Catholic League president Bill Donohue comments:
Reporter Paul Vitello of the New York Times showed the shocking extent of child sexual abuse in Brooklyn’s Orthodox Jewish community. He also details the cover-ups that have long been aided and abetted by law enforcement.
Where have all the church-and-state advocates been all these years when Orthodox rabbis were allowed by the D.A.’s office to settle these cases “internally”? Where have all the professional victims’ groups been in staging protests outside synagogues? Where have all the sue-happy lawyers been seeking to plunder the Orthodox? Where have all the comedians and late-night entertainers been in cracking jokes about rabbis raping kids?
It’s not just Orthodox Jews who have been given a pass: no group has gotten away easier than public school employees. Consider this. Because public school students have only 90 days to file suit, it is already too late to prosecute a teacher—in virtually every state—who molested a minor as recently as last spring. But if the offense took place in a Catholic school, the student has years to file suit. Not only that, molesting teachers are still shuffled from one school district to another; it’s called “passing the trash.”
Orthodox Jews try cases of child rape in rabbinical courts. Imagine if the Catholic Church failed to report abuse cases to the authorities and decided instead to institute its own ecclesial courts? Vittelo's article quotes a Jewish attorney urging law enforcement to recognize “religious sensitivities” for the guilty by seeking alternatives to prison. Allow a Catholic attorney to advise the same and it’s called corruption.
Last year, 60 minors in this small Jewish community said they were abused.
Catholics are fed up with the duplicity. It’s not just Roman Polanski who can rape and run with impunity these days. The politics of child rape is sickening.
5 Towns Jewish Times:
ReplyDelete"Tropper Resigns His Position
Written by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Tuesday, 02 February 2010 19:00
Late this morning Leib Tropper, the head of Yeshiva Kol Yaakov in Monsey resigned his position as Rosh Yeshiva of the institution. The new incoming Rosh Yeshiva is Rabbi Dovid Stefansky Shlita, a maggid shiur in the Yeshiva. Kol Yaakov is staffed by fine Talmidei Chachomim among whom are some quite distinguished Torah scholars.
Tropper indicated that he was resigning so that the Monsey-based Bais Din will not continue their investigations into allegations against him.
The Yeshiva building is owned by a corporation entitled "Kol Yaakov Torah Center, Inc. It is located at 29 West Maple Avenue, Monsey, NY 10952.
The three principals of the corporation that owns the property are Leib Tropper, David Jacobs, and Moshe Raice.
"This is a welcome first step," said one askan involved in the investigation, "however, the Torah community needs written assurances that Tropper's name will be taken off the paperwork and Rabbi Stefansky's name will be placed in his stead. Also, further steps need to be taken to ensure that this is not just a ploy and that he will not have anything further to do with the Yeshiva."
Previously, Rabbi Elya Svei Zatzal had made a similar request in regard to Leib Tropper, the 5TJT was told by a prominent Rosh Yeshiva.
"There were indications that Tropper still had plans to return to the helm of the Eternal Jewish Foundation notwithstanding his December 12th resignation, so it is important to ensure that this type of thing does not happen," remarked a legal consultant to the Monsey-based Bais Din. "It is our hope that Leib Tropper will cooperate with the Bais Din."
"Expenses associated with this investigation could reach tens of thousands of dollars," the consultant continued, "so hopefully we can wrap this up shortly."
5 Towns Jewish Times:
ReplyDelete"Monsey Beis Din Investigating Tropper Threatened
Written by Rabbi Yair Hoffman
Tuesday, 02 February 2010 19:00
Members of the Monsey based Bais Din investigating the charges against Leib Tropper has been receiving a series of threatening phone calls from people. The threats have ranged from threats of utterly destroying the Rabbis to getting people to pray for the downfall and destruction of the Rabbis involved in the investigation.
The threat campaign actually began on Sunday. One of the Rabbonim was actually visited by an individual who made veiled threats against that Rav. Phone messages were left on the machine of another one of the Rabbonim. This time the threats were not veiled and more explicit.
Thankfully, the Rabbis are not being intimidated and are moving forward.
The threats came after a series of interviews were granted that discussed the investigation. We will soon post the audio of some of the threatening phone calls. The part with the actual physical threats was not recorded. The threats that were taped involved seeking the destruction of the Rabbis investigating through prayer."
Washington Post:
ReplyDelete"Gulf security forces enter Bahrain, in response to escalating protests
By Michael Birnbaum Washington Post Staff Writer Monday, March 14, 2011; 2:03 PM
DAMMAM, SAUDI ARABIA [Haredi Stan]- A military [yeshivisha] force from Bahrain's Gulf [Boropark's Heimish] neighbors entered the tiny island nation Monday in an apparent attempt to restore order as anti-government demonstrations escalate.
The Bahrain Defense Force [Boropark Shomrim] confirmed the arrival of military units from a special Gulf [Frum] Cooperation Council security force. The Council is a regional economic and military alliance comprised of Saudi Arabia [Haredi Stan], Bahrain [Boropark], Kuwait [Gelechter], the United Arab [Chasidish] Emirates, Qatar [Fresser] and Oman [Uman].
A Saudi [Haredi] official, who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media, told the Associated Press that the force would secure key buildings. The U.S. Embassy in Bahrain [Boropark] dvised American citizens to stay in their residences.
The force included about 1,000 Saudi [Haredi] soldiers [batlanim], a Saudi {Haredi] official source told Reuters news service. Witnesses saw some 150 armored troop carriers, ambulances, water tankers and jeeps cross into Bahrain [Boropark] over a causeway from Saudi Arabia [Haredi Stan], Reuters reported...
"It's like a declaration of war on the people who are engaged in a peaceful protest demanding basic rights," said Jassim Hussain [Dov Hikind], a spokesman for Al-Wefaq [Jay-DeeEl], the main political opposition party. "They are viewed as occupation forces."
He said that the presence of "foreign troops" made it more difficult for opposition groups to engage in negotiations with the government.
The Obama administration repeated its call for restraint in Bahrain [Boropark]. "We urge our GCC partners to show restraint and respect the rights of the people of Bahrain [Boropark], and to act in a way that supports dialogue instead of undermining it," White House spokesman Tommy Vietor [Gei Veiter] said...
Protesters who have been calling for democratic reforms have successfully shut down large swaths of Manama [Thirteenthavenue], the capital city, and Bahraini [Boroparki] security forces have fought back with teargas and rubber bullets. Pro-government civilians have in some cases attacked protesters with sticks, knives and swords; the protesters have responded with rocks and other objects, witnesses have said.
Witnesses in Manama [Thirteenthavenue]said that most downtown businesses were closed Monday.
Authorities in Saudi Arabia [Haredi Stan], which is connected to Bahrain [Boropark] by a causeway, have looked at its smaller neighbor with growing anxiety, fearful that a victorious Shiite [Cholent] majority in Bahrain could embolden Saudi Arabia's [Haredi Stan's] own Shiite [Chulen] minority in nearby oil-rich Eastern Province.
They are also worried about Iran [Haredi Sfard] exploiting the situation off their coast, although American officials have said that they do not believe Iran [Haredi Sfard] has been involved in the Bahrain [Boropark] protests.
A pro-government [pro-rebbes] political society in Bahrain [Boropark] called Sunday for martial law to be imposed, the state news agency reported, while the White House issued a statement condemning the use of force...
Protesters, who are largely from the country's Shiite [Chulent] majority, have occupied central Pearl Square [Pizza Stores] in Manama [Thirteenthavenue] since mid-February. They have been calling for democratic reforms and an end to what they say is discrimination against Shiites [Chulents] by the Sunni [Yeshivish] monarchy."
You knew that Bahrain was headed down the tubes once they started blocking the Internet to try stop protests, and like all fools, they mistook the symptom for the real cause which has nothing to do with the Internet and everything to do with the corruption, cruelty and cynicism of the dysfunctional ruling classes:
ReplyDeleteEweek.com:
"Bahrain Restricts Internet Traffic, Blocks YouTube in Crackdown on Protests
By: Fahmida Y. Rashid
2011-02-18
It’s getting downright predictable as the formerly moderate government of Bahrain joins the likes of Iran and Egypt by cracking down on the Internet access within the country.
Another round of anti-government protests, another wave of Internet crackdowns. This time, the crackdown appears to be happening in Bahrain...
“Governments have this mistaken idea that the way to shut down the Internet generation is to shut down the Internet,” said Eben Moglen, a law professor at Columbia University and an Internet Freedom advocate. It’s the “wrong path,” he said.
Unlike the unprecedented shutdown by Egypt on Jan. 27, Bahrain appears to be merely increasing Web filtering. "Data from 100 Internet providers around the world suggests Bahrain has significantly increased its filtering of Internet traffic in response to growing political unrest," said Arbor Networks.
Compared with average Bahrain traffic over the previous three weeks, traffic fell off dramatically on Feb. 14 and has continued to decline. Sunday traffic volume was consistent with the previous weeks, but volume was still significantly lower than the average on Feb. 16, when Arbor Networks shared the data.
Arbor Networks collects Internet traffic data from about 120 worldwide Internet Service Providers into its ATLAS (Active Threat Level Analysis System) network.
While technical problems with a Bahraini ISP could not be ruled out entirely, it seems the most likely explanation is that Bahrain is closing off access. There have been reports from Al-Jazeera and several reporters within Bahrain saying various sites, including YouTube and Bambuser, are blocked.
The New York Times columnist Nicolas Kristof, who is reporting from Bahrain, posted on Twitter on Feb. 16, “Why slow the Internet? The Bahrain government view seems to be that if it isn’t uploaded on YouTube, it hasn’t happened.” Kristof said his hotel doesn’t have any Internet access as of Feb. 17.
In a strongly worded speech at George Washington University, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton called on countries to stop restricting Internet access, stop censoring content, and to protect a "free and open Internet."...
Bahrain hasn’t shied away from shutting down Websites or bloggers in the past. Last fall, two news Websites, Bahrain Breaking News and Muhannad Group, were ordered to cease operations because they weren’t licensed by the Information Affairs Authority, according to ITP.net...
According to Kristof’s Twitter feed, the government is trying to get him fired or discredited for his reporting. “Yes, I'm documenting Bahrain crackdown with video, photos, sound. I'm on the move to get these out before government confiscates them.”
People began to realize that "people you don't see" could serve as a "powerful part of your social network," Moglen said, noting that being able to connect with others online "accelerates" the sense of solidarity for a cause.
Nearly half the Bahrainis are connected to the Internet, with about 419,500 Internet users as of 2009, according to the CIA World Factbook. A little less than half of those users had broadband last year, according to the country’s Telecommunications Regulatory Authority..."
Bahrain aint going down the tubes. The issues in the Saudi Arabia/Persian Gulf areas are not the regular dictatorsip issues that Egypt, Tunisia, and libya went through.
ReplyDeleteIn the Persian Gulf area, the issues are Sunni-Shia, conflicts that have been around for 1,000 years.
The Sunnis, I believe, will win this round, because they know that the other choice is having an Iranian controlled Shia theocracy. Even Europe and the US are staying out of this one.