Rav Chaim Soloveichik in his drasha on Ki Tavo called upon community leaders to take a more forceful approach regarding child abuse!

Rav Soloveichik began his drasha by referring to the simcha which the community experiences when witnessing smachot involving the younger generation, such as brit milah and bar mitzvah. (Written by a talmid of Rav Chaim Soloveichik shlita, Ramat Bet Shemesh, Israel. Motsei Shabbat Parshat Ki Tavo, 5768)

Rav Chaim Soloveichik in his weekly Shabbat drasha on Parashat Ki Tavo called upon community leaders to take a more forceful approach regarding child abusers. Rav Soloveichik heads Mosdot HaRav Aharon Soloveichik – Bet Knesset Ohr Shalom, located in Ramat Beth Shemesh and founded by his father HaGaon HaRav Aharon Soloveichik.

The Rav noted that such smachot are so great because of the continuity which they represent. “Our children are our future-we rejoice at smachot connected to them and we must be vigilant in acting to protect them from harm.”

Rav Soloveichik cited the vidui maasroth which is mentioned as the second mitzvah in parashath Ki Tavo and raised the question of why one must say a vidui regarding sins which one did not do, whereas generally one does so regarding sins which one has transgressed. The Rav stated that the purpose of vidui is making a "complete accounting".

“Leaders, heads of institutions and rabbanim must make an accounting for that which they have and have not done for their communities. One issue regarding which a more serious accounting needs to be done is the issue of child-abuse. I have been apprised of a local problem with an alleged child abuser who is employed as a teacher of young children by a local school.The teacher is currently being investigated for inappropriate behavior with children, and community leaders and rabbanim say that we must not remove the teacher lest his parnasa be damaged.”

Rav Soloveichik emphasized that while one’s parnassa is an important issue this does not trump the need to separate such a teacher from children for whom he constitutes a presumed danger.

There are numerous opportunities for parnassah which do not require being responsible for 30 kids.

“It is hard to believe that rabbonim who know gemara, the poskim, mishna berura, backwards and forwards do not have the sense to realize that when non-frivolous claims have been made, an alleged child-abuser must be distanced from a position of contact with children until his name has been cleared.When no leadership is demonstrated by rabbanim, then the bloggers will inevitably fill the vacuum.”

Rav Soloveichik reiterated that an approach which only allows one to separate an alleged child-abuser from talmidim once there has been a criminal indictment or conviction unreasonably endangers children.

The Rav impassionately cried out:” Those who ask ‘what about the parnassa of the teacher?’ must be rebutted with the question ‘what about the children, what about the children?”

The Rav called upon community leaders to take vigorous action to assure that alleged predators are kept far from positions from which they can pose a threat to children. “Let us restore community initiative to the rabbanim and community leaders. We need to be the ones making the clarion calls, not just the bloggers.”

Rav Soloveichik praised the new initiative of Lema'an Achai, the Ramat Bet Shemesh chesed organization, which has established a "Safe Kids" program. Concerned local parents and kids call "Safe Kids" for professional and practical advice from qualified, experienced social workers, about child abuse.

Rav Soloveichik ended his drasha wishing upon the community that we have the zchuth to act wisely and forcefully for the sake of a better future for our children.

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UPDATED MONDAY SEPTEMBER 22,2008

Dear UOJ,

Toras Eliyahu continues to tell parents that the police have investigated and cleared Kagan. They have rec'd MORE complaints and are preparing their investigation.

THEY HAVE NOT EVEN QUESTIONED HIM AS YET!

Toras Eliyahu is lying to protect themselves. They are also trying to bad mouth the victims' families with lies and distortions.

Excepting the brave Rav Solovechik the Rabbonim here continue to remain silent.

Bet Shemesh is now in the middle of political campaigns. Perhaps care and concern for our children should top the candidate's platforms.

One party, naming itself TOV, claims to represent the working yeshiva man (is that an oxymoron?).

Their number 2 man, Mendy Newman, fought tirelessly in defense of Akiva Kagan. He tried to bring him back into the classroom in which he molested children.

Now Mendy Newman is running for Bet Shemesh city council for the TOV party.

TOV looks to have a good showing in Cheredi Ramat Bet Shemesh.

So an enabler of molesters might gain a seat on the city council.

I urge everyone to call the head of the TOV party, Mr. Elie Friedman (in Israel 0774401815) and let him know who he has chosen to run with.

In addition you may want to contact Dov Lippman, who heads the mayoral campaign for Shalom Lerner. Mr. Lerner also has a close association with Mendy Newman.

Dov Lippman can be contacted at:
shalomformayor@gmail.com

Tell him that Shalom Lerner should not associate with such people and that it won't be TOV for him to do so.

We must stop the molesters and their enablers!

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UPDATED - TUESDAY SEPTEMBER 23, 2008

Hi I'm Charles and I work for the Asbury Park Press, we're collecting information on this Catapult story out of Lakewood. If anyone has any information, please forward it to me at: charles_cunliffe_app@yahoo.com - I promise you total confidentiality. Thanks.

The Gig Is Up!

A Victim Of Rabbinic Sexual Abuse Ponders!

Why is it still considered taboo to go to the police when a child has been molested?

Can someone please give me an answer? Why are there child molesters (that we know about) roaming freely and being given the biggest respect and protection, while their victims are not allowed to get any sense of closure? Why is Dov Hikind not advising to go to the authorities?

I am fighting for this worthy cause. My motive is to stop the ugly cycle of molester/victim/molester/victim/etc.

What I'm implying in my last sentence might well bring upon me the wrath of victims and family. Let me preface with the fact that I was used and abused sexually by rabbis in our society and am left deeply hurting from those episodes and the cover-up that followed. As long ago as they may have occurred, the brain is still a huge blackboard with NO ERASURE. Hence when rabbis counseled me with the words "just get over it, it’s a thing of the past" I knew I was talking to men who are phenomenal IMBECILES when it comes to relating to this complex and painful topic.

Having said all this I will venture into dangerous waters now. Please be patient and follow my logic to its conclusion.

All or most seem to concur that a large percent of victims will due to the mental trauma, (and lack of normal sexual maturity while in a proper and healthy state of mind), likely and sadly become child-rapists themselves (albeit without being able to comprehend the severity of this due to having been programmed as such by the molestation). A far larger number will at least entertain thoughts of abuse and sexual violence.

As horrific as this sounds, allow me to prove it. Many survivors who fail to get proper therapy in a timely manner and try to live a normal life (i.e. getting married), will eventually find themselves in a turbulent marital relationship due to the fact that they were taught by example, and will therefore relate to sexual acts and marital relations in a different manner. These victims were taught, even before attaining full puberty, that sexual gratification is attainable at the expense of one’s supposed loved one, and that the object of your desires exists only to fulfill your every desire and fantasy with all the twisted justifications in tow.

Obviously such a relationship will crash and burn very badly, all the while, the original victim struggles, yet fails, to fully comprehend what went wrong with the relationship. (As a side note, I insist that a great many of the divorces in our society stem from this issue - yet another price to pay for harboring rapists and molesters.)

Take the above married couple dilemma and replace the wife with a student, neighbor's kid, or sibling, and you see the disaster perpetrated by those advocating cover-ups and shipping our problems to another town or yeshiva. This is all the more reason that this is a real emergency.

A final example, is the child of violent parents who will likely grow up to beat his own children, since he was taught to deal with his anger and negative emotions with violence unto helpless children.

Now, although we are sickened by this reality and the seeming unstoppable cycle of ever-increasing molestation and its resulting side effects, and although victims must be held accountable for improper actions (just like children are taught lovingly that they must be responsible for stealing and biting etc.), you would have a heart of stone not to feel sorry for the victim of child molestation who turns to this very same trade. This person’s confusion, post traumatic stress disorder, disassociation, depression, low self esteem, the insatiable need for over stimulation brought on by the inability to reconcile what happened as a child or teen, and a slew of other side effects of abuse, are more guilty than he himself.

Now, look me in the eye and tell me what you would say if you found out that Kolko or Mondrowitz or Lanner or Colmer or any of the other alleged or convicted prolific molesters/rapists were themselves raped, sodomized, or prematurely stimulated by others as children? If true, was not their plight at the hands of an authority figure reaming him in the mouth, pounding him in the ass or making him fondle the molester or perform sex acts on camera etc., any less painful then the plight of his very own victims? What about his molester? Was he molested too? Don't we owe it to possible victims of rape and incest, who in turn abuse others, to discern and consider whether we are dealing with one whose heart and spirit died a horrible death years earlier at the hands of another molester?

When that once-carefree spirit died it too had no one to mourn its demise, no one to share in the grief of the little victim as his wretched abused soul shriveled up and died that day! For example, what will we say if it turns out we have reliable sources documenting that Mondrowitz was molested as a child by the "butcher of Chicago" who lived in the same building he grew up in? May G-d forgive me if what I write here is used unjustly by Mondrowitz's defense, but my intentions are pure.

Heaven forbid that I am advocating moderation in pursuit of justice and closure. What I am saying is that Dov Hikind may know what others don't, or may be going the more cautious route and giving the opportunity to those victims-turned-molesters to come clean, fess up to what they did, beg and plead on both knees to the victims (every single last one of them), for forgiveness and then give these souls the ONLY kind of therapy that works. Namely to explain to them how they came about to molest, what they are perpetrating and perpetuating with these acts, and that they can and will overcome the trauma of their youth. They can then use the one little known strength of victims, which is a hidden and long dormant tenderness and ability to feel for others, and then move toward a lasting, honest and fulfilling marriage.

You might raise an eyebrow and say, "what is this guy talking about a victim’s hidden strength of tenderness"? Well, bear in mind that it is those with an inherent shy and timid kindness, with an unlimited innocent sense of human goodness, and a yearning for peace and warmth --- who wouldn't hurt a fly, that falls victim to molestation.

We may perhaps venture now to answer a question that has reverberated in the halls of modern medical schools and in the journals of mental health. Can a molester be “cured”? The answer comes with a big IF. IF and only IF the molester was himself victimized, then conditional to the steps mentioned two paragraphs back, I can safely state that barring other severe mental issues, YES! The logic found above points solidly to this answer.

I repeat that I have always been an active advocate of strict and immediate definitive intervention. But after the initial intervention and the truly sincere apology to every last victim, parents of victim and spouse of victim (I won’t want to have to hold my breath waiting for this ever to happen), we must give quarter to those who too have suffered a lifetime of living with an unshared secret of pain and horror. If my tormentors turn out to be victims themselves I would upon the above conditions consider the case closed even though the issues I deal with may linger for a lifetime. Hopefully Hashem will reciprocate and bestow upon me his unlimited kindness and forgive my shortcomings on account of my being a human and a victim of sexual abuse. And I hope he will grant me the strength to live life to its fullest potential - and love it, in the company of my spouse and children, who are so dear to me for eternity.

I write these lines in honor of first - the victims (those who are with us and those who died waiting in vain for closure and validation),and most of all, in honor of my wife, the compass of my soul, the healer of my heart.

UOJ, If you find this piece worthwhile, publish it for all to see, so as to give some sort of balance as we strive to do the elusive right things before Yimei Hadin.

This topic has no quick answers and has more facets than a prism. It is a difficult task to stand in judgment of these episodes, and even harder to do right by finding the perfect solutions. Which is yet another reason why victims live in turmoil.

Please Hashem, free us of this epidemic for all time.

Hava Nagila With The Gedolim! Turn Up The Volume - The Nursing Home Brigade Gedolim Removed The Music Ban For This One Time Only!

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THIS COULD BE YOUR LAST CHANCE TO EVER HEAR JEWISH MUSIC AGAIN! UOJ INVESTIGATORS HAVE UNCOVERED A SERIOUS PLOT --- THE VAAD L'MISHMERET KEDUSHAT HA'AZNAYIM - Y'DAYIM - ANAYIM - RAGLAYIM - SHINAYIM - NIKAVIM - NIKAVIM - CHALLULIM - CHALLULIM --- LIFNEI BAIS KISEI K'VODECHA --- ARE IN TALKS WITH THE ASKANIM FROM THE GAMBINO AND GOTTI FAMILIES TO ASSIST IN ELIMINATING ALL THREATS!
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I AGREE WITH THE ALZHEIMERS GEDOILIM THAT THE INTERNET SHOULD BE BANNED FROM ALL JEWISH HOMES!

Dr. Benzion Twerski Scared Off Panel On Rabbinic Sex Molestors

Top Doc Scared Off Panel On Rabbinic Sex Molestors

Tapped by Hikind, Twerski cites threats; pol ready to ‘name names’ of alleged abusers.

Parents who fail to report sex abuse are “guilty for every other child that is abused after their child,” says Assemblyman Dov Hikind.

by Hella Winston
Special To The Jewish Week

A prominent Orthodox rabbi and psychologist has been intimidated into quitting as head of a just-formed task force dealing with rabbinic sex abuse of minors, organized by Assemblyman Dov Hikind this week.

Dr. Benzion Twerski told The Jewish Week Wednesday that he was quitting the task force because “I was prosecuted in the street for daring to join such a venture.”

“To protect myself, my family, and reputation, I decided to withdraw from this project,” he wrote in an e-mail as the paper was going to press with a story announcing Hikind’s formation of the task force. “From this point, I am avoiding participation in any forms of public service. Public life is not for me.” Hikind, a Brooklyn Democrat who represents Borough Park and Flatbush, deplored Twerski’s abrupt departure from his new panel.

“He was basically forced to resign,” said Hikind. “He was literally put against the wall, and he felt he had no choice. We’ll get somebody else who’s very respected. But that’s not the point. The point is they got to him, they threatened him.”

Twerski’s dramatic departure came just as Hikind was rolling out the new panel, planned as the next step in a personal crusade against child sex abuse in the Orthodox community that he has come to view as an epidemic.

Hikind said he had amassed a dossier with the cases of “hundreds” of individuals who say they have been sexually molested by rabbis and other Orthodox community members during their childhood. And he threatened to broadcast the names of their abusers if community leaders do not respond to his call for action against them.

“Let me tell you,” he said in an interview last week, “when there’s a person who we have confirmed through a variety of people has been doing terrible things” and those who know refuse to go to the authorities, “I am prepared to name names. I am prepared to be sued by those pedophiles. If they’re innocent, let them sue me.”

Speaking after a rash of highly publicized sexual molestation cases in the Orthodox community, Hikind said, “I have been learning that a lot of people out there know who the bad guys are. Where have I been? How come no one talked to me, how come no one came to me?”

Now, Hikind says, he is more determined than ever to establish a community task force to address the issue. Though vague on the panel’s broader makeup and specific plans, Hikind ultimately seeks to develop a list of sexual molesters in Orthodox schools to keep them away from children.

Neither man would specify the nature of the threats made against Twerski to force his departure. But Hikind called them “pathetic and sad.”

“My heart goes out to him,” he said. “I don’t know if I should laugh or cry. Things are opening up, people are coming forward, but we are still so far away.”

Hikind’s new crusade follows several cases in which individuals — often adults now — have gone public with accounts of sexual abuse they experienced at the hands of respected yeshiva teachers when they were children. The alleged victims have spoken, too, of the rejection or even intimidation they experienced from their yeshivas and rabbinic leaders when they tried to report what had happened to them.

In one of the few cases in which victims went to the secular court system, Rabbi Yehuda Kolko of Yeshiva Torah Temimah in Flatbush was convicted on two counts of child endangerment last April. Another alleged abuser, Rabbi Avrohom Mondrowitz, now awaits extradition from Israel to Brooklyn, where he has been charged with sexual abuse of children.

More recently Joel Engelman, a former student at the Satmar chasidic sect’s United Talmudical Academy in Williamsburg, has alleged he was abused when he eight years old by Rabbi Avrohom Reichman. Engelman, now 23, has filed suit against Rabbi Reichman and UTA, which, he says, violated its promise to him to dismiss Rabbi Reichman in exchange for his not going public. UTA has yet to respond to the suit.

Hikind, who began broadcasting radio shows addressing the issue bluntly about a month ago said, “For a couple of weeks now, so many people have been coming forward. It’s made me absolutely sick, to have to listen to this, to be so shocked, to see so much pain, so much suffering. ... I actually feel that [this] may be the most important thing I’ve done in 26 years. Because you’re talking about saving lives.”

At times during his interview, Hikind sounded vague when pressed on just what his task force would do and how it proposed to go about doing it. The panel will present its findings to “leading rabbis” in various Orthodox communities, he said. And the rabbis, he predicted, “will be absolutely flabbergasted” by what they hear. His ultimate goal, said Hikind, is to establish a communal registry that would list the names of teachers removed from schools due to abusive behavior.

“We need to develop a system, a roster, a protocol needs to be developed,” he said. “If you have a pedophile who is teaching in a yeshiva, that person needs to be on a list, and before any other yeshiva hires a person, you need to be able to go to a roster and see if that rebbe was teaching somewhere else and got thrown out.”

But at another point, apparently recognizing that many schools are often reluctant to dismiss such teachers in the first place, Hikind appeared to envision a more ambitious, quasi-judicial function for his panel.

“It’s sort of hard to investigate yourself,” Hikind admitted. “There’s got to be a system where trusted people, respected leaders, who are not directly a part of that particular organization examine everything. Look, I wasn’t there when these boys were abused, nor was anyone else. So we have to make judgments. We do that all the time.”

Some advocates for the abused children, while praising Hikind for highlighting an issue about which they claim Orthodox Jews are in denial, voiced reservations about his plan.

The father of one child allegedly abused by Rabbi Kolko, who spoke on condition of anonymity, derided the notion of the community policing itself, citing his own unsuccessful efforts to marshal rabbinic action in his son’s case.

“I commend Dov for what he is doing,” said the father of the 10-year-old boy, who was allegedly molested in first grade, “but all these rabbis will make a farce of it. It touches their business. All these schools are somehow connected together.”

Another long-time community activist, who spoke to The Jewish Week on condition of anonymity due to the controversial nature of the issue, said, “Dov’s actions of these past few months are moving to anyone who cares about this issue. Yet we are very concerned that he has set back the cause by offering community members an alternative to the secular authorities.

Reporting the abusers to the rabbis is “akin to asking the fox to watch the henhouse,” this source said. “We spent close to three decades reporting abusers to their yeshiva employers, local rabbis and ‘gedolim’ only to watch time and time again as the information we provided was used to protect the abusers and vilify the victims.

“There is a functioning system in place that we will never have the resources or expertise to replicate, “ he continued, referring to the secular authorities.

“Indeed, to suggest that we are doing so is to do a grave injustice. If people believe we have an alternative to the police, which we do not and never will have, they will rely upon this belief and nothing will change. We tried this and came to the painful conclusion that it can not work.”

Hikind himself took a nuanced position on the issue of going to outside authorities. “Look, I would like to see people report to the police,” he said. “But there are some realities in our communities. ... People in our community, as you know, don’t want to go public. They want to keep it quiet, which is terrible. It’s sinful. I use the word sinful because for someone not to come forward in a situation of abuse of their child is not only to be guilty for not pressing issues for their own child, but they are guilty for every other child that is abused after their child. And they have to live with that. I keep on repeating that to everyone.”

But given the reality, “At least let’s get these people off the street,” he said. “With regard to institutions, where we find teachers, one of the things we are going to work on, if we establish that a teacher is a pedophile, that name needs to go on a list. Before anyone hires anyone, they must look at that list.”

Others active on this issue believe that legislative reforms are also crucial. As an assemblyman, Hikind said he is supportive on this front. He voiced strong backing, for example, for an extension of the statute of limitations for prosecuting child sexual molestation, and for the alleged victims of such abuse to file civil suits.

Under current law, the state cannot pursue criminal prosecutions of an alleged molester once the alleged victim turns 23. A victim himself must bring a civil suit against his molester or against the school he alleges failed to protect him by between one and six years after his 18th birthday, depending on the nature of the allegation.

But child victims of sexual abuse often do not understand or come to terms with their experiences — or sometimes, even recall them — until years, or even decades after they take place. Members of the Orthodox community have the additional burden of overcoming their peer group’s hostility to turning to secular authorities on such a sensitive matter. By then, the statute of limitations often bars their entry to the courtroom.

There are currently several bills in the state Legislature to address this problem, though none have passed in the Senate yet. A bill to extend the statute of limitations and open a one-year window for victims to seek damages regardless of their age recently passed in the Assembly but has repeatedly stalled in the Senate.

“The statute of limitations needs to be extended,” said Hikind. “I’m totally for that . . . I will do everything in the world to make that happen because now I realize how critical that is.”

Elliot Pasik, an attorney in private practice and a co-founder of the Jewish Board of Advocates for Children, a newly organized grassroots group, has also been pressing for legislation that would require mandatory background checks and fingerprinting of teachers in non-public schools. In addition, his group is working for the passage of a law that would require teachers in non-public schools to report cases of abuse when they see evidence of it or it is reported to them. Public school officials are already required to do so.

New York — unlike 25 other states — does not now classify clergy as mandated reporters, which means that they are not required to report evidence of sex abuse or violence to state child welfare authorities.

Legislation requiring fingerprinting and background checks for prospective non-public school faculty was defeated in the Assembly last year but reintroduced this year by Republican Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos. The legislation does not, however, have the support of Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver (D-Lower East Side).
Agudath Israel, an umbrella group of ultra-traditional Orthodox organizations, is opposed to both the mandated reporting and finger printing, and background check legislation.

Pasik, who currently represents Engelman in his lawsuit against Rabbi Reichman and United Talmudical Academy, said, “New York State has the weakest laws in the country. [Parochial schools] are near-totally unsupervised by the state, which is a throwback to pre-16th century English common law when the church could give sanctuary [to fugitives]. This has to change.”

Hikind would not commit yet on such specifics. “I am sitting with my legislative person right now. We are just going to start our conversation. It’s sort of a new look for me at everything,” he said.”

But he added: “Anything that contributes to apprehending the bad guy and helping the victims, we need to do — period, end of the story. That’s my position. I have a new perspective because I’ve taken a close look, because I’ve spent almost four weeks now listening non-stop to horror stories, and then I’m told by people today who met with me, ‘Dov, it’s worse than even you think right now.’ I said, ‘what?’”

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Dr. Twerski explains:

"I am taking a few minutes to make some statements in response to the article about my departure from Dov Hikind’s project and the events that triggered this.

Firstly, I have extreme respect for Dov Hikind, and I share in his mission to make a difference in this painful and destructive issue. I was eager to join with him to create a Task Force that would actually lead to reduction of this terrible problem while doing everything from within the community. It is with sadness that I left the position, and I will always to continue to consider Dov a good colleague and friend. I know he feels the same.

For quite some years, I had invested time and effort, without compensation, for various projects that were being done for the Klal. Even at times when my own financial situation was difficult, I extended myself at great cost for the hatzolas nefashos of youth at risk, addictions, etc. I am not interested in writing my own hesped, but there is much that has never been publicized and won’t be. My expectations were that the mission that I was entering would be understood as something that will be done properly and sensitively. It seems that some understood this quite erroneously.

For several days, I was approached by individuals, some stating that they would cross the street if they were to meet me while walking with their children. Others told me that they would not accept my child into their class if assigned. Others used euphemisms that I refuse to repeat. Family members were likewise confronted by all sorts of comments and phone calls. My married children had been told to fear ever getting shidduchim for their children. Basically, I was left to choose between abandoning my family for this mission, or to take the painful step that I did.

Molestation is underestimated in our community. I never proclaimed it an epidemic. I have not found any reliable statistics. But each victim is a precious neshomoh, an “olam molei” that is totally destroyed. Some victims leave the derech, others struggle with post traumatic stress disorder, some have major hurdles in establishing their own married lives, and still others become molesters themselves. There are frequent comments such as “It does not happen in my yeshiva” which constitutes denial. Perhaps there are no incidents, but one never knows. We’re talking about things that occur in secrecy. I never looked at this problem as one of quantity. I am concerned with the severity. Even the minutest percentage of foreign objects in food will prompt a recall. Our children deserve a zero tolerance for violations of their safety. And for those who insinuated that I was going to go after yeshivos and mosdos hachinuch, I will add that the abuse that occurs in these holy settings is a small percentage of what occurs in various other locations. To combat the problem, we need to begin somewhere.

The intent of the Task Force was to devise systems that would be implemented by the yeshivos themselves to accept complaints, evaluate them, and move the cases onto the next level, whatever was determined by a body of individuals that would include poskim. No fox guarding the henhouse either, as the system would comprise individuals from outside the yeshiva as well to prevent denial and bias from interfering with the process. Part of this process would help filter out complaints that are baseless, either by exaggeration, inaccuracy, or pure fabrication. To consider this project a new “abuse clinic”, or a molestation police brigade is completely groundless.

So I spent several days watching these gross misperceptions feed the mouths of “holchei rochil”. Not one person called me to inquire about the mission, and there was never a chance to explain any of this to anyone before the hatchet began swinging.

Most bothersome to me is that this occurred during Chodesh Elul, when we all need to be doing some self-exploration – cheshbon hanefesh and teshuvah. We will need to face the upcoming yemai hadin, where we will each stand in our individual judgments. I will face Avinu Malkeinu with the position that “I tried to help Your children but they refused to let me.” What will the “holchei rochil” offer in their defense? “Hashem, we just shot down an “osek betzorchei tzibbur be’emunoh”. You shot the wrong person.

I am not personally offended. I have learned to tolerate being called names. I’ve been around a little. I grieve for the work that could have been done, and my tefiloh is that someone capable is found who can see this mission through to success. I grieve for the pain and anger that this whole situation caused for myself, my family, for Dov Hikind, and for all others who recognize the seriousness of the mission. I grieve for the pain and suffering that innocent neshamos will experience in the absence of a system that could stop it. The flak will eventually fade, but the damage has been done. If nothing else, it is a really serious lesson in hilchos lashon horah.

In reality, every frum Yid benefits from the things that askanim do. From intervening with governmental matters, legal issues, dealing with yeshivos, getting streets blocked for various events, and others too numerous to mention, we all derive much benefit from what they do. Nearly all, or perhaps absolutely all, function selflessly. Hatzoloh, Shomrim, and Chaverim are totally volunteer staffed. Since when do we carelessly and viciously attack an askan? Was there any posek asked about doing this? Was this a campaign by a group or individual, or was this just the street gossip fueling itself? I may never know. But I have been sensitized away from participating in askonus.

I already contacted others whose projects are precious and worthy, and withdrew from taking any askonus role. Without any hesitation, I will share my thoughts and opinions with any of them, including Dov. But no one will be able to hold me responsible for something I did not do.

To all the voices in the street that made this happen, my conscience is clear entering the days of selichos and yemai hadin. Are yours?"
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Don’t Disturb the Party

Ever Wonder What Our Children Are Thinking?

By: Yakov Horowitz

Imagine that you and your spouse decided to treat yourselves to a high-end cruise for your fiftieth anniversary. Never having done this before, you are blown away by the luxurious setting and are thoroughly enjoying every moment.

In your information packet, you were informed to dress formally for dinner on the first evening of the cruise, so you put on the best clothing from your closet and make your way to the ballroom.

While eating the main dish, someone on the next table keeled over clutching his heart as he fell. A friend of his immediately stood up and yelled, “Is there a doctor in the house?” Almost immediately, a group of waiters and cruise employees sprung into action. But their response was not what you thought it would be.

The cruise operator quickly walked over to the band leader and told him to raise the volume of the music to drown out the commotion generated by the heart attack. Several waiters surrounded the individual who was calling for the doctor. They admonished him for disturbing the ambiance of the formal dinner and physically removed him from the ballroom. While this was happening, another group of cruise employees carried the stricken man out of the ballroom and into one of the empty conference rooms nearby. Instead of canvassing the ballroom for a doctor, they asked one of their associate chefs who took a CPR class several years ago to assist the patient, who slips into a coma and dies shortly thereafter.

Well; that imaginary story pretty much sums up the horrific tale of Dr. Twerski’s harassment at the hands of morally bankrupt individuals which led to his resignation from a panel being formed to – responsibly and in a Torah-appropriate manner – initiate measures to finally start protecting our precious children from the predators in our community.

Reb Benzion is the guy who was forcibly removed from the ballroom so as not to ruin the party. And the fellow with the heart attack represents the innocent, voiceless children in our community who are victims of abuse and molestation.

Back to the story, if I may. Imagine again that you are the couple celebrating their anniversary on the cruise ship. How comfortable would you be after that episode, seeing firsthand that form ruled over substance? That people who called out for help were silenced. That professionally trained individuals who could have perhaps saved the victim’s life were not asked to help him. What would you think of the cruise operator who made those decisions? Would you continue on that cruise or would you get off at the next stop? How comfortable would you be that you would be treated properly if you had severe chest pains?

I ask you to put yourself in the place of our very street-smart teenagers who have immediate access to all the swirls of information and are drawing their own conclusions. What message are we sending them when we allow hooligans to silence a wonderful individual like Dr. Twerski who has dedicated his life to keeping them safe?

Is it any wonder that so many of our kids are heading for the exits when we show them that their safety is not our paramount concern?

YH

We can open the civil statute of limitations for one year for ALL victims regardless of age or how long ago the sex-abuse occurred!

The passage of this bill which will open the civil statute of limitations for one year for ALL victims regardless of age or how long ago the abuse occurred. The ensuing flood of lawsuits would deal a death blow to the bad guys.

Write your State Senator

Although the New York State Assembly has passed the Child Victims Act by an overwhelming bi-partisan vote, the work is only half done. State Senate leader Joseph Bruno has inexplicably prevented the Act from coming to a vote in the Senate. Please strongly ask your Senator to urge the leader to release this bill for a fair vote.

By telling a bit of your personal story in the letter, even in one sentence, you will make the letter more memorable and effective.

1 - Are you a parent or grandparent?
2 - Survivor of child sexual abuse or a relative or friend of a survivor?
3 - Concerned member of an institution in which children have been abused?
4 - Mental health or medical professional?
5 - law enforcement officer?
6 - Social worker?
7 - substance abuse counselor?
8 - Teacher?

Should you send an e-mail?

Not all legislators check emails regularly, but do pay attention to personal, especially hand-written, letters. You might call your Senator's office to ask how e-mails are handled.

Sample Letter to your Senator:

To find your Senator's name and address, click here and enter your zip code.

Dear Senator (NAME),

I am a constituent writing to voice my strong desire to have the Child Victim’s Act, S4614-A, brought to the Senate floor for a fair vote. Please give your full and active support to this important legislation for the safety of our children. I know that many others in your district are outraged because children are not being protected while their predators are shielded by the law.

I support this bill for two key reasons: (1) it will expose sexual predators who have molested and raped in the past and are still victimizing children. In fact, many children are at risk right now and will remain at risk because of our archaic statute of limitations; (2) I believe that childhood sexual abuse victims deserve a day in court to confront their sexual abusers and those who enabled them.

New York needs both an extension of the statute of limitations and a temporary “window” that will suspend the SOL for just one year. The Markey-Saland Child Victims Act (A04560B-S4614A) meets both of these criteria. Our children must have the passage of this Act, without amendments.

Mental health practitioners have testified that many people who were sexually abused as children do not have the ability to come forward until decades have passed. Courts have recognized the validity of repression of memory and recovery after decades.

Yet, New York's law is too weak in this regard. Under current law, victims have only five years after maturity for prosecution or to make a claim for damages. Once the statute of limitations has expired, they have no recourse to justice. But their perpetrators are often still at large, and are certain to harm more innocent children. When California established a window in its SOL, more than 300 previously undetected predators were discovered. A state the size of New York undoubtedly has a large number of predators still roaming free. Further evidence is the estimate by the U.S. Department of Justice that barely 10% of sexual abuse is ever reported to law enforcement authorities.

New York must take this opportunity to strengthen the protection of our children. Delaware recently became the second state to reform its SOL. Other states are considering it. Now it is New York's turn. The Assembly has overwhelmingly approved the Act in a bi-partisan vote. More specifically, it is now the Senate's turn.

We must pass this strong bill without amendment. Don’t let pedophiles use our state’s laws against children. Please take the side of our children.

Thank you for attending to this important issue. Thanks, too, for all you do to serve the people of your district and State of New York.

Sincerely,

[Name and full street address and phone number. E-mail address is a plus, too.}

Latest on Ramat Bet Shemesh Child Molester Case!

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I'M URGING EVERYONE AND ANYONE THAT WANTS TO GET RID OF AKIVA KAGAN AND ASSIST IN CLEANING OUT THE SEWER TORAT ELIYAHU AND THE RABBI ENABLERS THAT ARE PROTECTING HIM TO CONTACT:

trotem@haaretz.co.il

Hello UOJ,

I am a journalist of Ha'aretz. I write about the haredi society. I met Chezi and interviewed him on the very week he was murdered in the Pigua. I was very impressed by his personality and was shocked by his death. He was a wonderful human being.

I would like to contact the persons who wrote about the child molester in Beit Shemesh recently. Could you help me with that? I will be extremely sensitive and --- they can be sure that I will not expose them.

Sincerely,

Tamar Rotem 0505-986123
------------------------------------------------------------

Dear UOJ,

The school Toras Eliyahu has re-employed the alleged child molester to teach their Grade Three kids.

In response to the questions/criticism about why they chose to put a child molester back into their classroom, Toras Eliyahu's menahel is now claiming:

1. They knew all about the allegations (came out in the summer) against Akiva Kagan before they employed him this semester.

2. They have thoroughly investigated the charges against him, and found him innocent of all charges and worthy of being entrusted with more kids.

They are clearly in a bind.

If they say they DIDN'T know about the allegations, then this raises serious questions about their screening process.

Once they say they DID know about it, they have to explain why they've put a pervert to guard over 30 kids?

The allegations have been investigated by the Tahor Mishpacha (Tznius Patrol) of Geula, Meah Shearim - who found Kagan "uncooperative" and therefore recommended taking it to the police. (Kagan refused to take a polygraph examination)

The police are now in the early stages of investigating it.

The school is clearly lying about their 'investigation'. They have no knowledge or experience of dealing with such matters - and simply swept the allegations under the carpet, following the lead of local rabbonim headed by Rabbi Chaim Malinowitz of Art Scroll.

I am amazed that parents entrust their children to these people - who clearly don't care a damn about the safety of kids.

Where is the outrage? Why aren't parents making a stink?

Don't they care about their own children either?

The rabbonim don't care; the schools (now Ishrei Lev and Toras Eliahu) don't care; the parents don't care.

Aside from UOJ - does ANYBODY take a stand to protect frum children???!!

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I URGE EVERYONE TO TAKE 2 MINUTES OUT OF THEIR DAY TODAY AND CONTACT THE SCHOOL, THEIR PRINCIPAL, AND RABBI MALINOWITZ. WOULD YOU DO IT IF YOUR CHILD WAS IN DANGER?

Torat Eliyahu
Nachal Arugot 15
999-7765 (Main Office)
992-0658
991-6137
Fax 999-8434
Rav David Taksha, principal 057-3177731
www.TorasEliyahu.org

To send an e-mail to Rabbi Malinowitz - address it to: Rav@BeisTefillah.org

Putting accusations aside for the moment against Rabbi Malinowitz; as a rav in Bet Shemesh - He has a chov kadosh to get up in shul and say in no uncertain terms:

AKIVA KAGAN SHOULD BE PUT ON LEAVE PENDING THE OUTCOME OF THE POLICE INVESTIGATION.

IS THAT TOO MUCH TO ASK?

RABBI MALINOWITZ - STAND UP AND BE COUNTED AS AN EHRLICHE YID - AS A HUMAN BEING - I'M SURE IF YOU HAD A CHILD OR A GRANDCHILD IN THAT CLASS - YOU WOULD TEAR DOWN THE HEAVENS TO PROTECT HIM!

EVERY CHILD IN THAT CLASS IS YOUR CHILD - EVERY CHILD IN AM YISROEL IS OURS! NOW DO SOMETHING TO PROTECT THEM OR I'll RAISE HELL AT ART SCROLL! KAPISH?

Military Rabbi Suspected Of Raping Daughter!

Major arrested after daughter files complaint. Man denies claims, police suspect he also assaulted one of his sons

by Eli Senyor

A military rabbi, holding the rank of major, has been arrested under suspicion of raping and molesting his daughter for the last eight years, since she was 15. In addition, police suspect that the man may have assaulted another one of his children and plan to ask the court to extend his remand on Friday.

From the few released details, the man's daughter arrived at the Shfela Sub District Police station and asked to file a complaint against her father. It appears that the daughter had gained the courage to complain to the police after going through therapy.

In her statement, the daughter said that her father began raping her when she was 15, and molested her on several occasions when the two of them where at home together.

Following the complaint, police arrested the father. He denied the charges against him and called them false.

Police accepted the daughter's version of events, as it was consistent, and decided to hold the father for the night. In her statement, the daughter claimed that one of her brothers had also been victimized by their father.

CHILD ABUSE!

****PRESS ADVISORY****

"THE DOV HIKIND SHOW" - WMCA 570 AM Saturday night @11:00 PM Special September 6th broadcast........... Survivor of Sexual Abuse Speaks Out About the Torment of Abuse Fifteen Years Ago, As a Child, at the Hands of Two Community Members Living with the Trauma, Living with the Terror, & Living with the Truth. Sexual Abuse can be repressed with the trauma revisited in sensory triggers and stressors which set off a vivid revisiting of the molestation and exploitation. The horror can be replayed on the mind's eye without reprieve, muting and dulling life's joys and exacerbating life's reversals. It is a rape of the soul. Call in to the radio program: 718-436-1700
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What Can We Do to Prevent it?
By Rabbi Simon Jacobson

Afflicted one, storm-ravaged and disconsolate; behold, I will set your stones in fair colors, and lay the foundations with sapphires. I will make your windows of rubies, your gates of carbuncles, and all your boundaries of precious gems. And all your children will be taught about G-d; great will be the peace of your children. – This week’s Haftorah reading (Isaiah 54:11-55:5)

Dear Rabbi Jacobson,

I am one of the victims of sustained sexual abuse you so sensitively wrote about in your powerful and profound article The Destruction and Restoration of Dignity. My life has been rendered into one battle after another in my desperate search for love, and above all – self-love. The single most damaging effect of abuse is, as you accurately describe, the assault on dignity and violation of self-worth. Feeling like "damaged goods."

Your article deeply moved me and made me feel free. I will read it many times over. To have someone of your stature speaking about these issues is extremely encouraging. It may be an opening – as it was for me – to help wounded spirits breath again.

Now, my greatest concern is my own children. How, as you ask, can I protect them? Having experienced first-hand the damage of abuse, I work very hard, to cultivate and nurture my children’s self-esteem, through sustained efforts to reinforce and validate their beings and their malchus (as you put it), with unconditional love.

But how can we protect our children from the predators outside our homes? I shudder whenever I think – which is quite often – about of the potential dangers that lurk out there.

No words can describe my appreciation to you for bringing to the surface these issues, which is in itself part of the process of healing, like fresh air on deeply ingrained infections. Now let us continue the dialogue by addressing what can and must be done to protect our children.

Blessings to you,

(signed)

One of the most resonating and powerful statements you made in your last article is that “only a radical jolt to the psyche will cause someone to explicitly break away from their peer group.” You cited a psychologist who stated: “In my experience I am slowly coming to the conclusion that in many of these cases the radical jolt began with some form of sexual molestation, in which the child’s inner dignity was violated. When someone is hurt on that level it defiles the innermost, intimate dimensions of the psyche; it drives the child into silence (out of shame and fear he will not speak about the abuse with parents or teachers), a silence andloneliness that eats away, like a cancer, at the child’s inner dignity.”

So what can be done to prevent such jarring experiences that can so alter our children’s lives? Can we do anything to create safer environments for our sons and daughters? Or are we resigned, as some of my friends contend, that nothing can be done, and basically minimize or ignore the issues (the thing called “denial”) to make the horror a bit more tolerable.

One of my colleagues put it this way: Sending our kids to school and camp is like sending them into a minefield. All we can do is close our eyes and pray that they will come out intact.

Do you agree with that, Rabbi?

(signed)

No, I unequivocally disagree with that last statement. We are not victims and we are never helpless. Is life a challenge? Absolutely. Are there predators in our midst? Undeniably. But we are not powerless. A fundamental principle in Torah is that there is no challenge that we cannot overcome. We never face adversary, are never asked to do something that is beyond our capacity.

Our true challenge is not to retreat in fear or convince ourselves that this is “somebody else’s” problem and could “never happen to me and my family.” We must put our heads and hearts together and once and for all take on this man-made plague. As those involved in healing say: Anything that can be broken can be fixed (does anyone know the source?).

The axiom that we can do something about abuse (and about all life’s predicaments) is based on the fundamental principle that a good G-d created this universe and imbued in existence is inherent beauty. That no matter what wounds we sustain, our souls always remain intact. The Divine spirit in each in of us can go under cover – concealed by many, many layers – due to abuse; but it nevertheless always remains alive within. As we read in this week’s Haftorah (the third of the seven weeks of comfort): Incline your ear, and come to Me. Hear, that your soul will live.

If, for example, you believe that “survival of the fittest” is the driving engine of life, then the logical conclusion is that life is not fair and often predators will prevail and their victims will forever remain damaged. The inevitable consequence of this depressing attitude is, as the Haftorah begins, that the afflicted one, storm-ravaged does not feel comforted.

But when you know that beneath and within all the narcissism of material existence lay profound beauty and sublime energy – that a gentle child remains hidden under the hard crust of your adult armor – then nothing, absolutely nothing (except your won self-doubt), can vanquish your spirit.

Take away this principle and you may as well give up. Our challenge is to hold on to this faith and trust even in the darkest moments.

So, in the process of joining together to address the challenge of abuse in our communities, I have been asking this very question to many people: What would you suggest we do to protect our children from abuse?

Though hardly scientific, the grass-roots consensus of the people I spoke to (so far) focused primarily on the effort we must exert on educating our children, from a young age, to protect themselves from anyone who may touch them inappropriately. Explain to them no one has a right to violate their privacy, and that they should report any such violation.

“At what age,” I asked, “should we begin to speak to our children?” Some said as early as they can understand.

Without taking away from the merits of this strategy, we have to examine whether speaking to children is actually effective. Does it help to warn children? I can tell you from personal experience that when I was warned to watch out from predators it actually terrified me. Whenever I saw adults hanging around in certain corners, I would suspiciously look at them like criminals. Monsters lurking everywhere. Remember, children hear things differently than adults. They inherently trust, and when they are warned about threatening elements, they can take it to extremes, like the goblins in a fairy tale.

But even more important is the fact that most abuse does not happen at the hands of strangers sitting in cars at street corners near schools, offering candies or toys to unsuspecting children. Though such pedophiles exist, and children can be taught to avoid such situations, most abuse happens in far more “innocent” ways, usually at the hands of a older friend or relative, someone close to the child, someone the child would never suspect, and someone the child would find difficult to resist. Then, once violated, the child would in most cases not tell anyone, even when pre-warned.

Above all, this approach to speak to our children (which, again, I am not opposed to) is still addressing only symptoms, instead of roots. It speaks to the potential victims, instead of to the perpetrators and the causes for abuse.

What struck me about this attitude – reflected in most of the suggestions people were offering – was that they were all focusing on the receiving end of abuse. As if to suggest, however subtly, that it is the victim’s fault. Had the child protected himself, had she protested, had he reported the abuse, things would have been fine. This approach further feeds into the victimization mentality.

It also suggests, however subtly, that predators are a given, and we can do nothing about them. All we can do is create strong defenses. This too essentially further reinforces a defensive mode to life. Is that a way to live? In constant fear and suspicion of predators, focusing on protective measures to shield ourselves and our children?

I would like to propose another, perhaps radical, not so subtle, suggestion:

Focus on the predators, not on the victims. Beyond the more “documented” cases of abusers, most (undocumented) abuse is perpetrated by friends who are “having fun” and are not necessarily clinical pedophiles. They are experimenting and have no clue how much damage they are doing in their pursuit.

We need to initiate a massive campaign of informing kids that touching and in any way violating the private space of another is not a “game.” It has devastating consequences.

Sexuality is the most intimate and most vulnerable place in the human psyche. When violated it is not like a brawl with a bully, which leaves temporary bruises, but one that remains etched in the psyche and memory, leaving permanent wounds, many which haunt us for the rest of our lives.

Though we must do everything possible to deal with the symptoms of abuse (no different than band-aids and aspirins) with short-term solutions or whatever may possibly work, the biggest challenge is to address the root of the issue: Abuse is only possible because there is a climate, an environment, a breeding ground as it were, that allows abuse to fester and thrive. That breeding ground is the utter ignorance and lack of appreciation of the fundamental sanctity of sexuality. Society as a whole has allowed (or even encouraged) sexuality to be divorced of its intimate mystique; it has been turned into commodity instead of mystery; casual instead of permanent; mechanics instead of relationship; a verb istead of a noun.

The Torah calls sexuality “knowledge” – “Adam knew Eve.” Knowledge is an intimate bond, not a “quick fix.” Knowledge takes years to develop, to nurture, to cultivate. The dignity of the princess is within, more than the golden clothing which she wears (Psalms, 45:14). It is an internal experience, one that works from the inside out, not from the outside in.

Accordingly, we must come out with a massive educational campaign, treated subtly and sensitively, to re-indoctrinate all of us – including our children – in the meaning of intimacy. And how violating someone’s intimate space has far-reaching implications.

To address and prevent a state of abuse – Afflicted one, storm-ravaged and disconsolate ­– the verse continues: And all your children will be taught about G-d; great will be the peace of your children. By teaching our children about the sanctity of life and intimacy, great will be their peace and comfort they will find amidst the storms surrounding us.

Sexuality, by its very nature, is provoked and fueled by discussion. Therefore, great care must be taken that it should be addressed with the appropriate modesty and subtlety. There are some who address the issue of intimacy in non-intimate ways, like speaking about modesty in an immodest fashion; they say the right things in the wrong way. The sanctity and privacy of our most vulnerable place must taught by sensitive professionals who will avoid any provocative expressions or associations. It should be discussed privately with a student, or at most with two or three students, and it should be discussed separately with boys and girls, to keep the boundaries clear. (For more on this, please see te chapter on Intimacy in Toward A Meaningful Life, and also here)

I have no doubt that if kids knew what they were tampering with, and sexual sensitivity would become a social standard (yeh, I know that it’s not happening overnight), even if it would not solve all our problems, it would have visible impact.

In addition: Awareness of the power of sexuality and the damage of abuse should lead to instituting a policy of zero tolerance of predators. As a deterrent they should know that they will be ostracized. Every school and institution where children congregate can appoint a professional to look for signs of abuse. Any detection, any suspicion, should be pursued (obviously, with great care not to accuse innocent people, and with the knowledge that accusation can sometimes be made out of acrimony). Anyone violated would be encouraged to speak up, and when enough reports come in – approach the predator and threaten him. Fear of this nature can have powerful impact.

As we move through the seven weeks of comfort, which coincides with the beginning of the new school year, this is a perfect time to set new standards and declare for all, and especially our children, to hear and see that we will do whatever it takes to protect them, so that no weapon that is formed against you shall prosper.

[This article focused on sexual abuse, though there are other destructive forms of abuse that violate human dignity, which deserve to be addressed].

Please send me your thoughts and suggestions how to help protect our children. It would be a great service to create a public forum and dialogue to bring this matter to the fore, where we can learn from each other and benefit from our collective wisdom.

mlc | Meaningful Life Center
www.meaningfullife.com
E-mail: wisdomreb@meaningfullife.com. Phone: 718.774.6448
~~~~~

Third And Final Hazmana (Summons) To Bais Din Served Today Upon Lipa Margulies And Yudi Kolko

UOJ ARCHIVES - APRIL 6, 2006

Click on images to enlarge:




To All Jewish People Of Goodwill Around The World:

The final communications with two of the most evil Jews alive today are over. The UOJ team wanted to follow Jewish law by having our grievances heard in bais din.

Lipa Margulies and Yudi Kolko have not responded.

I do not need to spell out what our next step will be.

This is the beginning of the end of Yeshivah Torah Temimah...my advice to members of the staff and to the parents of the students is to look for another place for yourselves and your children.

Rabbis Schustal and Greenfeld, there is a group of wealthy baalei-batim that are willing to back you in opening up a new yeshiva. Ultimately, you need to consider your own future and the future of hundreds of talmidim that will follow you wherever you go. It will take some time; there will be no more Torah Temimah as it exists today. You are welcome to contact me for more details.

Please watch this blog for the latest developments "after" they happen...I do not intend to give notice to the rishaim prior to the next set of events.

We tried....

UOJ

PROOF THAT THE ASHER YATZER GEDOLIM
ARE JUST THAT:

1-FULL PAGE AD IN THE YATED AGAINST PRE-PACKAGED ROMAINE LETTUCE SIGNED BY 60 MORONS WHO HATE HEINNEMAN.

2-AD IN THE HAMODIA, SIGNED BY THE NURSING HOME BRIGADE, AGAINST "THE MAKING OF A GADOL"(DUMBEST BOOK EVER WRITTEN, BY THE DUMBEST PUTZ EVER BORN-UOJ)

3-PAGE TWO AD IN THE YATED INVITING THE "OILAM" TO SHIMSHI SHERER'S DRASHA ON HOW TO MARRY RICH. SEPARATE ADVICE FOR MEN AND WOMEN.(SPONSORED BY THE MOSHE SHERER "JEWISH GROOMING" FOUNDATION.)

4-FULL PAGE AD IN THE JEWISH PRESS ON THE AGUDAH'S UPCOMING DINNER; ONE OF THE HONOREES BEING WJC'S SWINDLER OF THE YEAR, AND PROUD CHAVRUSA IN LEARNING TORAH WITH CARDINAL LUSTIGER AND OTHER CATHOLIC CHURCH MEMBERS, RABBI DOCTOR ISRAEL(BRONFMAN'S WATER BOY) SINGER!

NOT A WORD ABOUT THE REFUSAL OF GANGSTER MARGULIES AND PEDOPHILE KOLKO'S REFUSAL TO COME TO BAIS DIN:

******* PRICELESS!!! *******

More wisdom from the Asher Yatzer Nursing Home Brigade!

Apr. 23, 2006 10:14 | Updated Apr. 23, 2006 15:10
Rabbis call for Yisrael Valis' release
By JPOST.COM STAFF

Jerusalem District Attorney Eli Abarbanel met with haredi leaders Sunday afternoon to discuss the possibility of releasing Yisrael Valis on bail. Valis was arrested on suspicion of killing his three-month-old son.

Officials in the district attorney's office stressed that they would wait to decide on bail until they received a psychiatric evaluation on Valis.

A previous meeting scheduled to take place between the district attorney and haredi leaders was cancelled following violent haredi protests over Valis' arrest

Earlier Sunday, Jerusalem rabbis Shalom Elyashiv and Haim Kanievski released a halachic decree declaring that Valis was innocent.

One of the rabbis, speaking to Israel Radio, said that the basis for the decree was that Valis' wife was still supporting him, and that if he had indeed killed his son, she would not be at his side still.

Valis is facing manslaughter charges for beating his baby son to death. He allegedly hurled the boy against the wall after the infant started to cry, and is suspected of repeatedly biting, beating, pinching and punching the infant since his birth. Valis reportedly "did not accept him" due to a defect in the child's neck muscles, police said.

Extremist elements in the haredi community had previously threatened to riot and to "make Jerusalem burn" if the alleged killer is not released from custody, even though police said that he has admitted beating his child.

In a previous effort to ease tensions, rabbinical sages and Valis' family issued a statement two weeks ago calling on protesters to refrain from violence and from burning trash on the street.

Jerusalem Municipality spokesman Gidi Schmerling said last Saturday that haredi riots over the last week have caused NIS 140,000 in damage, including the destruction of 30 city garbage bins.
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ADDED AUGUST 27, 2008

- Click here for more blooper videos




BREAKING NEWS:

Satmar Teacher Sued By Former Student For Sexual Abuse
- THE JEWISH WEEK

http://www.thejewishweek.com/viewArticle/c36_a13292/News/New_York.html

Sent in by Archie Bunker

Principal arrested on molestation charges

Principal arrested on molestation charges - Efrat Weiss - YNET

Principal of West Bank school arrested on suspicion of having inappropriately touched dozens of teenage male students. Suspect denies all charges

A school principal in a West Bank settlement has been arrested on charges of indecent assault against dozens of his students, aged 12-14, Ynet has learned.

Married and in his late 40s, the man was brought before the Kfar Saba Magistrates' Court on Monday, where he was remanded for three additional days.

According to the police, the suspect repeatedly denied all the allegations in his interrogation: "There was nothing of the sort, I'm being framed," he said.

The investigation began following a tip-off regarding acts the suspect allegedly forced upon eight of his students. A covert investigation was immediately launched, but began to build up speed after an official complaint was filed last week by a resident of the settlement where the incidents allegedly took place – a psychologist who said she was contacted by a family claiming the school principal molested their son.

Chief-Superintendent Mark Amiel told Ynet that investigators sought the testimonies of two youths following the complaint. Amiel said that since the boys were both under the age of 14, their questioning was conducted by specially trained officers and welfare officials.

One of the youths testified that the suspect would sit him on his lap and touch his genitals. The boy recalled at least 15 such incidents spanning nearly two-year. Another student reported the same pattern of abuse.

"This is a difficult and complex investigation," noted Amiel, adding that most of the incidents appear to have taken place within school walls. "We know of another incident that occurred a month ago, while the students were away on a field trip," he said.

"The suspect took advantage of his position and the innocence of dozens of children, employing the same methods to molest them."

Amiel said that some of the parents asked to consult with the settlement's rabbi before cooperating with the investigation. The rabbi, on his part, has cooperated with investigators in full and has been deposed.

"This investigation has just begun. Over the next few days the picture will get a lot clearer. These are shocking incidents, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. We estimate it won't be long before we accumulate enough material to build a case for an an indictment."

Steve's words of truth deserve a headline position:

FROM MASECHES GITTIN 57b:

"Rab Judah said in the name of Samuel, or it may be R. Ammi, or as some say it was taught in a Baraitha; On one occasion four hundred boys and girls were carried off for immoral purposes. They fully understood what they were wanted for and said to themselves, If we drown in the sea we shall attain the life of the future world. The eldest among them expounded the verse, The Lord said, I will bring again from Bashan, I will bring again from the depths of the sea. 'I will bring again from Bashan,' from between the lions' teeth. 'I will bring again from the depths of the sea,' those who drown in the sea. When the girls heard this they all leaped into the sea. The boys then drew the moral for themselves, saying, If these for whom this is natural act so, shall not we, for whom it is unnatural? They also leaped into the sea. Of them the text says, Yea, for thy sake we are killed all the day long, we are counted as sheep for the slaughter.

We learn this gemara on Tisha B'Av because this story happened after the destruction of the Second Temple by the Romans. These young boys drew a kal v'chomer from the action of the girls and proceeded to make a kiddush hashem by leaping to their deaths. To them it was obvious, "Where's the shayla" they asked. How can we submit to the perverted desires of pedophiles? How can we submit to sexual molestation? If the girls, to whom the act is natural, would not submit, how can we?

Gentleman, I ask you, what has trasnpired in the two thousand years since this incident, that has made sexual molestation acceptable? What has transpired to make it not only acceptable, but something that is practiced by "rabbis" without impunity? What has transpired that has made the lives and neshamas of our children expendable for the benefit of these rabbinical pedophiles? I ask you --- WHO IS SICKER, THE PEDOPHILES OR THE CRIMINALS THAT CALL FOR MORE COVERUPS, MORE SWEEPING UNDER THE CARPET, AND FOR "DEALING WITH THESE THINGS PRIVATELY TO PROTECT 'EVERYBODY'???

Those children on the boat understood something that all the gedoilim today cannot comprehend. Either they don't comprehend, or they intentionally skip over this gemara, and skip over the passuk "Al Tigu Bimshichai". How much longer are we going to sit quietly while our children are led like sheep to the slaughter? How many more "incidents" or "cases" do we need to hear about?

How many more "tawdry tales", Avi Shafran? How much more "anecdotal evidence" do you need, scumbag? Why should you respond, you miserable menuval? Those are your exact words. This plague is not important enough to elicit a response from you or the Agudah? Only after you are exposed in a national magazine do you comment with your "we're not as bad as the Catholic Church" nonsense. You only find time to defend the Rubashkins. Scum defending scum. Perfect. The Rubashkins and Avi Shafran, a perfect match. One causes timtum halev by feeding neveilos utreifos and the other destroys neshamos by publicly protecting child molesters. You still think we are capable of policing ourselves, Shafran?

Ask your (former?) colleague Rabbi Horowitz how many calls he gets per week? AT LEAST FIVE OR SIX PER WEEK!!! Nah, there's no plague, sexual molestation is not rampant in our yeshivos, it's all an illusion. It's all a conspiracy concocted by UOJ. Just ask attorney Jeffrey Schwartz, UOJ goes out and recruits victims.

How much longer my friends, how much longer? Talk by Dov Hikind is nice, but it's cheap. We need definitive action. Assembly bill A11399 needs to be passed immediately, Dov. We need rabbis to proclaim from every pulpit that it is a mitzvah to GO DIRECTLY TO THE POLICE if you or someone you know is victimized. This is clear cut halacha. The laws of messira and loshon hara do not protect child molesters. The Torah says "Vechai Bahem", this is pikuach nefashos and a molester is a "rodef". If the rabbis are still not sure, please refer them to the gemara in Gittin 57b. They can learn a thing or two from the kinderlach.

"Beyond Belief - Heart Breaking Stories I’ve Compiled On Molestation In Our Community, Its A Cancer, My Promise I Won’t Sit Silent."

VIN:

Brooklyn, NY - Assemblyman Dov Hikind: Beyond Belief, Heart Breaking Stories I’ve Compiled On Molestation In Our Community, Its A Cancer, My Promise I Won’t Sit Silent.



Brooklyn, NY - “It happened twice in the mikva…..I was nine…. I never told anyone…I can’t tell my wife….she will never understand…How can she?….She will divorce me and take my children from me….,” fraught with intense pain, Duvid struggled as he divulged the more than two-decade old secret that was eroding his emotional and physical health.

The avalanche of stories of molestation and sexual abuse is overwhelming, personally and professionally. The first-person accounts of abuse have shaken me to my core. I have looked into the faces of victims, of their parents, and there is a void where joy should be. There is a vacuum where love should exist. And there is a disconnect with life and living. Victims live between worlds, the past encroaching on the currency of a beautiful life unfulfilled. It is a rape of the soul.

For the last three weeks, I have been immersed in round-the-clock meetings, hearing details no one should hear, referring victims to therapists, and compiling data on the perpetrators who share the same air we breathe. When the victim is one of ours and the molester is one of ours, the suffering is more acute. When it is a neighbor, a friend, a family member, a rebbe, etc., from our community who visits this abomination on our children, and the individual is not isolated or contained, it is a cancer that our society has permitted to metastasize, to grow and flourish into a malignancy.

Has child molestation risen to pandemic proportion in our midst? There is no formal actuarial data to support that, but no doubt predators have been sheltered, secure in the knowledge that the victim’s family will be so shrouded in shame and self-loathing, that denial will rule. When we have more compassion for the pedophile than for the victim, then our communities are doomed to self-destruction. “He’s respected….He’s choshuv….You can’t shame his family. You can’t deprive him of his livelihood…It will be a chilul Hashem….” By our own design, have we perpetuated the pain with our silence, reinforcing the shame, and being complicit in the trauma?

The medical literature says that a pedophile’s sexual interest in children is a disease that can not be controlled, and there must be appropriate psychological intervention. It will not go away with wishful thinking or haphazard monitoring.

Elected officials assign staffers to specific issues. There may be a “legislative desk,” a “Medicare desk,” an “Israel desk,” an “anti-Semitism desk,” a “discrimination desk,” etc, to respond to the needs of constituents. And after 26 years in office in the NYS Assembly, I now have a “sexual abuse desk.” No elected official should have a sexual abuse desk; no one should need one. But we do, because the experts say that one pedophile will abuse hundreds of victims, and I am now dealing with the exponential reality of decades and decades of our institutions, our communities, providing sanctuary to the perpetrators.

On my radio show, Miriam bravely recounted the violation of her son when he was eight years old at the hands of the principal of one of the largest institutions in Williamsburg. Repeatedly molested, her son, now in his twenties, is a member of a heavy metal band. The pain is etched on her son’s face. They have tried everything as a family to respectfully address the institution and remove the rebbe from access to children, and they have become mired in institutional politics, because the yeshiva refuses to acknowledge what the perpetrator did, though more than one victim has come forward. The politics of pain will rule no more; not on my watch. No pedophile should find sanctuary in our yeshivas. The perpetrators will get help or they will go to jail; there will be no self-serving wave of the hand, “Eh, the child and his parents are making it up.”

Another victim, Chaim, was molested summer after summer in one of our finest sleep-away camps. The psychic trauma has lingered for decades and shattered his life. He cannot trust. He cannot enjoy. He cannot feel. Unimaginable, unendurable, inescapable, - what sexual abuse does to the mind, the heart, the soul is devastatingly complete. It seizes the soul in a death-grip of terror and revulsion. It may be a passing scent….of grass, of trees…that triggers flashes of memories and overwhelms with painful sensory imagery of the abuse. It may be the feel of a fabric….it’s everywhere and nowhere…..and he remembers what it is like to be a child at the mercy of a vile adult who used his body over and over again…

For every one pedophile/molester there are hundreds of victims, as long as the violations go unreported or unaddressed. The victims can be your son, son-in-law, grandson, nephew…if it is not dealt with….I heard tapes of Chaim’s perpetrator…I couldn’t handle it. It was too much to bear. I couldn’t hear it anymore, how a molester tried to defend and rationalize what he did to his “favorites” in a well-renowned camp. “They didn’t know anything was going on. It wasn’t like they were hurt by what I did.” I. Didn’t. Want. To. Hear. One. More. Defiled. Utterance. Delving into the mind of a pedophile was traumatic. And his rapid-fire clipped speech and articulate manner underscored the banality of his malevolent indulgences. He destroyed this child and others, now adults, and he spoke of it as if it was meaningless to the children. “They were too young. They didn’t know what was going on. It’s nothing. It happened a long time ago.”

From this point forward, the message will be clear from every rov and every community: Schools and parents have an obligation to come forward to deal with this. If they don’t, then they are complicit in the abuse and will have to answer to another higher desk, after 120 years. That desk, Hashem’s desk, knows the hearts of men, and the purity of conviction, and if you have shielded the guilty, that is the greatest chilul Hashem of all.

We are compiling information which will be presented to rabbonim, material which will be irrefutable, undeniable, inescapable, based upon which there will be a groundswell of support for victims, and an initiative to remove the perpetrators from any and all contact with children.

I can’t bear to hear one more story, but I will. I will hear hundreds if I have to. I’ll cry with as many victims as I have to. And my heart will break, and I will feel desperate to get away from the pain.…but I will get them help. I will listen and I will brush away more tears than I’ve seen in 26 years – my own….for another childhood lost. This will be eradicated from our midst…I’m not a crusader I’m a parent….a grandparent….a man whose mind can no longer process the horrific stories of violations…

If we don’t teach our children to protect themselves from molesters, the molesters will perversely teach them first and paralyze their lives and emotions…There is a part of me that is sorry that I started on this journey of misery and degradation, and there is a part of me which knows that someone has to speak for myriad victims. I haven’t slept well since I launched this mission. I don’t know if I will…again.

There are people who will say that this is a problem which has been around for decades and that it will be impossible to breach the walls that have been put up. But I have faith that with God’s help, we will be able to make a difference in many lives. Are we going to solve the problem entirely? Notoriously, pedophiles are likeable and they blend in well, and formulate a cover story for why they are so involved with your children. Finding every single one and rooting them out, is the province of God. But with God on our side, we have a chance to stanch the loss of our children.

It’s almost too much to bear, but then the phone rings again, and another victim who hasn’t told his narrative to anyone calls, and haltingly asks for a meeting…and I know I don’t have a choice. I’m at 718-853-9616…and I am waiting for your call.

OUT OF CONTROL!

I recently returned from a quick visit to Washington, where I had dinner with a very dear friend of mine. We spoke about many of the burning issues of the day, and at the very end of our dinner he asks; well, what do you think happened to Novak?

For those of you that are not news-junkies, or just hate Bob Novak for converting to Catholicism; on a bright sunny morning he was driving his car on a Washington street where he hit a pedestrian, and did not stop. When the police tracked him down, he did not remember hitting anyone - or having even seen anyone on that street corner.

I turned to my friend (this was before the news about Novak's illness was publicized), and said, " my hunch is either he's going blind - or has a brain tumor." (we both did not think it was a hit and run)

A person I knew, only found out (after years of discomfort) that he had a tumor the size of a basketball , when he took chest x-rays after he had a car accident. Too late to save his life, unfortunately.

A distant relative of mine, was feeling ill for a while, took a stress test, and died in the doctor's parking lot.

....The stories are endless...symptoms of disease, but not quick enough to do anything about it.

The Ramat Bet Shemesh child-rape crisis threw me off the cliff. I thought I had heard it all. The rabbonim gedolim and askonim, to deflect attention away from the sick-scumbag-rebbe-molester, tried to pin the blame on the older sibling of the small child. "The older brother was the child-rapist" - the word went out in the neighborhood from these asher yatzer gedolim.

A woman in Australia, Malka Leifer, runs off to Israel after molesting many female students of hers. No jail - no nothing. All is quiet in Melbourne.

Aron Tendler is free to roam the streets of Baltimore after some twenty years of child-rape and God only knows how many adulterous relationships.

Shalom Tendler gets to open Yeshiva Bircas Yitzchok in Los Angeles, after being fired from the Young Israel and YULA. This abominable panty posek, and alleged adulterer, (much more another time) still stays on the board of the RCC, and the OU is still endorsing his Shabbatons.

Yudi Kolko moves to Lakewood and has no problem joining a shul and hanging around kids, again.

Lazer Ginsburg is actively raising bail money for Colmer, and his mamzer brother in-law, Avrohom Chaim Levin in Chicago, gets to cover-up decades of child-rapists, after this sick wind-bag from the Windy City, sends Brooklyn gift wrapped - Avrohom Mondrowitz - the Ted Bundy of child-rapists!

Shmuel Kaminetzky - The soulless individual, who knowingly sent Moshe Eisemann from Philadelphia to Baltimore - Ner Israel - forty years ago, and whose son in-law, Tzvi Berkowitz covered for Eisemann in Baltimore, is asked to speak at a meeting of victims of yeshiva molestations.

Just one child-rapist - Matt Salomon - the rug salesman from Lakewood - New Jersey, is invited and asked to impart his wisdom to these victimized souls, whose only crime was that their parents wanted them to have a yeshiva education.

We're so friggin' sick that we don't even call the doctor!

"A scandalous sex abuse story is brewing here in Ramat Bet Shemesh."

Dear UOJ,

Thank you for being a voice of reason and providing a forum for the many victims of our leadership. A scandalous sex abuse story is brewing here in Ramat Bet Shemesh.

A rebbe in a school has been accused of molestation of at least one (and possibly more) children. The rabbonim (former Americans) are trying to keep "hush hush" and contain the story. Although the rebbe was removed from the class the rabbonim demanded his return. Only a threat of going to the press and police kept him from coming back into the school and teaching.

The rabbonim suggested that the family pursue justice through an investigation done by a form of "tznius police' in Yerushalyim. The investigation has shlepped out for 2 weeks due to lack of cooperation on the part of the rebbe.

It is now coming out that there were more victims AND that the rabbonim in concert with the school, sent all of the witness kids and potential victims for "deprogramming".

UOJ....what do we do?

*******************************
UOJ -

I salute you for your campaigns to bring molesters to justice. I will be happy if this guy will never be able to come close to a kid again. At the same time I must ask for a matnas chinam......................a broken hearted father.

The father of a victim asked me to remove the names of the rabbis that covered up for the child-rapist, and to edit out some of this post. I will respect his wishes. He said - they were true, but at this crucial time, he felt his family would be better off if those details and names were to be deleted.

UOJ