Twenty-one rabbis in Canada are among 300 Orthodox rabbis who have signed a strongly -worded warning of the necessity to respond in a forthright manner to sexual abuse of children in the Orthodox Jewish community...

Child sexual abuse must be addressed: Orthodox rabbis 

By Janice Arnold, Staff Reporter -

Twenty-one rabbis in Canada are among 300 Orthodox rabbis who have signed a strongly -worded warning of the necessity to respond in a forthright manner to sexual abuse of children in the Orthodox Jewish community.

Released in August, the proclamation was prompted by victims’ suicides “committed as a direct result of child sexual abuse,” as well as other physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual consequences. 

Ignoring abuse allegations, shaming accusers and not bringing suspected incidents to the attention of secular authorities is immoral and contrary to Jewish law, they say.

The rabbis, who are mainly from the United States and Israel, acknowledge that perpetrators include family members, teachers, counsellors, youth leaders, professionals and rabbis.

“This abuse has caused and continues to cause immeasurable harm to the victims, their families, and our entire community; it can destroy lives,” they state.

The signatories recognize that their communities “could have responded in more responsible and sensitive ways to help victims and to hold perpetrators accountable.”

READ: CHILD SEXUAL ABUSE IN COMMUNITY RAMPANT, AUDIENCE TOLD

“Reasonable suspicions” of all forms of child abuse and neglect should be reported directly and promptly to civil authorities, they say. There is no need to seek rabbinic approval first.

“We decry the use of Jewish law or the invocation of communal interests as a tool to silence victims or witnesses from reporting abuse,” the proclamation reads. “Regardless of the standing of the abusers, accusers and their family members must be treated in an accepting, nonjudgmental manner so that they feel safe and can therefore speak frankly and fully.”

Rabbi Michael Whitman of Montreal’s Adath Israel Synagogue told The CJN that he hopes the proclamation will send a clear message that this is an issue the community must take very seriously and be open about. He wants this unprecedented statement to give victims the confidence to come forward.

“I have been very vocal about this for many years,” he said, but added that protecting the confidentiality of victims means that usually many cases are never made known.

In his 15 years in Montreal, Rabbi Whitman said he has publicly spoken out about two or three cases. “I’ve been involved more privately, through Batshaw [Youth and Family Centres], [Agence] Ometz and other professionals, helping one on one.”

The main point is that “we should never hide abuse, never excuse it.”

The signatories call upon all synagogues and schools to adopt sexual abuse prevention policies. These may include screening potential employees, ensuring that an adult is not alone with children unless there is a “reasonable and immediate possibility of being seen,” and establishing rules on unacceptable touching.

The rabbis also want children to be taught about sexual safety, “even though no child is responsible for preventing sexual abuse; that is the responsibility of every adult and the entire community.”

The other Canadian signatories are, from Montreal, rabbis David Kadoch; Mark Fishman and Mordechai Zeitz, respectively, rabbi and rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Tikvah; Moshe Jablon, rabbi emeritus of Congregation Beth Ora, and Howard Joseph, rabbi emeritus of the Spanish and Portuguese Synagogue; and from Toronto, Yechiel Goldreich; Seth Grauer, rosh yeshiva of Bnei Akiva Schools; Charles Grysman, Zichron Yisroel Congregation of Associated Hebrew Schools; Benjamin Hecht, Nishma; Elie Karfunkel, Forest Hill Jewish Centre; Daniel Korobkin, Beth Avraham Yoseph of Toronto; Moshe Stern, rabbi emeritus, Shaarei Tefillah Congregation; Chaim Strauchler, Shaarei Shomayim Congregation, and Mordechai Torczyner, Yeshiva University Torah MiTzion Beit Midrash Zichron Dov; Nevo Zuckerman, Beth Jacob Congregation of Kitchener-Waterloo, Ont.; from Ottawa, Reuven Bulka, Congregation Machzikei Hadas; Howard Finkelstein, Congregation Beth Tivkah;  and Ari Galandauer, Young Israel of Ottawa; Daniel Friedman of Beth Israel Synagogue in Edmonton; and Yakov Kerzner of Congregation Beth Israel in Halifax.

Among the prominent signatories are: Rabbis Elchanan Adler and other roshei yeshiva of Yeshiva University’s theological seminary; Eli Ciner, principal of the Frisch School in Teaneck, N.J.; Mark Dratch, executive vice-president of the Rabbinical Council of America; and Menachem Genack, CEO of the Orthodox Union’s kosher division. 

http://www.cjnews.com/living-jewish/health/child-sexual-abuse-orthodox-rabbis

"I Dream… Of communities that truly love and support victims and survivors of abuse rather than shaming and shunning them. I dream of a justice system that more reliably holds sexual criminals accountable for their actions and doesn’t place disproportionate blame onto their victims."

I was Thirteen, He was a Seminary Student

  ItHappened

It Happened…

In 2000. That’s the year I met him. He started grooming me right away. I was thirteen years old. I loved music, swimming, being with my friends, and playing outside. The sexual, verbal, and emotional abuse started when I was fourteen and lasted almost two years.

It Was…
A man ten years older than me. I met him through church. He was in seminary training to become a pastor — he was charming, polite, and had a great reputation. My parents rented out rooms in our house to college students from the church. He moved in when I was fourteen. Two weeks after he moved in we kissed for the first time. After that, things escalated quickly. We’d meet in the bathroom or he’d sneak into my bedroom at night and strip me naked, finger me, and force me to perform oral sex on him. He oiled the hinges of the doors so he could sneak into my room without waking anyone up. He told me he loved me and was going to marry me someday, and he said if I ever told anyone what was going on it would ruin our lives. I was blamed for all our encounters. He’d say I had tempted him and he couldn’t resist me.He’d call me a slut and a whore and tell me no one else would ever love me. I was infatuated with him but consumed by shame and self-loathing.

It Made Me Feel…
Alienated. Depressed. Confused. Suffocated. On top of the sexual abuse he was wildly jealous of me and treated me terribly. I felt like I was in prison in my own home. Many times I wanted to scream out and tell my parents what was happening but I was too scared of what would happen if I told. I developed stomach ulcers and insomnia and started having panic attacks. I cut myself off from my friends. I stopped letting my dad come into my bedroom and didn’t want to be hugged or touched my him, even though he had never hurt me. I smiled on the outside while I died on the inside. It was killing me but I didn’t know how to make it stop.

I Told…
When I was 17 years old. I’d held it inside for years. It felt a bit liberating at first but mostly just terrifying. My parents believed me and went to our pastor and to the police. My abuser was arrested. Our pastor said what happened was my fault, too, and that I should be held responsible. He said my parents were foolish for not knowing what was happening and that they were responsible, too. Men in the church wrote letters to the judge defending my abuser. They said I was tall and pretty for my age. They said I was flirtatious and seductive. During sentencing, our pastor sat on my abuser’s side of the courtroom. In an unexpected last minute turn of events, the judge significantly lightened my abuser’s sentence — he ended up spending only 4 months in prison and he wasn’t required to register as a sex offender. When he got out of prison he went back to the same church and was welcomed there. No one was informed or warned about what he’d done to me. No one knew how dangerous he was. People from church whispered and pointed at me after that, or they just completely ignored me. Friends wrote letters to me saying I needed to repent for my part in the “relationship” and find the lessons God was trying to teach me. No one asked how I was doing or offered me resources. I became even more depressed and eventually suicidal. I had never felt more alone in my life. When I was eighteen years old, I left the church and the pastor and elders put me under church discipline.

I Survived…
But not before nearly killing myself several times before I was twenty years old. When I was twenty, I married an incredible, kind man and started a family soon thereafter. My husband’s understanding and support helped me to begin the long, tedious process of healing. I started Mindfulness Based Cognitive Therapy and continued for several years. Therapy played a very important role in my healing. When I was twenty three years old, through a personal blog, I began to share more openly about the abuse and subsequent shaming. This set me on a path that would eventually lead me to advocacy. Connecting with others through the painful story of my past has held incredible healing power for me, and I can’t imagine where I’d be if I hadn’t started sharing my experiences.

I Dream…
Of communities and churches that truly love and support victims and survivors of abuse rather than shaming and shunning them. I dream of a justice system that more reliably holds sexual criminals accountable for their actions and doesn’t place disproportionate blame onto their victims. I dream of generations of youth who are taught what healthy relationships look like, who understand what consent means, and who respect themselves and those around them. Through blogging, social media, one-on-one interactions, and public speaking I currently dedicate much of my time to connecting with abuse victims and survivors and to raising awareness in communities and churches about these issues.

I Want…
Other survivors to know they are worthy of love. Nothing can ever change or diminish that. I want them to know they are not alone, and that there are resources available to them to help them on their journey to healing. I want those who have never suffered abuse to understand the depth of trauma abuse inflicts. I want them to know how important it is for survivors to feel connected and loved instead of judged. Each of us plays a vital role in making the world a better, safer place for victims of abuse. Healing begins with compassion and empathy.

---

Natalie is an Abuse Advocate, Blogger, Speaker & Musician who survived years of childhood sexual abuse and now shares her story with others through social media and public speaking in order to spread hope & healing.

You can read more on her Blog, and follower her on Facebook, and Twitter.


http://www.ithappened.me/2016/08/24/i-was-thirteen/

Dr. Harvey Erlich was arrested on sexual abuse charges in Canada in 2012 and pleaded guilty in 2015... Harvey Erlich — had gone on to sexually abuse four other boys.

EXCLUSIVE: Man sexually abused as teen in 1972 files suit against camp that employed counselor who abused him and others: ‘Nobody stopped it’

When he was 13 years old, he was abused by a counselor who abused four other boys.

BY Reuven Blau Michael O’keeffe

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

 

Thursday, September 1, 2016, 4:00 AM

 

He has held the secret of that summer for more than 40 years.

He was a 13-year-old in 1972, away at Camp Ramah in the foothills of the Taconic Mountains when, he says, a counselor lured him into the woods and forced him to perform oral sex.

The self-loathing smoldered inside, worsening each time a memory came flashing back.

Then earlier this year, the victim — a Westchester businessman and now a John Doe in legal papers — was fishing on the internet. What he found took his breath away.

His alleged abuser — Harvey Erlich — had gone on to sexually abuse four other boys.

Finally, he was forced to take a stand.

“This is what enrages me more than anything else,” the father of three told the Daily News in an exclusive interview Wednesday. “The fact is this went on for years and nobody stopped it.”

The businessman struck back Wednesday by filing a bombshell lawsuit in Manhattan Federal Court that claims camp officials knew Erlich, then an 18-year-old counselor at the Conservative Jewish camp in Wingdale, N.Y., was a sexual predator but failed to protect him and other children.

The businessman, now in his 50s said he has struggled with alcoholism, drug abuse, anger management and trust issues. Unable to cope with depression, he attempted suicide several times.

“I got f---ed over this,” he said, showing scars on his forearms. “I was trying to punish myself for putting myself in this position and not doing anything about it.”

The lawsuit, which seeks at least $20 million in damages, names the Jewish Theological Seminary. It also names the National Ramah Commission — the JTS subsidiary that operates Camp Ramah and other summer camps dedicated to teaching Jewish traditions.

“In 1972, Camp Ramah was an extremely dangerous place where a vicious, malicious and sadistic predator roamed free to pick off his innocent prey by relying upon the respect and reverence he commanded by virtue of his position of authority at the camp," the lawsuit says.


The seminary and commission did not immediately respond to a request seeking comment.

The complaint also says that National Ramah Commission officials, including then-assistant camp director David Soloff and Kenneth Greene, the division head for campers in John Doe's age group, had been told that Erlich abused several boys just weeks before he assaulted John Doe.

Soloff, Greene and other officials failed to call police, notify parents or terminate the counselor, the lawsuit says.

The News was unable to reach Soloff and Greene for comment.


A coverup by camp officials and their failure to stop Erlich, the lawsuit says, allowed Erlich to sexually abuse four boys during the 1970s and 1980s in Toronto, where he worked as a dentist and served as a choir conductor.

One of those victims, an 11-year-old boy, was sexually assaulted in a Toronto synagogue, according to Canadian police.

Erlich was arrested on sex abuse charges in 2012 in Canada, which does not have a statute of limitations on sexual abuse cases.

Dr. Harvey Erlich was arrested on sexual abuse charges in Canada in 2012 and pleaded guilty in 2015.

He pleaded guilty last year to three counts of gross indecency and was sentenced to 18 months’ house arrest.

The strict statute of limitations in New York — which the Daily News has pressured officeholders to change — bars sex abuse survivors from pursuing criminal charges or civil damages after their 23rd birthday.

The businessman’s attorney, Kevin Mulhearn, is trying a different approach to circumvent the restrictive law. Instead, he is arguing that camp officials violated Title IX, the 1972 federal law best known for enforcing equality for women in college sports.

Title IX also prohibits sexual abuse and harassment in educational programs that receive federal financial assistance.

The Second Court of Appeals recently ruled that the clock on the Title IX statute of limitations does not begin ticking until a plaintiff knows or should have known about the coverup, Mulhearn said.


The businessman told The News he did not know Erlich had abused other boys until he read accounts about his arrest and sentencing earlier this year.

He reported his abuse to Toronto police, but authorities told him there was nothing they could do because Erlich had assaulted him in New York, not Canada.

The businessman said it is time for JTS and the National Ramah Commission to take responsibility for their role in Erlich’s sexual abuse.

“If they are not going to take responsibility, then f--- them,” he said. “They get what they have coming to them.”

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/man-abused-teen-files-suit-camp-employed-abuser-article-1.2773544

Is There Any Hope For My "Friends" at 42 Broadway? What Do These Geniuses Think - If They Can? No Vaccinations But Pills....?

Science

New Alzheimer’s drug clears abnormal protein clogs in small, promising trial

•  

August 31, 2016 at 4:18 PM EDT

 

BY KAREN WEINTRAUB, Scientific American

Amyloid plaques, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease, were reduced significantly
by a year of treatment with a new drug called aducanumab. Photo by Sevigny et al., Nature, 2016

A new drug trial that some researchers are calling the most promising yet in the fight against Alzheimer’s suggests it may be possible to clear the brain of the amyloid protein that is characteristic of the disease.

The results are very impressive and very encouraging.

The study was small and researchers caution that it’s far too soon to declare victory against a fatal disease that robs people of their memories and ability to function in daily life. But despite repeated failures of Alzheimer’s drugs in the past, there was room for enthusiasm about the trial, the results of which were published today in Nature.

“This is the best news we’ve had in my 25 years of doing Alzheimer’s research,” says Stephen Salloway, a professor of clinical neurosciences and psychiatry at Brown University and a co-author of the paper.

The longer an early-stage Alzheimer’s patient took the drug aducanumab, and the higher the dose, the less clogged their brain was with amyloid a year later. The 21 subjects who made it through the study on the highest dose had no detectable amyloid deposits left in their brains after a year.

“The effect size of this drug is unprecedented,” says paper co-author Roger Nitsch, president and founder of Zurich-based Neurimmune, which initially developed aducanumab.

The drug also increased the risk of stroke and potentially dangerous fluid shifts in the brain, however, forcing a balancing act between its effectiveness and patients’ ability to tolerate a high-enough dose. Researchers were able to catch early signs of the side effect, known as amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), through MRI brain scans, Salloway says, and no one in the trial suffered irreversible harm.

Aducanumab is an antibody, a natural substance the body produces to fight disease.

The trial was too small to show whether the reduction in brain amyloid made a difference in the everyday functioning of the participants, although there were some indications the drug slowed cognitive and functional decline in those who received the highest dose for more than six months. Most of the trial results have been released previously at public meetings. The new publication offers more depth and marks the first time the results have been peer-reviewed and presented comprehensively, the authors said in an August 30 news conference.

The small trial showed promise, but the real test of aducanumab is underway in two much larger studies funded in collaboration with the drug company Biogen, which has partnered with Neurimmune to bring aducanumab to market. Those trials, begun last year, will include 2,700 participants in North America, Europe and Japan, who will take the drug for 18 months. If the trials are successful, the companies will go on to apply to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for permission to sell aducanumab to patients.

Aducanumab, a new drug, caused a dose-dependent reduction in amyloid plaques, a key feature of Alzheimer’s disease. Photo by Sevigny et al., Nature, 2016

Salloway and others said they do not expect aducanumab, even if it works well, to be “the” solution to Alzheimer’s. As with other complex diseases like cancer and HIV, a cocktail or series of drugs will likely be necessary. The drug will also likely be most useful at the disease’s earliest stages, when removing amyloid can hopefully make a difference in Alzheimer’s trajectory, said Biogen Group Senior Vice President Alfred Sandrock, who led the research and press conference.

Aducanumab is an antibody, a natural substance the body produces to fight disease. The compound was derived from healthy older people who had not developed Alzheimer’s, under the presumption that they carried some kind of protective factors in their immune systems. It is still not completely clear how aducanumab works, although the study shows it targets amyloid in the brain but not in the bloodstream.

The hypothesis suggests antibodies that attack amyloid in the bloodstream get sidetracked and never make it into the brain. By focusing on brain amyloid, aducanumab seems to be able to cross into the brain to reach its target, researchers said at the press conference.

In the two larger studies participants will start on a lower dose to minimize their risk of ARIA, which is more likely to occur early in treatment, and people who carry at least one copy of the APOE ε4Alzheimer’s risk gene, who are more vulnerable to ARIA, will probably remain on a lower dose, according to Salloway.

If the drug performs well in the larger trials…it could be used in people in their 40s and 50s who are starting to show the first evidence of amyloid buildup.

Participants must have evidence of excessive amounts of amyloid in their brains, as shown in a PET scan, before being allowed into the study. This should help avoid a problem that may have doomed earlier drug trials. Those trials failed in part, researchers think, because they included too many people without excessive amyloid in their brains and must therefore have had a form of dementia other than Alzheimer’s. Earlier trials are also believed to have failed because they tested patients whose disease was too advanced and the damage irrevocable. In contrast, aducanumab is being tested in patients with only very early evidence of disease.

Others in the Alzheimer’s field expressed enthusiasm this week for the paper and the ongoing study of aducanumab.

“The results are very impressive and very encouraging,” says Rudolph Tanzi, a neurologist at Harvard University and a longtime leader in Alzheimer’s research. “The fact is [the authors are] the first ones to show some level of proof that an anti-amyloid therapy is a way to treat or prevent Alzheimer’s.”

If the drug performs well in the larger trials, Tanzi says he expects it could be used in people in their 40s and 50s who are starting to show the first evidence of amyloid buildup. Clearing out amyloid then and keeping levels low with another type of drug that Tanzi is working to develop might prevent them from ever having Alzheimer’s, he says.

James Hendrix, director of global science initiatives for the Alzheimer’s Association, also praised the trial, saying he was impressed with its design as well as its results. He said the study also shows how crucial it is for people to volunteer for Alzheimer’s research studies, to help better understand the disease and how to treat it. Because of the stigma surrounding Alzheimer’s, researchers typically struggle to find enough volunteers to fill studies, he says, adding that the Alzheimer’s Association offers information on ongoing trials on its Web site.

This article is reproduced with permission from Scientific American. It was first published on August 31, 2016. Find the original story here.

Attorney Morton “Mordy” Avigdor, the politically connected Orthodox Jewish frontrunner candidate for the Fifth Municipal Judicial Civil Court seat, could face sanctions and possible disbarment for failing to make full and accurate disclosures on his Ethics Commission Financial Disclosure form filed as part of his application to run for the bench seat, according to court documents filed this week.

Judiciary Elections

Politically Connected Judicial Candidate Faces Possible Disbarment, Court Papers Allege

By Kings County Politics

Judicial Candidate Morton "Mordy" Avigdor

Attorney Morton “Mordy” Avigdor, the politically connected Orthodox Jewish frontrunner candidate for the Fifth Municipal Judicial Civil Court seat, could face sanctions and possible disbarment for failing to make full and accurate disclosures on his Ethics Commission Financial  Disclosure form filed as part of his application to run for the bench seat, according to court documents filed this week.

The litigation has roots in a 2004 Surrogate Court Case, in which Avigdor was named  co executor and trustee of the late Elias Gelbwachs’ estate.

According to court papers, Avigdor took money from the estate and bought property at 7104 Ft. Hamilton Parkway and 884 71st Street in Brooklyn. Ultimately, the court ordered Avigdor to liquidate the properties and pay the estate $750,000. However, Avigdor allegedly took some of the estate money and bought other properties with it.

After paying back only a fraction of the money and still owing $500,000 to the estate, the court suspended Avigdor as executor and trustee of the estate on July 30, 2010.

Then, in 2014, Avigdor filed suit against Dr. Paul Rosenstock, alleging he was owed current and future money as part owner of Rosenstock’s medical company, Doctors On Call (DOC), after investing $35,000 in 2005. Additionally, court documents indicate that Rosenstock ran his business for some time out of the Ft. Hamilton property that Avigdor bought with Gelbwach’s Estate money.
But Rosenstock’s attorney, Israel Goldberg, filed a summary motion on Monday to dismiss the case on the grounds that if Avigdor is part owner in the business as he alleges, then he would have listed it as a business asset in his financial disclosure report submitted to the Ethics Commission of the State Unified Court System as part of the application process to run for judge.

“Indeed, if Avigdor did hold a position or an investment interest in DOC or a beneficial interest in any of the Defendants named in this action but he failed to report it on the Financial Disclosure form, he would be subject to disbarment,” wrote Goldberg in the summary motion.

In the motion, Goldberg also cited a case where a former Justice of the Supreme Court who intentionally withheld information about a loan on his mandatory financial disclosure statement was disbarred because case law indicates an individual required to file financial disclosure is required to file accurate, truthful disclosure. Further, one ‘who knowingly and willfully with intent to deceive makes a false statement or gives information which such individual knows to be false … shall be subject to disciplinary action.’”

The motion was calendared in to be heard before Judge Sylvia Ash for mid-September, after the Sept. 13 judicial primary.

Both Avigdor and Goldberg refused comment on pending litigation.

The litigation comes as Avigdor, who has worked with former Congressman Anthony Weiner and current Congresswoman Yvette Clarke, as well with several large local nonprofit organizations, is locked in a three-way race for the bench seat.

Rachel “Ruchie” Freier

His chief rival in the race is Attorney Rachel “Ruchie” Freier, also a devout Orthodox Jew, who has garnered respect and controversy in the tight-knit Boro Park community for both helping at-risk Orthodox Jewish boys and creating the all-women volunteer Ezras Nashim ambulance company.

Rounding up the judicial judge race is attorney and secular Jew, Jill Epstein, but the bench seat has traditionally gone to whomever carries Borough Park, likely a religious Jew. However, should Avigdor and Freier split the religious vote, Epstein could squeak through.

The judicial district also includes Sunset Park, South Slope, Windsor Terrace, Kensington, Green-Wood and several neighborhoods to the south.

http://www.kingscountypolitics.com/politically-connected-judicial-candidate-faces-possible-disbarment-court-paper-allege/

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MORTON MORDECAI AVIGDOR FORMER COUNSEL TO THE AGUDATH ISRAEL OF AMERICA RUNNING FOR CIVIL COURT JUDGE...

EXCLUSIVE: Brooklyn lawyer, civil court judge hopeful failed to pay back over $500G from deceased man's estate: 'The facts are troubling'

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Months before Elias Gelbwachs died in October 2004, he named Morton Avigdor (pictured) as a co-executor of his estate in his living will and his son Avi Jay Gelbwachs as his beneficiary.

avigdorforjudge.com

BY Christina Carrega-woodby

 

NEW YORK DAILY NEWS

Tuesday, August 30, 2016, 11:57 AM

A Brooklyn lawyer with hopes of becoming a civil court judge has failed to pay back over $500,000 he did not account for from a deceased man’s estate, court documents reveal.

Months before Elias Gelbwachs died in October 2004, he named Morton Avigdor as a co-executor of his estate in his living will and his son Avi Jay Gelbwachs as his beneficiary.

Gelbwachs, 86, also graciously listed nine charities to divvy up 10 percent of his estate — including Yeshiva of Brooklyn, Hatzolah Volunteer Ambulance Corp., and American Cancer Society.
After Gelbwachs, a retired accountant, died, Avigdor was in charge of distributing the $1.125 million of assets, court records show.

During a Rabbinical Court proceeding in 2009, Avigdor turned over a one-page document where he admitted to using portions of the estate’s funds to buy homes at 7104 Fort Hamilton Pwky. and 884 71st St., both in Brooklyn, according to court documents.

Avigdor, 59, whose campaign website for civil court judge highlights his “honesty” and “integrity,” used the Fort Hamilton residence to house a $35,000 investment with Doctors on Call.
Avigdor filed a lawsuit against the medical company in 2014, claiming he was denied profits as a partner and in a May deposition hearing, he even denied running for judgeship, according to court documents.

After paying for the funeral and other expenses, $900,000 was still missing, according to court documents.


Multiple request for comment from Avigdor were not returned.

The Rabbinical Court authorized the co-executor, Moshe Twersky, to take appropriate action in civil court to remove Avigdor from the estate.

A committee later reviewed Avigdor’s activity and found no misconduct in 2010, a source told the Daily News.

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office, then under Charles Hynes, did not file any charges after a complaint was made in Feb. 2011, sources said.

After Gelbwachs, a retired accountant, died, Avigdor was in charge of distributing the $1.125 million of assets, court records show.

In June 2011, after several delays to turn over the estate’s accounting, Avigdor’s role was terminated by Judge Diana Johnson.

A judgment of $750,000 was issued against Avigdor to pay by July 2014 — he has defaulted despite selling the Fort Hamilton building in 2014 for $1.1 million, according to public records.

“He still owes $572,000,” Avi Jay, 56, told The News. “I’ve known him since we were little. We are still friends, we still speak, but it’s been difficult. ... He says he will pay back every penny.’
Nonetheless, in court documents obtained by The News, Avigdor did not disclose the large liability or his alleged role with the medical company to the state Ethics Commission for the Unified Court System.

“The facts are troubling,” said Ellen C. Yaroshefsky, the head of Hofstra University’s Ethics Institute. “Moreover, the New York State judicial candidate form requires disclosure of this information and failure to comply can result in significant sanctions including referral to disciplinary committee and potential criminal liability, which should preclude him from becoming a judge.”

In May, lawyer Frank Racano was indicted for grand larceny after he was held in contempt in civil court for dipping into the escrow account for the late Judge John Phillips.

Avigdor, an ex-staffer for disgraced ex-Brooklyn Rep. Anthony Weiner, is also delinquent with paying his $375 biannual registration fees to the state court system.

“I would still vote for him so I can get 10 percent of his income,” said Avi Jay.

Avigdor, so far, received $8,750 in campaign donations — $2,105 were in-kind donations from himself, public records show.

The state and local primary elections will take place Sept. 13.

http://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/brooklyn/brooklyn-lawyer-failed-pay-back-500g-dead-man-estate-article-1.2771489

Shmuel Kaminetzky is not a believer in vaccinations; He's in good company...... Landell, 26, a now-former Publix supermarket worker, isn’t a believer in doctors or medicine and held to the theory that evil took his little girl’s life, according to Hamrick.

Two Georgia Parents Let Their Infant Starve to Death In Large Part Due To Their Religious Beliefs

August 29, 2016 by Hemant Mehta 64 Comments

Last year, a 10-week-old baby was killed in Gwinnett County, Georgia after being starved to death by her parents. Mother Lauren Fristed was charged with involuntary manslaughter and reckless conduct and sentenced just this month to 20 years in prison.

The father, Herbert “George” Landell, was found guilty of second-degree murder this morning. He’ll likely be locked away, too.
While starvation is certainly the method used to kill her, what’s more disturbing is how religion played a role in their negligence.

… Landell, 26, a now-former Publix supermarket worker, isn’t a believer in doctors or medicine and held to the theory that evil took his little girl’s life, according to Hamrick.

On her last day, March 25, he told police he found her in trouble, her skin turned grey and blue. He said he lifted her from the crib and tried to give her a bottle. He told his wife, 25-year-old Lauren Fristed, to leave the room because of her “negative energy,” and he prayed, [detective Charles] Hamrick said.

Even if he didn’t want to take the baby to the doctor, couldn’t the mother override his wishes? No. Because the Bible told her not to.

On the day the girl died, Fristed sent a text to her “spiritual adviser,” a minister of non-denominational Christianity in Lawrenceville, saying, “I wish he would let us go get her seen about,” the detective said.

Faith prevented her from pressing it.
“She told me on several occasions that she obeys her husband,” Hamrick said, “that that’s what the Bible says.”

Just horrible parenting guided by horrible faith.

If there’s any silver lining here, it’s that Georgia doesn’t allow religious exemptions from the law when it comes to murdering your child. (Believe it or not, other states do.) That’s why both parents are getting the harsh punishments they deserve.

If only they had the common sense to take their daughter to a doctor instead of listening to the voices in their head and church.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/more-parents-believe-vaccines-are-unnecessary/

More parents believe vaccines are unnecessary

File photo of a child being vaccinated against measles, mumps, rubella and chicken pox.

Sean Gallup, Getty Images

•  

Pediatricians are encountering more parents who refuse to have their children vaccinated, mainly because they don’t see the point of vaccines, a U.S. survey found.

In the survey, conducted in 2013, about 87 percent of pediatricians said they had encountered vaccine refusals, an increase from the 75 percent who reported refusals during the last survey from 2006.

The most common reason, provided by three out of every four parents: Vaccines are unnecessary because the diseases they prevent have been wiped out in the United States.

“Because these diseases are gone, people no longer fear them, even though many of them are only a plane ride away,” said Dr. Kathryn Edwards, co-author of a new American Academy of Pediatrics report based on the survey. “They don’t seem to realize that these diseases do exist in other places, and could come here.”
The percentage of pediatricians who always dismiss patients over repeated vaccine refusals has also increased, doubling from 6 percent in 2006 to 12 percent in 2013, the survey found.

In the report, the AAP urges pediatricians to exercise patience with worried parents rather than closing their doors to them.

Play Video

Measles outbreak ignites fierce debate among moms online

“Our goal is to work with our patients so they understand the importance of vaccinations, and their questions about vaccines are answered,” said Edwards, a member of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases.

The reasons parents provide for refusing vaccines have evolved in recent years, pediatricians report.

In 2006, about three of every four parents who refused vaccines said they were worried that vaccines could cause autism​ -- a theory that’s been debunked -- or produce serious side effects.

Fewer parents gave those as reasons in 2013, although many still cite concerns about safety. Concerns over a baby being too small to receive vaccines, or discomfort at having too many shots at once, have also diminished, the survey found.

Instead, most parents are refusing childhood vaccinations because they see vaccines as unnecessary, and that number increased by 10 percent between the two surveys.

The new survey results are published online Aug. 29 in the journal Pediatrics.

Thanks to the protection provided by vaccines, parents haven’t seen the ravages that can be wrought on children by diseases like chicken pox​, measles​, meningitis and polio, said Dr. Claire McCarthy, an assistant professor at Harvard Medical School in Boston.

“We are so good at what we do with vaccines that the danger of vaccine-preventable illness can seem not quite real to this generation of parents, and that’s definitely getting in the way,” McCarthy said.
Pediatricians need to confront this belief, Edwards and McCarthy agreed.

“This is very frightening to us as pediatricians because in this global world, their child absolutely could get polio,” McCarthy said. “Polio is endemic in many parts of the world, and all we need is for one of those people to come on over to the United States and hang out in a shopping mall or Disney World.”

The report urges pediatricians to:

• Listen to parents patiently, address concerns and correct misperceptions.
• Explain that vaccines are rigorously tested for safety and effectiveness.
• Present all vaccinations as required rather than optional.
• Personalize the positive message about vaccines.

Pediatricians can also note that they receive regular flu vaccinations to protect their patients, and that they’ve had their own children vaccinated as recommended, said Edwards, who is pediatrics chair at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in Nashville.

Doctors also can present tales of tragedy from their own experience, she added.

“Many years ago, I watched a baby die of meningitis that I couldn’t rescue,” Edwards said. “Now that’s gone, because everybody gets meningitis vaccine. That’s the power of vaccine. It’s enormous.”

Play Video

How a 1998 fraud sparked today's measles problem

Pediatricians also should remind parents that vaccination is something of a civic duty. If large numbers of parents refuse vaccines, the herd immunity that occurs with widespread vaccination can be compromised, McCarthy said.

“Vaccination is not just about you and your kid,” she said. “It’s about your neighbor’s newborn. It’s about your grandmother. It’s about the kid at school who can’t receive a vaccine because he’s on chemotherapy.”
The 2015 Disneyland measles outbreak​ provides another good example pediatricians can cite, McCarthy said.

“I can say, ‘Look, this is real, your child could get measles,’” she said.

In a separate policy statement published in Pediatrics alongside the survey, the AAP also recommended doing away with non-medical exemptions to school-required immunizations.

“We need to make it harder for parents not to vaccinate. That’s really important,” McCarthy said.

Could be Candidates for Guests of Honor at This Year's Agudah Convention? They got THAT look!

Israeli to be extradited to US over sale of military parts to Iran

 

Supreme Court rejects appeal by Eli Cohen, who is facing harsh jail sentence, fine for selling warplane components to Islamic Republic

 

By AFP and Times of Israel staff August 28, 2016, 10:24 pm

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Eli Cohen, right, and Avihai Weinstein are suspected of selling arms to Iran. (screen capture: Channel 2)

The Israeli Supreme Court on Sunday rejected an appeal by an Israeli man against extradition to the US, where he has been charged with selling arms — including spare parts for fighter jets — to Iran.

Arye Eliyahu “Eli” Cohen, 66, from Bnei Brak, was arrested at the request of the US authorities at Ben Gurion Airport in May 2014, as he was trying to flee the country. 

Cohen had been indicted in a federal court in Connecticut for illegally exporting spare parts for F-4 and F-14 combat aircraft to Iran, illegally moving military equipment out of the US and money laundering.

If convicted, Cohen could face up to 20 years in prison and a $1 million fine for breaking laws prohibiting the sale of arms to Iran.

The Supreme Court said in a statement Sunday that Cohen should be rendered to US authorities “in order to stand trial for the commission of federal offences of trading military spare parts with Iran.”

“According to the charge sheet on which the extradition request is based, during the years 2000-2004 Cohen exported military spare parts from the United States to his place of residence in Israel,” the Hebrew-language statement said.

A US Navy F-14B Tomcat prepares to make an arrested landing on board the aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73) as the ship conducts flight operations in the Persian Gulf on Nov. 24, 1997. (DoD/Lt. Bryan Fetter, US Navy)

It said that he and three accomplices in the United States shipped parts for Hawk missiles, fighter aircraft and armored troop carriers from the US to Israel, using false declarations as to the materials and their final destination. One of the accomplices has previously been named as Cohen’s brother-in-law, Avihai Weinstein.

A transcript of Sunday’s court hearing said that the charges alleged that between 2012-2013 Cohen “on two occasions re-exported from Israel to Iran, via Greece, US-made military spare parts used by fighter planes.”

The charges were filed in the Federal District Court of Connecticut in 2013, and the United States made an extradition request the following year.

The Jerusalem District Court granted the request but Cohen then appealed to the Supreme Court.

Israel’s Supreme Court justices on April 17, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

“The act for which extradition is requested constitutes a criminal offence under the laws of both” Israel and the United States, the court said in Sunday’s ruling.

Cohen and Weinstein had previously tried to send shipments to Iran via intermediary states such as the United States, Germany, Thailand and Portugal, Israel’s Channel 2 reported in 2014, adding that Cohen had been investigated on such charges six times in 12 years.

http://www.timesofisrael.com/israeli-to-be-extradited-to-us-over-sale-of-military-parts-to-iran/

Can You Hear Me Now? - Part 5 - The State Of Our Disunion!

THE UOJ ARCHIVES JANUARY 2008:

Background - Tammy Kitzmiller, et al. v. Dover Area School District, et al., Case No.04cv268 - was tried in a bench trial from September 26, 2005 to November 4, 2005 before Judge John E. Jones III. On December 20, 2005 Judge Jones issued his 139-page findings of fact and decision, ruling that the Dover mandate was unconstitutional, and barring intelligent design from being taught in Pennsylvania's Middle District public school science classrooms. He used the phrase " breathtaking inanity" to describe the position of the board of Dover - getting the school involved in this "legal maelstrom".

Judge John E. Jones was appointed to the federal bench by President George Bush in 2002. He is a devout Christian and a Conservative, politically. He was nobody's fool, he knew the damage "religion" can cause - taught by the wrong people, in the wrong setting, for the wrong reasons.

His ruling in summary: Religion has no place in a science classroom!

As an opinionated Orthodox Jew (in case you did not know that), I must believe his decision was a prudent one. Which deity were we going to teach the children about? Inevitably, not the God we believe in. With 90% of the country claiming to be of a Christian denomination, and 80% claiming to believe in the Christian deity, what chance did the Jewish children have in learning about the God of the Jews...the God that led us out of Egypt, with the intent of us becoming the light on to the nations?

"Breathtaking inanity" indeed! ID is not a science, it is a belief system, that the Muslims, for example, want to capitalize on - to kill every man, woman and child that refuses to believe in Allah!

Oh - what damage "religion" - used as a tool of exploitation - can do!

So when "religious" groups or organizations, infiltrate the political arena, we must be very suspicious of their agenda!

ALL RELIGIOUS GROUPS!

We must clinically and critically examine, what exactly are they trying to accomplish? What's good for the goose, is not necessarily good for the gander.

The epic battle that we are experiencing today in the Orthodox Jewish world, is NOT an ideological or theoretical battle. They - would have you believe that. It is clearly about - the falsehoods and damage that rabbis are able to wreak on the masses - if they go unchecked. Not all rabbis, no sirree, but many...even most!

This is not about us believing in the authority of the Torah or the Chazal.

We do or we must!!!

This is about our value system placed in the hands of charlatans, fraudsters, and perverters of the Torah! We can not - should not - must not - believe that because there is no explicit Halacha banning penetration of a child's anus by an adult, therefore it is somehow acceptable in our society!

Certainly - not worrisome enough - to ban that " non-penetrator" from our yeshivas!? And certainly not troubling enough - to keep that "non-penetrator" away from our children!?

My God - the breathtaking inanity - the unmitigated gall - that every single Orthodox Jewish organization did not take out full page ads in the Sunday New York Times - disassociating themselves from the lunatic rabbi, Pinchos Scheinberg, that ruled.....

"PENETRATION OF A CHILD'S ANUS IS THE ONLY CRITERIA IN DEEMING A PERSON A CHILD MOLESTER"!

And what about the fact that Yeshiva Torah Temimah, Lipa Margulies & Yehuda Kolko - under the advisement of the charlatan of our generation - Yisroel Belsky - were instructed not to go to bais din? Does that count for anything? Does it?

What possibly could the motives be - to lobby the state legislature against background checks of every individual in private schools? What on earth can the motives be when rabbis instruct victims of child-rape not to go to the police? What kind of human being could that person or group be? Can they be spokespeople for our religion? Are these hucksters deserving to represent us...speak for us...lobby for our benefit...represent Orthodox Jews and the Torah to the world? They make Jim Bakker and Jimmy Swaggart look like saints!

This battle is for the sanity and minds of Orthodox Jews! This is a battle against the scheming evildoers that have somehow claimed our Judaism as their private dynasty. To enrich themselves, to grasp whatever power that they can get their grubby hands on, whatever money they can squeeze out of Washington, or local government, for their personal agenda!

"Extraordinary claims require extraordinary evidence" are the immortal words of Carl Sagan. Is there any evidence that these rabbis care about our children enough - to seriously tackle the sex-abuse issue in our communities? Of course not! It's a charade! Was there any statement at all that the "penetration" psak was an error? Anything? Of course not!

What then are their claims to represent me, you, my children, your children and my community? Because they claim Torah knowledge? So what? Therefore what? Have they demonstrated the capacity to understand simple right and wrong? If our children's safety is up for sale, what else is there for us to trust their judgment on?

Look at the "legal maelstrom" they brought on us across continents!

Can there be anything more perverted than their stand now - against bloggers? What's next? Your freedom? Are you ready to throw that away? Freedom to know what's going on in your childrens' schools - about the people you pay blood-money to - to educate your child? Freedom to know that you are a victim of a fraud called gedolim? So what if it's ugly to see in print!?

IT IS UGLY!!!

It's horrifying to think that anyone can trust these very people - where only a few months ago, Shmuel Kaminetzky urged the victims' parents of Stefan Colmer - NOT TO GO TO THE POLICE!

My God...how insane have we become...that we can't protect our children in any legal way we deem fit without their permission. In other Brooklyn communities, these guys would be "swimming with the fishes".

Don't let anyone ever tell you that you need to stop thinking! Don't dare let anyone dictate to you what you may or may not do to protect your families. If a thief breaks in to the sanctity of your home, and threatens your children and family, do away with them in any fashion you deem appropriate! No rabbinical dispensation needed! If blood is splattered all over the place - so be it! Who says it has to be pretty?

Religion in the hands of hustlers and frauds is dangerous! When lashon hara or mesira takes a front seat over your child's welfare...WATCH OUT! The blogosphere is the new media; raw, unfiltered, and not for the faint of heart. You want cute stories, don't come here. You want the down & dirty, the way I feel in my heart, the pain I experience - about what happened to my Judaism...read my blog. If not...get lost. Nobody forces you to read UOJ.

The blogosphere was able to break the backs of the criminals that endangered every single Jewish child in a yeshiva! That's good enough reason to thank God for the Internet! I do not need any other reason, nor permission from self-professed "scholars". Lives saved! People's lives given a new hope and sense of justice; good enough for me!

Watch out for the people that want to foist their perverted belief system on you.

Religion in the hands of very evil people, can destroy skyscrapers with airplanes!

300 Orthodox Rabbis Unite To Combat Child Sexual Abuse Epidemic

 

Posted on August 25, 2016

 

In an unprecedented and crucially positive step forward, 300 Orthodox Rabbis signed a proclamation regarding child safety in the Orthodox Jewish community. Synagogues and schools are called upon to adopt certain preventative measures outlined in the document to deter child abuse and child sexual abuse. The Rabbinic signatories consist of member Rabbis of the Orthodox Union (OU), Rabbinical Council of America (RCA) and Yeshiva University (YU).

The proclamation and the complete list of signatories can be viewed here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/0Bz4A_l7qN61RX1lWa3p2RUk2TXc/view?usp=sharing

Some of the proclamation’s prominent signers include: Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz, Av Beth Din, Beth Din of America, Rabbi Mark Dratch, Executive Vice President, RCA, Rabbi Shalom Baum, President, RCA, Rabbi Menachem Genack, CEO, OU Kosher, Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, Executive VP Emeritus, OU, Rabbi Marc Penner, Dean, RIETS, YU, Rabbi Zevulun Charlop, Dean Emeritus, RIETS, YU, Rabbi Yehuda Kelemer, Rabbi, Young Israel of West Hempstead, NY, Rabbi Haskel Lookstein, Rabbi, Congregation Kehilath Jeshurun, and Rabbi Emanuel Feldman, Rabbi Emeritus, Congregation Beth Jacob of Atlanta, GA.

Rabbi Mark Dratch, who assisted in spearheading this initiative, applauds the “overwhelming support” of the signers and appeals to all communities “to implement the policies advocated in this statement.” Rabbi Dr. Leonard Matanky, prior President, RCA, agrees that in addition to creating policies, it is our responsibility to “work to assure that our schools, synagogues and institutions offer safe environments for our children and our families. We must stand up and support all who fight abuse and those who defend the abused.” Underscoring the gravity of the need for reform, he warns, “Our Torah and our future depend on our strength and conviction to place our children first, and to heed the calls of our rabbinic leadership to report abuse to the authorities.”

The proclamation commences by honoring the memories of individuals in the Orthodox Jewish community who tragically committed suicide as a result of enduring child sexual abuse. The gravity of this issue is linked in the proclamation to a passage in the Torah, “Do not stand by while your fellow’s blood is being spilled” (Leviticus 19:16). Prominent signer Rabbi Hershel Billet, Rabbi, Young Israel of Woodmere, succinctly expresses the gravity of the effects of child sexual abuse, stating, “Every sexual abuser is a potential murderer. They destroy the souls of their victims and at times cause the death of their victims.”

The Rabbinic signatories are united in their agreement that sex offenders should face the consequences deemed appropriate by secular authorities, rather than taken care of internally by community leaders. The proclamation stresses, “We condemn attempts to ignore allegations of child sexual abuse. These efforts are harmful, contrary to Jewish law, and immoral. The reporting of reasonable suspicions of all forms of child abuse and neglect directly and promptly to the civil authorities is a requirement of Jewish law.” Exclusive to this proclamation is the clear assertion that, “there is no need for people acting responsibly to seek rabbinic approval prior to reporting.” This declaration is clearly backed by Torah law as clarified by Rabbi Billet.  He notes that, “Since abuse of children is a life threatening crime, we must report immediately. We must trust responsible civil authorities in a just country to be able to separate fact from fiction.”

This proclamation follows a similar Kol Koreh (public proclamation) signed by Rabbinical Judge, Rabbi Shmuel Fuerst along with over 100 haredi Rabbis in August 2015 affirming “that any individual with reasonable basis to suspect child abuse has a religious obligation to promptly notify the secular law enforcement of that information.” Senior haredi halachic authority, Rabbi Dovid Cohen concurred on the Headlines radio program that one should report abuse allegations “directly” to the civil authorities and that it is unnecessary to receive a Rabbi’s prior authorization.

Michael Salamon, PhD, a clinical psychologist and noted expert in this field, asserts, “The longer it takes to report the more time the abuser has to keep abusing and creating alibis. Only trained investigators with proper professional team support (e.g. police, medical, etc.) can investigate. Asking anyone else about reporting just delays or confounds or completely derails a proper investigation. That is why so many abusers have been able to move to different communities and continue to abuse.” Signer Rabbi Yosef Blau, Senior Mashgiach Ruchani, RIETS/YU, emphasizes, “Requiring a victim of sexual abuse to first gain approval from a Rabbi or therapist before reporting the abuse to the authorities is damaging to the victim, whose credibility has been questioned, and hampers the investigation by possibly affecting the description of what occurred.” Rabbi Dr. Tzvi Hersh Weinreb explains, “Perpetrators of abuse must be made aware that their heinous deeds will result in swift, certain, and severe legal consequences. Only such awareness will deter them from those deeds.”

Rabbi Yosef Blau, clarifies the reason why some Rabbis urge victims to first consult with them. “Rabbis who have been consulted have often used concerns for the image of the community to discourage the victim and his or her family from speaking to the police.” The concept of asking a Rabbi first has no basis in halacha (Jewish law) but rather can be a method of silencing the victims. Furthermore, Dr. Salamon asserts that “Therapists can lose their license if they attempt to ‘investigate.’ Be aware that the overwhelming majority of reports – in the vicinity of 95%, or more – are accurate. It takes a lot for someone to finally come forward and tell someone that they have been abused.” The fear that without Rabbis sifting through allegations there would be a high percentage of false allegations is similarly incorrect. James A. Cohen, associate professor of law at Fordham University School of Law, warns, “Encouraging delay in reporting a crime, particularly a crime against a child, is obstructing justice.”

The rabbis uniting in signing this document also clarify misconceptions that the laws of lashon hara (derogatory speech about another individual) apply when it comes to exposing molesters’ identities. One of the policies the proclamation asks all institutions to adopt is that “members of the community must be made aware when a sex offender moves in to a community.” Rabbi Shmuel Goldin, Senior Rabbi, Ahavath Torah, Englewood, NJ, explains this halachic calculation by saying that, “given the overarching concern for the continued safety of potential victims, such reporting does not fall under the rubric of halachically prohibited speech and tale-bearing.”  Rabbi Billet adds, “It is a mitzvah to expose abusers and a sin to remain silent.” Rabbi Yosef Blau states, “Misuse of halachic concepts such as lashon hara and mesira have protected the abusers and increased the trauma of the victims.”

Another issue that this proclamation confronts typically comes about even after a victim actually reports to the authorities. The abused and his/her family are often ostracized in their communities in multiple ways. The proclamation unambiguously prohibits such behavior, stating, “Regardless of the standing of the abuser, accusers and their family members must be treated in an accepting, nonjudgmental manner so that they feel safe and can therefore speak frankly and fully…Shunning or encouraging social ostracism of victims, their families, or reporters is forbidden.” Rabbi Goldin urges the community to provide strong support to victims, saying, “Too often, those who report such crimes are ostracized by their neighbors. Victims, their families and their supporters who are courageous enough to come forward should be treated with dignity and respect. The bravery they show in sharing the pain of their personal experiences is deserving of honor.”

This proclamation was appropriately released in anticipation of the High Holidays, a time of introspection and communal repentance. Rabbinic signers remorsefully admit, “We recognize in light of past experiences that our community could have responded in more responsible and sensitive ways to help victims and to hold perpetrators accountable.” The proclamation culminates with the final step of repentance: committing oneself to improvement. “Ultimately, it is the halachic and moral obligation of the entire Jewish community, individually and collectively, to do all in our power to safeguard our children by preventing abuse and responding appropriately once instances of abuse have occurred.”

This proclamation, as well as the Kol Koreh regarding child sexual abuse in the haredi community that was led by Agudath Israel of Chicago Rabbi Shmuel Fuerst and signed by over 100 haredi Rabbis in August 2015, was organized by activist David Nyer, LCSW of Highland Park, NJ. To add your name along with the current signors, please email djn415@aol.com.

http://www.jewishcommunitywatch.org/300-orthodox-rabbis-unite-to-combat-child-sexual-abuse-epidemic/