The Awareness Center closed. We operated from April 30, 1999 - April 30, 2014. This site is being provided for educational & historical purposes.
We were the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault (JCASA); and were dedicated to ending sexual violence in Jewish communities globally. We did our best to operate as the make a wish foundation for Jewish survivors of sex crimes. In the past we offered a clearinghouse of information, resources, support and advocacy.
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.
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”.
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
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Table of Contents
Second man set for harassment trial linked to rabbi Chaim Halpern investigation (05/21/2013)
Pair deny harrassment charges in Divrei Chaim Synagogue sex abuse probe in Golders Green (05/22/2013)
Second man set for harassment trial linked to rabbi Chaim Halpern investigation
By Tim Landen
Ham High - May 21, 2013
A second man charged with harassment in relation to police investigations into a Temple Fortune rabbi will stand trial in July.
Shlomo Feldman, 28, will appear at Willesden Magistrates’ Court for trial on July 26 as part of ongoing investigations into orthodox rabbi Chaim Halpern, 54, leader of Divrei Chaim Synagogue in Bridge Lane, Temple Fortune.
Mr Feldman, of Lynmouth Road, Stamford Hill, denied three charges of harassment without violence at Hendon Magistrates’ Court yesterday.
He was bailed on the condition he does not contact any witnesses in the case.
Another man, Samuel Erlanger, 37, of Powis Gardens, Golders Green, denied one charge of harassment without violence earlier this month in relation to the investigation into Rabbi Halpern and will appear for trial at Willesden Magistrates’ Court on July 11.
Rabbi Halpern was arrested and questioned in February on suspicion of sexual assault and perverting the course of justice. He is due to return to police in July.
Pair deny harrassment charges in Divrei Chaim Synagogue sex abuse probe in Golders Green
By Chris Hewett
(London) Times - May 22, 2013
Two men arrested as part of an investigation into sex abuse allegations at an orthodox Jewish synagogue have denied charges of harassment.
Shlomo Feldman and Samuel Erlanger were both detained by police probing allegations of sex abuse at the Divrei Chaim Synagogue, in Bridge Lane, Temple Fortune.
Detectives arrested the synagogue’s rabbi Chaim Halpern in February on suspicion of sexual assault and perverting the course of justice. He is due to answer bail in July.
Mr Feldman, 29, of Lynmouth Road, Stamford Hill, appeared at Hendon Magistrate’s Court on Monday where he pleaded not guilty to three charges of harassment without violence.
Mr Erlanger, 37, of Powis Gardens, Golders Green, denied one count of the same charge earlier this month and was bailed to appear at the same court on July 11. He was bailed to appear at Willesden Magistrate’s Court on July 26.
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.
Several alleged victims, who studied at the co-educational school in Oxfordshire, have claimed that at least two tutors sexually abused students between the 1970s and 1990s. The school closed in 1997 due to lack of funding. Carmel College was the only Jewish boarding school in Europe. _________________________________________________________________________________
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:
2012
Legendary Rabbi Kopul Rosen 1913-1962
2013
Police investigate allegations of sexual abuse at Carmel College (03/28/2013)
2014
You'll never forget how to put on tefillin (02/14/2014)
On March 1st several hundred pupils of Kopul Rosen will gather at his graveside on the Mount of Olives in Jerusalem to remember him on the 50th anniversary of his death. He was the most charismatic person I have ever encountered; a learned, fervently Orthodox, open-minded rabbi, intellectual, musician, sportsman, artist, wit, and orator. He was well over six feet tall, darkly handsome and engaging with a warm attractive smile, arresting dark eyes, and an imperial beard. On the other hand, he did not suffer fools gladly. His anger was fierce and his moods frightening. He dominated my life, and I desperately wanted his attention and love.
He was born in London in 1913 to a modest family of Eastern European immigrants from Radomsk. After his primary school education in Notting Hill, the family could not afford secondary education, and he went to study at Etz Chaim Yeshivah in the East End. His extracurricular activities included a passionate involvement in the Zionist movement, teaching Cheder, guest preaching (even then he was in great demand), and furthering his own broad intellectual, literary, and musical education.
He was encouraged to go to study at the great Lithuanian Yeshivah of Mir. Mir had a profound impact on him, both in learning and in the person of Rav Yerucham Levovitz, the greatest Mussar preacher of the generation, who inspired him to become a rabbi. Kopul returned just before the outbreak of the Second World War. He acquired another mentor, Rav Dessler, and was soon appointed the first rabbi of the Higher Crumpsall Congregation in Manchester in 1939.
He immediately became a sensation. He combined his strong Eastern European religious scholarship, with powerful spirituality, and a fluency and passion that had simply not been encountered previously in Anglo-Jewry. His rise was meteoric. Within two years in 1944 he was invited to become the Communal Rabbi of Glasgow.
In 1946 he was invited to become the Principal Rabbi of the Federation of Synagogues in London. His impact on London Jewry too was powerful and immediate. When Chief Rabbi Hertz died, Kopul, although only 33 years old, was regarded as the most exciting prospect to succeed him. But the conflicts of the Hertz era led the United Synagogue leadership to opt for a safe pair of hands instead of a charismatic mercurial individualist, so they appointed Israel Brodie instead.
By 1948, Kopul had grown disillusioned with the rabbinate in general and the Federation in particular. As the President of the Religious Zionist movement, Mizrahi, he was also feeling uncomfortable at the entry of religion into politics in the new State of Israel. He was increasingly alienated from communal affairs. He had always felt that education held the key to Jewish survival and Anglo Jewry was not noted as a community of scholars or its Jewish academic institutions.
His dream was to build the equivalent of the English public school combined with the intensity and learning of a traditional yeshivah. He founded Carmel College at first at Greenham Common outside Newbury and later at Mongewell Park. In 1949, he resigned his communal positions and moved with his family into the school.
From the start, he encountered opposition. The community at large at that time was convinced that a Jewish school amounted to segregation and would inhibit successful integration into English society. As for the small but growing ultra-Orthodox community, they thought that Kopul’s wider cultural and intellectual aspirations were too unorthodox for them. The lack of funding was a constant strain on Kopul and his ever-supportive wife Bella (who once pawned her engagement ring to provide breakfast for the pupils). But slowly the school grew and gained a serious academic reputation. Its success during the late fifties slowly began to attract support. Carmel grew and became one of the premier schools of the Jewish world.
Kopul was perceived by many as an Achilles withdrawing from communal life to his tent in the countryside. He held the Jewish establishment in scant regard. His lessons and talks often betrayed his impatience with the ignorance and lack of religious conviction that characterized postwar Anglo-Jewry. He had no patience for the growing fundamentalism and narrow-mindedness to which he believed the Orthodox community had fallen prey. He enjoyed sharing his criticisms with his pupils, who he hoped would usher in a new era of enlightened Jewish stewardship. Nevertheless, he was always in demand as a public speaker throughout the Jewish world, raising funds for Israel and Jewish education. His legacy is still remembered particularly in Australia and South Africa.
He threw himself into his school and into close relationships with many pupils. Some found the force of his personality too intense. But his own enthusiasms and example reflected his ideal of a tolerant universal Jewish education. He himself played sport, cricket and soccer, but swimming was his first love. He delighted in Carmel’s success in rowing and dreamed of his pupils going to Oxbridge as athletes whose religious commitment would cause the annual boat race to be postponed. He encouraged music, art, intellectual enquiry, while at the same time trying his best to get his pupils to live and master the Jewish tradition. His made all the religious occasions at Carmel unforgettable. His mellow singing voice and religious enthusiasm suffused them with authenticity and spirituality.
For various reasons, Carmel never lived up to his original ideal. Too few of its pupils cared for an intense religious way of life and the quality of the Jewish education never matched the secular. But nevertheless it did have a powerful influence on many who remember his example and personality with great affection and gratitude.
Kopul was seriously injured in a boating accident 1959, just as he started to negotiate the next dream on his list, the establishment of a school in Israel. He was hospitalized and invalided for almost a year. At the same time the impending retirement of Chief Rabbi Brodie was seen by many to be an opportunity to give Kopul the position he had been denied 13 years earlier. He was not enthusiastic and told his inner circle that he had no wish to leave his beloved school for the straightjacket of communal politics. He never recovered from his accident and died in March 1962, at the age of 49. They don’t make ‘em that way anymore. His memory sustains me and has always been a blessing.
_________________________________________________________________________________ Police investigate allegations of sexual abuse at Carmel College
By Zoe Winograd
Jewish Chronicle - March 28 2013
Thames Valley police have confirmed that they are conducting an investigation into allegations of sexual abuse at Carmel College, the now closed Jewish public school.
Former Carmel students have claimed that they were sexually abused while they were at the school.
Several alleged victims, who studied at the co-educational school in Oxfordshire, have claimed that at least two tutors sexually abused students between the 1970s and 1990s.
A spokeswoman for the police said: “We are a long way from bringing charges— there are many people to speak to.”
Carmel College, which was latterly co-educational, was founded by Rabbi Dr Yaakov Kopul Rosen in 1948 as a Jewish public school. It closed in 1997 due to lack of funding.
Carmel College was founded by Rabbi Dr Kopul Rosen in 1948 and closed in 1997. Approximately 4,000 students attended the school for some period of time, nearly a third of them from all over the world. The four headmasters, Kopul Rosen, David Stamler, Jeremy Rosen and Philip Skelker together with their senior teachers and staff all played their parts in the story of Carmel College.
This site exists to keep former pupils and staff in touch and also is enabled to download photographs. If any one has photographs from any era we should be delighted to post them here.
More importantly it can serve as a business resource to help all the members of the Carmel experience by fostering contacts. Please add your name and details to the Business Service page.
The ideals and values of the founder Rabbi Dr Kopul Rosen are being perpetuated today by the YAKAR EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION, which is centred in Jerusalem and can be reached at its web site www.yakar.org or its UK branch www.yakar.org.uk.
This site has been the result of support and encouragement from Old Carmelis of different times Joe Dwek, Leo Scheiner, Jeremy Coller, Gary Phillips and Olivier Hess.
This site is maintained by JBL associates and financed by YAKAR UK with technical support from graham@mulberryweb.com
Donations to Carmelcollege.org.uk 28 Johns Avenue London NW4 4EN Registered Charity Number 277818.
_________________________________________________________________________________ You'll never forget how to put on tefillin By David Robson Jewish Chronicle - February 14, 2014
When it comes to religious practice I can’t make any great claims for myself, but a couple of weeks ago I actually did some religious practice – I practised putting on tefillin. It was around midnight, I was in my pyjamas and about to get into bed when I suddenly felt this was something I absolutely must do. The following morning I was going to shul to say kaddish and, it being Sunday, tefillin were part of the dress code. And, between you and me, I didn’t know if I’d be up to it.
I went to a Jewish boarding school – Carmel College, now defunct – I laid tefillin every weekday morning for five-and-a-half years. That’s roughly 1,000 times. But, I’m pretty sure, I hadn’t done it since.
And who’s to know how much you remember of what you did at school? You do French for ten years and ten years later you can just about manage to order an omelette; you study Latin for yonks then thank your lucky stars you’ll never be called upon to use it. So how would tefillin fare?
With some trepidation I went to the cupboard where the religious paraphernalia is kept – multiple kippot, some bought, some stolen, some souvenirs of weddings and barmitzvahs, plus my Leeds United yarmulke (and at the moment they need all the prayers they can get); my tallit in the velvet bag my grandma embroidered for my father; and there, tucked in at the back, a tired-looking blue bag containing my tefillin.
And, what’s this? Another one bearing the initials of my late Great-Uncle David – who would have thought it? Mine may not have been used for 50 years; I doubt if his had seen service since before the Boer War. Forgotten phylacteries! I suppose I could feel ashamed but in truth I was relieved just to find them. Though there will be some readers to whom a day without tefillin is unthinkable, it is also true that millions of tefillin have lain forever idle. Tefillin are the exercise bikes of Jewish life. You’re supposed to use them every morning but you never do.
I examined the two pairs and chose Uncle David’s. Would I even remember what went where? I certainly didn’t want the humiliation of someone having to take pity on me next morning and helping me out – “seven times round the arm, the letter shin on the hand – let me show you.” Happily, when I rolled up my pyjama sleeve, it all came flooding back as if I’d done it yesterday. What was it? Muscle memory? Divine providence?
True, the straps were only just long enough – had I expanded or had they shrunk? True, they were thin and fragile and browny-yellow with age. For me browny-yellow was the new black. Come the morning I headed to shul, bag in hand. A kind man came up and said I’d made up the minyan. I may even go again. The tefillin went on lovely. If they don’t come out of that cupboard for another 50 years, it won’t be me who’ll be wearing them.
Police investigating allegations of sexual abuse of pupils at Carmel College, the now closed Jewish public school, have made an arrest, the JC has learned.
Thames Valley Police said that a 76-year-old man from Essex had been arrested and had been released on bail until March 24 this year.
Last March, Thames Valley confirmed that it had launched an investigation into claims of sexual abuse of students by at least two former members of staff at the Orthodox boarding school at Wallingford outside Oxford between the 1970s and 1990s.
Opened in 1948, Carmel taught 350 pupils in its heyday in the 1970s. By the time of its closure, student numbers had dropped below 200 at the “Jewish Eton”, whose annual fees at £14,000 made it one of the UK’s most expensive schools.
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.
Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations - Stamford Hill (London) England
This is a case of obstruction of justice and witness tampering in the charedi world in London's Stamford Hill community.
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa is the head of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations’ Beth Din (Jewish religious court) is an
internationally regarded halachic authority (Jewish legal authority).
Dayan (Judge) Padwa succeeded his late father
Chanoch in 2000. His pronouncements have impact beyond the strictly
Orthodox world and he has opposed use of the North-West London eruv and
plans to establish one in the Charedi strongholds of North London.
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
UK Haredi chief caught telling alleged victim not to tell police about abuse (01/24/2013)
British Haredi Leader Caught On Video Telling Alleged Child Sex Abuse Victim That It Is Forbidden To Report The Crime To Police(01/24/2013)
VIDEO: London Rav Rabbi Ephraim Padwa Filmed Secretly About Child Abuse (01/29/2013)
Rabbi urges alleged child abuse victim not to tell police (01/29/2013)
UK Haredi chief caught telling alleged victim not to tell police about abuse By Miriam Shaviv Times of Israel - January 24, 2013 LONDON — The leader of Britain’s Haredi
community has been caught on video advising an alleged victim of sexual
abuse not to report the claim to police.
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, head of the Union of
Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, was recorded by a community member using a
hidden camera as part of a Channel 4 documentary on Haredi child abuse.
In a scene that will air Wednesday, the
insider, who hails from the Haredi London neighborhood of Stamford Hill,
tells Padwa, “Someone who you may know of . . . sexually abused me when
I was younger, when I was a child,” and asks how to proceed.
After Padwa responds, “We are dealing with this,” the insider asks whether he should go to the police.
“Oh no,” Padwa answers, explaining that doing
so would constitute “mesirah,” or turning a Jew over to secular
authorities. He adds in Yiddish, “People mustn’t tell tales.”
The Channel 4 program, a special edition of
the “Dispatches” current affairs series, will highlight 19 alleged cases
of child sexual abuse in Haredi communities across the UK, none of
which have been reported to police because of feared reprisals from
within the Haredi world.
When the insider in the Padwa segment – who
originally made allegations in 2005 — asks whether the rabbi can be
certain the alleged abuser isn’t harming others, Padwa retorts, “The
police also cannot assure. The police is not the solution.”
A spokesman for Padwa questioned the credibility of Channel 4’s undercover insider
He appears to sidestep a question about how to
deal with authorities if they learn about the alleged abuse
independently, repeating twice, “Let’s hope it wouldn’t happen.”
He then reiterates, “You shouldn’t do anything that can lead to the police.”
Asked to comment by The Times of Israel, a
spokesman for Padwa questioned the credibility of Channel 4’s undercover
insider, saying the allegations had already been investigated and
dismissed as “malicious” by social services in the borough of Hackney.
They were investigated again in 2007.
Padwa’s on-camera advice about avoiding the police was made, the spokesman said, with that in mind.
The program’s producers have questioned
Padwa’s account, pointing to a full transcript of the conversation that
reveals the rabbi was referring to a different case of alleged child
abuse at a synagogue.
Minutes of a March 2005 meeting run by social
services, seen exclusively by The Times of Israel, show that an unnamed
man made accusations to the Police Child Protection Team against a
former teacher at a Haredi school. He claimed to be acting out of
concern that his nephew, who attended the school, “could be subject to
the same abuse.”
When the teacher learned of the complaint, it
was alleged that he offered the former student money “to shut the young
person up,” the document reports.
The teacher denied the account, claiming the
financial discussion was in fact attempted extortion by the accuser.
Social services accepted his version of events, declining to take
further action.
A letter from the school confirms that the accuser is the same man who appears in the TV program.
A representative of Channel 4 blasted attacks
on the insider’s credibility. “We are appalled by an attempt to
discredit a young person because he has made an allegation of sexual
abuse about a member of his community,” a spokesman said.
Wednesday’s documentary, “Britain’s Hidden
Child Abuse,” comes at a particularly sensitive time for London’s Haredi
community, which is embroiled in an ongoing scandal over a former
religious judge for the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations, Rabbi
Chaim Halpern. He has been accused of sexual misconduct involving about
30 women who came to him for counseling.
As head of the Union, Padwa has been under pressure to act more decisively against Halpern, and many blame him for mishandling the affair, which has yet to be resolved after bursting into the public domain in October.
While cases of child sexual abuse in the
community occasionally go to the authorities, Britain’s Haredim lag far
behind their American counterparts in dealing with the issue. The series
of high-profile prosecutions seen in New York in recent years has not been replicated in the UK.
Fear of reprisals from within the Haredi
community “made it difficult for people to speak to us,” a Channel 4
spokesman said of the documentary. “But of those who did, many said the
community wants to deal with any problems internally, even when it comes
to something as serious as alleged child sex abuse.
“Within the community, people often turn to
the rabbis for advice and help. Our investigation discovered that
‘advice’ sometimes amounts to an outright ban on reporting alleged child
abuse to the authorities.”
‘We are appalled by an attempt to discredit a young person because he has made an allegation of sexual abuse’
The investigation began, the spokesman added,
after Channel 4 heard about parents who felt powerless to act against an
alleged pedophile hired at a Haredi school.
The show is expected to include testimony from an anonymous rabbi about the need for police involvement in child abuse cases.
Sources said the Union will issue a statement
to rabbis and educators on Thursday evening or Friday, in Hebrew, that
will announce the establishment of a committee to deal with allegations
of abuse. It is expected to include experts trained in child protection.
While the statement will not call on families
suspecting abuse to alert secular authorities, it will note that the
committee recognizes circumstances in which it is appropriate to contact
social services or the police. The committee will address allegations
in partnership with the community’s beth din, or religious court, and in
accordance with secular law.
Channel 4 producers contacted advocates and
alleged victims for next week’s program with help from Ben Hirsch, a
spokesperson for Survivors for Justice, a New York-based advocacy group
for victims of sexual abuse in the Orthodox community. He said the tone
of the program would determine how it is received by British Haredim.
“We helped the producers understand how the
problem was exposed in the US,” he said, “and how this might compare to
what is now unfolding in the UK. While it’s impossible to know what the
final product will look like, my experience working with the team over
close to two years is that they are professional, very sincere, very
well-informed on the issue and very careful with their facts.”
British Haredi Leader Caught On Video Telling Alleged Child Sex Abuse Victim That It Is Forbidden To Report The Crime To Police By Shmarya Rosenberg Failed Messiah Blog - January 24, 2013
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, second from left,
head down, in a gathering at former Kedassia president Rabbi Elchonon
Halpren's synagogue. Second from Padwa's right is the alleged sexual
abuser Rabbi Chaim Halpren. This photo was taken weeks after Padwa had
heard reports from multiple victims of Halpren – including, allegedly, a
tape recording of Halpren confirming the abuse.
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, head rabbi of the of the London-based haredi
umbrella organization the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations,
commonly known as Kedassia, was reportedly surreptitiously recorded by a
victim of alleged child sexual abuse telling the victim not to report
his abuser to police because doing so would be mesirah, informing – a
serious violation of Jewish law punishable in some cases with death.
The
victim made the video recording as part of Channel 4’s documentary on
Haredi child sexual abuse that will air next Wednesday.
In the
undercover video the victim reportedly tells Padwa, “Someone who you may
know of…sexually abused me when I was younger, when I was a child.” The
victim then asks Padwa what he should do about it.
“We are dealing with this,” Padwa responds.
The alleged victim asks whether he should go to the police.
“Oh
no,” Padwa replies. Telling police about the sexual abuse would be
“mesira.” Padwa then reportedly admonishes the victim, saying in
Yiddish, “People mustn’t tell tales.”
The alleged victim asks Padwa if he can be certain that the alleged pedophile isn’t sexually abusing more children.
“The police also cannot assure. The police is not the solution,” Padwa says.
The alleged victim asks what he should do if police find out about the abuse independently.
“Let’s
hope it wouldn’t happen,” Padwa says. He then adds, “You shouldn’t do
anything that can lead to the police,” the Times of Israel reports.
Channel
4’s documentary will air Wednesday as a special edition of the its
Dispatches series. The documentary reportedly highlights 19 alleged
cases of child sexual abuse in UK haredi communities. None of those
cases have been reported to police because the victims and their
families fear they will be persecuted by the haredi community if they do
involve police.
When confronted about the contents of the
undercover video, a spokesman for Padwa said the alleged victim’s
allegations had already been dismissed as “malicious” by UK social
services. Padwa’s remarks about avoiding the police were made with that
in mind, he claimed.
Minutes of a March 2005 meeting run by UK
social services in Hackney, London, and seen by the Times of Israel
reportedly document the complaint against an unnamed teacher in a haredi
school. The alleged victim claimed to be concerned that his nephew,
then a student in that school, “could be subject to the same abuse.” The
teacher allegedly offered his former student money “to shut the young
person up,” the social services document notes.
The teacher claimed he had not offered the money. Instead, he insisted that the alleged victim had tried to extort him.
Social services accepted the teacher’s version of events, and declined to take further action.
Kedassia
will reportedly issue a statement to rabbis and educators tonight or
tomorrow announcing the establishment of an internal committee that will
work to deal with allegations of abuse in partnership with Kedassia’s
beit din, religious court.
According to the Times of Israel, that
internal Kedassia committee “is expected to include experts trained in
child protection” and will act “in accordance with secular law.”
However, the Times of Israel does not name those experts and their qualifications as experts are not enumerated.
The
Times of Israel also does not explain how a rabbinic committee that
screens abuse cases and decides which cases, if any, may be reported to
police or social services could possibly be acting “in accordance with
secular law.”
Indeed, Kedassia’s expected statement reportedly
does not tell haredim who suspect a child has been sexually abused to
call police or social services.
Instead, the suspected crime is
to be reported directly to Kedassia, even though the statement
reportedly does acknowledge that there are certain unspecified
circumstances where it would be correct to report a pedophile to police
or social services.
Kedassia allegedly has a decades long history of covering up child sexual abuse allegations.
London Rav Rabbi Ephraim Padwa Filmed Secretly About Child Abuse
Britains Hidden Child Abuse - January 29, 2013 A victim of child sex abuse in one of Britain's religious communities
goes undercover to expose the way his community has for decades been
dealing with paedophilia.
Rabbi urges alleged child abuse victim not to tell police Channel 4 - January 29, 2013
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa
An undercover investigation by Channel 4 Dispatches reveals that some rabbis in the Strictly Orthodox Jewish community forbid or discourage alleged victims of child abuse from going to the police.
There is no suggestion that child sex abuse is any worse in this religious community. However, the film exposes how the Strictly Orthodox, or Charedi, community's approach to child protection can leave children at risk and shield abusers from justice.
The programme, airing on Wednesday 30th January on Channel 4, includes:
Secret filming showing Rabbi Ephraim Padwa - who leads the Charedi community in London's Stamford Hill - instructing an alleged victim of child sexual abuse not to go to the police describing it as ‘mesira’, which means it's forbidden to report a Jew to non-Jewish authority.
Hears about a family that reported an alleged child abuser to the police and was then harassed and driven out of the community - as one Rabbi says: "they would be cursed and spat at in the street and called informer”.
Interviews members of a group of young Charedi men who became so disillusioned with the failure of rabbis to deal with complaints of abuse they have taken the law into their own hands by threatening and attacking alleged perpetrators.
On the eve of the broadcast - two leading British rabbinical authorities representing a wider spectrum of the Jewish community, have issued statements and guidance to their communities on how to report child sexual abuse – emphasising the importance of reporting such allegations to the police.
Background to the investigation
There are around 40,000 Charedim in Britain, around a sixth of the Jewish population, living by a strict interpretation of their faith, as decided by their Rabbis.
And with their long history of persecution, some Charedi Rabbis declare that reporting a fellow Jew to non- Jewish authorities is forbidden. This even applies to allegations of child abuse in Britain today.
The people who spoke out in the making of this film, told us their first port of call for advice was always the rabbis. But going to the police could have devastating consequences.
They spoke of their fears of facing being cast out of their community – the only way of life they had known. And this fear keeps many victims from seeking justice.
The investigation started a year ago when Channel 4 Dispatches heard about parents who were concerned about an alleged paedophile who’d got a job in a Charedi school. They felt powerless to do anything about it.
During our investigation we uncovered 19 different alleged cases of child sex abuse across England- yet not one was reported to the police because alleged victims feared reprisals from within the community.
That same fear made it difficult for people to speak to us. But of those who did, many said the community wants to deal with any problems internally, even when it comes to something as serious as alleged child sex abuse.
Within the community people often turn to the Rabbis for advice and help. Our investigation discovered that 'advice' sometimes amounts to an outright ban on reporting alleged child abuse to the authorities.
Rabbi instructing an alleged victim not to go to the police
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa, head of the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations in Stamford Hill in London , was recorded by a former community member using a hidden camera as part of a Channel 4 Dispatches investigation into child sex abuse within the community.
The footage shows the community member telling Rabbi Padwa: “Someone that did bad things to me when I was younger. Someone who you may know of, who abused me, sexually abused me when I was younger, when I was a child and I’m looking for your advice, to be honest, what to do. I think it’s someone you might have dealt with in the past. I think it’s someone you might dealt with in the past.,”
In response Rabbi Padwa says: “I imagine that I know whom you are talking. And if I’m correct, we are dealing with this. We are dealing with this.”
The community member then asks: “Would do you think maybe, is it a good idea to speak to the police about it?”
“Oh no,” Padwa answers, explaining that doing so would constitute “mesira,” means it's forbidden to report a Jew to a non-Jewish authorities.
Here is a section of transcript from conversation:
Community Member (CM): “Do you think maybe, is it a good idea to speak to the police about it?”
Rabbi Padwa (RP): “Oh, No.”
CM: “No? Why?”
RP: “It’s mesira.”
CM: “But this is a very serious issue.”
RP: “Yes, but not police.”
CM: “Not the police?”
RP: “Men Tur Nisht [People must not tell tales]”.
CM: “Even if you think it may be happening to other people?”
RP. “No. not police.”
CM: “Not the police. And um, How, how _ I mean, how can you reassure yourself that this man is not doing it to others?”
RP: “Look, the police also cannot assure. The police is not the solution.”
CM: “Under no circumstances?”
RP: “No.”
CM: “Now I’ve got a question – if, if the police found out about it and they called me in, what would, what would you say to me?”
RP: “HaShem (Heaven Forbid), let’s hope it wouldn’t happen. You shouldn’t do anything that can lead to the police. “
CM: “But if - if someone else went to the police on him and I was called what, what do I do then? “
RP: “Let’s hope it wouldn’t happen. “
Rabbi Ephraim Padwa leads London's Strictly Orthodox Jewish community in Stamford Hill home to more than a hundred synagogues and religious institutions.
He is known internationally as an expert in Jewish religious law. When such a senior Rabbi speaks – he is listened to, even if that advice could seriously jeopardise any police investigation.
In the programme, Channel 4 Dispatches is told by another Charedi Rabbi that Rabbi Ephraim Padwa recently forbade a father, who had told the police that his son had been sexually abused, from pursuing the case.
Prior to going undercover, we’d also heard of other concerns about how Rabbi Padwa handles reports of child abuse, and wanted to find out for ourselves what he’d say to someone who came for advice.
Dispatches heard from a man that grew up in the community, who says he was sexually abused as a child by a fellow Charedi. We asked him to help us investigate the claims against Rabbi Padwa by training him to secretly film a meeting with this Rabbi.
The man has now left community but he could still meet the Rabbi without raising suspicions.
Fear of being cast out of their community
A Charedi Rabbi - who wished to remain anonymous for fear of reprisals, takes the extraordinary step in this programme of breaking rank and speaking out against Rabbi Padwa.
He is outraged at how a young family was targeted and driven out of their community after reporting to the authorities that their child had been sexual abused in a Synagogue.
Interviewer: “When the child's telling his mum and dad all this [about the sexual abuse], I mean what thoughts did the father say was going through his head?
Rabbi: “The young man didn’t know what to do, and out of desperation, he made the decision to call the police.
Interviewer: To people outside [the community] they’ll be saying, he believes his son was abused, of course go to the police?.
Rabbi: “There are tremendous ramifications for the victim’s family because in certain segments of the Orthodox community, being labelled as an informer is one of the most terrible things that can happen.”
“The police felt there was enough evidence to take out the perpetrator from the middle of the Stamford Hill community in handcuffs. And this is disgraceful, a scandal… most of the community knew about it that night, and whoever didn't knew about it in synagogue the next morning.”
“Then he went to the senior Rabbi of the Stamford Hill community, whose name is Rabbi Padwa. His whole total concern was to berate the father, “How dare you go and be an informer? He said, "You ruined his life, he was ashamed enough by the arrest and what happened, and therefore leave it go. It's forbidden for you to pursue the case. Rabbi Padwa never expressed sympathy not for the child and not for the parents…
“Six hours later, a person banged on the door. The first thing that man said, “Do you know that the whole London community has not slept the whole night because of what you did? And I myself will go and get social services to take away your children.” The harassment escalated into cars that would gun their motors and zoom up next to the family if they were out on the street. The synagogues told them, ‘You're not welcome here anymore,’ they would be cursed and spat at in the street and called informer. So it becomes hopeless to them and ultimately they leave the country.”
“There is no question here that we do not have the ability to police and deal with perverts, deviants, child molesters. We can’t – it’s above the pay grade of the Rabbis.”
Vigilantes
The programme also hears from members of a group of young Chardi men who are disillusioned with the failure of rabbis to deal with complaints of abuse. They don’t feel they can go to the police, but at the same time they clearly don’t believe the rabbis are capable of dealing with this situation properly. Instead these men tell Dispatches they started taken the law into their own hands by attacking alleged perpetrators.
Rabbi Padwa Response
At the beginning of our investigation we secretly filmed Rabbi Padwa – the leader of the Charedi Community in Stamford Hill –forbidding a victim of child sex abuse from going to the police.
We asked Rabbi Padwa to explain why he forbad a victim of child sex abuse from going to the police, and the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations – the organization he heads, sent us this letter…
It’s says:
“The Jewish Community considers the safety and protection of our children as paramount.”
It says we have established “Robust structures to deal with child abuse”.
And that: “We work and will continue to work with police and social services...to build trust and to create a system which does address and resolve allegations of abuse within our community”.
The letter doesn’t answer any of our questions, and nor does it explain the actions of Rabbi Padwa - a man whose very role is to lead and counsel members of his community to do what's right.
The programme prompts public statements by several British rabbinical authorities – including Rabbi Padwa's organisation
On the eve the airing of the programme the Union of Orthodox Hebrew Congregations (UOHC) – the organization Rabbi Padwa heads – issued a statement which appears to be announcing the formation of a new child protection committee composed of people who have had child protection training, rabbis and educators. But the statement makes it clear that the ultimate decision on whether a family in the Charedi community tells the police about a claim of sexual abuse by a fellow Charedi, ultimately rests with this committee.
“The Orthodox Hebrew Congregations have a special Committee to deal with incidences of attacks of this kind on the children of our congregations. The members of the Committee consist of rabbis, educators and members of the community, among whom there are those who have been trained in the right way to tackle this. The rabbinate recognises five particular instances in which it is right and necessary to contact the Social Services and/or the Police. The Committee will consult with the rabbinate about the right way to deal with each incidence…
In any instance that is brought before any of the rabbis, educators or the directors of institutions where there is a fear for a child’s safety you are asked to bring the matter to the knowledge of the Committee which will deal with it according to the advice of the Rabbinical Court and according to the law of the land.”
But two other leading British rabbinical authorities have made public statements emphasising the importance of reporting allegations of child sexual abuse directly to the police.
Rabbi Yehuda Brodie, registrar of the Manchester Beth Din (which represents a broader spectrum of Orthodox Jewry) made the following comment to the Jewish Chronicle:
“We offer our strongest support for any victim of any criminal act to report matters to the authorities, including the police, as and where appropriate.”
The London Beth Din which represents just modern Orthodox Jews says:
“It is therefore essential that when abuse has occurred, the police must be informed without delay. Local communities should not attempt to deal with the situation internally. Delays in reporting abuse can cause vital evidence to be lost, allowing the abusers to continue violating our children. We must all ensure that the children of our communities will be protected by reporting abuse to the authorities wherever it takes place.”
Britain’s Hidden Child Abuse – Channel 4 Dispatches Special – Wednesday 30th January at 10.30pm
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