Brooklyn, NY – Zev Brenner: COJO Told Me Not to Report Mondrowitz Two Decades Ago

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    Abraham Mondrowitz  is escorted by an Israeli police officer in Jerusalem district court November 18, 2007. Mondrowitz, was arrested in Jerusalem for suspected sexual abuse of children in New York and the United States has requested his extradition.Brooklyn, NY – Leading Jewish radio talk show host Zev Brenner has disclosed that COJO of Borough Park urged him twenty years ago to not report accused child molester Avrohom Mondrowitz.

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    In 1984, Mr. Mondrowitz hosted a Jewish community radio show in which he offered counseling advice to callers and listeners despite not being a licensed psychologist.

    The father of one of Mondrowitz’s victims called Brenner and furnished details extensive enough to drive Brenner to reach out to communal leadership. But when Brenner contacted a leading community organization, he was told to do nothing and that the organization would handle it.

    Mondrowitz fled to Israel around one month later, where he has evaded justice ever since.

    Brenner disclosed the shocking information last week Wednesday January 7th in an interview (28 minutes) with Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz on his most recent weekly radio show, which airs every day and Saturday night on talkline communications WMCA AM in the New York area, yet not citing the organization by name.

    However, in a phone conversation with VIN News, Brenner claims that the organization in question was COJO, or the Council of Jewish Organizations of Borough Park (not to be confused with COJO of Flatbush).

    Brenner claims that he does not recall to which specifically COJO leader he provided the information, since it happened “over 20 years ago.”

    Brenner tells VIN News that COJO’s attitude at the time reflected the prevailing Jewish-community attitude of outright denial and avoidance of all communal problems. Brenner even recalls how after mentioning on his show the good works of ‘Chush’, a respected Jewish community school for frum mentally-challenged youth, a wave of calls protested the very mention of the problem in public.

    How the times have changed.

    However, there may be more to the disclosure than mere denial. COJO of Borough Park at the time was influenced heavily by Rabbi Elimelech Naiman a Gerrer Chasid, which for whatever reason the Gerrer Hasidim are rumored to continue to seek Mondrowitz’s non-prosecution in American court.

    Apparently, Kings County DA Charles Hynes chose at the time to not pursue Mondrowitz after pressure from the politically powerful COJO, which was capable of delivering a large bloc of frum voters.

    According to The Jewish Week Mondrowitz Extradition Case has been Thrown Into Limbo.

    In other words, politics as usual.

    The American haredi social services organization OHEL, that once referred clients to Mondrowitz as a therapist for troubled youth has for the first time publicly issued a statement about the Mondrowitz case.


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    53 Comments
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    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Ohel is also worth it’s money.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Wow, this takes my breath away. So COJO warned Mondrowitz to run, since he disappeared shortly after this conversation Mr. Brenner had with COJO. I guess they are accomplices to the crime. And Ohel too? Why doens’t that shock me??

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Get some facts straight. First of all his radio program was 30 years ago!!!!!! At the time of his indictment and when he ran away it wasn’t a secret any more. When he had his radio show noone knew that he was a fraud. In Boro Park at that time he was thought to be a regular psychologist! I remember his show which was listened to regularly by many people.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I see cracks forming in the wall. Yesterdays shvitzers are going to be todays pariahs.

    a reader
    a reader
    15 years ago

    this is absolutely repulsive. all of ohel’s “chessed” means nothing when they show that ultimately they could care less about abused children, and their only REAL interest is helping/protecting themselves and their pockets. OHEL SHOULD BE SHUT DOWN IMMEDIATELY!!

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    In case you clicked on the link to view the article on The Jewish Week’s website, I think they have the wrong person in the picture at the top of the article.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    they are all shvitzers liars and all only intersted in votes ….all b.s. artists-it makes me sick where are the “rabbonim”

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I was a counselor in Ohel it fits perfectly. I bet there are many workers in ohel that can say stories till next year

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    uh oh. I am suspecting more molesters with hundreds of victims like Mondrowitz are hiding behind Ohel If the heimishe community didn’t rock yet from the recent scandels, it will explode very soon. People be careful with whom you trust your kids.

    M Richter
    M Richter
    15 years ago

    Shcking to hear that such a powerful figure as Z Brenner could also be silenced by COJO & the like.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    So why is Zev disclosing this only now?

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    The key words here are, “How the times have changed. “

    Not seem important to you? The fact is that times HAVE changed. We believe they changed for the better. But remember, it is not fair or right to judge a person from the past by the rules to the present.

    Back then they did what was the “appropriate” action believed to be best back them. Now we see things differently. Don’t just COJO today, using today’s standards, by the actions they did so many years ago. Maybe in the ways of those days, they “Did the right thing.”

    If we were to attempt to judge the Yiddish heros of our past by the politically correct mores of today, we would want to hate many of our former heros.
    Does that make them bad? No way. They did what was right in and for those days.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    i am sad to say i am a full time Ohel weekday staff member and i am embarrassed to work there now

    shmiel glassman
    shmiel glassman
    15 years ago

    zev becomes a good guy by fessing up old mistakes on a org. that no longer exists & sends someone else the bill
    the community will not progress in this area until there is an address that can properly handle these very complex matters & the gedolim need to feel comfortable with that individual or org. “TO DATE THIS MEDIUM DOES NOT EXIST”
    however numerous cases have been handled by yechidim to the best of their ability
    reb yankel what needs to be done in this order:
    1. a place where victims seeking therapy can obtain it at a reasonable fee (do you know 5 frum physchologists that treat this well , & are avail.

    2. a place where molesters can go for help ” out of the system” with being booked the stick to keep them in therapy ( there is a group in flatbush

    3. A team that will properly verify NEW & CURRENT ALLEGATIONS. with hadracha from a beis din
    just one of many opinions, scaring people & listening to nightmares does not solve the situation

    rebbetzin hockstein
    rebbetzin hockstein
    15 years ago

    people ask: Shocking to hear that such a powerful figure as Z Brenner could also be silenced by COJO & the like. why is zev disclosing this now? How times have changed!!

    I say: Times have not changed. The first rule of life is homeostasis. That is, an organism must first ensure its own survival. This goes for individuals AND organizations. So COJO/OHEL want to make sure that as an organization they survive. If what you need happens to match what they need or do, then wonderful, you benefit. if not, you better be quiet and go away, and don’t make a mess. Ditto Zev Brenner. Over 20 years ago, he was not the Zev Brenner that he is today, so you can’t judge. If he had made a tzimmes about being shut down and shut up at that time, he would not have become the Zev Brenner he is today.

    Rule one in biology, which we learn in 10th grade, folks. HOMEOSTASIS! once you learn and understand this well, everything in life becomes crystal clear.

    This is how perpetrators of abuse do their dirty deeds: victims try to regain equilibrium after homeostasis has been disrupted by the abuse by pretending it didn’t happen, denial, etc. And the community also does not want to deal with disequilibrium and a threat to homeostasis by dealing with the abuse.

    nu nu NOTHING has changed. This is the way the world works. Don’t be naive and idealistic and expect that organizations/individual people are gonna do what they are supposed to do/mandated to do, whether by organizational charter, Torah or menschlichkeit. Not gonna happen if doing so is gonna be perceived as a threat to their own existence!!! Being outraged about homeostasis is like getting mad at gravity or at the tide. It is not gonna change a thing.

    Loshon Hora
    Loshon Hora
    15 years ago

    I think Reb Matisyahu’s Convention, “sweep under the carpet” may have been a deliberate peace of reverse phsycology. He provoked everyone to lift up there carpets & sweep out twenty years of dust.
    He is a very smart person, and probably wanted the door opened, but worded it in a way that diplomatically he sounds like he is on the other side. The results when you provoke are alot more profound. We sure see that.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Sad to say but having experienced Ohel’s gnava personally, I am not surprised. The administrative salaries are large and many of the services are minimal. They should watch out because as recipients of a lot of government funding, this looks even worse. Not to forget all the concerts and fund raising within our community.

    the scoop
    the scoop
    15 years ago

    1) At that time Zev Brenner wasn’t as big as he is now in terms of broadcasting.

    2) Re BP COJO – it was raided by the FBI and shut down. Trials followed. They don’t exist anymore. That should tell you something. Neiman has recently been running a deli/restaurant on 18th avenue in BP.

    3) Re OHEL – it’s long overdue that a major investigation be done of them. Mandel, their highly-paid executive, has built them up with PR and grants in recent years. But I have heard very disturbing things about them. It was started with good intentions as a foster home for Jewish kids close to 40 years ago. Now though, it is a big conglomerate. Some things need to be investigated, for example their treatment of emotionally disturbed. Are they warehousing them after drugging them to keep them docile rather then rehabilitating them? They give them dangerous drugs and keep them in their homes for years to keep the funding stream flowing. For shame.

    The Truth
    The Truth
    15 years ago

    1. I shall definitely be more careful where i send my tzedoka money to now.
    2. How come mixed seating Ohels concerts have never been banned???

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Frum travel agents should be demanding Mondrowitz’s extradition louder than anyone. When he stands trial there will be a flood of ‘leaders’ booking one way flights.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    My son worked for Ohel 10 years ago and reported to me that such problems were rampent. Managements way of making the problem go away was to offer hush money. I’m glad its out in the open now. Thank to VIN we are able to anonymously
    air the truth.

    A
    A
    15 years ago

    #17 , Mr. Glassman: You want a “place where molesters can go for help”? It’s already available and has been for a long time. It’s called prison. And if it doesn’t help them at least it’ll the help the rest of us.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I worked at Ohel many years ago and I can tell you ” hair-raising” stories about what really goes on there behind closed doors. If the community would know, they would protest on the streets, why such an organization is still around, They do more harm then good. Too bad my hands are tied.

    shmuel glassman
    shmuel glassman
    15 years ago

    # 23 you are right good point, no solution is without its hitches but the key is “TRUST” that is why all these well meaning efforts failed because when it comes down to the prosecution everyone backs off for many reasons
    to address your points:
    1.it is unfair to send a traumetized victim to a “rookie therapist” ( there are just about 10 people can treat well)

    2. There are people like shmelke klein , yidel wolf, david pelcovitz that would be trusted & most importantly leaving prosecution out for now as something that were not capable of handling to avoid the legal piece ; w/o names there is no mandatory reporting meaning the victim seeking help or the perpetrator seeking help does not identify names
    going to the DA would be the stick to keep them in therapy it works for many not all
    #27- B”H ,i dont have an iota of this disease but as a head counselor have closely followed & researched quite a bit – before you take an extreme measure of locking someone forever , you must be sure that you have accurately evaluated the level of sickness, & treatment modalities not every person who ever touched a kid is uncurable YOU DONT KNOW THE CLINICAL FACTS protecting our children is first ,but emes umishpat must follow -2

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Does anyone know the role that Rabbi David Cohen who is the Rabbi of Ohel was in the Mondrowitz cover up?

    parent
    parent
    15 years ago

    Zev Brenner “remembers” very well who told him to leave it alone. He chooses not to divulge it, but why he brought it up now is interesting. Is he being subpoenaed?? Maybe they (COJO) genuinely believed that they could deal with it. You have to remember this was a totally taboo subject then. Of course abuse happened, it just wasn’t acknowledged, in many cases not even privately.

    The real crime is all those people who hush things up today. The conventional wisdom of yesterday is gone B”H, but if people are keeping quiet today…that’s criminal.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I worked for Ohel about between 10 and 15 years ago and I remember nothing but dedicated counselors and wonderful managers who truly cared a about their clients – some of whome were not alwasy easy to deal with.

    I’m not giving them a “hechsher shtempel” since what I witnessed was only a small part of their operations but there was definitely a lot of good going on there and I’m sure there still is.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    to # 32 you can add Norman Blumenthal to the list of Competant professionals

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Anybody remember the radio station that mondrowitz had his show on? Do u remember the hours he was on air? And does anybody remember the phrase he used when signing off at the end of his show? This information is important to an investigator.

    Dov A.
    Dov A.
    15 years ago

    Although I strongly believe in the efficacy of psychotherapy and have seen treatments help completely in curing many mental conditions, I think that the mental illness of child molesters is so ingrained in their character that they actually can’t be helped. The only help is to put community shackles on them to protect us from them. Either prison or rules keeping them away from society. These aren’t people missing a few screws. These are people missing the whole machine.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    all you bashers of OHEL
    they are a wonderful mosod that was rated #1 by a survey done i beleive by the state

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    I am gladdened to hear that the unprofessionalism (I am trying to use nice language) is being exposed

    radio listener
    radio listener
    15 years ago

    ” Today at 02:19 PM Anonymous Says:

    Anybody remember the radio station that mondrowitz had his show on? Do u remember the hours he was on air? And does anybody remember the phrase he used when signing off at the end of his show? This information is important to an investigator.”

    I believe it was WNYM, 1330 on the AM dial, at that time. It was on in the evening, as other such (Jewish) programs, according to my recollection. He signed on in this way – a musical recording of the tune for for ‘mi haish hechofetz chaim…..’ – an old soulful niggun, came on (without singing, just the music). Then Mondrowitz’s voice came on and said ‘Welcome to ‘Life is for living’ ..with your host, Rabbi Doctor Avrohom Mondrowitz’.

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    Rabbi Dovid Cohen is squarely on the side of reporting to authorities. Several years back, flyers were strewn on the strees lambasting him for having a father-moleter reported.
    Zev Brenner is a good guy. What he is telling us now is how it was then.
    BP COJO was into grabbing government program monies, not protecting or prosecuting molesters.
    Bottom line, if it is your child, would you want his/her molestation made public?
    Would you consider a molested girl as a shidduch for your son?
    Would you consider a molested boy as shidduch for your daughter?
    The reality is that going public most likely damages your child’s personality as well as shidduch considerations much more than if you kept it private, seek therapy for your child, and hope that he/she grows up normal.
    If you disagree, I have a shidduch for your son/daughter !!

    plefialsite
    plefialsite
    15 years ago

    I think you are thinking like sukrat, but I think you should cover the other side of the topic in the post too…

    Anonymous
    Anonymous
    15 years ago

    In the late 1970’s mondrowich had a store that carried shades and blinds. He had a job to do at a school in Canarsie, a school for “exceptional” cildren. While on the premises, he invited himself to be an unpaid volunteer at the school,”to be an extra pair of hands. He soon became much more. In some manner he became very prominent in the school, and soon the principal was running around to “members of the board” neighborhood Rabbis, and others, to try to get him out of the school. This was the start of his entire escapades and his eventual flight to Israel

    Enlargement
    Enlargement
    15 years ago

    I am amazed with it. It is a good thing for my research. Thanks