Today’s Court Sessions for Weberman and Yegutkin

The blog CALA NY had a nice posting on what happened during today’s Kings County Supreme Court hearings of alleged sex abusers Nechemya Weberman and Emanuel Yegutkin. In short,

Weberman Gets Another Day In Court, Tomorrow!

Nechemya Weberman had a lousy day in court in late March. About forty-five people showed up in support of the victim whose mother attended the session. Weberman was subjected to the kind of attention he tries to avoid in connection with the criminal indictments alleging that he sexually abused a girl starting when she was twelve years old. The court authorities closed his files so his mug shot was not available but Joseph Diangello took photos, which were posted.

Nechemya Weberman in Kings County Supreme Court on 3-25-11 (photo credit Joseph Diangello)

Israel Weingarten is in Federal Detention Facility in Brooklyn

I have confirmed that Israel Weingarten is in the Metropolitan Detention Center (MDC), a US government detention facility in Brooklyn classified as an administrative facility. He was probably moved temporarily from Virginia where is he is serving a 30 year sentence for his new sentencing hearing.

Lebovits Is No Longer in Jail

According to the NYS Department of Corrections online database, Baruch (Mordechai) Lebovits is no longer in jail as of today. The database is usually updated during the wee hours of the morning so it probably means he was released some time yesterday.

As of yesterday the records showed he was still inside

Chag Kasher V’Sameach To All the Readers of Frum Follies

Wishing all of a you a joyful celebration of liberation and freedom.

Yerachmiel Lopin

Lebovits To Be Released on Bail for 120 Days Pending Appeal

Vos Iz Neias  first reported that Baruch Mordechai Lebovits was released on bail pending an appeal of his 2010 conviction for molesting a boy. The appeal grew out of the Kings County District Attorney’s arrest of Samuel (Shmuel) Kellner on charges of extorting the Lebovits family by threatening to generate or withhold witnesses of molesting dependingAson whether they family paid up. The DA insists the extortion charges involved witnesses other than the one whose testimony got Lebovits convicted. It seems his appeal team of Arthur Aidala and Alan Dershowitz are appealing on the grounds that there is a  relationship. I have not seen the appeal but I am surmising that based on the timing.

As I reported, yesterday, as of Saturday, Lebovits was still in his upstate prison facility. However, I have confirmed that the appellate court is considering an appeal and is allowing Lebovits to get out on $250,000 cash bash or $500,000 bail bond. Additional conditions include electronic monitoring, being confined to his house and surrendering his passport.

Breaking — Lebovits is Definitely Still In Prison

Rumors have been circulating that Baruch Mordechai Lebovits was released from prison on a quarter million dollars bail in time to spend shabbos with his family. Then there were rumors that he was on the verge of being released. The rumors grew out of the

The Plot Thickens and Lebovits Claims He Is an Innocent Victim of Extortion

Samuel (Shmuel) Kellner was arrested yesterday for attempting to extort money from Baruch Mordechai Lebovits in return for keeping him safe from charges of child molesting. For those new to this case, Lebovits was convicted on eight felony counts of child molesting last spring and sentenced to ten and 2/3 years to 32 years.

The witness was not Kellner’s relative nor a second witness but the third individual to come forward. In my opinion, the allegations by Kellner’s relative and by the witness at the trial were true. In addition there were many other cases I have heard about.

It is possible that a frustrated Kellner was  also trying to extort money from Lebovits. I jut don’t know. I do know that there are many strange things about this new charge. The Kings County District Attorney, Charles Hynes,  held a press conference about the arrest with a picture of Kellner on an easel. This is not his usual practice. Why? Many of us wonder why, given the legitimacy of the conviction, which the DA insisted on at the press conference, was he giving such a high-profile to the extortion case. Is he trying to help Lebovits look good? If so, why? Equally strange is the DA’s uncanny ability to find obstruction of justice among those who accuse molesters but his complete inability to ever charge anyone in the orthodox community of obstructing the prosecution of molesters.

Emmy Awarded to TV Documentary About Abuse and Cover-up in KJ

Suffering in Silence is a nine minute TV new report (Channel 12, Westchester) about the abuse suffered by thirty-seven-year-old Shlomo Weiss at the hands of his father in Kiryas Joel (KJ). Weiss confronts his father on camera for the first time. Shomo talks about his efforts as a teenager to get help from adults in KJ and in the Nitra Yeshiva in Mt. Kisco, NY.  But they did nothing to protect him or to protect the other children who were vulnerable inside Shomo’s family and on the school bus his father drove.  Instead, worried about the story coming out, they arranged for him to go to a  yeshiva in Europe. On camera, we see the PR representative of KJ, a rabbi in Nitra, and his father, continuing to avoid the facts while minimizing the issue and claiming that the community does not cover up sex abuse.

On April 3, 2011,The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (New York Chapter) gave out its 2011 Emmy® awards . The Academy gave Suffering in Silence an Emmy® for

January Internet Ban By Moetzes of Agudah Called for Approved Filters and 3rd Party Monitors (Corrected 10:15 pm)

Moezet/Agudah-USA Internet Ban Shevat 5771 (Jan 2011 in Hamodia)

On March 1 I shared the news that there was a new internet ban (kol koreh) in the making in my posting, The Internet Kol Koreh to Silence all Voices: The Mother of All Bans. At the time I learned of discussion in Lakewood to regulate internet sites to:

• Ban all internet talkbacks, comments and forums
• Ban any news that is negative about any Jewish individual or group, by name or by hint
• Require every website to name its rabbinic advisor (i.e., censor)
• Require every website to name all authors and owners

In part they were responding to criticism about banning Vos Iz Neias (VIN) while ignoring other sites with similar practices. So they decided to rectify the imbalance by extending censorship to all sites and ending the dreadful concept of the hamon am (lay masses) sharing their thoughts.

Just before Purim I shared my thought that they should hold off until Purim or else everyone would think it was a joke. Well they seem to have taken my advice and it was released this weekend. I got hold of a copy from an acquaintance who spotted on the bulletin board of a mikvah in Brooklyn. I thought this was the Moetzes’ idea of an April Fools joke.

Added 10:15 pm – It turns out that the document posted on the bulletin board on Friday, first was approved in January

My Heart is Broken Because I Was Denied Recognition

A new website was opened with a list of some other important websites and I was not included. I am referring to Lashon Hora Crimes (LHC).

Lakewood Beit Din Covered Up for Alleged Molester, Yosef Kolko

Thirty seven-year Yosef Kolko, who was a teacher at Yeshiva Orchos Chaim in Lakewood, faces trial on the charge that he molested an eleven-year-old boy for approximately a year. The father of the boy, a respected rav of a shul in Lakewood, first filed the complaint in July 2009.

According to the Asbury Park Press, before he did that he went to a beit din set up by Rabbi Matisyahu Solomon, Mashgiach of Bais Medrash Govoha. The beit din sent Kolko to Gavriel Fagin, an orthodox social worker in private practice who specializes in sex abuse.

I have learned that Fagin is a very popular go-to-guy in the hasidic and yeshivish worlds. He is used both to interrogate suspects to determine if they are abusers and to treat them. He seems to do this on behalf of ultra orthodox communities who are trying to deal with credible allegations but do not want to go to the police.

The beit din required Kolko to sign a release so they could get reports from Fagin. In the end, the beit din disbanded and the father went to the police. As reported elsewhere, the father, a respected rav, was subjected to horrendous pressure and public attacks. Rabbi Yisrael Belsky

Nechemya Weberman’s Unpleasant Friday In Court and the Rest Of the Story

On Friday morning, March 25 I put out a series of posts covering developments for Nechemya Weberman as they unfolded in court. I have since gathered more information and clarified some of my earlier information. For the convenience of my readers I am putting everything I know about that day together in this post as well as its background, the factors in the high turnout of supporters, and action calls for follow-up. I plan a separate post summing up the state of the Dascalowitz case.

Sins of the Fathers

At the request of the author this story is being suspended  from public viewing and commenting for a few days.

45 Showed Up in Courthouse To Support Alleged Victim of Weberman (Updated 3-26-11, 9 pm)

Weberman had only 4 5 supporters with him. I believe the girl who is accusing him of abusing her will have a better shabbos knowing so many other Jews care about her and others in her situation.

Thank you folks for a great job today. Good shabbos.

Weberman Supporters Tried to Intimidate Supporters of His Accuser

Nechemya Weberman’s supporters struck back at hasidic supporters of the girl he allegedly raped. Weberman was accompanied by four relatives including a woman who took pictures of Hasidim attending today’s court session. Pictures or names were then circulated instantly into online or listserve discussion groups of hasidim.

Breaking- Dascalowitz Appearance Rescheduled Because There Was No Yiddish Speaking Psychiatrist (Updated 11:45a)

Today’s court appearance by Dascalowitz ended with no business being conducted other than scheduling another appearance. The reason: he needs a psychiatrist who speak Yiddish to evaluate him.  About ten months have passed

Breaking- Weberman Confronted At Courthouse By Alleged Victim (9:47am)

This morning, outside the courtroom whose doors were not yet open, Joseph Diangello (who grew up in Williamsburg as Yoeli Deitch), took a good luck at Nechemya Weberman and told others with him that Weberman molested him when he was eleven to twelve years old.

Breaking- Press Release From Dascalowitz Courtroom (3-25-11 9:05am)

Fri, March 25, 2011 8:52:27 AM

From:       Yakov Horowitz  To: Yerachmiel Lopin

I am attending the hearing of Meir Dascalowitz to support the child he allegedly molested, to support his family members who are helping protect the children of our community from future abuse by reporting the alleged pedophile to the authorities, and to stand in solidarity with all survivors of abuse and molestation. I have in my possession printed copies of more than 250 emails and blog posts from my readers worldwide who eloquently and passionately wrote messages of support, solidarity and love to this survivor and I will be handing the messages to the family members in court. 

The Strange Priorities Of the Monsey Tznius Police

Du Iz Nies reports that a group of rabbis in Monsey has issued a call to stop going to exercise facilities because of the presence of televisions, and gasp, both men and women. Mind you, the exercise rooms are sex segregated. They did not issue the call in English, as they do in other cases, just in Hebrew/Yiddish.

This particular call was signed by some very prominent rabbis who are

Shimon Weiser, Stop Claiming You Are Rabbi Binyomin Brown

Shimon (Simon) Weiser complains about the anonymity of the editor of Vos Iz Neias (VIN). So why is he reported to use the false identity, Rabbi Binyomin Brown, when he badgers businesses to stop advertising in VIN?

The answer is obvious; he knows that saying, “I am a Satmar kanoi (zealot),” is not the best way to convince folks who don’t subscribe to his views.

A Public Request to Respect My Intellectual Property and Work (UPDATED 3-24-11)

I am happy to report that a copyright infringement problem I had with another blog has been completely resolved to my satisfaction. They have removed all of my material from their site. Per our agreement I am removing all negative comments about them from my site. I thank my readers for their assistance.

Go to Court on Fri 3-25-10 For Dascalowitz and Weberman Double-Header

This post was put up twice by mistake. Go to the current version HERE. This location is being preserved because others have already linked to it.

Remember to Proofread Your Text Especially If It Is Permanent

Bad Hebrew Tattoos chronicles disastrously bad Hebrew language tattoo stories like the woman who wanted to put chesed (kindness) on her finger and ended up instead with chaser (deficient).

Go To Court on Fri 3-25-10 For the Dascalowitz Weberman Double-Header

Nechemya Weberman allegedly sexually assaulted a twelve-year-old girl  and continued doing it till she was fifteen. Meir Dascalowitz allegedly raped a boy in a mikvah (ritual bath) over a dozen times. The perpetrators and the victims are all Hasidim from Williamsburg. To the shame of the community’s members,  most of them either stay on the sidelines or actively support the alleged perpetrators. The victims and their families are subjected to all sorts of pressures to drop their cases. Fortunately, the criminal justice system is prosecuting the perpetrators.

Both defendants are out on bail. They have no incentive to rush to trial since they both face sentences of decades in prison. Instead, they publicly protest their innocence and hope that the chatter will die down while their well-paid lawyers try to postpone their trials.

Those Anonymous People I Love

Rabbi Eliyahu Fink had this heartwarming tidbit about Japan disaster relief on his blog.

Dress Up As a Vaad Hatznius Member This Purim

If you have been putting off getting a Purim costume, here is an easy solution. Dress up as a member of the Vaad Hatznius. You don’t really need to do anything special. However, for special effect you could go around with binoculars hanging from your neck. You might also add on a video camera with a good zoom lens and a tape recorder. The only essential equipment is one of those brown markers they use in stores to check hundred dollar bills. If you are really short on time

Thank You, Doctor!

The censorship of ultra orthodox media stills the voices of dissent. But honest dissenters are not abiding by these absurd bans. They are flocking to the unregulated Internet. Yes, some are afraid to go there. Others use pseudonyms. Almost all of this activity is subsidized by the volunteer labor of bloggers. Yet, this sector is thriving and growing and is almost totally beyond the reach of the bullies and hypocrites who have shamelessly turned the decently funded ultra orthodox media into crude propaganda organs.

Many readers depend on the tiny screens of Internet enabled mobile phones. Yeah, sometimes you have to squint. Still most ultra orthodox Jews prefer squinting for the truth over reading propaganda in larger type.

Maureen Dowd Gets Serious about Clergy Cover Ups

Maureen Dowd, the New York Times’ op-ed journalist, can be wickedly witty when she goes after blustering politicians and hair brained schemes. Yesterday she went sober when she wrote about the prosecution of, “Msgr. William J. Lynn, who served from 1992 to 2004 as the secretary of clergy reviewing sexual abuse cases for then-Cardinal Anthony Bevilacqua . . . He is charged with felonies for allegedly helping the cardinal cover up molesters and transferring them to other parishes.”

Who Will Watch the Watchers?

Two thousand years ago, Juvenal, the satirist of the corrupt Roman legal system asked, “quis custodiet ipsos custodies?” who will watch the watchers?  This question is timeless. It is not just that power corrupts. Corrupt people seek power and absolutely corrupt people seek absolute power.

Nechemaya Weberman, faces multiple felony indictments for sexually assaulting a girl between the time she was twelve and fifteen. Weberman found his niche in the subterranean world of Williamsburg’s watchers, the Vaad Hatznius (Modesty Committee). Some people insist he was once a decent honest fellow. If so, he may have learned to be devious by watching the business shenanigans of his peers. I am told he worked for David Niederman’s United Jewish Organizations (UJO). He could have learned a lot about skullduggery working for him.

Weberman entered a new stage in his career when he became one of the watchers over five years ago. Yosef Duvid Kraus is considered the head of the Williamsburg Vaad. Weberman was one of its important activists. His neighbors say he is a successful businessman who voluntarily gives up his time to promote modesty. It is not clear if his business succeeded on its own or is a front for laundering his profits from the Vaad and is maintained by hired managers.

You may ask, how can promoting modesty be so profitable? Your question would betray your naiveté. You are imagining an old-fashioned Vaad, which finds out about sexual misconduct, warns the offender, and if that fails, escalates to harassment, public humiliations or even violence. But we have entered a bold new world in which the Vaad extorts money in the guise of helping the family of an offender protect its reputation.

Rubashkin Knew About His Illegal Immigrant Problems Long Before the Raid

Shmarya Rosenberg has posted more documents on his blog, Failed Messiah, establishing that

Weberman, The Tznius Faker, May Have Also Impersonated A Court Employee

Thanks to a helpful friend I can provide a limited account of Nechemya Weberman’s appearance in Kings County Criminal Court on Wednesday, March 9th.

What The Hell Did I Do Wrong As a Child? Guest Post by Asher Lipner

What the hell did I do wrong as a child….What the hell did any of us do?

Dear friends and fellow advocates,

Is there anything we can learn from the goyim about how to repent sincerely?  Every Yom Kippur we draw inspiration right before the gates of atonement are closed from the Gentile city-state of Nineveh in which the entire city repented.  The Talmud says that although every person from the king on down fasted, mourned, wore sackloth and begged G-d in prayer, G-d only forgave them because of one and only one thing:  They changed their ways.  This included paying back those whom they had harmed with financial restitution.

The Church’s “confession” and “contrition” have yet to produce similar behavior, as they continue to fight powerfully to deny justice to the victims of child sexual abuse in their backyard as well as ours by

It’s Adar, It Is Time For Satire

Rabbis are talking about yet another internet ban to eliminate all talkbacks which I call the Mother of All Bans. I hope they are smart enough to hold off on it till a decent amount of time has passed after Purim. Otherwise the mood of the month of Adar will lead everyone to think it is just a Purim joke. Of course, zman cheiruteinu (the season of our redemption) will also send a message that will undermine the intent of the ban. I suggest they wait till Shavuot when they can insist the ban was already accepted at Sinai.

I feel obliged to match their contribution to Adar by reminding readers of an old post, Train To Become an Internet Goy™.  Make sure you read the comments. They are funny.

The paranoia of haredi leadership resembles the Saudi investigation of the vulture spying for Israel. That episode prompted my satirical piece, Israel in Turmoil Over Vulture Spy Captured in Saudi Arabia.

Of course, if you want to really go overboard just reading satire, press the box near the top of the page labelled satire, and read it all.

Happy Rosh Chodesh Adar II!

Replying to Bernard Freilichs Daughter

After I posted recent allegations about Bernard Freilich‘s abuse of power  his daughter wrote an understandable but mean spirited defense of her father and attack on me. Here is my reply:

Facts are facts. I did not make reality nor was I even the one who reported it.  However, I will comment on several aspects of your attacks on me and on what I wrote.

1. You write, “My father never ever abused his badge (i’m witness to that); He is beloved by everyone in the community, the family and at work.” You are stating things you cannot know. Certainly it was possible that you were not aware of him abusing his badge and of course you could have seen that SOME people loved him. But were you with him all the time? Do you know everyone he dealt with let alone what everyone thought of him? Most people are a mix of good and bad. Most people take great efforts to conceal their bad side, especially from their children.

2. I tend to forgive the attacks by a wounded relative, especially when they first confront unpleasant facts about someone they love and to whom they owe very much.  I am going to suppose there is much that was good about how he treated you. But there is a dark underside to your attacks; a patronizing contemptuous attitude that could easily be related to a contemptuous and eventually dishonest approach to doing a job that should involve helping people. It shows up in different guises:

• “Everyone has skeletons in their closets” (and my father is saving everyone)
• Calling me (YL) a young jealous [expletive] . . wannabe . .   nobody  . . who can’t spell with 2nd grader skills
• Insultingly speaking about hatzolah tattes
• boasting about your father’s connections

Is Rabbi Freilich Happy At Our Expense? Is Henna Squeaky White?

Rabbi Bernard Freilich was acquitted of attempting to intimidate and discourage a sex abuse witness from testifying. The DA was later seen hugging him.

The Albany Times Union reports that Freilich, who is on the state payroll and passes himself off as a cop, is a liaison to the police on behalf of the orthodox community. What gives?

Nechemya Weberman Goes To Court on Wednesday, March 9 at 9 AM: BE THERE TO SUPPORT THE VICTIM

According to E Courts: Web Crims, Nechemya Weberman (case #2011KN014839; defendant ID # 9462575N) will appear in the Criminal Court of Kings County, Part AP1F ( 120 Schermerhorn Street Brooklyn, NY 11201) on Wednesday, March 9, at 9 AM.

Weberman was arrested two weeks ago on charges of sexually assaulting a girl on multiple occasions between the time she was 12 and 15 while he was supposed to be her therapist (though he is not professionally trained or licensed). The therapy arrangement grew out of Weberman’s involvement with the Williamsburg Vaad Hatznius (Modesty Committee).

Why Ban Internet Comments if the Internet Itself is Already Banned?

Mordechai, you submitted this comment about the proposed “mother of all bans,”

I don’t understand; isn’t internet use [already] banned? How can you ban something that is already banned?

Mordechai, they are into beating dead horses, and whipping living thinkers. What can they do? They are not willing to change their ways and they can’t afford to have their ways exposed and challenged.

QOTD by Your’s Truly

Is it time to  initiate a fundraising campaign to enlarge the shul in Otisville?

Why Is Shimon Weiser, the Modesty Zealot, So Quiet Lately?

Shimon Weiser, I hear you are lying low. This is not characteristic for you. You are an extrovert ban promoter who harassed folks about internet talkbacks and sex abuse coverage for years. You love standing around heckling people and threatening them.  Are you worried about being caught up in the Weberman Vaad Hatznius scandal? Are you too busy to even involve yourself in pushing the latest internet ban?  Can’t you at least find time to tell us that Meir Dascalowitz doesn’t deserves  to be imprisoned.

Shimon, or as you call yourself, Binyomin Brown, “come out, come out, wherever you are?” If Weberman is guilty you should be attacking him for the immodest act of raping a girl. If he is innocent,your Williamsburg chevrah should be out there defending him.

My Rant to Joel Who Gives the Benefit of the Doubt to Weberman Over His Alleged Victim

Joel has invaded the FrumFollies posting about reporting Weberman to NY Police Department. He endlessly quotes mesirah and lashon horah in ways that obscure the reasons that rabbis regularly support reporting sex abusers to the civil authorities. Below is an edited version of one of my rejoinders to him.

Joel,

You are like a reform rabbi. You have taken the Sefer Chofetz Chaim, torn it right through the binding and thrown some important parts in the shaimos box.  Or maybe they just don’t teach those parts any more, like some yeshivas never teach kodshim. Go back and read it all. Then try and tell me, “a Yid is not allowed to believe loshon horah, period” If you need some guidance, look in the Williamsburg shaimos box for the sections about toeles (a purpose such as protecting someone from harm).

Yasher Koach to Rabbi Horowitz For the Mitzvah Of Comforting the Afflicted

I extend a hearty yasher koach to Rabbi Yaakov Horowitz for using his website creatively to generate support for the boy who was abused by Meir Dascalowitz. He announced his intention to attend the next court session which is tentatively set for March 25. In the meantime he has written an eloquent letter of support and a call to action. He is inviting all of us to come to his site and express our support. He will deliver all of our messages to the victim and his family. Please go to his posting, Stand With and Support Victims of Child Molestation – Silence Encourages the Oppressor, Never the Victim.

ACTION CALL- Go to Rabbi Horowitz’s site and add your message. You now have a way to get your message to the victim and his family without violating their privacy. DO IT!  Write your message in English or Yiddish.

Also read an important message about this case by Mrs. Pearl Engelman, an advocate and the mother of  the survivor/advocate Joel Engelman.

I submitted my own message to the family of the victim of Meir Dascalowitz on 3/4/11:

The Jewish Week Refutes Ohel’s Lame Claim That It Did Not Cover Up Sex Abuse (Updated 5 pm to include names of Ohel Board of Directors)

Last week, The Jewish Week published Hella Winston‘s expose of Ohel’s failure to report sex abuse even when required by law. Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services dodged the question but bought an ad in the Jewish Week to claim unfair pejorative reporting. Jewish Week staff replied to the ad with more evidence of Ohel’s failures. Read this story. It is important. It shows why Ohel’s Board should dismiss Director, David Mandel, as part of an internal investigation and housecleaning

QOTD: Qadafi and Mubarak As Rabbis

Which Rabbis will be Colonel Qadafi and which Hosni Mubarak? The more they squeeze the stronger the revolt [gets].

Michael Salamon referring to my post, “The Kol Koreh to Silence all Voices: The Mother of All Bans.”

BREAKING NEWS The Internet Kol Koreh to Silence all Voices: The Mother of All Bans

Rabbi Qadafi Protecting Tznius in Bengazi and Brooklyn

According to informed sources, a kol koreh (proclamation or ban) is being prepared in Lakewood and signatures are being solicited to:

• Ban all internet talkbacks, comments and forums
• Ban any news that is negative about any Jewish individual or group, by name or by hint
• Require every website to name its rabbinic advisor (i.e., censor)
• Require every website to name all authors and owners

It Is Time to Overhaul Ohel and Dismiss David Mandel

I wrote an article, Is Ohel a Leaky Tent? in which I concluded that Ohel was a leaky tent. Ohel has repeatedly failed to report sex abuse to the authorities. They made therapy referrals to the serial rapist of boys, Avrohom Mondrowitz.  As Vicki Polin has documented on video, David Mandel publicly advocates circumventing mandatory reporting requirements.  Hella Winston reported last week on a case where Ohel’s professional mental health staff were aware of sex abuse and wanted to report it. Once again the corrupt management of Ohel overruled professional staff. Once again, Ohel failed to protect an abused child. This cannot go on!

It is time to patch the leaky tent.  David Mandel is not the man for this job; he has built his career on ripping holes in the roof to oblige his patrons.

Can You Say Chillul Hashem?

The blogger, Menachem Mendel posted about Israeli rabbis who defended convicted rapist and former President of Israel, Moshe Katsav. He quotes Prof. Aviad Hacohen who wrote,

This is an embarassment and a disgrace, a great desecretation of God’s name

Call the Police With Information About Nechemya Weberman (Updated 2/28/11 – Available in Yiddish)

Nechemya Weberman was arrested and charged with allegedly sexually abusing a hasidic girl from Williamsburg starting when she was 12 years old. It is alleged that he exploited his position in the Vaad Hatznius (modesty committee) in Williamsburg to conduct private counseling sessions with this pre-teen girl. The police are continuing their investigation into allegations about other victims of Weberman.

Assuming these charges are true, it is essential that the police get as much evidence as possible

Who Says Orthodox Jews Don’t Settle Their Disputes In Civil Courts?

I discovered this gem of a website which catalogs intra-haredi communal disputes that ended up in civil courts. It provides links to news stories, videos, and court documents.

Priests Rape Nuns and the Vatican Ignores the Problem!

Francis Kennedy reported in The Independent (UK) on Feb 21, 2011 that the Vatican is covering up for priests who rape nuns in 23 countries.