Monday, June 18, 2012


Child Sex Abuse In The Orthodox Jewish Community




June 18th, 2012
07:50 PM ET



.. and Gary Tuchman reports.

Tonight on AC360: Child sex abuse scandal

Areas of Brooklyn, N.Y. feel like a trip back in time. Ultra-Orthodox Jewish communities live a lifestyle that mirrors their ancestors from centuries ago. The dress, hair, language, education, food, values, prayers, traditions and community structure have been passed down and preserved through many generations and across oceans. All of those are an expression of the residents’ profound faith in God.

What is not visible are shameful secrets: Child sex abuse scandals have been making headlines for years and bringing unwanted attention to a group bent on privacy.

For Hasidim, every waking act is defined by the laws of the Torah; they depend on the teachings of rabbis to guide them in all parts of their day. Influence from the secular world threatens to invade their insular community.

Now revered leaders of the community are accused of protecting child predators and punishing the victims who dare to speak out about what was done to them, all to avoid outside involvement.

CNN’s Gary Tuchman talked with Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg who is trying to change that attitude. He has created a hotline for victims and their families. As a result, he received death threats. He told Tuchman, “The rabbis feel very hurt that this is what's happening in the community so they want to push it under the cover, so that it shouldn't come out.”

Crimes against children by adults who claim to live the word of God are not new. Many religions have demons, and the ultra-Orthodox Jews are no exception. Most deny it could happen in their midst. Child rape and molestation don’t fit their pious image.

In Brooklyn, there are allegations of abuse in schools, homes and religious settings. Several boys say they were assaulted in a ritual bath called a mikvah. For all branches of Judaism, the mikvah is the ultimate symbol of purity. Some Orthodox men go there before each Sabbath. Under the guise of observance, the accused find their victims where they are most vulnerable and trusting – a heinous strategy.

Still some victims and their families choose to bury the assaults or seek redress in a rabbinic court to avoid the alternative: Rabbis losing authority, bringing disgrace to the community, and suffering the backlash of friends and neighbors.

Pearl Engelman says her son was repeatedly molested by a school official as a young boy 20 years ago. After she found out about the abuse, she reported it to religious leaders but there was little sympathy for her family. “We stand for truth, for justice. And the cover-up is deeply painful to me,” she told Tuchman. The statute of limitations has now expired.

The Hasidim in Brooklyn are a powerful voting block. That’s why District Attorney Charles Hynes is accused by victims’ rights advocates of going easy on alleged Hasidic child molesters and rapists. He’s been elected six times, and is accused of appeasing the rabbis in order to get their support and keep his position.

Hynes strongly denies the allegations. In 2009, he established a program and a hotline to help victims called Kol Tzedek (“Voice of Justice” in Hebrew). But critics are outraged because he refuses to disclose the names of the men arrested through the initiative. The Jewish Daily Forward’s request for the records filed under the state’s Freedom of Information Law was denied.

Hynes claims that revealing the names of the suspects could lead to the community identifying the victims and intimidating them. That decision raises concerns about the rights of the public, the legality of shielding the men, and the DA’s motives.

Tuchman asked Hynes how he reconciles instituting a policy for the Hassidim, but no other groups, like the Roman Catholic Church. He says because “there’s never been any intimidation by priests.”

In a May 16 op-ed, Hynes wrote:
    Since the inception of Kol Tzedek, we have made 95 arrests; 53 cases have been adjudicated, with a conviction rate of 72%.

    I stand by these numbers.

    The statistics show how absurd it is to suggest that we cover up, downplay or in any way “give a break” to sex offenders in the Orthodox Jewish community. Like any other defendants, they are often arrested in public by the police, and their court appearances are open and available to the public as part of the public record. I welcome scrutiny of these cases.

    The suggestion that I have ever condoned the practice of first seeking a rabbi’s advice before an Orthodox Jewish community member reports sexual abuse is a distortion of my record. I have never suggested that someone seeking the advice of a rabbi is then relieved of the obligation of reporting sexual abuse to the appropriate authorities.
While some may persist in protecting the community ahead of justice for the young victims, there are signs of progress. On June 10, a group of ultra-Orthodox Jews held a meeting in Crown Heights to talk about combating child sex abuse. Hynes was on the panel. In some communities, leaders have said anyone with knowledge of abuse should go to the police and do not need to talk first with a rabbi. It will take the courage of the victims and the compassion of the community to make lasting change.

Tune in tonight for Gary Tuchman's report at 8 and 10 p.m. ET on AC360.

No comments:











Post a link to this blog on your Twitter
page by clicking on the logo above.




Our doggy, Kai, was in the hospital for 5 days,
the Veterinarian bill is over $4000.
We need Help!
If you can, Please donate,
we'll appreciate it very much:


Thank You.





Click on the map to see how much Anderson
is admired all over the world.


You are visitor #

Since October 19, 2008


New Orleans'
PONTCHARTRAIN
Humane Society's
WISH LIST
Sam
They helped find and care
for pets lost after Hurricane Katrina.
Now they need your help.
PLEASE DONATE
Anderson would love you
even more!


Television Blog Directory

My Zimbio

[Valid Atom 1.0]


AC's Book


A Memoir of War, Disasters, and Survival," a "New York Times" best seller, is his account of the people he's met, the things he's seen and the lessons he's learned in the midst of devastation.


Dispatches from the Edge
Woven into the narrative is Anderson's struggle to understand his own family's personal tragedies. The paperback version came out May 8, 2007.

Excerpt: Dispatches from the Edge
Review: Anderson cooper's journey
'360' Blog: Anderson on the new book





Peter's Books

(3 short stories and 1 short play.)


The first installment of "The Gay Ghost Trilogy" is the story of Charles Lanier, a young gay guy who rents an apartment on Lake Shore Drive on the near north side of Chicago, and the unexpected adventures he encounters from the day he moves in. And that's only the beginning; follow up with "The Next Gay Ghost" and "The Two Gay Ghosts." Each story can be read independently from the other two installments. Or get all three books in one with "The Gay Ghost Trilogy."

"The Gay Ghost"

Paperback: $9.97 + shipping


"The Next Gay Ghost"

Paperback: $9.97 + shipping


"The Two Gay Ghosts"

Paperback: $9.97 + shipping


"The Gay Ghost Trilogy"

Paperback: $22.91 + shipping


And a One Act Play about a gay Garamatean and a gay Earthling:

"Baktrohmm"

Paperback: $10.70 + shipping






Fast, easy and free submission
to many of the main Search Engines.


Visit my web sites dedicated to these handsome and talented TV guys.

Anderson Cooper

Click on Anderson's face
to visit my "Shameless
Anderson Cooper
Worship" Web Page


Thomas Roberts

Click on Thomas' hunky face
to visit this
Handsome and Talented
Anchorman


A.J. Hammer

Click on A. J.'s cute face to
visit this other
Handsome and Talented
New Yorker


Rob Marciano

Click on Rob Marciano's
handsome face to visit
this Sexy and Talented
Meteorologist






Links:


Anderson CNN

  • Anderson Cooper Program Index
  • Anderson Cooper 360° Blog
  • Anderson Cooper 360 Transcripts


  • Anderson Fan Sites

  • Shameless Anderson Cooper Worship 1
  • Shameless Anderson Cooper Worship 2
  • CNN-Fan Page Anderson Cooper
  • Addicted to Anderson Cooper
  • All Things Anderson
  • AnderNation: Anderson Images
  • AHC - Wikipedia
  • AC360 - Wikipedia



  • Present for Anderson on his 40th birthday.

    Star name: Anderson Cooper
    Star number: 111604
    Star magnitud: 8.20
    Star color: white (brilliant)
    Constellation: Gemini
    Coordinates: RA: 4H 6m 13.01s
    Declination: 8° 30m 10.22s