A tremendous amount of support should be given to the rabbis who signed last month’s statement on child molestation.
I would also like to give a yasher koach to the spiritual leaders who stood before their congregations to talk publicly about this deepening issue. Their words were courageous and supportive.
Both of these actions were encouraging first steps.
It is my hope that rabbis who don’t have formal training and certification in the areas of molestation do their utmost to refer congregants seeking help to those who do have proper qualifications.
I don’t go to my doctor to ask about a mezuzah. I don’t believe we go to therapists and dispute the opinions of the Rambam versus the Ramban. I doubt many therapists or doctors, (except of course those are Torah scholars) would even venture to give an answer to a question like this.
Of course not. They’d be the first tell all of us to ask a rabbi.
On the same course, we need to encourage our rabbis to have a list of proven resources that can help a family with these issues.
On the flipside, we need to give our rabbis a break. They don’t know everything. Yes, we want them to. And yes, the Torah is our precious codebook for life. No disputing that.
But on this issue of child molestation, there are so many incredible resources right here in town be it JFS or the Sidran Institute or Shofar Coalition or others.
Now, on another note.
Child molestation is a crime.
It is against G-d’s law. It is against society’s law.
Child molesters need to be identified to the local authorities if they committed the crime yesterday or 30 years ago. If found guilty, they need to go to jail.
We just can’t place them in other towns or jobs hoping that they will keep their hands off of our children. That “hope” is part of what got us into this mess.
That a rabbi molested hundreds of times not only speaks volumes about him, but also says something about us.
Why didn’t we know? You mean to tell me that besides the many children who knew, not one single adult was aware and did anything? Not one rabbi knew or did anything?
We are a community who dissects the finest points of Talmud. We are a kehillah who checks each lettuce leaf for bugs. We are a neighborhood who inspects our eruv each week and gets the word out if it is “down.”
How on earth did we not know that a man had molested on multiple times?
And if someone did know. Who knew?
If a person wounds or murders another person and there is a witness, is not that witness legally bound to come forward?
This issue isn’t about exposing names or loshon hora. The magnifying glass doesn’t belong on who is dead or who is alive.
The magnifying glass needs to be on the lives of the victims, and that they find justice for the people who violated their lives.
And most of all, that they find a healing.

The latest scandal involving the awareness center is that the woman in question teamed up with a known sexual pervert who preys on women by pretending to teach then how to deal with “Sexual Predators”. their goal; to attack Rabbis. Given that the pervert’s name produces a series of missionary sites when googled, and given that she was caught out in identity theft (she posted on blogs under the name of one of her victims)the credibility of both leaves much to be desired.

The facts, as known in Jerusalem, behind the “awareness center” begin with a woman who had a series of affairs with married men. When one refused to leave his wife for her, he found himself accused of weird immoralities. Another victim of the website in question, was a ninety year old Rabbi the site accused of “pedophilia” Since everyone in Jerusalem knows that the Rabbi is constantly surrounded by adult students, has a line outside the apartment of people waiting to consult him and never locks the door, one wonders where that delusion arose. It just happens to be that this Rabbi posted warnings to all husbands to beware of the woman in question. In jerusalem NO-ONE trusts her.

The Awareness Center had a self-help group going for several months in Baltimore.  It ended because of the political pressure from the vaad.  It’s sickening.  I know that there is an SIA meeting in one of the shuls, but I’m not sure which one.

Bill, there you go again.  Stop attacking and insinuating that there are false accusations on TAC.  Until you are able to produce at least one example, you should stop this libel campaign against Vicki Polin.

Steve, you’re blinding yourself. Good at exposing molesters? As someone said in another blog, when you nuke a city you kill a lot of guilty parties.

“dina tamar” is an alias for Vicki Polin herself on her “anonymous” blog. She complains no one in town will host meetings for survivors. The Sidran Institute found places for meetings for survivors with no problem.

That’s because people can trust the Sidran Institute.

As Dina Tamar said, what is wrong with The Awareness Center?  I have heard only good things from survivors and their track record in exposing molesters has been excellent.

Everyone is so busy talking about who is accountable.  No one seems to be discussing how to help the survivors and their non-offending family members.  I know that there is a self-help group that’s trying to get off the ground, yet no one is willing to let them have a room to meet in.  The group has been meeting in various people’s homes, yet it would be much better if there was a place that any survivor could get to if wanted.  We originally were trying to find a synagogue to meet in, yet the only place that would allow us in was either a small local church or the Pikesville Library (which charges a small fee). It’s pretty sad to say that the only place that is willing to help a Jewish survivors group in Baltimore is a church.

Phil,

The issue that we have with the rabbis is not “how could they not know”.  The problem is how do they not institute a policy that protects children against sexual predators.  They did not have to know abour specific cases to know there is such an incurable illness as pedophilia, and that child sexual abuse is rampant worldwide.  They did hear about all the church scandals.  It’s like keeping the yeshiva’s doors unlocked at night because they never heard of any break-ins in their town.  It’s not an excuse. They have been totally negligent up until now and their negligence has caused thousands of lives to be irreparably damaged.  I am only discussing those that were apathetic.  The one’s that actually knew and went out of their way to cover up and muzzle victims and their families must be held accountable.  They are as guilty as those who molested and are responsible for all the subsequent attacks by that molester.  It’s time to implement the ideas laid out by Elliot Pasik, esq. in last week’s Jewish Press.  They were adopted this past Tuesday by the RCA.  It is also time to bring the molesters and enablers to justice.

I was so happy to read about the articles you were publishing on sexual abuse.  It’s incredible what you are doing.  What gets me angry is that it appears that you are boycotting The Awareness Center, which is the very first organization that has been addressing sexual abuse in Jewish communities.  The Awareness Center’s international headquarters is right here in Baltimore.  They have been operating for several years now.  Can I ask why you seem to be boycotting the only organization that was willing to help me?