Williamsburg, NY – A second former student of Rabbi A ….. alleged Tuesday that the Satmar yeshiva teacher sexually molested him as a child, State Assemblyman Dov Hikind reportes.
Subscribe to our Daily Roundup Email
But, reflecting an endemic problem known well by law enforcement authorities, Hikind said that despite his entreaties, the alleged victim and his family refuse to report the case to the police.
“Just an hour ago, I had a man here I know, who shocked me and told me that this same person molested his son,” Hikind said, referring to Rabbi …… “I told him, come on, let’s go [to the authorities].” But, Hikind added, “He absolutely will not do anything.”
The father, “a chasidish guy from Williamsburg,” told Hikind that his son, is now “looking to get engaged” — a goal certain “to be imperiled due to the stigma of being a victim and the communal apathy toward “informing” to the secular authorities, were he to go public with his charges.
Hikind reported that the former student is now “18 or 19,” which means Rabbi ….. alleged acts remain within the statue of limitations for criminal prosecution. The father told Hikind that when his son was in elementary school, Rabbi ….. had regularly touched him in “inappropriate places.”
“The guy was giving me all the encouragement in the world,” Hikind reported, referring to the politician’s recent push against what he believes is a serious pedophilia problem in Orthodox Brooklyn.
“He was cursing [Rabbi …….] furiously. He’s telling me, you gotta do, you’ve gotta do. But I couldn’t get him to move to first base. This is an example of why we’re having such difficulties.”
The development was but the latest in a recent rash of rabbinic sexual molestation allegations in Brooklyn’s Orthodox neighborhoods. Last month, Joel Engelman, now 23, filed suit against Rabbi ……. the Satmar bungalow colony where he worked and the school that employs him, United Talmudical Academy, in connection with sexual molestation he says he suffered at Rabbi ……. hands at age 8.
But because Engelman’s age puts the alleged acts beyond the statute of limitations for criminal prosecution or civil suit, Engelman’s lawyer is seeking entrée to the court with a novel legal theory , the success of which is uncertain.
A secretary for an administrator at United Talmudical Academy said Wednesday the school’s “administration has said we will not give any information on this case.”
Many say that the few cases in which people have come forward — often as adults — constitute just the tip of an iceberg, and that the communal leadership in Brooklyn Orthodox communities are in denial about their situation.
Hikind, who has made the issue a personal crusade over the last couple of months, says he has assembled a dossier of “hundreds” of cases. With the help of a community task force he is now seeking to form, he plans to assemble a registry of alleged abusers based on alleged victims whose charges the panel finds credible. He has threatened to broadcast the alleged abusers’ names if rabbinic leaders do not then act to keep them out of community schools.
Michael Dowd, an attorney prominent in this area of law, said Hiknd’s plan would increase the legal liability of school administrators and community rabbinic leaders by robbing them of the excuse of ignorance if the alleged abusers molest again.
But Hikind’s own legal position once he has assembled his information could be problematic, he said.
“As an assemblyman, if [Hikind] learns of crimes that are presently prosecutable, what would compel him not to disclose this to the DA?,” he asked.
Dowd, who is representing the plaintiffs suing Torah Temimah and Rabbi Margulies, said Orthodox communities may believe they have the right to resolve such issues internally. But “in a pluralistic state — and by that I mean both New York and the United States — we don’t get to excuse illegal conduct because of our religion.”
Hikind affirmed the legitimacy of this question. He said he has scheduled a meeting for next week to determine just how his task force will deal with this issue. “It’s an unbelievable responsibility that rests on us,” Hikind said, referring to the information he has now amassed.
Meanwhile, Dr. Benzion Twerski, who had been tapped to head Hikind’s Task Force but abruptly resigned from it last week, despite declarations by both men of a shared vision for the community task force, Twerski appeared to significantly differ from Hikind in some respects on this point.
Hikind, for example, appears determined to broadcast the names of alleged child molesters if communal leaders do not act. And he consistently urges individuals who have been molested to go immediately to secular law enforcement authorities with their accounts.
Twerski told The Jewish Week, “There’s got to be something that takes the appropriate level of caution. The ones that should get reported should, and very few people say differently. But the question is how to go about doing that so you don’t put the wrong guy there.”
He believes allegations need to first be verified within the community, though by who is unclear. He conceded that the police have the best expertise to investigate such allegations but seemed to favor a system in which “an independent panel, with poskim [experts on religious law] and professionals on it, completely external to the school” would look into matters first.
Twerski said it might also be possible for the school in question to carry out the investigation but noted, “You can’t leave it completely internal because that creates an easy opportunity to cover it all up.”
Whatever the ultimate makeup of the initial inquiry panel, it appeared implicit in Twerski’s vision that the initiative on how to handle such an allegation would be communal — and lay specifically with communal leaders— rather than with the individual alleged victim.
“We do have to have a system that allows the right thing to be done,” he said. “The people who have to get reported will. There’s going to be people that the community accepts widely as the ones that say, we authorize going to court.”
The system has “been misused in the past,” Twerski acknowledged. “[But] I believe it’s been misused because of a tremendous lack of knowledge. I think people simply don’t know, there are rabbis who don’t know. There’s a lot of education that needs to go on.”
“The lack of knowledge is staggering and very bothersome,” he said. “It’s evolution not a revolution. It’s not going to happen that fast. The tendency is that the community responds with fear to drastic moves.”
Why would someone trust Hikind so much.
i think that we need nuchem rozenberg back urgent
this is the problem: no one wants to give these stories over to the authorities!! why are they so worried about shidduchim?? i wouldnt wanna do a shidduch with someone who rejects me because i did the right thing and handed over these criminals to the police!!! wake up people!! those who reject u because of this are molesters themselves!! do u really want such mechutunim?!?!?
Frumyid Says:
Why would someone trust Hikind so much.
09-17-2008 – 4:50 PM
hey Frumyid,
why don’t you send your son to Satmar Yeshiva!
Yomtee, you are 100% correct. However, Nuchem has completed his mission once he aroused the attention of the people who WILL do something about it. He would never ne able to do what is gonna be done now.
Remember guys. Credit goes to R’ Nuchem Rosenbers.
ostrich
detective
Are you kidding this is very obviously an epidemic.
This is a very serious issue and should not be trusted in the hands of politicians who have proven themselves over and over again not to be honost people, no matter yiddish or goiyish, they are all the same, everything they do is only for votes.
All serious community leaders should get together and put together a panel of Talmidei Chachomim and Yiray Shomayim who should investigate every elegation and render their Pesak, and if the perp does not listen to the Pesak, they should then deside Al Pee Halacha if it’s alowed to be reported, and if it is, it should be reported.
Has the father reported it to school when incident happened? There is no justification for not contacting the school.
And someone has to wonder this story is in the headlines already for months… and we only have 2 people out of thousands that have been under rabbi…claim that he touched him in “inappropriate places… (a description that can mean something very serious and something that could be just mean hugging a child that needed chizik..)
Again my suggestion don’t jump to any conclusions.
again the same music over and over again always put down the victim Dov you are a Hero and again this same think we have to get rabnnim in would calll the rabbinm when you have a robbery why not you know why not because you call the experst in that field a guy who molested children is a crminal you dont need rabbbnim here if somebody would beat up your child but badly almsot to dead would you call a rav or you woud go to th epolice and besides the point that i really belive once the rabbnim will know whats going once somebody will present them the facts and the suffering of victims and how mnay victims they will call for worst action then Dov Hiknind
I think that these should keep their children home and have home schooling
Think Calm,
……claim that he touched him in “inappropriate places… (a description that can mean something very serious and something that could be just mean hugging a child that needed chizik..)
You remind me of that Social Worker Stauber that excused Rabbi R. that he ‘only’ touched him while the child was fully clothed.
Give me a break!
This a huge Epidemic they should work on this day and night rather then Telbanic Activity like concerts.I bet no one on this board can disagree.
in this case we should ignore psak and send these predators straight to jail……too much cover-ups are occuring in these cases
Hi anonymous,
Again dont jump to any conclusions, you dont know all the facts..
STOP STOP we have to stop allof this yeshiva teacher sexually molested stop ur one big “chazer”…
“that’s why we are having this problem” because the parents and victims won’t go to police.
Maybe Dov you should consider offering a 20,000 reward or more for information leading to the arrest and conviction of Rabbi Reichman who is molesting our kids. Why is that something you do only for Goyim who molest and rape? Is there a subtle message that goyim can’t molest our kids, only we can? Or are you afraid that we have so many molesters in the yeshivas that the reward money will bankrupt the state?
does Reichman have any family or close friends who are powerful players in Satmar causing him to be protected????
Dear VIN,
The rabbi all of a sudden doesn’t have a name? Didn’t Simon Jacobson make it clear that its a mitzvah to publicize it? Are you afraid of getting sued? Has anyone EVER sued an internet site successfuly? And even if you are sued, this is Pikuach Nefesh! You must warn everyone to keep their kids away from Reichman! Even if he is innocent, which we all know is not true, but let him go to another job not with kids just in case. Misafek Pikuach Nefesh!
I really doubt he would sue, because he doesn’t want to have to prove its false. All you are doing is quoting Dov with his allegations. Why can’t you do the ethical Mitvah of Lo Saamod Al Dam Reyecha? You tell Dov, “We’re watching you, like you are bigshots. Well VIN, we are watching you, and you are still too afraid to name the molesters who we need to know about. Kolko, Reichman, Mondrowitz, Tendler, Eiseman.
Why does Dr. Twerski say the community responds with fear to change it perceives as drastic, as if that’s a bad thing?
We NEED drastic change and the community needs to be afraid. Very afraid. The molesters need to be afraid of going to jail, the rabbis who protect them need to be very afraid of being exposed, our leaders need to be afraid that they have to answer for the mess they created, and parents need to be very, very afraid that if things don’t change soon, DRASTICALLY, then there is a good chance that their kids will be molested some time before the age of 18.
Dr. Twerski, not everyone responds to fear by running away. Some will be motivated to solve the problem. And what heter do you have to say that we don’t need to go to the police, when there are many prominent rabbis like Rav Hershel Shachter who have already ruled that if someone knows about abuse they MUST go to the police? Is there any rabbi you know of who would publicly say differently? Maybe the rabbi from Israel who said that if there is no penetration there is no abuse?
I think we should have some sort of an OREI MICKOLT were we can put all the molesters there and keep them out of our school
the least the schools should do is install cameras and maybe that would avert the perv.
koodowes to r’ nuchem… unveiling the truth behind those chazeirim
Hey guys, all those Reichman apologists must be hiding in their crypts, as there’s another one in Hikind’s office.
Never give up. Yesterday Reichman wasn’t guilty, because he is a big yerai shumayim and there was only one Yoily. Now he’s not guilty because it’s ONLY two Yoilys. Tomorrow he won’t be guilty because it’s ONLY three Yoilys.
Why don’t all you Yoilys wake up and smell the coffee?
You’re shocked that only two people came forward? The fact is only one person came forward thus far while the other is still afraid to do the right thing. Yes, he spoke to Hikind but he wouldn’t allow Dov to go to authorities. I’m not blaming him and do understand why he doesn’t want to. Do you really not understand why more don’t come forward? Have you ever tried doing a shidduch in this community. Ever heard of the word stigma? Personally, I believe everyone should report straight to the police and cutout the politicians or the schools which in most cases have reason to cover up, be it to protect their name or their employees (so called sheine yiden). Do you really trust your rabbi or posek who’s willing to put his agenda before your sons welfare? I wouldn’t!
again a oifgebluzene egg leave alone old molesters from 20 yrs ago if the real chachomim like r/dov and nuchem rosenberg know names let them annouce it now not wait 20 yrs to go to authorities it just looks 2me that Dov is just making a shtink with nothing
anonymous Says:
comments – arrow this is the problem: no one wants to give these stories over to the authorities!! why are they so worried about shidduchim?? i wouldnt wanna do a shidduch with someone who rejects me because i did the right thing and handed over these criminals to the police!!! wake up people!! those who reject u because of this are molesters themselves!! do u really want such mechutunim?!?!?
____________________________________________
you hit on a very important point that many people seem to ignore. We see many times the victims say I do not want to report it because it will ruin a shiduch. It seems that is more of a concern to many than whether robanum think one should or not should go to the police. from a few recent cases event is seems to be true. You do not hear guys say “I would go to the police but the rabbie said no, only if the rabbi said it is ok I would file a report today,” It seems even if robanum said you can go, people won’t because of ruining a shhiduch.
Unfortunately, I feel that is true. it is not that reported it to the police that is the problem. It is thought to be flek, or serious negative on the bocher or girl (even more hidden) who was molested, like something is wrong with them.
The above attitude must be addressed and maybe
somehow convince the masses that there is nothing wrong if one was molested. And should not effect a shiduch.
Imagine the pain, someone gets molested, no one believes him or her, and even if people believe him and encourage him or her to go to the police with the robonum blessing he knows he can’t because years latter people will say, I do not want to do a shiduch with him he was molested.
it is not only the rebbis that have to do something, the whole culture about this issue has to change.
anonymous said
You’re shocked that only two people came forward? The fact is only one person came forward thus far while the other is still afraid to do the right thing. Yes, he spoke to Hikind but he wouldn’t allow Dov to go to authorities.
you are Absolutely right, but why cant the post their stories on “vus iz nias” what happened to them, and what year, have they talked to school, what was there response?
In today’s world of blogs THERE IS NO EXCUSE FOR SOMEONE NOT TO POST THEIR STORY ETC ANONYMOUSLY. Instead of judging people we don’t know without having the facts, lets encourage victims to post their stories with details anonymously so we can try to prevent it in the future.
good. let the heimishe taliban fry for their crimes against the klal
oh gevald
ofcourse they are afraid to come forward because of shiduchim, because the fact remains that if someone is molested unfortunately they are scarred for life. They might have problems dealing with marriage in general and are afraid if it is known that they were molested they will not be able to get married. Why is it so hard for people to understand the problem? In other words they are “damned if they come forward and damned if they dont come forward!” Those who were molested really have to go thru “therapy” in order to deal with their horrific ordeal and ofcourse once again there is a stigma of receiving therapy because someone “might find out>” So we must break this vicious cycle no matter what!
I personally think that 99.9% of these stories are bogus. People are out to get the mechanchim because they were either patched a little too hard or they just want to get even. Its amazing to me that people are jumping to conclusions and believing made up nonsense by a bunch of phonies versus the ethical mechanchim. Shame on all you rabble rousers that have no regard for your own religion and will publicly shun a fellow yid based on mere accusations without weighing any evidense.
I agree with twerski the reason we need internal investigation first is sometimes an innocent hug or a minor touh although unapropriate could ruin somebodies life,police will investigate and decide to let him free his life ruined abd still a teacher.however an internal investigation an get him to leave ”all” yidishe schools and save face
Dear fellow yid, they have a Lie detector test.
To Yomtee.
Nuchem Rosenberg is back you just not with a hot line he is working on the inside. believe me thats a better system.
lock up the molesters out of mercy towards them. they can’t help themselves, have mercy and stop them from hurting others and themselves by reporting the crime.
How can any ehrlicher yid even think of going public with names, without a heter from a real daas Torah?
Is this how low we have sunk?
RABBI TWERSKY GET YOUR PISTOL LISCENCE AND DON’T LET THESE PEOPLE INTIMIDATED YOU!
SEND THESE SICK RABBONIM TO SAUDI ARABIA! THEY ARE NOT TO BE DELT WITH HALOCHA. DO YOU KNOW WHAT THEY DO TO PEOPLE LIKE THIS IN SOUTH AMERICA?
Kudos to Dov Hikind. At least we have someone in our hood who isnt afraid to speak up! Let all those molestor move into one apartment and they should molest each other!!!!!!!
a chutzpeh and a azes from all accusers to write a name ….. without any birur… not even talking the torah way !! but even by the secular (goiyim ).le’havdil.they won’t say a name he’ll. be called ALLEDGED shame on us without even hearing the other side….. everybody jumps to conclusion …….put him to jail…..kill him…. etc WHY ???? is this DERECH HATORAH
1) Anonymous Says:
How can any ehrlicher yid even think of going public with names, without a heter from a real daas Torah?
Is this how low we have sunk?
09-17-2008 – 9:58 PM
2) EMES Says:
a chutzpeh and a azes from all accusers to write a name ….. without any birur… not even talking the torah way !! but even by the secular (goiyim ).le’havdil.they won’t say a name he’ll. be called ALLEDGED shame on us without even hearing the other side….. everybody jumps to conclusion …….put him to jail…..kill him…. etc WHY ???? is this DERECH HATORAH
09-17-2008 – 10:46 PM
Two more idiots. Do you know what happens when you go to get ‘daas toirah’ about yeshiva rabbaim caught with thier hands in your kid’s pants?
ZERO
You won’t believe how quickly they can stick thier heads back in the sand. One big ‘daas toirah’ had the chutzpah to claim publicly that the roshai yeshiva take care of these things privately and the situation is under control.
I don’t know which possibility is worse: That Mr. Daas Toirah (sorry, RAbbi Daas Toirah) is a bold faced liar or that he actually believes his own foolish claim.
I say Forget About the Dr`s , Dov Hikind, Nucham Rosenburg or any Askin that wants to try and help this Matter….
Take the Law in your own Hands Do Whatever it takes that This Person will Never be able to Do it Again….
And Deal with the Law Afterwards….
Lock & Load
suddenly you need daas torah to expose an abuser?
would say that if it was your child who was abused?
what about all the other petty crimes that peopel have no problems exposing the perps
?
Anonymous Says:
suddenly you need daas torah to expose an abuser?
I wonder if the same applies to abusing an exposer.
nah you dont need daas torah to approve its totally muttar to antagonize and threaten and abuse twerskis kids and family
A lot of people have to ask Joel for mechilah. How many of you blamed his problems on his parents, his friends, etc. You now see clearly that the aveirah of molesting is rezicha (From Joel). I guess all of you should stop judging people from how they dress. Because tons of people on this blog were saying the Rebbe/menahel is a big yiras shomayim and Joel is an oisvorf.
Look in the Bais Halevy in Parshas Vayigash on the din l’ossid luvo.
Also, if Dr. Twersky is afraid to do anything because of the malshinim, how could you blame a normal victim from not coming foward. You know they will crucify him. The victim has nothing to gain and everything to lose by coming forward. Rabbosai, we have created this mess by focusing on the toful and all the chumrahs in Yidishkeit and abandoning the Ikkur. It’s Elul -Time to do Teshuvah and focus on the important things in life. Forget all the chumrahs and start keeping the Ten Commandments!
by saying 2 more iditos and similar foul languge etc. …. does’nt make your case !!!! YOU CAN’T INDIET A PERSON only by some one saying he did it !!!! HALUCHE !!!! if somebody comes out from room with bloody clothes & knife & you afterwards a dead body in this room &no one saw him killing this person WELL you CAN NOT do him anything with out investigation and proof beyond any doubt so the same here
anyone that can stick up for these sick people (they dont deserve to be called rebbeim) must be a molester himself nobody in their right mind would give them the benifit of the doubt
I’m willing to give my time for dov’s campaighn if indeed he wants the publics help.
you can reach me thru the editor I give them permission to put you in touch with me.
to some ruv . but he needs to be more open so people should KNOW that he is STILL working for us
Some of the discussion in the comments is responsible, but I want to add one point that some seem to not realize.
The symptoms of trauma from molestation may not appear for considerable time. That means that someone who was CH”V molested may manage to function well, and not display any of the typical symptoms of trauma. But at a later time they will appear. That is true for other types of trauma. This was a reason that the Federal funding that was arranged to help victims of 9-11 was available for quite some time, not just the first few years. The individual reporting the molestation 15 or 20 years later may be finally disclosing symptoms he has struggled with for all these years, or the symptoms may have appeared more recently. Regardless, to dismiss a complaint because it was so many years ago is foolish. Such a complaint needs to be handled the same as one that is more recent.