“It’s all reward and no risk,” – Murray Levin, survivor of sexual molestation.
I’ve quoted Murray many times through this year on his very astute description of child molesters.
Locally last month Israel Shapiro was slapped on the wrist with five years probation after taking an Alford plea in Baltimore City Circuit Court. The plea enables the defendant to accept the penalties of guilt without pleading guilty.
Shapiro is not on any molesters’ register. He has to serve 300 hours of community service and can’t be with anyone under the age of 18 unsupervised. He also had to pay restitution to one of his victims.
This week we learn that “Rabbi” Yehuda Kolko formerly of Yeshiva Torah Temimah in Brooklyn, N.Y. copped a guilty plea to lesser counts of child endangerment resulting in three years probation and no listing on the sex offenders register. He molested little boys in his trust.
When I got to work today, one of my first emails asked me “What is going on here?”
The band is just playing on.
Here we are on the eve of Pesach, and there is still so much chometz that needs to be cleaned out of Judaism. That someone such as Israel Shapiro or Yehuda Kolko can even sit at a Passover table this year and talk about freedom and affliction and the four sons seems such as a contradiction to the very message of the Haggadah.
Yet, they are protected, let off.
If they had taken a gun and shot these children, they’d be behind bars.
They molest them, they’re free to go.
If you are a molester, and you heard about Kolko’s plea bargain, you probably went out and had a celebration.
A year ago, the Baltimore Vaad released its letter condemning child molestation. And in the year since, precious little leadership has been shown by those who are called “leaders.”
Shame on you.
You can clean your homes, your cars, your clothing all you want. Until you finally have the strength to unshackle yourselves from your arrogance, you can open the door to Elijah all you want. I promise you, he’s not coming in your house. Instead, just add another plague to your seder. It’s the plague of cowardice. And in the end, when combined with arrogance, it keeps you from experiencing the freedom of Passover.

I’m saying that your assumption of misplaced compassion is erroneous.

So, Avi, let me see if I understand this correctly:

Are you saying that adults can induce in children feelings (whether of “normality” or “victimhood”) quite independently of the objective facts of the situation?

Stuart, it’s worth noting that the premise of your observation runs counter to the best interests of Sderot’s residents.

As one of the journalists who traveled to Sderot with Phil, I saw how hard the teachers and principals labor to prevent the students from viewing themselves as victims and survivors.

This statement came from an elementary school principal: “We tell the children that they are normal, they are no different from children anywhere else in the world, that they have done nothing wrong and deserve to be happy and safe.”

Being that none of the people we met refer to themselves as “victims” or “survivors,” it’s clear that while they do need everyone’s support and solidarity, they have no need for anyone’s pity.

Surely it is worth noting that in none of his reports from the war zone of Sderot did Mr. Jacobs use the words “victim” and “survivor.”

These words, and Jacobs’s true passion, are obviously reserved for another topic - which he returns to today.

Welcome back, Phil !

Please don’t continue to try to walk and chew gum at the same time.

The results are embarrassing.