Sullivan County, NY – Report: Allegations Of Sexual Abuse Surface At Orthodox Jewish Camp

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    NY State police talking to camp officials. Photo: camp guestSullivan County, NY – New York State Police are investigating allegations of sexual abuse at Camp Shalva, an Orthodox Jewish camp in upstate South Fallsburg.

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    The New York Post reports (http://nyp.st/R4LLIA) that surveillance video captured footage of an intruder entering and exiting the bunks belonging to seventh- and eighth-grade boys from Brooklyn this past Wednesday, early in the morning. The suspect is accused of molesting several of the campers. The perpetrator is identified as a truck driver for a kosher-food business and is possibly a registered sex offender.

    Sources say the boys reported the incidents in the morning to camp supervisors, but were told not to tell their parents just yet.

    Criminal-defense attorney and former Sullivan County prosecutor Stephen Lungen said anxious camp officials called him at approximately 3 p.m. on Thursday to ask how to proceed. “They were very upset and concerned about how to deal with it,” Lungen said.


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    130 Comments
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    JerusalamiKugel
    JerusalamiKugel
    11 years ago

    “camp supervisors, but were told not to tell their parents just yet”
    Lock up the supervisors as well!! what a bunch of lowlifes

    11 years ago

    “Sources say the boys reported the incidents in the morning to camp supervisors, but were told not to tell their parents just yet.”

    How dare camp officials instruct children to keep their parent’s in the dark?!! What is wrong with them?!! Will this ever end?!!!

    JerusalamiKugel
    JerusalamiKugel
    11 years ago

    Which Kosher food business hired this animal? that should be reported

    SeichelHayushor
    SeichelHayushor
    11 years ago

    is this 48 or 45?

    SeichelHayushor
    SeichelHayushor
    11 years ago

    what a chutspah to teach children to keep secrets from their parents!!!

    Mikey
    Mikey
    11 years ago

    His name has already been reported in the regular media…

    11 years ago

    These camps get their food delivered daily from Downstate (Brooklyn, etc). These food companies have to hire many drivers to make these numerous runs. Not only are many of these drivers ‘sick’, the drivers are forced to make these long round trip runs, regardless of their physical state. A few years ago, a driver told his boss that he was too tired to make the run, but his boss forced him too. He then fell asleep at the wheel, drove off the road and was killed. The whole catskill scene is so way out of hand its crazy.

    shredready
    shredready
    11 years ago

    at least they went to the police

    SandraM
    SandraM
    11 years ago

    This is not an incident of sexual abuse. It is a sexual attack. The headline should reflect that reality, so it should read like Youths Sexually Attacked at Camp.

    OyGevald
    OyGevald
    11 years ago

    Kudos to them for calling in the police!
    Sure, that means the Yid will be caught.
    Being caught means being exposed.
    Being exposed means embarrassing his family (if he has one).
    Embarrassing others means someone else may think twice about doing this again in a place where he will be ratted out.
    Other dormitories beware!

    shredready
    shredready
    11 years ago

    Sources said the suspect is a truck driver employed by a kosher-food company and may be a registered sex offender.

    if true, why would anybody hire a sex offender to delivery food to a children camp.

    maybe they did not know but maybe now people will check

    Yaakov2
    Yaakov2
    11 years ago

    The camp administrators need to be locked up, even before the perpetrator because Camp officials are guilty of waiting 32 hours before calling police.

    They didn’t have to consult nor “ask” anyone what to do because even a child knows that if a crime happens you call “911” and every child knows how to dial “911” and has no need to “ask” a shaalas Tam “whom to call”.

    Unless the camp officials are made to pay for their failure to report in a timely manner, then other camps remain in danger of repeating the same mistake.

    That’s in addition to unconfirmed rumors and suspicions that even to this very moment they are still telling children not to tell all and that’s the only reason why the entire world knows who the perpetrator is, yet he has not been arrested yet because police can’t arrest someone if the children are told NOT to tell all the details or if they are told to say “I’m not sure” or if they are told to lie and say “I can’t remember for sure” or told to lie and say “It was dark and I was sleepy so I’m not sure what happened”.

    The only language liars and child endangerment people understand is when they get locked up and have to pay mega bucks of fines.

    11 years ago

    Parents must be aware that prior to sending your child to camp,that you must review the camps procedures and policies regarding abuse.Education and awareness will bring a end to those monsters prowling around camps.if your childs camp does not have policies in place think twice and send your child to a camp that has the correct policies

    fachmuret
    fachmuret
    11 years ago

    Raglayim ldovor takes time. Calling the police takes two minutes.

    fachmuret
    fachmuret
    11 years ago

    Just another good reason why the fingerprinting system is a must. Any politician or organization that blocks the fingerprinting system is a retarded person and should should be held liable. Aguda was against fingerprirnting . If campsowere mandated to have fingerprinting for anyone that is part of the camp even if they are just making delieveries this entire incident would never have happened because the truck driver does have a reocrd.

    heres the shocker. the 30 year old “frum” guy raped an 11 year old frum girl.

    Will the madness ever stop? The camp should get sued. Campers have told their parents that the camp burned the video that captured incident. if there was “nothing” on the video then why burn it? The camp should be shut down for hindering an investigation.

    If i had my kids in this camp I would have pulled them out immediately after being notified.
    it’s a shame that parents actually found out about this from the ny post and not fromt he camp staff. What Chutzpah.

    enlightened-yid
    enlightened-yid
    11 years ago

    That molester had to develop trust of the kids over time. There is no way a stranger can creep into a bunk at night and no one wakes up in screams and panic. When I was in sleep-away summer camps, our counselors who were always adults slept with us in the bunk. Where was this bunk’s counselor when an intruder was sneaking into his kids’ bunks? There has to be more to this story.

    shlomeleh
    shlomeleh
    11 years ago

    I can understand how everyone’s emotions flare up when dealing with cases like this, but, we are instructed by the Torah to be “Dan lekaf zechuth” before making any allegations. I did some research and found that the police and camp officials have withdrawn the previous claim based on surveillance cameras and thorough investigation, the driver asked to use the men’s room and was told that the one in the kitchen area was out of service and therefore was shown to the nearest dorm which is what he did, all evidence points to that conclusion, does this man deserve to be hung like this in public ? If something happened, then absolutely take appropriate action, but first check the facts before ruining another life (and possibly a whole family)

    sholkramer
    sholkramer
    11 years ago

    It is a terrible incident however the food company is,not required to check if their workers r sex offenders I wonder if they refused him a job as a truckdriver if they could be shut down by the govt for discrimination

    Yaakov2
    Yaakov2
    11 years ago

    According to insider information the police were not called until 32 hours later and even then, the only reason they were very upset as reported in the post and the only reason any kind of report was even ever made at all was because a Yiddish speaking blog had posted all the details and they knew it was being leaked to the press and that it would be impossible to keep it covered-up (as is usually done in most such situations) indefinitely.

    The timeline part 1:

    The boys overnight camp run by the “48th Street” Bobover group

    The perpetrator entered at least one bunk and allegedly sexually molested several children.

    When “the whole bunk woke up” a bit later, an inside source said that, “rumors started” and the bunk’s “counselor immediately went to his supervisor” to report the alleged sexual abuse. The supervisor “called the Vaad,” the Bobover Rabbonim who run the camp’s administration. “The Menahal,” the director of the camp, “then spoke to the kids.” (allegedly telling them to keep it quite).

    Yaakov2
    Yaakov2
    11 years ago

    The camp had security cameras in place that take video of the hallways in the bunks.

    Rather than call police, the camp director chose to look at that video first. He and other administration members watched the recording. But, the recording was “grainy,” the source told me, “and it was dark and they couldn’t first make out who it was [walking in the hall].” “It took hours” for the director and the Vaad to determine that the person they saw was the Food Delivery driver.

    Hours had passed and no police report had yet been made.

    “As soon as they figured out who it was [on the recording] they researched the person and found him to have a sex offender record. The first thing they did was call the Food Delivery Company and advise them not to allow” the driver “to make deliveries to any other camp.”

    The man which camp officialshad allegedly seen on the recording, is a Level 2 sex offender

    Rumor has it that the camp administrator allegedly destroyed or hid the footage of the “driver” entering children’s rooms but it has since been recovered digitally by the security company.

    berelw
    berelw
    11 years ago

    to the commenter that commented to seek daas torah…let me see if your daughter chas v’sholom gets raped if you will seek daas torah or will alert the authorities or may even grab a baseball bat…..so stop with your nonsense…use common sense …the fifth and important shulchan aurach.

    11 years ago

    So by trying to show they are protecting the kids, they install cameras and then tell the kids don’t tell your parents yet!!!!! Twisted!! They deserve this bad publicity. The more you try to cover up the more exposure you get. Good for the NY Post.

    Yerachmiel
    Yerachmiel
    11 years ago

    I am tired of the stupid comments about how 36 hours is not a problem. If it should turn out a child was raped then 36 hours could be the difference between medical treatment that prevents him from getting AIDS or having a permanent bowel disorder and recovering more fully. If there is DNA evidence it can be lost in 36 hours. If there is evidence that could settle the question, it can be destroyed in 36 hours. On the other hand, reporting quickly, can make it possible to get a conviction or plea bargain without the child having to testify in court.

    Worst of all, children should never to be told to conceal such things from their parents. One of the best ways to stop molesting if it starts is by having children know, farkert, that they should tell their parents if someone else touches them in a wrong way.

    Let me ask these advocates of 36 hour reporting, whats if there was a psak that if yid is running around with a knife you should call a rav instead 911. That would be meshugah. Next time a woman goes into labor will you call a rav to ask if you should go to the hospital. Mamesh “chosid shoteh.” Poskim have already ruled that molesting creates a situtation of pikuach nefesh.

    Yerachmiel
    Yerachmiel
    11 years ago

    911

    Yaakov2
    Yaakov2
    11 years ago

    It is reported on some blogs that the reason why the Police have not made any arrest of the person seen clearly on the video, is because the children have been told not to tell investigators exactly what happened.

    The Law is powerless to arrest the molester and must now allow this molester to go free and move on to the next camp to continue and molest further and to do to other children the same which he did in this camp.

    Yaakov2
    Yaakov2
    11 years ago

    The perpetrator in this case, is protected by law to continue molesting because the children of the camp have been told to refuse to talk to law enforcement (details of what REALLY happened) and without them talking, the law says that the molester is free to continue doing, whatever molesters usually continue to do, if they are not arrested.

    For all those who celebrate the freedom of Molesters, should all send their Mazal Tov’s, congratulating the camp for an excellent cover-up job, well done and executed flawlessly.

    For the rest of us it’s sad day in Jewish history where our leadership cares more about their own personal shame than about protecting our frum children.

    11 years ago

    As much as I would like to blast the camp administration on this, I would sooner take a middle of the road perspective. The administration moved slowly on this but methodically and responsibly, for the most part. Here’s why.

    The camp administration has a dayan, and he guides them as the rabbinical arm of the administration. He is as much part of the moves as anyone else. He needed to be notified, and he ruled as he should have. The administration was also careful to review the footage several times until they could reach some identity of the alleged perp. Again, this is correct. They placed an immediate call to the employer to insure that this guy has no entrance to camps. Again, this prevents additional possible offenses. They temporarily withheld kids from notifying parents. Again, for good reason. Once we know the children are safe (perp not present, and others warned), make the moves to authorities. There was delay in this process which should have been minimized greatly, and this is the true complaint. The other actions were done responsibly, and no one acted on knee jerks. I applaud the judgment. I subscribe to Bobov 45th – but I give credit where it is due.

    11 years ago

    Once again, we witness a situation where the simplest background check would have prevented these crimes. The camp, which, in reality, is also a school, should have background checked every employee, and also every independent contractor who enters their premises. A registered sex offender should not step foot onto any camp and school facility. The food delivery company should not have hired him, and the camp/school should not have allowed him on their property. The simplest Google check would have revealed the truck driver as a registered sex offender. Sadly, it is now six years since the first mandatory background check bill was introduced in the NYS Legislature, and it still has not passed. Other states have it, and NY does not.. Shame on all of us. I hope and pray that the children heal well, and the perpetrator receives the full punishment he deserves.

    joeyfromupstate
    joeyfromupstate
    11 years ago

    First of all I understand everyones reaction that police shoudl be called straight away and he should be locked up for 300 years but hey slow down the fact is that he didn’t touch any kids the fact is that he delivered food to the kutchen when he asked to use the bathroom he was told that the one in the kitchen is out of order and that the closest bathroom is in the dorm,so he went there to use the facilities a kid saw him exit the building told his counsler which notified the director which notified the police so fact he is innocent and that’s why after 5 days there’s no charges pressed so all that’s left is bad publicity for the camp, driver, and food company, so before you jump to conclusions there needs to be some judgment and clear thinking rather then calling parents police and panicking

    Yaakov2
    Yaakov2
    11 years ago

    The Administration of the Camp needs to be replaced.

    The Dayan told them to call police.

    But the Administration thought that they are smarter and did NOT call.

    Only Ben H. from Flatbush had to call.

    A Kehila can not exist if it’s Administrators don’t follow their own Rabbunim and Rebbe.

    Shlomo2
    Shlomo2
    11 years ago

    Before reporting it to the police, they first had to make sure that the perpetrator wasn’t someone well-connected.

    BLONDI
    BLONDI
    11 years ago

    if you agree with this camp’s procedure then send your child there next season. are you allowed to put your child into danger???

    11 years ago

    self hating Jews stop!!!!!
    what ever an orthodox Jew will do, will be wrong! there is no reason to answer all these nonsense because all these comments are written by self hating Jews which deep in heart have a problem with judiasim!!!
    Today we live in a so called open world where every child has to know everthing whats going on including all the shmutz !!!
    what a smart Jewish way of handling a situation!! what do you want better 7 parents which = 14 people coming down to camp with police turning the camp upside down educate all children whats going on???? that sounds better start thinking a bit stop being so one track minded against orthodox Jews !

    Ayin_Tachas_Ayin
    Ayin_Tachas_Ayin
    11 years ago

    Everybody is quick to judge. Nobody mentioned the fact that this camp houses several hundred kids. With the current legal system, between investigators, psycologists etc. making their rounds and taking over the place, the “system’s” psycological damage may be much more than the actual incident. It’s easy to condemn and there are people that simply go bonkers whenever this topic comes up. Police is far from the “best” answer to these problems, although they’re sometimes needed.
    The administration did the right thing by contacting the vender and stopping the molester in his tracks, this accomplished that the kids are out of harms way. All other action was not iminent and the camp needed to put the kids interest first and sure that the entire bunk house does not go through the psycological and legal wringer.

    SamEiger
    SamEiger
    11 years ago

    Before I read the article I thought it was someone from the camp. Which got me thinking. What do we do where the perpatrator is himself a minor i.e a teenaged counselour or the like. Should we get the police involved as well? Or is there more room to be lenient in that case. These things happen (Although I hope never to be in that dilemma). Wondering what people think from a moral and legal perspective.

    STRAIGHT_FACTS
    STRAIGHT_FACTS
    11 years ago

    Just to set things straight; tapes were not destroyed and the boys were NOT told not to tell their parents or speak to the police! They were told not to speak to reporters and in my opinion, rightfully so. The administration acted responsibly immediately investigating matters before reaching out to the police. Hold off on the bad publicity since it only takes one blogger to distort the facts. Thank you administration; since my son was one of the boys in the 14 bed bunkhouse.

    Yerachmiel
    Yerachmiel
    11 years ago

    The story about the visiting driver needing to go to the bathroom is a bubbe meise or should I say a Bobov Meise. However I dont want to criticize all of Bobov, just those inside the camp who were negligent (or worse) and those involved in a clumsy cover up. If this had to do with urges they werent about urges to go to the bathroom. As several commenters pointed out there are plenty of unused bathroms in common areas in a camp in the middle of the night. Food deliveries are not made to the bunk areas. they are made to kitchens or other food storage areas. No matter how you stir or slice this food story a visitor does not belong in the bunk areas in the middle of the night. At best the cover up is about not taking responsibility for negligence.

    no matter why there was a cover up, this has all the hallmarks of cover ups starting with pressuring kids to not tell the truth and to not believe what ehir own eyes and bodies experienced.

    Besides I hear even the hanhalah is spreading the word that the night tourist was only tickling some boy’s feet. If they admit that much I say it wasn’t just the feet and it wasn’t just tickling. We have no idea just how bad this episode was.

    rebbetzin
    rebbetzin
    11 years ago

    If it was a goy delivery driver going into the kid’s bunk and stealing from their lockers, police would be called immediately, children would be calling their mothers, and camp directors would be reviewing the survielance video with law enforcement immediately.
    just sayin

    11 years ago

    Not to distract from the urgency of this matter, this incident smacks of what’s wrong in general with our institutions today; that of not trusting parents to know what’s right for their own kids. Rather than allowing children to follow what they or their parents think is the right path, the institution blanketly dictates what their general population ought to do. If parents wish to take another road, they are shunned and ridiculed. So even if the child wishes to follow his parents and or his heart, the institution is uber alles. So now we have created a generation of monsters who are so confused.

    11 years ago

    Notice the Bobovers are the only ones trying to defend this lousy situation….

    11 years ago

    Thanks VIN for your latest Mitzvah in allowing us to understand the reality once again. Yours is the only website which has the nerve. Kudos.

    bennym
    bennym
    11 years ago

    That is quoting ‘SOURCES’. 

    First, according to the CCTV the perp was in the building for 13 minutes during which a few kids said someone tickled them. More kids woke up, a commotion ensued and the guy fled. No one was raped. As horrific as molestation is, it is not the same a rape. 
    Second, the camp staff did not encourage the victims not to tell their parents. What they did ask is from the rest of the kids not to tell their parents and cause panic until all facts were investigated. 

    Yanky_BP
    Yanky_BP
    11 years ago

    Why is everyone attacking the truck driver? Maybe it was a Rabbi, counselor, ect ect.

    Ayin_Tachas_Ayin
    Ayin_Tachas_Ayin
    11 years ago

    I think that people really don’t comprehend the scope of the issue.
    This is relatively one of the larger boys camps in the mountains and it seems to me that most people on this blog would prefer that police be called immediately.
    Let’s play this out: (1) Police come within several minutes – (2) Entire bunkhouse [about 120 kids] get briefed by police at 5 or 6 am – (3) Parents are notified immediately – (4) hundreds of parents show up to camp in an effort to get answers and straighten things out – (5) followed by a team of psychologists that are brought in to help questions the kids (6) psychologist of course begin a full fledge sex education with their questioning – (7) Investigation trickles down to other bunk houses as just one kid thinks that he saw the perpetrator hovering around the other bunkhouse – (8) now the all the kids are lined up for questioning – (8) media shows and of course praises the camp director for acting so quickly and in the same time interviewing the parents who are DEMANDING answers – etc. etc. Can you imagine the spectacle and emotional damage that this would inflict on the entire camp of children?
    Get the gist?

    Ayin_Tachas_Ayin
    Ayin_Tachas_Ayin
    11 years ago

    A son of a friend of mine was molested a while ago and it was reported to the police. Bottom line: after 2 days of dealing with authorities he pulled out of the case with the reason being – his kid was falling apart from all the questioning – and when the father was told that for a conviction, his child would need to take the stand in court and testify – he refused to cooperate. (They made sure that the perpetrator goes to rehab and is registered as an offender).
    Can you imagine putting hundreds of kids through this – would you want one of your kids to go through police examination, psychological evaluations, couple that with the publicity? You’d be the pity talk of town… is that the healthy way? Really?
    It’s easy to condemn and there are people that simply go bonkers whenever this topic comes up. Police is far from the “best” answer to these problems, although they’re sometimes needed.
    The administration did the right thing by contacting the vender and stopping the molester in his tracks, this accomplished that the kids are out of harm’s way. All other actions were not imminent and the camp needed to put the kid’s interest first and sure that the entire doesn’t go off a cliff.

    mugsisme
    mugsisme
    11 years ago

    I have an app on my Android, a list where registered offended are shown to me. When I first put the app on my phone, I was shocked to find a 6 foot, 200 pound PoG who lives a few doors down from me. My kids have been shown his picture (thank you app), and where he lives. They are not allowed to walk on that street, or walk outside alone. I have warned all my neighbors as well. People aren’t happy he is here, but now we all know, and we are watching him.

    The app tells me where ever I am if there is a registered offended near me. I get weekly emails from them. I use the one S X Offender Searcher for a droid. Hashem should protect all our kids from such demented people.

    NewsLover
    NewsLover
    11 years ago

    Who ever didn’t notice!!! THERE IS A WORD ‘YET’ that stands for KIDS YOU’RE GOING TO TELL YOUR PARANTS, JUST!!!! NOT YET!!!! its very normal to think how to tell parants, what to do first and after, don’t be so neg. Matter of fact, I haven’t see so many comments on a news for a long prior of time!!! A SIGN ON NEGETIVITY!!!

    Lawyer
    Lawyer
    11 years ago

    There is a saying going around that “you are entitled to your own opinion, you are not entilted to your own facts.”

    From a review of this thread, it is clear that the “facts” about this case are pretty confused. Until the facts are clear, you should not condemn anyone — that is the essence of being dan le kaf zechus.

    11 years ago

    I don’t get it. After he touched the first kid, the kid should have started yelling and woken up his whole bunk and counselor, and tackled the intruder. How could they just go back to sleep and only report this in the morning!!!

    ayoyo
    ayoyo
    11 years ago

    Would everyone please be careful not to post comments about a happening that has no firsthand witnesses .This is all nothing but Lashon h’rah