Brooklyn, NY – Charles J. Hynes is the District Attorney for Brooklyn, New York. Mr. Hynes sat this week for an exclusive interview with Rabbi Yair Hoffman for VIN News new program Velt News and Views, to address areas of concern to the Jewish community.
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Among the areas covered in the interview are the new Kol Tzedek program launched by the District Attorney’s office to address the molestation issues that have been in the headlines reently. Mr. Hynes is taking the issue of molestation seriously, and at the same time is assuring the Jewish community that the issue has been overblown in the media.
Mr. Hynes explained that Kol Tzedek is program launched by the DA’s office, and is a result of a solid relationship he has with various people in the Frum Community that he has cultivated for the past
nineteen years. He is working with Ohel and Met Council on these issues. He also explained that the Brooklyn DA’s office is planning further programming that will “ease the pain of victims of this horrible crime.”
The interview is thirty minutes in length and is unedited.
Regarding the issue of deceptive missionary posters on city property Mr. Hynes explained that while there are first amendment rights of freedom of speech – it is an administrative crime which he described as “gornisht but gornisht.” He did advise people to call 311, however, to complain.
He also addressed the recently dropped narcotics cases in the police department narcotics unit in Brooklyn. He felt that it was important to send a message that we will not tolerate abuse of
citizens rights. When asked whether it sends a message that we are not so tough on crime, Mr. Hynes referred VINNEWS to some people in Attica State Prison to ask them if he was soft on crime.
Mr. Hynes’ specialty, it seems, is not to tolerate corruption in any form. He has put away judges who abuse the system and others who work it in immoral ways.
His staff described what a wonderful person he is to work for, but it is clear from his record that he is a no-nonsense type of person when it comes to fighting crime, corruption, and the abuse of the privacy laws.
Mr. Hynes further discussed concerns for terrorism in light of the Bronx incident, police corruption, and prosecutorial abuse as well. Mr Hynes discusses his novel and also his support and relations with the State of Israel. In the past he has visited Israel and wishes to do so again, planning a trip with the JCRC.
Mr. Hynes is up for re-election this year and his support and assistance to the issues that the Brooklyn Jewish community face has been welcomed by a broad spectrum of the religious Jewish community.
IT’S NOT OVERBLOWN, JUST UNEXPECTED. ALLOW ME TO EXPLAIN, AS JEWS WE ARE EXPECTED TO BE OF A HIGHER MORAL CHARACHTER THAN EVERYONE ELSE, HASHEM REQUIRES THIS OF US. AS A WHOLE MOST JEWS ARE MORE REFINED AND BEHAVE PROPERLY. SUCH DISGUSTING BEHAVIOR IS THE EXACT OPPOSITE OF WHAT WE (AND THE WORLD) EXPECT OF US. SO ANY SUCH BEHAVIOR STICKS OUT. FOR EXAMPLE DO YOU EVER HEAR SOMEONE SAY “I JUST HEARD THAT PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILD CURSE, HOW SHOCKING” ? NO YOU DON’T!, BECAUSE YOU DO NOT EXPECT BETTER!!! WE EXPECT BETTER OF JEWS ! SO ITS THE SHOCK FACTOR THAT CAUSES THE WIDESPREAD NEWS!
hynes and his staff has covered up for years whats happned here with children
and he has been a failure when it comes to trying molesters ( look at kolko )
lets stop pandering and if and when the markey bills pass we will see what he describes as a gornisht but gornisht becomes mount everest
Let’s count down the seconds until all of the so-called “advocates” start coming out of the woodwork saying this guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.
Well guess what. I’m a former victim (I hate to use the word “survivor”, that should be reserved for those went through the Nazi hell), and I agree 100% that people are making a much bigger deal out of it than it should be. I follow my Rosh Yeshiva and his colleagues, who have a very good handle on this, thank you very much.
Yes, I’m sure Hashem wants molestation in our communities stamped out for good. I’m also sure that making a massive Chillul Hashem is NOT preferable to Him.
it is overblown in that it certainly doesn’t happen any more by us than it does by others; but that is no reason to pat ourselves on the back, because it doesn’t happen any less either.
Mr. D.A. – If the problem is overblown why did you create a special hotline for victims in the Orthodox community? Didn’t that just fuel the ‘overblowing’ of the problem??
I am known to some of you I do not believe that the orthodox community has any higher percentage of molesters then any other group, the only issue you have is that for years the leadership did not understand what molestation and pedophilia is, as oppose other actions, but from what I see reported in VIN the last year I can see slowly but surely the willingness to deal with this issue is taking hold. It might surprise some of you I always and still believe that the first time it comes to light, the community needs to deal with the offender quietly, (as I had proposed in my case), however if we deal with a repeat offender you must report this to the police.
Let’s not forget that Hynes is a politician.
IF I CAN ONLY STRESS IT ENOUGH, FOR PEOPLE WHO DON’T KNOW, ITS OVERBLOWN, I KNOW 22 CASES THAT CHARLES HYNES DOESENT KNOW, SO WHAT THE HELL IS HE TALKING ABOUT?????? ITS UNDERESTIMATED!!!!!!!
THIS FROM SOMEONE WHO KNOWS
How does anybody know for sure how bad the situation is? How does anybody know how many sexual abuse victims there are today in the Orthodox community? We do know that most cases go unreported and that hardly any Orthodox child molesters ever do any prison time. The only thing we can conclude is that a child molester in our community has it a lot better than in most other communities. He is free to molest children at will without any fear of being reported. So no matter what the “numbers” or percentages really are, the thing that needs to be addressed is that there is nothing to deter these predators from attacking our children. That in itself is a tragedy, before we start counting up the victims.
Everyone should listen this interview. Hynes is a straightfoward professional who panders to no one. Personally, he’s a religious mass going Catholic, which I believe gives him a better understanding of our values. Long a friend of our community, he has a number of frum Yiddin in high positions in his office. I know 2 former members of his staff who got in serious trouble and were dismissed, but they both agree that he got personally involved and treated them fairly. I’ve dealt with him and his staff on issues over the past 10-15 years and hold him in the highest regard. If all of our elected officials were of such high moral character our City and State would be much different.
#1 , you have CAPS? I also do.
MR HYNES IS RIGHT!
The problem definitely exists, but its being unproportionally overblown and exaggerated by some activists for their own personal reasons.
Okay, do this guy have an agenda or no? If the blame is on his shoulders then his wards is null zero!!
problem is problem, there are all kinds of people around, including pedophiles, also including self proclaimed activists that would try to blow up the situation and multiply it to make it look much worse!
If we as a people do not go head on with sex offenders then I’m 100% that this will happen to a loved one. Not today nor tomorrow but it will trust me ! Good night American yid !
you dont know what happened in another house unless you were there! innocent people are convicted to! anyone could make up such stories and its very hard to proof! the new style todays days is when a couple is devorcing the first story that comes up is sexual abuse. its a kind of germ that comes along with a divorce! there are sure molesters out there, but you could not judge anyone
sorry i am # 37
what does overblown mean even if there are a fewer cases than is the case in the media yidden one case is too many. Hines is the man responsible for not bringing mondrowitz to justice, sit in your ivory towers and tell the people who were affected that it is overblown. I hope that he looses this next election, he’s a clown, a dangerous one.
All this discussion about numbers, and there has not been a single piece of research to collect this information. We are only able to base our observations on anecdotal evidence, and then we formulate opinions. This can be done, but it is the exception when two such opinions agree. Let’s not bother with these estimates of what has not and probably cannot be studied scientifically. We need to know that the problem exists, and it flourishes in the absence of a system to help stop it. We also value each individual too much to excuse even a single instance as a “small” problem. Every yochid is an “olam moleh”, and we will pursue whatever it takes to keep our children safe.
As for the tshuvah by Rav Elyoshiv shlit”a, I encourage anyone who is capable to obtain a copy of it and read through it. The claim that he is paskening for a specific situation appears to be inaccurate. The tshuvah, as per my reading, is a general statement about how the community should address the problem. I have little problem with anyone consulting their Rav first, as the immediate danger is rarely such that the time it takes to speak to a Rav will increase risk. I would also hope that the consultant Rav will have access to the tshuvah, and will take exception only if there is a justifiable reason to do so.
I also believe that the DA is correct. The problem is not a small one, but it is also not a rampant epidemic, as the media and some activists would have it. I certainly hope that this project will create a system that will allow discreet investigation and handling of all cases so that we completely avoid the circus of media and chilul Hashem. Every molester that is identified and removed from the community is a chesed for every child, every family, and every Yid.
There are changes in laws that are indicated here. I have read all the proposals, and most seem rational and likely to be effective. There is no doubt that there must be change. Screaming won’t help much, and true action will. The DA is finally contributing a program that has action as its agenda, not talk. We should be joining in with support and chizuk of every kind. The shmutz that some commenters are trying to throw here is unacceptable and counterproductive. Let us help any program that will work with the community to arrest this problem and make our community safer.
As for the hasidic leadership, their complicity in protecting Mondrowitz and helping him escape to Israel, is well known. There is currently a child molester who is teaching in a Satmar yeshiva where the administration refuses to dismiss him despite the fact that there have been multiple accusers and the fact that he failed a lie detector test. There was a well documented case in the Bobov yeshiva where a “choshuve” author of a sefer raped a deaf child. The child’s frum pediatrician reported the case to Hynes and Hynes let the perp walk free. Rabbi Horowitz himself stated that there are more cases in the Hasidic community than in the rest of the frum community. Despite his opposition to the Markey bill, Rabbi Horowitz has been one of the few voices of reason in the frum community. That is because he sees firsthand how rampant this problem is. So before you show off your ignorance by saying how minor the problem is, go talk to the people that really know something.
Don’t forget the story about 20 years ago about a child in BOBOV that hung himself in the bathrooms.He was molested by older children because his parents were converts. The Bobover Rebbe Z”l was crying and was maspid at his funeral.
How many more karbones are there going to be ??
I’m so happy that there are some people against “markey”. It means that they or their children were never molested or were railroaded or threatened by Rabbanim, Roshei Yeshivas or Principals.
If that’s the case, may you never have to be for a bill that would protect children. Including yours.