Aguda reiterates: Abuse Victims must go to Rabbis first.

An Orthodox parent whose child tells him he’s been sexually abused may not take that child’s claim to the police without first getting religious sanction from a specially trained rabbi, the head of America’s leading ultra-Orthodox umbrella group has told the Forward.
But one year after acknowledging that no such registry of trained rabbis exists, Rabbi David Zwiebel said that his group has now dropped the idea of developing one.

One of the main reasons, said Zwiebel, was a warning from Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes — issued only a few days earlier — that rabbis who prevent families from going to police could be arrested.

“If they [rabbis] don’t give the right advice, they can be in trouble,” said Zwiebel. “Why would you want to create some sort of a list that would make them more vulnerable?”

Zwiebel, who is the executive vice president of Agudath Israel of America, said that despite the absence of such a registry, his group would staunchly resist increased public pressure to lift its requirement that parents obtain rabbinic permission.

“We’re not going to compromise our essence and our integrity because we are nervous about a relationship that may be damaged with a government leader,” he said.

Zwiebel’s comments, offered over the course of an hour-long interview in Agudath’s Manhattan headquarters on May 21, highlighted a growing fissure that has opened between Agudath and previously friendly senior public officials in New York. The break comes in the wake of a New York Times exposé that chronicled intimidation of ultra-Orthodox Jews in Brooklyn by their own communities to keep them from bypassing rabbinic authorities and reporting abuse. The Times’ two articles, and a flood of media stories that followed, also reported how Hynes appeared to accommodate rather than challenge the ground rules set down by ultra-Orthodox leaders asserting their authority over such cases.

Zwiebel acknowledged tensions between secular legal requirements and Jewish law. But he said the community was duty-bound to follow the rulings of rabbinic leaders.

Continue reading at The Forward 

What Women's Media Needs to Know About Chassidic Women

Hi. I'm Chaya, and I am a Chassidic Jewish woman. I am also a media professional with a degree in Women's Studies from a large, very liberal university (magna cum laude, baby!).

In the past few days, I've been reading the backlash against "the asifa," a recent mass meeting of religious Jewish men meant to draw a few boundaries around Internet use in our homes (meaning religious Jewish homes; not your house).

Whenever religious Jews make a stink about some cultural issue, the media moves in on it with a bizarre kind of vengeance. Like yesterday, Katie J.M. Baker published an article on Jezebel about the event, in which she actually compared Jewish men to ants!

See: "While men in traditional Orthodox garb filed into Citi Field as steadily as a never-ending line of ants approaching an anthill…" Um, where have I seen Jews compard to insects before? Oh, wait, WWII.

As a resident of Brooklyn, the epicenter of all things hipster and the home of many, many clad-in-black religious Jews, I'd like to clarify a few things for all of you. Here are a few things you need to know about Chassidic women:

 1. We are not imprisoned. 

The last time I checked (which was right now), I am free to do whatever I want to do. Nobody is making me do anything. If I want to leave the community I live in, whether to go grocery shopping or to put on a pair of pants and go to a disco and snort coke, I can. Nobody is going to stop me. Would I wear a pair of skinny jeans and snort coke in a disco? No. Why?

2. We like ourselves the way we are. And most of us are happy.

Poor Deborah Feldman got the short end of the stick. She got a dysfunctional family and a crummy school. But listen: That happens everywhere. How many (non-Jewish or secular Jewish) friends of yours come from dysfunctional families and crappy schools and just couldn't wait to leave home? Did they represent your entire hometown? 

 We call becoming lax in religious observance and adopting a secular lifestyle "frying out." People fry out all the time. Most of us, though, feel like we are leading pretty rewarding lives.

Look at it this way: When your friends go to India to learn how to meditate and come home "leading spiritual lives" and suddenly won't go out for barbecue with you, you think it is cool. Your friend is leading a spiritual life. Spiritual lives involve boundaries and not just doing whatever your body feels like at that second. We lead spiritual lives. Leading a spiritual life is rewarding. 

3. We find our husbands attractive.

You know those guys with the long beards and the black coats who are always reading something in Hebrew on the train and you're kind of freaked out by them? So they're our husbands.

My husband has a very impressive beard. He wears a black suit, and a kippah and a black hat. He is also the most handsome, hot, attractive man in the entire world to me. Nobody forced me to marry him. My father did not trade me to him for a flock of sheep.

Fun fact: Jewish law prohibits marrying someone who you're not attracted to. Another fun fact: In the Jewish marriage contract, one of the conditions of marriage is that a husband is obligated to sexually satisfy his wife. If my husband would deny "conjugal rights" to me, that's grounds for divorce. Pretty effing progressive if you ask me.

 4. We have been happily shagging for millennia. Jews never had the concept of "original sin." 

Judaism is the original sex-positive culture. What? You heard me right. Y'all need "sex-positive Third wave feminism" to help you feel like having sex is OK. Jews bypassed the whole Christian idea that all sex, even in marriage, is a sin. And Protestant asceticism just never happened for us.

G-d likes it when a married Jewish couple has sex. Jews never got a message that sex is dirty. We think sex is good. It is so good that having it is actually a commandment. No, we cannot shag "anything that moves." No, we can't sleep around or have sex outside of marriage. But once you're married, sex is totally cool and awesome and G-d likes it.

I don't know who made up the dumb story about having sex through a sheet, but let's bury that old chestnut now. Having sex through a sheet is actually prohibited by Torah and we are commanded explicitly by G-d to get totally naked to shag. Just in case you're wondering.

 5. Mikveh is awesome. We don't go to the mikveh because we're "dirty." 

Holy moly! How many times have I heard feminists totally misread the Jewish practice of abstaining from sex during one's period and then immersing in a mikveh (a ritual bath)? It is hard to explain this one to people who grew up in Puritan America.

When you hear the word "impure," it has a totally different meaning than the meaning it has in the context of Torah. In Torah, you're dealing with states of being that are related to the service in the Beis HaMikdash (the Great Temple). It's called "ritual purity" and "ritual impurity." These states of being have nothing to do with being dirty or clean.  You could, in fact, not shower for days and roll in the mud and you'd still be "ritually pure."

Are you confused? You should be. We think about these things in a paradigm that is so not the dominant paradigm. 

All you need to know is that the practice of not touching your husband when you're on your period and then immersing in a mikveh is awesome. Most women's mikvehs are like spas. Picture the most beautiful spa you've ever been to, in a quiet all-girls safe space, and that's mikveh. 

 Incidentally, Orthodox Jewish women have one of the lowest rates of cervical and other reproductive cancers because of…wait for it…these customs. We do not have sex at times that our vaginas are vulnerable to infection (such as right after birth). Because we do internal checks for menstrual blood the week after we finish menstruating, the rate of early detection of (G-d forbid) tumors and cysts in the vagina is very high.

You think we are sexually repressed and afraid of our own bodies just because we dress modestly? Every single Chassidic woman you see sticks her own fingers in her own vagina at least twice a day for 7 days of the month. The chicks in my women's studies classes didn't even do that. 

 In conclusion…

When you slam Orthodox Jews because you think you're defending or somehow liberating the women of our communities, you're actually doing us a huge disservice. When you slam Jewish men, you're slamming us, too. Not in my name, gals.  

The next time you see a Jewish lady in a wig pushing a baby carriage through Brooklyn, I hope you won't see an imprisoned waif who is just waiting to be liberated. Cuz we're not like that. We're strong. We're invincible. And we make delicious kugel. L'chaim, chicas!

Christopher Columbus was looking to to find a Homeland for the Jews, Historians claim!

Over five centuries after the famed explorer's death, historians are taking a fresh look at what motivated Christopher Columbus to make his voyage across the Atlantic -- and how his faith may have played into those motivations.

Some scholars, after analyzing Columbus' will and other documents, have devised a new theory about the explorer. They believe he was a Marrano, or a Jew who pretended to be a Catholic to avoid religious persecution. These historians also theorize that Columbus' main goal in life was to liberate Jerusalem from Muslim control, and that he decided to take his historic quest to North America in order to find a new homeland for Jews who had been forced out of Spain.

During the time of Columbus' voyage, Marranos were a targeted group. Tens of thousands of them were tortured during the Spanish Inquisition, so keeping one's true religious identity secret was a crucial priority for many.

As CNN reports, Columbus' will contained five provisions that some scholars believe to be evidence of the explorer's true faith:

Two of his wishes -- tithe one-tenth of his income to the poor and provide an anonymous dowry for poor girls -- are part of Jewish customs. He also decreed to give money to a Jew who lived at the entrance of the Lisbon Jewish Quarter.

On those documents, Columbus used a triangular signature of dots and letters that resembled inscriptions found on gravestones of Jewish cemeteries in Spain. He ordered his heirs to use the signature in perpetuity.

According to British historian Cecil Roth's "The History of the Marranos," the anagram was a cryptic substitute for the Kaddish, a prayer recited in the synagogue by mourners after the death of a close relative. Thus, Columbus's subterfuge allowed his sons to say Kaddish for their crypto-Jewish father when he died. Finally, Columbus left money to support the crusade he hoped his successors would take up to liberate the Holy Land.

Scholars also point to the real financiers of the voyage as evidence of the trip's purpose. While most schoolchildren grow up learning that the expedition was financed by Queen Isabella, historians say it was mostly paid for by two prominent Jews who had been forced to convert to Catholicism, Louis de Santangel and Gabriel Sanchez.

While these claims may be difficult to verify, the new portrait of Columbus painted by these scholars adds a complicated layer to the already convoluted sentiment toward the famed explorer. While he is lauded in the United States with a federal holiday and a receives a great deal of credit for discovering North America, his legacy has been tainted by charges of genocide and exploitation. But if Columbus' true intent was not imperialism, but freedom from religious trial, public perception of the man may shift yet again.

More than a third of divorce filings last year contained the word Facebook, UK Survey!

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg changed his status to “married” Saturday and received over one million “likes” from his followers. But the site he founded isn’t always so marriage-friendly.  In fact, lawyers say the social network 
contributes to an increasing number of marriage breakups.

More than a third of divorce filings last year contained the word Facebook, according to a U.K. survey by Divorce Online, a  legal services firm. And over 80% of U.S. divorce attorneys say they’ve seen a rise in the number of cases using social networking, according to the American Academy of Matrimonial Lawyers. “I see Facebook issues breaking up marriages all the time,” says Gary Traystman, a divorce attorney in New London, Conn. Of the 15 cases he handles per year where computer history, texts and emails are admitted as evidence, 60% exclusively involve Facebook.

“Affairs happen with a lightning speed on Facebook,” says K. Jason Krafsky, who authored the book “Facebook and Your Marriage” with his wife Kelli. In the real world, he says, office romances and out-of-town trysts can take months or even years to develop. “On Facebook,” he says, “they happen in just a few clicks.” The social network is different from most social networks or dating sites in that it both re-connects old flames and allows people to “friend” someone they may only met once in passing. “It puts temptation in the path of people who would never in a million years risk having an affair,” he says. Facebook declined to comment.

Final seconds of famly killed in Teveriah! as told by 7 year old survivor

Seven year old Rachel Atias, who alone survived Monday’s horrific crash, related the final seconds before the crash to her 

uncle.

“The car started to move quickly and our mother told us to read from the book Psalms,” she said. “We knew something was wrong and prayed.”

“Mother kissed me, and there were screams in the car. Father called the police before we crashed, he cried and cried,” she added.

Police officials on Tuesday said their initial investigation had concluded the accident that claimed eight members of the Attias family resulted from mechanical failure.

However, police stress the investigation is not complete. Investigators are now reportedly looking into the cause of the mechanical defect, and have not ruled out possible negligence on the part of vehicle inspectors.

Thousands of friends and family members took part in the funeral Tuesday for the eight members of the Atias family, killed in a car crash near Tiberias overnight Monday, they were brought to rest at the cemetery in Safed on Tuesday.

The dead have been named as Rafi and Yehudit, the parents, aged 42, their daughter, Avia, 17, twin sons Shimon and Elyshav, 16, Shira, 11, Tair, 9, and Noa, 5, from the small village of Bar Yochai. Rahel Atias, 7, was the only member of the family to survive the crash.

Yishai Atias spoke of the loss of his brother Rafael, sister-in-law Yehudit, and six of their seven children in a tragic road accident.

“Yesterday we celebrated the opening of the synagogue and brought in two Torah scrolls. It was the happiest day of my life,” he told Army Radio. “Today is exactly the opposite.”

1986 Murder of Jewish Child, Chaim Weiss, still unsolved. Coverup?

Before the internet and before Leiby Kletzky there was a MURDER in 1986. The largest cover-up perpetrated by frum jews in the 20th century. The murderer is still free. WHY? 

Chaim Weiss, 15, was found dead in his dormitory room at the Mesivta Yeshiva of Long Beach early on the morning of Nov. 1, 1986. The youth had been stabbed repeatedly by someone who evidently was well acquainted with the dormitory and its routine. At first, there was speculation that the murder might have been an act of anti-Semitic violence because of harassment of the Orthodox Jewish boys who attended the yeshiva. However, the investigation soon revealed that Chaim Weiss's murderer was knowledgeable about religious customs. A window had been left open slightly in the victim's room, which, according to Orthodoxy, enables the spirit of the dead to depart. Beyond that, a lighted mourning candle was placed on Chaim's desk. The victim's father, Anton Weiss of Staten Island, eventually grew disenchanted with how the Nassau police were handling the case. He said he felt that the police had been ''outsmarted,'' and he requested the naming of a special prosecutor. That was never done. ''There was very little to find in the way of leads,'' Lieutenant Nolan said. ''We were dealing with a group that holds very different mores. But eventually, we were able to interview everyone in the school, as well as all past and present employees. ''We couldn't even find out why Chaim was killed. To this day, we can't positively state whether it was from inside or outside of the school.''
For a more extensive discussion on the murder .... read the following thread:
Read especially the poster:"CCMMZE" who must have been a classmate of Chaim.
http://www.sitcomsonline.com/boards/archive/index.php/t-40393.html

Frum Michael Sabo gets 20 years for molesting children!

The victims of a deviant dad who preyed on kids lashed out today at the "monster" who stripped them of their childhoods as he was sentenced to 20 years to life in prison.

Sicko father of four Michael Sabo never looked up while relatives of two of his young victims read aloud letters that lashed out at the Orthodox Jewish pervert who pleaded guilty this month to molesting children and stockpiling sickening images of kiddie porn.

"I feel like breaking your bones and I hope you rot in prison," his now 16-year-old victim wrote in a letter read aloud in court by his dad. "I want to kill you over and over again."

The father choked up as he read aloud words from his son, who trashed Sabo as a "miserable, rotten piece of slime."

"Why? Why did you hurt these innocent children?" the father said. "What did they do to you?"

Sabo was set to go to trial and face the boy and a girl who accused him of sexually assault before taking a deal from prosecutors that Justice Vincent DelGiudice lamented was "lenient."

"They should have peace in knowing this man will never be able to harm another child for as long as he lives," DelGiudice said.

But relatives of the boy and girl that he admitted to molesting didn't hold back as they blasted Sabo, 38.

"While pretending to be our family and pretending to be nice, he was sexually abusing my sister," said the older sister of his 12-year-old female victim. "This is the true definition of a sociopath."

"You ruined her childhood, and perhaps her whole life," the sister added. "You are a monster."

The family of another of Sabo's accusers didn't cooperate because of fear of reprisals from within the Orthodox community, prosecutors said, and yet another alleged victim backed out on the eve of trial. In addition, prosecutors said they had evidence of five other victims.

Proescutor Kevin O'Donnell said the relatives of the 12-year-old girl were pressured in synagogue by Sabo supporters who vowed to pack the courtroom during her testimony.

"Despite this shameful act, these children and their parents still had the courage to come to court," O'Donnell said.

A defense lawyer for Sabo descibed his client as a "monster" whose twisted acts may have been caused by the sexual abuse he suffered as a child.

"Before he evolved into this monster, he, too, was a frightened young kid," Jeffrey Schwartz said.

The 38-year-old registered nurse was busted in 2010 when authorities found hundreds of revolting kiddie porn images on his home computer.

Sabo's perversion became exposed when a rabbi tracked down the family of the boy, whose image had ended up on a vile Russian kiddie porn website.

Read more: http://www.nypost.com/p/news/local/brooklyn/victims_of_convicted_child_molester_NXeq13dvZo2aif2Cb3XzEO#ixzz1vYrcuEdl

8 from same family killed in Tveryeh Car Accident! 7 year old survives! Updated 5/22

Eight people were killed near Tiberias overnight Monday in an accident that occurred when a vehicle's brakes went out, sending it careening into a wadi where it flipped over and burst into flames, according to police.

A seven-year-old girl was thrown from the vehicle before it went up in flames, sustaining light-to-moderate injuries. The remaining occupants of the vehicle remained trapped inside. MDA paramedics attempted to rescue survivors from the wreckage, but reported that they had evacuated eight dead bodies from the vehicle.

Paramedics treated the seven-year-old girl on the scene before evacuating her to Poriah Medical Center in Tiberias.

According to Israeli media reports, all of those killed in the crash were members of the same family, two parents and their six children.

The driver called police from the vehicle prior to the accident upon realizing that the car's brakes had ceased to function. According to police, the dispatcher who took the man's call heard the crash occur while he was on the line with the driver. The first police car to respond to the call found the car already in flames upon arriving at the scene.

UPDATE! MAY 22

Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz announced that his ministry would nominate an investigative committee to investigate the car crash that killed Rafael and Yehudit Atias and six of their seven children overnight Monday.

Given that the fatal accident was reportedly caused by a brake failure, Katz called to find out who had maintained the car and inspected it.

The driver called police from the vehicle prior to the accident upon realizing that the car’s brakes had ceased to function. According to police, the dispatcher who took the man’s call heard the crash occur while he was on the line with the driver.

Police said the call was “chilling and difficult” to hear, adding that the recording of the conversation would not be released as it would hurt the family’s sensitivities.

Ichud Hatzalah rescue told VIN News that the vehicle was in flames killing all trapped inside except their seven-year-old girl.

Harav Eisenman supports the "Counter Asifa"

For the last few weeks we all have been hearing about last night’s ‘The Asifa’ in Citified. It has been promulgated and disseminated throughout the Jewish world with letters and requests for all Jews to come and be part of sanctifying the name of Hashem.

The event was billed as one to bring about togetherness and unity among Jews and to combat those forces which are causing us harm.

Therefore, for the sake of unity and for my constant need for spiritual growth I, along with thousands and thousands, attended.

Indeed, the speakers spoke about the need to be holy and to be G-dly.

They spoke about the necessity to bring G-d into our lives.

They spoke about imitating the ways of our forefathers.

They mentioned the great traditions of Avrohom and of how we are all children of Avrohom.

They evoked the names of the great Chassidic masters and their legacies.

They quoted the names of the great one’s of our people and how they went against the tide and did not follow the masses in whatever event may have been the popular trend at the time.

They asked all of us to be brave and courageous; to have the inner strength to fight and stand up for what is right and for what is G-dly.

They insisted that notwithstanding the multitudes who gather in stadiums and have access to financial resources to promote their messages, we as G-dly, caring Jews; Jews who care about our children; should not just mimic the ways of the masses. Rather we have to keep focused and in spite of the masses and their frenzied and frenetic propaganda, we as G-d fearing, compassionate and caring Jews must think about the spiritual well being of each other; irrespective of who and how we outwardly appear.

As the speeches began to enter my heart, as I heard the legendary stories of the greats of our people who did everything and anything in their power to reach out and help those in need I felt the need to act.

As my heart awakened to the realization that there are people who are in need of compassion my body was inspired to act and not just listen.

I knew that I had to attempt to be G-dly and not just be a passive observer in the stadium munching on the free pretzels as most of the people sitting next to me were doing.

I decided to heed the call and attempt to imitate the ways of the Chofetz Chaim and of the Baal Shem Tov.

I left the arena filled with thousands and thousands of easily identifiable Jews who were sitting in comfort noshing on the free food provided and (many) checking their emails on their blackberries as speakers simultaneously made impassioned pleas to discard them.

I arose and walked out of the stadium with my head hell high and my heart infused with the knowledge and want of being G-dly and of being called a child of Avrohom Avinu.

Despite being chilled and still under the weakening effect of a lingering virus, I recalled the stories of our leaders and of their actions and this inspired me to keep seeking and walking.

I recalled the story of Rav Yisroel Salant and how he arrived at Shul late for Yom Kippur davening as he heard the cries of an unattended Jewish child. When asked how he was able to keep the masses waiting and why did he not join the crowd, Rav Yisroel responded, “A Jew who does not hear the cry of a Jewish child in need is in need of much more than of being in Shul in Yom Kippur; he needs an entire spiritual fixing.”

I know neither the source nor of the authenticity of the story. However, I do know that it entered my heart and to me it was always what was a true ‘Gadol’ is.

Is not feeling the pain of those in pain true G-dliness? As we say in davening every Motzei Shabbos: “Wherever you find the greatness of Holy One, Blessed be He. There you will find His humility…..For Hashem….the Master of masters….a great and mighty G-d. (Hashem says): I abide …in holiness, but (I) am with the broken and lowly of spirit, to revive the spirit of the lowly and to give life to those who are broken” (Yeshaya 57:15)

I knew what the message for me was; my destination was clear.

I looked and I searched.

Up the block and down the block; a phone call here and a phone call there; a request from a policeman here and an usher there; however, finally my search was not in vain and I found them.

Barricaded and secluded, confined and segregated, quarantined and concealed behind the police barricades they stood.

The hurt and pained, the broken hearted.

The ones about who Dovid HaMelech writes in Tehillim are the true ‘korbonos’ (sacrifices): The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit; O God, You will not despise a broken and crushed heart. (Tehillim 51:19).

These were the people I had to be with.

They came not to hurt and not to cause pain.

They came not to disrupt and not to attack.

They came because they are in pain and they know there are so many others as well.

They came because there is a hidden pain which the thousands inside yearning for inspiration and information were not being told and they hoped to correct that.

They came to help Jewish children and to tell everyone that other problems irrespective of the internet have to be tackled s well.

And they came because they are in pain.

When I was a little boy my Rebbe told me that when Pharaoh asked his three advisors, Bilaam, Iyov and Yisro for advice on what to do with the Jews this is what they said:

Bilaam who wanted to annihilate the Jews was himself killed.

Yisro who stood up for the Jews was rewarded by Hashem with his daughter marrying Moshe.

Iyov was silent and was punished with afflictions and pain.

My rebbe told me that we see from here that even when you cannot help someone or something, at least try to feel their pain, at least cry out in empathy.

I approached the group; the ‘counter Asifa’.

The men were not wearing black hats and women were present.

They had no fancy stadium seats and they sat on the cold, hard pavement.

They were not famous leaders with titles and huge yeshivas behind them.

They were simple broken hearted pained Jews and with this group I felt solace.

With this group I chose to stand; for nothing more than to say “I love you and I feel your pain.”

Some of the group eyed the Chareidi dressed rabbi with the long coat suspiciously; however, I could not help feeling that Rav Yisroel Salant and the Chofetz Chaim and the Baal Shem Tov walked with me.

I secretly hoped that all of the greats who were just a few hundred yards away would do those legendary acts which our greats are known by.

I hoped they would act as Rav Yisroel would have done by standing up for the pained and broken; those injured through no fault of their own, and that they would cross the street and embrace these sacrifices of God (that) are a broken spirit.

Suddenly, as I stood with Hashem’s beloved and pained children one of the women in our group called out, “Chevra (friends) I think the Asifa may be ending, people should be coming out. Let’s go out and engage them.”

I and entire group looked towards the throngs gathered across the street who were there to be come more like Avrohom Avinu who cared even for Arab wayfarers and brought them into his house.

We looked towards the thousands who heard speaker after speaker arouse the audience to emulate the Satmar Rebbe Zt”l who was known to care for the broken and crushed of his generation.

We hoped and awaited the multitudes that were now encouraged to be more G-dly and caring of the well being of our fellow Jews.

I looked at the woman who made the announcement.

Her eyes were full of hope and anticipation; her whole being felt that perhaps now finally the masses were approaching.

Perhaps the masses had been reawakened and informed about those who are in pain; perhaps a miraculous change in attitude had occurred.

However, as she and all of us looked toward the parking lot, no one looked our way; no one even said hello; they just kept walking as if nobody was there.

The woman lowered her face in disappointment and despair.

A man across the street stopped, turned for a moment to see who was across the street behind the barricades. He quickly looked away and without too much thought began speaking on his cell phone as he walked the steps up to the number 7 line.

The woman, forlorn and forsaken sat back on the pavement; no miracle would occur tonight. She sat down in silence, once again alone .

And I walked on wondering who I am.

Rav Yitzchok Eisenman is a noted Charedi Rabbi and leads Congregation Ahavas Israel in Passaic, NJ. Rabbi Eisenman is a sought after speaker and scholar in residence in many communities throughout the metropolitan area.

Asifa Under Way: Photos

Photo Credit: VIN

Photo credit: VIN

Harav M. Salamon arrives at Citifield: Photo Credit VIN

Author of "Hush" comments on the Asifa!

Ignorance is sacred .... To whom

This is why the Internet Asifa is important for K’lal Yisroel: because a wholesome lie is better than any broken truth; because denial must be protected at all costs; because ignorance is sacred in a world whose existence depends on it.

And this is why it is important that we be there on Sunday: because we hold the broken truth, the one we experienced firsthand when our rebbis, teachers, and leaders ripped their own lie piece by piece, life by life, in front of our eyes, and then intimidated, threatened, brutalized and suppressed any victim or witness who dared speak out, warning that they would destroy us and our broken truth if we did not accept their lie.

The Internet is an enormous threat to the ultra-orthodox world for the same reason it is a threat in Syria , Iran and Russia; a population that is aware is a population difficult to control. They say that they must fight the Internet for it brings moral decay. What they do not say, even to themselves, is that they must fight the Internet so they can conceal moral decay. That the only thing they fear more than the outside corruption the Internet brought inside, is the inside corruption the Internet has revealed to the outside.

The Internet is terrifying to the rabbanim perhaps because of porn, perhaps because it exposes youth to foreign ideas, but even more importantly, because it enables open dialogue and an honesty they cannot afford if they are to survive as a community, the community they insist they are; pure, innocent, and above their own frailties. And if a few children must be sacrificed for this wholesome lie, then so be it. It is better than any broken truth.

In the last few years, the Internet has served as a crucial tool for victims of sexual abuse. It is through blogs and online discussions that many victims first realized they are not alone, that this is a communal problem. The silence that has kept victims in such utter isolation, unable to connect with others, has been broken by the anonymity and connectivity of the Internet. It was there victims could finally speak honestly without fear. It was there they could hear of so many similar experiences, and reach out to other victims. The Internet played a large role in tapping at the wall of denial, and for the communal authorities this was a dangerous thing.

Denial is a terrible thing to lose. We know. For many victims it takes years to face their own traumas, to break away from the security and warmth of a well taught lie. But no one knows like we do that it is never technology that corrupts man, but man that corrupts technology. Because decades before there was Internet or computers, there was sexual molestation and the worst forms of moral decay. We were there when it happened, when men who did not have access to the Internet turned into beasts, groping, fondling, and raping boys and girls half their size and strength, then terrorizing them into silence.

Tomorrow we will stand outside Citifield with our cardboard signs. There will be thousands of orthodox men walking past us. Some will look quickly away, some will laugh in pity, some will wish they were standing with us. We’ll stand for the first time as a united voice, in public, telling them that we are no longer afraid; that we, who have seen the darkest parts of their world, will never be silenced again; that we will make as big a ‘Chillul Hashem’ as we need to, and for as long as we need to, because there are basic morals and there are cultural traditions and for too long the ultra-orthodox world has confused one for the other.

The Citifield rally is so important to the community because it is another form of denial, another excuse they can point to. It allows them to avoid confronting the most dangerous enemy of all: themselves. The Internet does not molest, only people do; they always have. But if they can just persist on blaming internal problems on evil outside forces they can continue to remain blind to what they refuse to see: themselves. And that is why we will be there tomorrow, because this is the broken truth.

‑ Judy Brown, Hush

Robert Klein arrested for filing a false report stating that his Father-In-Law beat him to force him to give a get!

New York - The Queens man who claimed he was beaten and robbed by his estranged father-in-law and several other men was arrested today for falsifying a police report, The Post has learned.

Robert Klein was collared at 1:50 a.m. after investigators discovered his Blackberry cell phone was never stolen in the May 12 attack as he had alleged, police sources said.

Klein, 25, previously told The Post that the assailants tied his hands and feet, blindfolded him and pummeled him.

Klein said the men—including father-in-law Brian Hirshman – then forced him to mumble the words for a rabbi-sanctioned divorce. Men must consent to the divorce—known as a “get”—under Jewish tradition.

Klein is locked in a bitter divorce battle with his wife in Queens Supreme Court.

Hirshman, 52, was arrested May 13 for his alleged role in the attack.