A letter to the New York Times
Lilith Magazine - October 18, 2000
In response to articles on allegations of sexual and other physical abuse against a well-liked youth leader of the Orthodox Union's NCSY program, Rabbi Baruch Lanner, Lilith sent the following letter to The New York Times.
To the editor:
The story in New York's Jewish Week on Rabbi Baruch Lanner's alleged misconduct
was eerily, creepily familiar to us: charges of sexual, physical and psychological
abuse against a popular rabbi widely acknowledged but never acted upon. The
story about Rabbi Lanner's alleged misdeeds in working with children is important
and courageous. It is also discouraging. How many times will this story
have to be told before those in positions of authority in Jewish institutions
start to take responsibility for stopping religious leaders who violated ethical
and legal boundaries and who hurt their followers?
The denials and cover-ups by religious authorities in the case of Rabbi Baruch
Lanner closely parallel a report Lilith Magazine has published, investigating
accusations of sexual misconduct by the rabbi and popular singer Shlomo Carlebach.
Lilith, the independent Jewish women's magazine, exposed "The Paradoxical
Legacy" of the late Rabbi Carlebach, known around the world for his neo-Chassidic
spirituality, his charm and his music. Like Lanner's, Carlebach's alleged sexual
misconduct was denied, ignored and covered up by his partisans. And like the
Jewish Week's editor, Lilith's staff was beseeched not to publish, for fear
that the allegations brought against Carlebach would undo all the ostensible
good he had done. The power and charisma of men like Lanner and Carlebach make
it that much more difficult--and that much more important--to bring such allegations
to light. The accusers in both cases felt violate twice: once by the sexual
advances they say were made to them by a revered spiritual figure, and again
by the silence that greeted them when they did come forward.
And let us remember that in all the worry about "malicious gossip"
and the hand-wringing about not making trouble for the rabbi, defensive members
of these religious communities are missing the real point: If the allegations
against Rabbi Lanner are proven true, he is not only in violation of ethics.
He is in violation of the law.
Susan Weidman Schneider
Editor-in-Chief
Editor-in-Chief
Sarah Blustain
Associate Editor
Lilith Magazine
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