Case of the Unnamed Father and friends who drugged, raped his daughter

Case of the Unnamed Father and friends who drugged, raped his daughter 

West London, England

Stamford Hill (London), England

This is a case of alleged incest and possible form of ritual abuse occurring in the Chasidic community in Stamford Hill, Great Britain.  According to reports a 16-year-old  girl was drugged, bound and blindfolded and then gang-raped by her father and his friends.  

The girl disclosed that she first made allegations of abuse in 2011 at school, but she revealed its full extent to a visiting rabbi in 2012.

The father is charged with various sexual offenses, including three counts of rape, and, with the family friend, of two counts of conspiracy to rape. He is also charged with perverting the course of justice for allegedly offering £1,000 to someone who knew the girl to persuade her not to press charges.

If you have more information about this case, please forward it to The Awareness Center.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.

Table of Contents:

2013

1. Girl claimed father gang-raped her (06/27/2013)

Also see: 

1. Policies For inclusion on The Awareness Center's Sex Offender's Registry
2. Listing Alleged and Convicted Sex Offenders
3. Ritual Abuse / Extreme Abuse

_________________________________________________________________________________

Girl claimed father gang-raped her

By Anna Sheinman

Jewish Chronicle - June 27, 2013

A 16-year-old Orthodox Jewish girl was drugged, bound and blindfolded and then gang-raped by her father and his friends, a court heard this week.

The alleged victim, who cannot be identified for legal reasons, said that on two occasions her father tied her hands together, covered her eyes with a blindfold and drove her for about 20 minutes to an unknown location, where six or seven men assaulted, raped and tortured her.

She said that large clips were attached to her breasts and electric shocks passed through them. On one occasion she said the men assaulted her with a live snake. In video evidence played in court, she said: “They put a snake on my body, I could feel there was a snake.”

She also claimed that on another occasion, she was ordered to perform sexual acts on a woman, but refused and started “kicking and screaming”.

She told the court that she had suffered abuse at the hands of her father over a period of seven years.

She said she was beaten if she resisted: “After a bit I felt mentally owned by them, they didn’t have to force me, they would just tell me and I would listen.”

The girl, who is now 18, claimed the abuse began with her father forcing her to take showers with him when she was 10. She said it escalated to rape when she was 14. When she was 16, she said her father began to facilitate her abuse by a family friend, the father of a classmate at the Jewish school she attended.

This began with an assault while she was at the man’s family home for Shabbat dinner.

The girl said her father and the family friend were both present at the gang rape, as well as another man who she described as a Chasidic Jew from Stamford Hill who worked with her father.

Prosecution lawyer Richard Merz said the girl did not tell anyone about the abuse because “her father had made threats that she would be abducted and sold into prostitution and that members of the family would be killed”.

She first made allegations of abuse in 2011 at school, but she revealed its full extent to a visiting rabbi in 2012.

Her father, who is from north west London, is charged with various sexual offences, including three counts of rape, and, with the family friend, of two counts of conspiracy to rape. He is also charged with perverting the course of justice for allegedly offering £1,000 to someone who knew the girl to persuade her not to press charges.

Defence lawyer Jonathan Goldberg QC, said the girl invented the allegations. He claimed she watched pornography on her laptop that depicted group sex and used that as inspiration. He added that teachers at her school thought she was an “attention seeker”.

The trial, at Wood Green Crown Court, continues.

_________________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE
 
Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
_________________________________________________________________________________

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." –– Margaret Mead

_________________________________________________________________________________

What the Melbourne Jewish community is not being told about child sexual abuse

What the Melbourne Jewish community is not being told about child sexual abuse

By Vivien Resofsky

J-Wire - June 25, 2013

About a month ago I sat in the Rabbi’s office, hopeful despite the negative responses over the last 7 years.  The question took me by surprise.  ” How many people support you?”…writes Viven Resofsky.

I first saw a Rabbi about child sexual abuse in 2004 while I was working at Jewish Care. A terrible example of child sexual abuse was the catalyst. The abuse had gone on for years and finally the girl had the courage to ask for help. She went to a teacher she trusted at Beth Rivkah Ladies College but the teacher did not help her.  Instead she told her student that she was not a pure diamond because her parents were not born into Ultra Orthodox families  and had become Ultra Orthodox by choice. (Baal Teshuvah).

Despite the fact that the teacher was mandated to report disclosures of abuse she did nothing and consequently nothing in the girl’s life changed.  So the girl did something she could do by herself and began to hurt herself physically. Luckily, she came across a doctor who not only knew how to respond but had the confidence and conviction to respond responsibly.

There were other referrals about child sexual abuse and in my opinion, many people who were working with children weren’t sufficiently educated and confident to deal with child sexual abuse.

Four years later I spoke to the same Rabbi again about child sexual abuse. It was 2008 at the time of the publicity surrounding alleged abuse and non-reporting by school authorities at Adass Ladies College.  Comments from community members and leading organistions plus the Australian Jewish News (AJN) editorials revealed widespread ignorance about child sexual abuse.

“We are pleased to be able to report is that the likelihood of such an event taking place now or in the future in any Australian Jewish school – Orthodox or otherwise is remote”. (A lesson learned, AJN Editorial 17/10/2008).

At the time I publicized my opinion that there indeed was a high likelihood of such an event taking place again.  Compliance with Working With Children checks is a minimum measure, Yeshivah’s assertion that it would  enforce mandatory reporting and child protection polices outside school hours (but not during school hours)‘ reflects the minimum standard of care that the law required.

The solution to child sexual abuse is public awareness backed up by comprehensive community education. This is more than the minimum required by law. The organisation leading the response to child sexual abuse, The Jewish Taskforce Against Family Violence and Sexual Assault (The Taskforce) opposed  providing comprehensive community education. The Taskforce is a volunteer organisation whose leaders who address the public are not qualified in child protection or any field related to children. I believe that it’s policies are based on selectively chosen ‘experts’ assertions, rather than those derived from research and programs that have been evaluated and been proven to work.

This is clear from the written policy of The Taskforce in 2008 in relation to parental education that  ‘parents should educate themselves: by attending workshops, internet research, or taking advantage of the many professional organisations that provide information, resources and training.’  (1).

The approach of parents educating themselves contradicts the latest Victorian child protection inquiry report (2012).  Recommendation 10 states :  “The Department of Education and Early Childhood Development should develop a wide-ranging education and information campaign for parents and caregivers of all school-aged children on the prevention of child sexual abuse.(2)   Comprehensive educational programs have  not been developed in Australia so how  parents be expected to find the right  education by themselves?  Why not help them? Research supporting the inquiry’s conclusions is now at least 10 years old.

In 2011, Manny Waks told the public about the abuse he suffered at Yeshivah and the fact that leaders of Yeshivah including Rabbis, did not report the abuse. For example,  Rabbi Kluwgant made public comments such as this one published in the US, Jewish Daily Forward newspaper.

“ ..Rabbis approach to disclosures of sexual abuse has definitely changed for the better in recent years.”   But Kluwgant added that there has been no attempt to cover up abuse in Australia and that the rabbinate there is committed to addressing the issue. “A lot (of abuse accusations are) based on rumour and innuendo, unless they’re proven in a court of law,” Kluwgant added. “I could tell you lots of lashon hara (evil talk).”

I contacted the Rabbinical Council of Victoria (RCV) about this and other comments made that I considered misled the public.  A Rabbi looked at a community education program which had been developed by a highly regarded  child protection organisation in the UK.   The program is easily accessible on the internet, at no cost.  His feedback seemed positive. “It’s like the education for  Rabbis. But that’s to be expected”. But still nothing changed.

It was AJN’s  Editor, Mr  Zeddy Lawrence’s article  Enough is Enough that led me to contact Rabbi Kluwgant again.   Mr Lawrence was scathing in his criticism of our spiritual leaders

“ for not owning up their past actions in relation to allegations of child sexual abuse.” (AJN 8/3).

Surely now, I thought  the RCV would be more willing to look at the elements that community education should contain. It was due to this contact that I found myself sitting in the Rabbi’s  about the same issue.  He told me that  had recently attended an educational workshop presented by Tzedek (the new child advocacy organisation). I think he was suggesting that the issue of community education was resolved as Tzedek was providing education.  I disagreed. I believe that Tzedek’s workshop was a good beginning but it did not cover all of the elements community members need to know to prevent, recognize and respond responsibly to child sexual abuse.

” How many people support you?” Rabbi Goodhardt asked me.  Seven years ago The Taskforce took away support for community education when it pressurized The National Council of Jewish Women to withdraw its support for a community education initiative.

I believe that Rabbi Goodhardt’s question reflects the essence of the problem. Responding to child sexual abuse should not be about who has the support of influential organisations.  I believe that until our leading organisations seek the best answers, based on information derived from genuine experts that reflects the best interests of children, the change required for the future health of our children will not be good enough.

Some missing elements in existing community education efforts.

• Education about child protection policies

Schools and programs for children should have specific child sexual abuse prevention policies that focus on appropriate adult and child boundaries and adult and child situations. The Taskforce did not deal with child protection policies. They just left it out, yet they told the community that they were ‘Tackling abuse head on.’ (AJN 21/09/12 ).

The Taskforce also left out community education that incorporates parents checking  their school’s policies, how to check them and what to look for. How can parents advocate for sound policies if they don’t know they exist and if they don’t know what ‘good policies’ look like?

The JCCV recently started another group within its organization, called the JCCV Reference Group to deal with this important element of protecting children that The Taskforce had previously ignored.

History has shown that leaving it to organizations to reform themselves is not the entire answer.  I agree with Rabbi Yakov Horowitz that  parents will have to take the lead role and create a groundswell for the protection of children. (3 ).  Although JCCV Reference Group leader, Andrew Blode “acknowledged the role of the parent in sharing this responsibility by requesting child protection policy and practice from the organisations to which their children are entrusted”  he does not mention providing parents with the education they need to request these policies.  Why not?

• Education about responding to child sexual abuse.

What would you do if you suspected that a member of your congregation is abusing a child? What should you do if a child told you that this person is sexually abusing him or her?

When a child tells someone about sexual abuse, a supportive, caring response is the first step in getting help for the child and re-establishing their trust in adults.  Many of us feel panicked and want to deny it, or are afraid of making a mistake and some just want to brush it aside and not be involved.

Our fear of responding to child sexual abuse is one of the reasons many incidents of child sexual abuse go unreported. Experts tell us that protecting children is the responsibility of every adult as there is the possibility of any adult being called upon to help a child. That is why community education that includes responding to child sexual abuse is so important. Not only do we need to be educated and prepared – just in case, we need to be confident enough to respond responsibly.

Education about how to respond to child sexual abuse is one missing element in existing community education.

• Support to act on suspicions.

What should you do if you sense something is wrong but you are not sure?  How can they check it out and work out what choice might be the best option for this particular situation. How should you deal with it?

If you suspect abuse or suspect that someone is grooming a child for abuse, you don’t have to assume you are right. By acting on suspicions of child sexual abuse you may spare not only one child but perhaps countless others. Many of those who abuse have more than one victim.

Support lines for professionals as well as community members are important.  I believe that best practice for such a service is when professionally qualified people, with expertise in child protection, work within organisations that are independent, transparent, and accountable respond. This is not the case in the Melbourne Jewish community.

• exactly is a ‘sensitive’ approach?  Is that an approach based on what some self proclaimed so called experts assert?  Do Taskforce volunteers who are not professionally qualified advice about how to deal with a person suspected of abusing?  Dealing with offenders is a very specialised area that requires expertise. What are the policies and measures The taskforce have adopted to deal with sex offenders to prevent further child sexual abuse?
  Surely the rabbinate who are involved with responding to child sexual abuse have learned lessons from the past.  I believe the late Rabbi Groner tried to address allegations of abuse by trying to ‘cure’ alleged offenders through psychiatry and that he genuinely thought this was the best solution.  Isn’t that what The Taskforce with the support of the RCV is doing despite the fact that we now know so much more about child sexual abuse?. The role of Rabbis.

In its submission to the Victorian Parliamentary Inquiry, The Taskforce stated that they have an informal liaison with the Rabbinical Council of Victoria and “can informally advise them when a situation arises”.

What does that mean?  Is the word informal code for ‘keeping it in house?” How does The Taskforce advise Rabbis during certain sensitive cases, including ones “where there wasn’t enough evidence to charge anyone but there were many concerns”? Where is this stated?  Doesn’t this come under the heading of responding to child sexual abuse? Where can the community access information about the processes between The Taskforce and the RCV?

Who decides whether there is enough evidence to charge anyone?  What

Case of Tzvi Boxer

Case of Tzvi Boxer

Brooklyn, NY

Convicted sex offender on 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct.
_________________________________________________________________________________

Table of Contents:

2013

1. New York Department of Corrections - Inmate Lookup (06/25/2013)
2. Brooklyn DA releases names of 46 convicted child sex-abusers who terrorized the Orthodox Jewish community from within (07/21/2013)

Also see: 

1. Policies For inclusion on The Awareness Center's Sex Offender's Registry
2. Listing Alleged and Convicted Sex Offenders

_________________________________________________________________________________

New York Department of Corrections - Inmate Lookup
June 25, 2013
http://nysdoccslookup.doccs.ny.gov/

Tzvi Boxer is scheduled to be released from prison on September 16, 2021.

click on image to enlarge

_________________________________________________________________________________

Brooklyn DA releases names of 46 convicted child sex-abusers who terrorized the Orthodox Jewish community from within
By Susan Edelman
New York Post - July 21, 2013

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office has convicted 45 men — and one woman — in sex-attack cases in the Orthodox Jewish community since it began a crackdown more than four years ago, officials say.

DA Charles Hynes gave The Post their names, except for several juveniles, in a major shift from his prior stance that publicizing the perverts could expose the victims to vicious intimidation or deter others from coming forward.

“We feel now it’s good for the community to know those who have been convicted,” said spokesman Jerry Schmetterer.

Hynes, who is running for re-election, has come under fire from critics who charge that his policies pander to ultra-Orthodox voters.

Of 118 cases pursued under a program called Kol Tzedek, Hebrew for “voice of justice,” 25 sex offenders have gotten jail time, officials said. The longest sentence — 103 years — went to Nechemya Weberman, an unlicensed therapist who had abused a girl starting when she was 12.

The DA still refuses to name those arrested in pending cases for horrific crimes, including:

* The kidnapping and sexual assault of a 4-year-old girl;

* The sodomy of two young boys in a synagogue;

* A 33-year-old man accused of molesting three boys, 13, 14 and 15, in his yeshiva.

Of the convictions, 33 were felonies, 13 misdemeanors. Ten other offenders copped to violations. The only convicted woman sexually abused her son and was sentenced to 3 1/2 years in prison.

In some cases, the predators were not Orthodox Jewish, but the children were. For instance, Hector Valerdi, a yeshiva custodian, pleaded guilty to 1st Degree sex abuse last year after he molested a 10-year-old ultra-Orthodox girl.

DA officials say victims still fear ostracism for reporting a rapist or child molester from their religious community. At least 10 cases were dismissed and seven downgraded because victims backed out or parents refused to let their kids testify.

But prosecutors believe victims have gained courage since monsters like Weberman — whose supporters allegedly tried to bribe the victim and threaten her boyfriend’s business — have been put behind bars.

In a recent case, a DA team of lawyers, a social worker and a liaison to the Orthodox community visited a home where a man allegedly sodomized two stepsons. Long talks with the family and their rabbi finally yielded their cooperation. The stepdad pleaded guilty.

“More people are willing to come forward,” said Rhonnie Jaus, chief sex-crimes prosecutor. “There’s been a change in attitude — more accept coming into the criminal justice system.”

Hall of Shame

By Post Staff Report

July 21, 2013 | 4:00am

Simon Lemmer, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act

Moshe Spitzer, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act

Yona Weinberg, 2nd Degree Sexual Abuse; Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Stefan Colmer, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act

Joel Pinter, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Shlomo Tourjman, 2nd Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child

Nathan Actman, Sexual Misconduct

Boris Shaulov,, two counts 3rd Degree Rape; 3rd Degree Criminal Sexual Act; Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Constantine Kotzalides, First Degree Sexual Abuse

Fredy Conde, 1st Degree Sexual Absue

Simon Benisty, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse

Yaakov Maimon, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse

Bjorn Daley, 2nd Degree Attempted Kidnapping

Solomon Marmorstein, Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Sheldon Siller, 2nd Degree Criminal Contempt

Tzvi Boxer, 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct

Joseph Passof, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse

David Klausner, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act

Emanuel Yegutkin, 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child

Michael Sabo, Predatory Sexual Assault Against a Child

Andrew Goodman, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act

Meir Dascalowitz, 2nd Degree Criminal Sexual Act

Nechemya Weberman, 1st Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child

Yosef Donin, 2nd Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child

Hector Valerdi, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse

Jacob Kaff, 2nd Degree Course of Sexual Conduct Against a Child

Menachem Deutsch, 1st Degree Sexual Abuse

Arthur Samet, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Israel Nivazou, Attempted Forcible Touching

Frankie Hatton, Forcible Touching

Chaim Becker, 3rd Degree Sexual Abuse

FALSELY ACCUSED, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Jedrych Macie, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Moshe Vaisfiche, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

John Pilieci, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Eli Belili, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Nuchum Hammerman, Attempted Endangering the Welfare of a Child

Robert Mannis, Endangering the Welfare of a Child

_________________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE

Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has." –– Margaret Mead

_________________________________________________________________________________

When it comes to sex offenders and the way case are mishandled

When it comes to sex offenders and the way case are mishandled
By Vicki Polin
The Awareness Center - June 25, 2013

Child sexual abuse occurs within every community

Child sexual abuse occurs within every community

Case of Rabbi Boruch Leshes

Case of Rabbi Boruch Leshes

(AKA: Rabbi Boruch Dov Leshes)

Former Senior Leader, Yeshiva Centre - Sydney, Australia
Monsey, NY

Enabler of alleged and convicted sex offenders.  

Rabbi Boruch Leshes blames survivors sex crimes for the offenses committed against them.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Disclaimer: Inclusion in this website does not constitute a recommendation or endorsement. Individuals must decide for themselves if the resources meet their own personal needs.

Table of Contents:

2013

1. Rabbi's Shocking Comments on Sexual Abuse (06/23/2013)
2. Victims may have consented: Rabbi (06/23/2013)
3. Australian rabbi apologizes for saying sex abuse victims may have consented  (06/24/2013)

Also see: 

1. Case of Rabbi Manis Friedman
2. Alleged Enablers of Sex Offenders in Jewish Communities

_________________________________________________________________________________

Rabbi's Shocking Comments on Sexual Abuse

Sydney Morning Herald - June 23, 2013

Rabbi Boruch Lesches, a former senior leader at Sydney's Yeshiva centre, talking about sexual abuse in the Jewish community.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Victims may have consented: Rabbi

By Richard Baker and Nick McKenzie

Sydney Morning Herald - June 23, 2013

A senior Australian rabbi who failed to stop an alleged paedophile from sexually abusing boys at a Sydney Jewish school said some of the victims may have consented to sexual relations and has warned that involving police now would ''open a can of worms''.

Former senior Sydney Rabbi Boruch Dov Lesches made the extraordinary remarks in a recent conversation with a person familiar with a series of alleged child rapes and molestation by a man associated with Sydney's Yeshiva community in the 1980s.

Rabbi Lesches' comments are likely to increase public scrutiny of Australia's senior rabbinical leaders' handling of child sexual abuse cases, amid allegations of cover-ups, victim intimidation and the hiding of perpetrators overseas.

In a legally recorded telephone conversation heard by Fairfax Media and provided to NSW detectives investigating the Sydney Yeshiva cases, Rabbi Lesches admitted to counselling the alleged abuser upon learning he had sexually abused a boy a decade his junior

Rabbi Lesches is now one of New York's leading ultra-Orthodox figures.

Rabbi Lesches said he told the man that both he and the boy would be forced to leave the Yeshiva community if he could not control his urges.

''If not, both of them would have to leave,'' he said.

Rabbi Lesches, who never informed police of the abuse, said he did not know the man had ignored his warning and gone on to sexually abuse at least three other boys in the late 1980s.

He said other Yeshiva leaders were responsible for supervising the man.

In the conversation, Rabbi Lesches suggested one of the man's victims, who was aged about 11 at the time of the abuse, may have been a consensual partner. ''Everyone was telling different stories and trying to put the blame on someone else,'' he said.

''We are speaking about very young boys … everybody says about the other one that 'he agreed to this'.''

When challenged on his position that young boys could give consent, Rabbi Lesches replied ''you would be surprised'' and added that some non-Jewish boys, who he termed ''goyims'', began acting or thinking sexually ''from the age of five''.

He said teenagers from poor backgrounds had ''nothing else to do in life, only thinking 24 hours about sex'' with each other, members of their own families and even ''dogs''.

Rabbi Lesches also said reporting the alleged abusers to police so many years after incidents occurred would ''destroy them and their children'' and cause pain for victims.

''Do not talk this way … when it is such a long time ago, everybody suffers,'' he said. ''If you start to do something about it will not be productive and not be good for nobody.''

A traditional rule, mesirah, prohibits a Jew from reporting another's wrong-doing to non-Jewish authorities; it remains a powerful influence in some ultra-orthodox communities.

Rabbi Lesches, who did not respond to questions from Fairfax Media, is the third senior rabbinical leader to be identified as having known something about the abuse of boys at the Sydney Yeshiva in the 1980s.

In February, Fairfax Media reported how the alleged perpetrator, who was sent overseas, had recently admitted guilt to some of his victims. He told of how the centre's spiritual leader, Rabbi Pinchus Feldman, once warned him to stop what he was doing.

In response to that story, Rabbi Feldman released a statement saying he had no recollection of anyone confessing to him their involvement in child sexual abuse 25 years ago.

In early March, another senior rabbinical leader, Rabbi Moshe Gutnick, admitted he did not contact police after a young boy contacted him more than 20 years ago to report sexual abuse at Bondi's Yeshiva.

Rabbi Gutnick, who heads the Organisation of Rabbis of Australasia, said he received an anonymous phone call and alerted senior members of the Yeshiva to the boy's claims. He said that with the benefit of hindsight ''I would have probably called the police''.

Rabbi Gutnick is understood to have told Bondi detectives recently all that he could recall about the phone call. In a statement published in the Australian Jewish News this year, he said he ''felt deeply saddened that I had not recognised what I only now know was a legitimate cry for help''.

''I appeal to the entire community - to victims and their parents, to community members and leaders. If you have information please come forward to the police. Don't be afraid,'' Rabbi Gutnick urged.

The Sydney Yeshiva Centre said it has comprehensive child protection policies in place and the centre had liaised with police over the allegations. In a statement the centre said it ''unequivocally condemns any form of abuse'' and treats its child welfare responsibilities with the utmost care.

''Yeshiva … has always endeavoured to comply in full with all its legal and moral child safety obligations.''

Fairfax Media can also reveal that the family of the man being investigated by NSW Police over the sexual incidents at the Bondi Yeshiva are big financial supporters of the New York Monsey ultra-orthodox community led by Rabbi Lesches.

The alleged abuser was also appointed to the board of an Australian company involved in providing educational materials for Jewish students, years after his abuse of boys.

The alleged abuser has in recent years been sheltered by a leading Los Angeles Jewish welfare group, with 2011 emails between the man and one of the organisation's senior members showing he was in danger of having his past in Sydney exposed.

''I have no idea how anyone found out - but calls are coming daily from many sources. So far, we've been protecting you,'' wrote an executive director at the LA organisation in an email to the man.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Australian rabbi apologizes for saying sex abuse victims may have consented

Rabbinical Council of Victoria says comments by former Sydney Chabad leader were appalling.

Jerusalem Post and JTA - June 24, 2013

A former senior Chabad leader in Sydney in Monsey, N.Y, has issued an apology for making comments suggesting that some of the Jewish victims of alleged child sex abuse in Australia may have consented, Australian media reported Monday.

In a legally recorded telephone conversation obtained by Fairfax media and posted on YouTube, Rabbi Boruch Lesches - who now heads the Lubavitch community in Monsey, NY - admitted to knowing about the alleged abuse of a boy but not going to the police with the information. Instead, according to Fairfax Media, the rabbi told the alleged perpetrator that if the abuse did not stop, both he and the boy would be dismissed from the community.

The phone conversations were provided to NSW police investigating child sex allegations against a man associated with Sydney’s Chabad community in the 1980s.

"We are speaking about very young boys... everybody says about the other one that 'he agreed to this,'" Lesches said in the phone conversation. When queried about young boys consenting, he said, “You would be surprised.”

Reporting alleged abusers to police so many years after incidents occurred would "destroy them and their children" and cause pain for victims, he warned, according to Australian news outlet Brisbane Times.

Lesches dismissed the reopening of the case now as a “can of worms." “When it is such a long time ago, everybody suffers,” he said. “If you start to do something about it, it will not be productive.”

The Brisbane Times reported that on Monday, Rabbi Lesches issued a statement, saying that he regretted making the comments in the recent telephone conversation. Lesches is quoted as saying, "I would like to apologize for statements made in a private telephone conversation that caused pain to the greater public... I would like to make my position absolutely clear: Without any reservation, I endorse the rabbinical rulings encouraging victims of abuse to report to the police." According to Fairfax Media, the alleged abuser, currently being investigated by police for sexually abusing at least four boys in the Sydney Yeshiva community, has admitted that Rabbi Lesches spoke to him regarding his activities with a younger boy.

The Rabbinical Council of Victoria issued a statement Sunday saying it was “appalled” by the comments. “It is deeply regrettable and shocking that there still do exist some individuals out there on the fringe in the religious leadership world who take positions contrary to the clear-cut contemporary halachic approach on the matter of child sexual abuse,” said Rabbi Meir Shlomo Kluwgant, president of the council.

Manny Waks, a spokesman for Jewish child sex abuse victims, also said the comments were “absolutely shocking.”

“Unfortunately this attitude and some of the views are fairly prevalent within the fervently Orthodox community,” he said. “After so many exposes, surely this is now undeniable.”

_________________________________________________________________________________

FAIR USE NOTICE

Some of the information on The Awareness Center's web pages may contain copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc.

We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes.

For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml . If you wish to use copyrighted material from this update for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.

_________________________________________________________________________________

"Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has."--Margaret Mead

_________________________________________________________________________________