Brooklyn, NY – The death of an outspoken advocate against sexual abuse, who was himself the victim of molestation as a child, has been classified as an accidental overdose by a Manhattan medical examiner, according to VIN News sources.
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34 year old Joey Diangello, born Yoel Deutsch, was found dead on October 15th.
Diangello, who left the Satmar community at age 17, first began sharing his story of being abused in a Marcy Avenue mikvah in Williamsburg at seven years of age in 2009.
Since then, Diangello, who was featured in television interviews, attended the trials of several accused rapists within the Chasidic community. According to reports on PIX 11, he lobbied state legislators to make changes to the statutes of limitations for molestation victims in order to give them more time to come to terms with their abuse.
Prominent community activist Zvi Gluck, said that in recent years Diangello had begun getting his life back on track and Diangello described himself on Twitter as a runner who followed both the Yankees and the NFL.
Gluck had sharp words for those who refused to believe Diangello’s accounts of his abuse.
“”I am personally classifying Joey Diangello’s death as a homicide,” Gluck told VIN News. “He was murdered by those who abused him and did nothing to help him.” “We as a community have so many beautiful institutions to help people but when it comes to something as blatant as this, something that kills people, we sit by idly and do nothing. In the words of Irish statesman Edmund Burke, ‘all that is necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.’”
Diangello was buried on Sunday afternoon at the Monsey Cemetery on Brick Church Road. A small group of friends gathered at the graveside after the funeral and shared their thoughts.
“There was a person who was there, a heimishe Chasidishe man who told me quietly, ‘I have a son who is an abuse victim and I am terrified that I will be at one of these graves one day burying my son,’” said Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, director of Project YES.
Rabbi Horowitz noted that he often encountered Diangello at abuse trials and he would share how the abuse continued to haunt him on a nightly basis.
“He said to me, ‘Rabbi you have to stop this. You have to make sure that the kids are safe,’” remarked Rabbi Horowitz. “He was just a nice kid, who was in pain. People who are suffering must reach out for help. I can’t say that if you go for help you will live happily ever after but without help it is just too much for anyone to cope with.”
Diangello spoke publicly about his abuse at an Erev Yom Kippur program at Passaic’s Congregation Ahavas Israel in 2009.
Rabbi Ron Yitzchok Eisenman, rabbi of Ahavas Israel, who has spoken out publicly in his shul on the topic of sexual abuse, recalled that the evening’s program included a panel of five speakers, all of whom were Orthodox Jews who had been molested by members of the Jewish community.
“Truth be told we had a planned group and he just showed up and said he wanted to speak,” said Rabbi Eisenman. “He spoke on the spot and he sort of brought the house down.”
Diangello said that he was rejected by the Williamsburg community who refused to accept his reports of abuse, labeling him a bum and saying “things like that don’t happen here.”
Diangello’s appearance in Ahavas Israel marked the first time he had been in a shul since leaving Williamsburg twelve years earlier and he said that being asked to speak publicly about his abuse was “the first time in my life I have ever been validated by the Orthodox community.”
Rabbi Eisenman was in contact with Diangello for two years before losing touch with him in 2010. Diangello reconnected with Rabbi Eisenman this past summer and the two spoke on the phone and exchanged emails.
“I guess the one thing we can learn from this is to attempt to reach out more to people in pain because you never know what tomorrow may bring,” said Rabbi Eisenman. “I think anyone who met Joey was touched by him. Under all the tattoos and the heavy metal there was a precious neshama and I think a lot of people who heard him speak and kept up with him saw that. What happened to him is a tragedy.”
No one in the community is interested in helping those that are frum. They are only interested in this foolishness called project shabbis where they are looking for new converts. The first thing that needs to be done is shore up your current base and then seek baal tshuvis.
But there is big big money in the baal tshuva movement. That is the cause and effect of this shabbis of inviting people into the homes.
Missing from this article is – Did this young man ever undergo treatment for his trauma? It is all too common that the trauma goes untreated, and in desperation to cope with the many feelings of pain, suffering, fear, alienation, etc., that the victims go one to explore ways to escape from themselves. One cannot blame them for trying to escape the community and the people in it than wronged them, especially when the perpetrators go undetected, unfettered, while victims are left vulnerable to repeated attacks, and others are also at risk. Worse yet when known molesters are protected and defended, while victims are shunned and revictimized. If the victims would seek help, there is much they can accomplish to continue their lives with at least less pain. The excursions into the worlds of drugs, other addictions and altered states of mind, even their abandonment of Torah life might be understandable, but provide no benefit. While the frum world must get its house in order, there must also be help to deal with the trauma. Every day this man was away from Yiddishkeit was torture for him. Joey DiAngello was not the answer for Yoeli Deutsch.
“Gluck has sharp words against those who refuse to believe his accusations of being molested”
Why should he be believed? according to his claim it happened when he was a seven year old kid, he left the community at 17 and he waited till he was 28!???? who was he kidding? Unfortunately he was a twisted individual to the extreme of tattooing himself with a cross rach”l and living a lifestyle of the lowest of the lowest till the end even requesting to be cremated!
Can someone please explain why so many followers of R’ Horowitz from monsey end up committing suicide?
TEHEY MISOSO KAPOROSO
Don’t be ridiculous. One thing has nothing to do with the other. There are plenty of volunteers working on both causes, and just because you feel the issue of child abuse is more important than Kiruv Rechokim does not mean there should be no other projects or work done for other worthy causes.
He was buried in a church ? What’s that sign in Hebrew about a Jewish chapel?
Shame on his family that distanced themselves from him all these years, yet they grabbed his body AGAINST HIS WILL and buried him!
This community will eventually have to wake up to the fact that there are hundreds being abused and scarred for life. This poor neshuma did nothing as an 8 year old but was grabbed by a Jewish man and was abused, and messed up his life forever.
may he rest in peace
As if changing name like Deutsch to Diangelo wasn’t bizarre enough, we now know that he’s been abusing substances and almost inevitably overdosed. Now we can’t be sure, and should keep an open mind on whether what he said happened to him actually did happen, or was it all a product of his drug addled overly active imagination.
He was abused repeatedly and yet he still tried to help others. May he rest in peace. I hope his detractors do not damage his burial site. Most of our molested boys turn to drugs, alcohol or another addiction to fight the memories. We do what we do best….protect the molester and blame the children. His molester continued to molest dozens of other little boys. When will it stop??
i never met joey but i knew of him. i am not from his former life, i would be more of a rock and roll child, more of what he looked like recently. a goy shiksa actually. i would like to know why the outrage and attention to the spying rabbi and so little for abuse of people young and old? sadly this crap cuts across all races, religions, etc. no one is immune. you people in charge, the ones who can tell your flock this has to stop need to step up and tell them to report it to the police and not to a bunch of people that have no idea really how to deal with this. your silence is killing people. killing them with your neglect and utter disregard. how many more will be lost because you did nothing? how can you deny this pandemic? how can you not address it? joey’s blood is on your hands. joey is a hero. and he is gone far too soon. i will take black flowers to his grave as soon as i can. i will dress in black. i think he would like that. black also for the cold black hearted people who shunned him and tried to deny him and shut him up when all he was doing was trying to stop what happened to him. you black hearted people…his blood is on your hands. shame on you.
Even the most corrupted district attorney as Charles Hynes didn’t believe his story when he started his campaign against the Hasidic community, He was interviewed numerous times by detectives at the DA office and changed his story on hourly basis, that’s why no charges where filed in this case
If you believe he is a victim you can believe the story that he had died accidental…….
BDE may his soul find peace.May he find a special place in Gan Eden. I hope he will be a maylitz yosher for all of klal yisroel.
I’ve never met Joey and know him only trough the Pics in the media, You can tell immediately upon looking at his face that the rest of his body attire is just wearing a costume, trough his eyes you can seep deep down there’s a craving soul that is in a mental anguish and deep in pain, his face is entirely not in conjunction with his Hairstyle and body aromour…
Her is a boy that was a victim of someone else’s
I’ve never met Joey and know him only trough the Pics in the media, You can tell immediately upon looking at his face that the rest of his body attire is just wearing a costume, trough his eyes you can seep deep down there’s a craving soul that is in a mental anguish and deep in pain, his face is entirely not in conjunction with his Hairstyle and body aromour…
Here you have a boy that was a victim of someone’s lack of self restrained, probably a chain reaction to the molester himself being abused as a child who refused to let thug chain of molestation continue, it stopped by him.
Joey refused to allow himself to become a molester himself and it causes unimaginable pain and suffering.
On the contrary we have great success stories of people who have been greatly victimized as children only to move on and become he gear scholars, parents, business people, and lead a fulfilling life.
Unfortunately Joey did have in himself to do what it takes to overcome abuse, instead he surrounded himself with the wrong crew who’s only mission was for sure not to help him but to use him as a vehicle to gain negative media attention by trashing an entire community as if sexual crimes are so rampant that it is systematically being shoved under the table to enable all rabbis and educators to continue abusing all the children in our communities.
This group of self hating under-accomplished ex-hasidic jews, who thrive on the only thing they do best by feeding the media’s frenzy of negativity towards Hasidic Jews, refused to allow Joey to really heal, they have now won, Joey is dead now, they’re ecstatic, they’re running on full throttle, selling this story to the highest bidder in the market.
Don’t allow yourself do be fooled, had Joey chosen to surround himself with the right people who meant his best this wouldn’t have come to this, no one has to choose to live as a Hasidic Jew everyone can choose the type of community he wishes to join, however when you abandon your faith as some form of self therapy due to grievances on a particular community and lack of believe in the God who created you then you can never find peace and until you die your soul will demand its spiritual pleasures, you can’t shut that down regardless whether you were molested or not.
To all of you who’ve been molested as a child a beg you for your own sake, do not seek redemption at the kinds of “Footsteps” and their likes, you will have temporary relive, the ultimate help cannot come by abandoning your maker, and your family, family is a big part of healing, you need to get in touch with the right professionals, may it be people from outside your community who seek your true healing.
And again no one has to stay stuck in a place especially when he was victimized in that particular community, whoever to use abuse as a reason to escape and betray the spiritual needs of ones soul will lead to the ultimate fall of the physical body as the soul dies down inside you and takes along your body.
Choosing to escape God due to an injury to your mentality is like going out drinking at the bar after getting yourself shot in the head.
There are some out there who live off these things. It seems they actually despise kids who actually live normal lives DESPITE being abused. Yes, it sounds really strange but that is emes. There are many BH who actually are okay despite being abused. And when you have someone who r’l dies by questionable methods such as a drug overdose in this case, there are those who WISH it to be suicide instead of accidental.
I Went
Speaking ill of the dead? Those of you doing it should be ashamed of yourselves. Inappropriate, disgusting, offensive and embarrassing. Shame on you.
The way some people are commenting is wrong. Lashon Hara, against a dead man. Shame.
What a tragedy. You can see the pain in his eyes. What a heartbreak.
I hope that his neshama can find some rest. This story is like the Egla Arufa. We are called upon to do bear witness that our hands did not shed this blood. Too many are falling to the wayside. So sad. All they need is a little love, acceptance, warm yiddishkeit and guidance. What an absolute tragedy.
PS- For those of you worried about kiruv: More likely that a family that does not judge a person who practices differently would help a boy like Yoel/Joey. In fact, I know of several chabad houses that help young chassidishe guys who fell off the way get back on.
reply to #32
Having served as a president of a Flatbush shul, I quickly learned that most of a shuls members can be grouped into two categories, the “doers” and “the complainers”. There were always members I could count on to help on any project the shul implemented, and there was always the other group telling the doers how they were doing it wrong.
I’m guessing you are a complainer who always manages to find a reason why you aren’t participating.
Here is some advice
Roll up your sleeves and help out on a chesed project. Go against your nature and tell people what a great job they are doing.
And for all you complainers about the Shabbos project and flatbush shuls, maybe the reason you don’t find yourself accepted in a shul is because you never learned how to be a participating shul member.
To those that state he could not be believed because he was using drugs, educate yourselves. People who are not in treatment ( and even in treatment) search for substances to reduce their pain and anguish. Many drug/alcohol abusers use their substance of choice to be able to live “normally” and numb themselves to their emotional pain. Do not be so quick to judge.
^^^^ you see that name? that’s my real name. I am not postings Anonymous like all you cowards who are disrespecting and denigrating joey. He had plenty of friends and people who loved him in his new life. how dare you say he didn’t. how dare you blame him and not the abusers. how dare you ignore and hide your head in the sand. how dare you desecrate what the Torah says. shame on you. shame shame shame. his blood is on your hands.
Nebach such a broken confused tormented soul died so young.
We may never know if he was really abused or not. Lets say that he was abused and still i and many wont buy it.And here is why:
There is a certain so called child activist who has a hotline and a blog and this individual claims on his blog and hotline that it was one of two brothers which he mentions by name who abused joey in the Marcy Avenue mikvah in Williamsburg.
Any sane normal person knows that this is a total fabrication and all he is trying to do is to slander and defame these two brothers. Thats why i believe the entire abuse story is made up.Chances are that this activist took advantage of Joey to make up the abuse story .
I know many of you will say that the most revered and respected holy people are capable of abusing kids.Yes its true. Still what this activist claims is a lie and shame on him and shame on anyone who listens to him.
VIN please post my comment
I’ve read all the comments and I just want to make a few points.
1. There is a LARGE amount of evidence that he was sexually assaulted on many occasions and there are witnesses and others who were assaulted by the same men.
2. Nobody is out to make Satmar or any other group look bad. Bringing attention to a fact that SOME communities openly engage in grotesque practices of shaming and defaming victims who report incidents of rape and sexual assault is not about making anyone look bad. It is about stating facts. We have SOME communities that believe that calling the police is mesira. We all get it. But if that will be your stance, you have to be prepared for people to challenge that stance. When you take that position, you must know that the rest of the civilized world will find your beliefs and practices to be abhorrent, disgusting, vile. They are also CRIMINAL. You don’t get to complain about people judging you when you openly commit sex crimes or cover them up.
3. This poor boy was broken by people he was supposed to trust: The molesters, thugs and their co-conspirators. Make no mistake – what he became, was his choice… but WE tipped the scales against him.
All of you should be ashamed, denigrating the memory of a fellow Human Being. Your Day of Reckoning will come when you will face those you slandered and shamed
What causes a little boy to be “tormented” from a “very very young” age? What causes a little boy to be a “tormentor” from a “very very young” age, as commenters here insist?
Biological or situational, genetic or environmental, nature or nurture. Whichever it is, and whatever his story may have been, truth or lie, the answer is one of those two. If he was emotionally disturbed from a “very very young” age because of genetic or chemical issues, or if he was emotionally disturbed because of situational, environmental conditions, then everyone here must examine the root causes of his illnesses rather than assail and attack him. Period.
If a “very very young” boy’s illness was due to chemical or biological damage, like schizophrenia, multiple personality disorder or delusion, then how could any fair person assail him? If a “very, very young” boy’s illness was due to situational or environmental damage, like emotional trauma of any sort, up to and including the horrific possibility that he was physically assaulted as he maintained, how could any fair and compassionate person assail him?
No more victim blaming. Let this poor boy rest. Address whatever caused his illnesses.
Look, we will obviously never know whether he was molested or not. The fact remains though that he was a deeply troubled young man mentally. There is help out there for those who seek it and living a normal life after such a terrible occurrence l”a is possible as well, if you were normal to start with.
The bottom line is that Joel was never molested. The bickering can continue forever here, but it won’t change the truth. Yes, we should all move forward and let him rest in peace and news sites like VIN, and bloggers like many on VIN should be ashamed of themselves for being the conduit to one of the biggest recent chillul Hashem’s.
I am amazed by the complete lack of compassion and the extensive victim blaming.
Whatever happened, he clearly was suffering. Many survivors self Medicate and make bad decisions.
This is an example of attempting to whitewash the fact there are child molesters being protected often by leaders.
Attacking someone who just died with anonymous posts only proves my point.