Meisels Israeli Seminaries give a new meaning to Loshon Harah!

Dear loyal readers, 

I was really hoping that before the Yomim Noraim, I wouldn't have to write or report bad tidings. I'ts a time of reflection and a time of Teshuvah, and I really wanted to take a break. Well, the "Samach Mem" won't let me rest. 

Yesterday in response to an article that I posted on July 23, 2014, titled, "R' Kahane's letter to Chedvas Seminary telling them to "shut up" about Meisels,  I got an email, that made me blow my stack. 

But first  let me briefly update you on what's happening. 

The truth is that the story is now so complicated, that I lost track myself of the present situation. Suffice it to say, that some innocent teenage girls flew 5,665 miles  to Israel to Seminary, to reinforce their spirituality, and lo and behold, Mr. Meisels, owner of three Seminaries took advantage of them, sexually. 

Then R. Kahane, a mechanech at Chedvas Seminary, a Meisels Seminary,trying hard to contain the damage, sent an email to the girls that they are in effect prohibited to speak "loshon hara" and cannot disclose to anyone that Meisels is an admitted sexual predator. Better to let him roam around and contaminate innocent souls than tell the world that there is a sexual predator on the loose. 

If you want to read the story in detail read Frumfollies '

Now read the email and then my thoughts:

Anonymous said...

If people actually knew what the Chafetz Chaim said, they would know that Rabbi Kahane was NOT wrong when he wrote in this private email to a few Chedvas alumni that “…And even l’toeles the halacha is that it’s assur to believe it.”

If you have ever learned Hilchos Lashon Hara, you know that they are vast and complicated. The Chafetz Chaim makes a clear differentiation between acting on lashon hara to protect oneself (and no further) and believing and accepting it wholeheartedly to be true. The latter is what Rabbi Kahane was referring to in his letter.

If you want to twist this to claim that Rabbi Kahane was telling girls not to report abuse to authorities (although his letter was written after the whole Meisels scandal had gone public) that is your choice. But please do not do so on a public forum.

September 14, 2014 at 4:29 PM

DIN:

First of all Mr "anonymous" I think that you are R' Kahane himself. Having said that, I doubt that the Chofetz Chayim would have sent an email to the girls to keep a lid on the sexual shenanigans of Mr. Meisels. Hilchos Loshon Hara is not "complicated" at all. The Chofetz Chayim writes explicitly, that in a case like this, where a guy can't keep his zipper closed, it's a "mitzvah l'farseim" ..

The Chofetz Chayim is rolling in his grave and crying that guys like Kahane are cowering behind his sefer, telling innocent teenage girls not to disclose that someone who was supposed to be a mentor took advantage of them and sexually exploited them for his own sexual desires!

Second of all: Meisels admitted to the Chicago Bais Din that he molested the girls, he signed a statement to that effect. To say what  Kahane wrote, that "even l'toeles, the halacha is that it's assur to believe it" makes no sense, since Meisels himself says it's true. So you want the girls not to believe that Meisels molested the girls when he says he did it? How crazy???

I don't believe for a minute that Meisels is not involved in the three Seminaries, but I have another question: 
Why are men  teaching teenage girls 5,000 miles away from the student's homes? 
Why are these young guys teaching girls??? 
Don't tell me that this Kahane guy doesn't have illicit thoughts while he's teaching. 
There aren't enough women around? 
The gemarrah says clearly, "ein apatropos l'aryis"  "there are no guardians when it comes to sexual matters.

This Anti Loshon Hara campaign is going too far.... if a guy is a predator his name should be revealed to the world, so we can keep our children and teenagers away!  "Toeles! Shmoeles! 
The Toeles is that he won't molest my children, Mr. anonymous!

This Kahane knew all about Meisels' infractions, and kept his mouth shut, now he wants the victims to shut up too.

Meisels owner of 4 Israeli Seminaries Sued By American Parents Who Allege Sexual Assault Of Their Daughters

The parents of teen girls sent to Orthodox seminaries in Israel are suing the rabbi in charge, stating he sexually assaulted the girls and falsely presented the seminaries to entice the parents to pay thousands of dollars to attend the schools.

The Seminary Tzadik, Meisels

According to the court documents filed at the NORTHERN DISTRICT OF ILLINOIS, the plaintiffs who are american citizens sued Rabbi Elimelech Meisels, and four subsidiary Jewish seminaries Peninim, Binas Bais Yaakov, Chedvas Bais Yaakov and Keser Chaya which are located in Israel. 

The lawsuit states that Meisels, traveled to and participated in personal, in-person recruiting meetings with the plaintiffs and their daughters at various Orthodox schools across the United States, including New York, New Jersey, Illinois, Maryland and California to entice them to enroll in his seminaries.
“From approximately 2004 until the present date, defendant Elimelech Meisels engaged in a fraudulent and unlawful scheme to induce Orthodox Jewish parents from across the United States to send their daughters to various seminaries in Israel that he controlled under the guise of educational and spiritual development,” says the complaint 

“In truth, defendant Meisels’ true aim was to fraudulently and unlawfully take thousands of dollars from each of these parents and to induce these girls, by telephone, mail, wire and other means, to travel thousands of miles outside the United States and away from their parents for the purpose of sexually assaulting these vulnerable young girls.”

The claim goes on to say that Meisels would lure the girls to late night coffee meetings to sexually assault them, and that he would intimidate the victims into silence by telling them nobody would “believe that a rabbi and author with his reputation would have done such a thing.”
He also said if the girls ever told he would ruin their reputations and would ensure they would never marry.

The plaintiffs accuse the staff of actively and passively hiding the assaults, and that it was “widely known” that Meisels was having late inappropriate meetings with the girls.

Last month, the Chicago Bais Din, a Jewish religious court, heard testimony from several of the victims and ruled that the students at Meisels’ seminaries were “at risk of harm.”

Hebrew Theological College and Tuoro College suspended their relationships with the seminaries, which meant that a student attending the seminaries couldn’t receive college credit for her attendance at American educational institutions.

The complaint describes how Meisels and other defendant created a scam where they would say Meisels sold the seminary and it was now under a new ownership, making it safe for the girls to return and therefore reaping the profits from the tuition deposits.

The plaintiffs seek punitive damages for racketeering, fraud, breach of contract, emotional distress, conspiracy and conversion.

Meisels has of course denied all the accusations, “The allegations are completely false,” Meisels told JTA in an email. “My attorney has advised me to pursue legal action against all those who are wronging myself and the seminaries.”

Aside from Meisels, other administrators of the seminaries are also names in the suit.
Meisels had admitted everything to the Chaicago Bais Din!