Case of the Unnamed 15-year-old Kranczer son
(Midwood) Brooklyn, NY
The fifteen-year-old son of Rabbi Gershon Kranczer was accused of abusing several relatives, including some of his sisters. His father and two of his brother's were also arrested on these charges.
The fifteen-year-old son of Rabbi Gershon Kranczer is one of 14 children.
The individual discussed on this page was born around 1999.
If you have a any more information about this case, please forward it to The Awareness Center.
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Table of Contents:
2010
- Rabbi accused of sexually abusing daughters (12/03/2010)
- Former Yeshiva Principal Sought on Abuse Charges (12/03/2010)
- Brooklyn Rabbi Gershon Kranczer and sons accused of sexually abusing relatives, young girls: police (12/03/2010)
- Brooklyn rabbi, sons charged with sexual abuse (12/03/2010)
- Rabbi's son accused of sexual abuse ordered to stay away from underage victims (12/04/2010)
- Father, Sons Face Sex-Abuse Claims (12/04/2010)
- Brooklyn rabbi wanted for molesting daughters (12/05/2010)
2012
- Brooklyn ‘perv’ rabbi Gershon Kranczer and son on the lam in Israel (06/03/2012)
Also see:
- Case of Asher Kranczer
- Case of Rabbi Gershon Kranczer
- Case of Yechezkel Kranczer
- Case of the Unnamed 15-year-old Kranczer son
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Rabbi accused of sexually abusing daughters
By Anthonly M. Destefano
Newsday - December 3, 2010
The NYPD and Israeli police are searching for a Brooklyn yeshiva rabbi who, along with three of his sons, allegedly took part in years of sex abuse of four of his daughters, one as young as 8, law enforcement officials said Friday.
Gershon Kranczer, 58, and a son, Asher, 21, are sought for questioning about the sex abuse allegations after both suddenly fled to Israel on Nov. 29 in the wake of claims by one of Kranczer's daughters that she had been raped, according to police.
"They are wanted for questioning on the allegations," NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Friday.
According to police, Kranczer and his wife, who happens to be his first cousin, had 14 children - seven boys and seven girls ranging in ages from 28 to 8 years old - and were living in a two-story detached frame house in the Midwood section of Brooklyn. The home was set up in dormitory-style, with bunk beds throughout.
"Nobody has seen anything like this before," one law enforcement source, who didn't want to be identified, said of the case.
Investigators said the case began to develop in recent weeks after Kranczer's 20-year-old daughter, who had been working as a teacher's assistant at a yeshiva, told one of the instructors there she had been sexually attacked. The school notified the police.
It's alleged a total of four of Kranczer's daughters were abused, either by him or three of his sons, said police. The 20-year-old victim was allegedly sexually abused by Kranczer and another of his sons, Yechezkel, 24, said Browne, adding the young woman was also allegedly raped by Asher.
Yechezkel Kranczer was arrested by police Thursday, as was a 15-year-old younger brother, who is not being identified because he is a minor, said Browne.
Asher Kranczer also allegedly sexually abused two other sisters, ages 19 and 17, while the unidentified 15-year-old brother alleged sexually abused his 8-year-old sister.
Both the 15-year-old boy, whose case is being dealt with through Family Court, and his 8-year-old sister have been providing information to investigators, said police.
Browne said an NYPD intelligence detective on assignment in Israel is joining the search for Kranczer and his son, who he described as being legally blind.
A spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney's office said Yechezkel Kranczer has been charged with 25 counts of sexual abuse in the second degree and 45 counts of sexual abuse in the third degree, as well as two counts of endangering a child's welfare. All charges are misdemeanors. His arraignment was pending late Friday.
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Former Yeshiva Principal Sought on Abuse Charges
By Kareem Fahim and Al Baker
New York Times - December 3, 2010
A former Brooklyn yeshiva principal and three of his sons sexually abused four of the principal’s other children, molesting one of the victims over 15 years, the authorities said Friday.
The police are still looking for the man, Rabbi Gershon Kranczer, 58, and one of his sons, Asher Kranczer, 21, who they believe fled to Israel earlier this week. Another son, Yechezkel Kranczer, 24, turned himself in to the police on Thursday and has been charged with 70 counts of sexual abuse and 2 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
The third son, a 15-year-old whose name was withheld by the authorities, was brought in for questioning on Wednesday, made statements implicating himself in the abuse and was arrested, said Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman.
The authorities believe the abuse occurred in a three-story house in Midwood, Brooklyn, that Rabbi Kranczer shared with his wife and 12 of his 14 children. Neighbors said the family had lived in the house for more than 20 years. A law enforcement official said the house had a large kitchen and several bunk beds.
Mr. Browne said the situation came to light after one of the children, who works as a teacher’s aide at a yeshiva, told a colleague about the abuse on Monday. The colleague contacted the authorities, Mr. Browne said.
He said that Rabbi Kranczer and his son Asher flew from Kennedy International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Monday, possibly because they had learned the authorities were investigating. Law enforcement officials said that Rabbi Kranczer and Asher, who is legally blind, were driven to the airport by Rabbi Kranczer’s wife, whom the police did not identify by name.
Yechezkel Kranczer married recently and had moved out of the home, the authorities said.
The authorities said no one in the family had prior criminal records.
On Friday afternoon, a teenage child emerged from the house carrying a duffle bag, walked past crates of household items on the porch and disappeared down the street without commenting.
Neighbors painted a picture of a family struggling financially, and said two of the children had learning disabilities. But they said that they were shocked at the accusations and that the children seemed outwardly happy. “Impossible,” said one, Sol Borger, 60, who lives across the street. “I don’t believe it.”
Mr. Borger said he and Rabbi Kranczer attended the same synagogue and had gone to each other’s weddings. “The kindest, most helpful people you’d ever want to meet,” he said. “I’d sooner believe Mayor Bloomberg did it.” Mr. Borger said “children’s services” visited the house years ago, but he believed nothing came of any accusations.
A spokeswoman for the Administration for Children’s Services would not comment on any visits to the home because of the investigation. She said the agency was in the process of taking some of the children from the house and was “working to ensure the safety of all the children.”
There were conflicting accounts of the school that Rabbi Kranczer ran until three months ago, when the police say he resigned from his post for unknown reasons. State records indicate he was the principal of a school with a few dozen students called the Mesorah School. The records give the address as the rabbi’s house. But neighbors said the school, for disabled children, was called Yeshiva Tehila L’Dovid and was a few blocks away from the house. On the porch of the Kranczer home, a mailed copy of the Flatbush Jewish Journal was addressed to Yeshiva Tehila L’Dovid.
The police said they were not aware of any victims outside the family.
Noah Rosenberg contributed reporting.
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Brooklyn Rabbi Gershon Kranczer and sons accused of sexually abusing relatives, young girls: police
By Henrick Karoliszyn and Jonathan Lemire
New York Daily News - December 3, 2010
A Brooklyn rabbi and three of his sons are accused of preying on four female relatives - and the sexual abuse may have started as many as 15 years ago.
Detectives suspect Rabbi Gershon Kranczer, 58, abused two underage relatives, while three of his sons - ages 24, 21 and 15 - repeatedly attacked other girls, police said.
Investigators said Kranczer and his 21-year-old son, Asher, who is legally blind, fled to Israel Monday and haven't been found.
The rabbi's 24-year-old son, Yechezkel Kranczer, turned himself in to the NYPD Thursday, and the 15-year-old - whose name is being withheld - surrendered to police the day before.
The horrifying abuse came to light when the oldest victim, a 20-year-old woman, told a co-worker at a yeshiva the rabbi had sexually assaulted her. The co-worker went to cops, who soon learned that three of the victim's female relatives - ages 19, 17 and 8 - also allegedly were abused in the rabbi's home.
The 20-year-old said she was frequently molested by Gershon Kranczer - the former head of Yeshiva Tehila L'Dovid - for the past 15 years, police said.
Neighbors were stunned at the allegations. "I've known him for 32 years, and he's an angel, a saint," said friend Sol Borger, 60. "Whenever I need anything, I know I can go to him. There's no way he would do this."
Investigators raided the rabbi's dilapidated Midwood home, where he and his wife - who are first cousins, police sources say - raised their 14 children.
The couple's children range in age from 10 to 28, and those younger than 18 were removed and placed in the care of the Administration for Children's Services.
Investigators do not believe Kranczer's wife was involved in the pattern of abuse and may have unwittingly given her husband a ride to Kennedy Airport on Monday, police sources said.
Her husband unexpectedly resigned from the yeshiva three months ago, sources said.
Detectives are not certain if other female relatives also were abused. Local leaders expressed worry the victims stayed silent for so long because of a culture of silence in the Orthodox community.
"Too many victims are then victimized by people who are angry at for them going forward," said Assemblyman Dov Hikind. "People are afraid to even talk about it."
Yechezkel Kranczer was charged with 70 counts of sexually abusing relatives - ages 17 and 20, prosecutors said. The 15-year-old suspect was charged with sexually abusing an 8-year-old relative, police said.
NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said cops were coordinating with Israeli authorities to track down the fugitives.
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Brooklyn rabbi, sons charged with sexual abuse
By Chris Michaud
Reuters - December 3, 2010
A Brooklyn rabbi and former Yeshiva school principal and three of his sons, including one aged 15, were accused of sexually molesting the family's daughters over a period of several years, including one girl as young as eight, police said on Friday.
Gershon Kranczer, 58, fled to Israel with a 21-year-old son earlier this week and was being sought there. New York City police said they are working with Israeli officials on the case.
Authorities said that four sisters, ages 20, 19, 17 and eight, were all sexually abused numerous times over several years variously by their three brothers or father.
The case came to light when one of the victims, the 20-year-old, told a Yeshiva co-worker about the abuse which allegedly went on for many years. The co-worker then went to police.
Kranczer's 24-year-old son, Yechezkel Kranczer, and his 15-year-old brother have both been arrested and were being held pending multiple charges of sexual abuse or molestation, police said on Friday.
The teen-ager's name was not released because he is a minor.
Kranczer was founder and until recently principal of the Yeshiva Tehila L'Dovid in Brooklyn but has resigned.
The family had 14 children and the minors were removed from the home by officials from child protective services, according to local media. But police could not immediately confirm that.
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Rabbi's son accused of sexual abuse ordered to stay away from underage victims
By Matthew Lysiak and Jonathan Lemire
New York Daily News - December 4, 2010
As the international manhunt continued for the Brooklyn rabbi accused of sexually abusing female relatives, one of his sons was charged with a series of sick attacks - and ordered to stay away from his alleged underage victims.
Yechezkel Kranczer, 24, posted $10,000 bail and left Brooklyn Criminal Court yesterday after he was arraigned on charges of sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
Kranczer, two brothers and his father, Rabbi Gershon Kranczer, are together accused of abusing four relatives - now aged 20, 19, 17 and 8 - for years.
Yechezkel Kranczer, dressed in traditional Orthodox garb, made eye contact with the judge and simply uttered "yes" when asked if he understood the charges - which are both misdemeanors - and the restraining order.
Because he was observing the Sabbath, Kranczer would not sign the order himself, and instead had his lawyer do it.
He refused to speak with reporters outside the courtroom.
Yechezkel Kranczer's passport was taken to prevent him from fleeing the country, which investigators said the rabbi did Monday as cops closed in.
Gershon Kranczer, the 58-year-old former head of Yeshiva Tehila L'Dovid, and his blind 20-year-old son, Asher, boarded a flight at Kennedy Airport and flew to Israel.
They have not been found.
The other suspect, a 15-year-old boy whose name is being withheld, surrendered to cops and confessed to sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl, police sources said.
The family's pattern of abuse came to light after one of the women, who is now 20, broke down and told a co-worker at a yeshiva that the rabbi molested her for 15 years.
"This family ... has been engaged in a horrific pattern of sexual abuse," said Assistant District Attorney John Holmes.
Cops raided the rabbi's dilapidated Midwood home, where he and his wife, who are first cousins, raised 14 children. Though prosecutors believe the home was the site of many of the attacks, they do not suspect the wife was involved.
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Father, Sons Face Sex-Abuse Claims
By Tamaer El-Ghobashy and Alison Fox
Wall Street Journal - December 4, 2010
The former rabbi of a Brooklyn school for boys is believed to have fled to Israel after police identified him and three of his sons as suspects in the sexual abuse of the rabbi's four daughters, authorities said Friday.
Gershon Kranczer, 58 years old, allegedly boarded a flight from Kennedy Airport destined for Israel on Monday along with his 21-year-old son Asher, after an informant told police that Mr. Kranczer had allegedly engaged in a prolonged sexual relationship with at least one of his daughters, police said. Asher, who a law-enforcement official said is legally blind, is being investigated in the sexual abuse of three of his sisters, police said.
"We are seeking the exact whereabouts and return from Israel of the two men," top NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.
Two other sons, Yechezkel, 24, and a 15-year-old whose name was being withheld by authorities because of his age, have been arrested and charged with sexually abusing their sisters, police said.
Yechezkel, who recently got married and moved out of the family's two-story house, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse. The 15-year-old son has been charged with the sexual abuse of his 8-year-old sister. It wasn't known immediately whether the two had attorneys; they were awaiting arraignment late Friday.
Mr. Browne said the department has a good working relationship with Israeli authorities in addition to an extradition agreement. An NYPD detective stationed in Tel Aviv is assisting the Israelis in their search for the suspects, Mr. Browne said.Mr. Kranczer and his wife have 14 children, ranging in age from 8 to 28, police said. The mother hasn't been named as a suspect and police are investigating if she was aware of the alleged abuse, police said. The children under 18 have been removed from the family's home and placed into the care of the Administration for Children's Services, police said.
The allegations came to light when a 20-year-old daughter, who works as a teacher's aide at a yeshiva, confided to a staff member there that she had been raped by her father repeatedly over the course of 15 years, police said. The coworker alerted authorities.
Police said the investigation revealed that Mr. Kranczer and his three sons allegedly sexually abused four girls who are now 20, 19, 17 and 8 years old.
Police said Mr. Kranczer resigned from his position at a yeshiva three months ago. An online guide to Brooklyn yeshivas listed him as the rabbi of Yeshiva Tehila L'Dovid, a school for boys with learning disabilities between the ages of 5 and 18 in Midwood. Property records list Mr. Kranczer as the executive director and principal of the school. School officials didn't respond to a request for comment.
A law enforcement official described the family's home as "utilitarian" and configured in a way to accommodate a large family. It has a big kitchen and rooms outfitted with several bunk beds, the official said.
The family consists of seven male and seven female children, the official said. The eldest, a 28-year-old man, is learning disabled and did not live in the home, the official said. A 14-year-old boy is also learning disabled, but lived with the parents, the official said.
Police said the investigation into the sexual abuse is continuing and did not rule out the possibility that other children were molested.
Friends of the family expressed disbelief at the accusations.
Faigie Sherman, 52, said the children "are happy, they play together." "They're an amazing family," said Ms. Sherman, who said moved down the block from the Kranczers 27 years ago. "I can't fathom such a thing. If the way I see the kids is any indication I would say it's not possible."
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Brooklyn rabbi wanted for molesting daughters
JTA - December 5, 2010
The former principal of a Brooklyn yeshiva, along with three of his sons, are wanted for molesting four of his children over 15 years.
New York police are looking for Rabbi Gershon Kranczer, 58, and one of his sons, Asher, 21, who are believed to have fled to Israel, according to reports. Son Yechezkel Kranczer, 24, turned himself in to the police on Dec. 2 and was released on bail, and a third son, 15, was arrested.
The abuse reportedly came to light after one of the daughters, 20, told a co-worker at the yeshiva where she works as a teachers’ aide that the rabbi had been molesting her for 15 years, the New York Daily News reported.
Gershon Kranczer and his three sons are accused of sexually abusing the four sisters — ages 20, 19, 17 and 8 — numerous times in the past few years.
Gershon Kranczer is the former head of Yeshiva Tehila L’Dovid, which serves children with special needs. He and his wife have 14 children aged 10 to 28.
New York City children’s services officials reportedly removed the minor children from the home.
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Brooklyn ‘perv’ rabbi Gershon Kranczer and son on the lam in Israel
By Susan Edelman
New York Post - June 3, 2012
They may run, and it seems they can hide.
Brooklyn rabbi Gershon Kranczer, 58, hopped a JFK flight to Tel Aviv on Nov. 29, 2010, running away just days before cops went to his Midwood house of horrors to arrest him on charges of repeatedly raping several female relatives. One of his sons, Asher, 21, facing similar charges, joined his dad on the plane.
More than 18 months later, their Brooklyn indictments are sealed from public view and authorities won’t discuss any efforts to bring them to justice.
A spokesman for Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes said he asked the US Justice Department to extradite the Kranczers in early 2011, a move purportedly in the works.
The feds refused to comment.
“We don’t confirm or deny extradition requests,” said Laura Seal, a State Department spokeswoman.
The NYPD opened the sickening case when a 20-year-old woman confided in a co-worker that the respected rabbi, who ran Yeshiva Tehila L’Dovid, had sexually assaulted her for years. Cops later learned that three of her female relatives, ages 8, 17 and 19, were also allegedly abused.
“If there was a real desire to get these guys back, DA Hynes would be pushing for it, and he would be successful,” said Ben Hirsch, president of Survivors For Justice.
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