Wednesday, February 04, 2009

Broken, Beaten & Scarred







http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=99913807

Abuse Scandal Plagues Hasidic Jews In Brooklyn

Engelman and Diangelo haven't been here in years. They just met a few weeks ago, but as they begin swapping stories and the names of family members, they realize they have a lot in common. Both men are in their 20s, both were raised as strict Hasidic Jews, and both fled their upbringing for the same reason.

"Are you ready for this?" Engelman asks Diangelo, glancing at his friend in the back seat.

"Yeah," Diangelo says, his breath quickening. "Yeah, I'll do it, just a quick pass by."

Diangelo grows quiet as we approach a nondescript brownstone building: a synagogue.

"See the Hebrew sign?" he says, pointing. "You go downstairs, and that's where the mikvah is."

The mikvah is a bathhouse usually used by women for ritual cleansing. But in some Hasidic communities, like this one, fathers bring their young sons on Friday afternoons before Shabbat begins. Twenty-one years ago, when he was 7, Diangelo recalls going to the mikvah with his father to find the place packed with naked men and boys.

"And I was in the tub, and I had my back turned, and somebody raped me while I was in the water," he says. He takes a shaky breath. "And I didn't know what happened. I couldn't make sense of it, really."

Diangelo says he never saw the man who abused him. These days, monitors are posted by the bath to stop any sexual activity. But back then, the boy was on his own. He told no one but began refusing to go to the mikvah. He left Orthodox Judaism when he was 17. He changed his name from Joel Deutsch and cut almost all ties with his family and friends.

Now, Diangelo wears black leather and mascara. He plays in a rock band and takes refuge in the heavy-metal lyrics of Metallica.

"There are so many songs, you know. They have a latest song, which is called 'Broken, Beaten & Scarred,' and one of the verses is: 'They scratched me, they scraped me, they cut and raped me.' " He laughs wearily. "And that's my life right there. When I listen to it, it gives me strength."

Allegations Of Abuse

For these two men, this is a tour through aching secrets and violent memories. Diangelo and Engelman are unusual because they let their names be used. But they believe that sexual abuse is woven throughout this Hasidic community.

For Engelman, the loss of innocence came at school.

"This is it, right here," he says.

Engelman parks his car across from the United Talmudical Academy, a hulking building on a desolate street. This was the yeshiva, or Jewish boys' school, that Engelman attended. Engelman says he was 8 years old, sitting in Hebrew class one day, when he was called to the principal's office. When he arrived, he says, Rabbi Avrohom Reichman told him to close the door.

"He motioned for me to get on his lap, and as soon as I got on the chair, he would swivel the chair from right to left, continuously," Engelman says. "Then he would start touching me while talking to me. He would start at my shoulders and work his way down to my genitals."

Engelman says this occurred twice a week for two months. He told no one for more than a decade. Reichman was, after all, a revered rabbi. Four years ago, he told his parents. And a year ago, when he heard that Reichman had allegedly abused several other boys, they confronted Reichman. When the school heard about it, they gave the rabbi a polygraph.

"He failed miserably," Engelman says. "So they told me, 'This guy is gone. This guy has to go.' "

But a few weeks later, a religious leader from the school approached Engelman's mother, Pearl. He posed an astonishing question: On a scale of 1 to 10, how bad was the molestation?

She was speechless. Then she says, the man continued, " 'We found out there was no skin-to-skin contact, that it was through clothing.' So he's telling me, 'On a scale of 1 to 10, this was maybe a 2 or a 3, so what's the big fuss?' "

The school hired Reichman back. That was in July 2008 — one week after Joel Engelmen turned 23 and could no longer bring a criminal or civil case against the rabbi.

An Open Secret

Reichman and school officials declined to be interviewed for this story. But Rabbi David Niederman, who heads the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg, says the school did its due diligence. He says the allegation was thoroughly investigated by an independent committee of lay people and rabbis.

"I'm convinced that they made a serious investigation," he says. "They felt that it's not credible."

Now Engelman has filed a long-shot civil suit against Reichman and the school, claiming they broke an oral contract.

Reichman's attorney, Jacob Laufer, says the lawsuit is baseless and that the community is fully behind the rabbi.

"Even after these accusations were publicly made," he says, "the parents continue to compete among themselves for the opportunity to have their children be educated by Rabbi Reichman."

The Reichman case is not isolated. Four ultra-Orthodox rabbis in Brooklyn have been sued or arrested for abusing boys in the past three years. That's a tiny fraction of the actual abuse, says Hella Winston, author of Unchosen: The Hidden Lives of Hasidic Rebels. She says that in researching her book, she encountered dozens of alleged victims who told her sexual abuse is an open secret in the Hasidic community. But the community is so insulated and the rabbis are so powerful that few dare to come forward.

"If I become known as an informer, then people also won't want to have anything to do with my family," she explains. "They won't want to marry my children, won't want to give me a job. This is the fear."

But more and more accusations against rabbis have begun to circulate. Last August, politician and radio talk show host Dov Hikind devoted an hourlong program to sexual abuse. He interviewed Pearl Engelman, who spoke under an alias, about her son's case.

The calls flooded in. Hikind, who is an Orthodox Jew himself, represents this area in the New York Assembly. He says after the show, people started showing up at his office with their stories.

"Fifty, 60, 70 people," he says, "but you got to remember for each person who comes forward, God only knows how many people are not coming forward."

Ongoing Investigations

Hikind refuses to release the names of alleged perpetrators, although he is working with the district attorney's office. He says the people who confided in him are afraid to go public, which creates a perfect situation for abusers.

"If you're a pedophile, the best place for you to come to are some of the Jewish communities," he says. "Why? Because you can be a pedophile and no one's going to do anything. Even if they catch you, you'll get away with it."

"To me, it does not make sense," says Niederman, of the United Jewish Organizations, "that so many people have been violated and for so many years they have been quiet. Something does not add up. It's being blown out of proportion — big time."

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes says he has 10 active sexual abuse cases involving Orthodox Jews — including a school principal who was recently arrested on a lead from Hikind. And Hynes says there could be many more. Yeshivas are private schools, which means they don't have to report accusations of sexual abuse to civil authorities.

"I've got no way to know if there's a pattern of concealing the conduct," he says.

Hynes says the Jewish leaders — like Catholic bishops — try to handle these affairs internally, through a rabbinical court. It's a practice that infuriates him.

"You have no business taking these cases to religious tribunals," Hynes says. "They are either civil or criminal in nature. Or both. Your obligation is to bring these allegations to us and let us conduct the investigation."

Hynes says he's trying to work out a memorandum of understanding with the rabbis, in which they promise to bring the prosecutor every allegation of abuse.

Pearl Engelman is skeptical: The rabbis have hardly been forthcoming in her son's case. Still, she loves her community and worries these allegations have tarnished it.

"This is a community of the most wonderful people, hardworking people who lead righteous lives," she says. "And it's just a few corrupt people who give us a bad taint."

Her son Joel isn't so sure it's that few. Anyway, for him, any remedies come too late.

"Pretty much, I left my childhood here," he says. "After I left here, I had a totally different picture of school, religion and life."

But Engelman hopes that his story will shine a light on the secret and, perhaps, protect the next generation of children in this community.

=================================================================

SUPREME COURT OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK
COUNTY OF KINGS
------------------------------------------------------------------------
JOEL ENGELMAN,
Plaintiff, VERIFIED
COMPLAINT
-against-
UNITED TALMUDICAL ACADEMY, SATMAR Index No. 24507/08
BUNGALOW COLONY, and AVROHOM REICHMAN,
Defendants.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Plaintiff, by and through the Law Office of Gerald P. Gross, as and for a
Verified Complaint, respectfully pleads as follows:
1. Plaintiff, Joel Engelman, is a natural person, born on June 24, 1985,
residing in Brooklyn, New York
2. Defendant, United Talmudical Academy (hereinafter, “UTA”), is a
nonpublic, religious school, operated by the Satmar Chassidic movement, which owns
operates, and manages certain school buildings in and about the Williamsburg section of
Brooklyn, and maintains an office at 82 Lee Avenue, Brooklyn, New York.
3. Defendant Satmar Bungalow Colony is located at or about the
intersection of State Route 17B and State Highway 55, in White Lake, New York, where
it operated a bungalow colony and camp.
4. That Joel Engelman, in or about October and November, 1993, was a
student at UTA, when he was eight years-old.
5. That defendant Avrohom Reichman is a natural person, residing in
Brooklyn, New York.
6. That Avrohom Reichman has, over the course of many decades, been
employed by UTA and the Satmar Bungalow Colony, including but not limited to, as a
principal20and “rebbe” (teacher of Jewish subjects).
7. That UTA and Reichman owed, and continue to owe, a fiduciary duty
to Joel Engelman.
8. That UTA and Reichman owed, and continue to owe, a special and/or
heightened duty of care to Joel Engelman.
9. That UTA and Reichman owed the duty of in loco parentis to Joel
Engelman.
10. That in or about October and November, 1993, when Reichman was a
principal employed at UTA, Reichman sexually assaulted and abused the eight year old
Joel Engelman.
11. That UTA then lacked and continues to lack basic rules protecting
children such as Joel Engelman from sexual assault, including but not limited to, written
rules and regulations prohibiting sexual contact between UTA principals, teachers and
other employees with children; rules prohibiting corporal punishment; rules prohibiting
UTA employees and children being alone together in the same room; rules requiring
background checks on all employees; rules requiring mandatory reporting of any and all
sexual abuse incidents to government law enforcement and child protection authorities;
rules requiring discipline, including immediate termination, of employees who sexually
abuse and/or inflict corporal punishment.
12. That UTA failed to adequately protect its student, Joel Engelman,
from sexual assault and abuse.
13. That as a result of UTA and Reichman’s wrongful conduct, Joel
Engelman suffered grievously.
14. That Joel Engelman suffered psychological and physical injury, which
required medical and psychological treatment; his grades, socialization, personal familial
and other relationships suffered; his sleep patterns suffered; his religious growth and
development in the Jewish religion suffered; he was required to attend multiple schools;
he suffered from panic and anxiety; and he suffered other serious and grievous personal
and other injuries.
15. That aware that the statute of limitations may be expiring for bringing
a criminal prosecution against Reichman, Joel Engelman contacted defendants in or about
early April 2008.
16. That delivered to Reichman in early April 2008 was a letter, in the
Yiddish language, Exhibit A herewith (together with an English translation), which
demanded Reichman’s immediate resignation from any type of employment where he
comes into close proximity to children, including school and camp.
17. That various Satmar officials then contacted Joel Engelman and his
family on various dates in April 2008, purporting to investigate the claims.
18. That during this investigation, and prior thereto, it was learned by
various Satmar officials, that there were multiple, credible complaints of sexual abuse
made against Reichman.
19. That in April 2008, Satmar officials, acting on behalf=2 0of UTA and the
Satmar Bungalow Colony, determined that Reichman was guilty of sexual abuse, against
Joel Engelman and others.
20. That in April 2008, it was agreed among all parties that Reichman
would be immediately and permanently terminated from all school, bungalow, camp, and
any other Satmar related employment where he might come into close proximity to
children; and Joel Engelman would not file any civil lawsuit, nor file any criminal
complaint with law enforcement authorities.
21. That defendants fraudulently induced Joel Engelman to enter into this
exchange of mutual promises, and oral contract.
22. That defendants’ motivation was the expiration of the criminal statute
of limitations for sex crimes on the 23rd birthday of Joel Engelman on June 24, 2008.
23. That in breach of the promises and oral contract, Reichman has most
recently been working as a teacher and/or rebbe at the Satmar Bungalow Colony, during
the Summer, 2008, in White Lake, New York.
24. That upon learning that Reichman is working at the Satmar Bungalow
Colony, Joel Engelman again attempted, in July 2008, to have Reichman removed from
his position by distributing in the White Lake region a Yiddish-language flyer, Exhibit B
herewith (with an English translation), warning people that Reichman has a history of
child sexual molestation.
25. That notwithstanding the written warning, Reichman continued to
teach at the Satmar Bungalow Colony and camp, and has been videotaped doing so.
26. That Joel Engelman has now been denied access to the New York
courts for the purpose of criminally prosecuting Avrohom Rei chman.
FIRST CAUSE OF ACTION
27. Plaintiff repeats paras. 1-26 above.
28. That plaintiff has been fraudulently induced by defendants to enter
into a promise, suffered damage, and has been injured.
SECOND CAUSE OF ACTION
29. Plaintiff repeats paras. 1-26 above.
30. Defendants conspired to defraud plaintiff, who has been damaged and
injured.
THIRD CAUSE OF ACTION
31. Plaintiff repeats paras. 1-26 above.
32. Defendants breached their promises to, and their contract with,
plaintiff, and as a result, plaintiff has been damaged and injured.
FOURTH CAUSE OF ACTION
33. Plaintiff repeats paras. 1-26 above.
34. Defendants intentionally inflicted great emotional distress and trauma
upon plaintiff, by denying him the opportunity to criminally prosecute Avrohom
Reichman, in exchange for a fraudulent promise. This conduct is outrageous, and beyond
the bounds of all decent and humane society.
FIFTH CAUSE OF ACTION
35. Plaintiff repeats paras. 1-26 above.
36. Defendants intentionally made false misrepresentations of fact, and as a result, plaintiff has been
damaged and injured.
SIXTH CAUSE OF ACTION
37. Plaintiff repeats paras. 1-26 above.
38. That defendants intentionally inflicted harm upon plaintiff.
39. That there is no reasonable excuse nor justification for defendants’ conduct, which would
otherwise be lawful.
40. That plaintiff has been damaged, including special damages.
SEVENTH CAUSE OF ACTION
41. Plaintiff repeats paras. 1-26 above.
42. Defendants have breached their fiduciary duty to plaintiff, and as a result, plaintiff has been
injured.
AD DAMNUM WHEREFORE, plaintiff demands judgment on all causes of action in the
amount of $5 million, together with punitive damages in an amount to be determined by
the jury, together with costs, disbursements, and applicable interest.
Dated: August 27, 2008
Cedarhurst, New York
Yours, etc.
_____________________________
ELLIOT B. PASIK
Of counsel, Law Office of Gerald P. Gross
Attorney for plaintiff
366 Pearsall Avenue, Suite 5
Cedarhurst, New York 11516
Telephone: (516) 371-2800

33 comments:

exposemolesters said...

Kol Hakavod to Joel Engelman and Joe Diangelo. Your courage and bravery is immeasurable!
================================

Survivors: Highly recommended you visit this website.

http://www.survivorsforjustice.org/Gui/Content.aspx?Page=Home
=================================

Survivors for Justice

We are survivors of childhood sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish community and their advocates who are committed to offering guidance and support to victims seeking justice through the criminal and civil legal system.

We seek to raise awareness of existing and pending legislation relating to the protection of children.

You can reach us at info@SurvivorsForJustice.org

Anonymous said...

Reichman and school officials declined to be interviewed for this story. But Rabbi David Niederman, who heads the United Jewish Organizations of Williamsburg, says the school did its due diligence. He says the allegation was thoroughly investigated by an independent committee of lay people and rabbis.

"I'm convinced that they made a serious investigation," he says. "They felt that it's not credible."

Anonymous said...

Police investigators stunned to find ultra-Orthodox parents ignored sexual abuse of their two children after their rabbi warned filing charges may invoke halachic rule equal to 'din moser'

Efrat Weiss
Published: 02.05.09, 17:55 / Israel Jewish Scene

The Jerusalem Police recently revealed a stunning conspiracy of silence involving the sexual abuse of two children, ages four and nine, by a male relative. The investigation also revealed that the children's parents, their rabbi and their neighbors were all aware of the abuse, but chose to keep quiet.


Senior police NCO Aliza Aroch, who is the lead investigator in the case, told Ynet that police were contacted by a social worker, who reported getting a call from a woman who claimed to have witnessed the man molest the nine-year-old while they were at a doctor's waiting room.


Ordinance
Rabbi Aviner: Child abuse must be reported / Kobi Nahshoni
Prominent religious-Zionist leader lashes out at failure to inform authorities of such acts 'in order to have mercy on the abuser,' says 'first of all we must have pity on the helpless child'
Full story
The woman informed the doctor of what she saw and the two immediately contacted the social worker and the police. Both were deposed and the police promptly arrested the suspect.


The man, said Aroch, admitted the incident and assured the court it was a one-time digression. The Jerusalem District Court, however, ordered his arrest remanded for three days.


With the suspect in custody, the police began questioning the boy's parents and discovered that their nine-year-old son was suffering from autism and that they had two other children – a four-year-old boy and a two-year-old toddler.


After ascertaining that the suspect was a relative, investigators were amazed to learn that not only did the mother know the man was abusing both her sons, she had witnessed the acts on several occasions and did nothing.


She also told the police that her nine-year-old son had been subjected to the suspect's abuse since the age of two. The police suspect all three children also suffered physical abuse.


When asked why she did nothing, the mother reportedly told the investigators that she was "powerless."


During the course of the investigation, the police also found that several neighbors witnessed the suspect molesting the children in public, but failed to report him.


Advertisement

The children's father claimed that he consulted his rabbi, who told him that unless he witnesses the acts himself, reporting it would be like rendering a "Din Moser."


"Din Moser" is an ancient halachic law pertaining to informants, which according to the austere interpretation of Jewish tradition, equals a death sentence.


Once the gravity of the situation became apparent, the court ordered all three children be removed from home. The Jerusalem District Court also remanded both parents for five days.

Anonymous said...

The Jewish Week reports.

NEW: Rabbi Noach Weinberg, Aish Hatorah Yeshiva Founder, Dies

by Steve Lipman
Staff writer

Rabbi Noach Weinberg, the founder of the Aish Hatorah yeshiva in Jerusalem that grew into an international outreach institution, and one of the leaders of the 1960s movement that brought thousands of unaffiliated Jews back to traditional Judaism, died Feb. 5 in his Jerusalem home after a long illness.

Rabbi Weinberg - he was popularly known as Reb Noach - was a charismatic speaker, an renowned fundraiser and an effective administrator who developed Aish Hatorah into a brand, a yeshiva with branches in 35 cities around the world. He oversaw the growth of the aish.com Web site into an Internet resource with a nondenominational following.

His philosophy of serving God through joy and of finding pleasure through a life of meaning was summarized in his book "What
the Angel Taught You: Seven Keys to Life Fulfillment" (Artscroll, 2003), and his lectures on "48 Ways to Wisdom" was turned into a popular series of tapes.

"Jewish wisdom teaches that G-d is our Father n Heaven. He created the world simply to bestow pleasure upon his children, because just like a human father, all G-d wants for his children is their pleasure," Rabbi Weinberg wrote in a 1998 article on the jewishworldreview.com Web site.

"Rabbi Weinberg dedicated his life to bringing a renaissance with Jewish people, to reach out to every Jew and reconnect him to the depth and meaning of our heritage," according to a statement issued this week by Aish Hatorah. "The Jewish people are meant to be a light unto nations. Rabbi Weinberg undertook the task to galvanize the Jewish people and inspire us to live up to our mission and be Kiddush Hashem - to sanctify God's Name in this world."

A native of Brooklyn who studied at the Chaim Berlin and Ner Israel yeshivas, he helped establish several so-called baal teshuvah yeshivas for young men and women from secular backgrounds, before he became dean of Aish Hatorah, now located in the Old City of Jerusalem near the stairs to the Western Wall. Previously, advanced Jewish learning was limited to people who had studied Jewish texts for years; men and women with minimal Jewish backgrounds found few resources geared to their remedial level.


Some 100,000 people today take part in Aish Hatorah's international educational programs.

Rabbi Weinberg was buried today in Jerusalem's Har Menuchos cemetery.
His late brother, Rabbi Yaakov Weinberg, was rosh yeshiva of Ner Israel in Baltimore.

Anonymous said...

by Hillel Fendel

(IsraelNN.com) Rabbi Noah Weinberg, the renowned founder and Dean of Yeshiva Aish HaTorah in Jerusalem, passed away Thursday morning in Jerusalem at the age of 78.

The funeral will begin at the Ahavat Torah synagogue in Kiryat Zanz in Jerusalem at 1:30 PM. It will then proceed to Har HaZeitim (Mt. of Olives) for the burial.

A graduate of two prominent yeshivot in the United States – Rabbi Chaim Berlin in New York and Ner Yisrael in Baltimore – Rabbi Weinberg founded or co-founded the two most famous yeshivot in Jerusalem for beginners, Ohr Somayach and Aish HaTorah.

Students of Rabbi Weinberg, who number in the thousands, say his teachings emphasize a close relationship with G-d, as well as maximizing one's contentment in this world through meaningful activities. His book “What the Angel Taught You” and his tape series "48 Ways to Wisdom" are popular throughout the Jewish world.

Many hundreds of loving and thankful tributes from his students can be read here. The letters thank for him for “changing my life,” “bettering my life and enriching it with Torah,” “G-d gave you a life filled with purpose,” and the like.

Rabbi Weinberg was slowly recuperating late last year from chemotherapy and radiation treatments, when he fell and broke his thigh bone and shoulder. Throughout these difficult periods, however, he continued arriving at Aish HaTorah in the Old City whenever possible.

The Aish.com website, arguably the world’s largest Jewish learning website, states that Aish HaTorah “is dedicated to revitalizing the Jewish people by providing opportunities for Jews of all backgrounds to discover their heritage in an atmosphere of open inquiry and mutual respect.”

Rabbi Weinberg's Aish HaTorah now operates 27 full-time branches on five continents, with 100,000 people attending Aish programs annually - including Discovery, Hasbara Fellowships, Jerusalem Fellowships, Jewel, and more - in 77 cities in 17 countries. Aish features a large Rabbinical training college at the Western Wall in Jerusalem, as well as a Hesder Yeshiva where students combine their military service with Torah learning.

Aish.com receives over two million visits each month, and some 50,000 hours of Torah tapes and MP3s are listened to each year, and the site features articles and audio segments on spirituality, parenting, dating, weekly Torah portion, Holocaust studies, and Ask the Rabbi. The site operates a 24-hour live webcam from the Western Wall, which has registered 20 million visits. Spin-off sites in Hebrew, Spanish, Portuguese, French and Russian are all leading websites in their respective languages.

Anonymous said...

newsday.com/news/local/crime/ny-limado056024167feb05,0,7413624.story
Newsday.com
Notable names dot list of alleged Madoff victims

BY ZACHARY R. DOWDY

zachary.dowdy@newsday.com

February 5, 2009

The list of nearly 14,000 victims authorities believe were scammed in Bernard Madoff's wide-scale pyramid scheme is out - and the tally includes athletes, celebrities and Long Island institutions.

Irving Picard, the trustee liquidating Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities LLC, released a 163-page list bearing names from ordinary investors to venerated institutions.

Mets owner Fred Wilpon, Sterling Mets Associates and the Fred Wilpon Family Trust are on the list, as well as Saul Katz, the president of Sterling Equities and chairman of the board of North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System.

Cablevision, Newsday's owner, was listed, as were nonprofit entities such as the Brooklyn College Foundation and the Long Island Museum of American Art, History and Carriages, in Stony Brook.

John Denver Concerts Inc. and John Denver Enterprises were also listed. Baseball Hall of Famer Sandy Koufax and former Met Tim Teufel are on the list, as are actors John Malkovich, Kyra Sedgwick and Kevin Bacon.

Also listed were the Buffalo Laborers Pension Fund, the American Jewish Congress and New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg.

Madoff himself and his wife Ruth, his children and his brother, Peter, also had numerous account listings.

The International Brotherhood of Teamsters Local 1249 Pension Fund was also among the victims, as was Morton L. Certilman of Certilman Balin Adler & Hyman, an East Meadow law firm.

One client is Ira Sorkin, the attorney who's defending Madoff against charges he perpetrated the biggest financial fraud in history. Others include Madoff's wife, sons, brother and other relatives.

Prosecutors say Madoff admits he lost more than $50 billion belonging to investors. Defense lawyers say he has cooperated with authorities to help identify assets.

Madoff hasn't been indicted. He's being held under house arrest at his multimillion-dollar penthouse.

Anonymous said...

Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes says he has 10 active sexual abuse cases involving Orthodox Jews — including a school principal who was recently arrested on a lead from Hikind. And Hynes says there could be many more. Yeshivas are private schools, which means they don't have to report accusations of sexual abuse to civil authorities.

"I've got no way to know if there's a pattern of concealing the conduct," he says.

Hynes says the Jewish leaders — like Catholic bishops — try to handle these affairs internally, through a rabbinical court. It's a practice that infuriates him.

"You have no business taking these cases to religious tribunals," Hynes says. "They are either civil or criminal in nature. Or both. Your obligation is to bring these allegations to us and let us conduct the investigation."

Hynes says he's trying to work out a memorandum of understanding with the rabbis, in which they promise to bring the prosecutor every allegation of abuse.

Anonymous said...

The Fight To Protect Children From Sexual Abuse
By Dr. Kelly Burkhouse
POSTED: February 5, 2009

Increasing numbers of parents today are aware of the damaging effects sexual abuse can have for a child. As a result of this, we have a generation of parents who are on high alert to protect their children from such abuse. The most effective protection, of course, is informed protection. Below are listed some of the important points to know about sexual abuse and some recommendations to consider based on this information.

90 percent of sexual abuse is committed by someone who knows the child, but only 15 percent is committed by someone on the sex offender registry. Therefore, protecting your child is not as simple as finding the known sex offenders in your community. Those who are identified as sex offenders are watched, and hopefully have received treatment.

Since most experts believe that a large amount of sexual abuse goes unreported, it must be assumed that many sexual offenders are not noticeable in any obvious way. Be aware of anyone in your child's life who seems to be intrusive, talks in a suggestive way or is obsessive about your child, rather than focusing all your attention on prior offenders.

A great deal of child sexual abuse still is not reported to anyone by the child. These children carry their emotions alone, sometimes into adulthood. Although the research is somewhat tentative, children appear more likely to tell about sexual abuse when it is done by someone who they don't know well or someone who scared them. They are less likely to tell about abuse if the person is someone they love or someone who has carefully built a friendship with them.

As a result, you need to know the people in your child's life and you need to establish a trusting relationship - one where your child doesn't worry that saying the wrong thing will upset or anger you. (For instance, can you stay calm when your child tells about the "new word" they learned on the bus? If not, how can they tell you if they saw someone act out the new word?)

Children who are confident and close to their parents are less attractive as victims than children who appear lonely, isolated or insecure. Build your child's confidence, including the ability to disagree with adults when the adults are in the wrong. Make sure they have lots of caring people in their lives - both adults and age mates.

Internet safety is important - the most frequent adult-to-child crime on the Internet is young teens who are seduced by older men. The majority of men who are chatting with young women and hoping for a sexual encounter are not pretending to be teens. (Okay, it's not always a man seducing a woman; any combination is possible.)

The young person is flattered by the adult attention and believes that there is a ''special'' relationship with the older man. Force is usually not involved, but secrecy is. Give your teens lots of adult attention and help them enjoy their teen years so that they aren't in a hurry to grow up by hanging out with older people. Keep computers in a public enough space - like the family room - so secrecy is discouraged.

Young people are responsible for committing a significant amount of sexual abuse. Supervise your children with other young friends and relatives until you know what types of relationships they have.

Get to know your babysitter. Don't assume a boy won't touch a boy or that girls never abuse. Encourage your child to tell you about their games and activities with the babysitter or other companions, but don't suggest or ask questions that will make them fear or expect to be hurt. (For instance, ask ''Tell me three things you and Tommy did'' rather than, ''Did Tommy touch you in ways he shouldn't'').

Don't make sexuality a forbidden subject. Few parents want to deal with this subject with their children, but because of the Internet and TV, children now encounter much more information about sex than children a decade ago. And while there is good information available, there is far too much that is confusing, over-stimulating, demeaning or wrong. Make sure your children learn the truth about sex at a level they can handle.

Don't create a sense of dread in your child. While sexual abuse is a terrible experience, children need to feel secure going out into the world and learning independence according to their age. Precautions are important, but total protection is impossible. You need to understand that if a traumatic incident happens to your child, recovery is possible and your calm support will make that recovery quicker.

In the worst case scenario, where you fear someone may have harmed your child, contact the Child Abuse Hotline, 800-342-3720 (New York) or 800-932-0213 (Pennsylvania). They will usually contact the appropriate agency to follow up on the abuse. You can also contact the Salvation Army Domestic Violence Line, 800-252-8748, for free counseling for your child, or a mental health counselor at Family Service or another agency with counselors experienced with sexual abuse.

Some of the information for this article was found in ''Disclosures of Sexual Abuse: What Does Research Tell Us About the Ways That Children Tell?'' by Kamala London and Maggie Bruck, Stephen Ceci, and Daniel Shulman, in Psychology, Public Practice and the Law, 2005.

Help for sexual abuse victims, their families and offenders can also be found online at www.stopitnow.org. Local resources for dealing with sexual abuse include Child Protective Services, the Children's Advocacy Program and Family Service of the Chautauqua Region.

Dr. Kelly Burkhouse is a psychologist who has worked with families affected by sexual abuse for 20 years.

Anonymous said...

Feb. 05, 2009

FATHER IN COURT: Plea deal reached in chained child case

Children won't have to testify, prosecutor says

By CARRI GEER THEVENOT
LAS VEGAS REVIEW-JOURNAL

Robert Blue's three children spent most of Wednesday morning in a courthouse conference room, waiting to be called as witnesses in their father's child abuse case.

Instead, Blue waived his right to a preliminary hearing in Las Vegas Justice Court and agreed to enter a guilty plea next week in District Court.

"The good news is: The kids will not have to testify," said their foster mother, Deena Epstein.

Blue, accused of chaining his 15-year-old daughter to her bed, stood in shackles Wednesday in Justice of the Peace Melissa Saragosa's courtroom and politely answered questions from the judge.

Chief Deputy District Attorney Lisa Luzaich said the 53-year-old defendant has agreed to plead guilty to one count of child abuse and neglect with substantial mental injury. He is scheduled to enter the plea Wednesday in District Judge Valorie Vega's courtroom.

"My goal is to do what's best for the kids, and I think it's always better for the kids if they don't have to take the witness stand and testify against a parent -- if we can reach a resolution that's appropriate," Luzaich said.

If Blue goes through with the plea, prosecutors will have the right to argue for a prison sentence in the range of two to 20 years. Blue would be eligible for probation only if a psychologist or psychiatrist determines that he is not a high risk to re-offend.

Luzaich said Blue's children might speak at sentencing or write to the sentencing judge.

Deputy Public Defender Robert Caruso, who represents Blue, declined to comment.

Two rabbis, who declined to give their names, came to court Wednesday to show their support for Blue.

"He's not a monster," one of the rabbis said outside court. "He's a human being."

The other rabbi said he has known the family since 1999 and knows Blue "to be a sacrificing father for the sake of the family."

"This was just poor judgment," he said.

He described Blue, who wears a bushy beard, as being "in the path toward orthodoxy."

Blue's 8-year-old daughter, 14-year-old son and 15-year-old daughter went to court with their foster parents, Gerald and Deena Epstein, who have a 12-year-old son of their own.

The Blue children waited in an adjoining conference room during the morning court proceedings. Gerald Epstein said the children's mother has been visiting them, and he was surprised she was not in court Wednesday.

Gerald Epstein said his foster children have told them they do not want to live with their father again. He said his Conservative Jewish family began serving kosher food to accommodate the Blue children, who joined his family nearly three weeks ago.

"They are wonderful children," Deena Epstein said.

When confronted by Las Vegas police officers at his home last month, Blue admitted he had chained his 15-year-old daughter to her bed "to keep her out of the kitchen and from overeating," according to a police report. An officer then saw the girl in her room.

"She was indeed chained to her bed and shackled by her right ankle," the report states, noting that she was found "emotionally distraught and crying uncontrollably."

Blue was arrested Jan. 14, the day he was interviewed by police.

He initially was charged with four counts of child abuse and neglect with use of a deadly weapon and one count of false imprisonment.

According to the police report, Blue said he had chained his daughter to her bed for two days after his efforts to prevent her from overeating failed.

The girl told investigators that he had chained her up previously, about one to two years ago.

Police were tipped to the possible abuse by a counselor at Odyssey Charter School. Blue's daughter had e-mailed a friend for help.

According to the police report, the girl said she had been chained to the bed since the night of Jan. 11.

The chain had enough slack so that she could get on her computer, but she had to call out when she needed to use the bathroom. She was temporarily released from the shackles to eat lunch, work out, bathe or attend extracurricular activities.

Blue told police that his daughter was accomplished in the sport of pankration, a form of martial arts, and won competitions at 148 pounds. He thought she should weigh 140 to 145 pounds but said she weighed 165.

In the report, police accuse Blue of hitting the girl with a wooden stick and kicking her. He admitted he spanked his children with a weight belt for discipline, the report states.

Luzaich said the plea agreement lists Blue's two older children as the victims of the single felony charge.

Gerald Epstein said the Blues home-schooled their children, but he wants to put them in public schools.

He also said he wants the community to know the children are doing "100 percent better."

"The children are fine," he said. "They're doing well."

Contact reporter Carri Geer Thevenot at cgeer@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0264.



Find this article at:
http://www.lvrj.com/news/39132407.html

Anonymous said...

Enabling sex abuse is not wrong. In fact, it is a mitzva to defend our great mechanchim and mechanchos of Baltimore, New York, or wherever they are.
------------------------------------

WHO: Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer of Glenn Avenue Shul WHAT: The Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse has asked Hopfer to inform members of the shul that there is a registered sex offender who regularly prays with his community. So far, he has refused. WHY IT'S A BAD IDEA: Have Jews learned nothing from Catholics? No one is asking Hopfer to condemn the man or force him out of the shul. The coalition is only asking that he allow parents to look out for their children. Cantor Stuart Friedman, 54, was convicted of possessing pornographic images of young boys. By all means the rabbi should ask the community not to shun the offender, but simply to exercise caution by not leaving children alone with him. WHERE TO SUPPORT THE COALITION: 443-857-5560

Anonymous said...

What's the arithmetic between the 3 of us? We were never that good at math, and after we reacehed double digit victims we stopped counting.
>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>

The reality is that, on average, a child molester will molest someone 117 times during his or her life.

Anonymous said...

Why has not any influential folks put pressure to unravel the secrecy plaguing the orthodox community? All we see is "Rabbis" who foolishly sweep the dirt and blame the victims.

DA Hynes is full of baloney. Hikind talks the talk but what else? Rabbis? You can forget about them. What in hell is one supposed to do? This is so sickening.

Anonymous said...

Rabbi Shmuley Boteach is a pornographer. With his "kosher sex" book, I now relegate him to refomreister. Orthodox Jews should go to choson and kaalh classes. My sex life is nothing to write home about, but who does he think he is currupting the minds of Jewish orthodoxy?----

Ten years ago, when I published “Kosher Sex,” I realized that it was a book that had no natural constituency. Secular people would think they had nothing to learn from a religious person about sex, and religious people would find it inappropriate for a rabbi to write a book on the subject. And yet, I was not entirely surprised when, after finally finding a publisher, the book became an international best-seller. From counseling couples, I knew that sex was no longer making husbands and wives feel close, and a book that described how physical passion can foster emotional intimacy was bound to make an impact.

Fast forward 10 years, and sex in America has deteriorated to its lowest point ever. A third of all married couples are completely platonic. Those who do still have sex average once a week for about seven minutes at a time. The glut of sex in the culture seems to have had the curious effect of killing off our libidos. It’s gotten so bad that in a study sponsored by Intel this past December, nearly one out of two women said they would rather give up sex for two weeks than go without the Internet. What is perhaps even more shocking is that one in three men agreed that they too prefer the Internet to sex...

Anonymous said...

It wasn't me. I was in Israel at another mikvah at the time, I believe.
____________________________________

"And I was in the tub, and I had my back turned, and somebody raped me while I was in the water," he says. He takes a shaky breath. "And I didn't know what happened. I couldn't make sense of it, really."

Anonymous said...

Jews have a tendency to go berserk over everything except child abuse. If that is how Jews are, I don't want to be a part it.

Anonymous said...

Surely all yeshivas and religious establishments will oppose any amendments to the statute of limitations.

As it stands now, a free pass to the child predator is issued once the SOL matures. That's just not fair for survivors of sexual abuse. Scientific data is very clear that a majority of survivors repress the memory into adulthood. Many are tricked or made to fear repercussions from their abuser if they tell. The pedophiles know this and use it to their advantage. In essence, they are holding hostage those they preyed on.

And even if it was reported to a Rabbi that so and so is a child molester, in all likelihood, the community and clergy will try to put out the fire internally - which amounts to doing nothing, except for petty attempts to justify the crime. They do the spin and try to impress on us their non-authentic rationales in defense of pedophiles. A pity indeed!

They will vehemently oppose any legislation to the SOL, after all, in our economic times they don't want to feel any lighter in their pockets. And of course they will lie and justify on every angle possible for the sake of saving their own reputation and skin. We all know that! Even if what they did was against the Torah and Halacha, they do not care. It's all about the outside which they want the world to see. Not the fact that on the inside they act worse than most gentiles.
--------------------------------

http://somd.com/news/headlines/2009/9334.shtml

Survivors Urge Passage of Sexual Abuse Bill

By MICHAEL FROST

ANNAPOLIS (Feb. 5, 2009) -- Survivors of childhood sexual abuse urged lawmakers Thursday to vote in favor of a bill that would extend the statute of limitations for confronting abusers in civil court.

The bill would give people who were sexually abused as minors the right to file civil action until the time they turn 50. Currently, they have until 25.

It would also provide a two-year window for victims who were barred from taking action under current law.

"Ideally, there ought not be a statute of limitations for a crime like this," said Sen. Delores Kelley, D-Baltimore County, and a sponsor of the bill.

The Maryland Catholic Conference expressed its opposition to the bill, saying that it unfairly targets private institutions and would accommodate delayed reporting of abuse. Representatives of the church cited programs already in place for protecting children and identifying potential abusers.

They also worried that the cost of lawsuits could hinder church-sponsored social and educational programs. Sexual abuse cases involving priests and others have led to lawsuits against Catholic dioceses around the country, costing hundreds of millions of dollars.

In testimony that became very emotional, proponents argued that the extension would allow survivors to confront past abuse when they are mentally and emotionally prepared to do so. It would also allow those guilty of abuse to be identified, they said, which would help protect potential victims in the future.

"These people are not statistics. They are persons who were brutalized when they were defenseless young persons," said Kelley.

Al Chesley of Bowie, a former professional football player for the Philadelphia Eagles and Chicago Bears, was one of the survivors who came forward. He recounted his abuse by a police officer when he was 13.

He expressed hope that his testimony "can be used to help some young kids not go through what I went through."

"I'm not up here as a victim. I'm a survivor," he said.

Another survivor, Paul Livingston of San Diego, flew in especially for the hearing. He said he only became able to confront past abuse upon the birth of his daughter when he was 35, and that it is still difficult for him to talk about it.

"I go from 6 (feet) 7 (inches) to two inches tall when I tell my story," he said.

Mary Ellen Russell, the executive director of the Maryland Catholic Conference, began her testimony by addressing the crowd.

"I do want to certainly express to the community, to everybody in the room, how deeply, deeply sorrowful and regretful we are for the fact that we are here at all today and having any involvement in the issue of child sexual abuse," she said.

Opponents argued that extending the statute of limitations might delay reporting of abuse.

"This bill does nothing to prevent child sexual abuse. In fact, (it) could inhibit the identification of child sexual abusers by delaying the reporting of the crime," said Michael Gambrill, retired chief of police of Baltimore County, who testified against the bill.

But proponents argued that some survivors need more time to confront what happened to them.

"Most survivors don't know how the abuse affected their lives until they've lived their lives," said Vicki Polin of Baltimore, a psychologist and the executive director of the International Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault. Polin is also an incest survivor.

Livingston, who flew in for the hearing, said he won a civil case in California after that state enacted similar legislation.

Still, if given the choice, he said, "I'd rather have my life back."

Capital News Service contributed to this report.

Anonymous said...

"I want to let other little girls and boys out there know that as hard as it is when you are raped or molested, you can step up and say: ‘This is what happened to me and I want to lay charges'."

"Who knows, maybe my story will inspire somebody else to step up."

http://www.nunatsiaq.com/news/nunavut/90206_1880.html

Anonymous said...

February 6, 2009

Minor victims' privacy debated

By LEE ROOD
lrood@dmreg.com

The names of all crime victims under the age of 18 would be kept confidential under a proposed bill backed by prosecutors in the Iowa attorney general's office.

The prosecutors, in a letter to lawmakers, said current state laws fail to protect "vulnerable" teenagers such as those named in a criminal complaint charging child labor violations against officials at Agriprocessors Inc., located in Postville.

The teens face hostility and backlash "from some residents in their community," the prosecutors said. They argue that minors "have a compelling privacy interest in having their names not appear on court documents - even before they have a chance to testify at a criminal trial."

The proposed legislation, House Study Bill 81, takes confidentiality of previously public information in Iowa to a new level.

Currently, state law requires the disclosure of the immediate facts and circumstances surrounding a crime, and that has historically included witnesses. Exceptions are made for child sex abuse victims under the age of 14, and disclosure of information that would "plainly and seriously jeopardize an investigation or pose a clear and present danger to the safety of an individual."

Still unclear to lawmakers is how many states prohibit by law the release of the names of all minor crime victims.

According to groups that monitor such sunshine vs. privacy rules, some courts maintain rules, such as requiring minor victims' initials to be used in documents rather than names, to protect identities in different types of cases, such as child custody or abuse cases. But some states have passed more stringent laws protecting minors' identities over the past decade or so, while others have loosened their laws.

Changes in 2007 to Texas' public information law make the names of all crime victims or claimants confidential. But New York and other states have made changes that allow for minors' identities in family court cases to be known.

Rep. Beth Wessel-Kroeschell, D-Ames, who chairs a legislative subcommittee examining the bill, said more information is needed. Some worry the measure could prove unconstitutional if it rubs up against the First Amendment's right-of-access guarantees in criminal proceedings.

"You also wonder if you revictimize minors more by making things public or by keeping them private," Wessel-Kroeschell said. "You wonder if it would really work."

The measure appeals to such people as the Rev. Paul Ouderkirk, a retired pastor at St. Bridget's Catholic Church who has worked with immigrants in Postville. He said he fears intimidation against immigrants by Iowans and believes some in Postville's Jewish community will pressure young witnesses not to testify at a September trial against former Agriprocessors' executive, Sholom Rubashkin, and other plant managers.

Ouderkirk said when workers planned to march last summer with activists after last May's immigration raid of Agriprocessors, company officials came to their homes and offered them free meat not to participate.

Thomas H. Miller, a deputy attorney general unrelated to Attorney General Tom Miller, said the legislation does not prohibit access to minors' identities during criminal proceedings, only in court documents.

"Studies show teenagers are the most likely segment of society to be victimized by crime, but the least likely to report," he said.

But the legislation would undoubtedly make it more difficult for Iowans to find out which minors were victims in big crimes and raids, such as the one at Agriprocessors, before trial. Lawmakers say it's also unclear how much the measure would actually help youths like those named in the Agriprocessors case.

The amended statute would restrict only public employees and lawyers involved in cases from disclosing minors' names.

Bill Monroe, executive director of the Iowa Newspaper Association, said there's no evidence currently that such legislation is needed. Miller, the deputy attorney general, cited no specific incidents, and Monroe said his group's members oppose plans that limit public information about crimes.

Anonymous said...

There is no shame in being sexually abused or assaulted. It's not your fault, no matter what the molester may ­suggest.

Getting to a health centre for medical care should be your priority. Medical staff can also help document what happened to you, aiding the police investigation, and can help arrange follow-up counselling.

The quicker you report the assault to the police, the better chance of getting the perpetrator convicted and off the street. But even years later, it's still worth reporting.

The assault itself is traumatic, but following events can be stressful and invasive too. Find support you trust, whether from friends and family, or professionals such as school counsellors, clergy or medical staff.

The Kamatsiaqtut Help Line is available seven nights a week from 7 p.m. to midnight. In Iqaluit call 979-3333. Elsewhere, 1-800-265-3333.

Anonymous said...

In 2006, Mr. Silver and the Assembly leadership agreed to pay $500,000 to settle a lawsuit brought by Jane Doe accusing Mr. Silver of failing to properly investigate the Crothers case and of tolerating a culture of sexual harassment in the Assembly.

Anonymous said...

Lieberman under attack: Shas' spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadia Yosesaid during his weekly Saturday-night sermon at his house that whoever supports Yisrael Beiteinu "supports Satan."


"These are people who do not have Torah, people who want civil marriages, shops that sell pork, and the army enlistment of yeshiva students," Rabbi Yosef said. "My heart is heavy. Heaven forbid people support them. This is completely forbidden. Whoever does so commits an intolerable sin. Whoever does so supports Satan and the evil inclination."

Anonymous said...

BY Scott Shifrel
DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

Saturday, February 7th 2009, 12:36 AM

An ailing, 81-year-old retired rabbi won't give his ex-wife a get, and now a judge said he can't have any of her gelt.

The Brooklyn couple got a civil divorce in 2005, but the poverty-pleading hubby can't touch her valuable state pension, a judge ruled, until he stops withholding the get - a Jewish divorce granted by the husband.

"The wife deserves the right to move on with her life, free from the control of the husband," Justice Jeffrey Sunshine said in a decision published in the Law Journal Friday.

The husband, who is referred to as K.F., is a Holocaust survivor nearly two decades older than his wife.

His refusal to give the get won't allow her to remarry under religious law.

"For him it's a question of conscience," said his lawyer, Joan McFarquhar. "He thinks the court doesn't have the right to interfere, that the court can't order somebody to give a get."

Under strict Jewish law, a husband is not forced to relinquish the get but could be shamed or embarrassed by others if he doesn't.

The wife, referred to as S.A., has been the primary breadwinner since the couple were married in 1972, earning an estimated $783,881 pension from her New York State job.

Because of that, he would be entitled to half the gelt - if he would only give the get.

sshifrel@nydailynews.com

Anonymous said...

By ANEMONA HARTOCOLLIS
Published: February 5, 2009

The federal government has documented a pattern of sexual and other violent assaults among patients at the psychiatric unit of a city-run Brooklyn hospital where a woman died in June on the floor of the emergency waiting room while staff members ignored her..

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/06/nyregion/06kings.html?hp

Anonymous said...

Investigators said the 53-year-old Fincel molested three sisters while their father underwent treatment for cancer.

“What a friend, to prey on a sick friend’s children,” said Butler County Prosecutor Robin Piper. “Prison is too good for this child molester.”

Anonymous said...

Residents of 'cursed' building seek rabbis' advice

After three of their neighbors die of cancer within one year, panicked residents of apartment building in haredi Ramot neighborhood approach prominent religious leaders, who suggest gossip may have brought about evil eye

Uri Gilhar
Published: 02.08.09, 12:10 / Israel Jewish Scene

One apartment building in Jerusalem was struck by disaster three times in the last year, when three of its inhabitants – fathers to multiple-child families, died of cancer.



Fearing that their building might be cursed, the distraught residents turned to several leading rabbis for counsel, and were advised to begin holding "Shmirat HaLashon" lessons aimed at preventing people from spreading gossip, and thus protecting them from the evil eye.



In light of the chain of catastrophes, the concerned residents approached prominent haredi rabbi Aharon Shteinman and raised the possibility of moving out of the "cursed" building.



The rabbi assured them that "buildings do not kill people, and so there is nothing to fear from and you may continue living there peacefully and safely."

Anonymous said...

Abusing children is necessary for Chinuch. I do not see what the bilbul is alll about.

http://www.ynetnews.com/Ext/Comp/ArticleLayout/CdaArticlePrintPreview/1,2506,L-3668330,00.html

Report: 2,281 kids abused at home in 2007

National Council for the Child study says third of Israeli children hospitalized for domestic abuse suffer neglect, third suffer physical abuse. Data show 685 children attempted suicide in 2007, seven of them under age of nine
Yaheli Moran Zelikovich

In 2007, 2,281 children suffering from domestic abuse were found in hospitals throughout Israel compared to 1,989 abused children in 2000, a National Council for the Child study published on Sunday showed.


The study, titled "Children in Israel 2008", revealed that 34.8% of the children hospitalized due to domestic abuse suffered from neglect, some 34.4% of them suffered physical abuse, and 13.2% were victims of sexual assault.

In 2007, there were 2,408,400 children living in Israel, making up 33.2% of the general population, compared to 33.8% in 2000. The population of children in Israel doubled between the years 1970 and 2007, and the population of Muslim children tripled in these years.


The Israeli town with the highest number of cases of at-risk children was Jerusalem, where 5,283 cases were reported in 2007. Netanya came in second place with 1,767 cases reported last year, and Bat Yam had 1,514 reports in 2007.


Suicide attempts among children were also examined. Data showed that in 2007, there were 557 suicides attempted by girls and 128 attempted by boys. There were 480 cases of attempted suicide among teenagers aged 15-17 years-old, 198 cases of children aged 10-14 years-old and seven cases of attempted suicide among children below the age of nine.


Education: Drop-outs big problem

The study dedicated an entire chapter to investigating the state of the Israeli education system. The report showed that one of the most concerning problems facing the education system is the rate of children dropping out of school.


The education system categorizes drop-outs in "official" and hidden numbers. The hidden drop-out rate refers to those students who are reportedly registered at schools, but do not attend classes.


The rate of "official" drop-outs in the ninth to eleventh grades, years in which the majority of drop-outs occur, in the 2006-2007 school year was 5.4% in the Jewish sector and 8.7% in the Arab sector.


Towns with an official ninth to eleventh grade drop-out rate over double the national average of 4.9% include Tel Aviv-Jaffa's Arab education with a 13.4% drop-out rate, Modiin Ilit with 17.3%, Zichron Yaacov with 14.6%, Jerusalem's Arab education with 12.6%, Lod's Arab education at 12.1%, and more.


Since the early 1990s there has been a slow decline in drop-out rates, from 7.6% to 4.8% in 2006, but numbers went back up to 5.4% in 2007.


In both the Jewish and Arab sectors, and in all grades, the drop-out rate of boys was higher than that of girls.


Pass-time habits: Israeli kids watch more TV

On the international scale, Israeli kids ranked first in the western world in the rate of 11-year-olds watching television, and ranked second place in the rate of 13-year-olds' TV habits. Israel came in fifth in the rate of 15-year-olds watching over two hours of television a day.



Israeli kids' favorite pass-times in June 2008 were playing with friends (56%), watching television (55%), and playing on the computer (48%).



Children were less fond of reading (11%) and sports (25%).


Most children (67%) aged six to 12-years-old said they watched over five hours of television a day.


Ten percent of children watch television in the morning before going to school and 17% of kids aged six to 12-years old said they watch television between the hours 9pm and midnight.

Anonymous said...

50,000 pounds of kosher poultry donated in NYC

February 6, 2009

NEW YORK - More than 50,000 pounds of kosher poultry is being donated to needy families in New York City.

The Metropolitan Council on Jewish Poverty says families who keep kosher can find it especially difficult to put food on the table.

In the past, tuna has been the primary source of protein available at the council's kosher food pantry.

The donation was announced Friday by Mayor Michael Bloomberg; Greg Rosenbaum, the owner and CEO of Empire Kosher; and Stuart Appelbaum, president of the Jewish Labor Committee.

Anonymous said...

Bill would require clergy to report child abuse suspicions
Friday, February 6, 2009, 8:34 AM
By O.Kay Henderson

A bill that would require clergy in Iowa to report suspicions of child sexual abuse is on the debate schedule in the Iowa House next week. House Democratic Leader Kevin McCarthy, a Democrat from Des Moines, says if the bill becomes law, clergy would be added to a list of "mandatory" reporters of child sex abuse.

"So that if clergy becomes aware that another colleague of theirs in the clergy had committed a form of sex abuse, they would be required to report that to the law enforcement authorities -- like teachers do, like doctors do -- under the law," McCarthy says. McCarthy expects some legislators may raise objections, as a similar bill was debated in 2004 and failed to pass the legislature. But McCarthy says he's read reports of hundreds of confirmed cases of clergy abuse and that's why he's pushing the bill forward for debate.

"It's an issue that's been out there enough that I think it makes sense for the protection of children," McCarthy says. The proposed bill would not force clergy to reveal child sex abuse incidents which they learn about through confession or in confidential sessions.

"Penitential communication" are the legal words used in the bill to describe those two exceptions. The Iowa Catholic Conference has registered in favor of the bill, along with Prevent Child Abuse Iowa. Opponents include the Iowa Bar Association and the American Civil Liberties Union of Iowa.

Anonymous said...

Asia Restaurant
4813 New Utrecht Ave Brooklyn, NY
(718) 972-3434

Some people are saying they have problems with kashrus. Anyone hear anything?

Anonymous said...

Palestinians can't coexist
5:00 PM Sun, Feb 08, 2009

Re: "Israeli rockets anger the world," by Syed Ali, Thursday Letters.
Where the heck does Ali get the idea that Jews and Muslims were "living in peace" until the Zionists "established Israel and started driving Arabs from their ancestral homes?"
Does Ali forget it was the United Nations that authorized a Jewish state in 1947? That original plans called for Jewish and Palestinian states to coexist, but the Arab world rejected those plans, because the idea of any formation of a Jewish state was so distasteful?
Though I agree Israel has not always been the innocent victim throughout its somewhat violent modern history and has gone overboard in several instances, I understand why. I'd probably be a little trigger-happy, too, if I knew my next-door neighbors would welcome any excuse to get rid of me.
Amy Wolff Sorter, Dallas

http://dallasmorningviewsblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2009/02/israeli-rockets.html
---------------------------------

Re: "Muslims must learn to love peace," by Larry Jacobs, Friday Letters.
Jacobs tries to perpetuate the myth that Jews are a peace-loving people while Muslims are not. Aren't 1,300 dead Muslims -- a large number of them women and children -- in Gaza from Israeli shells, missiles and bombs not enough proof of Jews' peacefulness?
The world is incensed at Israeli barbarism, and many are asking for a war crimes tribunal to try the perpetrators. Muslims and Jews were living in peace in Palestine until the Zionists established Israel and started driving Arabs from their ancestral homes in contravention of Jewish laws.
Neturei Karta, a Jewish organization, has citied many scriptural references to prove that the Zionist occupation of Palestine is wrong.
If Israel peacefully returns the Arab and Muslim land, there is no need for war. In the past, the Israeli government has balked at all such plans under one false pretext or another.
Syed Ali, Richardson
----------------------------------

Posted by Eric van Weels @ 7:11 PM Wed, Feb 04, 2009

What an idiot! How can you possibly post these idiotic statements in a decent newspaper?
----------------------------------

Posted by mag922 @ 8:27 PM Wed, Feb 04, 2009

I agree Mr Van Weels. I've posted these rules which were kindly emailed to me, before but obviously they bear posting again. I sincerely hope they assist everyone THIS time.
"Rule # 1 : In the Middle East, it is always the Arabs that attack first, and it's always Israel who defends itself. This is called "retaliation".
Rule # 2: The Arabs, whether Palestinians or Lebanese, are not allowed to kill Israelis. This is called "terrorism"/
Rule # 3: Israel has the right to kill Arab civilians, this is called "self-defense", or these days "collateral damage".
Rule # 4: When Israel kills too many civilians. The Western world calls for restraint. This is called the "reaction of the international community".
Rule # 5: Palestinians and Lebanese do not have the right to capture Israeli military, not even a limited number, not even 1 or 2.
Rule # 6: Israel has the right to capture as many Palestinians as they want (Palestinians: around 10000 to date, 300 of which are children, Lebanese: 1000s to date, being held without trial). There is no limit; there is no need for proof of guilt or trial. All that is needed is the magic word: "terrorism"
Rule # 7: When you say "Hezbollah", always be sure to add "supported by Syria and Iran"
Rule # 8: When you say "Israel", never say "supported by the USA, the UK and other European countries", for people (God forbid) might believe this is not an equal conflict.
Rule # 9: When it comes to Israel, don't mention the words "occupied territories", "UN resolutions", "Geneva conventions". This could distress the audience of Fox.
Rule # 10: Israelis speak better English than Arabs. This is why we let them speak out as much as possible, so that they can explain rules 1 through 9. This is called "neutral journalism".
Rule # 11: If you don't agree with these rules or if you favor the Arab side over the Israeli side, you must be a very dangerous anti-Semite. You may even have to make a public apology if you express your honest opinion (isn't democracy wonderful?)"
Now, let's have no more wilful ignorance that has so offended Mr Van Weels.
---------------------------------

exposemolesters said...

It is evident that some people don't or won't understand the extent of trauma a child who undergoes abuse will suffer as a result. This is worth a look.
==================================

http://www.child-abuse-effects.com/sexual-abuse-effects.html

Sexual Abuse Effects

Sexual abuse effects on children and youth can be evident in emotional, physical and behavioural ways. These effects can be just as devastating whether there was only one occurrence or there were repeated occurrences. Sexual abuse cannot be compared, because each abuse experience is unique.


Vulnerability Factors:

Children are vulnerable to sexual abuse because of their age, size and innocence. When a child or youth is molested, she/he learns that adults cannot be trusted for care and protection: well-being is disregarded, and there is a lack of support and protection. These lead to grief, depression, extreme dependency, inability to judge trustworthiness in others, mistrust, anger and hostility. And as if all that isn't enough, children's bodies often respond to the sexual abuse, bringing on shame and guilt.

Points to consider:

» Children/youth are unable to protect themselves and stop the abuse.
» Children/youth are susceptible to force.
» Children/youth are susceptible to the use of trickery by offenders.
» Often times, children/youth have no control over their own bodies.
» All too often, children/youth are unable to make others believe them.

The above factors lead to:

» anxiety
» fear
» shame
» a sense of inadequacy
» the need to control situations and others
» a perception of self as victim
» identification with the aggressor


Factors That Influence Sexual Abuse Effects

Miraculously, not all children or youth molestation victims display signs that something is wrong.

FACT: Between 21% and 36% of sexually abused children will display few or no symptoms (Oates, O'Toole, Lynch, Stern & Cooney, 19941).

Why do some victims display a multitude of emotional and behavioural effects, while others display few or none? In spite of few or no outward symptoms, child and youth victims do suffer emotionally. These emotional effects come in varying degrees, depending on the following six factors:

The nature of the relationship between the victim and the offender: the closer the emotional relationship, the greater the emotional trauma.

The age of the child when the abuse began and the duration of the sexual relationship: an ongoing sexual relationship with repeated contacts is generally more traumatic and usually produces more sexual abuse effects than a single contact.

The type of sexual activity the victim is exposed to: sexual acts involving strictly non-contact sexual abuse appears less traumatic than sexual acts that involve contact. It is important to note, however, that trauma and the sexual abuse effects are still very real when any type of sexual abuse occurs.

For an excellent discussion written by Colette Dowling, M.S.W. about sexual abuse in school girls, check out www.womens-wellbeing-and-mental-health.com. Colette is an internationally renown lecturer and author of eight books, including her best-seller The Cinderella Complex, which has been in print for 25 years.

The degree of physical aggression directed at the victim: violence adds to the trauma of the abuse. Being physically abused, having a mother who is mentally ill, not having someone to confide in, and being socially isolated are significant predictors for childhood sexual abuse (Fleming, Mullen & Bammer, 19972).

The response the victim receives when she/he discloses the abuse: healing is apparent when a disclosure is met with compassion and is followed with effective intervention; if the victim is met with skepticism and accusations, anger, or no response at all when she/he discloses, the sexual abuse effects are compounded.

The availability of a supportive person in the victim's life: a caring, loving, nurturing, and listening person in the victim's life lessens the trauma; a lack of a supportive person intensifies the abuse and leaves the victim feeling even more lonely, helpless, and unworthy.



Emotional and Physical Sexual Abuse Effects:

Molested children suffer many losses, including:

self-esteem and self-worth

trust

childhood, including the opportunity to play and learn

the opportunity for normal growth and development

intimacy

control over his/her body

normal loving and nurturing

safety and security



Behavioural Sexual Abuse Effects:

nightmares, phobias, and regressive behaviours such as thumb-sucking and bed-wetting

learning problems

clinging and smothering

insecurity, which put the child at risk for further abuse and exploitation

psychosomatic complaints such as stomachaches and headaches

precocious sexual activity--a young child knows more than they should about sexual activity; child may exhibit seductive behaviour

FACT: 17% of abused children exhibit age inappropriate sexual behaviour (Trocme & Wolfe, 2001, p.283).

FACT: Of the sexual abuse effects exhibited, sexualized behaviour is the most consistent indicator of sexual abuse (Cavanagh Johnson et. al., 1995, pp.50-514).

with young children, a preoccupation with sexual organs of self, parents and others--often this shows itself in language and art

aggression and bullying behaviours

FACT: 14% of abused children exhibit behaviour problems (Trocme & Wolfe, 2001, p.285).

sudden changes in eating and/or sleeping habits

depression and anxiety

FACT: 29% of abuse children exhibit depression or anxiety (Trocme & Wolfe, 2001, p.286).

refusal to change clothes in front of others

isolation

obsessively good behaviour

obsessed with cleanliness

relationship problems

FACT: 13% of abused children exhibit negative peer involvement (Trocme & Wolfe, 2001, p.287).

anti-social behaviour

unwillingness to participate in social activities

running away

FACT: 85% of runaways in Toronto have been sexually abused(Conference on Child Victimization & Child Offending, 20008).

truancy / long absence from school

FACT: 10% of abused children have irregular school attendance (Trocme & Wolfe, 2001, p.289).

long absence from participation in extracurricular activities

dissociation--a child's existence is dependent on his/her ability to separate from the pain, which, in the most repulsive cases, may result in multiple personalities

risky behaviours such as firestarting, stealing and other delinquencies

animal cruelty

alcohol and drug abuse

FACT: According to the Conference on Child Victimization & Child Offending (200010), sexual abuse effects on children with a history of molestation reflect that they are seven times more likely to become drug/alcohol dependent

FACT: In a sexual abuse effects study of 938 adolescents admitted to residential, therapeutic communities for the treatment of substance abuse and related disorders, 64% of the girls and 24% of the boys reported histories of sexual abuse (Hawke, Jainchill, & DeLeon, 2000, pp.35-4711).

dysfunctional relationships

avoiding confrontation

self-harm, including cutting and burning

paranoid behaviour

FACT: Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is one of the sexual abuse effects that plague sexually abused children and adult survivors of child abuse. Symptoms experienced are similar to those experienced by Vietnam veterans and may include sleep disturbances, anxiety and depression, which negatively impact on their daily psychosocial functioning and for which many seek professional help (Wiehe, 1998, p.5012).

preoccupation with sex

promiscuous behaviour

compulsive and aggressive sexual behaviours

self-destructive sexual behaviour and prostitution

FACT: 98% of female street youth in British Columbia reported being victims of physical or sexual abuse as compared to 32% of female youths in schools. 59% of male street youth reported being victims of physical or sexual abuse as compared to 15% of male youth in schools (Beauvais et al., 2001, p.6213).

in adulthood, sexual dysfunction--avoidance of or phobic reactions to sexual intimacy

becomes the abuser

FACT: Studies done by Haywood, Kravitz, Wasyliw, Goldberg and Cavanaugh in 1996 reflect some disturbing sexual abuse effects. The study found that the odds of becoming a child molester were 5.43 times greater for adult male victims of childhood sexual abuse than for adult male non-victims (Lee, Jackson, Pattison, & Ward, 2002, p.8814).

attempted and completed suicide

FACT: Children with a history of sexual molestation are ten times more likely to attempt suicide (Conference on Child Victimization & Child Offending, 200015).

Sexual abuse effects on the child or youth are connected to the child/youth's life before, during and after the sexual contact. We must understand that the effects apply every bit as much to the disclosure and intervention as it does to the abuse itself. Sexual abuse effects continue long after the abuse stops.

Anonymous said...

I wonder if these Nussbaums are related to me in some way. I must say I totally agree with them.
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The Nussbaums concluded their essay at the First Things website by arguing:

“Marci Hamilton’s Justice Denied is a sloppy piece of work, poorly researched and poorly written. It is a diatribe against the Catholic Church disguised as a solution to child sexual abuse. Hamilton’s clients and ours—all of us—deserve better.”

In full:

http://catholicnewsagency.com/new.php?n=15022

Anonymous said...

Child Sex Abuse Statute Of Limitations Could Change In MD
By KEIRA BENSON -- WMDT 2/6/2009

The statute of limitations for victims of child sex abuse could change in Maryland.

A bill is currently be considered by a Senate Committee. Right now, a victim can only take civil action against their abuser until they're 25. The bill would increase that age to 50.

Supporters say it would protect children, by exposing current sexual predators. It would also give survivors more time to heal before confronting the abuse again.

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It is unfortunate that it has come to this. It is a big darn shame it has come to this. It is very hurtful that it has come to this. But yet, IT HAS COME TO THIS. It has come at the price of a GREAT CHILUL HASHEM. It has come to Hashem having to allow his holy name to be DESECRATED so that his CHILDREN remain SAFE. Shame on all those responsible for enabling and permitting Hashem's name to be desecrated! When you save children you save the future. You save the future you save generations. You save generations you save lives. You save lives you have saved the world!!!!!!!