Seattle, WA – A Jewish child safety book geared for Orthodox Jews published two years ago has been credited for playing a part in the arrest of a Seattle day school teacher who has been charged with molesting at least two young girls.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
According to reports on Seattle’s Q13Fox, prosecutors have said that it was an Artscroll book, developed by the Karasick Child Safety Initiative of Project Y.E.S that prompted the two six year old girls to come forward.
Neither the Seattle Prosecuting Attorney’s Office nor the Seattle Police Department responded to requests from VIN News for comment.
As previously reported on VIN News, (http://www.vinnews.com/130730) the Seattle teacher was arrested on May 3rd, charged with four counts of first degree child molestation and was released after posting $100,000 in bail.
Mrs. Linda Karasick, who along with her husband Mark underwrote the Child Safety Initiative, expressed mixed emotions upon hearing that the Project Y.E.S. book, Let’s Stay Safe, was instrumental in bringing these alleged incidents of abuse to a halt.
“It is bittersweet that there has to be such a book and that it has to be used, but it is so good that little kids, first and second graders are taking these lessons to heart,” Mrs. Karasick told VIN News. “Parents want to let their kids live in that perfect world and you want to teach your children to trust adults, particularly family members, but there is a fine line and children of all ages need to know that if something doesn’t feel right, you have to speak up.”
Let’s Stay Safe is a thirty-two page child safety book, written by Bracha Goetz, illustrated by Tova Leff and endorsed by Torah Umesorah and Agudath Israel of America. The book, whose release was featured on both VIN News and The NY Daily News, uses child-friendly wording and pictures to discuss the issues of personal, bicycle and fire safety as well as dealing with strangers, crossing the street and safety in the home.
“We have heard from numerous people who told us that the book has saved their children,” said Rabbi Yakov Horowitz, founder and director of Project Y.E.S. “Hearing a story like this validates all the work that we have put into this project. This proves that a critical component in the effort to stop child abuse is to educate each and every one of our kids.”
According to Rabbi Horowitz, their goal is to get a copy of Let’s Stay Safe into every Jewish home. A Yiddish version of the book is near completion and they have received many requests for a Hebrew edition as well.
Project YES also has an initiative to get a copy of the book into the preschool libraries of Jewish Day Schools. “Thanks to the generosity of an anonymous donor, we distributed the book free of charge to over 300 schools at the past two Torah Umesorah Conventions, and just today a donor offered to sponsor the cost of another 200 books dedicated to the preschool libraries of schools that have not yet participated,” announced Rabbi Horowitz.
Over 20,000 copies of Lets Stay Safe have been sold since its release in July of 2011.
Online:
Amazon here
Artscroll: here
Thank You Rabbi Horowitz!
Keep up the great work in saving Yiddish neshomos on so many levels.
This is a very good book – we read it to our nursery school age child, but our older kids (8-10) also like the book as well. It is beyond words that we need this book, but we do, and B”H, these little girls spoke up and can now get the help they will need.
Kol hakavod Yanky!
Your hard and tireless work on this subject is yielding amazing results.
Chazak V’emutz!
Posters #5 and 11 on the Kolko story from today can now come hear and accuse the authors of the book for assisting in mesirah.
Author Bracha Goetz, as her name implies, is a Bracha (blessing) to Jewish communities, parents, teachers, and therapists everywhere. She is a pioneer in addressing the challenging subject of child abuse in a sensitive, eidel and modest way. Like a ray of sunshine, her gentle efforts penetrate many clouds of confusion about this topic. She is motivated only by the search for truth, personal integrity and deep caring for our children. Her work in exposing and fighting molestation and coverups faced a lot of opposition from the “establishment” who unfortunately do not always have the purest of motives. With Hashem’s help, her work is slowly beginning to have a greater and greater positive impact. May she go from Chayil to Chayil as more and more of our holy children grow up in a safer and holier community thanks to her efforts.
A book that saves kids from abusers has sold only 20,000 copies in two years? More frum educators, parents and leaders should be embracing this specific book geared towards their communities. I’m afraid some robbonim will concoct a reason to ban this book now in their community out of fear that more children will start outing their abusers which won’t “look good” for the community.
out hearts go out to the many victims and families for whom it is too late.
run the presses 24/6 get that book out there.
Thanks once again Rabbi Horowitz for doing what is right and not necessarily popular. you da man!
Although we are yiddish and english speakers here I’m waiting for the yiddish version. I have had long talks with my children in the meantime.