Rabbi Pruzansky and Rape!

Zahava Englard

by Zahava Englard

About Rabbi Pruzansky...

In the many years I have known Rabbi Steven Pruzansky, I have witnessed ceaseless mob-like attacks against him for stating his opinion on various issues from Israeli politics to his current article on the supposed rape culture, titled A Novel Idea, (https://rabbipruzansky.com/2016/03/31/a-novel-idea/ ) in which he tackles the dilemma of "he said - she said" rape cases on campus where there are no witnesses.

For some groups of people, trouncing on his words, or more accurately, misconstruing his words to fit their knee jerk polemic against him, has become a favorite pastime.

In his article, Rabbi Pruzansky makes it unquestionably clear that no rapist under any circumstances should be exonerated in date rape cases that can be proven. Nor is Rabbi Pruzansky blaming the victim as many detractors are accusing him of.

What he is saying in layman terms is for women to avoid situations that could lead to bad scenarios.

Put it this way, yes, any woman has a right to go anywhere she wants and expect not to be attacked. But any woman should also know better that it's unwise to walk in the dead of night alone and unarmed in a high crime neighborhood. Does she have the right to do so? Sure. But why the hell do it? And if she does indeed walk alone at night in a high crime neighborhood, and if she is attacked and raped, her being in that neighborhood does not exonerate the rapist. What Rabbi Pruzansky is saying, that for a woman's own well being, it would be prudent not to walk alone at night in a bad neighborhood.

Similarly, it would be unwise for a woman to go up to a man's apartment, even if she is dating him, unless she is totally prepared for a non committed sexual relationship. Why? Because, fair or not, men are wired differently. Sex does not require emotional attachment for men. It does for women, in general. We are wired differently. Accept it. And going up to a man's apartment is sending a message in the man's head that the woman is interested in sex, even if she is not and truly believes that she was just going to look at his sketches. It is what it is. This is not blaming the victim. This is not excusing any man who refuses to listen when the woman says no. This is simply explaining how the male mind views certain things.

Everything that Rabbi Pruzansky said in this article was for the purpose of protecting the woman. It was not an attack. It was not an exercise in blaming the victim. It was not misogynistic. It was not inconsiderate to women and it was not lacking in empathy for rape victims. Quite the contrary. His blog post was written in an effort to spare women from rape as well as from the unsavory "he said-she said" scenarios.

So why is Rabbi Pruzansky in the midst of being brutally attacked?

Because he has the guts to say what needs to be said in this insane world where right is wrong and wrong is right, and God forbid, one dares to call it out. Because he has the temerity to advocate for abstinence from sex until marriage. A novel idea which really isn't so novel, right? (And no, he is not at all saying that leading a "traditional" life saves all women from all rape scenarios. To accuse him of that is ridiculous.)
Rabbi Pruzansky is being attacked because he refuses to toe the line of a ship that's sunk.

And if any shrill voices among the pseudo feminists object to my opinion, let me just beat you to the punch and say that I have been sexually assaulted more times than I wish to count, and yes, raped, and there was not one word in Rabbi Pruzansky's blog post that I found offensive, misogynist or disrespectful to rape victims.

What I strongly suggest, is to reread Rabbi Pruzansky's post. Breathe. And truly attempt to understand his message before jumping on the bandwagon to crucify him.

For those who are interested in facts, for those who are interested in thinking for themselves rather than joining the "mob against Pruzansky" mentality, please read a further explanation to Rabbi Pruzansky's original article.
http://www.jewishpress.com/…/culture-wars-update/2016/04/17/

Zahava D. Englard