Brooklyn, NY – At an unprecedented meeting in Flatbush last night, directors of thirty six summer camps met to discuss the issue of child molestation in summer camps, bringing to the forefront an issue which, unfortunately, does occur in Jewish summer camps, but more often than not is quietly ignored. This marks, perhaps, the first time the issue of sexual abuse in summer camps has been openly addressed on such a large scale. The meeting was spearheaded by Beth Kaplan, director of Sacred Lives, a small and relatively unknown that deals with child molestation in the frum community. Dozens of camps catering to the yeshivish and Chassidic communities signed on for this initiative.
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A seventeen page handbook, in both English and Yiddish, distributed to all participants contained many useful tools for dealing with this serious problem. Included in the handbook was a sample letter to be mailed to parents before the start of the summer, encouraging them to speak to their children about this issue and a fact sheet for parents containing suggestions for discussing this delicate issue with their children, both of which were prepared by Moetzes Gedolei HaTorah of Agudath Israel of America. The handbook also contained suggested rules for appropriate staff behavior and guidelines for dealing with a child who has been sexually abused.
The camps who participated are:
BYA DAY CAMP, CAMP ADAS YEREIM, CAMP AGUDAH, CAMP ANNA HELLER, CAMP BAIS YAAKOV, CAMP BNEI SHIMON YISROEL SHOPRON, CAMP BNOS, CAMP BONIM, CAMP CHAVIVA, CAMP CHAYA SARAH, CAMP DARKEI EMUNAH, CAMP EMUNAH, CAMP KOCHAVIM, CAMP L’MAN ACHAI, CAMP MA-NA-Vu, CAMP MORRIS, CAMP NAALEH, CAMP OHR SHRAGA, CAMP RAYIM, CAMP REDAD OF LUSK, CAMP SHALOH, CAMP SHALVA OF MONTICELLO, CAMP SHIRA, CAMP SILVER LAKE, CAMP SIMCHA/CAMP SIMCHA SPECIAL, CAMP STERNBERG, CAMP TORAS CHESED, CAMP YEDIDIM, CAMP YESHIVA CHABAD SUMMER ADVENTURE, MACHNE BNOS SQUARE, MACHANE MASORES, MACHNE SVA ROTZHON, NOAM DAY CAMP, PROSPECT PARK DAY CAMP, TORAS CHAIM TASHBAR.
For the full brochure that was handed out PDF here
camps can deal with it all they want, but if kids and parents are pressured not to testify as has been done in the past, then nothing has changed.
the camp not listed above is the one that has had the most problems with this issue over the years…
Thank you Rabbi Nochum Rosenberg!
Interesting that no mention of contacting the authorities occurs until page 14. Sure, tell the Camp Director and the Rav but no police or DA interaction? I concur with Anon1, parents- do not be dissuaded by anyone from seeking legal intervention.
finally somwone is waking up
save our inocent children now!!
how camps hire any low life that pulls up
Kudos to Mrs. Beth Kaplan for her drive in organizing the asifa.
This report highlights the need to create a centralized “background checking” organization that would perform clearences for all the yiddeshe schools, camps and mosdos to properly and thoroughly screen All potential hires who would work with yinglach but do so in accordance with daas torah and halacha.
In reply to #1 & #5
Are either of you rabanim who are equiped with the halachic understanding to make such decisions !! There are huge issues that must be taken into consideration when involving any secular government in any aspect of yidishkeit!! Who are you to brazenly defy the spiritual leaders of our generation !! Unfortunately it is people like you who take matters into their own hands without consulting das torah who are constantly causing problems for jews across the globe !! We have seen throughout history terrible things come about when yidden act without hadracha from the gedolim !!!!
your child is the most precious thing in the world. all parents should report any type of abuse to the highest authority immediately.
It’s not easy for parents to make a decision to press the matter further. It’s not easy for a camp director to fire someone. It’s not so simple to make background checks and always receive total or correct information. The professionals who deal with this constantly have the knowledge and experience required to write about this and to talk about it, and everybody else should listen. Hashem clearly states often in the Torah, leman yishmeu v’yirouh, ki Ani Hashem. Of course any response to an issue must be clearly thought out and tempered. But something must be done and we can’t always worry about the effect on the alleged perpetrator or his family.
what about camp romimu why did they opt out of the meeting?
Now lets do something abut drugalcohol and spousal abuse
I applaud the efforts here, but as a camper who experience and witness horrible things, i will NEVER send my male children to sleep away camp.
The problem is that rabbonim are ill-equipped to deal with this problem. The proof is in the pudding. One dog, in particular, who molested over a dozen children is being shielded by rabbonim. He will never answer for his crime.
I have a friend whose son was molested by the son of a prominent Rav. There were WITNESSES and even another victim. By the time this Rav and his band of conspirators were done, the witnesses recanted and the other victim (who is now frei) recanted as well. That other victim has since come forward and told his story. The lying ate him up inside and his parents never did anything to help him deal with it. He ended up doing drugs. He recently start his path back to yiddishkeit but it is slow-going and he is very fearful. One of the witnesses later wrote my friend’s son a letter of apology. He stated that his parents forced him to lie to the police.
It can no longer be proven and the lies have tainted the testimony. This animal will never see justice and he still works with children.
So when someone says “rabbonim know how to deal with it”, don’t believe it. Maybe give them first crack, but if it starts to stink, call 911 ASAP.
Thank you Mark M. Appel For co sponsoring this. You are always the one who is pro active. While we all complain, you not just talk the talk you walk the walk. You are there for victims and for the cause. You are the only one that I know personally, that whenever you get involved you spend your own money and lots of it. Keep it up buddy.
how about mogen av?
THANK YOU MARK MEYER APPEL!!!
Finally, agudah is willing to do something after being chased after my Beth Kaplan and Mark Appel and the other tzadikkim and tzadikot that are busying themselves in protecting our children.
TIZKU L’MITZVOS!!!
If your child’s camp is not on the list please call them and speak to them about it. You can also ask Beth Kaplan from SACRED Lives to help with educational material.
An issue to stress is that these matters needed to be handled by professionals with the proper training ei. mental health professionals. We have several agencies with mental health professionals who are Torah observant and have gone to school for years to be able to deal with these problems. They will be sensitive to cultural religious issues. No self respecting Rabbi or Askin would want to give advice in a field that they are not qualified in.
Thank you VIN for making the pdf. available to the community.
Well this is great and all – 36 years too late for myself and AT LEAST one other kid in my bunk who underwent some serious trauma while staff would look the other way and pretend nothing was happening. Yep – Camp KRN was a real turning point for messing up my psyche … I hope no other kid ever has to know the shame, guilt confusion, loneliness and darkness that molestation brings about. To that end – I implore that calling the local authorities should be the first step – not the last. No camp director has the legal or forensic knowledge to determine if a crime has been committed, that’s why law enforcement exists. See if you can make use of them.