Protocols - November 9, 2004
http://protocols.blogspot.com/
The following has been circulated, and mailed to
several different Jewish newspapers. As of today, no one has published it.
Through my sources, I know who wrote this. The letter and its author are
credible. -- Vicki Polin
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To the editors
Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau |
The taboo surrounding the issue of child sexual abuse
in general, and even more so within our own community is very real and difficult
to surmount for many reasons. Our silence is what child sexual offenders
count on to enable them to continue abusing. We must break this silence and
as a community begin to address this issue openly.
This sensitive issue becomes even harder to deal with
when allegations are made against a rabbi or trusted leader within our community.
Most of our rabbis and leaders are not child molesters, but most also have
no training or expertise in this area. Most rabbonim confronted with allegations
of abuse against a trusted and respected colleague are simply not equipped
to deal with the situation. Obviously, they do not want to believe the
allegations. It is a lot easier to stigmatize an obviously troubled or angry
victim then to believe that a well respected, influential, colleague could
be a sexual predator.
Entrance to The Torah Institute of Baltimore |
We have recently read stories of perpetrators within
our community who have used the silence of the community and its leaders
to allow them to continue abusing children, sometimes for decades. Some say
that it is a chillul Hashem for papers to have published such information.
The sad truth is that going to the papers is the only thing that finally
stopped the abuser and prevented future victims. The real chillul Hashem
is that many Rabbonim knew of allegations for years and did nothing. The
real chillul Hashem is that when a sexual abuse or assault victim dares to
speak out publicly, instead of helping the victim, and confronting the issue,
Rabbonim and community leaders rally around the accused perpetrator trying
to protect the image of the community at the expense of his victims.
Many of our "at risk teens" who have gone "off the
derech" (OTD) are victims of childhood sexual abuse and have gotten the message
loud and clear that they will not be helped or believed, and so have left
the community.
When allegations are brought against a person who is
in a position of authority over innocent children this person should very
quickly be directed to another line of work. To date there is no known cure
for pedophiles. The only way to manage these tendencies is for perpetrators
to never be alone with a child.
Parents have a right to know about allegations made
against those caring for their children and to make an informed decision
about the risks that they are willing to expose their children to. The Baltimore
community must be made aware of and take responsibility for any accused
perpetrators in our mist, especially when they hold positions that enable
them to continue to offend.
Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau |
The charges brought against Rabbi Eisgrau by his student
were formally investigated and later dropped because of insufficient evidence.
In the words of the investigator, Detective Richard Hardick, he was "stonewalled"
by the community. Concerned and aware members of our community (including
myself) who have tried to speak out about the potential danger to our children
have been threatened with loss of their job, membership to shul, and even
personal safety. Rabbi Eisgrau's rav has advised rabbi Eisgrau's other children
to excommunicate their sister unless she agrees never to speak out about
her experience. This, in my opinion, is a horrible chillul Hashem and abuse
of rabbinic authority.
Let us, as a community, take responsibility for protecting
our children and educating ourselves about sexual abuse. A good resource,
which deals specifically with sexual abuse in the Jewish community, is The
Awareness Center at, www.theawarenescenter.org.
Rabbi
Yosef Blau (mashgiach Ruchani of the Rabbi Isacc Elchanan Theological
Seminary) in his article,
Confronting
Abuse in The Orthodox Community, (Nefesh News, 7:9, July 2003)
writes:
"Our community has not been educated to recognize abuse
nor to appreciate the ongoing trauma of victims...Often the response is to
express anger at the paper (publishing letters such as this one) and then
ignore the abuse. Until the mentality of the community changes little progress
will be made."
I hope everyone reading this will take his message
to heart.
Sincerely,
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