US wants extradition of prominent Ger hassid accused of sodomy
The Brooklyn District Attorney's office has requested the extradition of Avrohom Mondrowitz, a resident of Jerusalem and a prominent member of the Ger Hassidic sect, on child molestation charges dating back over two decades involving four boys aged 11 to 16.
Avrohom Mondrowitz is seen on ABC's Nightline news program.
Photo: ABC
The extradition request was made in January, according to Brooklyn District Attorney's Office spokesman Jerry Schmetterer. "We know that the US Department of Justice and the State Department have begun the extradition process," said Schmetterer. "It is also our understanding that the Israeli Justice Ministry has been contacted as well."
The Justice Ministry declined to comment.
Mondrowitz, who was contacted by telephone by The Jerusalem Post, hung up as soon as the reporter identified himself.
However, a prominent member of the Ger community in Jerusalem defended Mondrowitz.
"There are people who are trying to disparage Mondrowitz's name," said the source.
"Mondrowitz is a very intelligent, talented man and so are all of his children. His father is highly respected in the community. I can't believe these stories are true.
The source said Mondrowitz was in the computer business.
Mondrowitz worked for a short period at the Jerusalem College of Technology as a fund-raiser and at the Jerusalem College of Engineering as a lecturer.
The Post has also learned that Dep.-Cmdr. Avi Aviv of the National Fraud Squad's Cyber Crimes Division is conducting an investigation against Mondrowitz.
Mondrowitz, who was born in Tel Aviv in 1947 and later moved with his family to Chicago, arrived in Brooklyn in the late 1970s and presented himself to Orthodox educational institutions as a rabbi and clinical psychologist.
He provided psychological treatment to children from the mixed Jewish-Italian Borough Park neighborhood where he lived. He also opened a yeshiva for children with behavioral problems.
Four children, all from Italian families and all neighbors of Mondrowitz, complained of sexual abuse perpetrated by Mondrowitz. Jewish victims also eventually testified against him, but only after the statute of limitations had expired.
In 1985, a New York State court charged Mondrowitz with eight counts of child abuse in the first degree, endangering the welfare of a child and five counts of sodomy in the first degree.
Mondrowitz and his family fled to Jerusalem after a warrant was issued for his arrest.
At the time of the indictment, sodomy of boys was not an extraditable crime, since it was not defined as rape under Israeli law. In 1988, the Knesset changed that law, apparently opening the way for Mondrowitz's extradition.
The Brooklyn DA's office said Mondrowitz could not be extradited until this year, when the Knesset approved a law removing the impediments to retroactively applying the 1988 law.
But Michael Lesher, an attorney representing six men who say they were molested by Mondrowitz in the early 1980s but who were not included in the original indictment, said the extradition was delayed due to officials, especially Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes, dragging their feet.
Lesher claims that Hynes balked due to heavy pressure to drop the case from the Orthodox community in Brooklyn, which supported Mondrowitz despite the fact that Israel's Edah Haredit Rabbinic Court issued a ruling in 1988 in which unnamed "insidious acts" committed by Mondrowitz were mentioned, and warning him to stay away from children.
"Hynes was elected in 1989 with strong Orthodox support," Lesher said in an e-mailed message. "He appointed a virtually all-Orthodox Jewish Advisory Council after being elected, and he reversed the policy of his predecessor, Elizabeth Holtzman, and did not press for Mondrowitz's return to face trial.
In September 1993, Hynes instructed the federal government to close its file on Mondrowitz and said he would not pursue the case while Mondrowitz remained in Israel.
Lesher said he was "elated" to see the district attorney finally moving to extradite Mondrowitz. "All my clients hope that Mondrowitz will at last be brought to justice."
In response to Lesher's claims, Schmetterer said extradition was impossible until the Knesset acted this year.
But in past news reports on delays, Hynes's office was quoted as providing a different explanation. Sources were cited saying that despite the changes in Israeli law, the extradition request could not be made retroactively.
1. What says the Gerrer Rebbe?
Ben Azai - England
10/23/2007 10:49
Israel must not be seen as a refuge for criminals escaping justice. It would both damage Israel and fuel attacks on 'Jewish influence' in New York politics. Perhaps the Gerrer Rebbe should instruct Mondrowitz to return to New York without being extradited. This case reflects badly on Ger as well.
2. Statute of Limitations?
Ben Azai - England
10/23/2007 10:51
If it has passed the statute of limitations, what's the point of returning if he can't be tried?
3. Bring him backand let him face the music...
Al
10/23/2007 12:21
and if found guilty send him to NC where bubba and leroy will be his best friends.If he's lucky he will commit suicide. Dumb.B
4. Protecting Mondrowitz
Tally White - USA
10/23/2007 13:20
Would Mr. Mondrowitz be receiving such protection if he were Christian or Arab? No, he would be called a pervert and booted out immediately.
5. Sodomy non curable
petra - USA
10/23/2007 14:11
There is no cure for pedophiles. Locjk him up and throw away the key.
6. Put him in jail
Maor - Venezuela
10/23/2007 15:23
7. What should be done with Mondrowitz...
Etoile - Canada
10/23/2007 16:03
He should be tried by an Israeli court, and not be extradited anywhere. One fundemental purpose of Israel's creation was to create a safe haven for Jews fleeing danger or persecution. That however does not mean that justice should be impeded. He should be given a trial and, if need be, receive a just punishment within Israel. All Jews should be considered important by Israel, and it should never be seen as permissable to hand our bretheren over to strangers. Remember Meir Lansky?
8. no brainer us aint iran.he'll get fair trial
af
10/23/2007 16:04
seems this sicko should be brought back and tried in us court. what would israel say if an accused palestinian terrorist was hiding in the us and the us refused to send him back to stand trial
9. Mondrowitz the sodomizer
Rabbi Moshe Ben-Hod - Israel
10/23/2007 16:22
In the 1970s when living in Brooklyn my son was invited to a weekend with Mondorwitz along with some other boys, My son told me that he will not go as there were bad rumous about him. This man is a disgrace and should be punished to the maximum along with those shielding him, as Hassidim have the obnoxious belief that ibe if theis can do no wrong.
10. Mondrowitz
New York
10/23/2007 17:26
This monster belongs in New York to face trial on the charges against him. How can Israel shelter him? How can Ger justify their continued protection of him? Send him back and let justice prevail.
11. interesting coincidence
Andrew Levin - USA
10/23/2007 18:08
This weeks Parsha, Vayareh, deals with the destruction of Sodom as punishment for its evil. Now we have supposed rightous Jew who has been credibly accused by Jew and Gentile alike of the same upspeakable perversion commited in Sodom. A beard and payos do not a tzaddic make. This week's Parsha makes G-d's opinion on this matter crystal clear. It would be a grievous Chilool Hashem to allow this man to flee to Israel and thereby avoid prosecution for such heinous acts.
12. a change in the law would be helpful
DAVID
10/23/2007 18:29
as far as i know, if you commit a crime against an american outside of america then you can be tried in america. likewise, if you commit a crime against a jew outside of israel, you should be triable in israel (considering jews as if they were citizens of israel).
13. In all fairness
Brad - USA
10/23/2007 18:32
Arrest Benedict XVI first and extradite him to U.S. to be tried for his complicity in the hiding of Roman Catholic Sex Pervert priests wanted for their crimes of innocent children all over the U.S. Convict him and place him in front of a firing squad. Do this first, and until then just shut up.
14. 4 Tally White - "Protecting Mondrowitz?
nehama purta
10/23/2007 19:04
15. why is he prominent
bam
10/23/2007 19:54
what makes him prominent i have never heard of him
16. i agree with bam
dave
10/23/2007 21:14
who ever said he is prominent? the press likes to say that bec. it sounds juicier.
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http://www.nydailynews.com/news/crime_file/2007/10/17/2007-10-17_abuse_victims_hope_healing_begins_with_r.html
Abuse victims hope healing begins with rabbi's arrest
Wednesday, October 17th 2007, 4:00 AM
For too long, an alleged Brooklyn pedophile rabbi's victims have waited for their silencing to end. Now, they hope his prosecution will push their closed community to out child molesters.
Twenty-three years after Rabbi Avrohom Mondrowitz fled to Jerusalem to evade charges of molesting four boys, Israel's ministry of justice now has an extradition request from Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, his spokesman said.
"It's a shame it took so long. People committed suicide over him," said a 44-year-old man who says the popular rabbi abused him and his friends in the 1970s.
"If they did this a lot earlier, there would have been a lot more people saved because other child molesters would get the message. This will send the message."
In the hush-hush Orthodox Jewish community, victims say Mondrowitz left a trail of destroyed lives during his tenure as a rabbi/psychologist and headmaster in Brooklyn during the 1970s and early 1980s.
Former District Attorney Elizabeth Holtzman tried to get him extradited in the 1980s, but a U.S. Justice Department official said the extradition treaty with Israel made it hard - until changes last January - to forward the request to Jerusalem.
Hynes, who took office in 1989, had been slammed for failing to go after Mondrowitz. Critics charged he feared losing the powerful Orthodox Jewish vote. But his spokesman denied the allegations, saying Hynes moved swiftly once a treaty change allowed Israel to recognize the 1985 sodomy counts.
An Israeli Justice official declined comment, as did Mondrowitz, contacted at his Jerusalem home.
One alleged victim was only 11 when he described Mondrowitz, who headed his alternative Jewish boys' school, as befriending him, giving him money and taking him to movies and his mountain cabin.
Soon, he began taking friends, he said.
"He used to talk us all up. He did a lot of things to entice kids," he said. "I used to bring kids to his house. He'd grab kids in front of me, in his office.
"It affected me a long time," he said. "I felt I was taken."
The victim, not named in the indictment, said he believed hundreds of boys were fondled by Mondrowitz, and saw dozens himself.
A 39-year-old rabbi filed a complaint last year, accusing Mondrowitz of abusing him when he was 11. He charged that pedophiles are still free to ruin lives in the closed Orthodox community, where leaders routinely silence victims to avoid scandal.
"There are probably more kids harmed in this community than any other because everything is placed under the rug," he said. "They throw a kid out of school if he complains. "This will send a message: You can run away and hide and you can think it is forgotten, but eventually it will hunt you down and get you. That is very important. It is a deterrent we never had."
nkatz@nydailynews.com-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
It took 23 years but it's now come to fruition. Serial Child Molester; Avrohm Mondrowitz, will finally be flown back to the United states to face prosecution for his abhorrent acts against children. It has taken way too long but at last justice will have its say.
Baruch Hashem; this monster will be taken off the streets; hopefully forever. The scum buckets who enabled Mondrowitz and other child predators to prosper in their psychotic ways deserve to be locked in the slammer alongside with him. That would entail mental midgets such as Aaron Twersky, David Choen, David Mandel, Yaakov Perlow, Margo, Belsky, C.P. ('P' for penetration) Schinberg, Shlomo Mandel, Moshe Heineman, Gerrorist Rebbe, Yakov Hopfer, Shmuel Kaminetsky, Matt Salomon, Milton Balkany, Lazer Ginsberg, and others who didn't make this list but deserved to.
Klal Yisrael! You made your voices heard. You flooded Charles Hynes office with phone calls, emails, faxes, and letters. You never let up. You were persistently a pest in our fight against a silent but deadly enemy. It is your actions that facilitated the removal of a dangerous criminal. Thank You. Thank You. Thank You!
EM
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http://www.newsday.com/news/local/wire/newjersey/ny-bc-nj--rabbibeaten1017oct17,0,2058267,print.story
Newsday.com
Reward of $25,000 offered in beating of Lakewood rabbi
6:54 AM EDT, October 17, 2007
LAKEWOOD, N.J.
Orthodox Jewish leaders and the Anti-Defamation League are offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the person who pummeled a rabbi with a baseball bat in Lakewood.
Mordechai Moskowitz was attacked more than a week ago.
Witnesses told police they saw a black man walk by Moskowitz and, without saying a word, beat him in the head and body with an aluminum bat.
Despite racial and religious tensions, police say there's no evidence to support the attack was a hate crime.
The 53-year-old is in stable condition.
___
Information from: Asbury Park Press, http://www.app.com
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http://news14.com/content/top_stories/588501/school-rabbi-faces-child-sex-charges/Default.aspx
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33 comments:
If you have any verifiable information regarding illegal activity taking place at Ohel Children's Home and Family Services -
Please email it to me at:
Matzil_Nefoshos@yahoo.com
You can remain anonymous!
How do we know Mondrowitz really molested those boys? Just because they said he did? Kolko is innocent and so is Mondrowitz!
Accused Child Molester Shoots Self and Dies
Oct 17, 2007 12:10 PM
(Fort Wayne - WANE) Early Wednesday morning, Allen County SWAT Team officers found a man they were trying to serve a search warrant suffering from a self inflicted gunshot wound to the head. 27-year old Najae Deleon Bland was inside a home in the 2800 block of Chestnut Street. When they went inside, officers discovered Bland. He was taken to a local hospital where he later died. Bland was wanted on 6 counts of Child Molesting.
Mondrowitz and Kolko should receive NO LENIENCY!
================================
http://www.knoxnews.com/news/2007/oct/18/childmolestergets-lifesentence/
Child molester gets life sentence
Part of deal that could have offered ex-referee shot at freedom rejected
By Jamie Satterfield
Thursday, October 18, 2007
Related document
* PDF: FBI complaint filed against youth sports referee and convicted child molester David Aaron Becker
A Knox County youth sports referee involved in an Internet group that served up child molestation on demand will die in prison.
U.S. District Judge Tom Varlan on Wednesday sentenced Tennessee Secondary School Athletic Association referee David Aaron Becker, 54, to a lifetime behind bars for not only viewing child pornography, but also making it.
In a rare move, Varlan rejected a government motion made as part of a plea deal that could have netted Becker a shot at freedom. He also turned aside Assistant Federal Defender Jonathan Moffatt’s bid for a sentencing break.
Varlan listed in detail why he views Becker as unworthy of freedom.
Chief among the judge’s reasons was Becker’s involvement in a nationwide Internet group in which members use webcams to film and broadcast molestation of children, while other members use instant messaging to order specific acts of abuse.
Becker filmed himself molesting a young teenage boy as part of that group. He also has admitted sexually abusing two other boys.
He met all three boys as part of his work refereeing volleyball, baseball and basketball games. Two of those boys were the children of other TSSAA officials.
“He used his position as a referee to gain the trust of these boys, to gain the trust of their parents and to gain (control) of the boys,” Varlan said.
Varlan also noted that Becker has a long history of molesting children.
“The defendant is before this court on his fourth (conviction),” Varlan said.
He racked up his first conviction in Florida but apparently received probation. He wasn’t David Aaron Becker then. His real name is Ira Lustgarden.
He moved to Colorado after his probation was up in Florida and began working as a youth sports referee.
Becker molested at least three 11-year-old boys lured into his home via his work as a referee there, drawing a 13-year prison term. He was freed from prison in 1996 and allowed to legally change his name.
In 2001, he moved to Knox County, where he lived on Rojo Lane. Because his Colorado conviction predated Tennessee’s sex offender registry law, he did not have to register.
If the TSSAA conducted a background check of Becker, it did not reveal his criminal past. It’s not clear why. Even with the name change, a fingerprint check could have matched Becker to the name Lustgarden. In the wake of Becker’s case, the Knox County Commission has proposed adding funding for better background screening of youth sports workers in Knox County.
It did not take long for Becker to again begin luring young boys into his home and employing a “method” similar to what he did in Colorado “to get them to comply with his sexual advances,” according to a federal complaint. That “method” isn’t detailed. Most documents setting out specifics of Becker’s crimes remain sealed.
It would take two separate probes in two different states to lead authorities to Becker.
The first was in Florida, where a member of the molestation-on-demand Internet group was nabbed. That case in turn led to the prosecution in U.S. District Court in Richmond, Va., of Steven B. Gibson.
Gibson, a resident of Bristol, Va., admitted filming his molestation of young boys and taking requests from other Internet users on what acts to commit. Part of the evidence the FBI unearthed in Gibson’s case was Becker’s molestation film. A judge in Virginia earlier this year sentenced Gibson, 37, to 45 years in prison.
Knoxville Police Department Investigator Tom Evans, who is assigned to the Internet Crimes Against Children Task Force, and FBI Agent Michael Ruibal tracked Becker down and gleaned a confession from him.
Becker was looking at child pornography when the agents showed up on his doorstep. Evans found 27,000 images of child pornography on Becker’s computer.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Charles Atchley struck a deal with Moffatt to avoid a trial that would have put the three young teenagers on the witness stand. As part of that deal, Atchley agreed to inform Varlan that Becker had cooperated with authorities.
It amounted to what’s known as a motion for a downward departure. If granted, it could have netted Becker a sentencing break.
Atchley kept his part of the bargain, but he also told Varlan at a hearing earlier this month that Becker had flunked two polygraph tests.
On Wednesday, Varlan rejected the motion, opining that Becker’s information was faulty at best and had not netted any other arrests.
“The court cannot overlook the fact the information provided by the defendant has not led to the prosecution of criminal activities other than that of the defendant,” Varlan said.
Moffatt, who had sought a 20-year prison term, balked, arguing that the judge could not use Becker’s failed polygraph, or lie detector, tests against him.
“It’s going to be our position the court has abused its discretion,” Moffatt said of an expected appeal.
Varlan was not swayed.
“Here, the defendant not only collected child pornography, he produced child pornography and molested adolescent boys,” Varlan said.
Had Atchley not made a deal with Moffatt, it is unlikely Becker would have pleaded guilty because he would have faced a mandatory life term. He got life anyway, and that had Atchley smiling Wednesday afternoon.
“We were obligated under the plea agreement to bring to the court’s attention any cooperation Mr. Becker provided,” Atchley said later Wednesday. “We’re very pleased with the sentence and certainly think it’s justified.”
Jamie Satterfield may be reached at 865-342-6308.
http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20071016-9999-1m16drach.html
Child molester, 81, gets 15 years to life
Victims talk about 'hell and anguish'
By Ray Huard
UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
October 16, 2007
An 81-year-old Ramona man likely will spend the rest of his life in prison for molesting children as young as 3 in what a judge said were “unspeakable crimes.”
JIM BAIRD / Union-Tribune
Theodore Charles Drach, 81, was sentenced yesterday to 15 years to life in prison for performing lewd acts on a child. The judge called the molestations "unspeakable crimes."
Theodore Charles Drach was sentenced to prison for 15 years to life yesterday under a plea agreement approved by El Cajon Superior Court Judge Patricia K. Cookson.
Drach pleaded guilty in August to one count of performing lewd acts on a child under the age of 14 with the allegation that he had substantial sexual contact with multiple victims.
“As a judge, this is probably the most horrific case of child abuse, child molest I've ever seen,” Cookson said.
Cookson asked Drach to explain “the heartache you've caused these families.”
“It wouldn't do any good, your honor,” Drach told the judge. “I'm sorry, yes. Still, it won't change it.”
Probation officials, in a written report to the court, said Drach molested children for years, dating to at least 1968 and as recently as 2005. Most were family members but at least one was not.
Now adults, the women said Drach molested them in his car or in homes he lived in over the years in Long Beach, Crest and Ramona, probation officials said.
One woman told officials that Drach molested whomever happened to be with him in his car after he dropped his wife off at bingo games, forcing them to perform sex acts on him as he drove.
It is the policy of The San Diego Union-Tribune not to use the names of victims of sexual abuse.
Another victim told authorities that as a young girl, she complained to relatives that Drach molested her, but they didn't believe her.
A woman told the judge in court that Drach molested her in 1968, when she was 11, when he taught a square-dancing class for children.
Sobbing, the woman said she's led a life “of heartache, hell and anguish” because of what Drach had done to her.
“My heart goes out to all of his victims, the ones who came before me and after me,” she said.
“In my eyes, you should be sitting in an electric chair breathing your last moments of life getting ready to meet the devil,” another woman said in court.
A 21-year-old woman who said Drach molested her repeatedly starting when she was 8 told Drach: “You disgust me. I hope you rot.”
Ray Huard: (619) 542-4597; ray.huard@uniontrib.com
comments:
By Lokta on 10/16/2007 at 6:36 a.m.
Ewwwwwwww. Nasty!
By billpetterson on 10/16/2007 at 7:26 a.m.
"In my eyes, you should be sitting in an electric chair breathing your last moments of life getting ready to meet the devil," another woman said in court.
Wow, well put.
By MIKES on 10/16/2007 at 7:51 a.m.
i'm sure his victims would love to throw the switch..
By Koketta on 10/16/2007 at 7:56 a.m.
A lethal injection of sodium thiopental, pancuronium bromide, and potassium chloride ought to do it. Either that or the firing squad.
By mwwittmer31 on 10/16/2007 at 7:58 a.m.
Nice pull NBeener!!!! LOL!!!
Child molestation is disgusting; but, to be molested by a 79 year old man???? : -P Uckk!!!
By My Perch on 10/16/2007 at 8:02 a.m.
I dunno, I think I'd have gone running screaming from this skeleton of a man. Good to see that at any age, ya get tossed in the big house for nasty-assed crime
By theantispanos on 10/16/2007 at 8:27 a.m.
Should have been castrated about 60 years ago.
By gitrdone on 10/16/2007 at 8:28 a.m.
Put him in general population - let him see how it "feels"....
By RD on 10/16/2007 at 8:33 a.m.
The most important paragraph in the story is: "Another victim told authorities that as a young girl, she complained to relatives that Drach molested her, but they didn't believe her."
In 2005, Jeanene Bonner wrote to LA family court judge Aviva Bobb she was afraid of her father and didn't want to go with him. (Judge Bobb didn't allow the child to come to court to testify.)
In 2006, after the father killed Jeanene and himself, the court spokes person said the letter Jeanene Bonner wrote seemed "contrived." That's right. The court spokesperson blamed the now dead little girl for not writing a better letter.
The kicker? Judge Bobb then accepted the "Access to Justice" award from Chief Judge Ronald George, for providing access to justice for the poor.
By mama36 on 10/16/2007 at 8:39 a.m.
I would say put him in general ppoulation as well but since he is old and crusty unfortunately no one will even want him in prision...so he will never experience what those ladies and their families have. He is 81 and probably doesn't have much longer to live...he will never truly pay the price for what he has done....so sad.
By seriously73 on 10/16/2007 at 8:53 a.m.
He's disgusting and should rot...poor girls....ugh, horrible and just disgusting...eeewwww....
By salsera1 on 10/16/2007 at 8:56 a.m.
perverts everywhere i guess.
By EdNutter on 10/16/2007 at 8:57 a.m.
mama36,
Don't worry. He will pay the price, and sooner than most whose lives end behind bars. If you think death will end his suffering you are mistaken.
By moondrop on 10/16/2007 at 8:58 a.m.
How in the world does some piece of garbage like this qualify for something as humane as a "plea agreement"? What is wrong with this society? We need to get tough with child molesters and rapists NOW!!! I am sick and tired of these repeat offenders getting out of jail! What if he were 35 instead of 81? He'd be out in 7 years, penis in hand ready to abuse, use, victimize, sodomize, rape, molest more innocents at the drop of a hat...
By MyTwoCents on 10/16/2007 at 9:22 a.m.
Every victim who became an adult and did nothing to prevent this from happening to others are also to blame.
By mykdzmom2 on 10/16/2007 at 9:24 a.m.
Totally agree with you, moondrop!
By byot09 on 10/16/2007 at 9:47 a.m.
The judicial system is really messed up... thanks to Nancy Reagan and her "just say no to drugs" campaign back in the 80's. Drug dealers and users get 15 years for slinging some dope, but perves get minimal sentences and all the Psychological help that is available. I'm not condoning drugs...I'm just giving an example of the injustice! Prideful lawmakers need to amend laws where there is weakness.
By GroundAndPound on 10/16/2007 at 9:50 a.m.
Disgusting. Poor girls are now headcases and will have issues the rest of their life. A neverending hell. No guy will want to deal with that.
By sdborn1964 on 10/16/2007 at 9:58 a.m.
The guy looks like Junior Soprano. Roast him.
RD-
That story makes me sick, but it probably happens all the time.
By de_novo on 10/16/2007 at 10:00 a.m.
Too bad this POS got away with the crimes for so long. This sentence is really meaningless. It would have meant more 30 years ago. It's just not good enough for what this piece of trash has done.
By RockyD on 10/16/2007 at 10:16 a.m.
Ask him if he knows John Geoghan.
Methinks....soon he will meet him.
By Modiferous on 10/16/2007 at 10:22 a.m.
Now you take these sex degenerates - the doctors say they can't help themselves.
By amexican on 10/16/2007 at 10:54 a.m.
he looks like the old dude in family guy....what a perv....there is probably some papi in prision that would have a good time with him...
feel sorry for the ladies he molested.
By justme on 10/16/2007 at 11:06 a.m.
i hope there is a HELL for creeps like him. prison sentence is not enough for an 81 yo. i doubt other inmates want to rape him. and it's not macho to beat up an old geezer.
By susanna on 10/16/2007 at 11:18 a.m.
someone please tell me that this isn't grandpa ted who used to volunteer at crest elementary
By SDNative1982 on 10/16/2007 at 11:37 a.m.
MyTwoCents: I know why you would say what you did... However, to be 8 years old and go through this experience, then to try and tell adults it happened, just to be told you're lying will break a child. As the daughter of a mother who went through the same thing, I know my mother was scared and abused and no one would listen to her. Even once she was an adult and tried to come forward again, no one would listen. She had a low self esteem, no faith in herself, and she felt it had been so many years since it happened, why disturb the past. Unfortunately the man that abused her died before I became old enough to do something about it. I would have made sure that man suffered for what he did, since no one else would.
I don't think you understand what this experience does to a person or the psychological damage they incur. I hope you can understand this side of it. My heart goes out to the victims in this case (and any case as such).
By pakunyontribyun on 10/16/2007 at 11:38 a.m.
Deport this SOB!
By Sherry on 10/16/2007 at 11:57 a.m.
He missed his calling. He should have been a priest. Then his boss would ask his victims to do the time and pay him a pension
By MyTwoCents on 10/16/2007 at 12:08 p.m.
Yes SD, I credit the girl who did try to tell. What an awful insult to injury that nobody believed her. You are correct, I don't have an understanding of what they have gone through and how it has affected them. I just wish they had the courage to fight back. Thanks for your message.
By toyoungtoliveslow on 10/16/2007 at 12:28 p.m.
Yes this may have seemed to go on forever without anyone speaking up, but you also have to remember, pedophilia wasn't a topic 15-30 years ago...only now is becoming a mainstream topic of news. I think that if anyone is convicted of child molestation or any inappropriate act with a minor should be sentenced to death, immediately! We shouldn't have to waste our tax dollars so that the stupid SOB can have a warm meal and a blanket to sleep with...Get them off the face of this earth so God can judge them...
By boycott_ut on 10/16/2007 at 12:35 p.m.
Why put this guy in prison.
Upwards of $32K per year to house this scum, right?
Remove any government funding, SS/Disability.
Inject it with global traking device.
Put it on the street.
By right hook on 10/16/2007 at 1:04 p.m.
By RD on 10/16/2007 at 8:33 a.m.
The most important paragraph in the story is: "Another victim told authorities that as a young girl, she complained to relatives that Drach molested her, but they didn't believe her."
--that judge should be removed from office
By dreevesx on 10/16/2007 at 1:34 p.m.
There's a consensus here that elderly men, who sexually molest girls, should go to hell and burn forever.
"Forever" seems excessive in that it would exceed planet earth's life exspecancy. So I suggest we agree on a compromise -- say five billion years.
I also propose that we agree on the length of a term in hell for national leaders who invade other countries without provocation, and maim or kill thousands of little children in those countries.....
By avictor on 10/16/2007 at 1:52 p.m.
Forget about roasting him. Throw him in a lab and make him a guinea pig. Test new meds on him. I bet PETA would approve, lol. Not tested on inmates, but yes sexual predators.
IN exchange the prison system will not divulge his crime, which will save him huge amounts of abuse from other inmates. Pain meds for the painful repercussions of the experiments and maybe even a private cell with a way better meal for the 1st 3 days after an experiment.
It would be their choice. But the few incentives that really don't cost the judicial system much would far outweigh the costs. A chance to give back to society in general. Of course their bodies when they die would be consensually donated to science.
By CyberKnight on 10/16/2007 at 2:10 p.m.
The most terrible aspect of this is that the pedo got to "enjoy" molesting children for 81 years (his whole life), many many victims. I don't think prison life will be all that bad for an 81 year old man and he will probably die fairly soon. Not much of a payback for society! Too bad the legal system didn't catch him years ago. It is too bad we can not do more than put him in a comfortable cell with a nice big color TV, stereo music, good meals, etc.
By sdron on 10/16/2007 at 3:29 p.m.
This guilty plea is actually a retirement plan. 3 hots and a cot, no bills, no problems. The only physical danger is probably if a relative of an abused girl is in with him. He is not fuel for a macho attack.
By RockyD on 10/16/2007 at 4:14 p.m.
Not all geezer small eyes get a pass inside
---------------------------------------------------
As a crude noose tightened around his neck, John J. Geoghan's face reddened and he gasped a final, fruitless plea for mercy.
"It doesn't have to happen like this," Geoghan begged, his attacker, Joseph L. Druce, said.
"Your days are over," Druce said he told Geoghan. "No more children for you, pal."
That exchange -- contained in Druce's statement to State Police, -- came as Geoghan lay sprawled face down on the floor of his cell, 20 feet from the guard duty station inside one of the most secure units at Massachusetts' most secure prison. Then, authorities say, Druce began to squeeze the life out of the frail 68-year-old defrocked priest.
By evildimera on 10/16/2007 at 4:35 p.m.
Why do we tax payers have to pony up for this? Its nothing that a 45 cent bullet wouldnt take care of!
By Robin on 10/16/2007 at 5:15 p.m.
The gag story would be easier to believe
if the photo didn't show Carlos Mencia
as the Deputy.
By tjohnson on 10/16/2007 at 5:16 p.m.
MyTwoCents, I was flabbergasted by your first comment - blaming the victims for not doing something as adults. But, I have to give you credit. You read a victim's daughter's account of abuse and understood. I too am a victim of a pervert and you feel powerless to do anything - even run away. Now that I am an adult, I don't know how to find the guy but if I could, I would scream from every mountain top that he is a child molester so no other child suffers.
I do want to say however that I told my mom about the abuse when I was 10 (sometime after it occurred) and she really went to bat for me. She knocked on all his neighbor's doors and got 11 counts of molestation against him. I was lucky . . . I had a parent who cared enough to believe me. What kid makes crap like that up?
So, my theory about what to do with molesters is two fold.
You can cut off all their appendages and cut out their tongue. It's hard to abuse without those tools. Plus kids are scared of people who are disfigured and cannot communicate.
If that seems inhumane --
I don't know why we have animal testing when there is an abundance of death row inmates and child molesters. At least use them for research, product testing or make-up testing.
By sdborn1964 on 10/16/2007 at 6:14 p.m.
Pretty bad, Atheistud.
By Timmothy on 10/16/2007 at 6:53 p.m.
By moondrop on 10/16/2007 at 8:58 a.m.
How in the world does some piece of garbage like this qualify for something as humane as a "plea agreement"? What is wrong with this society? We need to get tough with child molesters and rapists NOW!!! I am sick and tired of these repeat offenders getting out of jail! What if he were 35 instead of 81? He'd be out in 7 years, penis in hand ready to abuse, use, victimize, sodomize, rape, molest more innocents at the drop of a hat...
The guy will die in prison. Yes he is vile, but please keep in mind we do *supposedly* live in a civilized society. If you want to see him strung-up and murdered in public maybe the Iranian justice system would be more to your liking?
Oh, and by the way, thanks so much for the image of this old man with hi "penis in hand" - - I think you have some sexual issues of your own for even painting that scene for us.
Bottom line, the man's last years will be unpleasant until he dies in prsion, as they should be.
The foaming at the mouth vigilantes like 'moondrop' and many others on this site who dwell on sexually explicit issues and want to see vigilante justice carried out obviously have sexual and violence issues of their own
By mercman on 10/16/2007 at 7:14 p.m.
Right On dreevesx !
And when were done with bbq'ing George Bush in hell, we'll send him company in the form of Bill Clinton, who was busy boinking Monica while millions were hacked to death with machetes in Rawanda.......... and did absolutely nada! FLAKE!
By 3 cents worth on 10/16/2007 at 8:39 p.m.
As years go by, we hear of such dispicable people as these. How sad for innocent children to be treated in such a manner. Some of these inhumane disgusting poor excuse for a human being have more rights than those who had such horrible acts performed upon them.
We all may recall some court somewhere where the judge after hearing all of the testimony barely gives a slap on the rist for the crime performed. And I will never understand how there can be any attorney defending such a person.
And like the cost of keeping someone like this in prison alive is disgusting too.
In the last few years a "Hate Crime" law has been inacted for crimes done in a particular manner. If molesting, raping, killing a child isen't a hate crime, I don't know what is. Lets see..... "Killing Children" law, would that help speed the judicial system and deal with anyone performing that type of crime?
After hearing of so many sweet little children be treated like this, for years I have thought perhaps we may want a special hole in the ground, in the middle of nowhere, in the hot desert sun perhaps, 20 feet deep, 30 feet wide full of poisonous snakes and scropions and whatever you may want to add. I have no patience for such than those who harm children in such a way.
I applaud anyone who has survived and does the best that they can with their life after such an act against them.
By Viper37 on 10/16/2007 at 8:53 p.m.
So how may of these stories are we going to read in the paper before there is a one strike rule for child molesters? We know now they cannot be rehabilitated. What will it take before the masses rise up and take back our state and country, or are it too late?
By sdborn1964 on 10/16/2007 at 9:15 p.m.
Viper37-
You are crazy. One strike law? I think there should be a three or four strikes law for molesters. Three or four strikes to their head with a bat.
By Viper37 on 10/16/2007 at 9:25 p.m.
dborn1964,
Ya had me going for a second. Yes, I agree with you!
By sdborn1964 on 10/16/2007 at 11:13 p.m.
Viper37-
I thought you would.
When I was 13 Avrohm Mondrowitz fondled me in his office. I never went back to see him after that. He was supposed to help me with family problems.
Yosef Mystel is a very dangerous criminal. How he can be Gabbai of a shul in Chicago - given his history of molesting boys - is astonishing. When Mystel was thrown out of Yeshiva in Rochester NY for abusing a teen boy, he was given a free pass to molest elsewhere, an unfortunate but common trend with child molesters.
Unorthodoxy: Rabbi Arthur Blecher
ASKED WHETHER HE expected other Jews to take issue with a statement in his new book, Rabbi Arthur Blecher laughed explosively and said, "Well, if I didn't have some people disagree with me, I would be losing my edge. I refer to myself as 'the unorthodox rabbi.'"
Blecher's book, "The New American Judaism: The Way Forward on Challenging Issues From Intermarriage to Jewish Identity," takes on somewhat arcane theological and historical issues but is nonetheless a brisk, invigorating read — and one that breaks down convoluted concepts so that even a gentile should have no trouble grasping Blecher's ideas.
It isn't arcane concepts "the unorthodox rabbi" wants to break down, though. The Washingtonian is out to demolish pervasive "myths" that he says have taken root in American Judaism.
Among other targets, Blecher takes aim at the notions that Judaism is a 4,000-year-old faith, that life was better for Jews in Eastern European shtetls, that intermarriage harms Judaism, that beliefs in heaven, hell and Satan are alien to Judaism and that Judaism is endangered.
Blecher, who will discuss his work on Monday at Busboys & Poets, spoke with Express about shtetl life, animal sacrifice and partial Jews.
2007-10-22-Blecher-2.jpg» EXPRESS: You write, "The differences between biblical practices and modern Judaism are so great that they cannot be considered the same religion."
» BLECHER: The method of worship in biblical times — animal sacrifice — was a daily practice. It really consumed the religious life of the community, as far as we know. [That Judaism] would be unrecognizable to anyone today. Jews today would absolutely have no way to recognize or relate to this whole system: sacrifices, rituals of purity and impurity, a priestly class of people, centralized worship — this is all so foreign. We would not recognize it as our religion.
» EXPRESS: Other than beliefs in monotheism and social justice, what did the earliest Jews have in common with today's Jews?
» BLECHER: Well, monotheism and social justice are pretty big issues. The ancestral stories that are a major part of Judaism today go back a long ways. Some of the practices, such as Sabbath, circumcision and the agricultural holidays go back two, three thousand years. So, there are some things in common. But large parts of the way Jews of the biblical period thought and worshipped are not part of Judaism today.
» EXPRESS: Right, and you write that that includes a belief in heaven and hell. When did Jews stop believing in heaven and hell?
» BLECHER: That's a very good question. There's no documentation of when that belief ended. It was never official — it just sort of fell into disuse. Over time, the Jews became a little more rationalistic, a little more scientific — and beliefs in heaven and hell and Satan just seem to have fallen away. But there's no documentation of any time when there was any discussion or any one thing that happened. Over time, ideas enter Judaism and other ideas leave Judaism. Customs and practices enter Judaism; other customs and practices leave Judaism. A great deal changes.
» EXPRESS: How old is Judaism, if not 4,000 years old?
» BLECHER: It has more than one age. There are parts of Judaism that go back 4,000 years. The majority of what we consider Judaism is 2,000 to 2,500 years old — post-Second Temple religion — roughly the age of Christianity. A large part of what we recognize as Judaism in the United States — the denominations, the role of the rabbis and the rationalism — is 100 years old.
» EXPRESS: What can gentiles get out of your book?
» BLECHER: I think the gentiles will get a greater understanding of how American Jews think and feel. I think that, in particular, the general community will get a better understanding that some of the claims to Judaism's antiquity and claims to the authority of Jewish institutions are based on faulty assumptions. The section on the real age of Judaism sets the stage for a more realistic dialogue between the Jewish community and the Christian community — more as equals than as one being the parent of the other, which I think is a barrier.
» EXPRESS: In discussing how Jewish claims to antecedence are barriers to understanding, you write, "Meaningful dialogue occurs among peers; all perceived differences of rank ... interfere with mutual understanding." The obvious question is: Doesn't referring to the Jews as the "chosen people" also create that barrier?
» BLECHER: It definitely does. I think religious institutions do a lot to divide the world. And that's certainly a problem with religions. A lot of religious groups say they've got the path or the machinery that gets you to God. I think that these are human institutions. It's important for people to understand that a lot of the claims religious institutions make are based on human and psychological needs. So, the book is a study in the way religion in general works. People who are interested in the psychology of religion and the sociology of religion I think will find this interesting.
» EXPRESS: So, do you think Jews should stop using the phrase "the chosen people"?
» BLECHER: Well, many Jews believe that — it is a traditional article of Judaism, based on understandings of the Bible. It is a traditional Jewish belief. A lot of Jews don't like to use that term, because it is, very, very sectarian. A lot of modern Jews maybe are not aware the extent to which that it is a part of traditional Judaism. I don't believe that any one people is chosen, but it's certainly a basic article of traditional Jewish faith.
» EXPRESS: You write that the "myth" of Eastern European shtetl life, as exemplified by "Fiddler on the Roof," is misinformed. What was life really like for Eastern European Jews in the 19th and 20th centuries?
» BLECHER: Shtetl is a Yiddish expression for "little town," and American Jews have a fairly romanticized notion that these were small Jewish villages — almost entirely Jewish — with people who lived very idealized lives: they were poor, but they were very happy. The truth is, most Jews in Eastern Europe lived in cities. They lived in Jewish neighborhoods, but they lived in cities.
Many of the shtetles were not entirely Jewish — they were often mixed. And life there had good and bad aspects. There was a lot of oppression, poverty and tension between the haves and the have-nots. Jewish life was often very repressive for people who weren't married or part of families. There were no opportunities for women. It was a very superstitious way of life. There may have been some very joyous and enriching aspects, but there was also a great deal of oppression and ignorance. And when opportunities in America opened up in the early 1900s, half of the Jewish population in Eastern Europe moved to the United States, because they preferred freedom.
» EXPRESS: I'd never heard the term "partial Jew" before I read your book. Is that a concept frequently employed in contemporary Judaism, or did you make it up?
» BLECHER: "Partial Jews" is my term. It's a term I have used to describe the phenomenon of children of mixed families — where one parent is Jewish and one is not — and these children identify partly as Jews and partly as Catholics or Protestants. It's sort of a dual identity.
» EXPRESS: I think the term is apt, being a partial Jew myself.
» BLECHER: OK [laughs] ... I know a great deal about intermarriage. I've studied it. I've studied hundreds and hundreds of intermarried families. About two-thirds of my congregation are intermarried households. A lot of children of mixed couples identify with both parents, regardless of what the "official" religion is. I think this is a new phenomenon that the Jewish community needs to accept and stop worrying about. It enriches the community. There's no real evidence that the idea of accepting partial Jews in anyway harms or dilutes Judaism. It's just an anxiety based on inexperience — on the fear of the unknown.
» Busboys & Poets, 2021 14th St. NW; 8 p.m., free; 202-387-7638. (U St.-Cardozo)
TheDay.Com
Rabbi To Speak On Religion And Peace
By Jennifer Grogan
Published on 10/22/2007 in Home »Region »Region News
New London — Too many people think that religion is part of the problem, and not part of the solution to today's military conflicts, said Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff.
Resnicoff believes religion can be, and must be, the way to work for peace.
“Without religion, there would still be many, many reasons to fight,” said Resnicoff, a retired Navy chaplain who was assigned to the Naval Submarine Base in Groton. “Religion can help us believe in better times, which is the first step to moving toward them.”
He added, “If there is nothing else we believe in together, it should be that faith can make this a better world.”
This is one of the topics Resnicoff will address during lectures at Congregation Beth El, 660 Ocean Ave., this weekend. He will talk about religion and the military at 8:15 p.m. Friday, Jewish views of war and peace at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, and interfaith relations at 2 p.m. Sunday. All are open to the public, but the Sunday afternoon talk is geared for the general community.
“There has been a lot of tension between interfaith communities, some of it is around the subject of Israel, social issues like abortion, or prayer in the public schools,” said Rabbi Carl N. Astor, of Congregation Beth El. “Rabbi Resnicoff helps organize interfaith programs so the idea is for him to share his experiences and advice to help us work together better as an interfaith community.”
Resnicoff, who now lives in Washington, D.C., served as a chaplain at the Submarine Base from 1994 to 1997. He also attended the Naval Submarine School in Groton when he enlisted in the Reserve and later took a course in submarine intelligence as a lieutenant j.g.
He has also served as a national director of inter-religious affairs for the American Jewish Committee and as a special assistant to the U.S. Air Force secretary and chief of staff.
He was part of a group of Vietnam veterans who worked to create the Vietnam Veterans Memorial and he delivered the closing prayer at the dedication.
His visit to New London coincides with the anniversary of the 1983 suicide truck bombing of Marine barracks in Beirut, Lebanon, where 241 American service members were killed. Resnicoff was in Beirut at the time.
“That began my struggle with how do you have an ethical response to evil,” he said. “How do you deal with people who don't respect the rules you have?”
Resnicoff wrote a report about the attack and the rescue effort for the White House, where he described his first time in a foxhole in Beirut.
“Looking around at the others in there with me, I made the remark that we probably had set up the only 'interfaith foxholes' in Beirut! The Druze, Muslims, Christians, all had theirs. The Jewish forces in the Israeli Army had theirs. But we were together,” he wrote in the report. “I made the comment then that perhaps if the world had more interfaith foxholes, there might be less of a need for foxholes altogether.”
President Ronald Reagan read the report as his keynote address to the Baptist Fundamentalism annual convention in 1984.
Resnicoff said recently that, “America either will be the epitome of an interfaith foxhole, where we stand shoulder to shoulder and face the real dangers or evils of the world, or we'll collapse into a Bosnia or Iraq or so many other places that divide people into their own foxholes, facing each other and fighting each other.”
For more information about the lectures, call Congregation Beth El at 442-0418.
Rabbi Arnold E. Resnicoff,
retired Navy chaplain who helps organize
interfaith programs
http://www.nydailynews.com/boroughs/2007/10/21/2007-10-21_two_different_religious_symbols_should_b-1.html
Two different religious symbols should be embraced, not feared
ARI GOLDMAN
ON RELIGION
Sunday, October 21st 2007, 4:00 AM
A religious symbol can make you feel warm and fuzzy or scared and threatened - depending on your associations with it.
I came across two people last week who aim to help others overcome their fears of a pair of disparate symbols: the Muslim head scarf and the Hasidic rabbi's beard.
The first is a college student who is inviting discussion of the hijab worn by some Muslim women.
The endeavor, first reported by Religious News Service, was launched by a junior at the University of Missouri who has proclaimed this Friday as National Pink Hijab Day. The hijab unsettles some people who associate it with extremist Islam.
A pink hijab helps soften the image, said the student, Hend El-Buri, and often leads to discussions about why Muslim women cover their heads. It's not at all about extremism, El-Buri insists. It's about modesty.
"Muslim women want to be judged by their character and intelligence and wit rather than their physical beauty and their bodies," she said. "The hijab gives women a really, really strong sense of identity."
National Pink Hijab Day is aimed at fostering interaction and also is raising money for breast cancer research. This is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and hijab day participants are being asked to donate at least $5 to Susan G. Komen for the Cure, a nonprofit organization dedicated to breast cancer research.
"This is a good way to see that Muslim women care about the same issues," El-Buri said.
El-Buri, who is 20 and grew up in Columbia, Mo., began wearing the hijab in middle school. She found back then that wearing pink attracted friendly questions. She decided to take the concept nationwide with the help of Facebook, the social networking Web site.
The response has been overwhelming. More than 7,000 people have signed up to participate - including Muslim men who said that they would wear pink kufi caps. Many Muslims who do not wear the hijab or the kufi, as well as many non-Muslims, have pledged to wear pink ties or pink ribbons that day as a sign of solidarity.
El-Buri has also prepared a downloadable poster on Facebook that says: "Do you have questions about my hijab? Ask me on Oct. 26!"
The other idea, involving the rabbis, emerges from a question-and-answer column with the provocative headline of "Dogs and Rabbis" on www.chabad.org, the Web site of the Lubavitch Hasidic group.
"Why are religious Jews scared of dogs?" a questioner asks. "Whenever I walk mine past an observant family, all the kids hide behind their mother's skirt in terror. Is there some curse on dogs?"
The columnist, Rabbi Aron Moss, a Hasidic rabbi from Sydney, saw a parallel. "While many observant Jews are scared of dogs," he wrote, "many unobservant Jews are terrified of rabbis."
"There's something in common between dogs and rabbis that makes us both objects of trepidation. And it's not the facial hair."
Moss went on to speculate that it's simply the fear of the unknown. Orthodox families tend not to have dogs, he said. "Perhaps it's a cultural thing, but other than the odd goldfish, pets are rare in observant communities."
But that's no reason for fear, he added. "Both dogs and rabbis are loved by those who know them, and instill fear in those who don't.
Encourage your kids to play with friendly dogs, the rabbi said. And stop and say hello to a rabbi, he suggested. They don't bite.
religion@nydailynews.com
Another pervert off the streets.
Suspected Canadian child molester nabbed in Thailand
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2007-10/19/content_6909053.htm
http://www.nj.com/news/index.ssf/2007/10/review_finds_13_nj_teachers_ar.html
Review finds 13 NJ teachers arrested for sex crimes against students
by The Star-Ledger
Monday October 22, 2007, 5:37 AM
Thirteen North Jersey educators have been arrested for sexual crimes against their students in the past five years. The numbers reflect a small proportion of the overall teaching force, but point to a persistent pattern of manipulation and abuse, according to a report in the Record.
"In any crime, you need access and opportunity," Chief Assistant Prosecutor Joseph Del Russo, who heads the sex crimes unit in the Passaic County Prosecutor's Office, told the newspaper. "In a school setting, there is unfettered access and unlimited opportunity for a molester."
Of those arrested, the report said 11 pleaded guilty to a variety of crimes, ranging from sexual assault to child cruelty. Two are awaiting trial.
clock Oct 22, 2007 5:35 pm US/Central
Man Found With Boy In Woods: I'm Not A Molester
(CBS 11 News) DALLAS The man accused of sexually assaulting a four-year-old boy in a wooded area gave his own account of what happened that night.
Raymond Harrison, 49, spoke only to CBS 11's Carol Cavazos from the Dallas County jail Monday afternoon.
On October 18, Harrison was arrested for aggravated sexual assault of a 4-year-old child. A number of people said they saw Harrison take the boy into a wooded area near Military Parkway and Dolphin Road in Dallas early that morning.
The boy is the grandchild of a woman Harrison has dated off-and-on for over 10 years.
In a jail house interview Monday, Harrison said he is an alcoholic and takes anti-depressants and anti-anxiety drugs. He said on occasion, he takes too much, drinks too much and blacks out.
The night he was with the four-year-old, he said, was one of those occasions; he remembers nothing from that day.
"I can't say what happened because it was just like a total blank," said Harrison. "From the time I got onto the bus until I – I don't remember them booking me into jail.
The woman who called 911 said she saw Harrison stumbling around drunk with the boy. When police found Harrison, he was passed out.
"I can't say I always got the best judgment in the world, but I am not no molester," said Harrison.
Police say there are multiple homeless camps in the area where the boy and Harrison were found.
"I don't know why I stopped [at the homeless camp]," said Harrison. "I don't remember getting out there."
The woman who made the emergency call said she wondered if somebody else at the homeless camp assaulted the boy.
On Friday afternoon, CBS 11 News spoke to Amanda Richardson, the boy's mother. She said she believed all four of her children, ages 2 to 8, were molested by Harrison. She said the kids call him "Uncle."
Harrison's daughter believes he would never sexually assault a child.
In the meantime, Child Protective Services has removed the four children from their home.
WARNING TO ALL YESHIVA'S - - - - -
Emotional abuse leaves irreparable damage to a child's psyche. And so does physical abuse. So if a yeshiva that is guilty of both of those terrible things; thinks that they can get away with ruining peoples lives - If they think they can run a school like a business and treat the students and employees like garbage - they better rethink their strategy -
This particular Yeshiva that I'm referring to has the 'backing' of some of the 'gedolim' (ketanim) who have turned a blind eye to sexual abuse in the past; so of course why should these same shmucks give a darn about the emotional and physical abuse that so many of these children are forced to endure everyday due to a psychopathic school administration and its dean.
WATCH OUT! I'M ON TO YOU AND YOU'RE NOT GOING TO GET AWAY WITH HURTING ANYMORE CHILDREN OR ADULTS!
EM
=================================
http://www.preventchildabuse.com/sexual.htm
What is emotional abuse?
Emotional abuse, which is 8% of all substantiated cases of child abuse, is commonly defined as the systematic tearing down of another human being. It is considered a pattern of behavior that can seriously interfere with a child's positive development. Emotional abuse is probably the least understood of all child abuse, yet it is the most prevalent, and can be the cruelest and most destructive of all types of abuse.
Because emotional abuse attacks the child's psyche and self-concept, the victim comes to see him or herself as unworthy of love and affection. Children who are constantly shamed, humiliated, terrorized or rejected suffer at least as much, if not more, than if they had been physically assaulted.
An infant who is being severely deprived of basic emotional nurturing, even though physically well cared for, can fail to thrive and can eventually die. Less severe forms of early emotional deprivation may produce babies who grow into anxious and insecure children who are slow to develop or who might have low self-esteem.
Types of Emotional Abuse:
1] Rejecting -- Parents who lack the ability to bond will often display rejecting behavior toward a child. They tell a child in a variety of ways that he or she is unwanted. They may also tell the child to leave, call him or her names and tell the child he or she is worthless. They may not talk to or hold the young child as he or she grows. The child may become the family scapegoat, being blamed for all the family's problems.
2] Ignoring -- Adults who have had few of their emotional needs met are often unable to respond to the needs of their children. They may not show attachment to the child or provide nurturance. They may show no interest in the child, express affection or even recognize the child's presence. Many times the parent is physically there but emotionally unavailable.
3] Terrorizing -- Parents may single out one child to criticize and punish. They may ridicule him or her for displaying normal emotions and have expectations far beyond his or her normal abilities. The child may be threatened with death, mutilation or abandonment.
4] Isolating -- A parent who abuses a child through isolation may not allow the child to engage in appropriate activities with his or her peers; may keep a baby in his or her room, not exposed to stimulation; or may prevent teenagers from participating in extracurricular activities. Parents may require the child to stay in his or her room from the time school lets out until the next morning, or restrict eating to isolation or seclusion.
5] Corrupting -- Parents permit children to use drugs or alcohol; to watch cruel behavior toward animals; to watch pornographic materials and adult sex acts; or to witness or participate in criminal activities such as stealing, assault, prostitution, gambling, etc.
What are the effects of emotional abuse?
Other types of abuse are usually identifiable because marks or other physical evidence is left, however, emotional abuse can be very hard to diagnose or even to define. In some instances, an emotionally abused child will show no signs of abuse. For this reason, emotional abuse is the most difficult form of child maltreatment to identify and stop. This type of abuse leaves hidden scars that manifest themselves in numerous ways. Insecurity, poor self-esteem, destructive behavior, angry acts (such as fire setting or cruelty to animals), withdrawal, poor development of basic skills, alcohol or drug abuse, suicide and difficulty forming relationships can all be possible results of emotional abuse.
What is physical abuse?
Physical abuse, which is 19% of all substantiated cases of child abuse, is the most visible form of abuse and may be defined as any act which results in a non-accidental trauma or physical injury. Inflicted physical injury most often represents unreasonable, severe corporal punishment or unjustifiable punishment. This usually happens when a frustrated or angry parent strikes, shakes or throws a child. Physical abuse injuries result from punching, beating, kicking, biting, burning or otherwise harming a child. While any of these injuries can occur accidentally when a child is at play, physical abuse should be suspected if the explanations do not fit the injury or if a pattern of frequency is apparent. The longer the abuse continues, the more serious the injuries to the child and the more difficult it is to eliminate the abusive behavior.
Indicators of Abuse
BRUISES BURNS LACERATIONS & ABRASIONS SKELETAL INJURIES HEAD INJURIES INTERNAL INJURIES
On body posterior
Immersion burns: doughnut-shaped on the buttocks
On Lips, eyes, infants face
Fractures of long bones from twising and pulling
Missing or loosened teeth
Intestinal injuries from hitting or kicking
Unusual patterns
Cigarette burns: hands, feet
On gum tissue, caused by forced feeding
Separation of bone and shaft
Absence of hair
Rupture of heart-related blood vessels
In clusters
Rope burns from confinement
On external genitals
Detachment of tissue of bone and shaft
Hemorrhaging beneath scalp from hair pulling
Inflammation of abdominal area
On infants
Dry burns, caused by iron
Spiral fractures
Subdural/retinal hemorrhages from hitting or shaking
Multiples in various stages of healing
Stiff, swollen, enlarged joints
Nasal or jaw fracture
What is sexual abuse?
It is very difficult for most people to talk about sexual abuse and even more difficult for society as a whole to acknowledge that the sexual abuse of children of all ages -- including infants -- happens everyday in the United States. It is no an easy phenomenon to define, primarily because permissible childhood behavior varies in accordance with cultural, family and social tolerances. Sexual abuse, which is 10% of all substantiated cases of child abuse, is defined as the involvement of dependent, developmentally immature children in sexual activities that they do not fully comprehend and therefore to which they are unable to give informed consent and/or which violates the taboos of society.
Sexual abuse is any misuse of a child for sexual pleasure or gratification. It has the potential to interfere with a child's normal, healthy development, both emotionally and physically. Often, sexually victimized children experience severe emotional disturbances from their own feelings of guilt and shame, as well as the feelings which society imposes on them.
At the extreme end of the spectrum, sexual abuse includes sexual intercourse and/or its deviations. These behaviors may be the final acts in a worsening pattern of sexual abuse. For this reason and because of their devastating effects, exhibitionism, fondling and any other sexual contact with children are also considered sexually abusive.
Nontouching sexual abuse offenses include:
» Indecent exposure/exhibitionism
» Exposing children to pornographic material
» Deliberately exposing a child to the act of sexual intercourse
» Masterbation in front of a child
Touching sexual offenses include:
» Fondling
» Making a child touch an adult's sexual organs
» Any penetration of a child's vagina or anus by an object that doesn't have a medical purpose
Sexual exploitation offenses include:
» Engaging a child for the purposes of prostitution
» Using a child to film, photograph or model pornography
What should I look for if I suspect a child is being sexually abuse?
YOUNGER CHILDREN PREPUBERTY AND TEENAGE OLDER CHILDREN PHYSICAL INDICATORS
Compulsive masterbation
Stealing
Suicide attempts
Bruises or bleeding in external genitalia
Bed-wetting, soiling
Running away
Early marriage
Complains of pain or itching in genitalia
Excessive curiosity about sex
Starting fires
Running away
Difficulty in sitting or walking
Altered sleep patterns
Excessive bathing
Pregnancy
Torn, stained or bloody underclothing
Learning problems
Being withdrawn and passive
Substance abuse
Sexually transmitted diseases
Separation anxiety Girls pulling up skirts
Getting in trouble with legal system
Pregnancy, especially in early adolescence
Overly compulsive behavior Sexual inference in school artwork
Developing fears and phobias Teaching others how to masterbate
Sexual acting out with peers Becoming aggressive toward peers
Becoming nonverbal Succumbing to periods of deep depression
Developing tension symptoms -- stomach aches, skin disorders Falling grades
Becoming seductive Alcohol or drug abuse
AP: Sex Abuse Laws Can Fail School Kids
By ROBERT TANNER – 1 day ago
Every school has rules governing teacher behavior. Every state has laws against child abuse, and many specifically outlaw teachers taking sexual liberties with students. Every district has administrators who watch out for sexual misconduct by teachers.
Yet people like Chad Maughan stay in the classroom.
Maughan got in trouble twice for viewing pornography at schools in Washington state but was allowed to keep teaching. Within two years, he was convicted of raping a 14-year-old girl in his school.
Legal loopholes, fear of lawsuits and inattention all have weakened the safeguards that are supposed to protect children in school. The system fails hundreds of kids each year, an AP investigation found. It undoubtedly fails many more whose offenders go free.
State efforts to strengthen laws against sex abuse by teachers have run into opposition from school boards and teachers unions. In Congress, a measure that would train investigators and create a national registry of offenders hasn't even gotten a hearing. Few leaders recognize — let alone attack — a national shame.
"Instead of ignoring it or fighting it, why don't you get ahead of it?" says Ted Thompson, executive director of the National Association to Prevent Sexual Abuse of Children.
An Associated Press investigation identified 2,570 cases from 2001 to 2005 in which teachers were punished or removed from the classroom for sexual misconduct. The allegations ranged from fondling to rape. Reporters in all 50 states and the District of Columbia gathered the cases from state agencies with responsibility for teacher licensing.
Even accounting for population differences, states vary widely on how many teachers they discipline and how rigorously, the investigation showed. That reflects the patchwork nature of the laws and rules that aim to protect schoolchildren. Each state takes its own approach to background checks, fingerprinting and reporting abuse.
While states have taken halting steps toward accountability in recent years after decades of widespread neglect, there are still many gaps.
Some states check fingerprints against records only in their own states, not the FBI databases, so they miss offenders from other states. Others only check for violations when teachers are newly hired, missing veteran teachers who have run afoul of the law since they were first hired.
"You can fingerprint them all you want and nothing's going to come up," says John Seryak, a longtime Ohio middle school teacher who now trains teachers to spot when a colleague is abusing kids.
School systems also have made an attempt at weeding out wrongdoers. For the past 20 years, educators have shared information with other states about teachers who've run into administrative trouble.
The National Association of State Directors of Teacher Education and Certification created the list, and Roy Einreinhofer, its executive director, says protecting children is one of the group's top goals.
But the list has its flaws.
It only provides identifying information such as names, birth dates and Social Security numbers, nothing describing a teacher's past problems, leaving it up to a state agency or a hiring school district to dig deeper. Also, the list is not publicly available.
"There are some liability issues involved there," Einreinhofer says. "It just serves as a flag saying you need to check this person further."
Created in 1987, the list contains names of some 37,000 teachers who have had license problems, which includes all misbehavior, not just sexual.
Similar piecemeal efforts have often run into resistance, from lawmakers reluctant to tackle the subject, from teacher unions concerned with privacy and due process, and from school boards worried about court fights.
In Washington state, Maughan's case led to a law that clarified the definition of sexual misconduct and required school districts to share information.
Maughan had been suspended from one job for looking at pornography on school computers, but the district said only that he had used "poor judgment." At the second job, he was reprimanded for viewing pornography, and told administrators he had an addiction and was getting counseling.
In 2005, school employees found a paper bag containing a 14-year-old girl's red lace underwear and a sexually explicit note from her to Maughan. The teacher pleaded guilty to rape.
State Sen. Don Benton, who fought for the law that followed the arrest, said "we had tremendous resistance from the teachers union when it came to personnel files.
"We have to tell school districts, 'Look, you have a duty and a responsibility. As parents we are entrusting you with our children to take extra steps to ensure that the people you hire are safe.'"
In Minnesota, the state school board association — allied with two church groups — has lobbied against a bill that would give victims of child sex abuse more time to bring civil claims. Schools, like churches, could be held liable if they failed to stop abuse that they should have known about.
"Schools have nothing to fear unless they either actively participated or covered up grave misconduct," says House Majority Leader Steve Smith, a Democrat pushing the measure.
Some union officials argue that the dangers are overstated.
"We're turning some of this now into a modern-day witch hunt and making it very difficult for teachers to have to say, 'I'm not one of those.' It's the wrong signal to send," says Steve Monaghan, president of the Louisiana Federation of Teachers. His state this spring declared it a crime punishable by up to six months imprisonment for a teacher to have sex with a student even if he or she is above the age of consent.
Advocates argue what's needed is a coordinated national approach. But there has been virtually no momentum there.
A report ordered by Congress and released in 2004 examined previous studies and surveys of teacher sexual misconduct and sent a troubling message. It estimated that some 4.5 million students out of 50 million in American public schools "are subject to sexual misconduct by an employee of a school sometime between kindergarten and 12th grade."
But that report, compiled by leading expert Charol Shakeshaft, head of the educational leadership department at Virginia Commonwealth University, was largely ignored.
This year, U.S. Rep. Adam Putnam, a Florida Republican, proposed legislation to create a national public registry of convicted offenders in schools, better training of investigators, and a national hot line for reports of sexual abuse in school.
It still hasn't received a hearing.
"It clearly is a problem and it appears to be growing," Putnam says, yet he is dismayed by the lack of concern. "You'd think the teachers association, the school boards, the principals — you'd think all of them would be on board to protect children."
Those who have fought for years to try to raise awareness of the issue see incremental gains, and the AP analysis found a steady increase in teachers removed from the classroom from 2001-2005. But advocates are despairing, not satisfied.
"We are mandated to send our children to school. Yet our schools are not being mandated to keep our children safe," says Terri Miller, president of SESAME, Inc., which stands for Stop Educator Sexual Abuse, Misconduct and Exploitation. "That is a horrendous problem, and that needs to be fixed."
She shares Putnam's enthusiasm for a new national registry and hopes for federal leadership that would force states to make their laws more uniform.
Others emphasize training as the best way to prevent abuse.
Some newly minted teachers graduate from college, have sex with a student and then say "What's wrong with that?" says Einreinhofer, at the national teacher certification group.
And more training is needed at the nation's public schools themselves.
For the past year in Rhinebeck, N.Y., administrators, teachers, students and parents have gone through a series of programs to recognize problem signs — teachers who get too personal with students, who "groom" students vulnerable to abuse, who test the boundaries by an inappropriate comment or touch.
The school community has been remarkably engaged and committed, says Bill Berard, the lawyer who taught the lessons.
Yet the training came as punishment. It was ordered as part of the settlement of a federal civil rights lawsuit, after former Rhinebeck High School Principal Thomas Mawhinney was accused of sexually harassing female students for years.
It often takes such scandals to inspire changes.
The AP investigation raised questions about an abusive teacher in Virginia who got a new job after being suspended for sexually abusing three girls. He molested two female students at the next school before the state finally acted on the earlier trouble and revoked his license.
Now, Virginia's Board of Education intends to seek legislation to tighten the background check and disciplinary process. "From now on, forever, we're going to ask ourselves, 'Can we do a better job?'" board President Mark E. Emblidge says.
The most powerful tool for change is money, says Thompson with the national child abuse prevention group.
That means dropping statutes of limitations that serve as barriers to lawsuits for all childhood sex abuse, he argues. Nothing motivates institutions more than the threat of paying out a big settlement.
Also, he says, it's the right thing to do: "Should somebody who raped a child be free and clear because the clock ticked?"
To victims' advocates, the problem is not just teachers who look the other way when one of their own misbehaves. It isn't only school prinicpals who choose a quiet solution to a problem. Lawmakers, judges, the media and even parents have all shown a great deal of reluctance to recognize and deal with sex abuse when it surfaces.
The nation needs to change its attitude toward teacher sexual misconduct, and child abuse overall, much in the way it changed its perspective about drunken driving in the last 25 years, Thompson says.
"Societally, we have a problem," says Mary Jo McGrath, a California attorney who has worked on teacher sexual abuse cases for three decades. "Our inability to think that kids might be in danger, our inability to think that the nicest teacher on the block might be an offender — those things keep us uneducated. I'm passionate that people wake up."
http://www.fox23news.com/news/local/story.aspx?content_id=ba084035-04d4-4ff0-92af-eb87dc8f649e
Shocking School Sex Abuse Study
Reported by: Kristin Lowman
Email: kristinlowman@fox23news.com
Videographer: B. Sanders
Last Update: 10/22 5:40 pm
It is a shocking study involving teachers and sex abuse.
An associated press investigation revealed predators in all 50 states, in both public and private schools.
Teachers, school psychologists, and principals are accused of abusing students in school and after hours.
Now, here at home, officials are doing all they can to keep "rogue teachers" out of New York classrooms.
In 2007, at least 4 local teachers were arrested and charged for alleged sexual misconduct with their students.
It is a problem that is plaguing the nation. An AP study found more than 2,500 sex abuse cases involving teachers over the past 5 years.
As a precaution to protect students, New York state teachers go through a screening process. They are fingerprinted and also have mandatory background checks. Teachers must also report any suspicion of child abuse whether at home, or in school.
Even more disturbing, only 1 in 10 cases of sex abuse in schools are reported. Experts say very often victims are afraid of the consequences of coming forward. Instead, experts say others need to be the voice for those victims. Teachers, even students, need to report red flags they may see in schools.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/africa/article2716668.ece
Jonathan Clayton in Johannesburg
Oprah Winfrey, the chat-show host, flew to South Africa at the weekend for crisis meetings over allegations of sexual misconduct at her exclusive girls’ school south of Johannesburg.
The visit, her second in fewer than ten days, followed an admission last week that serious claims of misconduct had been levelled against a matron at the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy for Girls, a multimillion-pound school for underprivileged children.
John Samuel, the chief executive of the academy, said in a brief statement that the South African police’s family violence, child protection and sexual offences unit (FCS) had been informed of the internal investigation.
“The inquiry is being conducted in a manner that supports the safe and nurturing environment of the academy, with minimal disruption to campus life. In addition, the academy is providing psychological support and counselling services to our learners,” he said in the statement, the only comment that the school has made on the affair. The alleged perpetrator had been removed from the campus and other measures were taken to ensure the safety and wellbeing of the pupils, he added.
The Afrikaner-language newspaper Rapport reported that the matron was alleged to have grabbed a girl by the throat and thrown her against the wall. Other alleged charges were that the “dorm parent” swore and screamed at the girls, assaulted them and sexually fondled at least one of them.
The alleged incidents came to light when one of the pupils ran away from the school because the reported abuse had become intolerable. Her parents informed the school.
Ms Winfrey, the undisputed queen of chat-show television, who was abused as a child, reportedly flew to the country just over a week ago, missing an important Hollywood engagement. She returned unexpectedly on Friday and left again on Sunday.
She met the school’s executive and private investigators and held a two-hour meeting with parents, who were flown to Johannesburg. A report by a private investigator who arrived from the US to conduct an inquiry with a South African investigator has been handed to the police.
Ms Winfrey issued a terse statement saying that she was taking the incident extremely seriously. “Nothing is more serious or devastating to me than an allegation of misconduct by an adult against any girl at the academy,” she said in her only comment on the incident.
The school at Henley on Klip, a tranquil town of mining cottages, has been beset by controversy since it took in 150 of the country’s poorest but brightest girls in January. Locals complained that they were excluded from cleaning and kitchen work at the school; the local police resented that private firms provided security. Neighbours said that the imposing building, surrounded by an electric fence, was an eyesore. Parents also said that overstringent security had interfered with family visits.
Ms Winfrey, who has no children and is known to the girls as “Mama Oprah”, described the opening of the school, in which she has invested £22 million from her charitable foundation, as “the proudest, greatest day of my life”. “I know when you educate a girl you educate a family, a community — you change the face of a nation,” she said. “This is everything I have ever worked for. Education is the best gift you can ever have as a kid.” Ms Winfrey, who helped to choose the first entrants from 5,000 applicants and has built a house in the school grounds, pledged to spend as much time as possible alongside her charges. To qualify, the girls had to show academic and leadership potential and have household incomes of less than £350 a month. The 28-building campus, built over 52 acres, resembles a luxury retreat more than a school. It contains classrooms, computers and science laboratories, a library and a theatre.
When I was in Yeshiva of Brooklyn; I was molested by Rabbi Yehuda Nussbaum. He would would fondle me while he had me read from the Chumash. He did it to other kids too. He is a very sick man. He also beat me with his bare hands and his wooden ruler. I hate him so much. He ruined my life. It was known that Nussbaum was a sadistic pervert who enjoyed making boys suffer. Jack Mandel and Shlomo Mandel deserve to get hit by a truck. They inflicted so much pain and suffering on little boys that I can write a book about it. Anyway, I love you exposemolesters. You are my hero for letting the cat out of the bag. I wish you only success and happiness. Is there any way that I can talk to you?
YOB Victim,
I'm so sorry for your pain. Please contact me via email at:
Matzil_Nefoshos@yahoo.com
Have anyone else you know this happened to contact me as well. All our interactions will be kept confidential. I can be of help. There are others in your situation and we are working with law enforcement and attorneys to obtain justice for all.
I come from very honorable lineage. I could not have done the things this Rabbi is accused of.
****************************************
Settlement reached in case of alleged sexual misconduct
Thursday, 25 October 2007
TORONTO — Beth Tzedec Congregation and one of its rabbis have settled a lawsuit with two women who alleged improper sexual conduct on the part of the clergyman.
Details of the settlement were not released and neither Rabbi Tobias Gabriel nor the synagogue admitted fault or liability.
Yona Nadler, 52, had alleged that Rabbi Gabriel pressured her into a sexual relationship after participating in a program offered by the Conservative Rabbinical Assembly to train shamashim, synagogue beadles who serve as attendants, caretakers or custodians. The course was offered last summer at Beth Tzedec, and Rabbi Gabriel was one of the instructors. Nadler was the only woman in the program.
The second woman, who is unidentified, says she became sexually involved with Rabbi Gabriel while grieving the loss of one of her parents. She was mentioned, though not named, in Nadler’s statement of claim, which demanded $1.3 million from the rabbi and synagogue for breach of fiduciary duty and for pain and suffering.
In a letter to members distributed when the allegations were publicized, Beth Tzedec President Shep Gangbar referred to allegations of “impropriety and abuse” stemming from an “inappropriate relationship between Rabbi Gabriel and a married adult woman who is not a congregant… Unfortunately, there is little doubt that the impropriety occurred.”
The letter went on to distance the synagogue from the allegations, saying “it is not liable for the actions of Rabbi Gabriel” and it noted that the rabbi would no longer be involved with the synagogue in any capacity.
In New York, meanwhile, the Rabbinical Assembly, the international association of Conservative rabbis, was considering disciplining Rabbi Gabriel.
Zionists using Holocaust as a tool to silence people: chief rabbi
Tehran Times Political Desk
TEHRAN - Chief Rabbi of the Orthodox Jewish Community in Austria, Moishe Arye Friedman, believes that the “Zionist regime is using the Holocaust concept as a tool and weapon to silence people.”
In an interview with the Mehr News Agency here on Saturday, October 6, Friedman said “the root of the world’s problems is the existence of the Zionist regime.”
The chief rabbi was in Iran on an invitation from the Islamic Republic.
Here is an excerpt of the interview:
Q: Would you please explain about your community’s activities?
A: We are in a religious community, and our activities are actually concentrated mainly and truly on exercising the religion only, by being the followers of Prophet Moses. We are actually forbidden from having any activities of political nature. But also similar to the Islamic Republic of Iran, our activities are for human rights, for world peace, resulting from a religious perspective.
Q: Don’t you think that Israel’s behavior in the Middles East, especially its treatment of the Muslims in the occupied territories, would pose threats to Jews in other countries?
A: When we talk about Israel, the catastrophe of Zionism is not only in their state, it is the regime. The Zionist regime is not concentrated only on the so called Israel, the Zionist regime is actually in the most of the world. To march to Jerusalem, we mean of course to physically be in Jerusalem, we have to wipe off the Zionist regime.
The Zionist regime includes the governments all over the world with Zionist Jewish communities. When we say Jewish people we mean Jewish people following Moses which we have around the world. Of course it is very important to distinguish between Jewish people and those Zionist people.
The behavior of some of the countries is very irresponsible. For them there is no difference between the Jews and the Zionists, and this can lead to danger. It is different in the Islamic Republic of Iran, which is going to the root of the problem, to find how it was possible at all that such a regime came about. They went for example to engage with the issue of Holocaust, to have the world free from the Holocaust concept propaganda which is used as a tool for committing crimes against humanity.
There is a lot which has been done by the Islamic Republic of Iran, and especially recently, I think it was in a responsible way. Unfortunately we have to condemn those Arab regimes who are tolerating Israel. And it seems they are not dealing in a responsible way, and are even trying to misinform the public that Zionism is actually representing the Jewish people, in order to protect their interests and to keep their regime, and their population is silent.
Q: What about an abuse of Judaism by Zionists?
A: Zionism is all about to humiliate the faith in God. Not only the Jewish religion, but faith in God in all religions, mainly Islam. They also have a great interest in driving the Christians, the Catholic church, away from their traditional religions.
They are uprooting the religion, trying to reduce historical elements, and at the same time, when there are critics or people who are able to independently research such a theme, they will try everything to arrest them, to harm them, eliminate them, and that is their nature. For that purpose they have always used the Holocaust concept as their tool and weapon to silence people. Jerusalem should be wiped off from the Zionists.
Q: What does your community do to counter Israel or Zionism?
A: I think in the circumstances in which I came here with my family to Tehran could in practical terms state an example of the activities we make against Zionism, condemning the crimes against humanity.
But we have to deal with the problem by going to the root of the problem. The root of the problem is that the world is actually confronted with the Holocaust based on lies. We will have to get rid of the Holocaust lies of the Zionist regime, there is no question about this. All the media is silent about all the crimes committed by the Zionist regime by using the Holocaust concept.
Q: What’s your idea about Ahmadinejad’s suggestion that the West should allocate a land to the Zionists so that they can establish their own country there?
A: The first thing which has to happen is the immediate and unconditional return of the entire Palestinian refugees to their own land. When I say unconditional, I mean without having the precondition that they have to recognize the Zionist regime. The Palestinians have to receive their rights without recognizing the Zionist regime. By recognizing the Zionist regime we are having contradiction with the Palestinians’ rights and the rights of the Islamic world. We have to discuss not about the people who lived in Palestine, but those who came from Poland, from Russia, and other places. By using the Holocaust concepts they came to the holy land to eliminate others. At the first step, they should return to where they came from. I do not understand really the logic or the position of the Europeans or the Americans for opposing the approach and initiative of President Ahmadinejad, suggesting that the Zionists should return to Europe or to U.S. because after all, the Europeans are sacrificing their whole economy for those Jews, for the colleagues and associates of those Israelis who are now in Palestine. They are even sacrificing their own national security. They are not willing to implement law and order against Jews in their own state. So what is the problem for Jews to come there? There is no problem.
As a consequence of the Second World War, in a very unjustified way, at least a third of Poland nowadays and at least 34 percent of the Zech Republic for example is simply a German territory which they robbed off unjustified, and they are not doing anything about that. So there is no problem with giving the Zionist Jews some territories.
Q: What do you think about President Ahmadinejad’s speech at Columbia University, about Holocaust?
A: The issues which President Ahmadinejad stated and the issues that Iran’s leaders, Imam Khomeini and Ayatollah Khamenei, have mentioned, those issues were known before, but we are living in a world that is shut by the horrific Zionist media domination. In fact he managed to break those taboos. He had his mission there. Now the world is starting to realize that the Zionist regime is not only concentrated in the holy land. The root of the problems is actually the Zionist regime elsewhere. The Zionist Jewish community is extremely violent, they are even poisoning the American society. The Zionist regime is leading them. Even they have their own police in New York. A few thousand Jews in New York are able to have their own police.
Q: What is your opinion about Iran, and about the U.S. propaganda calling Iran a terrorist state?
A: I think it is the best thing and you should be proud that the Zionist media, inside the United States, are against you. The more they are trying to attack you, the more is because you are at a better position. Do not be afraid of people who speak openly of attacks, you should rather be afraid of those who speak nice to you. No one in the world had expected the Islamic Republic to make such achievements. The Iranian people are far too clever to fall into such propaganda, and I think they are clever enough to realize that this propaganda is the exact reason to stand firmly, and they do not expect to receive cheers from the evil.
I think the Islamic Republic is the nation chosen by God for justice and peace
BY VICTORIA SIEGEL, SPECIAL TO THE JEWISH LIGHT
Many facts about domestic violence are shocking but among the most jarring is that research shows that Jewish women may stay in domestic violence situations twice as long as other women, according to the Jewish Council against Family Violence.
"Jewish women feel responsible for shalom bayit, making peace in the home," Rebbetzin Paula Rivkin, co-founder of the council, said. "And they feel shame because they don't think it is happening to others in the Jewish community."
Unfortunately, these women are incorrect in their assumptions because one in four women will experience some form of domestic violence during her lifetime and the Jewish community is not immune to this crisis or this rate of occurrence. Estimates put the number of domestic and sexual abuse incidents in the St. Louis Jewish community at 180 last year. But experts feel that number may be too low because many assaults are unreported.
Council members, who represent all denominations of Judaism, want the community to know that there are resources available for these women and that this brutality does happen in the Jewish community. Back in 1993, when Rivkin and Judy Zisk Lincoff, MSW, MBA, LCSW, first began talking about this issue there was a lack of resources for Jewish women. They created the council because they knew there was a problem in the Jewish community and no one was talking about it.
"Many other institutions were way ahead of the Jewish community in addressing this need," Lincoff said.
Part of that lagging position is because of the myth that abuse doesn't happen in Jewish homes.
"When I worked at an agency," Carly Cooper, MSW, a council member, said, "I would get calls from women who would say 'My mother told me to marry a Jewish man because they don't hit.'"
One of the council's goals is to make sure the community is aware of this problem and that people know there is help. To that end the council, along with Jewish Women International, is bringing in acclaimed author and speaker Rabbi Joseph Telushkin. On Thursday, Oct. 25, at 7 p.m. at the Clayton High School Commons and Auditorium Rabbi Teluskin will present the program "Words That Hurt, Words That Heal; Communication for Healthy Relationships," based on his book Words That Hurt, Words That Heal: How to Choose Words Wisely and Well.
In addition to educating rabbis and the community about this insidious problem, the council offers a helpline and a kosher shelter. "It's a county shelter," Lincoff said, "and they gave us a room. Since no men are allowed on the premises, we literally brought in supplies on our backs."
They also held workshops at the shelter with the staff to familiarize them with Jewish customs. The room is complete with Jewish books and Shabbat candles.
Abuse takes the form of emotional, physical, sexual, financial and neglect, and in the Jewish community it crosses denominational lines. For some of these Jewish women, the fear of losing financial security keeps them in these abusive relationships.
"They worry about how they will support their children and buy their food," Rivkin said. Because of the shame they feel, the women are reluctant to ask for help.
Why do men abuse?
"Because they can," Cooper said. "In our society, men have privilege. People with privilege often take advantage of an oppressed group."
There also is a generational component to abuse.
"Men who grew up in violent homes are most likely to replicate that environment in their own homes," Cooper said.
"This is an issue of power and control," Lincoff said. "Women who grow up in violent homes are more likely to become victims."
Currently there are no support groups for Jewish women who are victims of domestic violence nor are there groups for Jewish batterers.
In spite of the obstacles the council faces in educating the community about domestic violence, its members are optimistic.
"Our mission is very positive," Lincoff said. "We know domestic violence exists, we have created resources for it, and we're there to help."
For tickets to Rabbi Telushkin's presentation, contact Carly Cooper, event coordinator, 314-607-8444 or ccooper@gwbmail.wustl.edu. Prices are $100 for a "supporter" (includes two tickets and a mention in the program), $25 for individuals, and $18 for students. Checks can be sent to JCAFV, P.O. Box 11804, Clayton, MO, 63105.
COMMUNITY RESOURCES
The Jewish Council Against Family Violence wants people to know there are resources available in the St. Louis area. Among them are:
* A helpline that is answered during business hours at 314-812-9352.
* Jewish Family and Children's Services — services include counseling, food pantry, and some financial resources.
* Legal Advocates for Abused Women for help with legal services
* A confidential shelter that can handle any Jewish woman; includes a kosher room and kitche
http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3458853,00.html
Rise in number of abused haredi women
New generation of rabbis encouraging battered Orthodox women to seek help, involve police. Welfare minister: Conspiracy of silence on this issue slowly being broken
David Regev
The number of calls made to hotlines for victims of domestic violence in the Orthodox community has increased three-fold over the past few years, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Thursday.
The number of haredi women who called the hotlines jumped from 477 in 2004 to 1,402 in 2007, while the number of women who were housed in shelters for battered women each month nearly doubled, from 24 to 40 on average.
Attorney Noah Korman, who established the first shelter for abused haredi women in 2000 and opened a second one two years later said, "The phenomenon of violence against women exists in the Orthodox community just as it does in any other, but it was not made public as it was in the secular sector. Haredi women preferred to keep it secret. It must be remembered that domestic violence brings great shame on an Orthodox family."
According to him, haredi women turned to the hotlines and shelters as a last resort.
"Women who arrived here did so after suffering years of abuse, when they felt they were in danger and could not take it anymore," Korman said.
'It's strictly forbidden to beat a woman'
He said the change in the rabbis' position regarding the phenomenon was also instrumental encouraging more abused women in the community to seek help.
"Haredi women are becoming more and more aware of the dangers related to domestic violence, and the new generation of rabbis is encouraging them to file complaints and break the cycle (of violence)," Korman said.
David Yosef, the rabbi of Jerusalem's Har Nof neighborhood and the son of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, declared on Wednesday that it was "strictly forbidden to beat a woman.
"If the need arises to involve the police in this matter, then they should be involved," he said.
Korman said most of the violent incidents against haredi women take place on Shabbat due to the fact that on weekdays the men are usually studying at yeshiva or tending to other matters.
He said that in many cases the violence erupts at the Shabbat diner table, adding that many of the haredi women arrive at the shelters with their children, "sometimes with nine or 10 of them".
On Wednesday Welfare Minister Issac Herzog visited a shelter for battered haredi women for the first time.
"The conspiracy of silence regarding violence against Orthodox women is slowly being broken, and we plan on helping them as best we can," he said.
Polish rabbi attacked in a train
By Piotr Łukasz Updated: 28/Oct/2007 14:06
WARSAW (EJP)---The Chief Rabbi of Wroclaw, Poland, was attacked last week by a young hooligan in a train, the Union of Polish Jewish Communities (ZGWZ) confirmed Sunday.
The police didn’t find the offender.
According to the Union of Polish Jewish Communities (ZGWZ), Rabbi Icchak Rapaport (31) was attacked by the young man while he was sitting in a Wroclaw-Warsaw train.
"I was simply sitting and reading a book in the first class compartment", the rabbi told EJP. "This guy saw me wearing a yarmulke. He started shouting: What are you, a kike?"
For nearly ten minutes the youngster insulted the rabbi, threatened his life and waved his fists just in front of the rabbi’s face.
"I was afraid to react, because I didn’t know if he had a knife,’’ the rabbi said.
The situation became more tense and scary. The rabbi stood up and said he needs to stretch his legs. "Sit down you Jewish wh...," yelled the attacker.
The rabbi kept being calm, stretched and sat down. Then the youngster went away.
"The worst thing was that there were a lot of people around and no one reacted," the rabbi complained. "It really sounded seriously."
Rabbi Rapaport was born in Sweden and over a year ago he started working in Poland.
He has never experienced any anti-Semitic attack before. "In my neighbourhood in Wroclaw there is a wonderful atmosphere. And now I am really scared. From this day on I will wear a hat instead of a yarmulke outside my city. Once such a thing has happened I am not going to tempt my fate again. This is the sad reality. One cannot publicly wear a kippah,’’ he told EJP.
"As an Israeli person who is living now in Poland I feel a hundred percent accepted here,’’ commented the chief rabbi of Krakow, Boaz Pash.
No discrimination but anti-Semitism exists
"No kind of discrimination, neither from the government nor from the people on the streets. On the other side we know anti-Semitism exists as a some sort of rejection of Judaism. We hear about and we feel it ‘’ he said.
He added : ‘’The problem is you feel much worse all around the world than in Poland. I feel very good here. It is not our problem anymore. The point is not that a Jewish person cannot make his life as a Jew in Poland or Europe. Anti-Semitism is the problem of the people who are anti-Semits. We have to pass the ball to their field."
For many years there hasn’t been any major anti-Semitic incident in Poland. Every time someone publicly makes anti-Semitic statements he is instantly condemned by the media and moral authorities.
"There is a part of the Polish society that is still not convinced that it is a natural thing that countries are multi-ethnic and they still think that Jews are not the hosts or inhabitants in this country, ‘’ says Prof. Lech Roz, director of the Ethnology and Cultural Anthropology Institute at the Warsaw University.
"One cannot be only a guest in a country he has lived in for a thousand years."
"Jews can feel safe in Poland,’’ he thinks. "’Although anti-Semitism is still present even in the minds of some of the representatives of the Church it is commonly known that xenophobia is something dreadful and unworthy.”
Poles have been incre0asingly interested in Judaism over the last years.
The festivals of Jewish culture held in Krakow and Warsaw drew the attention of thousands. "The process of experience and education has an influence on the change of the stereotype way of thinking and the xenophobic attitude gradually becomes something anachronistic", Prof Mroz told EJP.
http://lubavitch.com/article/2020740/Chabad-Rabbi-Responds-To-Attack-on-Talmud.html
Chabad Rabbi Responds To Attack on Talmud
BUDAPEST, HUNGARY -- (October 27, 2007)
W
W hen one of the most popular TV stations in Hungary recently aired an anti-Semitic interview that publicly attacked the Talmud, Rabbi Shlomo Kovesh, Chabad-Lubavitch emissary in Budapest, Hungary requested the opportunity to counter the false charges.
Kovesh appeared on TV and cogently refuted the false claims that the Talmud gives Jews a license to kill gentiles, reported
A series of lectures now offered to more than 700 Jewish university students studying in Budapest, will further address and rebut the anti-Semitic tirade.
Rabbi beating Beth Din in kashrut war
25 October 2007
By By Nathan Jeffay Manchester
A Dayan who launched his own kashrut operation after splitting from the Manchester Beth Din has become so successful that his former colleagues are having to fundraise to make up their losses.
Now the Manchester Beth Din (MBD) says that independent kashrut supervision by Dayan Osher Westheim, who left the Beth Din in 2004 after 28 years, is eating into its revenue. It says it has been forced to launch a campaign to raise between £300,000 and £400,000 to cover a shortfall in the running of the Manchester Communal Mikvah.
But David Rose, executive director of the London Board of Shechitah, which has joined Dayan Westheim in his personal-supervision enterprise, told the JC that despite repeated efforts to broker a deal between the parties — the latest as recently as this week — any “drop in revenue” was largely the responsibility of the Manchester Beth Din itself.
Dayan Westheim is widely credited with bringing Manchester the international respect that its kashrut supervision commands. Three months after his departure, local butcher Motty Gershon approached him. His firm, KM Meats, had been supervised by the dayan at MBD. Citing a rift with MBD on supervision fees and claiming that the remaining dayanim could not offer the full quality of service, he asked Dayan Westheim to give him a personal supervision.
Dayan Westheim agreed, and came to an arrangement with the London Board for Shechitah under which Mr Gershon’s meat would bear his personal seal and that of the LBS.
This meat is now sold in three ways: wholesale, for butchering, and as processed produce at Mr Gershon’s Prestwich shop, Shefa Mehadrin.
This trade is making it difficult for the MBD to make ends meet, registrar Rabbi Yehuda Brodie told the JC. He said: “The Kashrut Authority of the Manchester Beth Din inherits a historical responsibility that no other has — its revenues are relied on to fund other facilities, such as the mikvah and the Beth Din. It has always been a struggle, but is more difficult when the community is not buying its meat.”
Rabbi Brodie said: “We did not foresee a challenge from this quarter. The community had been served by two kashrut authorities, the Machzikei Hadass and ourselves. We did not envisage an individual rabbi.”
Dayan Westheim claimed: “We gave them [the MBD] every opportunity to work with us, but they turned us down.”
He added: “I joined the Manchester Beth Din in 1977. I started off the whole idea of having a kashrut department and designed the ‘MK’ logo. Most people came to the Manchester Beth Din because I was there — I put them on a pedestal. If they choose to reward me for this by being antagonistic, that is their prerogative.”
David Rose said: “For the past two years, the London Board for Shechitah, as a leading member of the National Council of Shechita Boards of Great Britain, has repeatedly urged the Manchester kashrut agencies to license the Shefa Mehadrin shop in accordance with their responsibilities to the local community.
“Indeed, in the past week, we have again met both parties to make those representations yet again. Any suggestions about the authority of the MBD and its revenue being threatened can only be addressed by the local parties. We remain available to do all we can to help them in restoring the proper role of communal agencies in licensing local shops and maintaining the integrity of kashrut.”
Rabbi Brodie responded: “The conditions which Mr Gershon has wished to impose upon us prior to getting a licence [for Shefa Mehadrin] have been ones which we don’t feel able to accept.”
Mr Gershon said: “The MBD cannot complain about Shefa Mehadrin not being under their licence when they themselves have refused to license it. At the end of the day, it is up to my customers to decide which hechsher they require. It’s not for me to argue with them.”
http://www.wnbc.com/news/14422669/detail.html
Suspect Arrested In Connection With Baseball Bat Attack On Rabbi
A 37-year-old Lakewood, N.J. man has been arrested in the baseball bat attack on an Orthodox rabbi earlier this month, police said.
The suspect has been identified as Lee Tucker. He was charged with attempted murder and possession of a weapon, police said.
He was taken into custody about a half-mile from where the attack occurred.
Bail was set at $375,000, and Tucker was taken to Ocean County Jail, police said.
The arrest comes 15 days after 52-year-old Rabbi Mordechai Moskowitz was beaten on the head with a baseball bat as he walked to synagogue.
The suspect is African American.
Police have declined to describe the assault as bias related, saying the motive is still under investigation.
newsday.com/news/local/wire/newyork/ny-bc-ny--priest-abuse1025oct25,0,3611627.story
Newsday.com
Ex-priest molester in LI case to get prison after cancer delay
8:34 PM EDT, October 25, 2007
RIVERHEAD, N.Y.
Prosecutors say a former Catholic priest who molested a 6-year-old boy is being sent to prison after previously escaping incarceration when he told a judge he was dying of liver cancer.
The Suffolk County District Attorney's office says Barry Ryan is due to appear in Riverhead court Friday to be sent to prison for two years. He pleaded guilty to molesting a boy in 2003, eight years after being suspended from the priesthood.
A judge had previously agreed to postpone jail for the 59-year-old, but he rescinded that decision and issued an arrest warrant for him in August after prosecutors suggested the one-time cleric was contriving to avoid incarceration.
A call to Joseph Ostrowsky, Ryan's lawyer, wasn't immediately returned
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http://www.county29.net/cms2/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=7492&Itemid=230
Child molester gets 32 years
Written by Rebecca L. Sandlin, Posted on 10-26-2007 22:05
Stephen Lynn Pentecost, 43, a former minister from Fishers who pleaded guilty to molesting a 15-year-old female relative during a three-year period, was sentenced Friday to 32 years for his crimes.
Hamilton Superior Court 2 Judge Dan Pfleging handed down the maximum sentence possible after attorneys argued over how long Pentecost should spend in prison.
In a plea agreement, Pentecost admitted guilt to one count of sexual misconduct with a minor, a Class B felony and two counts of child molesting, both Class C felonies. Six other counts were dismissed.
Fishers police arrested Pentecost April 28, 2005, after the girl told authorities at Chaucie’s Place child advocacy center he had molested her on numerous occasions.
Defense attorney Karl Hadley asked the judge to consider giving his client 15 years in prison plus community service, saying it would best allow Pentecost to be rehabilitated at get back into society.
But Hamilton County Deputy Prosecutor Stephanie Smith said Pentecost demonstrated manipulative behavior toward his estranged family even behind bars, flagrantly violating a no-contact order by sending his ex-wife several letters and even calling his mother’s house while his family was visiting her.
“That is unbelievably manipulative behavior. He has perpetrated an incredibly heinous crime … even as a man who has been trained as a minister,” Smith said. “If you look and read between the lines in his letters, it’s all about Stephen Pentecost … the cost to him … not the cost to his wife or family.”
Pentecost’s son, who stood about three feet away as his father listened, read a statement he had written expressing his anger.
“I’ve been more relaxed since I haven’t seen you. My grades are improved,” he said. “I just don’t like you anymore.”
The most emotion from the courtroom came from the victim, now 18, who said she now suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, has depression, insomnia, panic attacks, hears voices and has thoughts of suicide.
“I’m sad because I don’t remember most of my childhood,” she said. “(You were) a preacher and I can’t even go to church.”
Pentecost’s ex-wife, Michelle, said he knew what he was doing and tried to keep it a secret, telling his victim his wife couldn’t take the news.
“I’ve waited 2 ½ years for this nightmare to end,” she said.
Pentecost did not apologize directly to his family, but asked to be sent to rehabilitation as soon as possible.
“I realize what I’ve done is wrong,” he told the judge. “I realize I’ve lost my family. I also realize I need some help.”
Pfleging, however, apologized to Pentecost’s family for not being able to give a harsher sentence.
“It’s not all about you,” he told Pentecost. “I don’t have enough years to give you for what you’ve done.”
Pentecost also received four additional years of probation when he is released from prison, will have to register as a sex offender and pay more than $11,200 in restitution.
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http://www.13wmaz.com/news/new_story.aspx?storyid=44802
Houston Molester Sentenced
Last Update:10/26/2007 2:13:53 PM
Web Editor: Bernie O'Donnell
A Warner Robins man convicted of sexually molesting several girls and producing sexually explicit videos of himself with a dog was sentenced Friday to 35 years in prison Friday, according to the Houston County district attorney's office.
John Charles Huff, 65, of 102 Victor St., pleaded guilty Friday in Houston County Superior Court to four counts of child molestation, two counts of sexual exploitation of a child, and one count of bestiality, accordng to a news release from District Attorney Kelly Burke.
Senior Judge L. A. McConnell also required Huff to register as a sex offender should he ever get out of prison -- which is unlikely, according to Burke.
Burke's news release gave this account of the case:
In February, Warner Robins police were called to Huff's house where two children said he had sexually abused them. Houston County Sheriff's investigators found numerous items of child pornography, pornographic videos, and obscene written material involving children, including stories about the neighborhood children identified by name, according to Burke.
In court, Assistant District Attorney David Cooke told the court that Huff had a video surveillance system which he used to record himself committing sex acts and document other crimes against children.
Police investigators also found video evidence of him sexually abusing the children and a dog in his home, according to Burke's office.
"The children will have to live with what Mr. Huff did to them for the rest of their lives. We expect Mr. Huff will serve the entire extent of his sentence in prison", said Cooke, according to the news release. "The state recommendation in this case was that Huff be required to serve decades in prison, and we're glad the court agreed."
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http://www.wcax.com/global/story.asp?s=7269150&ClientType=Printable
Child molester convicted again in case that had been overturned
Associated Press - October 26, 2007 6:55 AM ET
BENNINGTON, Vt. (AP) - A child molester whose 2004 conviction for sexually assaulting a 10-year-old was overturned has been convicted again in the same case.
A jury in Bennington yesterday found 38-year-old Sherrill Hazelton guilty of sexual assault and sexual assault on a minor under age 16. The incident occurred in 2002, when he allegedly molested her in a trailer where she'd gone to use a bathroom.
The victim, who's now 15, cried after the jury announced the verdict in Vermont District Court.
The Vermont Supreme Court overturned his conviction last November because District Court Judge David Suntag improperly allowed hearsay evidence from a police officer who talked to the girl and her grandmother.
Yesterday, Public Defender Frederick Bragdon said he would appeal Hazelton's conviction again.
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http://www.modbee.com/opinion/letters/story/102431.html
Posted on Thu, Oct. 25, 2007
Treat teacher molester like priest
last updated: October 25, 2007 01:27:25 AM
The first in the three-day series on teacher misconduct -- no, atrocities -- raises serious questions about glaring inconsistencies in the standards we hold them to, compared to pastors or priests. The inconsistencies are alarming; do we really understand our societal values with respect to this issue?
By giving child- predator/molester monsters a pass, do we understand the harm we are doing to our children? To our families? To our municipalities? To the dedicated, selfless innocent educators?
Misbehavior in a ministry or a religious setting, rightly considered intolerable, seems to be dealt with more aggressively by the media and society. Should not teacher misbehavior be treated the same?
Should we tolerate a policy that, rather than punishing the offender, simply moves him or her to another unsuspecting community? We publish where convicted sexual offenders are living, why would we not identify the schools where sexual predators have moved to? Why don't they lose their, credentials, licenses and jobs?
Educators are always first in line to demand more and more money, let them demonstrate that they have earned the trust we have given them.
WILLIAM GREENBAUM
As Director of Public Affairs for Agudath Israel of America; I publicly opposes the possibility of Israel recognizing the legality of Reform and Conservative personal status ceremonies (ie. marriage, divorce, and conversion).
I'm lenient with Yudi Kolko though. I mean the man does have to support his family. Who cares about some boy getting sexually groped and fondled by his Rabbi anyway? And what insane person out there is going to believe some young little naive moron? Grow up people and give Yudi Kolko the respect he deserves!
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rabbi27oct27,1,2662786.story?coll=la-headlines-california
latimes.com
http://www.latimes.com/news/local/la-me-rabbi27oct27,1,2662786.story?coll=la-headlines-california
From the Los Angeles Times
Orthodox rabbi breaks with norm
Jewish leader's article says Israel must be open to talks of dividing Jerusalem. Impassioned, deeply divided responses quickly follow.
By Rebecca Trounson
Los Angeles Times Staff Writer
October 27, 2007
Breaking a long-standing taboo, a leading Orthodox rabbi in Los Angeles said this week that Israel, and American Jews, must be open to the possibility of dividing Jerusalem to achieve a lasting peace with the Palestinians.
In a thoughtful, often anguished opinion piece in Friday's Jewish Journal, Rabbi Yosef Kanefsky, senior rabbi at Congregation B'nai David-Judea in West Los Angeles, wrote that neither Israel nor the Palestinians had been honest in telling the story of their conflict since the 1967 Mideast War. And without such honesty, he said, no meaningful peace talks could occur.
Now, the rabbi wrote, as Israel approaches a possible peace conference with the Palestinians this fall, the Israeli government must be free to discuss the status of Jerusalem, despite the strong opposition of many Orthodox Jewish groups and others.
"It's not that I would want to see Jerusalem divided," Kanefsky wrote in the article for the weekly Los Angeles newspaper that chronicles Jewish life and issues. "It's rather that the time has come for honesty."
Many of those interviewed, within the Orthodox Jewish community and outside it, said they could not recall another mainstream Orthodox rabbi making a similar statement on the emotionally charged issue of Jerusalem. In addition to his role at B'nai David-Judea, a synagogue of about 300 families, Kanefsky served until recently as president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California.
Since 1967, when Israeli troops captured the eastern sector of Jerusalem from Arab forces, Israel has claimed all of the city as its eternal capital, never to be redivided. The United States does not recognize Israel's claim and, along with most other nations, has declined to move its embassy to Jerusalem. The Palestinians, meanwhile, want at least part of the city as the capital of their own hoped-for state.
As news of Kanefsky's statements raced through local and national Jewish circles on Friday, the reaction was swift and often impassioned. Many Orthodox leaders denounced Kanefsky's call as wrong-headed or even dangerous, with one saying it was akin to "religious suicide" for Jews to discuss any compromise on Jerusalem.
Several liberal rabbis, on the other hand, along with secular Jews active in peace groups, applauded. Some said they had long hoped that an Orthodox rabbi might one day be willing to make such a statement publicly.
And many other Jewish leaders, even those who said they did not agree with every detail of Kanefsky's article, praised his courage in writing it.
"Very few rabbis, much less Orthodox rabbis, have the courage to touch the third rail, which this is," said Rabbi Harold M. Shulweis of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino, a Conservative congregation. "He has, and it is a mark of courage and conscience. . . . He will be criticized but he has my blessings and he has made the rabbinate proud."
Shulweis said he hoped Kanefsky's article would lead to a more open, more robust debate about Jerusalem within the Jewish community, which he said "has understandable difficulty in dealing with a concern that has existential ramifications."
By Friday afternoon, Rob Eshman, the Jewish Journal's editor in chief, said he had received more than 100 letters about the article, along with several op-ed pieces already submitted in response. But the editor said Kanefsky did not appear to have changed many minds.
"This is an issue that people feel very strongly about," Eshman said.
Kanefsky, who has raised Orthodox eyebrows in the past with such decisions as allowing women at his synagogue to read the Torah at women-only services, appeared to be taking the reaction in stride. The 44-year-old rabbi, who has led B'nai David-Judea for 11 years, said he shared his views in a sermon to his congregation last week, then wrote the newspaper article.
In an interview from New York, where he was serving Friday as guest rabbi at a friend's congregation, Kanefsky said he thought the time might not yet be ripe for an Israeli-Palestinian peace conference, given the weakness of both Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
But he said he was moved to speak out by recent calls from several prominent Orthodox organizations that have asked members to urge the Israeli government to refrain from any talks over the status of Jerusalem. Instead, Kanefsky said, he hoped to start a conversation within the Jewish community, one that would be difficult but he believes is desperately needed.
"I have very deep reservations . . . but I believe that if and when the Israeli government feels it can secure a peaceful and durable two-state solution, it must be given all the tools it needs to effect that," he said.
At the nation's largest umbrella Orthodox organization, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, an official response to Kanefsky's statement was being drafted Friday, officials said. The union's leaders recently wrote to Olmert, urging him not to consider Jerusalem's division.
But Rabbi Tzvi Hersh Weinreb, the union's executive vice president, said that while Kanefsky has the right to express his view, "we disagreed with many of his points, if not all."
"Jerusalem is obviously very special, religiously and historically, and therefore has to be considered in a very special light," Weinreb said. "At this point in time, it's not appropriate to make statements about surrendering parts of Jerusalem."
Other Orthodox leaders were harsher in their assessments. "Rabbi Kanefsky is completely off-base," said Rabbi Pesach Lerner, executive vice president of the National Council of Young Israel, also based in New York. "I think his call for this discussion is ridiculous. It would amount to religious suicide."
At Sinai Temple, one of the city's largest Conservative synagogues, Rabbi David Wolpe said he knew and deeply respected Kanefsky but disagreed strongly with his views on any division of Jerusalem.
"The idea of sharing in order to make someone less violent, as opposed to the idea of waiting until someone is nonviolent in order to share, seems a foolish idea," Wolpe said. "It's hard for any Jew to consider giving up any part of Jerusalem. To give up Jerusalem to people who want to destroy your country is an emotional high jump you'd have to be better than an Olympic athlete to vault."
But in the Jewish community's more liberal circles, many were cheering Kanefsky. Rabbi Laura Geller of Temple Emanuel, a Reform synagogue in Beverly Hills, called Kanefsky a "visionary leader" and said she hoped his article would lead to a thoughtful debate.
"For an Orthodox rabbi to publicly acknowledge that the way the story has been told is not the fullest version is very, very brave," she said.
To read Kanefsky's article on the Jewish Journal website, go to jewishjournal.com.
rebecca.trounson@latimes.com
If you want other stories on this topic, search the Archives at latimes.com/archives.
Convicted multiple child molester could get out after four years in jail
Oct 31, 2007 03:18 PM
BEAUFORT COUNTY, SC (WIS) - A former South Carolina teacher got 25 years in prison for molesting at least nine children. So why are the families of his victims worried he's going to get out only four years in to his sentence?
A parole board will decide if Philip Underwood-Sheppard, a former teacher convicted of nine counts of indecent exposure, seven counts of child molestation and one count of assault and battery of a high and aggravated nature will get out of prison.
A judge slapped Underwood-Sheppard with a 25-year sentence. But he could get out after serving less than five.
"If somebody gives somebody a 25-year sentence, it shouldn't mean they're eligible for parole in four. It should mean 25," says Beaufort County Solicitor Duffie Stone.
Stone is fed up with a system that considers some sex crimes against children nonviolent offenses, opening the door for convicted sex offenders like Underwood-Sheppard to serve only a quarter of their sentence.
"How can a child molestation be considered nonviolent? These are our children. We should be doing everything we can to protect them," said the mother of one of the victims.
She doesn't want to be identified, but she's talking to us because she says she is hoping someone will listen.
"When you make pleas to legislators, senators and governors and you're being ignored, it's rather hard to swallow. And yet four years later, we're sitting here for a 25-year sentence," the woman told WIS News 10.
As it turned out, Underwood-Sheppard decided not to appear in front of the parole board, meaning he'll stay in jail -- at least until his next hearing, next year.
"Here you have a kid with the courage to come forward and go to the police station at the age of nine to report what happened. Yet every year we're going to have to deal with this," the mother says.
"The biggest crime here is not only have these children been victimized, they have been victimized again by having to go to these parole hearings," Stone told WIS News 10.
To make sure that doesn't happen, stone says parole should be abolished to make sure there is truth in sentencing.
And he says prison overcrowding should not be used as an excuse not to do it.
"Prison overcrowding has been the argument all along. I can not remember a time when our prisons weren't overcrowded. Obviously parole hasn't worked, that hasn't changed anything," Stone said.
Don't expect a change in the system anytime soon. WIS News 10 checked with victims advocates and the Attorney General's office. There is no legislation on the table right now that would make child sex offenders serve a larger portion of their sentence.
If there was, the Attorney General says he would be behind it 100 percent.
Reported by Kara Gormley
click link above and see the face of a molester.
How many years should Kolko and Mondrowitz get?
Child Molester receives 30 years
Oct 30, 2007 04:17 PM
October 30, 2007
Thomasville - A Thomas County man is sentenced to 30 years for child molestation.
50 year-old Robert Reifsnyder pleaded guilty to enticing a child for indecent purposes, child molestation and sexual exploitation.
Reifsnyder was arrested in 2006 after trying to develop photos in Tallahassee of a nude girl believed to be just 12 years-old.
A search of his home turned up more pictures of the girl.
He also faces child pornography charges in Florida.
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