do it by not embarrassing anyone and not jumping to conclusions about the reasons people act the way they do. We must conduct ourselves to all with true love and compassion. We should treat victims like brothers, without prejudice, never knowing what pain and hurt lies in their hearts, forcing them to act the way they do.

One thing is clear: silence is acquiescence. Silence permits the affliction to fester. We must be prepared to lift the veil off the more embarrassing goings-on in our communities so that we rid ourselves of evil and malice and the pain they cause. We will thus be preparing the world for the coming of Moshiach and the erasure of all tears.

Obstructing Justice?

By Michael J. Salamon, Ph.D.

In the United States any individual who works with children is required to report any and all suspected cases of abuse or neglect to the authorities. This reporting law was first formalized in the 1970’s. In many states the law also applies to those who work with adults. When reports are required they are made confidentially and are accomplished via a hotline call to a trained professional who will take the report and evaluate the best response. Responses can include involving the police, childcare services, other social services, or the report may be deemed not to rise to the level for an intervention.

Teachers, doctors, therapists and other childcare professionals are mandated to report what the law calls “any reasonable cause to suspect” abuse or neglect. If, as a mandated reporter, you are aware of such a case and do not report it you may lose your professional license and receive jail time. There are inconsistencies in how situations are handled by these agencies but it is never the responsibility of a mandated reporter to investigate a case nor to try and prevent further abuse. Professionals who work directly in human services are not the police nor are they officers of the courts. They do not have the resources to do the type of legal probing or intervention that the legal system is designed for. But, they do have the ability to see when there is abuse and do the correct legal thing despite any possible shortcomings that may occur after it is reported. And, virtually all shades of Religious poskim within the Orthodox world support the need for reporting cases of abuse to the proper legal authorities.

The Catholic Church has been accused over the last few decades of covering up cases of child abuse perpetrated by pedophile priests on young, mostly male, parishioners. The abusers were given free reign in some cases because people either did not believe that it could be true or were afraid of the repercussions if they did report. At this moment, the Church, as well as organizations within our own community, is fighting against extending the statute of limitations for reporting cases of child abuse. Clearly, these problems are not unique to those of the Catholic faith. Data reported from a variety of sources indicates that as many as one in 5 boys and girls are subjected to some form of sexual abuse in their childhood by teachers, family friends or relatives. And, yes, as we have seen, it does occur in all religious faiths. That is why I was so moved when I was invited to participate in a private conference in September of this past year that addressed sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community. Attendees included mental health professionals, survivors, their families and even the New York State Assemblyman, Dov Hikind.

The tone set at the conference was a determined one. All would be done to stop this horrific scourge from continuing. No school or organization would be exempt from confrontation if it were necessary to do so. In October, Mr. Hikind stated that he would “collect a list of suspected child molesters and make that list available to the public.” It turns out that the Assemblyman has recently been subpoenaed. He has collected, by his own admission, over 1000 dossiers involving some 60 names of pedophiles and according to rumors, has not yet reported a single case to the authorities nor has he released a single name to the public. He has made a statement indicating that someone who admitted to him that he recently abused a young boy was referred to a top mental health professional for treatment. The subpoena came not from the authorities but from an attorney representing individuals who were themselves abused. There are interesting inconsistencies in this situation. It may be true that Mr. Hikind is not a mandated reporter, though several legal sources have been quoted as indicating that he might be. But, even if he is not, the treating specialist to whom this individual was referred is mandated to report. Additionally, it is also problematic that the Brooklyn D.A. has apparently not seriously looked into this very same issue though some news reports are suggesting that there are 10 cases currently under review by the D.A.

While Mr. Hikind’s approach is troubling to some perhaps there is a better explanation to this perplexing and painful drama. This approach that Mr. Hikind is employing may be a plan to allow the authorities, the trained legal and child welfare specialists, to find a way into this morass and finally do what is necessary to stop pedophilia. By going public, even in a limited fashion, abusers have been put on notice by Mr. Hikind and so have the authorities. It is a fact that the proper treatment for a child molester is not limited to psychotherapy and possibly medication but also includes constant supervision and monitoring. The proper legal authorities are the only ones who can enforce this requirement. Now that the situation has become so glaringly obvious, there can be no excuse for both the community and the authorities not to follow the proper legal and clinical protocols, unless, of course, there is a massive cover-up. It is time to accept the problem and work within the system not around the system. As Mr. Hikind has himself indicated, it is time to change the “Out of sight out of mind” mentality that allows abuse and molestation to continue.

This brings me to a related issue. There had been some debate regarding whether Halacha allows Mesira or the notification of secular authorities. It has taken some time but, as I have noted, virtually all of the Halachic decisors now agree that in cases of suspected childhood sexual abuse there is no excuse not to involve the police and courts. Also, despite a recent setback, the courts in the United States and Israel are working together on several cases to make sure that extradition is enforced when necessary. And, the recent conviction of an abuser in Federal court indicates that the community can work with the authorities. Interestingly, the application of these decisions to allow the notification of the authorities may have also led to a remarkable misuse of the law.

The Courthouse News Service of October 29, 2008 reported that a man is seeking five million dollars in damages for defamation against the rabbis at a suburban New York Yeshiva who wrongly accused him of pedophilia. According to the complaint, the rabbis allegedly slandered him because they did not approve of his lifestyle. Both the Police department and office of child welfare investigators found the complaints made about him by the rabbis to be baseless. One would hope that the rabbis would find it appropriate to file a complaint to the authorities in cases where there is evidence and the authorities perform their investigations diligently. All of this covering up has to be done away with. Mr. Hikind is performing an admirable task by taking up the issue and confronting it but without proper reporting and follow through with the legal authorities there can be no enforcement.


Dr. Salamon, a Fellow of the American Psychological Association, is the founder and director of the Adult Developmental Center in Hewlett, NY. He is the author of numerous articles and several psychological tests. His recent books include, The Shidduch Crisis: Causes and Cures, published by Urim Publications and Every Pot Has a Cover: A Proven Guide to Finding, Keeping and Enhancing the Ideal Relationship, published by Rowman & Littlefield.

CAPTURING THE FRIEDMANS

"I had no concept that this exists in the world"... Mrs. Friedman.



I urge everyone to see the entire documentary; the impact it had on me is indescribable !

UOJ

Editorial

A Window for Justice
March 22, 2009

For decades, priests who preyed sexually on children did so with shocking ease and impunity. Their superiors acted as functional accomplices, shuttling abusive priests among parishes and buying or bullying victims into silence. Shame and guilt did the rest, burying abuses under a shroud of secrecy that often far outlasted the statute of limitations for prosecutions or lawsuits.

Those victims deserve a day in court. The New York Legislature should grant it to them, by passing a bill that would temporarily lift the statute of limitations for civil lawsuits involving the sexual abuse of children.

The bill would open a one-year window during which accusers would be allowed to sue in civil court, no matter how old the case. After a year, the statute of limitations would be restored, but an accuser would have up to 10 years after turning 18 to make a claim, instead of five. The statute of limitations for criminal prosecutions would not be changed.

Like similar measures in Delaware and California, the Child Victims Act seeks to balance the need for reasonable time limits for lawsuits against the unusual challenges in uncovering sexual crimes against children.

It can take decades before victims are ready to make the wrenching decision to tell their stories.

Add to that problem the particulars of the priest abuse scandal. It had its roots in the 1960s and 70s, but did not engulf the Catholic Church — which systematically covered up for the criminals in its clergy — until 2002, when its many victims were in their 30s or older.

The bill does not explicitly target any institution. Catholic and Orthodox Jewish officials are lobbying against it, arguing that it is unfair to allow decades-old accusations against old men who are ill equipped to defend themselves when evidence is lost or forgotten and witnesses are dead. They also, naturally, fear a wave of expensive settlements and damage awards like the one that struck the Los Angeles Archdiocese when the statute of limitations was lifted under a 2003 law.

Those fairness concerns are vastly outweighed by the need to dispense fairness to those who were powerless to seek it. Exposing abuse is also a matter of public safety. It is wrong to allow the institutional shame of the Catholic Church to remain hidden in church files and in the anguished hearts of victims. Their continued suffering and the prevention of future abuses are the strongest arguments for passage of the Child Victims Act.

"On the other hand"

http://thejewishstar.wordpress.com/2009/03/18/seeking-second-shot-at-predator-clergy/

"Rabbi David Zwiebel, Agudath Israel’s Executive Vice President, said that they have not yet taken a position on the issue.

“It’s a subject of conversation at the highest levels of our rabbinical leadership,” Rabbi Zwiebel told The Jewish Star.

“There are likely to be real-life cases that are resuscitated as a result of the passage of such a bill. And that is part of the consideration,” he elaborated. “You can’t ignore the real world potential of a bill like this in evaluating whether it is the correct thing for our community to embrace. On the other hand, you can’t ignore the real impact on victims of abuse.”

*

The victims of abuse are "the other hand" when they should be the "ONLY HAND" that counts!

In my life, I have not come across an entire group of rishaim, even close to the menuvalim, on the inside of Orthodox Judaism -- as the Agudath Israel. They are concerned about the yeshivas and criminals that perpetrated these crimes on unsuspecting children, damaged them for life, and the kids are the OTHER HAND?

How far have these born Jews fallen into the depths of depravity? How ill is Zwiebel who dares to open his foul mouth with such a statement? How sick is Perlow and Kaminetzky who use Zwiebel and "yenner tipish" Shafran as their ventriloquists?

They are the prime cause of the child-rape machla to have metastasized in the Jewish community by covering-up these crimes for decades! They are the epitome of evil and vile rishus! And now the "rabbis at the highest level are talking"?

Talking about what?

Whom next to cover for? What other child-rapists and their rabbi enablers, scores of them, should do to cover their crimes? Bribe a few politicians? Squeeze D.A. Charles Hynes out of office if he does not continue in the decades long cover-up?

Send out Aron Twerski and David Mandel to another gathering of idiot parents and assure them that all the various rabbis/pigs/enablers are "honorable animals"? Who the hell do they think they're kidding? They've been exposed as the "kapos" of this generation. They knowingly have participated in the murder of Jewish children! Does it get any lower than this?

I got news for you filthy animals, if you block this bill in any manner, I will make every effort to get your sorry rear-ends tossed into jail! Think I'm kidding, don't you? You thought I was kidding three years ago, didn't you?

I keep my promises! You pray hard that the Markey bill passes or you have not seen yet what I'm capable of doing!

Rav Hershel Schachter Shlita - Rosh Kollel R' Yitzchok Elchonon Kollel Elyon Will Address The Gathering Via Videotape!

Click On Image To Enlarge!

ANNOUNCING - YEDEI ESAV!

Destroy Yedei Esav --- Educate Yourselves And Your Children! Take responsibilty for your child's welfare --- I REPEAT --- YOUR CHILDRENS' SAFETY CAN'T BE TRUSTED TO ANYONE! IF YOU SUSPECT A PROBLEM, WHETHER WITH A TEACHER... OR A FAMILY MEMBER, GO TO THE POLICE! Anybody who advises you to speak to your rabbi before going to the police is your enemy!



CLICK ON IMAGE TO ENLARGE:


***UPDATED -- NEW PHOTOS!***

**********************************************

Rabbi Red (Kolko) Isaacson - President Yedei Eisav



Chairman of the board - Lippy (The Child-Slapper) Margulies




Anonymous Friends Of UOJ!

Finally, our Orthodox Jewish leadership is formally publicizing its hugely successful organization to assist “frum” child molesters!

Yedei Esav provides the following services to our community:

 Psak from Gedolim to intimidate victims so they dare not report crimes to the police.

 Rabbinic connections to police community liaisons to destroy evidence and close cases.

 Positions available in chinuch to provide really easy access.

 We train molesters in how to build stellar reputations in Torah and chesed so that nobody would ever think that you also molest.

 Assistance in having the children of your accusers thrown out from any and all yeshivas.

 Referrals to OHEL's sex offender "treatment" program, set up to cover for you to avoid angry people going to the authorities.

 We can convene a “Bais Din” against anyone who publicizes the "false" claims of “motzi shem ra“.

 In keeping with our mission, we will continue to promote "sweeping the problem under the carpet" at Agudah Conventions, as a way of encouraging better compliance with “Daas Torah“.

 If you need to run to Israel, we will help you avoid police arrest, and will fight your extradition wholeheartedly.

 Ready made statements of our concern for victims of abuse to give the impression that we care about them more than about the real victims, the molesters, R"L.

 Ample funding for really "chashuva" families, for needed bribes of all kinds.

 Political alliances with District Attorneys' offices in a growing number of cities to lobby prosecutors to "go easy" on hard working, tax paying (well, some of them actually do) citizens who "slipped through our fingers".

 Custom made "monitoring programs," like on yeshivah campuses, where long time serial molesters can be retired and watched without ever needing to have their crimes, or, uh, the "so called" danger they present to others publicized.

 Automatic cherem put on any blog or newspaper that identifies any of us molesters.

 We will work mightily to continue to keep the psak of Rav Elyashiv, the Gadol Hador, saying that people should go to the authorities with proof about child molesters, out of the public's knowledge, as it would upset the entire aim of Yedei Esav.

Our motto is; "The voice is the voice of Yakov (he talks frum) but the hands are the hands of Esau (no explanation necessary)"

Testimonials from satisfied clients:

Rabbi K: "If not for Yedei Esav, I would now be rotting in jail. Not only did I "walk", but I am now relocated, as if in a witness protection program, to Lakewood, where I am free to pursue another teaching job and prey on children in shul. Thank you, Yedei Esav!"

Rabbi E: "It is mamash a life-saver. The chesed of Yedei Esav is incredible. I even get to daven on the mizrach vant, am still on the Aguda's Vaad for Russian boys (some of my all time favorites, they are so geshmack) and Rabbi F continues to give haskamas to my "parenting" books."








Rabbis Shalom and Aaron (Victoria's not so secret models) Tendler - RCC members:




*** Rabbi Avrohom Union Rosh Gangster Cover-Upper ***

*** Los Angeles, California***



"Mee K'amcha Yisroel! While in other communities they prosecute people for having sexual relations with teenage girls and oh so many adulterous relationships, B"H the Jewish people have come up with an approach that allows the child-rapists free reign. We were kept in chinuch and rabbanus for years, until we finally decided ON OUR OWN to retire. Rabbi Union Rosh criminal Putz of the RCC made certain we were kept around teenage girls and kept "counseling" women only -- without their husbands. When young women came to the RCC with their "lies", Rabbi Union threatened to destroy them and their families. That's what we Tendlers call a Gadol! High-Five Rabbi Union! You should just see the faces of our victims when me and my uncle pass them on the street, and they know we have Yedei Esav supporting us. HA!"

Rabbi M: “If not for Yedei Esav, where would I be? I don’t even want to think about it. First they got me out of the country for 25 years so I could escape justice. Then when Jewish victims have the chutzpah to try to get me extradited, Yedei Esav comes to the rescue. I have more supporters in the frum community than Jonathan Pollard, but hey, how many little boys did he teach about the ‘mitzvah‘?”

Rabbi L: "I know what you will say. That I did have to get fired from my job and go to jail. But only for three years and now I'm out. Today I am a free man, and have help from many rabbis in convincing people that I was wrongfully accused. I hope to be back in a position of working with teenagers, at which I have been so successful, in a short time, IY"H, and all thanks to Yedei Esav.”

Rabbi R: “It doesn't matter if you are chassidish or litvish or modern orthodox, Kol Hamatzil Nefesh Achas B'yisroel, K'eelu Hitzil Kol Haoloam Kulo.“

The S family: "Our father, Rabbi S, Z"TL and our brother, Yibadel, Rabbi S, Shlita, molested dozens of innocent Bar Mitzvah boys. We felt so guilty and ashamed that we were going to apologize for it, R"L. But thanks to the awesome support of Yedei Esav, we were spared this embarrassment. They begged and threatened the press not to publish anything. When the Jewish Times did it anyway against Daas Torah, we had them blacklisted by Rabbi H, and a boycott by frum advertisers was organized. Thank you Yedei Esav!!!!"

Chief of Police of Lakewood NJ police department: "Thanks to Yedei Esav, our job in the police department here is much easier. We are the only city in America that can boast a zero arrest rate for sexual crimes against children. Yedei Esav has made it clear that they speak for the community here who want to allow child molesters full access to children. "

Ploni Almoni (name withheld upon request): "I have molested kids for years. Nobody seemed to care or complain. I think most of the kids liked it. Just in case, I told them not to tell or else they would be in trouble with their yeshivas, and that Hashem would punish them. But for some sick reason there were those parents who found out and complained. I was PETRIFIED. I thought I would be brought up on charges and sent to jail. But thanks to the rabbis of Yedei Esav, the parents were convinced not to go to the police. I ended up in front of a "Bais Din" convened for just this purpose. What a joke! When I pleaded, based on the good works I've done for the community, and my big mishpacha who need shidduchim, the "Bais Din" was incredibly understanding. They told me I should stop, but did not even make me go for an expert ATSA evaluation - or even a lie detector test - which is so basic - and they made incredible efforts that the whole thing would be in Reb S’s words "swept under the carpet.” Baruch Hashem. I promised to do "t'shuvah" and leave town and I now live in a new city where I am currently "grooming" several kids from baal tshuvah homes. For SURE nobody is going to care about them! What a mechaya. Thanks Yedei Esav!"

Cardinal Mahoney of the Los Angeles Diocese: "Yedei Esav is truly an inspiration. The Jewish people are our "older brothers", and like us, they protect their own. We may have more molesters in our priesthood than you do in your rabbinate. But your passion for cover-up is something we can only aspire to. The devotion and dedication you show to the child rapists and sexual abusers of innocent children truly sets the standard for us in practicing our religion. If only Yedei Esav was around ten years ago, maybe we could have used your techniques for bullying and intimidating victims to protect ourselves even more, and we would not now be paying over three BILLION dollars in settlements. Please, everyone of all faiths, support this noble organization in any way you can."

For help with protection, and to join this vital organization, please contact any of the rabbis of the "Vaad L'Hatzalas ROYDFEY Yisroel."

International Headquarters, Lakewood, NJ.

WE WILL NEVER, CHAS V'SHALOM, ALLOW OUR CHILDREN'S SAFETY ISSUES TO INTERFERE WITH THE PROTECTION OF “BNEI TORAH” WHO HAPPEN TO BE MOLESTERS!

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Trip to Albany Advocating for Child Victims Act -- March 11th!

Buses will leave at the following locations:

Avenue J & Coney Island Avenue
Flatbush, Brooklyn:
7:00am

82 Lee Avenue
Williamsburg, Brooklyn:
7:30am

Please RSVP at: sfjalbanytrip@gmail.com

(Depending on where you are coming from, we may be able to pick you up)

Confronting Child Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community!

Reports are on the rise concerning incest and child abuse in yeshivas, Jewish girl schools, and day schools. Many deny it’s a problem, we strongly disagree.

The Union for Traditional Judaism (UTJ) is hosting a special “awareness” program featuring rabbis and children advocates who stand on the forefront of combating this Chilul HaShem. The program is Sunday, March 15, from 9:30a.m. - 1:00p.m. at UTJ Headquarters, 811 Palisade Ave., Teaneck, N.J. To register or for more information, call (201) 801-0707 ext. 200

Featured speakers are:

Rabbi Mark Dratch, Executive Director of JSafe, a nonprofit organization committed to combating child abuse and domestic violence in homes, schools, yeshivot and in the community

Rabbi Fred Hyman, congregational rabbi in Springfield, MA. Rabbi Hyman has become an advocate on behalf of victims of child molestation

Rabbi Dr. Michael Kaplowitz, psychiatrist in private practice who directs the pastoral counseling course for rabbinical students at the ITJ. He is also Director of Behavioral Health at the Blanche Kahn Rehabilitation Center in Brooklyn, NY.

Michael Lesher Esq. writer, journalist and attorney who has fought on behalf of mothers and children navigating the dangerous terrain of the family court system.

Dr. Rachel Yehuda, Professor of Psychiatry and Neurobiology at Mount Sinai School of Medicine, Director of the Traumatic Stress Studies Division at Mt. Sinai.

Elliot Pasik Esq. of the Jewish Board of Advocates for Children will provide copies of a legislative proposal aimed at helping victims.

Webcast available for those outside the New York Area. Please call 201-801-0707 ext. 200 to inquire.

Program includes continental breakfast. (To encourage members of the Agudath Israel to attend - UOJ add-on, I could not resist)

Mitch Morrison
Group Editor
CSP Information Group
973-685-2882
mmorrison@cspnet.com

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My name is Mikele Rauch.

I am a psychotherapist in Boston, and have been working with men and women who are survivors of clergy and rabbinical sex-abuse since 1990.

I am pleased to announce that my book, Healing the Soul after Religious Abuse: The Dark Heaven of Recovery -- will be in print at the end of March. (http://www.greenwood.com/catalog/C34670.aspx )

It speaks about the impact of religious abuse not only on the psyche but the soul, and how to recover the deepest parts of the self, rediscover the sacred and create meaning again.

There are powerful interviews with persons from all five major religions, who were survivors of sexual, physical and ritual abuse, as well as homophobia, racism, sexism and misogyny in religious cultures. The book looks at shame and its place in individual development and religious community. Healing the Soul explores leadership and narcissism in religious clergy, especially the powerful and potential dangerous connection between spiritual guide and those he or she serves. There is also a special section about the unique nature of the guru disciple relationship and how abuses happen in the context of Buddhism and Hinduism and how that interfaces with Westerners and western culture. The book grapples with the paradox of "holiness" and spiritual stature, and how persons with such stature still are capable of doing harm.

Healing the Soul has both a personal story and a larger viewpoint, about hope and possibilities in the face of darkness and alienation.

Because the book has a small distribution, the price is $44.95. If you wish to read it but do not want to purchase the book, please contact your local library acquisitions and request the book.

Praeger Publishers

Book Code: C34670

ISBN: 0-313-34670-4

ISBN-13: 978-0-313-34670-5

DOI: 10.1336/0313346704


Purchases can be made through --- malesurvivor.org:

http://www.malesurvivor.org/bookstore.html.

All orders through malesurvivor.org will receive a 40% discount.

Thank you for your attention. Peace in all the important work you do for those who suffer.

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I traveled to Albany on Wednesday as part of a SFJ sponsored trip to meet with our representatives and express support for a bill pending in the Assembly and Senate that, if passed, will open a one year window in the current statute of limitations and allow victims of sexual abuse to file civil suits and expose their abusers. The Catholic Church and certain Orthodox Jewish groups are aggressively opposing the bill and trying to intimidate our legislators into withdrawing their support for the bill. The Legislators we met with were very impressed with the presence of Orthodox and secular Jews pushing for the passage of the bills. Please combat the Church’s campaign by taking a minute to copy the message below, add the specific name of the representative you are addressing the letter to, and e-mailing it to as many members of the Assembly and Senators as you are able. I’ve included a link on the UOJ sidebar above, which will give you the e-mail and mailing information for your representatives. Please make our voice heard. Every letter and e-mail will make a difference. The Church sent 700 letters, I hope we can surpass that. Thank you for your help.

Joel Engelman

Hon. (name), Senator, State of New York

Dear Senator (name):

I am a member of the Jewish community. As a constituent, I strongly urge you to support, without amendment, the Child Victims Act of New York, recently introduced in the Senate as Bill #S2568 by Senator Thomas Duane.

There is a virulent but silent epidemic of child sexual abuse in our society. FBI studies show that one in five children will be sexually abused by the age of 18! Measures such as safety zones, offender registries, safe environments, and background checks help with known abusers, but we need to do much more to discover the unknown predators, those who are often shielded by New York's archaic and inadequate Statute of Limitations on Child Sexual Abuse. Since predators are known to abuse multiple victims—as many as 100—we can not continue to let New York's children be at risk!

Studies reveal that children who are victims of this heinous crime require many years into adulthood to gain the strength and courage to name their abuser. And only 10% of these crimes are ever reported! I hope you agree we must change this appalling situation.

The Child Victims Act would accomplish the following:

1. Extend the deadline for a victim to file a claim in court—from age 23 to age 28.

2. Suspend the Limitations for just one year, so those who have been denied justice in the past when little was known of this silent epidemic, and victims could be more readily intimated into silence, can now have their day in court.

When California enacted such a suspension, more than 300 previously undetected predators were discovered. We must do the same for the children of New York!

Please don't let NY state law be used against our children! I will call your office next week for your position on this bill, and to answer any questions.

Thank you for your attention to this most serious matter. Thanks, too, for all that you do for the people of New York.

Sincerely yours,

The Lakewood boy that died of a drug overdose over the weekend was a victim of sexual abuse!

Steve writes.....

"The Lakewood boy that died of a drug overdose over the weekend was a victim of sexual abuse. The boy was involved in a project called "Ashrecha" to help other victims and to bring public awareness to the painful subject. May his death be a wake up call to ALL of us and may he be the last such victim, Amen. May Hashem avenge his blood. These are his words, posted on Facebook:

http://www.facebook.com/topic.php?uid=132867835462&topic=8106\

There is thing called child molestation that we have all heard of we all know it happens in different places we all know maybe priests or that creepy uncle.

Let me tell you a little about this thing and first hand what it can do to a kid. A frum child is molested he knows nothing about tummah and kedusha all he knows is that he was violated that his body is a toy thats what gets engraved into his brain not that he is a person worthy of respect but that he is an object a tool. This kid grows up he knows nothing of sex all he knows is that he is dirty and that his rabbis say sex is bad he doesn't understand he thinks he is bad any mussar shmooz he hears it directly at him and this innocent kid begins to believe of himself as a bad person.

Nobody likes being bad he will look for a place with no expectations of him a place were he can be free to fit in a world where everybody is bad....Chances are he will either convince himself this is the normal and pass it in to another innocent child or he will resort to rebelling to prove to himself he is as bad as he thinks he is......Often he will find drugs to take him away to give him an escape from his horrible reality....That being said...

Did you ever notice a support our troops symbol on the back of somebody's car? do you know what that represents? that means that thousands of miles there are people no different then yourself fighting a war and that we support them that gives them the morals they need to keep doing what they must do in order to protect us.
I dont expect to see "save our kids" on the back of all of our cars but is it too much to ask that each and everyone of us do our part???I will not mention names but there was one play group accused cased closed and dealt with. thats a start but that should send a chill down your spine theses are kids we are talking about.... there is another play group that is still open after over 5 cases have been brought against it!!!!! do you love your kids???? theses are the same kids that some vaad in lakewood will put in ad in the paper to protect from cellphone texting or god forbid a concert but did you see an ad saying

Guard your kids!!!!? DO research!!!!! If your in doubt dont send them there!

A play group that has had 5 allegations against it is still open????? Of course its there parnasah we are so worried about...

Maybe i should fill you in on some facts there is a jewish rehab whose name i will not mention that deals with kids whose lives are in danger i spoke to the intake administrator there about the cliental from Lakewood and i was told 99.% of all kids from lakewood Yes lakewood our holy town who doesn't allow text messaging were molested in this town!!!!! and that is what led to there addiction! now some facts of this rehab which has a high success rate 50% dont stay clean and out of all the jewish kids there that leave and relapse there is an average of 3 jewish souls that die a year!!! Murdered by you and me and all of us unwilling to take a stand against these people in our community the rabbis are scared to do anything? its political?? how dare they say that?? this is life and death we are killing kids over here we are condemning them to a life of misery of lonely depression and god forbid of passing on this horrible sickness.

IT IS YOUR DUTY as a Jew, As a Human to find these people in our community and no longer let them live among us!!!! 'Oy le rosha Oy le schayno' I think over here we are all the reshoim if we sit back and do nothing!! and if you dare say you are worried that people in play groups will lose there jobs there is some math you may want to do. a rehab a 6 month program to give a molested kid a chance $5,000 per months totals $30,000 now this place on average has 20 kids per six months thats $60,000 do you want me to count in the average fee of therapy $150-per hour????? or maybe you want the numbers i got from the local funeral homes?????? WAKE UP!!!!!! Ask yourself honestly is it that you are truly concerned about this just isn't your place or do you just not know what to do? I think trying to be worried about innocent money just went the window....

This cannot be hidden any more!!!!! you know something speak up!!! have you been thru this??? share your story, help create support groups Help publicize this letter share your story.... If you are an offender seek help it can be done your amends will not be easy but it can be done.

You can make one fatal mistake and that is to try and hide and think you will get passed by come out help fix the wrong before you will no longer have that chance EVER.

If we all get together as a town to help weed this community it can be done with minimal damage. Anybody innocent who may receive slight setbacks because of this consider it your part in saving a life."

ASHRECHA

MONDROWITZ DAY OF RECKONING MAY BE NEAR -- DON'T FORGET TO DO YOUR PART!

With whatever else is happening, PLEASE don't forget: The last effort of Avrohom Mondrowitz -- Mondro the Monster, the Brooklyn Bugger, Rabbi Retro, Doctor Petzel, Sodomy on Two Legs, whatever you want to call the animal -- to escape extradition from Israel for his long-awaited trial in Brooklyn was heard by the Israeli Supreme Court in December. A final decision is likely in the near future!

By my calculations, Mondrowitz's is probably the worst serial child sex abuse case ever against Orthodox Jewish victims, and if it had been up the rabbis -- and the "justice" system in Brooklyn and Israel -- he'd still be laughing at us from his cozy apartment in Jerusalem.

Let's keep up the effort at this crucial moment!

Please! Everyone! Take a few minutes, whenever you can, as often as you can, to call or write Israel's Supreme Court regularly to check on the status of the Mondrowitz case. This will remind court officials, and other politicians, that plenty of people in the U.S. are watching this case closely and care very much about justice being done.

Make no mistake. It's do-or-die time. If Israel's Supremes rule in favor of extradition, Mondrowitz will be sent to New York for trial. If they cave to Mondrowitz and his friends, we'll never see the monster face his victims in a Brooklyn courtroom.

I must tell you that rumors are floating -- maybe more than rumors -- about some sort of deal between various politicians and Ger to protect Mondrowitz from a New York trial: a trial that would blow the lid off the extent of the cover up that went on for years in his case. With a new government forming in Israel, I'm afraid this is even more likely. We've got to do our part to fight back. Let the politicians know they're under scrutiny. That some Jews do care about other Jews. That some Jews know about al sa'amod al dam rei'echa.

You can reach Israel's High Court, Public Affairs Department at 011-972-2-675-9612 and 011-972-2-675-9613. I believe their email address is: tlunotrasham@court.gov.il and the fax number is 011-972-2-651-3191.

No bad behavior, please -- nothing Mondro's lawyers can use to claim "intimidation." But PLEASE, call, email, fax, and repeat! -- with queries about the status of the case. Let them know how many people care, and care enough to keep checking. The word will surely get around.