Talking to Rabbis: "I was raped, to say aloud: modesty can breed vulnerability to sexual assault"

This past Sunday, I spoke about sexuality and modesty in front of a group of ultra-Orthodox rabbis. Both professionally and personally, it was a profound moment for me, a formerly ultra-Orthodox woman, to sit there and name experiences that the ultra-Orthodox community hasn’t wanted to hear. To say aloud: I was raped, to say aloud: modesty can breed vulnerability to sexual assault, to say aloud: all girls deserve sex education. And to have these rabbis – some of whom have been highly unfriendly to these ideas — carefully listen to me articulate these silenced realities.

At this event, five former ultra-Orthodox Jews met with four ultra-Orthodox rabbis and one Orthodox woman in an optimistic but perhaps quixotic attempt to build bridges of communication between these two communities.

Tensions have risen between the two, as former ultra-Orthodox Jews have grown to be a bold voice for justice around issues of sex abuse, negligence in education, forced marriages, oppression of personal choice, removal of children from deviating parents and abusive treatment of deviating teens, in their communities of origin.

Former ultra-Orthodox Jews don’t speak with a unified voice, but our diverse perspectives are perceptive and essential — and troubling for the ultra-Orthodox world, which has often viewed them as an affront to their way of life. There is little constructive conversation between the two groups, for a number of reasons, including — as I, a former ultra-Orthodox Jew, have experienced —a tendency for the ultra-Orthodox community to attack the veracity and mental health of any former ultra-Orthodox Jew who publicly tells their story.

 On that evening, the eleven of us involved put aside our theological disparities and powerful emotions to try and take a step towards naming and then addressing social problems within ultra-Orthodoxy — which we all agree, despite our differences, need to be faced.

As we spoke, I was surprised to hear some of the complexity that underlies the actions of these ultra-Orthodox rabbis. I’ve often encountered their views as black-and-white attitudes, but in the candid conversations at this event, I heard an unexpected complexity of motivations, and expressions of compassion and awareness, that gave me more hope that there are opportunities for change and cooperation.

Some critics of ultra-Orthodoxy have scoffed at this project. They’re mistrustful of the rabbis, angry that my peers and I would attempt to engage these people, some of whom have been the cause of much pain. This is a classic dilemma of social change movements: Do we engage directly with those perceived as oppressors, pulling them in to work on solutions — or are the costs too high and the outcomes too unlikely to make the effort worth it? I believe the issues are pressing enough that we must use every tool we’ve got — including engagement.

A lot of things were accomplished at this event, some visible, some not yet, but one important achievement is that we put names to faces, which can be a powerful way to bring conversations from inaudible attack to a more constructive volume.

For these ultra-Orthodox rabbis to have the willingness to sit at the table with five former ultra-Orthodox Jews, and to display a degree of willingness to listen to their ideas for reform, is a significant and valuable statement. It doesn’t negate my general anger and cynicism to state that I’m grateful for this gesture.

Yes, emphatically, this is a dismally low bar. But when you consider where we’re starting from, it feels like a leap as high as Everest. And yes, emphatically, this thimble-sized achievement is laughable relative to the size of our problems. But there’s no silver bullet for complex social change. There are only tiny steps, stumbling ahead, hopefully encouraging others forward on their own paths, until a great mass of us create a wave moving in the direction of justice and tolerance.

In our conversation at this event, it became obvious that some ultra-Orthodox rabbis feel held hostage by their communities, afraid that taking a stand for justice will cost them their credibility. It’s a disappointing dynamic, but it also illuminates that individuals in a community who feel powerless may not realize how much power they actually hold in their hands — how much one small statement, or one small action, can start to shift the intricate ecosystem of communal life.

Read more: http://blogs.forward.com/forward-thinking/198124/talking-to-the-rabbis-about-sex/?utm_source=Sailthru&utm_medium=email&utm_term=Sisterhood&utm_campaign=Sisterhood%20newsletter%202014-05-13#ixzz31cnJ31Yd

You Can Take The Child Molester Out Of Jewish Brooklyn, But You Can't Take The Jewish Brooklyn Out of The Child Molester

Hollywood's hypocrites 

A growing number of victims allege that behind its curtain
 of holier-than-thou progressivism, the entertainment
world's top A-list stars have engaged in the most depraved
 sexual abuse against vulnerable children and teens.
And after years of cover-up, the institutional scandal is exploding.

The latest alleged atrocities involve “X-Men” director Bryan Singer
and at least three other power players in the business:
veteran television executive Garth Ancier, former Disney
 executive David Neuman and producer Gary Goddard.

Last month, former child actor and model Michael Egan filed civil suits
against the men, alleging that they passed around underage boys
“like pieces of meat at sex parties” in the late 1990s.
Egan's X-rated lawsuit exposes a cabal of alleged predators 
who supposedly plied young boys and teens with hard drugs
and alcohol before sexually assaulting them.

Egan says he repeatedly was molested, raped and beaten
from the age of 15 at a mansion in southern California.
The mansion was owned by another of Egan's alleged abusers:
 Internet video mogul Marc Collins-Rector.
He's a registered sex offender who authorities said lured
young boys online, drugged and raped them — and reportedly
threatened them with a gun if they did not submit.

Egan's allegations are especially chilling in light of similarly
 lurid charges made 17 years ago on the set of Singer's movie
“Apt Pupil.” Three underage boys — ages 14, 16 and 17 —
filed suit alleging Singer and his crew forced them to take off
peach-colored G-strings and strip naked in a shower scene for the movie.
Authorities investigated. The suit was dismissed.

The alleged child rape scandal exposed by Egan does not exist in a vacuum:

• Last year, child actor Corey Feldman alleged rampant pedophilia
 in a brave,scathing memoir. He alleged that his best friend 
and co-star, the late Corey Haim, was sodomized by an older male
on the set of their hit film “Lucas.” The boys,
reportedly fed cocaine by a string of predators,
attended parties with Hollywood
talent manager and child actors' rep
Marty Weiss. Now a registered sex offender,
 Weiss pleaded no contest in 2012 to lewd acts
 on a child under the age of 14.

• Registered sex offender Jason Murphy, a Hollywood casting agent,
reportedly kidnapped and molested an 8-year-old boy before joining the industry.

• Former child actor Todd Bridges, of “Diff'rent Strokes” fame,
 says he was abused by his agent.

• Former teen pop princess Debbie Gibson has spoken of
“older male record executives” who hit on her while she was still underage.

• Despite disturbing and longstanding allegations of molestation and rape,
 directors Woody Allen and Roman Polanski still enjoy professional acclaim
 and adoration of their peers.

• Fashion photographer Terry Richardson continues to enjoy
 the support of Lady Gaga, Beyonce, Rihanna and Miley Cyrus
 despite years of allegations of misogyny, manipulation and 
sexual misconduct against young models.

If all of these sickos had been Catholic priests,
college fraternity members or charter school teachers,
we wouldn't have heard the end of the allegations.

Perhaps the social-justice-awareness raisers in the Hollywood left
should take a break from pointing fingers at everyone else —
and put a stop to the monsters in their midst.

Read more: http://triblive.com/opinion/featuredcommentary/6073259-74/alleged-child-egan#ixzz31YoERgUS 

"People between 35 and 64 years of age were more likely than those aged 18 to 34 years to report having been abused as a child."

Almost One-Third Of Canadian Adults Have Experienced Child Abuse

Increased link to mental disorders, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts.

Almost one-third of adults in Canada have experienced child abuse — physical abuse, sexual abuse or exposure to intimate partner (parents, step-parents or guardians) violence in their home. As well, child abuse is linked to mental disorders and suicidal ideation (thoughts) or suicide attempts, found an article published in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal).

“From a public health standpoint, these findings highlight the urgent need to make prevention of child abuse a priority in Canada,” writes Dr. Tracie Afifi, departments of Community Health Sciences and Psychiatry, University of Manitoba with coauthors.

Although the link between child abuse and mental health is known, in Canada there is a lack of recent, comprehensive information on the prevalence of child abuse and the link between different types of abuse and mental conditions in adults. This article in CMAJ is the first nationally representative study on child abuse and mental disorders in Canada.

Researchers looked at data from 23 395 people from across Canada who participated in the 2012 Canadian Community Health Survey: Mental Health. The participants were 18 years or older and were representative of people living in the 10 provinces. The study excluded residents in the three territories, residents in indigenous communities, full-time members of the Canadian Forces and people living in institutions.

According to the study, 32% of adult Canadians experienced child abuse, with physical abuse the most common (26%), followed by sexual abuse (10%) and exposure to intimate partner violence (8%). Men were more likely to have been physically abused (31% v. 21% in women) and had a higher rate of any abuse (34% v. 30%). Sexual abuse was more common in women (14% v. 6% in men) as was exposure to intimate partner violence (9% v. 7%) as children. People between 35 and 64 years of age were more likely than those aged 18 to 34 years to report having been abused as a child.

“All 3 types of child abuse were associated with all types of interview-diagnosed mental disorders, self-reported mental conditions, suicide ideation [thoughts of suicide] and suicide attempts in models adjusting for sociodemographic variables,” write the authors.

Drug abuse or dependence, suicidal thoughts and suicide attempts remained associated with all types of child abuse even in the most adjusted models. The least severe type of physical abuse (being slapped on the face, head or ears or hit or spanked with something hard) showed a strong association with all mental conditions in models adjusting for sociodemographic variables. Exposure to more than one type of abuse increased the odds of having a mental condition.

Canada’s western provinces had the highest rates of child abuse, with Manitoba first (40%), followed by British Columbia and Alberta (36%). Newfoundland and Labrador had the lowest rates of abuse at 21%.

“All health care providers should be aware of the relation between specific types of child abuse and certain mental conditions. Clinicians working in the mental health field should be skilled in assessing patients for exposure to abuse and should understand the implications for treatment,” the authors conclude.

LINK:

http://jewishbusinessnews.com/2014/04/25/almost-one-third-of-canadian-adults-have-experienced-child-abuse/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+JewishBusinessNews+%28Jewish+Business+News%29

Child sex abuse victim claims – US rabbi advised: ‘Don’t go to police.’

A New Global Jewish Taskforce to Combat Child Sexual Abuse

Recently I attended the first International Congress for Child Protection Organisations in Jewish Communities [the Congress] that was held at the Haruv Institute at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem. The Congress was sponsored by Haruv and Magen, an Israeli child protection organisation in Beit Shemesh.

I believe that in order to really understand the problems in Melbourne we need to understand the overall problem and culture underpinning the way in which Ultra Orthodox communities deal with child sexual abuse.

However it is important to note that here is one big difference between Melbourne and most other Jewish communities in how child sexual abuse is dealt with. In most countries community services for Ultra Orthodox steams of Judaism are usually delivered separately, because the Ultra Orthodox way of life and customs are so different to less religious streams of Judaism. That is not the case in Melbourne.

In Melbourne child protection is lead by the Chabad dominated volunteer organization The Jewish Taskforce Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault (The Taskforce). Although the vast majority of the Melbourne Jewish community are not Ultra Orthodox and don’t relate to or even understand the Chabad way of life, The Taskforce assert to be delivering a sensitive and unified response to child sexual abuse that covers all steams of Judaism. Thus the way in which all our children are protected is informed by Ultra orthodox “experts” such as USA based psychologist Dr David Pelcovitz and Israeli based Debbie Gross who works with the Ultra Orthoodox in family violence.

The Congress reached the conclusion that much reform was still needed to confront the challenges of child sexual abuse in Ultra Orthodox communities including: undue persuasion by members of the community, institutional cover ups, Inappropriate stigma, humiliation and fear has prevented many victims of sexual abuse from being forthcoming and public regarding the occurrence of abuse suffered by them. This failure of public awareness has resulted in immeasurable harm perpetrated on children and their families, who face potential further victimization by inaction or negative actions undertaken.

In Melbourne we have been reassured that the historical problems of child sexual abuse have been resolved. Many believe that children of Yeshivah College are safe now because policies and procedures have been implemented, children have been taught to protect themselves, parents have been taught how to talk to their children about abuse and assurances have been made that abuse occurring in institutions will be reported to authorities.

I believe that there needs to be a great deal of reform before we can sit back.

Last year the Herald Sun reported that USA psychology professor, Dr Pelcovitz trained Rabbis to respond to child sexual abuse. According to Rabbi Kluwgant president of the Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV): “there was a misconception that rabbis were saying to people that they mustn’t report to the police. If somebody has information regarding sexual abuse, they must report it to police – that goes without question.”

The act of reporting to police is far from resolved internationally. Not reporting a fellow Jew has been a long standing unwritten rule and culturally accepted norm in Ultra Orthodox communities. Another feature of Ultra Orthodox communities is the central role of the Rabbi in everyday life. In many communities Ultra-Orthodox leaders instruct their congregants not to report allegations of child sexual abuse to the police unless a rabbi first determines that the suspicions are credible.

There are many valid reasons why Rabbis should not be involved in the decision to report to authorities. The UK Jewish News offers a very good reason: “Sometimes religion simply cannot provide all the answers, so we must turn instead to secular authorities. Sexual abuse is one such time.”

Very recently The UK Jewish News reported Child sex abuse victim claims – US rabbi advised: ‘Don’t go to police.’ The case of Yehudis Goldsobel is well known internationally. Her allegations lead to the conviction and imprisonment of Mendel Levy. Yet Yehudis and her family were shunned by their community. Yehudis recently alleged that a United Synagogue rabbi advised her not to go to the police, despite an “extremely clear” policy on the issue.

The Age recently reported that Police are investigating how a confidential complaint about sex abuse cover-ups at a prominent Melbourne Jewish college was obtained by senior figures associated with the school, resulting in the exposure of the author’s identity. “The complainant is understood to have been subjected to harassment within the tight-knit St Kilda community ever since his identity was revealed. In some ultra-orthodox communities reporting a fellow Jew to police or secular authorities is discouraged.”

Given Rabbi Kluwgant’s assertions in the Herald Sun that: “…..If somebody has information regarding sexual abuse, they must report it to police – that goes without question.” If it is in fact true that a community member has been subject to harassment for reporting, what is the Rabbi of the shule doing in relation to this ongoing problem of harassment? What is the RCV doing? Should Rabbi Kluwgant comment given the public statements he has made?

Very recently another very disturbing episode has been highlighted in the Jewish media worldwide. It involves the case of Evan Zuader a now convicted sex offender and support for him by leaders. This time the headline read:

Pelcovitz and Leading Orthodox Rabbis Line Up Behind Sex Offender Evan Zauder.

Zauder, was a teacher at New York’s Yeshivat Noam, and worked in other Ultra Orthodox organisations ,where he was constantly around young people and children. Everyone liked him. No one suspected that he collected child pornography and arranged trysts with underage boys on the Internet—and more. Zauder faced spending many years in jail.

David Cheifetz is a victim of abuse. He recently wrote about the things he discovered in the public court documents concerning Evan Zauder’s sentencing, including a number of character references written by local rabbis and community leaders on Zauder’s behalf.

What he found particularly hurtful were two letters that spoke of Zauder in glowing terms, as if what he did was a momentary aberration or something that can be mediated, much as an alcoholic or drug addict can be treated.

“Until that time, one must question the underlying judgment and integrity of the individuals who would advocate for such abusers, and the institutions that they represent. Dr David Pelcovitz ‘s letter of recommendation was one of the letters that so horrified Chiefetz.

Benny Forer is a a district attorney in Los Angeles as well as a qualified but not practising Orthodox Rabbi. He too was outraged about the contents of Pelcovitzs’ letter of recommendation.

Forer calls into question Pelcovitz’s medical opinion as either grossly negligent or blatantly wrong because the statements in his letter were proven entirely wrong. Forer was not able to understand how “a self-proclaimed advocate and expert for child sexual abuse” could ‘assist’ victims by not only failing to hold the predator responsible but helping to minimise the predators’ exposure. Pelcovitz subsequently defended his action by stating that he wrote the letter before the initial bail was granted. He also apologised for hurt caused to victims.

This is not the first time that Dr. Pelcovitz's credibility as a child advocate has been challenged previously. One example is that he is linked to alleged coverups at Ohel (New York) and failure to report child sex abuse as well as other incidents.

I believe that Dr Pelcovitzs’ integrity is a significant issue as he advises Ultra Orthodox communities worldwide. Pelcovitz has also played a significant role in how we protect children in Melbourne. He has come to Australia on several occasions at the request of The Taskforce and the AJN has covered his visits with headlines such as: US sex abuse expert to speak.

According to Rabbi Kluwgant in the herald sun article: “Some victims didn’t want to report incidents to police because they felt ashamed. “If someone discloses to the rabbi this information, apart from telling them to go to the police, what can the rabbi offer to that person? What’s the best way for the rabbi to respond?”

Many questions arise from these statements. Reporting abuse should occur when there is a disclosure of abuse or if there are suspicions that a child is being abused. What does: if somebody has information regarding sexual abuse, they must report it to police mean?”

What does: “some victims don’t want to report incidents to police because they feel ashamed mean?” There is often no choice that Rabbis need to make. Disclosed abuse or suspicions of abuse involving a child’s parents needs to be reported to child protection and/or police so that an investigation is undertaken and a safety program is constructed for the child. If the sexual abuse involves a person outside of the family home the parents will need to be informed immediately. A report is made to the police. A child victim does not have a choice in reporting.

The Taskforce have placed emphasis on the role of Rabbis as central to stopping abuse. So much so that they have placed large advertisements in the AJN listing Rabbis who have attended training. What exactly is the role of Rabbis?

Children do not usually disclose to Rabbis. Someone has to bring an allegation of abuse to the rabbi – children don’t usually bring it themselves. Nor do Rabbis usually form a suspicion that a child is being abused through identifying symptoms simply because they don’t spend enough time with each child in their congregation. Children rely on the adults in the lives to protect them.

That is why adults need education and the confidence to respond to a child. According to Rachel Zimmerman (who runs Project Shield the Ultra-Orthodox response to child sexual abuse in Chicago (20/12/2011) the most important advocates for child sexual abuse are community members. “When someone has been victimized it is very hard to come forward. Most likely when someone comes forward it is not going to be to a professional, therapist, and hotline. Most likely it is going to be to a family member, teacher, a friend or someone close.” “Project Shield helps support the community to support victims.”

Other Jewish child protection organisations have implemented comprehensive community based education based on the belief that community education is the most important response element. This education incorporates how to report to authorities. The Taskforce as well as Rabbi Kluwgant President of the RCV, Rabbi Glasman past president of RCV and Rabbi Goodhardt who has the child abuse and family violence portfolio for the RCV, have strongly rejected telling the community about programs they can access on-line. Despite assertions of Rabbi Glasman that the RCV would provide community education and that they are working with the Australian Childhood Foundation, to provide comprehensive community education I don’t believe that this has yet reached the community.

Most of us fear responding to child sexual abuse –That is one of the reasons why many incidents of abuse go unreported even when a child discloses or a person suspects abuse. (According to Victor Vieth, executive director of the National Child Protection Training Center at Winona State University, USA: “The problem we have is that most people most of the time won’t report abuse, no matter how clear the evidence is.” “People tell researchers. I don’t report because I’m not quite sure.”

For this to occur, the community need to be involved – and armed with the knowledge and confidence to help a child.    I share child protection organisation JustTell’s vision: “a world in which children who are molested immediately turn to a trusted adult figure in their lives and tell them of the abuse. That trusted adult has information to help the child though the next steps so that the abuse is stopped and the abuser is prevented from harming other children.”

In our vision, children do not have to bear the scars of unrevealed and repeated abuse.

http://galusaustralis.com/2014/05/8300/a-new-global-jewish-taskforce-to-combat-child-sexual-abuse/#respond

Rosh Yeshivas--You Are Killing Our Children & Grandchildren

The UOJ Archives....July 2005

Rosh Yeshivas, Menahalim & Mashgichim.

You sleep well at night because you have parnassah and your children and grandchildren will have jobs waiting for them in your respective (not respectful) institutions, regardless if they are qualified or not.

You guys read this story, and if after you read it you are able to sleep at night, then you are much worse people than I thought.

Recently, I sat next to a respected Lakewood resident at a simcha. He spent a total of fifteen years in the yeshiva/kollel.

Every time he went to you explaining what a difficult time he was having, you encouraged him to stay in kollel, Hashem will provide.

Eleven children later, without any financial means whatsoever and deep in debt, he was forced to look for a job. He would not take any job, after all he was a talmud chochom, and should be a rosh yeshiva.

After two years looking for a SUITABLE job, he begrudgingly took a job in a local talmud torah. Although considered by many as an Iluy, that was the best and only job he was able to get. He came from a baalibatashe family, with no money or yeshiva connections.

I was introduced to his wife who I guestimate was about forty, going on sixty.

We have common friends so I assume he felt comfortable talking to me, and of course I would never divulge his identity.

He asked me if I knew of a job for his son who was twenty years old. He told me that although he wanted his son to stay in yeshiva, he was not cut out for it. I asked a few basic questions, like how much of a secular education did he have. I just wanted to confirm that, at the minimum, he had a high school education.

He related to me that none of his sons had gone past the eighth grade. I asked him what kind of job was his son looking for?

Now the guy I am talking to is a real bright guy, so he knew where I was going.

He asked if his son was able to work in the real estate industry. I told him to get anywhere, he would have to get a real estate license. This is where he came apart.

We walked outside and this grown man with eleven children started bawling. He said his son can hardly read and he was hiring a tutor to TEACH HIS TWENTY YEAR OLD SON TO READ ENGLISH!!!!!!

Do you guys get it??

This is America in the twenty first century, and his twenty year old son can hardly read the language of the land where he lives!

I asked him to be in touch, and we exchanged phone numbers.

We did keep in touch and the story unfolded.

He, the father, was a prodigy in an IVY LEAGUE yeshiva, and was encouraged to continue learning. Hashem would provide, and certainly he would be grabbed up by a gvir (rich guy) for his daughter, and he would live happily ever after.

If he ever decided that he would want to go into chinuch, the yeshivas would line up to grab him as well. Well, no gvir grabbed him, and he wound up marrying a nice girl, BUT NO GELT. His chashuvah rosh yeshiva encouraged him to marry this girl, gave him a brocho,and assured him that Hashem will provide.

Life moves along, the kids keep coming, and this guy is struggling big time. His shalom bayis is seriously affected, and the rosh yeshiva who is consulted and asked to intercede, starts questioning his talmid's bitachon and emunah. This idiot rosh yeshiva, a member of the Moetzes, whose yeshiva mortgage is completely paid off, is questioning his talmid's bitachon, because there is NO MONEY FOR FOOD AND NO SHALOM BAYIS!!!!!!!!

This filthy behaima, mushchas, destroyer of our future generations, puts his own son in a rosh mesifta position, who if had to look for a job without his father, would be shoveling zevel for the local sanitation department.

This is why I am SCREAMING CHAI V'KAYIM.

THEY MADE THESE YESHIVAS PRIVATE BUSINESSES WITH YOUR MONEY! THEY PUT THEIR SUB-PAR KIDS IN, TO BE MECHANECH YOUR KIDS, WHILE CREATING GENERATIONS OF SHNORRERS.

The BIG LIE is, that there are no jobs waiting for anyone in kollel, unless they have very close family in the yeshiva business.

NOT ONLY ARE OUR CHILDREN BEING "TAUGHT" BY MORONS, THEY ARE BEING LED INTO A LIFE OF POVERTY, DISCONTENT AND MISERY!

How does one have bitachon when his life is coming apart based on false notions of what Hashem will or will not do? How do you behaimas take vulnerable kids and savage their minds the way you do? Have you no shame? You turn them into emotional cripples!

This story has been repeated thousands of times in different variations. These rosh yeshivas are perpetuating this fraud because this is what keeps their businesses going. If there were no customers for their fraud, there would be no business.

GUESS WHAT? HASHEM DOES NOT THROW MONEY AT PEOPLE WHO SPEND THEIR TIME IN YOUR INSANE ASYLUMS, YOU HAVE BEEN SHNORRING YOUR WHOLE LIVES AS WELL! YOU KNOW YOU ARE PATHETIC PANHANDLERS, TIN-CUP, MONKEY AND ALL.

NO ONE WHO IS HONEST CAN DISPUTE THIS DOOMSDAY SCENARIO THAT HAS SLAMMED INTO OUR COMMUNITY.

Sure, there are SOME honest rosh yeshivas, BUT THEY ARE IN THE MINORITY OF MINORITIES.

Any rosh yeshiva that encourages a "regular guy" to stay in kollel until he is old and gray should be sent to the frontlines in Iraq with his black camouflage clothing.

WHAT THE HELL IS WRONG WITH YOU GUYS? HOW ILL ARE YOU?

Some suggestions.

All yeshivas should be subject to an audit conducted by a lay persons' vaad, who will hire frum accountants to check the books. Every single mosad gets audited, no exceptions.

All hiring of rebbes should be done by an impartial vaad of rabbonim and rosh yeshivas.

Why Not?

Why can we not get this done? What are they hiding? This IS NOT THEIR MONEY, THIS BELONGS TO THE PUBLIC, AND WE HAVE EVERY RIGHT TO MONITOR OUR SO CALLED INVESTMENT.

Why not hire the absolute best rebbeim for our kids?

Why should we automatically hire and pay for your kids?

Enough with hiring ZEVEL to teach and mislead our kids. There is a pool of thousands of men to pick from, let us get the absolute best.

Enough with concealing the amounts of PUBLIC MONEY used in excesses for your personal luxuries.

Enough with counseling ALL KIDS TO STAY IN KOLLEL FOR AS LONG AS THEY CAN.

Enough of NOT FORCING OUR KIDS TO GRADUATE HIGH SCHOOL WITH THE BEST GRADES THEY CAN GET. I AM TALKING TO YOU, ALZHEIMERS ARON FELDMAN, BALTIMORE AL FOR SHORT!

ENOUGH OF NOT FORCING THE MAJORITY OF YESHIVA BOYS TO PREPARE THEMSELVES FOR THE EVENTUALITY THAT THEY MUST PROVIDE FOR THEIR FAMILIES BY LEARNING A TRADE.

YOU ARE CAUSING TRAGEDIES UPON TRAGEDIES.

Let this be a call for all well meaning TRUE ehrliche Jews to rise up against this cancer that is metasticising throughout our communities.

They are cult leaders who rule by mental intimidation.

To hell with these destroyers of meaningful life for our children.

Rise up and drive out these charlatans and purveyors of fraud from our communities, they are destroying the vestiges of our sanity!

AFTER 60 YEARS OF SEXUALLY ABUSING CHILDREN - HESHY NUSSBAUM PLEADS GUILTY!

Feb. 19 2014 - Guilty plea entered on all charges. Sentencing hearing scheduled. 

March 28 2014 - Sentencing hearing. 3 victims were present. 3 victims read their victim impact statements. Judge couldn't sentence Nussbaum that morning because he needed time to reflect because of the statements. New date scheduled.

April 6 2014  - Nussbaum sentenced to 2 years house arrest and 3 years probation following the sentence. 

I am thankful that unlike US law, the (SOL) in Canada  --- these monsters can be charged at anytime,  and they can be exposed through legal means without legal repercussions to the victims. 

A publication ban is in full force with regards to the identities of the victims forever, due to the fact we were minors at the time. 

 HESHY NUSSBAUM VICTIM - MORE DETAILS WHEN AVAILABLE

"Let’s make one thing clear: I’m not here to negotiate with children's safety. The Rabbis can take a stance and make their opinions publicly known, or they will be forced to change by the advocates."

Benny Forer · Los Angeles, CA 

• Deputy District Attorney at Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office

https://www.facebook.com/benny.forer.3?fref=photo

Why do I occasionally take on Rabbis and criticize their actions in the arena of CSA (child sex abuse)?

For those who are familiar with this industry, the answer is obvious. For those that don’t, maybe it isn't so apparent. (I'm excluding those that are familiar, but nevertheless justify Rabbinical action/inaction – a group I'm not addressing, nor do I care for their opinion).

The Orthodox Jewish system that has been set in place for many years is one that requires Rabbinical approval for most things. As one prominent Israeli rabbi preposterously told me:

 “I'm a rabbi and therefore the community’s leader. If they have an issue, they must seek my advice and it’s my job to remain totally informed. If they need an operation, they must seek my advice first. If they want to report a crime, they must seek my advice first.” (This post isn’t to discuss whether this system is right or wrong – its simply stating the fact and the attitude).

As a result, for many years and certainly throughout my lifetime, it was expected that any victim of abuse had to be vetted by a rabbi before going to the police. These rabbis almost never had any expertise in this area alone, and therefore, overwhelmingly chose the wrong action. This also resulted in countless cover-ups which led to further victimization.

For the past few years, many advocacy groups popped up, exposing this ugly truth. The result was that some rabbis courageously encouraged victims to go the police and took a stance on the issue. Devastatingly though, most rabbis have remained silent on this issue and many continue to maintain their myopic and misplaced beliefs on this topic. One only need to do a simple google search to read numerous articles about rabbis giving wrong/bad advice, encouraging silence, demonizing the victims, etc.

In our global community, we accept the Rabbi’s role to be one of an authority on our actions, thinking, methodologies, education and community. The Rabbi is the most important and central feature of our group, often dictating permissible and impermissible things. Accordingly, when there is a danger within a community, the Rabbi is central to the overall decision making on the matter.

Understanding this point, is understanding rabbinical criticism.

 Silence or inaction on an issue threatening a community is unacceptable.

 A Rabbi must take a stand and must have a course of action. Those that lack courage, but have Torah and learning should remain as community teachers, but not leaders. Thus, the very nature of their job and position puts them in the forefront of dealing with issues pertaining to CSA. Silence and inaction are unacceptable.

The problem, as illustrated by the attached article, is that far too often, Rabbis have said that they empathize with the victim, yet their actions revealed the opposite. In the recent Zauder case, many prominent Rabbonim wrote letters of support for an evil man, mostly out of foolishness and a lack of understanding/education on the issue.

This rightfully subjected them to immense criticism and we should all demand their renouncement and apology for that.

There are countless more examples of this type of action. The Crown Heights Bes Din issued a psak two years ago that told victims of CSA that they may go to the police. Despite this being a very commonsense and halachically required approach, only two of the three rabbis signed this edict. The holdout has continuously assisted predators to the detriment of the victims. Furthermore, one of the rabbis that signed the edict is actively working to delegitimize a victim that did go to the police!

So are Rabbis above criticism? Absolutely not. Should they be severely exposed if they take the wrong course and harm society? Absolutely.

Let’s make one thing clear: I’m not here to negotiate with children's safety. The Rabbis can take a stance and make their opinions publicly known, or they will be forced to change by the advocates. There isn’t a middle nice ground here. This is not an arena for pleasantries and niceties…its children’s lives.

If you have a problem with that – please unfriend me and please don’t ever talk to me. I don’t want to be a part of your world.

http://jstandard.com/content/item/taking_care_of_the_victims/30533

Taking care of the victims - The Jewish Standard

We are sisters. One of us is a former child abuse and sex crimes prosecutor. One of us is a licensed social worker who has worked clinically with victims of sexual abuse and is also a victim of...

JSTANDARD.COM

This weekend, BBC World Service is repeatedly running a half-hour segment by reporter Matt Wells, titled "Betraying the Faith: Abuse in Jewish Brooklyn."

Betraying the Faith: Abuse in Jewish Brooklyn

New York’s Brooklyn district is home to more than 200,000 Ultra-Orthodox Jews who live in close-knit enclaves, according to strict religious laws. 

A culture of secrecy and denial is said to have surrounded the crime of child sexual abuse in this area, with some rabbis preferring to deal with it internally, rather than calling in police. Their religious codes are said to have protected abusers and many victims also accuse civil prosecutors of helping shield perpetrators.

These cover ups are rooted in the concepts of 'mesirah' - not handing people

 over to the secular authorities - and the desire among some

 in the ultra-Orthodox communities to protect abusers, including many rabbis,
 at any cost. 

In this program, reporter Matt Wells hears from one man who says he was sexually

 abused in a religious bath house but thrown out of summer camp for speaking out. 

Supporters of the abused say hundreds of people have suffered but that even when cases 

get to the secular authorities, there has been a cover up. 

Matt Wells also talks to rabbis who can’t agree themselves how cases of sex abuse

 should be handled. 

If you have been affected by the issues raised in this program then there are support groups

 who have been set up to help.

CHECK PROGRAMMING TIMES IN YOUR AREA:
LISTEN TO THE AUDIO:

 CLICK: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01y0s9q

 Michael Lesher is on the program. He is the author of 

Sexual Abuse, Shonda and Concealment in Orthodox Jewish Communities.

 A truly fascinating book, available shortly.

See link at:
http://www.mcfarlandpub.com/book-2.php?id=978-0-7864-7125-6

"It takes courageous visionaries to stand up to the shared “wisdom” on child sex abuse in a religious community, and to press the rule of law against anarchical, instinctual protection of the religious organization’s image and cohesion."

Sex Abuse and Lawlessness in the Ultra-Orthodox Jewish Community

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Here we are at the end of Child Abuse Prevention Month and Sexual Assault Awareness Month, and let’s just say that the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community as a whole is not going to receive any justice awards soon, though two brave individuals should.

First, there is the specter in Brooklyn of a sweetheart plea deal for the criminal who threw bleach on the face of the bravest advocate of sex abuse survivors in the ultra-Orthodox Jewish community. Second, at the end of last month, there was a veritable celebration in honor of the prison release of the criminal who tried to bribe a young woman and her boyfriend with $500,000 to drop charges against ultra-Orthodox molester Rabbi Nechemya Weberman.

The Sweetheart Plea Deal for a Vicious Assault
Former Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes repeatedly let down the victims of child sex abuse in the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities. He actually lost his job because of it. The man who replaced him, Ken Thompson, ran on a platform of protecting the children who were abandoned by the Hynes administration. He started off strong by dropping the charges against Sam Kellner, who was unfairly charged with extortion when in fact he was trying to obtain justice for his son, who was sexually abused. He made many points then. Earlier this week, he backtracked.

The fight to protect victims of abuse in religious communities is difficult and daunting, and those inside the community can pay the steepest price. One of those men in the ultra-Orthodox universe is Rabbi Nuchum Rosenberg, who has persistently ministered to the abused in his community, forced the issue into the public square through a call-in show and blog, and proudly stood in support of legislative reform in Albany for them. His dogged persistence has created a wedge in the community for justice, and survivors sorely in need of support have started to speak up.

Tempers were running high December of 2012 following the trial and guilty verdict of sick molester and esteemed counselor Rabbi Nechemya Weberman.

Rosenberg had been a victim of violence before, but the day after the Weberman verdict, Meilech Schnitzler approached Rosenberg and threw bleach in his face. But for the quick action of a person who threw a cup of water on Rosenberg’s face, he might be blind today.

In a move that has sent chills through the ultra-Orthodox survivor community, Thompson cut a deal with Schnitzler that will hardly deter future violence against the survivors’ advocates. Instead of serving the years in prison the crime should have earned, Schnitzler confessed to throwing the bleach on Rosenberg and received nothing but unsupervised probation. To quote Rosenberg, “Probation in our circles is a joke.”

The Grand Celebration for the Man Convicted of Bribery in the Weberman Child Sex Abuse Case
As I discussed at the end of 2012 here,the day that Weberman was convicted was a very good day for survivors in this community. It was the first public conviction of a well-known and respected counselor, and it was high time the survivors were vindicated by the legal system—even if shunned by their own community.

The next very good day occurred when he was sentenced to over 100 years in prison. Even though the total number of years was eventually reduced, he is still facing life in prison for his sick, sadistic years of abuse of the Orthodox girl who was entrusted to him for counseling. She was only 12 when he started preying on her.

Sadly, the community guaranteed that the legal process was sullied from beginning to end. In the midst of the trial, Abraham Rubin approached the victim’s boyfriend and offered the couple $500,000 if she would drop the charges and leave the country, so that Weberman could go free. Rubin was convicted for trying to subvert the justice system but served mere months for his crime.

He was released late last month from Rikers Island, and how did the Satmar community greet him? Like a returning hero. There was dancing in the streets, music, and a party in a large wedding hall. Ads were even placed in Der Blatt, which is a community weekly, praising Rubin. They were honoring this man who had subverted the legal system for a child predator: “The son of the Satmar Rebbe declared Rubin atzadik (righteous man) and declared, ‘I would be happy to exchange places with Rubin in the world to come.’”

The Silver Lining: Weberman Still Rots in Jail
Against the backdrop of the lawlessness on display above, I would remind good people that Weberman will be in jail for the rest of his life. Justice John G. Ingram of New York’s Kings County Supreme Court sentenced Weberman with the statement: “The message should go out to all victims of sexual abuse that your cries will be heard and justice will be done.”

Michael Lesher and Amy Neustein have rightly suggested that federal prosecutors should press charges against those who perpetrate violence based on religious identity, even if it involves fellow believers threatening each other. Their point is well taken, though the problem is so much more complex than finding a legal basis to hold bad people accountable.

It takes courageous visionaries to stand up to the shared “wisdom” on child sex abuse in a religious community, and to press the rule of law against anarchical, instinctual protection of the religious organization’s image and cohesion. Rabbi Rosenberg is one of those people, and, let us hope that in the future, instead of senselessly lashing out at him, good people will join his decent and worthy cause.

Weberman’s victim gave an impassioned and memorable victims impact statement at the sentencing hearing, saying, “I clearly remember how I would look in the mirror and see a person I didn’t recognize. I saw a girl who didn’t want to live in her own skin. A girl whose innocence was shattered at the age of 12.”

She and Rabbi Rosenberg are heroes.

Marci A. Hamilton is a professor of law at Cardozo School of Law, and the author of Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect Its Children, which was just published in paperback with a new Preface. She also runs two active websites on issues she writes about frequently, www.sol-reform.com and www.RFRAfolly.com. Her email address is Hamilton02@aol.com.

- See more at: http://verdict.justia.com/2014/05/01/sex-abuse-lawlessness-ultra-orthodox-jewish-community#sthash.j4VWHgw4.dpuf

“I don’t do metzitzah b’peh. Period. The health risks are pretty clear.”

Yehuda Lebovics: “I don’t do metzitzah b’peh. Period. The health risks are pretty clear.” 


Read more: http://www.jta.org/2014/04/30/life-religion/americas-top-mohels#ixzz30OSPyFKR