None of the nearly $1 million set aside to tackle sex abuse in New York’s ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities has been spent, even as another program set up to help scrambles for cash.
The state has earmarked $950,000 since April 2009 to fund Assemblyman Dov Hikind’s plans to teach Hasidic Jews to speak up against child molestation.
But the money sits untouched as Hikind figures out the details of Shomrei Yeldainu – Hebrew for “Guardians of our Children” – the Daily News has learned.
“You have to develop something that is done correctly working with the rabbis and leaders,” said Hikind (D-Brooklyn).
The $950,000 was included in the 2009 state budget for the Office of Family and Children’s Services, said Matt Anderson, a budget spokesman for Gov. Paterson.
It’s the first time the state has funded a sex abuse program geared toward helping a specific ethnic group.
“Apparently, the Hasidim will only go to the Hasidim for help,” said Edward Borges, an FCS spokesman.
I’ve written and spoken before on the terrible situation in the NY Orthodox Jewish community that allows child rapists to go unchecked and unpunished. It has been said that if you want to be a pedophile, this is THE place to prey.
The reason the problem exists is to a large extent, summarized in the last sentence: they only go to their own for help. Naturally, when you have this kind of a cult mentality, “their own” are often supporters of the rapists, not the victims (as disgusting as that sounds).
If the money for helping victims is going untouched, then the undeniable conclusion is that it is not serving the purpose for which it is intended. What is the Jewish community doing to spread the word that here is help from OUTSIDE the group? I suspect the answer is NOTHING. This is a cult, and just like every other cult they abhor outsiders because outsiders make sense and provide justice, as opposed to the utter subservience dished out by the cult.
The problem is compounded by a fear of the government appearing antisemitic if they press into the problem. This must not be used as an excuse. Children are being hurt, and it is the government’s job to step in and protect the children. Use the money to fund publicity to the Jewish children, and provide a few undercover cops to root out the swine.
Oh, and by the way, if you’re a child rapist, you’re not all that worried about the invisible man-in-the-sky, so no kosher meals in prison unless you pay for it yourself! Okey Dokey?
13 comments:
"Children are being hurt, and it is the government's job to step in and protect the children."
And it's the foxes job to guard the chicken coop. It's the cat's job to fend for the mice. And it's the job of the biggest group of inept incompetents to help parents, teachers, and others be bereft of their responsibility to their own kids.
When ACS investigates a case of abuse, does anyone here know what their protocol is and what criteria they use? If a doctor reports a suspected case of abuse to ACS, is it the facts or the accusation that takes precedent.
Sadly, good people working for bad agencies have their hands tied between their legs when trying to right legitimate cases of crime (yes, abuse is a crime). There is a lot of path of least resistance cases that are cherry picked and the real hard cases that go undiscovered or hidden until the crime is so heinous that the press reports on it.
What may be a better approach is to train the parents and to inculcate in them that there is zero tolerance for this behavior and then enforce it. Better the military's system of guilty until proven innocent then the system of sweeping it under the rug. Of course we are concerned about those who use the threat of reporting perversion as a witch hunt or a form of retribution and/or extortion. No system is safe from a dyed in the wool menuvil. And that is what investigation is for and why the police are necessary and must be engaged immediately.
It should be pasted on the walls, we have seen the enemy and it is us. We permit the perverts and enable them by making them fearless from any kind of punishment. When will we ever learn?
New York Post:
"Tal-mood for love: Sex-tape rabbi tries to 'share' hottie
Sex-tape rabbi tries to 'share' hottie
By REUVEN BLAU and MELISSA KLEIN
December 20, 2009
Eww, that's not kosher!
A prominent Orthodox rabbi has been caught on tape discussing his apparent love affair with a shiksa he was converting to Judaism -- whom he allegedly also pushed to have sex with his friends.
Rabbi Leib Tropper of Rockland County is heard encouraging pretty, blond Shannon Orand of Houston to participate in phone sex and actual sex with men the rabbi knows, including one he calls "the Satmar guy."
Tropper, who calls the woman "darling" and "cutie pie," talks about his own love affair with her at one point, saying: "I want to squeeze you."
He also fantasized about rape. "I could role-play a rape with you but I couldn't actually rape you -- you know what I'm saying, darling -- does that make sense?" he asks.
The scandal has rocked the Orthodox community from Rockland to Israel, and transcripts of the sex tapes are circulating on Jewish blogs, with the audio posted on YouTube.
The rabbi talks about paying Orand money for a lawyer and a stipend of $1,300 for the month of November. He also mentions putting in writing an agreement between the two.
"Why would you want to document that kind of agreement on an e-mail?" an upset Orand asks.
Orand, who identifies herself on the tape, apparently recorded the phone conversations. "It was only supposed to go to a few leading rabbis," Orand, 32, told The Post.
She refused to comment further, and later released a statement saying, "While an individual 'rabbi' acted in an inappropriate manner, my desire to become a bona fide Jew is undeterred."
Orand reportedly told a Jewish blog, failedmessiah.com, that Tropper would tell her: "If you fulfill my needs, I'll fulfill yours -- and you need a conversion."
The blog reported that Orand's conversion was to have been finalized last week, but was canceled at the last minute by a religious court.
Tropper declined to comment, but a source close to him said the rabbi feels like he's a victim and was used by Orand.
He resigned effective Dec. 12 from Eternal Jewish Family, a Monsey-based organization that primarily works to convert gentiles in interfaith marriages to Judaism.
The 59-year-old rabbi is the founder of Eternal Jewish Family and sought to create strict universal guidelines for conversion, which are handled differently by various Jewish sects."
Frum Satire:
"Rabbi Leib Tropper – finally a frum scandal involving sex
by Heshy Fried on December 20, 2009
For all of you who don’t keep up on your daily frum community gossip columns Rabbi Leib Tropper is involved in the latest scandal to hit the frum world. Unlike the countless other scandals involving so called “frum” people, this one is actually exciting, as you guessed it involves money, you cannot have a frum scandal without money but this time it involves Sex, that’s right folks, a scandal involving sex, bribery and fraud – what could be better?
Apparently Leib Tropper who was the president of the group EJF –Eternal Jewish Family, forced a woman whom he was overseeing her conversion to do sexual favors for him. I know it sounds crazy, and when I heard that it was posted on Failed Messiah, I figured it must be some sort of tirade against orthodoxy, but it isn’t, this time there is actual proof and it doesn’t help his case that he resigned his position as the story broke.
Now normally I don’t talk much about scandals, the kidney thing wasn’t that funny and the Madoff thing was money and even Rubashkin was kind of boring in my mind, but having sex with your Rabbi is kind of funny, especially when you’re doing it in order to convert.
How did she get tapes? Will these be like the Paris Hilton Tapes? Those texas girls are kind of hot.
I have read up on the investigation, facts and allegations – and the following information was posted on the Dov Bear Blog, which to me is one of the easiest to read, comment on and sort through because it just lays it all out for ya.
Absolute facts:
– In 2006 Leib Tropper revoked a woman’s conversion because of a breach of strict halachic tznius rules.
– In October 2009 Leib Tropper was sued by a billionaire Israeli for allegedly misappropriating 1 million dollars.
– In mid-December 2009 Leib Tropper resigned from his leadership role at EJF
– Pashkvelin in Israel, this month, denounced Leib Tropper as a Zimri playing like a Pinchas.
Facts Supported by strong circumstantial evidence:
– A woman who identifies herself as Shannon Orand, recorded a number of conversations between herself and a man who sounds like Leib Tropper and has intimate information about Leib Tropper’s associates and family.
– In the audio recording, Tropper speaks of a sexual relationship with the woman as well as setting her up for phone sex and actual sex acts with men identified only as “Amir” and the “Satmar guy.”
– Money is passing hands, although it is not clear if the funds were used as a quid pro quo for sex."
Frum Satire:
"Rabbi Leib Tropper – finally a frum scandal involving sex
Information provided by Shmarya at FailedMessiah after a conversation with the woman (whom he does not identify):
– The audio was leaked and was not supposed to end up in the hands of bloggers and mainstream media.
– One of Shmarya’s sources for the audio was the billionaire Israeli.
– There were other women that were part of the sexual activities.
– The woman claims that Tropper was using her for sex and in return he was going to provide her with a conversion.
Investigative Reporting:
– The woman on the audio is from Texas. There is a Shannon Orand listed in Houston Texas. Her address is near the frum neighborhood.
– Ms. Orand claims on her Myspace page that she was raised Catholic and is now Jewish. This implies she has already converted.
– Ms. Orand has not logged into her Myspace account since August 2009.
– Ms. Orand had a Facebook account (which is still visible in google results if you click “cached”) it has been since deleted.
Pure Speculation / Food For Thought:
– If Ms. Orand had already converted why was she converting again? Was it a set-up? Or was she really converting (again)?
– A man with the means of the slighted billionaire Israeli could very well have orchestrated the demise of his nemesis by playing to Tropper’s weaknesses with an elaborate set-up.
– By recording conversations in which the woman admits to sexual activity with a married man and potential sexual activity with others, we can infer that there was a huge interest on her part to expose Tropper and indict herself.
– The things Tropper did would still be inexcusable but they shed new light on his predicament.
– Don’t mess with billionaires.
Sources:
Wikipedia, Google, Whitepages.com, FailedMessiah, my sechel and sparse free time.
Dov Bear has also informed us that this story is going to a biggie in the New York Times – now what do I have to do to make it big. Oh and as expected Vos Iz Neias and Yeshiva World News have not made one mention of this – even though they beat the Rubashkin thing like a dead horse – is it possible that they have an aversion to Rabbis and sex – although they do seem to be touting the nude bike lane protest news quite a bit these days."
Bloomberg Business Week:
"Bahrain Credit Risk Exceeds Lebanon After Fitch Cuts Rating
March 15, 2011
By Alaa Shahine and Camilla Hall
(Updates to add debt outstanding in 11th paragraph.)
March 16 (Bloomberg) [Unzerementschen] -- The cost of insuring against a default by Bahrain [Boropark] surpassed Lebanon [Reichmans] for the first time since July 2009 as officials declared a state of emergency and Fitch Ratings lowered the Persian [ParasUmadai] Gulf nation’s credit rating.
Bahrain’s five-year default swaps surged 44 basis points yesterday to 359.37 while contracts for Lebanon, whose debt carries a lower credit rating, climbed 4 basis points to 359.17. Bahrain’s swaps have increased the second most in the world this year after Pakistan, according to CMA prices in London.
Fitch lowered its rating on Bahrain’s foreign debt two levels yesterday and said another downgrade is possible. Bond yields and credit risk of governments in the Middle East surged this year as popular uprisings toppled leaders in Tunisia [Shtetel] and Egypt [Ghetto] . Iran’s [Haredi Sfard] government issued a statement condemning the “meddling into Bahrain’s [Boropark's] internal affairs” as troops from the six-member Gulf [Frum] Cooperation Council arrived to bolster security.
“The biggest danger is that Bahrain [Boropark] becomes the battleground for Saudi Arabia [Haredi Stan], the U.S. and Iran [Haredi Sfard],” said London- based Oliver Bell, senior investment manager at Pictet Asset Management. “It wasn’t clear things had escalated inside Bahrain [Boropark] to necessitate the request for help from Saudi Arabia [Haredi Stan].”
Bahrain’s [Borpark's] King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa [Rebbes Dime A Dozen] declared a state of emergency for three months as mainly Shiite [Chulent] protesters in Bahrain [Boropark], which is ruled by Sunnis [Yeshivisha], demonstrated, demanding democracy and free elections. Shiites [Chulents] are the majority in Bahrain [Boropark] and are from the same branch of Islam [Frumkeit] as practiced in Iran [Haredi Sfard].
Rating Outlook
The yield on Bahrain’s 5.5 percent bond maturing in March 2020 climbed 30 basis points, or 0.3 percentage point, to a record 6.88 percent yesterday, data compiled by [Heimisha] Bloomberg show. Fitch cut the nation’s credit rating to BBB, the second-lowest investment grade, from A-, citing increased political risk. Fitch rates Lebanon’s debt B, five steps below investment grade.
Credit-default swaps for Russia [Lubavitch], rated the same as Bahrain [Boropark] by Fitch, rose 5 basis points yesterday to 137.
The outlook for Bahrain’s [Boropark's] rating is negative, indicating that more downgrades may follow. Bahrain’s [Boropark's] credit ratings were lowered Feb. 21 at Standard & Poor’s. [Yikes x Oyvey].
“The two-notch downgrade reflects further material escalation in political risk in recent days, following significant violent domestic protests, military intervention by Gulf nations and the imposition of a state of emergency,” Purvi Harlalka, Director in Fitch’s Middle East and Africa Sovereign Ratings Group, said in a statement..." [in other words their goose is cooked.]
All tyrannical regimes are in trouble. In democracies, while people face economic hardships, they have the freedom to speak their mind and enjoy freedom of speech, religion and expression online and on the ground, but not so in dictatorships, absolute monarchies, totalitarian states, and nepotistic monopolies. There is an awakening among all of humanity that desires an equal share in all the benefits, it's not just for sheiks and dictators, who like rebbes and rosh yeshivas, "reserve" the best positions to their families and disciples by "royal decrees" -- now all that is changing as the world moves forward, and it's why Saudi strong-arm tactics are bound to fail and backfire, as in this report:
TIME:
Why A Saudi Intervention into Bahrain Won't End the Protests
Posted by Aryn Baker Monday, March 14, 2011
Saudi troops in Bahrain? A month ago that was the worst case scenario, a threat put out there by the “sky is falling” extremists who were convinced that protesting in Bahrain would not go the way of peaceful demonstrations in Tunisia and Egypt. But the momentum of the movements sweeping the Middle East caught the imagination of young Bahrainis who seized the opportunity to push for their own democratic reforms. They scoffed at the idea that Saudi Arabia would send troops. But here they are, coming in 1000 strong, across a causeway better known for ferrying Saudi partygoers to a more liberal state where movies, booze and other carnal delights are freely available.
In theory the troops are there just to protect major government facilities such as electricity and water supplies. “Phew,” tweeted one observer, “And I thought they were here to shoot people.” But what the troops, sent in as part of the Gulf Cooperation Council Force, are really protecting is the GCC's way of rule. In other words: autocratic and dictatorial regimes that have survived by grace of liberal cash handouts, not any kind of enlightened leadership (O.K. Qatar, you get a pass on that one – but that's another blog post). If, god forbid, Bahrain's protesters get what they want, which is by an large a constitutional monarchy, Saudi Arabia, Oman, the UAE and Kuwait may soon be forced to follow suit, or face the consequences. Already rulers in Oman and Saudi have been promising cash bonuses and loans as if that could somehow hold back the democratic tide. It won't work. And for that matter, nor will sending Saudi troops into Bahrain. The protests have already moved beyond the point where fear is a negotiating tool.
If you have seen men demonstrating with bare torsos, it's not because it's hot in Bahrain. It's a statement: They are baring their chests to meet the soldiers' bullets. “Let the children die,” Hassan al Salman, a 23-year-old I.T. engineer with a nice car and a good job told me when I was in Bahrain last month. “Let the people die. I want to die, because if I die the people will get even more angry, and there will be bigger protests, and then we will get what we want.” If the protesters were armed, and demanding the implementation of Shariah law, or calling for the expulsion of the U.S.'s Fifth Fleet, which is stationed there, a crackdown may be considered justifiable. But what the protesters—who are, by the way, resolutely unarmed and peaceful— want is the ability to choose their representatives, freedom of speech, freedom of assembly and an end to the apartheid-like policies of a ruling Sunni minority over a Shia majority. The Saudi troops may succeed in quashing the demonstrations, but in the end, both the royal family that called them in and the GCC leadership that authorized the deployment will end up on the wrong side of history."
The EFF victory over Michael Hersh and Aron Schechter was more important that most people realize! Michael Hersh's and Aron Schechter's failed shot to sue for and break open the IDs of their online critics was part of a dangerous game to turn the Internet on its head by using it to "spy" and "nab" the people they hate most, those who reveal their dangerous hypocrisies. This should be no surprise and should also be a word of caution to all Internet users:
The Internet is a two-edged sword warns Wikileaks head:
"Internet is world's 'greatest spying machine': Assange
Mar 15, 2011
Julian Assange, the founder of whistleblower website WikiLeaks, has warned that the Internet was the "greatest spying machine the world has ever seen" and an obstacle to free speech.
Speaking to students at Britain's prestigious Cambridge University on Tuesday, the former computer hacker claimed that the Internet, particularly social networking sites such as Facebook, gave governments greater scope for snooping.
"There was actually a Facebook revolt in Cairo three or four years ago," Assange explained.
"It was very small... After it, Facebook was used to round up all the principal participants and they were then beaten, interrogated and incarcerated.
"So while the Internet has in some ways an ability to let us know to an unprecedented level what government is doing... it is also the greatest spying machine the world has ever seen," he added.
The rise of technology was helping tyrannical regimes, said the 39-year-old Australian, who is currently fighting extradition to Sweden over allegations of sex offences.
"It is not a technology that favours freedom of speech," he claimed.
"It is not a technology that favours human rights.
"Rather it is a technology that can be used to set up a totalitarian spying regime, the likes of which we have never seen."
But the activist restated his belief that his website had helped trigger the ongoing Arab uprising.
He also said that the release of official US diplomatic documents had "changed part of the dynamics" in Tunisia, resulting in eventual regime change.
Assange sympathised with imprisoned US soldier Bradley Manning, who is suspected of having leaked the cables.
"Our support for his plight cannot be stated too loudly," he said."
TOKYO — Never has postwar Japan needed strong, assertive leadership more — and never has its weak, rudderless system of governing been so clearly exposed or mattered so much.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/03/17/world/asia/17tokyo.html?nl=afternoonupdate&emc=aua2
AFP/The Age.com (Australia):
"US military blocks websites for Japan aid effort
March 17, 2011 - 8:05AM
The US military has banned access to popular commercial websites on its computer network to free up bandwidth for relief efforts in Japan, officials said Wednesday.
The "partial ban" applied to 13 sites including YouTube, eBay, Amazon, MTV and ESPN, but not Facebook, US Cyber Command officers said.
"This action is in no way a reflection on any specific site or the content of any specific site," the Pentagon said in a statement.
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The move was taken as a precaution "in response to the needs of the military in a time of extreme demand on all circuits and networks in a region of the world that has been devastated by geological activity," it said.
The step was requested by US Pacific Command, which is overseeing the disaster relief efforts.
The US military has ordered 15 naval ships to Japanese waters in a massive aid operation after Japan's deadly quake and tsunami, amid fears of an atomic meltdown after damage to the Fukushima power plant."
With Purim coming up and the Tropper scandal a year behind I would suggest entertaining yourself with these two posts (read in the order presented here)
1. http://frumfollies.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/rabbi-leib-tropper-announces-the-formation-of-eternal-jewish-tshuvah-satire/
2. http://frumfollies.wordpress.com/2009/12/21/correction-yerachmiel-lopin-of-frumfollies-apologizes-to-leib-tropper-satire-2/
For up-to-date absurdity see my latest posts on the vaad hatznius and the suggestion that you dress up as one of their members to dramatically improve your Purim take.
Have a Freilich Purim
http://lifeinisrael.blogspot.com/2011/03/idiot-acharonot-purim-news.html
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