Regarding New York Assemblymember Vito Lopez

Support Survivors of Sexual Abuse!

Tell Assemblyman Dov Hikind it's time to keep our children safe!

Seating for Internet Morals - Call of the Godolei Yisroel

Speaking out about child sexual abuse in the hasidic world

Case of Rabbi William Handler

Case of Rabbi William Handler
(AKA: Rabbi Hillel Handler)

Rabbi William Handler is an
alleged enabler of sexual offenders

Spokesperson of the Vaad Harabonim - Monsey, NY
Union of Orthodox Rabbis - New York, NY
Congregation Yetev Lev D'Satmar - (Williamsburg) Brooklyn, NY
Neturei Karta 

Rabbi William Handler has be accused of being an enabler of sexual predators after stated publicly that sex crimes should be handled by rabbis and not by law enforcement official.  It's obvious that he has very little understanding of the issues nor ramifications surrounding sex crimes and the importance of having these cases prosecuted by secular authorities.  To this date, The Awareness Center does not know of any rabbis who have ever gone through forensic training, nor been educated in how to conduct a victim sensitive interview.  

_________________________________________________________________________________

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: 

1987

1. Bork Nomination Day 12, Part 3 (09/30/1987)

2011

1. Rabbinic Defenders of Convicted Rabbi Wengarten Serving a 30 Year Sentence On Molestation Charges Will Appear Saturday Night (02/05/2011)
2. Rabbi William Handler's Attack on Israel  (12/13/2011)

2012

1. Rabbi William Handler Speaking Outside The Board of Health (09/30/2012)

2013

1. Molestation Cases Must Be Handled by G’dolim, Not by ‘Experts’ (05/26/2013)

_________________________________________________________________________________

Bork Nomination Day 12, Part 3

CSPAN - September 30, 1987

Mr. Chairman, I am Rabbi William Handler, representing the Union of Orthodox Rabbis of the United States and Canada, this country's oldest rabbinical organization founded in 1900, representing over 600 rabbis and deans of Talmudic schools and seminaries, which serve over half a million Orthodox Jews in the United States and Canada.

Before I begin, Mr. Chairman[prayer in Hebrew].  Mr. Chairman, I would like to discuss something that has made me very angry about the way in which your staff has conducted

this hearing, and my appearance here today.  Before I begin, I received two telephone calls yesterday from a  Melissa Nolan. The first call asked me my name, and the organization I represent.

Rabbi Handler's presentation starts at 27 minutes.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Rabbinic Defenders of Convicted Rabbi Wengarten Serving a 30 Year Sentence On Molestation Charges Will Appear Saturday Night

By Zev Brenner 

Talkline communications ZEV BRENNER ON WMCA 570 AM  - February 5, 2011 

In light of recent reports by the Yiddish Press of a group of prominent Rabbis visiting convicted Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Weingarten incarcerated on charges he molested his daughter, a special delegation of Weingarten’s Rabbinic supporters will be live on radio to discuss the issues involved and respond to last week’s Talkline broadcast with guests critical of the Rabbis jailhouse visit.  

William Handler, an official spokesman of the Prominent Rabbis who visited Rabbi Weingarten in prison, and Weingarten’s new Defense attorney, Dr. Demonsthenes Lorandos will be among the guests appearing on Talkline with Zev Brenner Saturday night February 5th at midnight on WMCA 570 AM and online at talklinecommunications.com to discuss the role of Rabbis in dealing with the sensitive issue of abuse in the Orthodox Community and why they believe Rabbi Weingarten is innocent of the charges despite a conviction by the courts.  The program can also be listened to live on Talkline’s 24 hour a day listen line at 712 432 2378. Listeners will be able to call in, email. facebook and twitter questions.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Rabbi William Handler's Attack on Israel
December 13, 2011

 

_________________________________________________________________________________

Rabbi William Handler Speaking Outside The Board of Health
VIN News - September 13, 2012

New York City's Board of Health has voted to require parental consent for a form of circumcision that involves oral suction.

The board voted 9-0 Thursday to require that anyone performing the ritual practiced by some ultra-Orthodox Jews obtain written consent from a parent or guardian.

The parents will have to sign a form acknowledging that the city Health Department advises against the practice because of risks of herpes and other infections.

The Health Department says there have been 11 confirmed cases of herpes simplex since 2004 in newborn boys after circumcisions that likely involved direct oral suction. Two of the infants died.

Defenders of the practice said they will ignore the new rule.

Rabbi William Handler of Brooklyn said the circumcision ritual is 3,000 years old and is safe.

_________________________________________________________________________________

Molestation Cases Must Be Handled by G’dolim, Not by ‘Experts’

By: Rabbi William Handler
Jewish Press - May 26, 2013

Note from the editor:

Rabbi William Handler is member of The Bris Milah Anti-Defamation League, which endorses metzitzah b'peh. He was also a supporter of Rabbi Yisroel Moshe Weingarten, convicted of molesting his daughter. I'm mentioning these two facts up front, so that they not become the topic of discussion by our readers. Rabbi Handler probably has very little in common with our Zionist, pro-Israel editorial policy, nor does he probably endorse our view that the Internet can be used sanely by educated religious Jews. Yet, when he sent us the following article for publication, I was struck by one important argument he is making which we, as a religious community, should debate: 

Do we want the City and State child welfare authorities, as well as the City and State legal systems, to be automatically in charge of cases of child abuse in our community? Rabbi Handler says we don't—and tries to argue in favor of turning to Gdolei Yisroel to supervise and even try these cases. 

Personally, I don't believe the author is making a successful argument, in light of the colossal failure of our religious leaders to respond, much less supervise and try, in one abuse case after another. But, those failures aside, is Rabbi Handler wrong in proposing that when we invite the secular authorities into our community, we're doing this to our own detriment? Should we accept that our Gedolim simply will not measure up to this challenge?

I want to warn our Orthodox Jewish community of a new danger: the existence of a clique of pseudo-experts who are working among us in the field of “Criminal Molestation.”

These “experts”—self-styled “helping professionals”— are actively seeking-out people whom they believe to be “molesters,” with the goal of turning them over to the office of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes.

This is an enterprise fraught with the most serious dangers for our community.

Anyone can make an accusation of “molestation.” There are usually no witnesses.

So how can anyone determine whether the accusers are telling the truth or making the whole thing up?

Well, say the “experts,” we should assume that the accusation is true, because it’s highly improbable that anyone would make up such a grotesque story; and, in the unlikely event that someone did make up such a story, the “experts” in the district attorney’s office know how to question the accusers to make sure they aren’t lying.

Now, since the whole enterprise revolves around the ehrlichkeit (honesty) of the accusers and the honesty and skill of the district attorney, it is reasonable to ask a couple of poignant questions:

1. Is the accuser really telling the truth, or is he a skilled liar, who seeks to settle a score with the accused, gain custody of children in a divorce case, or just plain do harm to someone for any reason at all?
2. Do prosecutors always do their job properly; do they always seek justice?

Those of you who have followed the Sholom Rubashkin case closely, know that prosecutors don’t necessarily care about the truth—often, their actions are based on political considerations, or they just want to show another successful conviction on their resume, and they’re willing to get it by any means necessary, legitimate or otherwise.

Those of you who may have had the occasion to get entangled with NY City’s ACS/DCP (Administration for Children's Services / Division of Child Protection) will understand what I mean when I speak of the dangers of getting entangled in a Kafkaesque government bureaucracy.

Perhaps your baby spilled some hot tea on his hand and got a serious burn. You call Hatzoloh, and the ambulance speeds your screaming child to the hospital emergency room. (NOTE: this is a true story, it happened exactly as I’m describing it)

Before your child is even treated for his condition, and while he is still screaming in pain, the emergency room staff will insist that you submit to an interview with a social worker, who will try to determine whether you were guilty of child neglect.

This procedure is mandated by City law. As “mandated reporters,” emergency room staff are required to report any suspicious indications of child neglect or abuse (as are other government licensed professionals, like psychiatrists and doctors).

Please remember, the social worker gets paid to find cases of child neglect. If she does not find any cases, there is no justification for the existence of her agency, no justification for paying her salary and benefits. So, she has a clear bias in favor of seeking something—anything—that would justify a finding of “child neglect.”

The social worker’s report is sent to ACS/DCP.

Shortly thereafter, you will be visited by ACS workers, who will appear at your home suddenly—often in the middle of the night—to conduct interviews with your small children in an attempt to discover and document “child neglect.”

Each child will be interviewed individually, in a van parked outside your home. You will not be permitted to be present at these interviews. Any silly or indiscreet statement by your innocent child may be accepted as documented evidence of “child neglect.”

If your child mentions any behavior that the City defines as “child neglect,” slapping, yelling, etc., ACS may, at their discretion, haul you into Family Court and petition the court for the removal of ALL of your children from your home to live with foster parents.

You will have to spend a fortune on lawyers.

If you’re lucky enough to avoid losing your children, you’re still not home free. The law gives ACS up to an additional 60 days to continue their investigation of your family.

ACS will now send a “field worker” to your home to conduct “surveillance,” to observe how you interact with your family. The worker will note everything you do on her clipboard. This officious busybody will visit with you for hours upon hours, getting on your nerves, as you attempt to take care of your family. You must be extremely careful about what you say and do in front of her.

I’m sure most mothers with large families will agree that this is a nightmare scenario. However, it is something that is going on in our community right now. Just ask your friends and neighbors. As I said, I have witnessed it personally.

Now, if this is the way the City’s “professionals” abuse decent Jewish parents whose only crime was that their child accidentally spilled some hot tea on his hand, imagine how “compassionately” they treat someone who has been accused of the much more serious crime of molestation.

Do you really think the prosecutors are going to treat anyone accused of molestation fairly? Do you really believe they are going to assume that he is innocent until proven guilty?

God forbid that I should in any way minimize that great pain and the terrible damage that is inflicted on innocents by even one molester in our community. There definitely are such people in our midst, and we must take action to stop them.

But involving the cumbersome, insensitive, and largely incompetent government apparatus in the internal problems of our community can only result in even more terrible tragedies, chas v’sholom.

It borders on Mesirah (turning in a fellow Jew), and it is virtually certain that it will result in many innocent people going to jail for years and years, destroying their lives and the lives of their families and children.

I know that there have been complaints that rabbis have declined to take action when accusations of molestation have been presented to them. I have already discussed the conundrum they face earlier in this article—should they take action on the say-so of a single person, who may have malicious intent to harm the accused.

The Talmud tells us that “He who is not an expert in the laws of marriage and divorce should stay out of the picture, lest he increase the number of illegitimate mamzeirim in Klal Yisroel.”—only gedolei Yisroel—true experts—have the competence to rule in these matters.

The truth of the matter is that a situation this serious does not belong to your average rabbi, no matter how sincere and pious he may be. It must be refereed to our top Torah leadership, just as the question of Internet use was.

Only our gedolei Yisroel have the siyata d’shmaya (Divine help) necessary to guide us on the proper course of action in these painful and perplexing situations.

Can we settle for anything less in matters of pikuach nefesh (life and death)? 

_________________________________________________________________________________

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

_________________________________________________________________________________

Ban by rabbis of Orthodox blog could change views on handling sex abuse

FRIDAY, 31 DECEMBER 2010 21:15 JERRY DEMARCO

Cliffview Pilot

Some are outraged, others are cracking wise -- yet most are wondering whether a ban by a group of rabbis of an Orthodox blog might not be the best thing for a community still wrestling with whether to take allegations of sexual abuse to the police or deal with them “in-house.”

“I’ve been following Vos Iz Neias? for a long time and I’m a bit baffled by all the accusations made against it,” an employee of the Orthodox Union said. “It could use comment moderation, but the other charges seem foreign to me.”

A group of three dozen rabbis  have signed on to a ban condemning Vos Iz Neias? (Yiddish for “What's News?”) as sinful and “ordering” that their followers neither read it nor advertise on it -- or patronize its advertisers.

An excerpt from a flier posted in various Hasidic communities:

“… the Satan has found a way, that a site exists on the Internet known as ' VosIzNeias?'..it includes stories and events of the corrupt, abominable, and lowly; full of contamination, filth, foul language; slander, gossip, and degrading of Torah scholars; it also prints libels and slander regarding Torah individuals and organizations. Similarly the comments written there are filled with adultery and slander, and increase fights in Israel, putting everyone’s dirty laundry in public. It also writes against officers and politicians under whose favor we live, to ruin their reputation….”

Anger over the ban is something many in the Orthodox community “are thinking yet are to afraid to say outright,” said Vicki Polin, the founder and director of The Awareness Center, a non-profit organization devoted to ending sexual violence in the Jewish community.

The anonymous publisher ofVos Iz Neias? “has been a friend to many survivors of all sorts of abuses, including those who were sexually victimized,” Polintold CLIFFVIEW PILOT. “He is a good person and is someone who should be honored and respected for reporting the truth instead of reporting a censored version of reality.

“The 36 rabbis who signed the declaration [at right] should be seen as nothing more than cult-like leaders… a group of thugs parading around to be G-d like….

"(Each is) supposed to be a teacher, not a dictator.  They are not kings or royalty.  They are human just like the rest of us," Polin said. "This group of rabbis are taking away free will from those who live within their communities…. [They] are not allowing their followers to utilize their own personal critical thinking.”

"[M]any of the people who use Vos Iz Neias ... are caught in a conflict between what they are led to believe is reasonable and fair and part of normative religious practice and what they are now told is illegitimate to do if they are to be a member of the tribe," Michael Salamon wrote in The Jewish Star.

"Increasing fundamentalism is little more than a way to limit membership and create a group of dedicated individuals," said Salamon, a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the founder/director of ADC Psychological Services in Hewlett, N.Y.

"A pulpit rabbi needs to interact with a diverse congregation as well as the outside world. The yeshiva rabbi selects their students and tries to mold them into a mirror image of themselves," wrote a reader of The Jewish Star. "They strive to maintain absolute control over the lives of their communities and the best way to foster this is to shut out the outside world little by little.

"Jews were known throughout the ages a the people of the book, admired and respected for our knowledge and drive for education. Sad that today we are told to stop reading."

Vos Iz Neias? has reported on attempts by rabbinic organizations to convince victims to go to the police, promoted the statute of limitations extension, and publicized events such as the recent first-ever National Jewish Week for the Prevention of Child Abuse, said Asher Lipner, an abuse survivor and vice-president of the Jewish Board of Advocates for Children.

It’s been “quite an eye-opener for the community to learn how many of their own children have been hurt by this problem,” he told  CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

Still, there is moderation in the discussion.

While not condemning VIN, the publisher of the blog that “outed” the man behind the ban cautions that  Vos Iz Neias? is "very selective about the news it publishes."

The site "censors out the names of most ultra-Orthodox criminals and pedophiles, and many stories go completely unreported," Shmarya Rosenberg, publisher of FailedMessiah.com, told  CLIFFVIEW PILOT.

"VIN means well, to be sure, but they could not exist if they reported the truth or allowed comments to report it, although the comments section is a little looser than than the actual articles posted."

As Rosenberg, Polin and others point out, the ban clearly has less to do with reports of child sex abuse and  more to do with politics.

The rabbis and others have strong ties to New York AssemblymanVito Lopez, chairman of Brooklyn’s Democratic Party, who was the subject of investigations by The New York Daily News -- whose  articles were reprinted by Vos Iz Neias?.

One of those stories centered on the apparent misuse of money from a $100 million-a-year, taxpayer-funded social services nonprofit.

On top of that, Polin said, “it is well-known that Lopez has done everything possible to block the Markey bill last year.

“The Markey bill would have allowed survivors of child sexual abuse to have their day in court and also would lift the statute of limitations, so that older survivors of childhood molestation would be allowed to name their offenders, with the hopes of preventing one more child from being harmed by them,” she explained. “This bill would have allowed survivors to be financially compensated for their pain and suffering.”

According to Rosenberg, a close friend and business associate of Lopez’s, Shimon Weiser of Williamsburg, drafted the ban and got signatures from several Rabbinic leaders from the Hasidic and Lithuanian religious world.

The rabbis were told that “attempts were made to contact and warn VosIzNeias to cease and desist from printing questionable articles,” but that “they were rebuffed,” according to an article published on -- and since removed from -- the 5 Towns Jewish Times web site.

By their own admission, the story reported, “many who signed “did not see the website themselves but relied on printed copies made available to them by Shimon Weiser.” They also weren’t aware of Weiner’s connections to Lopez, it says.

“ When accusations are leveled at anyone – even an anonymous person, they must be verified and the person must be given an opportunity to respond to and examine any evidence,” the article concludes.  “Convictions, bans, and boycotts of advertisers cannot be done solely on the basis of one-sided accusations…. Sunshine is the greatest disinfectant of all.”

Indeed, an unintentional result of the ban may have been deeper consideration, and discussion, among those in the Orthodox community of whether it’s best to go straight to police and prosecutors at the local, state, county and federal levels, or heeding the words of religious leaders who claim a higher law must prevail. The fear is that the community could succumb to the same scandal as the Catholic Church.

It’s been a slow evolution, but even those in “ultra-Orthodox” communities in Brooklyn, Rockland County and at the Jersey Shore have begun to come forward.

In turn, the rabbis have become concerned “more about protecting their images and assets then they are about protecting our children and or unsuspecting adults,” Polin contends.

“It's really a relatively new thing that people look up to rabbis as if they are G-d.  Many of these same rabbis have put a ban on using the Internet, or have only allowed their followers to use servers like JNet, which won't allow subscribers on such sites as YouTube,” said Polin, a licensed clinical professional counselor more than 26 years of experience working with survivors of sexual abuse and assault.

“The only power rabbis have,”  told CLIFFVIEW PILOT, “is the power those in the community give them.”  

Welcome to New Square

Welcome to New Square
(AKA: New Skvere)
By Vicki Polin
The Awareness Center's Daily Newsletter -  March 22, 2010
(© 2000) Photographed by Vicki Polin

Early in 2000 I was visiting a friend in New York.  At the time I was newly religious and so my friend wanted to take me on a tour of New Square, NY (AKA: New Skvere).  

Just outside of the town line, my friend pointed out the following sign to me.  I was in a state of shock.  I understood that in Israel it was common place to have signs like this when entering ultra-orthodox communities, yet this sign was placed on a street in the United States of America.  I had no idea it was legal for a community in New York to put these types of restrictions on women.  Besides the dress code, it was also very much frowned upon for women to be driving a car.  Because we were two women and here was no male in the car, it was "more" permissible. 

Considering the signs below, may make it easier to understand how sexual predators can get away with their offending frenzy within this community.  It's all a part of understand the mindset of this chasidic town.  


Also see: 

• New Square appoints Vaad to deal with sexual abuse
• Case of Kenneth Gribetz 

Help Those Who Were Sexually Abused in New York

CALL TO ACTION:  Help Those Who Were Sexually Abused in New York

New York Assembly Bill A2596 / Senate Bill S2568
The Awareness Center's Daily News Letter - June 9, 2009
 

Click here for more information on this bill and/or for daily updates

If you live in the state of New York, were abused in New York, and/or your offender has lived in or currently resides in New York, contact Senators Dean G. Skelos and Dale M. Volker (Chair of the Codes Committee). They are key in getting the New York - Child Victim Act of 2009 passed.

The Child Victims Act of New York is in the hands of Senator Dean G. Skelos (Long Island) and Senator Dale E. Volker.  On behalf of protecting children and those who were already abused, please call both Senators and let them know you are counting on them to allow the bill (Child Victims Act of 2009) to reach the Senate floor for a vote.  They need to be persuaded to support the amended bill (already on record as opposed to original bill).

Remind the Senators that according to statistics, between one-fourth to one-fifth of their constituents are survivors of childhood sexual abuse (forty-six percent of these constituents were abused by family members, the remaining fifty-four percent are made up of survivors of babysitters, neightbors, doctors, therapists, teachers. It's only 2% by clergy of all faiths).  

It is also important to mention that if they allow the bill on the senate floor not only will survivors in their districts vote for them in the next election, that you are sure that all supportive people in the survivors lives will also be more likely to vote for them.  Any Senator not voting for this bill is basically saying that they care more about political pressure and game playing then caring about protecting children in who live in their district or travel through the state of New York.  

See Contact Information and Brief Bio's on Both Senators Below

Senator Dale M. Volker - 59th Senate District

http://www.senatorvolker.com/59/Contact.aspx

Facebook

Albany Office:Legislative Office Building, Room 808
Albany, New York 12247
518.455.3471

Main District Office:
4729 Transit Road, Suite #5
Depew, New York  14043
716.656.8544

Warsaw District Office:
143 North Main Street - Room 103
Warsaw, New York 14569
585-786-5048

***********************************************

Dean G. Skelos9th Senate District

Albany OfficeRoom 907 LOB
Albany, NY 12247
(518) 455-3171

District Office
55 Front Street
Rockville Centre, NY 11570
(516) 766-8383

========================================================================

Senator Dale M. Volker (NY)

Current Office: State Senate Current District: 59 Party: Republican, Conservative, Independence, Working Families Background Information Gender: Male Family: Wife: Carol 3 Children: Martin Andrew, Mark Dale, Meredith Ann. Birth Date: 08/02/1940 Birthplace: Lancaster, NY Home City: Depew, NY Religion: Catholic Education:  JD, State University of New York, Buffalo Law School, 1966 BA, Canisius College, Buffalo, 1963 Attended, Niagara University. Professional Experience: Practicing Attorney, Private Practice, present Police Officer, Village of Depew, 1963-1972. Political Experience: Assistant Majority Leader, Conference Operations, New York State Senate, present Senator, New York State Senate, 1975-present Won Special Election, New York State Senate, 1975 Assemblymember, New York State Assembly, 1972-1975. ======================================================================== Senator Dean G. Skelos (NY) Current Office: State Senate Current District: 9 Party: Republican, Independence Background Information Gender: Male Family: Wife: Gail 1 Child: Adam. Birth Date: 02/16/1948 Birthplace: Rockville Centre, NY Home City: Rockville Centre, NY Religion: Greek Orthodox(?) Education:  JD, Fordham Law School, 1975 BA, History, Washington College, 1970. Professional Experience: Counsel, Ruskin Moscou Faltischek Professional Corporation. Political Experience: Temporary President/Majority Leader, New York State Senate, 2009-present Minority Leader, New York State Senate, 2008-2009 Deputy Majority Leader for Legislative Operations, New York State Senate, 1995-2008 Senator, New York State Senate, 1984-present Assemblymember, New York State Assembly, 1981-1982. Organizations: Member, National Conference of Insurance Legislators, present Member, National Conference of State Legislators, present Member, Order of American Hellenic Educational Progressive Association, present Member, Rockville Centre Kiwanis, present Member, Sons of Italy, present Member, State Legislative Leaders Foundation, present Member, Valley Stream Elks, present Board of Directors, State Legislative Leaders Foundation, 1998. Caucuses/Non-Legislative Committees:  Member, Capital Program Review Board, present Member, Metropolitan Transportation Authority Capital Program Review Board, 1998-present Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment Member, Nassau Republican Committee Member, New York State Republican Committee Chair, NextGen Task Force Member, Rockville Centre Republican Committee. Committees: Rules, Member