Brooklyn, NY – DA: Any Yeshivah Found Ostracizing Abuse Victims Will Be Prosecuted By Grand Jury

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    New York – At a press conference yesterday following the guilty verdict on all 60 counts against 54-year-old unlicensed counselor Nechemya Weberman, Brooklyn District Attorney Charles J. Hynes sent a stern warning to those in the Satmar community who attempt to harass, intimidate or otherwise prevent sex abuse victims from coming forward with their allegations to secular authorities, saying he will prosecute anyone who engages in this type of behavior.

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    “If we are able to establish in any case where someone is told if you go to civil authorities, you will suffer consequences like being thrown out of a yeshiva school and not being allowed to go to a camp or taking away your right to marry,” Hynes said. “If any of that is proven beyond a reasonable doubt, you can bet that I’m gonna have a grand jury indict and we’re gonna prosecute to the maximum.”

    Hynes also said he is optimistic that the Executive Committee of the State DA’s Association in New York State will support a mandatory reporting statute requiring clergy members to file a mandated report upon learning of any information about sex crimes involving a child. Currently, only licensed therapists and teachers are mandated reporters in New York State.


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    94 Comments
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    ChareidiMan
    ChareidiMan
    11 years ago

    I think Satmar must take a good look at this and must act upon it. The attitude of myway or the highway is out the window, but even more than that. They must admit that indeed this is a big problem and it must be adressed.

    I think Satmar will be surprised to see that DA Hynes is not our enemy, but our friend and he is looking out for the safety of the children

    Balaboos
    Balaboos
    11 years ago

    Hynes says it the way it is…The days of hurting our children are over. Contrary to what some may say about Hynes being out to “get the Jews”, if it was YOUR son or daughter, you’d think differently too. I challenge you. Bring it on, I’M READY!!!!

    ZSNYC
    ZSNYC
    11 years ago

    What a sick society we live in. Freedom of speech is long gone, now you’re taking away fredom of thinking as well. The constitution fathers are rolling in their graves. Trust me that I’m in full support to prosecute the molestors to the fullest extent. But I can’t stomach the gvm’t telling me how to think. If I don’t think that he/she should go to the DA for whatever reason. I’m nt allowed to tell/advise the victim not to go? For example if I feel its going to hurt them to do a shidduch etc?

    Ben_Kol
    Ben_Kol
    11 years ago

    I hope he succeeds. This is good for every Jewish child.

    11 years ago

    There are some things the DA could not enforce if he wanted to. Check this out. A child reports abuse to a mandated reporter, and this becomes a police report and potential prosecution. The parents of the child who permitted this have several other children. No yeshiva in Brooklyn will accept these other children, amd they will be expelled from wherever they are. Inasmuch as yeshivos are private enterprises, they have the right to determine who attends and who does not. Of course, we are free to judge whether they are morally correct or not, but there is not a legal handle on this. The ostracisizing need not be frank harassment to be painful to the rest of the family. And it is wild to believe that this can be prosecuted. I’m no lawyer, B”H, but it is hard to believe that the courts will see a refusal to admit or continue a talmid in a yeshiva as a crime. The attitude is that there are other yeshivos, and that no one stops the family from patronizing another yeshiva.

    11 years ago

    Long overdue!!!!!!!! A new day is dawning, a better day!!!!!!

    rationalsavta
    rationalsavta
    11 years ago

    IT’S ABOUT TIME!!!

    11 years ago

    Good. You are now warned. It’s just a shame that it takes a secular govt to teach you basic ethics, morals and human decency.

    AviBorders
    AviBorders
    11 years ago

    Parents should take a more proactive role. Pedophiles will always be around. We have four children in the Chasidic system in Boro Park and always encourage them to write diaries about anything they wish which we scan secretly. We also sometimes trail them on the way to and from school, and make sure we know very well if any conversations take place with adults. Should a pedophile get involved, a signal will quickly emerge. One cannot be in denial and ultimately it is the responsibility of the parents to detect any potential problem. Our community unfortunately is in too much denial, too misguided and too miseducated to prevent pedophiles or provide help.

    11 years ago

    How horrible to think that a jew might harass someone else who pursued justice rightfully. How horrible for any of our children to learn and any of our adults or anyone else to experience. This hive mentality has to STOP.

    notyourbusiness
    notyourbusiness
    11 years ago

    Your’e all secular minded self hating people. Yes, there is some kind of problem, but it is not and it never was so bad. It’s the press that loves to controversial stories and blow it up especially Jews and specificly on Chassidic jews, and you self hating people are hungry to buy hatred buy everything the press says. Shame on you all. B”H I’m proud to be chassidish, and it’s a fact that the problem here isn’t any worse than other places. In fact that we Jewish people frum people are the most educated to stay away from anything and everything that has to do with these kind of shmitz. It is very hard to swallow for the secular world how nice and modest the frum jews are dressed and behave.
    Now for all of you self-haters, I know that inside you, you are not happy with the way you look. So instead of looking with magnifier glass to find bad on people who are generaly mor frum than you, either be happy with the way you chose and let other people be better or try to improve yourself.

    Mark Levin
    Mark Levin
    11 years ago

    While in no way would I ever condone such behavior, the DA is strutting like a peacock now because of his latest conviction but truth be told he has no power over schools in such a manner.

    11 years ago

    They just indicted a non Satmar principal last week , This has nothing to do with Satmar, Also its a shame the the DA and the justice system is based on sick mentally ill people’s testimony like N…….and others . in the community these people are considered really abnormal or retarded ,The DA wanted to make a point and teach a lesson , But they don’t understand how the Chasidic community is structured , Any sick head could come in and accuse you of a crime and as long you look somewhat chassidish your story is accepted and especially if he calls himself a rabbi ,
    Very sad ,this was a total failure to the justice system, A case without evidence to put away someone for life is a shame, There’s no other enforcement in our community on a daily basis, Cars and homes being broken into, People being robbed   Knife and gun point, When you call these so called police they always give you a argument that they haven;t really seen him commit the crime so we gotta let him go, But in this case “He said, She said ” is evidence enough to put away a person for life, I think we need a new justice system ,

    thegreatone
    thegreatone
    11 years ago

    To all who say this is a new day you should also know that you cant know where this will lead us and whats next for the orthodox Jews.
    Since when has it become that we yidden are willing to throw away the keys and throw other yidden in jail? Yes,molesting a child is a hanis crime but as yidden are we allowed to inform? I know its hard to understand what saying but we have a torah and we cant just act on emotions “oh he molested someone throw him in jail” who gives a heter for this?Yes,Mesira is still one of the biggest sin.

    You can’t just take a pesak written by a godal and apply it on each case.Sensitive matters like this must be asked on a case by case basis.
    I just cant believe that frum yidden are happy that Weberman is going to prison for a very long time even if he did what he did.

    My question and comment is ONLY for frum observant Jews

    from-here_to-there
    from-here_to-there
    11 years ago

    Mr. Hynes, Don’t forget to tell it to the church also…

    enlightened-yid
    enlightened-yid
    11 years ago

    If you think about it from a different perspective, these communities that will not allow victims into their yeshivos will actually do them a huge favor and save their lives. These kids can end up in better run schools or join programs like Footsteps that literally change fate of frum/chassidic people who otherwise would be reliant on food-stamps because education is not what those yeshivos provide anyway.

    11 years ago

    There is either alot of sarcasm being posted on this thread or alot of pedophiles are posting in this thread.
    i cannot believe that any human being justified a rapist being not prosecuted because he is jewish. What a sick misinterpretation of the halochos of mesira.

    Butterfly
    Butterfly
    11 years ago

    To #21 Would you be able to sleep at night knowing that somebody is molesting your children? Mesira is a big question but there comes a time when you have to ask your heart — if you have one– should I or shouldn’t I?? These are innocent children!! They could be mine!! How do I protect them?? Do we let these animals get away with this because these kids are left traumatized for years and sometimes for the rest of their lives!! Do you moser or not? Do you ask your rav? Do you do the RIGHT thing or do you leave the kinder with the monster?? Pretend it is your seven year old boy or eight year old girl? I leave it to you!!

    basmelech
    basmelech
    11 years ago

    The problem is, how can it be determined that the abuse really took place,if no one else witnessed it? Maybe the victim is lying and has some agenda against the abuser. Maybe someone innocent is going to jail unjustly. I think just as doctors have to have a nurse or someone present they examine a patient for their own protection, there ought to be someone either in the room or behind a one way mirror, or a camera monitoring the room whenever a counselor has a session with another person. I know that confidentiality will be somewhat compromised, but, it’s for everyone’s benefit.

    11 years ago

    Reply to #38
    I hear your point and its a valid point, The issue here is.” who’s accusing whom”,Unfortunately i’m somewhat familiar with the party’s here , No relation or any family to neither of’m, I just happen to live in this community and i know them both ,Her credibility is not sufficient for such a harsh punishment especially when there was so many inconsistency’s. I’m fully for that if someone indeed molests a innocent child to deal with it and its probably not even called “Mesirah” the case here is not a innocent child at all that’s the point ,you’re probably a good Jew from somewhere in the 5 borough’s , Would you have known the “Party’s ” Involved , you would’ve totally agreed with me,

    thegreatone
    thegreatone
    11 years ago

    #31 #34 When a judge gives instructions to a jury they are being told that here we have a victim (dead person or living victim) and here we have the defendant who’s life is at stake and may face severe prison terms.
    Point,you cant just open up the schulcan orech and say it says so and so, about such a sensitive matter.Something like this you must ask a very respected competent dayan/rav on a case by case basis.They must hear from the accused his side.We live by the torah and not by emotions.
    To think that what i am saying means that i stick up for molesters shows how easy it became for us to send away a yid in prison.I would rather beat the heck on a child molester than to send him in prison.

    yidelle
    yidelle
    11 years ago

    I think we should just give over the chinuch of our Children to the people who run this compain tru the media (formely abused) and the comentators of this stories. “down with all the robonim”

    bkjew
    bkjew
    11 years ago

    please dont take me the wrong way what i am going to write here !!!!!!!!!! all you bashers make it sound that the molestation is only going on in satmar ! i dont know if you realized last week a princable from a flatbush school got charrged with abusing 3 boys and noone talked about it(post had a small artticale becuase that guy doesnt have a big beard and curles ) sexual abuse happens everywhere and anybody that does ist should rot in jail but my problem is thta the DAS office and everyone is blowing it up9bigger from when the blew up the church sex scandles )because its good publicity and they sell lots of posts! guilty onb all 60counts????? that almost never happens in court(unless your a jew 1 so all you bashers sit down a think for a moment whats wrong here ! its not that hes gonna get prison its that the rest of the other pedophiles are not getting prison because the DAS oofice doesnt get publicity with it THEY ARE USING ALL THE YIDDISH CASES TO BE ABLE TO BE IN THE NEWS AND A YEAR FROM NOW CHARLES HYNES WILL RUN FOR OOFFICE FOR SOMETHING OR RETIRE AND BE REMEMBERED THAT HE WAS THE BEST DA so we are all being used

    11 years ago

    Quite a few people here sound like they’ve been very jealous of Satmar all their lives. You must be so so happy that u can finally “GIVE IT TO THEM”.
    Just be aware that the media and world in general associate u with Satmar. To them a Jew is a Jew no matter where u belong.
    So hold ur horses!!!

    bracha18
    bracha18
    11 years ago

    Baruch HaShem.
    I grew up in a chassidishe community- not satmar- but once my family voiced their difference of opinion regarding the chassidus….we had eggs thrown on our windows, fire trucks sent to our house, schools called “not to accept us children” (did they want us to go to public school?) shidduchim ruined..physical attacks, someone even threatened to kill us…and even tried! (at least tried to hurt us..they succeeded…).gossip at every step we took…..to this day- so many years later- the Rebbe’s children and grandchildren walk around as if they own the world…in the meantime- every neighbor that got involved in the machlokes has since begged for forgiveness as many suffered tzaros….as did we…machlokes burns everyone- even innocent bystanders.
    but the intimidation techniques is horrendous….oh and now that im exposed to the modern orthodox world- its the same thing…albeit different techniques…no egg throwing, but blackmailing, ostrasizing…gossip to no end…every society has major flaws….but as “the chosen nation”…”a light unto the nations” we must act better – at the very minimum- act in accordance to the laws of the country, Torah and morality.

    missyid
    missyid
    11 years ago

    A baal gaiva such as you (thegreatone) would think that wouldn’t you? I am shomrei Torah umitzvos and highly educated. My father is a belzer chasid but mostly besides being raised Frum with chasidish minhagim, we were raised to be menchlich.