Case of Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt
(AKA: Zulsa Levitt, Stanley Levitt, Samuel Levitt, Stan Levitt)
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| Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt - Convicted Sex Offender |
Hebrew Day School - Eastern, CT (1968-1970)
Beth Jacob - Philadelphia, PA (1979-1972)
Malmonides Day School - Brooklyn, MA (1974-1977)
Philadelpha, PA (1977 - Present)
Baltimore, MD (2009 - Present)
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August 1, 2012 -- Rabbi Stanley Levitt plead guilty to sexually assaulting several boys back in the 1970s in the Boston area.
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| Levitt on Maryland's Sex Offender Registry |
According
to the Pennsylvania Judicial System over the last ten years there have
been several charges filed against Levitt including Indecent Assault,
Endangering the Welfare of Children, Corrupting Minor, Indecent Exposure
and Unlawful Restraint. As of today Stanley Z. Levitt has never been
found guilty of sex crime in which he would be placed on the sex
offender registry.
There is a new trend that is
happening all over the country (U.S.) Many alleged offender are
pleading guilty to a lessor charge, so that the plea agreement will
include a stipulation that a convicted sex offenders will not have to be
placed on the states sex offenders registry. When this happens it puts
the entire community (or in this case children in other countries) at
risk of harm.
Levitt was born on April 4, 1947. He received his rabbinical ordained by the Rabbinical College of America in Morristown, NY.
Back on Feb. 4, 2009, The Awareness Center out the first notice regarding Stanley Levitt residing in both Philadelphia, PA and Baltimore, MD. Our organization also notified members of the Baltimore Vaad of the dangers and requested that they notified community members of the danger regarding this alleged serial rapist.
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Table of Contents:
2002 - 2004
- Court Summary - First Judicial District of Pennsylvania
2009
WARNING TO PARENTS In Philadelphia PA and Baltimore, MD (02/04/2009)
Rabbi Indicted On Child Sex Charges - Charges Date Back To 1970s (09/24/2009)
- Former Maimonides rabbi charged with sexual assault (10/02/2009)
Levitt charged with sexual assault (10/07/2009)
- Ex-Mass. rabbi's sex abuse case heads to court (10/07/2009)
- Rabbi's Sex Abuse Case Heads to Court (10/07/2009)
- Local Rabbi Faces Abuse Charges in Boston Court (10/08/2009)
2010
- The trial of alleged serial sexual predator - Rabbi Stanely Z. Levitt has been postponed until July, 2010 (04/14/2010)
- Ex-teacher to face new sex abuse charge (06/28/2010)
- Former Brookline Rabbi Faces Additional Sexual Assault Charges
(06/29/2010)
- Rabbi Accused Of Assaulting Another Boy (06/30/2010)
- Former Maimonides Teacher Pleads Not Guilty to Latest Sexual Assault Charges
(06/30/2010)
- New Abuse Allegations Against Rabbi (07/01/2010)
-
Ex-Mass. rabbi arraigned again in child abuse (07/01/2010)
Sex-abuse case against rabbi raises larger issues (07/20/2010)
2011
- Former Brookline Rabbi Pleads Not Guilty to Sexual Assault Charges
(12/14/2011)
CBS NEWS: Former Brookline Rabbi Decides Not To Plead Guilty To Molesting Children (12/14/2011)
- Brookline rabbi pleads not guilty on molestation charges (12/14/2011)
- Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt balks at plea deal in sex abuse case (12/14/2011)
- Accused rabbi backs off plea deal (12/14/2011)
2012
- Baltimore Rabbi warns community about alleged sex offender: Rabbi Stanley Levitt (07/15/2012)
- Rabbi admits to charges of abusing students at Brookline school during 1970s, authorities say (08/01/2012)
- Rabbi pleads guilty to sexually assaulting boys (08/01/2012)
- Rabbi admits to sex abuse of students in 1970s (08/01/2012)
-
Brookline rabbi pleads guilty to child sexual abuse (08/01/2012)
- Convicted sex offender Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt and the Vaad of Baltimore (08/01/2012)
- Boston area rabbi, Stanley Levitt, admits sexually abusing 3 students (08/01/2012)
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Victim savors conviction of pedophile rabbi (08/01/2012)
- Rabbi admits molesting schoolboys (08/02/2012)
No jail time for Rabbi Stanley Levitt (08/02/2012)
- Rabbi awaits child molestation sentence (08/02/2012)
- Rabbi given probation, not jail in sex assault case (08/02/2012)
- Can we trust the rabbonim of Baltimore to really monitor Rabbi Stanley Levitt?
(08/03/2012)
- Thank you Rabbi Hopfer for warning the community!
- Maryland Sex Offender Registry (08/16/2012)
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| Case of Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt - Court Summary 2002 - 2004 |
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| Case of Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt - Court Summary 2002 - 2004 |
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| Case of Rabbi Stanley Levitt - Court Summary 2003 |
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| Case of Rabbi Stanley Levitt - Court Summary 2003 |
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| Case of Rabbi Stanley Levitt - Court Summary |
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| Case of Rabbi Stanley Levitt - Court Summary |
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The Awareness Center
Letter to the community
WARNING TO PARENTS In Philadelphia, PA and Baltimore, MD
Case of Rabbi Stanely Z. Levitt
(AKA: Stanley Levitt, Stan Levitt)
Philadelphia, PA; Boston, MA; Baltimore, MD
Rabbi
Stanely Z. Levitt has been accused of child molestation. It is known
that Rabbi Levitt has residence in both Philadelphia and Baltimore.
There are several adults who have accused Rabbi Stanley Levitt of child
molestation over the last twenty-five years. According to the
Pennsylvania Judicial System over the last ten years there have been
several charges filed against Levitt including Indecent Assault,
Endangering the Welfare of Children, Corrupting Minor, Indecent Exposure
and Unlawful Restraint. As of today he has never been found guilty of
sex crime in which he would be placed on the sex offender registry.
More information will be posted about Rabbi Levitt over the next few days on The Awareness Center's web page.
There is a new trend that is happening all over the country (U.S.) Many
alleged offender are pleading guilty to a lessor charge, so that the
plea agreement will include a stipulation that a convicted sex offenders
will not have to be placed on the states sex offenders registry. When
this happens it puts the entire community (or in this case children in
other countries) at risk of harm.
If you were abused by Rabbi Stanley Levitt please contact The Awareness Center:
443-(NUMBER REMOVED)
info@(ADDRESS REMOVED)
We are also looking for photographs of him to put up on our web page
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Rabbi Indicted On Child Sex Charges
Charges Date Back To 1970s
The Boston - September 24, 2009
 |
| Rabbi Stanley Levitt |
A
former Massachusetts rabbi has been indicted on child sexual assault
charges dating back to the 1970s, when he allegedly assaulted two of his
pre-teen male students, Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F.
Conley said Thursday.
A
Suffolk County grand jury returned indictments charging Stanley Z.
Levitt, 63, of Philadelphia, with four counts of indecent assault and
battery on a person under 14 for allegedly assaulting two former
students of the Maimonides School in Brookline, where Levitt was a
teacher.
"This
was a betrayal of trust in the most awful sense," Conley said. "The
evidence suggests that Levitt abused a position of power, respect, and
authority to engage in sexual behavior with boys who were too young to
resist and too afraid to speak out."
Levitt is charged with offenses against two former students, both about 11 years old at the time of the crimes, Conley said.
One
charge stems from a May 1975 incident in which Levitt allegedly visited
a Maimonides student who was recuperating at Children's Hospital in
Boston after an accident.
The
other three offenses were allegedly committed against a different male
student during a three-night visit to Levitt's Chiswick Road home, also
believed to have taken place in 1975.
"It
was the tolling provision in the statute of limitations that allowed us
to bring these charges," Conley said. "When Levitt left Massachusetts
for Pennsylvania in 1980, the clock stopped and left him open to these
charges."
Conley's office learned of the allegations when the Children's Hospital victim notified Boston police in September of last year.
Levitt is expected to face arraignment in Suffolk Superior Court on Oct. 17.
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Former Maimonides rabbi charged with sexual assault
By Staff reports
Wicked Local -Allston / Brighton TAB
Oct 02, 2009
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| Stanley Levitt former rabbi and teacher at the Maimonides School |
Boston —A former rabbi at Maimonides School in Brookline was indicted on
child sexual assault charges dating back to the 1970s, according to
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.
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Ex-Mass. rabbi's sex abuse case heads to court
The Associated Press - October 7, 2009
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The trial of alleged serial sexual predator - Rabbi Stanely Z. Levitt has been postponed until July, 2010.
The Awareness Center Daily Newsletter - April 14, 2010
Back
in 2006 The Awareness Center first heard the allegations made against
Rabbi Stanley Levitt of molestation. Since then two other adult
survivors have come forward.
According
to the Pennsylvania Judicial System over the last ten years there have
been several charges filed against Levitt including Indecent Assault,
Endangering the Welfare of Children, Corrupting Minor, Indecent Exposure
and Unlawful Restraint. As of today Stanley Z. Levitt has never been
found guilty of sex crime in which he would be placed on the sex
offender registry.
Allegedly
Rabbi Levitt has been molesting boys for over forty years. According
to reliable source, Levitt was banned from working with children and
forced into therapy.
There
is a new trend that is happening all over the country (U.S.) Many
alleged offender are pleading guilty to a lessor charge, so that the
plea agreement will include a stipulation that a convicted sex offenders
will not have to be placed on the states sex offenders registry. When
this happens it puts the entire community (or in this case children in
other countries) at risk of harm.
Levitt was born on April 4, 1947. He received his rabbinical ordained by the Rabbinical College of America in
Morristown, NY. He resides in both Philadelphia and Baltimore, MD.
The Awareness Center has been informed that when Levitt is in town, he
daven's (prays) at Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer's synagogue (The Glenn Avenue shul)
If you were abused by Rabbi Stanley Levitt please contact The Awareness Center
Due
to software issues The Awareness Center is unable to update our site on
Levitt. Missing from the page is the following article.
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Rabbi's Sex Abuse Case Heads to Court
By Laura Crimaldi Boston Herald - October 7, 2009
A former Bay State rabbi is scheduled to be arraigned this morning on
charges he sexually assaulted two 11-year-old students while he taught
at the Maimonides School in Brookline during the 1970s.
Stanley Z. Levitt, 63, of Philadelphia, was indicted last month by a
Suffolk County grand jury on four counts of indecent assault and battery
on a person under 14, prosecutors said. He will be arraigned during the
magistrate session at Suffolk Superior Court.
In one instance, Levitt allegedly sexually assaulted an 11-year-old
male student in his hospital room while the boy was recuperating at
Children's Hospital in Boston after an accident, according to Suffolk
County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.
A different 11-year-old boy was allegedly assaulted in three other
attacks during a three-night visit to Levitt's Chiswick Road home. All
the alleged offenses occurred in 1975, Conley said.
Conley's office learned of the allegations when the Children's Hospital victim notified Boston police in September of last year.
In 2006, the statute of limitations on child sexual abuse was
extended from 15 years to 27 years. Prosecutors, however, were able to
bring charges against Levitt because the clock on the statute of
limitations against him stopped when he left Massachusetts for
Pennsylvania in 1980, Conley said.
Levitt has faced similar charges in Pennsylvania. Records from the
First District Court of Pennsylvania show he was charged with indecent
assault, corrupting a minor, endangering the welfare of children and
indecent exposure in 2001.
He pleaded no contest to the charges of indecent assault and
corrupting a minor, records show. The charges of indecent exposure and
endangering the welfare of children were dropped.
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Local Rabbi Faces Abuse Charges in Boston Court
Jewish Exponent - October 08, 2009
By Bryan Schwartzman, Staff Writer
A rabbi living in
Northeast Philadelphia has been charged in Boston for allegedly sexually
abusing two students at a day school there more than 30 years ago.
He
was released on $5,000 bail following his arraignment on Oct. 7 on four
counts of indecent assault and battery on a child. His trial is
scheduled to begin July 12, 2010.
In the past decade, Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt, 63, has faced similar charges here in Philadelphia.
Local
court records show that in three separate cases, from August 2001 to
May 2003, Levitt -- who also goes by the first name Zusia -- was
arrested on various charges related to claims of indecent assault
against three boys from the Rhawnhurst section in the Northeast.
In
one case, Levitt entered a plea of no contest to indecent assault and
corrupting a minor -- both classified as misdemeanors. He was sentenced
in 2004 in the Philadelphia Court of Common Pleas to five years
probation, which will be up in December.
Another case went to trial and resulted in a not guilty verdict. Charges were withdrawn in the third case, court documents show.
According
to court records, a number of the alleged incidents took place from
1999 to 2002 inside Congregation Lubavitch, Lubavitcher Center, at 7622
Castor Ave., where Levitt attended services for a time.
A
number of sources within the Orthodox community declined to speak on
the record. But several said that Levitt -- who apparently hasn't worked
as a rabbi or teacher in the local community for years -- was
essentially shunned following the accusations.
For his part, Levitt said that he is "totally innocent.
"The
entire thing is horrendous; it's a nightmare," Levitt declared earlier
this week, before he appeared in court in Boston. At the Boston
arraignment, Levitt pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Scott
Curtis, the attorney representing Levitt in Massachusetts, said, "We
are going to fight these all the way. He said he would raise questions
about competency and motives in the case.
Jonathan James, an attorney who represented Levitt in Philadelphia, could not be reached.
Rabbi
Abraham Shemtov -- who has overseen Lubavitch efforts in the region for
decades and who chairs the movement's umbrella body -- said that Levitt
used to attend his synagogue, but that he no longer does.
Shemtov
said that there were "lots of rumor that flew back and forth" about
Levitt over the years, but he never got involved, and the rumors have
stopped.
"No one came to me either seeking a solution or asking for help," said Shemtov.
With these kind of rumors, "unless you can be of help or assistance, you don't get involved," he added.
The
father of the boy whose accusations resulted in the no contest plea
here said that Levitt had been a trusted friend and neighbor.
At
the time, that boy and the other two boys involved in the Philadelphia
cases were students enrolled at Politz Hebrew Academy in Northeast
Philadelphia.
"The
children called him 'uncle,' " said the father, who asked not be to
identified to protect the privacy of his son, who is now in his early
20s and living in New York.
The
father said that he was incensed that Levitt "seems to be walking
around the Northeast as if nothing had ever happened. It's very hard to
restrain myself."
The
charges in Boston date back to 1975, when Levitt taught sixth grade at
the Maimonides School, an Orthodox day school in Brookline, Mass.
He has been accused by two former students who were 11 years old at the time, and are now in their 40s.
Assistant
District Attorney Wayne Margolis of Suffolk County. Mass., said in
court that "a third victim has come forward in recent days" after
hearing about the case in the media.
Usually,
a statute of limitations makes it difficult for adults who were victims
of abuse to come forward later in life and press charges.
However,
according to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley, the
Massachusetts statute was rendered null and void when Levitt moved to
Pennsylvania in 1980.
"The clock stopped and left him open to these charges," Conley said in a news release.
The
current indictment states that one 1975 incident allegedly took place
when Levitt visited a student, Michael Brecher, at Children's Hospital
in Boston after the boy had an accident -- he got his finger slammed in a
door and wound up having part of it reattached -- in the classroom.
The
now 46-year-old unemployed actor said in a telephone interview from
Baltimore, where he now resides, that he has suffered from depression
most of his adult life, although it wasn't until five or six years ago
that he linked many of his emotional problems to the abuse he allegedly
suffered as a boy.
He said that he contacted the Boston police about the incidents a year ago.
"It affects a person at the most intimate level of relationships, and the damages are just incredible," said Brecher.
"I
don't know what God wants of me, I don't know what I'm supposed to do
in this lifetime," but pursuing this case is one "obvious thing," he
said.
After the indictment was handed down, Jeffrey Swarz, who chairs Maimonides' board of directors, sent a letter to parents.
"For
me, the news of these allegations from the past is an unwelcome but
timely means to redouble the sacred work of providing a safe, secure,
Torah-centered educational experience for our children," wrote Swarz.
Over
the last decade or so, a number of high-profile cases involving sexual
abuse in several Orthodox communities in other cities have come to
light.
Some
claim that Orthodox religious leadership has, on more than on occasion,
decided to handle allegations internally, rather than involve outside
secular authorities.
"They don't have education [in the field], don't have training, and they end up blaming the victim," said Vicki Polin.
Polin,
a Baltimore resident, founded the Awareness Center: The International
Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault. She said that she has
followed the Levitt case and has also advised Brecher.
"The time has come to break the taboo and allow all Jewish communities to face reality," said Polin.
The
father of the boy in the Philadelphia case said that several members of
his community had implored him not to go to the authorities. He
declined to name them.
It's
difficult to paint a full and accurate picture of Levitt's life, but it
appears that for a time he moved from city to city. Currently, he has a
Philadelphia address.
Sources said that Levitt grew up in the area and attended the Talmudical Yeshiva of Philadelphia.
According
to a Maimonides yearbook from the mid-70s, he earned his ordination at
the Rabbinical College of New Jersey, which later became the Rabbinical
College of America, which is affiliated with the Lubavitch movement.
The
same yearbook notes that from 1968-70, he taught at the Hebrew Day
School of Eastern Connecticut in New Haven before moving to the
now-defunct Beth Jacob School in Elkins Park, where he worked from
1970-72.
From
1972 to 1974, he was employed at the Hebrew Academy of Atlantic City,
N.J., before moving on to Maimonides in Massachusetts, where they noted
that he stayed until 1977.
Philadelphia court records from the early 2000s show that Levitt was then unemployed and living on a pension.
In
the past few years, Levitt had been attending services at Young Israel
of Oxford Circle in Northeast Philadelphia, which closed earlier this
year, according to the synagogue's president, Stanley Grosswald.
Grosswald
added that Levitt, whom he knew as Samuel Levitt, had helped out the
congregation from time to time, including trying to sell the synagogue's
scrolls when it was attempting to stay afloat.
Grosswald also said that Levitt had been in a car accident several years ago and now walks with a pronounced limp.
He said that these days, Levitt supports himself in part by getting work repairing damaged Torah scrolls.
Grosswald said that, for his part, he had never heard about the accusations against Levitt.
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Ex-teacher to face new sex abuse charge
Boston Globe - June 28, 2010
http://www.boston.com/yourtown/news/brookline/2010/06/ex-teacher_to_face_new_sex_abu.html
A
former teacher at the Maimonides School in Brookline was charged
yesterday with indecent assault and battery on a child during the 1970s,
Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said in a statement.
The
grand jury indictment is the fifth charge for Stanley Z. Levitt, 64, of
Philadelphia, a former Brighton resident. The victim in this case, and
two others who came forward last fall, were 11-year-old students at the
school while Levitt was employed there.
Four charges were brought
against Levitt last year. The third person came forward recently after
reading media reports about that case. Levitt will be arraigned
Wednesday in Suffolk Superior Co
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Former Brookline Rabbi Faces Additional Sexual Assault Charges
Stanley Levitt accused of assaulting three young boys while teaching at Maimonides in the 1970s.
By Neal Simpson
Brookline Patch - June 29, 2010
Prosecutors say a third victim has come forward with allegations of
sexual abuse at the hands of Stanley Levitt, a 64-year-old rabbi who
taught in Brookline in the 1970s.
Levitt already was already facing four charges of indecent assault
and battery on a child stemming from alleged attacks on two separate
victims in the mid 1970s. He is expected to be arraigned on the fifth
charge in Suffolk Superior Court on June 30.
The latest victim reportedly came forward after reading media reports
about Levitt's indictment on sexual assault charges late last year.
Prosecutors say the victim was a sixth grader at the
Maimonides School, where Levitt was briefly employed, when the attack occurred.
Levitt was indicted on the initial charges last year. In one case,
prosecutes say Levitt assaulted an 11-year-old boy while he was being
treated at Children's Hospital in Boston. The three other incidents
allegedly occurred while a male student, also 11, was visiting Levitt's
Chiswick Road home for three nights in 1975.
Prosecuters said there is no evidence that any of the alleged abuse occured on Maimonides school property.
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Rabbi Accused Of Assaulting Another Boy
Man To Face Charges In Brighton Incident
WCVBTV (Boston) - June 30, 2010
BOSTON -- A
rabbi who once taught schoolchildren in Brookline was accused of
assaulting a child in Brighton more than 30 years ago, bringing the
number of his alleged victims to three.
Stanley
Levitt, 64, of Philadelphia, was arraigned Wednesday on one charge of
indecent assault and battery on a child, according to Suffolk County
District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said. It is the fifth such indictment
currently pending against him in Suffolk County.
Levitt
was indicted late last year on four counts of the same offense
representing offenses he allegedly committed upon two other boys. The
latest victim came forward after viewing media reports of the prior
cases, according to Assistant District Attorney Wayne Margolis.
Margolis
said that the alleged abuse took place during the 1975-1976 academic
year, when the victim was a student at the Maimonides School in
Brookline.
Levitt,
who lived on Chiswick Road in Brighton, taught at that school from 1974
to 1977. He left Massachusetts at some point thereafter, eventually
making his way to Philadelphia.
"The
victim recalls that he was invited with several other boys to attend a
sleepover and study session at the defendant’s home," Margolis said.
"The defendant instructed all the boys to shower before going to bed.
When the victim exited the shower, the defendant was standing there with
a towel and said he needed to towel the defendant off."
It was at that point that Levitt allegedly assaulted the boy, Margolis said.
Margolis
led the grand jury investigation that resulted in the most recent
indictment and the four that preceded it. Last year's indictments allege
that Levitt went to visit one injured student in a Boston hospital and
sexually assaulted him and that he assaulted a different boy three times
during the course of a weekend visit to Levitt's home while the boy's
parents were out of town. Those alleged incidents took place in 1975.
All of the victims were about 11 years old.
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New Abuse Allegations Against Rabbi
Jewish Exponent - July 1, 2010
http://www.jewishexponent.com/article/21454/
A
third man has stepped forward to accuse a rabbi living in Northeast
Philadelphia with sexually abusing him more than 30 years ago in
Massachusetts.
Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt, 64, was charged in
October with four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child for
allegedly abusing two boys he'd taught at the Maimonides School, an
Orthodox day school in Brookline, Mass.
According to Suffolk
County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley, the third individual came
forward to police after reading media accounts of the earlier cases. The
man was a sixth grader when the incident allegedly took place in the
mid-1970s, according to Conley.
Levitt was expected to be
arraigned on the new charges this week in Suffolk County Superior Court.
In October, he pleaded not guilty to the other charges and was released
on $5,000 bail.
In an interview at the time, Levitt declared
himself totally innocent and said, "The entire thing is horrendous; it's
a nightmare."
The trial had been set to begin on July 12, but it
will most likely be pushed back because of the new charges, according
to Jake Wark, a spokesman for the district attorney's office.
Levitt,
who has lived in Philadelphia on and off for about 30 years, has faced
similar charges here, according to court records. Between August 2001
and May 2003, Levitt was arrested on separate occasions for alleging
sexually assaulting three boys from the Rhawnhurst section of the
Northeast.
In one case, Levitt entered a plea of no contest to
misdemeanor charges and was sentenced to five years probation. Another
case went to trial and resulted in a not-guilty verdict; charges were
withdrawn in a third case.
No new charges have been filed in
Philadelphia since then. Tasha Jamerson, spokeswoman for District
Attorney Seth Williams, said that her office could not comment on
whether or not any further investigation is under way.
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Former Maimonides Teacher Pleads Not Guilty to Latest Sexual Assault Charges
Prosecutors say Stanley Levitt assaulted three boys while teaching at the school in the 1970s.
By Neal Simpson
Brookline Patch - June 30, 2010
A former
Maimonides
teacher is again out on bail after prosecutors added a fifth count of
indecent assault and battery on a child to the 64-year-old rabbi's
growing rap sheet.
Stanley Z. Levitt plead not guilty today to the latest charge, which
prosecutors say stems from the allegations of a victim who came forward
after hearing media reports of Levitt's indictment on sexual assault
charges last year.
Levitt, a former Brighton resident who taught at Maimonides from 1974
to 1977, had already faced four charges of indecent assault and battery
on a child stemming from alleged attacks on two separate victims during
his years at Maimonides.
In one case, prosecutes say Levitt assaulted an 11-year-old boy while
he was being treated at Children's Hospital in Boston. The three other
incidents allegedly occurred while a male student, also 11, was staying
at Levitt's Chiswick Road home in Brighton for three nights in 1975.
The latest victim told prosecutors he was also invited to stay at
Levitt's home for a sleepover and study session in 1975 or 1976.
Prosecutors allege Levitt assaulted the victim when he was leaving the
shower during his stay.
Prosecutors said there is no evidence that any of the alleged abuse occurred on Maimonides school property.
Levitt was schedule to go to trial for the initial charges on July
12, but Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley said he would
likely reschedule the trial so prosecutor could join the latest
indictment with the earlier case.
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Ex-Mass. rabbi arraigned again in child abuse
Associated Press / CBS-WHDH-TV - July 1, 2010
BOSTON -- A rabbi who once taught at a Boston-area school has been
arraigned on a new child assault charge stemming from an incident that
occurred more than 30 years ago.
The Suffolk County district
attorney's office says Stanley Z. Levitt of Philadelphia was arraigned
Wednesday on a single count of indecent assault and battery on a child
in Brighton.
The 64-year-old was indicted late last year on four
counts of the same offense for abuses he allegedly committed against two
boys about 11 years old who attended the Maimonides School in
Brookline, where he taught between 1974 and 1977.
Prosecutors say
the third person approached them after reading media accounts.
Authorities say he also was a sixth grader at the school.
It was not immediately clear if Levitt was represented by a lawyer.
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Sex-abuse case against rabbi raises larger issues
Boston Globe - July 20, 2010
By Michael Rezendes
http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/07/20/sex_abuse_case_against_rabbi_raises_larger_issues/
Two
years ago, Michael Brecher came to prosecutors in Boston with a
disturbing allegation: In the 1970s, he said, he had been molested by a
rabbi who was teaching sixth grade at one of the region’s most
prestigious Jewish day schools, the Maimonides School.
One of
Brecher’s classmates came forward at the same time. And last year, after
reading news accounts of indecent sexual assault and battery charges
filed against Stanley Z. Levitt, a third person said that he, too, was
abused by Levitt.
Now, court records show that Levitt might have
tried to entice two more students into having intimate contact with him
while they took showers in his Brighton home.
One of those former
students has told Boston police that Levitt took him and other students
on a field trip to Montreal where Levitt directed the students in a
ritual purification bath, or mikvah, while all of them were naked, an
inappropriate practice, according to an official at a prominent Jewish
theological seminary.
Levitt has also faced allegations in Philadelphia, where he lived after leaving Maimonides.
The
case, with echoes of clergy sexual abuse incidents in the Catholic
Church, is a reflection, scholars say, of similar abuse cases that have
taken place in the orthodox Jewish community, where rabbis are held in
high regard and the social penalties for criticizing clergy can be high.
A
number of prominent orthdox rabbis have faced charges, including Baruch Lanner, the subject of a 2000 expose in The Jewish Week, and Yehuda
Kolko, who was featured in a 2006 New York magazine article.
“There
is a growing acknowledgment that we have a problem, which has taken a
long time,’’ said Yosef Blau, an Orthodox rabbi who is the spiritual
adviser at the theological seminary at New York’s Yeshiva University.
“Denial has been very powerful in the community.’’
Suffolk
District Attorney Daniel F. Conley has charged Levitt, 64, with
molesting three of the students, and the rabbi, now a Philadelphia
resident free on $5,000 bail, has pleaded not guilty.
Neither
Levitt nor his Boston attorney, Scott Curtis, returned messages from the
Globe seeking comment on the allegations made by Maimonides School
alumni. But court records show that Curtis is seeking to have the
charges against Levitt dismissed based in part on “the age of the
allegations.’’
Rabbi David Shapiro, the religious leader at
Maimonides, who was an assistant principal in the mid-1970s, and Nathan
Katz, the school’s executive director, declined to comment on the
allegations by the former students.
Katz, however, issued a
statement, saying, “Our hearts go out to the victims of child abuse and
we are deeply saddened at the circumstances surrounding this matter,
which took place in the mid-1970s.’’ He added that school officials take
a variety of measures to ensure the safety of students, including
criminal background checks of school employees.
_____________________________________________________
Statement by Vicki Polin
The Awareness Center's Daily Newsletter - July 25, 2010
A number of prominent orthodox rabbis have faced charges, including
Baruch Lanner, the subject of a 2000 expose in The Jewish Week, and
Yehuda Kolko, who was featured in a 2006 New York magazine article.
“There
is a growing acknowledgment that we have a problem, which has taken a
long time,’’ said Yosef Blau, an Orthodox rabbi who is the spiritual
adviser at the theological seminary at New York’s Yeshiva University.
“Denial has been very powerful in the community.’’
Suffolk
District Attorney Daniel F. Conley has charged Levitt, 64, with
molesting three of the students, and the rabbi, now a Philadelphia
resident free on $5,000 bail, has pleaded not guilty.
Neither
Levitt nor his Boston attorney, Scott Curtis, returned messages from the
Globe seeking comment on the allegations made by Maimonides School
alumni. But court records show that Curtis is seeking to have the
charges against Levitt dismissed based in part on “the age of the
allegations.’’
Rabbi David Shapiro, the religious leader at
Maimonides, who was an assistant principal in the mid-1970s, and Nathan
Katz, the school’s executive director, declined to comment on the
allegations by the former students.
Katz, however, issued a
statement, saying, “Our hearts go out to the victims of child abuse and
we are deeply saddened at the circumstances surrounding this matter,
which took place in the mid-1970s.’’ He added that school officials take
a variety of measures to ensure the safety of students, including
criminal background checks of school employees.
Six years ago, Levitt pleaded no contest to molesting a boy living in an
Orthodox Jewish community in Philadelphia and was later cited for
violating probation when he refused treatment at an institute for sexual
offenders.
“He basically flunked the sex offender course there
because he refused to accept responsibility for what he did,’’ said
Philadelphia Assistant District Attorney James Berardinelli, who
prosecuted the case.
Activists seeking to raise awareness about
sexual abuse by rabbis say the Levitt case is an opportunity for Jewish
leaders to continue efforts to overcome the religious obstacles that
have discouraged some victims from reporting abuse to police.
The
obstacles include traditional Jewish rules, adhered to in some pockets
of the Orthodox world, such as a prohibition against “chillul Hashem,’’
bringing shame on God’s name, and against “mesirah,’’ informing on
fellow believers to secular authorities.
Marci A. Hamilton, a
professor at the Benjamin N. Cardozo School of Law and the author of
“Justice Denied: What America Must Do to Protect its Children,’’ said
strict adherence to those practices can create an environment where
pedophiles flourish.
“If other adults are willing to keep their secrets, they can have multiple victims,’’ she said. “It’s horrifying.’’
Blau,
who began his career as a teacher at Maimonides, in the 1960s, said the
concept of mesirah is rooted in the history of the Jewish people, who
were often persecuted while living in societies that officially
sanctioned anti-Semitism. But he also said that the use of chillul
Hashem and mesirah as reasons to avoid reporting sexual abuse by rabbis
“is a misapplication of those laws,’’ an opinion underscored by the
Rabbinical Council of America in a resolution approved at its convention
earlier this year.
Researchers concerned about sexual abuse by
rabbis attribute a gradual change in attitudes among orthodox Jews to
websites and blogs where victims have felt free to discuss their abuse
anonymously. They also cite the example of clergy abuse victims in the
Catholic Church, who began speaking out in large numbers after the 2002
scandal in the Boston Archdiocese.
The case against Levitt began
unfolding when Brecher and a New York man decided to approach law
enforcement authorities in Boston. Brecher, 46, now a Maryland resident,
said Levitt sexually abused him while he was a patient at Children’s
Hospital recovering from a school accident.
The second man, a
46-year-old New Yorker who asked that his name be withheld, said Levitt
molested him on three occasions in the shower area of his Brighton home
during a three-night visit while his parents were on vacation. The Globe
does not publish the names of alleged sexual abuse victims who wish to
remain anonymous.
____________________________________________________________________________
Former Brookline Rabbi Pleads Not Guilty to Sexual Assault Charges
A rabbi who taught in Brookline in the '70s plead not guilty to charges
that he sexually assaulted children in a Brookline school.
By Graham Turner
Brookline Patch - December 14, 2011
A 65-year-old former rabbi, Stanley Levitt, plead not guilty to the charges that he had molested children when he was teaching at the Maimonides school in Brookline in the mid-1970s.
The Globe reported earlier today that he was expected to plead guilty to the charges, and this would have been his first conviction, despite also being accused by three boys in Philadelphia.
The judge overseeing the case of the former rabbi was reportedly furious when he backed out
of an expected plea deal earlier today. WCVB noted today that
prosecutors had agreed to a probation sentence, but that if found
guilty, he will serve time in prison.
Boston.com reports that, when asked if his sudden change of heart was discourteous to the victims, Levitt responded "I am the only victim here."
Last year, a third victim had come forward with charges against the former religious teacher, and he plead not guilty to that charge. He has also been accused by three other victims in the Philadelphia area,
where he was living until recently. While the statute of limitations on
this type of case is 35 years, the metaphorical clock stopped when he
left the Commonwealth in the 1980s, allowing prosecutors to bring the
case to court today.
____________________________________________________________________________
Former Brookline Rabbi Decides Not To Plead Guilty To Molesting Children
CBS News - December 14, 2011
BOSTON (CBS) – A rabbi who once taught at a prestigious local school
decided not to plead guilty Wednesday to molesting three young children
in the 1970’s.
Rabbi Stanley Levitt, who taught at the Maimonides School in
Brookline, would have been asked to serve three years probation for the
guilty plea, but instead will go on trial next May.
The judge was angry with Levitt’s change-of-course decision, saying
that the victims had traveled so far for nothing. Levitt was originally
expected to enter a guilty plea.
WBZ NewsRadio 1030′s Carl Stevens said that one of the alleged victims called the rabbi “a coward” for backing out of the plea.
The case began when one of the rabbi’s students, Michael Brecher,
told prosecutors that Levitt molested him when he was 11 years old.
The other two accusers have not gone public.
Levitt, who is now 65 years old, left the Boston area in 1980, so the statute of limitations did not run out.
He has been living in Baltimore recently.
He was indicted in 2009 on four counts of indecent assault and battery.
____________________________________________________________________________
Brookline rabbi pleads not guilty on molestation charges
by WCVB
Wicked Local - December 14, 2011
Brookline —
A rabbi who taught at a prestigious Jewish day school planned to plead
guilty Wednesday to molesting three students while he was teaching at
the school in the 1970s, but he backed away from the plea, our news
partners at
WCVB report.
____________________________________________________________________________
Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt balks at plea deal in sex abuse case
Boston Globe - December 14, 2011
By Michael Rezendes and Scott Allen, Globe Staff
A plea deal to resolve sex abuse charges at a prestigious Jewish
day school collapsed at the last minute today when Rabbi Stanley Z.
Levitt decided that he would not plead guilty to charges that he
molested sixth-graders in the 1970s and instead would take his case
before a jury.
Three alleged victims of Rabbi Levitt had been informed by Suffolk
County prosecutors that Levitt was expected to plead guilty to four
counts of indecent assault and battery on them when they were students
at the Maimonides School in Brookline. But when Levitt appeared in
Suffolk Superior Court this morning, his attorney informed the court
that the rabbi would not plead guilty after all, prompting criticism
from Judge Carol S. Ball for not letting the alleged victims know ahead
of time.
“I would have hoped you or your client would have let these people
know about the change before traveling to Boston for this event,” Ball
said to Levitt’s attorney Scott Curtis. “It’s like adding insult to
injury.”
Asked outside the courtroom if he had been discourteous to victims of sexual abuse, Levitt replied, “I am the only victim here.”
Levitt, a former religious studies teacher at the Maimonides, was
indicted by a Suffolk grand jury two years ago after one of his
students, Michael Brecher, told Suffolk prosecutors that Levitt molested
him when he was an 11-year-old patient at Children’s Hospital Boston,
and a second student said Levitt abused him in the shower of his
Brighton home.
Under the plea deal, Levitt would have admitted that he molested
three boys during the 1975-76 school year. He would have served no jail
time under the deal, victims were told, but he would have received
probation and been required to meet other conditions such as treatment
for sex offenders.
Attorney Curtis defended his client’s change of heart, saying, “He
thinks he’s innocent. I think he’s innocent. We’ll let a jury decide.”
Mitchell Garabedian, Brecher’s attorney, said his client is not
giving up either. “He wants to go to trial. He will testify. He is a
brave man.”
Scott Allen can be reached at allen@globe.com.
____________________________________________________________________________
Accused rabbi backs off plea deal
Boston Globe / WHDH-TV - December 14, 2011
A
plea deal to resolve sex abuse charges at a prestigious Jewish day
school collapsed at the last minute today when Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt
decided that he would not plead guilty to charges that he molested
sixth-graders in the 1970s and instead would take his case before a
jury.
Three alleged victims of Rabbi Levitt had been informed by
Suffolk County prosecutors that Levitt was expected to plead guilty to
four counts of indecent assault and battery on them when they were
students at the Maimonides School in Brookline. But when Levitt appeared
in Suffolk Superior Court this morning, his attorney informed the court
that the rabbi would not plead guilty after all, prompting criticism
from Judge Carol S. Ball for not letting the alleged victims know ahead
of time.
____________________________________________________________________________
Baltimore Rabbi warns community about alleged sex offender: Rabbi Stanley Levitt
By Vicki Polin
Examiner - July 15, 2012
 |
| Rabbi Moshe Hauer / Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt |
Baltimore, MD -- Last week
Rabbi Moshe Hauer released a letter which included a photograph of
Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt in hopes of protecting unsuspected children from harm.
Rabbi
Levitt was arrested back in 2009 in Boston and charged with sexually
abusing students at a Jewish day school more then 30 years ago. Jury
selection on Levitt criminal case begins on July 30, 2012 at the
Suffolk County Superior Courthouse in Boston. Stanley Levitt currently resides in northeast Philadelphia, but also maintains a residence in Baltimore, MD
According to Hauer’s letter, Levitt is not allowed in any orthodox
synagogue except for Shearith Israel Congregation (also known as the
Glenn Ave. Shul), which is under the leadership of
Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer.
The letter continued by assuring the Baltimore community that Stanley
Levitt would be closely monitored when going in the hallways and or the
restroom, that he was mandated to be accompanied by another adult. Due
to the seriousness of the allegations pending against Levitt in Boston,
he is not allowed to get into any in synagogue service such as reading a
Torah portion, saying any blessings to the congregation, etc. This is
an amazing unprecedented response to be getting from the ultra-orthodox
community in Baltimore.
Several community members in the Baltimore orthodox community voiced
their concerns regarding the fact that Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer is in charge
of monitoring Levitt. His synagogue has been known to be a harbor for
other alleged and convicted sex offenders residing within the eruv
(ultra-orthodox Jewish community) of Baltimore. In the past it has been
reported that Rabbi Hopfer attempted to conduct his own investigations
regarding allegations of sex crimes, instead of encouraging community
members to make hotline and police reports. One such case in which many
believe there was an
obstruction of justice is the case of
Rabbi Eliezer Eisgrau, who is the principal of the
Torah Institute (TI) of Baltimore.
Allegations arouse several years ago that Eisgrau had allegedly
molested his daughter. When a police detective attempted to investigate
the case he was told that no one knew who Eisgrau or his daughter was.
A reliable source stated that community members were instructed by
rabbi Hopfer along with other members of the Vaad of Baltimore (Jewish
religious court) not to assist law enforcement officials in this matter.
The fear was that letting the rest of the world know that problems
like this existed in the charedi world, could bring on another pogrom or
holocaust.
Recently, a Hillel rabbi from Baltimore came into possession of a
Torah (Jewish bible) from the holocaust. He was looking for someone who
was trained to repair the scroll.
Rabbi Stanley Levitt
is a trained sofer stam (scribe) and had the qualifications needed to
do the repairs. According to standard policies an individual who
handles a Torah has to do so within the guidelines of purity, which
includes going to a mikvah (ritual bath), prior to doing the work.
When Levitt applied to do the repairs on the holocaust Torah, he was
interviewed three times prior to his application for the work was sent
off the information to a Vaad in London (Jewish religious court).
Immediately a member of the Vaad did a "Google search" of him, and
learned of the allegations made against him along with the pending court
case, which was found on The Awareness Center’s website. This was
enough information for the Vaad to choose someone else to do the work.
Even though the Vaad of Baltimore has been aware of the allegations
made against Levitt for several years it took the son of the Hillel
rabbi to have the letter sent out by Hauer to be sent out. The truth is
protecting children is everyone’s responsibility. According to Jewish
law, every adult is a mandated reporter. If you suspect a child is at
risk of harm, pick up the phone and call your local child abuse hotline.
It is the only way to ensure that offenders are taken off the streets
and that our children stand a chance at being safe.
____________________________________________________________________________
Rabbi admits to charges of abusing students at Brookline school during 1970s, authorities say
Boston Globe - August 1, 2012
By Wesley Lowery, Globe Correspondent
A former Brighton resident admitted in Suffolk Superior Court
today that he sexually abused three boys while he was working as a
religious teacher at the Maimonides School in Brookline in the 1970s.
Rabbi Stanley Z. Levitt,
most recently of Philadelphia, pleaded guilty as his trial on four
counts of indecent assault and battery on a child was set to begin. Last
December, Levitt had agreed to plead guilty, but abruptly changed his
mind at the last minute.
In a hallway interview at the time, Levitt told the Globe, “the only victim here is me.”
Now, the 66-year-old Leavitt faces sentencing Thursday morning in the Boston courthouse.
According to Suffolk District Attorney Daniel F. Conley’s office,
Leavitt admitted molesting sixth grade students at the Maimonides
School during three separate incidents that took place in Boston.
Two of the assaults took place at Levitt’s home on Chiswick Road in
Brighton; the third occurred while the child was recuperating at
Children's Hospital in Boston. All three were 11-year-old boys, and the
assaults took place during the 1975-76 school year, the Globe has
reported.
“This is a victory not just for the victims in this case, but for
every person who suffered abuse at the hands of a trusted adult,” Conley
said in a statement. “The defendant’s full admission of guilt is proof
positive that the men he abused as children were telling the truth when
they finally shared the terrible secret they’d kept for so long.
____________________________________________________________________________
Rabbi pleads guilty to sexually assaulting boys
By Matt Stout |
Wednesday, August 1, 2012
Boston Herald
|
| Convicted Sex Offender - Rabbi Stanley Levitt |
A Philadelphia rabbi accused of
preying on young boys in the 1970s — assaulting them in the hospital and
in sleepovers at his former Brighton home — today pleaded guilty to
multiple counts of sexual assault, ending the case just as it was about
to go to trial.
Stanley Levitt, 66, faces up to 40 years in prison when a judge
sentences him tomorrow on four counts of indecent assault and battery on
a child, according to the Suffolk County district attorney’s office.
Prosecutors say they will seek prison time.
A trial for the former Brookline religious teacher was scheduled to start today.
According to authorities, all three of Levitt’s victims were
sixth-grade students in 1975 and 1976 at a Jewish day school, where he
taught in the mid-1970s. Two originally came forward with accusations
that led to set of 2009 indictments, while the third came forward later,
telling police Levitt assaulted him during a sleepover when the rabbi
told him to take a shower before bed.
“The defendant’s full admission of guilt is proof that the men he
abused as children were telling the truth when they finally shared their
terrible secret,” Suffolk County District Attorney Dan Conley said in a
statement.
According to prosecutors, one student had been hospitalized after
injuring his hand in an accident and was recuperating at Children’s
Hospital in Boston when visited him in his hospital room and assaulted
him.
A second victim was assaulted twice in 1975 during a weekend visit to
Levitt’s former Chiswick Road home while the boy’s parents were out of
town.
Levitt’s attorney was not immediately available for comment. Levitt
was originally set to plead guilty to the charges in December 2011, but
backed out last minute, saying he wanted to go to trial.
____________________________________________________________________________
Rabbi admits to sex abuse of students in 1970s
AP
/
August 1, 2012
 |
| Convicted Sex Offender - Rabbi Stanley Levitt |
BOSTON (AP) — Authorities say a rabbi admitted to sexually abusing
three students while working in the Boston area as a religious teacher
in the 1970s.
Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel Conley said Stanley Levitt’s
trial on four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child was set
to begin when the defendant pleaded guilty on Wednesday.
A judge is scheduled to sentence Levitt on Thursday.
Prosecutors say the 66-year-old Philadelphia man lived in Boston and worked in Brookline when he abused three boys in his care.
A grand jury indicted him in 2009 after two victims disclosed Levitt
assaulted them in 1975 while they were his students. A third victim
later came forward.
Authorities say Levitt assaulted one of the victims in a Boston
hospital room while visiting after the boy hurt his hand in an accident.
Two assaults to another victim happened at Levitt’s Boston home while
that boy’s parents were out of town for the weekend, according to
prosecutors.
Another victim’s assault also took place at the rabbi’s home while he
was there for a sleepover, the district attorney’s office said.
Conley called the defendant’s plea proof that the men who shared
their secrets about being abused as sixth-graders were telling the
truth.
‘‘This is a victory not just for the victims in this case, but for
every person who suffered abuse at the hands of a trusted adult,’’ the
district attorney said in a statement.
Levitt’s attorney couldn’t be reached by phone Wednesday.
____________________________________________________________________________
Brookline rabbi pleads guilty to child sexual abuse
Wicked Local - August 1, 2012
Brookline —
A former Maimonides School teacher pleaded guilty Wednesday, Aug. 1, to
charges of sexual contact with children more than 30 years ago,
according to Suffolk County District Attorney Daniel F. Conley.
(NECN: Justin Michaels, Boston) - A Massachusetts rabbi was expected to appear in court Thursday - to learn how much time he will spend behind bars for molesting young boys decades ago.
Rabbi Stanley Levitt was scheduled to be sentenced at Suffolk Superior Court on four counts of indecent assault and battery on a child.
He pleaded guilty to the charges on Wednesday.
About eight months ago, Rabbi Levitt was reportedly planning to officially admit his guilt in court, but then took it back.
This time, he followed through with his guilty plea to the four counts.
If he hadn't pleaded guilty, his trial on those counts would have begun on Wednesday. If the case had gone to trial, the DA's office had evidence that Levitt sexually assaulted three middle school boys during the mid-70s when he was working as a religious teacher in Brookline.
Back in 2009, two of the victims said that Levitt molested them while they were his students.
Soon after, another victim came forward.
In one case, Levitt assaulted a boy at Boston's Children Hospital while the boy was recuperating after injuring his hand.
The victims may not have had their days in court, if it weren't for a 2006 ruling, extending the statute of limitations on child sex abuse from 15 to 27 years, allowing for older cases like this one to be filed.
____________________________________________________________________________
Rabbi given probation, not jail in sex assault case
By Matt Stout
Boston Herald - Thursday, August 2, 2012
The pedophile rabbi who admitted to molesting three young boys in the
1970s was sentenced to 10 years probation today in Suffolk Superior
Court, a possibility one of his victims said he was told to expect.
Prosecutors say they asked that Stanley Levitt, 66, be sentenced to 2
½ years behind bars after he pleaded guilty to four counts of indecent
assault and battery on a child.
The rabbi, who lives in Philadelphia, yesterday admitted to sexually
assaulting three sixth-grade boys while he working as a Brookline
religious teacher more than three decades ago.
Michael Brecher, one of Levitt’s victims, told the Herald yesterday
prosecutors told him to prepare himself for a sentence that included
only probation, a fate Levitt received after pleading no contest to
similar charges out of Philadelphia in 2004.
On the Boston charges, Levitt faced up to 40 years in prison on the four separate counts, according to prosecutors.
Brecher, now 48, called Levitt a “sick man” who in December had
indicated he would plead guilty to the charges, but balked at the last
minute.
According to authorities, all three of Levitt’s victims were
sixth-grade students in 1975 and 1976 when he molested them at his
former Brighton home and one while he recovered from a hand injury at a
local hospital.
Two, including Brecher, originally came forward with accusations that
led a 2009 indictment, while a third came forward later, telling police
Levitt assaulted him during a sleepover when the rabbi told him to take
a shower before bed.
____________________________________________________________________________
Can we trust the rabbonim of Baltimore to really monitor Rabbi Stanley Levitt?
By Vicki Polin
Examiner - August 3, 2012
Yesterday
Rabbi Stanley Levitt
received 10 years probation and is required to register as a sex
offender, after pleading guilty on charges of sexually assaulting 3 boys
in Boston. It's been reported that he’ll also have to wear a ankle
monitoring device. If he violates any of the terms of his probation he
will end up in jail. According to a reliable source, Levitt has chosen
Baltimore, MD as his place of residence.
After the sentencing hearing one of the individuals who was
victimized by Levitt stated: “this will mean that another life will be
ruined for him to end up in prison, and I went through all of this so
that wouldn’t be the case. . . All we can do is hope he violates his
probation without harming another child.”
Shmuel Zev Juravel
is a quintessential example of how ineffective rabbinical "monitoring"
is of sex offenders, especially in Baltimore’s ultra-orthodox community.
Juravel was known by Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer to have molested many boys
within the eruv (Jewish community), but was never reported to the
secular authorities, as he comes from an internationally highly
respected, prestigious rabbinical family, who had strong ties to the
Baltimore community. When Shmuel Juravel moved to Savannah, GA, Rabbi
Hopfer notified the Orthodox rabbi there that Mr. Juravel should be
"monitored" around children.
At the time Shmuel Juravel was married with four sons of his own. It
didn’t stop him from allegedly molesting several other boys in the
Savannah community as well. He was finally stopped by the FBI in an
internet sting operation for soliciting boys on Craigs List and then
crossing state lines to meet the alleged victim. The now, 35 year-old
inmate is now incarcerated, serving a 22 year sentence in the federal
prison system in Otisville, NY. He’s scheduled to be released on March
28, 2024.
The Awareness Center is the international Jewish Coalition Against
Sexual Abuse/Assault. Since 2001 they have attempted to warn the
Baltimore community about numerous alleged and convicted sexual
predators from within their own community. Unfortunately, their cries
have been ignored. Besides Shmuel Juravel, The Awareness Center has
attempted to warned not only community members, but also the Vaad
Harabonim (orthodox board of rabbis), in which Rabbi Hopfer is
president.
Rabbi Moshe Eisemann
is a 76-year-old, highly respected author and religious leader. For
many years he was the Mashgiach Ruchni (head spiritual advisor) at Ner
Israel High School and College. According to a reliable source,
throughout the years at Ner Israel, there were mumblings of him
molesting boys (both minors and those slightly past their 18th
birthdays). Instead of making hotline or police reports, the
administration at Ner Israel decided to handle the allegations quietly
and internally.
Instead of doing the right thing, Ner Israel did what many
prestigious organizations, institutions and schools do around the globe
-- they shifted the alleged offender to another position -- yet allowed
Eisemann to live on the high school/college campus and also allowed him
to privately tutor students in his home -- without any type of
supervision.
Back in 2006, The Awareness Center did their best to publicize the
allegations made against Rabbi Moshe Eisemann of the molestation of
teenage boys including the few who were molested who were over the age
of 18. At the time hotline reports were made, yet due to the fact that
none of the alleged victims resided in his home, and the investigators
were stonewalled, nothing could be done.
In 2007, after the exposé, "Ner Israel Rabbi Alleged Abuser: When
Whispers Get Louder" was published by the Baltimore Jewish times, The
Awareness Center put out a call for action, which five years later has
still been ignored.
The organization demanded the following protocols be set up to keep students safe:
- Rabbi Moshe Eisemann immediately be move off the campus of Ner Israel.
- Rabbi Eisemann cease teaching and or tutoring students in his home or else where.
- Rabbi Moshe Eisemann have absolutely no contact with children or
male adults under the age of 40. (According to Jewish custom, forty is
the age in which a man is considered mature enough to study Kabbalah and
less likely be able to be sexually manipulated by an sexual predator).
- Rabbi Moshe Eisemann be immediately evaluated by a licensed mental
health professional who specializes in sex offenders. The professional
must be approved by The Awareness Center, Inc. to insure the
professional is not biased nor associated with Ner Israel any other
individual or organization.
- Artscroll/Mesorah publications cease and desist from publishing, selling or distributing any books created by Moshe Eisemann.
- All books written by Moshe Eisemann be banned by every yeshiva (seminaries) in the US and abroad.
- Rabbi Moshe Eisemann not be allowed to leave the United States.
- Ner Israel Rabbinical College finance a team of child abuse experts
who will evaluate all past and present students of Rabbi Moshe Eisemann
to determine if there are any more survivors. The team of experts will
be approved by The Awareness Center to insure things are handled
properly and appropriately.
Considering the track record of Baltimore’s orthodox Jewish
religious leaders of doing nothing to protect the community from sexual
predators, it’s difficult to believe that anything has change. Needless
to say, without public outcry nothing will change and individuals like
Rabbi Stanley Levitt will continue to offend.
The Awareness Center also asks that the following individuals be contacted:
President of the Vaad of Baltimore:
Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer - Shearith Yisrael (Glen Ave. Shul):
Phone: 410-466-3060 Fax: 410-367-9183
Ner Israel Rabbinical College (and High School):
Phone: 410-484-7200
Rabbi Aharon Feldman - Rosh Yeshiva (Head of the School)
Rabbi Beryl Weisbord - Dean of Students
Rabbi Sheftel Neuberger - President
Artscroll/Mesorah Publications
Phone: 718-921-9000 Fax: 718-680-1875
Rabbi Nosson Scherman, the General Editor
Meir Zlotowitz - Founder of Artscroll Publications
____________________________________________________________________________
Thank you Rabbi Hopfer for warning the community!
Examiner - August 14, 2012
By Vicki Polin
August 5, 2012 -- (Baltimore MD) A letter written by Rabbi Yaakov
Hopfer was posted on the wall of several synagogues in the
ultra-orthodox Jewish community of Baltimore, warning neighbors of the
dangers
Rabbi Stanley (Zusia) Levitt posed to children in the community. Hopfer’s letter included a photograph of this convicted sexual predator.
Around July 15th a letter was supposed to be sent out by Rabbi Moshe
Hauer. Due to to political pressures from the Vaad of Harabonim of
Baltimore (ultra-orthodox board of rabbis), Hauer’s letter was never
sent. It’s important to note that Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer is the president
of the Vaad of Harabonim, and also the spiritual leader of the Glenn
Avenue Shul, in which Rabbi Levitt prays three times a day.
On August 1st, Levitt plead guilty to sexually assaulting several young
boys back in the 1970s. The assaults occurred in a Boston area hospital
and another at a sleepover in his Brighton, MA home. A Suffolk Superior
Court sentenced Levitt to 10 years probation, and will be making
Baltimore his official residence.
Since 2002,
The Awareness Center (the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault)
had been demanding that the Vaad of Baltimore not only write letters
warning community members of both alleged and convicted sex offenders
living and praying in synagogues within the ultra-orthodox community,
yet also publish protocols for alleged and convicted sex offenders to
follow when present in synagogues, schools or other gathering places
where children may be present.
Perhaps Hopfer’s letter is a sign that things are changing and that the community will finally put protecting children first.
 |
| Letter written by Rabbi Yaakov Hopfer regarding convicted sex offender, Rabbi Stanley Levitt |
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Maryland Sex Offender Registry
August 12, 2012
http://www.dpscs.state.md.us/sorSearch/search.do?searchType=detail&anchor=false&id=7701558
