Naomi Mark speaking at the Calrebach Conference - Friend of Mordechai Gafni (AKA: Marc Gafni)

Also see:

• Case of Rabbi Marc Gafni (aka: Mordechai Gafni, Mark Gafni, Marc Winiarz, Mordechai Winiarz)
• Case of Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach - Neo-Hassidic rabbi and singer

Naomi Mark, MSW, LCSW

Dr. Naomi Mark speaking at the Calrebach Conference
By Luke Ford
Protocols - October 18, 2004

Dr Naomi Mark is the sister of Jonathan Mark, associate editor of the Jewish Week. I hear they both are friends of R. Mordechai Gafni.

Naomi Mark is speaking at the 1st International Carlebach Conference:

Friday, October 29th 11:45-12:45 - Workshops/Sessions - 7th floor
Openness and Boundaries - Naomi Mark, and Dr. Michelle Friedman - Maintaining a Balance as a Spiritual Leader.

I can't think of a better example of maintaining balance as a spiritual leader than Mordecai Gafni.

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Call To Action: Honoring Carlebach?

JCC of Manhattan's Contact information:

Email: carlebach@jccnyc.org

Phone: (646)505.5708

As many of you may remember last month Adam Dickter wrote an article for the Jewish Week regarding the issue of a street in New York potentially being named after Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach. In the article it mentioned that in honor of Shlomo's 10th anniversary of his death, the Carlebach Shul was organizing a conference to honor his memory. It has just come to my attention that the Carlebach conference is being cosponsored by the JCC of Manhattan, and will be held in a few weeks (October 28-31, 2004).

As the executive director of The Awareness Center (which is the international organization that addresses sexual violence in Jewish communities around the world), I feel the need to speak out on behalf of all of Shlomo's "alleged" victim/survivors.

We have a huge problem on our hands. How can we sit back and ignore the fact that Rabbi Shlomo Carlebach had a "reputation with women"? There have been allegations that this great outreach worker, who was a master at Kiruv work -- was also an "alleged" serial child molester/rapist.

During the years of Carlebach's reign of "alleged" terror on teenage girls and young adult women, some of his victims attempted to speak out. They were met with the standard statements of the times: "Boys will be boys"; "Shlomo, he's a genius, this is what comes with his over zealousness"; "He can't help himself with his own sexuality, he gets excited".

The Awareness Center feel's it is important to point out that the youngest survivor we are aware of, was only 13-years-old when her "alleged" sexual assault occurred. When an adult has sexual relations with a thirteen-year-old, it can never be considered consensual. It is called statutory rape.

The Awareness Center desperately needs your help! Please contact the JCC of Manhattan and let them know how you feel about them cosponsoring the Carlebach Conference. You may also want to suggest that all proceeds from the Carlebach conference be used to reimburse/fund all of the alleged survivors of Carlebach for the pain and suffering they were forced to endure, pay for therapy to help them heal.