Alexandr Dubinsky
Alexandr Dubinsky (Александр Дубинский) is a blogger/muckraker in Kiev with 119,000 followers on FaceBook and a popular website focused on corruption in Ukraine. Chief Rabbi of the Ukraine, Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich fell into the glare of some unwanted publicity because of his connection to one of Dubinsky’s targets.
On Monday (5/6/19) Dubinsky posted an attack on oligarch and politician Boris Lozhkin (Борис Ложкин). He wrote:
As you know, last year the former head of the presidential administration [of defeated incumbent, Poroshenko], Boris Lozhkin , decided to gain a foothold among Orthodox Jews, and became chief of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine https://jcu.org.ua/management where he got to the center of an international sex scandal.
The head rabbi of Ukraine Yaakov Dov Bleich, who turned out to be a sexual molester, became the curator and spiritual mentor of Lozhkin in the EKU.
In connection with these suspicions, the mention of Bleich was removed from the website of the Conference of European Rabbis, where he was a member of the presidium, the executive and the permanent committees.
Now they are joking in the synagogue – having decided to become a Jew, Lozhkin immediately fell into … the hands of a pedophile. (translated from the original Russian)
Dubinsky was referencing Bleich’s removal from the CER website which I first reported in March. That posting got a few thousand hits in the end of March and early April and then readership tapered off as it usually does and dwindled down to an average of 20 views a day. Suddenly, on Monday there were about 1,500 hits, mostly from the Ukraine. I assume it was because of the Dubinsky’s FaceBook posting at 8 am, EST (US). Several other Ukrainian blogs picked up the story shortly afterwards.
Bleich and Lozhkin certainly have teamed up. The same day that Dubinsky was trashing Bleich was the second day of a high profile, well funded Kyiv Jewish Forum, complete with its own Twitter account. The Forum account Tweeted, “Rabbi Bleich @Ukrainerabbi provides closing remarks for Day 1 of #KyivJewishForum – Jewish “Davos”; congratulates JCU President@lozhkin_boris on the successful event.
Apart from his removal from positions with the Conference of European Rabbis, Bleich has lost influence with the incoming government of Ukraine. He backed the incumbent, Poroshenko in the recent election and tied up with Poroshenko’s former adminstrator, Lokhshin. But Poroshenko lost by a big margin to Zelensky (who is incidentally a Jew (though decidedly not religious).
Incoming President Zelensky did not attend Bleich’s showpiece Kyiv Jewish Forum in spite of many other prominent foreign attendees including the Elan Carr, US Special Envoy for Anti-Semitism, US Senator Joseph Lieberman, World Jewish Congress President Ambassador Ronald Lauder, celebrity refusenik and Israeli politician, Natan Sharansky, German Ambassador Michaela Küchler, Dr. Itamar Rabinovitch (an important Israeli political analyst and mid-east negotiator), Carl Gershman, President of the US National Endowment for Democracy along with the heads of the two major churches and the current Ukrainian President and Prime Minister.
While incoming President Zelensky did not attend Bleich and Lokhshin’s event, he did meet with a group of Chabad rabbis. Seems like Bleich hitched his wagon to the wrong political stars and his influence may be fading.
Stay tuned. I expect a lot more to unfold to this story.
FRUM FOLLIES by Yerachmiel Lopin 
you still did not provide any proof of the matter after 3 articles. does not it looks weird?
Wait. In due course more details will come out.
There is so much misinformation in this article that it’s not even funny.
Aleksandr works for people who are in a war with people the Rav are close to. They find fault in anything their enemies do, which is also why the president didn’t show up to the HUGE event in Kyiv. Nothing to do with the Rav at all. The Rav also did NOT support Poroshenko. He was friends with him like all the Rabanim were. He supported neither candidate, as per his usual costum.
A mispalel in BOTH Shuls in Podol.
YBG,
Yaakov Bleich did support Poroshenko. According to the Sam Sokol writing in the Jewish Chronicle (UK) on April 4:
“Yaakov Dov Bleich, the American-born Chief Rabbi, commented that while he enjoyed Mr Zelensky’s show, “real life is different from movies.”
“And while it was “a good sign” that his Judaism did not become an issue in the election, “the fact that he is Jewish is in my opinion [something that] can work against him and the Jewish population.” Mr Poroshenko’s popularity plummeted in the five years he has been president.”
“The presidency, since it’s such a difficult job and Ukraine is in a difficult situation, can bring a person to become very unpopular. Add to that the fact that he is Jewish and I think that that is not a very good recipe for the Jewish community or for him personally for that matter.””
https://www.thejc.com/news/world/ukraine-s-next-president-could-be-jewish-and-it-is-not-an-issue-1.482565
Since Bleich still has influence in Kiev that may have driven some votes away from Zelensky and to Poroshenko.
Contrary to what you claim, Poroshenko did show up at the “huge event,” the Kyiv Jewish Forum. In fact, the Forum proudly Tweeted a picture of President Poroshenko with the text, ” “President of Ukraine speaks at the opening of the inaugural #kyivjewishforum in Kyiv tonight”
You are welcome to comment, but I would appreciate it if you stuck to the facts you know or should know so I don’t have to waste time correcting your “misinformation.”
Wrong on both accounts!
On the president showing up, or lack thereof, I was referring to president elect, which is super clear if you ready previous comment. I was responding to YOU saying that the new president wasn’t there.
As for the Rav supporting Poroshenko, wrong again. While I don’t speak for him, no where in Sokols article did he support the opponent. As a matter of fact, I was in Shul and heard him announce that he is NOT endorsing EITHER one over the other. THAT tavarish, is FACT!
I am less interested in what he said in shul than in what he is reported to have said in a larger circulation media outlet, tarvarish.
He might did not officially support either and even said few good words about Zelensky, but statements in press like “we need a real life president” were a slogan of Poroshenko supporters. At least, Zelensky understood them pretty clear and instead of showing up at Bleich event invited Chabad rabbis to present him with Torah.
Oh, and another thing, the “blogger” is a WELL KNOWN worker for a certain Jew who is in a war with another well known certain Jew. These people own newspapers, television and write about each other full time. One side was invited, the other was not. This battle is 3-4 years old. It ain’t America there.
Additionally, the Ravs misnagdim are well known here. Dont assume you understand Ukrainian Jewish politics, where my enemies, enemy isy friend
You have lots to learn.
YBG, SPAIBO ZA KHOROSHOE SLOVO.
Bleich is being slaughtered for not goood reason, and we, who know him for 30+years should do what we can to bring people to their senses. I am not from Kiyev-I was in USA before even Bleich came to Kiyev, but i know him very well.I dislike most of kiruv heros, lIke Neustat and Eisenman shem reshoim yirkov( Eisenman i had a peronal “zchus to deal with), but Bleich is the MAN!!! 100’S IF NOT 1000’S of people whom he helped will tell you that he is crystal clear.
Were Eisenman and Neustat in Kiev? I know Eisenman sent some of his volunteers to work in Bleich’s camps
ne, they kept away from Kyiev. They wer busy in Moscow, Keshinev, Baku-Kuba and little bit is S.Petersbourg. Also Georgia a lot.
While i do not have any pedophile beef on Neustatd (got some other stuff-like breaking shidikhim right before chasunes, controlling people’s lives and taking credit for things he never did) , Eisenman is defiantly a shmitzige drek.
Igor,
You are preaching to the choir. There are a thousand people who are willing to testify on his behalf. I think that what Yerachmiel is missing is a key point.
The Rav had a “fallout” with Stolin. The Ravs also is friends with people in Kyiv who have powerful enemies in Kyiv, that’s all it takes (along with some Monsey people who are more than happy to buy any Loshon Horo fed to them).
Perfect medicine for disaster.
As someone here on the ground, I can tell you that every word I wrote, is true.
Again, I assure you there is way more than Stolin’s allegations. In fact, precisely because of Stolin’s property issue, care was taken not to rely on any sources beholden to Stolin.
Igor, how these people know what happens between him and victims in one on one situation? “There are a thousand people who are willing to testify on his behalf.”
Yerachmiel,
Nu, yalla, whatever it is, let the truth set him free. If you have something, put it out there and let’s get it done and over with.
Alex,
Generally, when there is 1, there are usually more. Should not be too difficult to get them. So where are they?
As for Stolin, I could care less about them. The Rav basically put them on the map and this is their hakaros hatoiv. It’s more of the perfect storm, them and Kholomskys chevre and the Monsey fiasco, all coming together to destroy an a perceived threat and a perceived enemy.
I never visit these blogs but I was sent here by a client who I see in my social work practice who claims she was molested by Yaakov Bleich. Her story is compelling and credible. She will never go public so not to hurt her prospect for finding a shidduch. So to protect her, suffice it to say that she traveled from the USA to Kiev to do kiruv in a nice frum environment, and says that she was molested there by Bleich, multiple times. My client is traumatized and has lost trust in all Rabbis.
At a recent conference of mental health professionals, I shared this accusation with a Rov who told me about another female victim in this camp at the hands of a different male employee, as recently as three years ago (2016). He shared that Rabbanim are communicating with each other and there is much more information coming out, and that victims have started to talk.
I have been warning parents not to allow their daughters to be counselors in this camp. PLEASE share this with anyone you know who may be considering working in his camp.
Lo Taamod Al Dam Rei’echa!
In conversation with other therapists, I am reassured that Rabbanim know about many more victims and they are struggling with warning the community while not giving unnecessary publicity to this scandal.
Adina MSW
Please explain what you mean that they are worried about not giving unnecessary publicity to this scandal… if it happened it should be publicized and if not then we should all be quiet…
It is also kind of odd as my understanding is that Mrs Bleich and their daughter been in camp as well unless they were colluding together
I do agree with you that if someone is a risk to society then definitely they should go for help and if not they need to be put on a black list
I wasn’t there but if your client was really touched then she should be compensated for the damages done to her physically/emotionally.
It would be hard for me to believe that the abuse actually happened. Firstly Rabbi Bleich I know has an extremely busy schedule, he is usually flying on an airplane. Secondly The camp has two halves one half for boys and the other half for girls. It is very rare that a male should be on the grounds when it’s the girls season and very rare that a girl should be on grounds by boys season. He doesn’t let his own daughters or sons be there when the opposite gender camp is there. He also doesn’t stay on the camp grounds a lot when the girls division is there. Besides maybe shabbos. Especially in the last 14 years since he’s moved back to the USA he’s been more in the USA than there. Also another thing, the girl who went through abuse through a male employee in camp. Again it’s hard for me to believe, because the only man basically on grounds is Sasha who is the driver. Sasha is not very intelligent type of person it’s not likely that he was the one but then again abusers come in all shapes and sizes.
I don’t know who’s right to be honest l, with all these politics. Only Hashem knows. I do know that when politics happen people tend to add stories that aren’t necessarily true etc.
I do hope your client gets the right help. Everyone should be happy!
It doesn’t take forever to abuse. IT can happen in any setting, and R. Bleich does regularly have girls over for his shabbat dinners (or at least did before Covid). His alleged abuse could also have happened in the US or Israel where he also has contact with the girls who he helped with visas and enrollment in various programs and provides financial help in many cases.
Hello I know him well,
As one who is privy to the allegations, the event with the other male employee happened when the men’s and women’s camps traveled together. While you may be correct that the programs are housed separately, they did occasionally travel jointly which is when the abuse happened. This was reported by the victim herself.
As far as your comment that the abuse would not have happened since he is usually on an airplane, you did get me to laugh! Everyone who knows him well knows that, at times, he spent weeks at a time in Kiev both with, and without, his wife present.
Of the women who were molested in his camp, both married and single, reported being molested by the Rabbi himself, in very descriptive detail.
All in all, sadly there are many victims.
This testimony has been documented and corroborated.