Friday, December 31, 2010

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




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.”
hasidic1

“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.

vinban1



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.”  

Monday, December 27, 2010

New State Laws Will Take Effect Jan. 1, 2011 in Illinois

  • Statute of Limitations (HB 6124/PA 96‐1093): Statute of limitations: Increases the statute of limitations for a civil action for childhood sexual abuse to 20 years from the date the person turns 18, or 20 years from the date the abused person discovers that the act of childhood sexual abuse occurred, and that the injury was caused by the childhood sexual abuse.
  • Child Sex Offenders (HB 6464/PA 96‐1094): Makes it unlawful for a parent or guardian to leave their child in the custody of a convicted child sex offender and also requires registered child sex offenders to report to law enforcement whether they reside in a household with a child younger than 18 who is not their own child.
  • Public Indecency (SB 2589/PA 96‐1098): Increases the penalty for public indecency and sexual exploitation of a child when the offense is committed by a person older than 18 on or within 500 feet of school grounds when children are present.
  • Crime Victim Notification (HB 5791/PA 96‐1092): Allows the attorney general to establish a crime victim and witness notification system to assist public officials in carrying out their duties to notify and inform crime victims and witnesses.
  • Sexual Predator (HB 5043/PA 96‐1089): Requires lifetime registration as a sexual predator for a sexually motivated first degree murder of a person under 18 by a person who is least 17, kidnapping or unlawful restraint of a person under 18 by someone who is not the child's parent, child abduction by luring a child under 16 without the consent of the child's parent, and sexual misconduct with a person with a disability.
  • Sex Offender Restrictions (SB 2824/PA 96‐1099): Prohibits sexual predators and child sex offenders from being in a public park or loitering within 500 feet of a public park.
  • Sex Offender Location Notification (SB 3176/PA 96‐1102): Requires a sex offender or sexual predator to register with the appropriate law enforcement agency if the offender is temporarily living in that jurisdiction for three or more days, and requires a sex offender or sexual predator who is temporarily absent from his or her current address of registration for three or more days to notify the law enforcement agency having jurisdiction over the current registration, including the itinerary for travel.
  • Sex Offense Sentencing (SB 1020/PA 96‐1390): Gives the sentencing judge discretion to impose an extended prison sentence on a major sex offense if the victim was under 18 and the victim was known to be under the influence of alcohol at the time of the offense.
  • Sex Offense Victim Polygraph (HB 5931/PA 96‐1273): Prohibits law enforcement from even asking a sex offense victim to submit to a lie detector test.
  • Sexting Teens under the age of 18 face stiffer penalties if they are caught distributing lewd photographs using their cell phones or computers. Under the state’s new “sexting” law, violators could be sentenced to community service and counseling.
  • Rape crisis records: Expands the privacy rights that adults with guardians have over their rape crisis counseling records;

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    Friday, December 24, 2010

    Rabbis who Publicly Support the Efforts of The Awareness Center To End Sexual Violence in Jewish Communities Around The World

    Rabbis who Publicly Support the Efforts of The Awareness Center To End Sexual Violence in Jewish Communities Around The World
    (Sexual Abuse, Sexual Assault, Rabbinical Sexual Misconduct, Sexual Harassment)
     
     
    Below is a list of Rabbis who support the efforts of The Awareness Center.  If you are a rabbi (of any recognized affiliation) and would like to be included, please send an email to: VickiPolin or a "snail mail", with a note giving us permission to add your name on your synagogues stationary.  Please include your full name, synagogue, organization, city, state, and country. 
     
    If you are or are not a rabbi, please share this request for supporters with every rabbi you know.  



    List of Rabbis
    1. Rabbi Jonathan F. Adland - Indianapolis, IN

    2. Rabbi Barbara Aiello - Milan, Italy

    3. Rabbi Morris Allen - Mendota Heights, MN

    4. Rabbi Ruth Alpers - Cincinnati, OH

    5. Rabbi Camille Shira Angel - San Francisco, CA

    6. Rabbi Benjamin Arnold - Evergreen, CO

    7. Rabbi Stephen A. Arnold - South Easton, MA

    8. Rabbi Jeffrey Astrachan - Old Bethpage, NY

    9. Rabbi Craig Axler - Spring House, PA

    10. Rabbi Ian J. Azizollahoff - New York, NY

    11. Rabbi Stephen Baars - North Bethesda, MD

    12. Rabbi Jeremy Barras - Charlotte, NC

    13. Rabbi Lewis M. Barth - Los Angeles, CA

    14. Rabbi Bernard Baskin - Temple Anshe Sholom, Hamilton, Ontario

    15. Rabbi Lia Bass - Arlington, VA

    16. Rabbi Marcelo Bater - Oranjestad, Aruba

    17. Rabbi Micah Becker-Klein - Keene, NH

    18. Rabbi Arnold Mark Belzer - Savannah, GA

    19. Rabbi Jim Bennett - St. Louis, MO

    20. Rabbi Joshua L. Bennett - West Bloomfield, MI

    21. Rabbi Matthew Berger - Long Grove, IL

    22. Rabbi Leslie Bergson - Claremont, CA

    23. Rabbi Alexis Berk - Nashville, TN 

    24. Rabbi Joel Berman - Boardman, OH

    25. Rabbi Shmuel Birnham - West Vancouver, BC, Canada 

    26. Rabbi Joseph R. Black - Alburquerque, NM

    27. Rabbi Yosef Blau - New York, NY

    28. Rabbi Barry H. Block - San Antonio, TX

    29. Rabbi David Blumenthal - Atlanta, GA

    30. Rabbi Lewis E. "Buz" Bogage - Greencastle, IN

    31. Rabbi Reuven Bulka - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

    32. Rabbi Elina Bykova - Quebec City, Quebec, Canada 

    33. Rabbi Kenneth Carr - Lafayette Hill, PA

    34. Rabbi Donald P. Cashman - Albany, NY

    35. Rabbi Adam Chalom - Highland Park, IL 

    36. Rabbi Joshua Chasan, Burlington Vermont 

    37. Rabbi Michael Chernick - New York, NY 

    38. Rabbi Paul Citrin - San Diego, CA 

    39. Rabbi Avraham Citron - Belfast, Ireland

    40. Rabbi Howard A. Cohen - Bennington, VT

    41. Rabbi Phil Cohen - Wyncote, PA

    42. Rabbi Stephen Cohen - Santa Barbara, CA

    43. Rabbi Hillel Cohn - San Bernardino, CA and Las Vegas, NV 

    44. Rabbi Allison RH Conyer - Santa Barbara, CA

    45. Rabbi Sigma Faye Coran - Williamstown, MA

    46. Rabbi Meryl Crean - Media, PA

    47. Rabbi Celso Cukierkorn - Sunny Isles, FL

    48. Rabbi Eric Cytryn - Harrisburg, PA

    49. Rabbi Gail Diamond - Jerusalem, Israel 

    50. Rabbi Stephanie Dickstein, CSW - New York, NY 

    51. Rabbi Fred Scherlinder Dobb - Washington DC 

    52. Rabbi Malka Drucker - Sante Fe, NM

    53. Rabbi Yaakov Dvorin - Skokie, IL 

    54. Rabbi Laurence Edwards - Chicago, IL

    55. Rabbi Amy Eilberg - Palo Alto, California 

    56. Rabbi Serena Raziel Eisenberg - Berkeley, CA 

    57. Rabbi David Ellenson - New York, NY 

    58. Rabbi Lawrence A. Englander - Mississauga, Ontario, Canada 

    59. Rabbi Helaine Ettinger - West Orange, NJ 

    60. Rabbi Yeshaia Charles Familant - Menlo Park, CA 

    61. Rabbi David Feder - Morgantown, WV 

    62. Rabbi Stuart Federow - Houston, TX 

    63. Rabbi Shaul R. Feinberg - Jerusalem, Israel

    64. Rabbi Marla J. Feldman - New York, NY 

    65. Rabbi Natan Fenner - San Francisco, CA 

    66. Rabbi Steven M. Fink, D.Min., D.D.- Baltimore, MD 

    67. Rabbi Reuven Firestone - Los Angeles, CA 

    68. Rabbi Irwin Fishbein - Westfield, NJ 

    69. Rabbi Dov Ben Shlomo Forman, Phd - Weston, FL 

    70. Rabbi Jonathan B. Freirich - South Lake Tahoe, CA 

    71. Rabbi Susan Friedman - Cary, North Carolina 

    72. Rabbi Dov I. Frimer - Jerusalem, Israel 

    73. Rabbi Eli Garfinkel - Somerset, NJ 

    74. Rabbi Nancy Fuchs-Kreimer - Philadelphia, PA 

    75. Rabbi Jeffrey Gale, Wantagh, NY 

    76. Rabbi Hillel Gamoran - Seattle, WA 

    77. Rabbi Lisa B. Gelber - New York, NY 

    78. Rabbi Gary S. Gerson - Oak Park, IL 

    79. 79.  Rabbi William Gershon - Dallas, TX 

    80. Rabbi James A. Gibson - Pittsburgh, PA 

    81. Rabbi Melvin J. Glazer - Miami, FL 

    82. Rabbi Gary Glickstein - Miami Beach, FL 

    83. Rabbi Robert J. Gluck - Albany, NY 

    84. Rabbi Brian Glusman - Birmingham, AL 

    85. Rabbi Connie Golden - Philadelphia, PA 

    86. Rabbi Irwin N. Goldenberg - York, PA 

    87. Rabbi Eva Goldfinger - Toronto, ON, Canada 

    88. Rabbi Barbara Goldman-Wartell - Allentown, PA 

    89. Rabbi Andrea Goldstein - St. Louis, MO 

    90. Rabbi Maralee Gordon - Woodstock, IL 

    91. Rabbi Avraham Greenbaum - Jerusalem, Israel 

    92. Rabbi Fred Greene - Bridgeport, CT 

    93. Rabbi Stanley Greenstein - New York, NY 

    94. Rabbi Tina Grimberg - Toronto, ON, Canada 

    95. Rabbi Arthur Gross-Schaefer - Los Angeles, CA 

    96. Rabbi Susan Grossman, Columbia, MD 

    97. Rabbi David S. Gruber, Frisco, TX 

    98. Rabbi Yehoshua C. Grunstein - Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada 

    99. Rabbi Susan Gulack - Albany, NY 

    100. Rabbi Larry J. Halpern - West Linn, OH
    101. Rabbi Ze'ev Harari - Lindenhurst, IL 

    102. Rabbi Sidney M. Helbraun - Northbrook, IL

    103. Rabbi Rachel Hertzman - Baltimore, Md 

    104. Rabbi Jay B Heyman - San Francisco, CA 

    105. Rabbi Michael Hezbrun - Rochester, NY 

    106. Rabbi Brad Hirschfield - New York, NY 

    107. Rabbi Joshua Hoffman - New York, NY 

    108. Rabbi Lawrence A. Hoffman - New York, NY 

    109. Rabbi Daniel Isaak, Portland, OR 

    110. Rabbi Mark Israel - Washington DC 

    111. Rabbi Lisa Izes - New York, NY 

    112. Rabbi Adam Jacobs - New York, NY 

    113. Rabbi Howard L. Jaffe - Lexington, MA 

    114. Rabbi Beth Janus - Aptos, CA 

    115. Rabbi Eitan Julius - San Jose, CA 

    116. Bruce E. Kahn - Chevy Chase, MD 

    117. Rabbi Dr. Pinchas Kahn - Jerusalem, Israel 

    118. Rabbi David Kaiman - Gainesville, FL 

    119. Rabbi Gerald M. Kane - Las Cruces, NM 

    120. Rabbi Harley Kartz-Wagman - Everett, WA

    121. Rabbi Robert Kasman - Schenectady, NY 

    122. Rabbi Stuart Kelman - Berkeley, CA 

    123. Rabbi Paul David Kerbel - Marietta, GA 

    124. Rabbi Aviva Kipen - Victoria Australia 

    125. Rabbi Marc Aaron Kline - Lexington, KY 

    126. Rabbi Peter S. Knobel - Evanston, IL 

    127. Rabbi Joseph Kolakowski - Richmond, VA 

    128. Rabbi Jamie S. Korngold - Boulder CO 

    129. Rabbi Allen Krause - Aliso Viejo, CA 

    130. Rabbi Yaacov J. Kravitz, Ed.D. - Abington, PA 

    131. Rabbi Barry Krieger - Orono, Maine 

    132. Rabbi David J.B. Krishef - Grand Rapids, MI 

    133. Rabbi Vernon Kurtz - Highland Park, IL 

    134. Rabbi Shira L. Lander, Ph.D. - Baltimore, MD 

    135. Rabbi Eric M. Lankin, D.Min. - New York, NY 

    136. Rabbi Alan LaPayover - Penn Valley, PA 

    137. Rabbi Anson Laytner - Seattle, WA 

    138. Rabbi Robert Leib - Abington, PA 

    139. Rabbi Maya Leibovich - Mevasseret Zion, Israel 

    140. Rabbi David Leipziger - Middletown, CT 

    141. Rabbi Michele Lenke - Wellesley, MA 

    142. Rabbi Rita Leonard - Ray Brook, New York 

    143. Rabbi Joel Levinson - Patchogue, NY 

    144. Rabbi Aaron Levy - Ithaca, NY 

    145. Rabbi Shalom Lewis - Marietta GA 

    146. Rabbi Yehoshua Lewis - New Brunswick, NJ 

    147. Rabbi Dov Linzer - New York, NY

    148. Rabbi Asher Lipner - Brooklyn, NY

    149. Rabbi Ellen Lippmann - Brooklyn, NY 

    150. Rabbi Daveen Litwin - Northampton, MA 

    151. Rabbi Jessica E. Locketz - Alexandria, VA 

    152. Rabbi Sarah E. Mack - Providence, RI 

    153. Rabbi Jill L. Maderer - Philadelphia, PA 

    154. Rabbi Mark Mahler - Pittsburgh, PA 

    155. Rabbi Mark Mallach - Springfield, NJ 

    156. Rabbi Richard J. Margolis - Melbourne, FL 

    157. Rabbi Joseph M. Menashe - Baltimore, MD 

    158. Rabbi Joseph B. Meszler - Sharon, MA 

    159. Rabbi Brian I. Michelson - Reading, PA 

    160. Rabbi Tamara Miller - Washington, DC. 

    161. Rabbi Mendel Mintz - Fort Collins, CO 

    162. Rabbi Michelle Missaghieh - Los Angeles, CA 

    163. Rabbi Lon Moskowitz, San Luis Obispo, California 

    164. Rabbi Len Muroff - Lakewood, CA 

    165. Rabbi Ron Muroff - Harrisburg, PA 

    166. Rabbi Michael Namath - New York, NY 

    167. Rabbi Daniel S. Nevins - Farmington Hills, MI 

    168. Rabbi Aharon Newman - Baltimore, MD 

    169. Rabbi Kerry M. Olitzky - New York, NY 

    170. Rabbi Joseph S. Ozarowski - Chicago, IL 

    171. Rabbi Sandy Roth Parian - New Hope, PA 

    172. Rabbi Jordan Parr - Plano, TX  

    173. Rabbi Jack P. Paskoff - Lancaster, PA 

    174. Rabbi Stephen M. Passamaneck - Los Angeles, CA 

    175. Rabbi Pinchas N. Pearl - Brooklyn, NY 

    176. Rabbi Dr. Yaakov Pearlman - Dublin, Ireland 

    177.  Rabbi Eli B. Perlman - East Brunswick, NJ 

    178. Rabbi Eliot H. Pearlson - Miami Beach, Florida 

    179. Rabbi Aaron L. Peller - Scranton, PA 

    180. Rabbi Deborah Pipe-Mazo - Barnstable, MA 

    181. Rabino Baruj Plavnick - Buenos Aires, Argentina 

    182. Rabbi Shalom Podwol - Forest Park, IL 

    183. Rabbi Philip Pohl - Olney, MD 

    184. Rabbi Milton H. Polin - Jerusalem, Israel
    185. Rabbi Seymour Prystowsky - Lafayette Hill, PA 

    186. Rabbi Robert J. Ratner, Ph. D. - Asheville, NC 

    187. Rabbi Mark R. Raphael - Gaithersburg, MD 

    188. Rabbi Michael Reches - Baltimore, MD 

    189. Rabbi Michael M. Remson - Pittsburgh, PA 

    190. Rabbi Laurie Rice - Woodinville, WA 

    191. Rabbi Philip Rice - Seattle, WA 

    192. Rabbi Louis A. Rieser - Derry, NH 

    193. Rabbi Daniel A. Roberts - University Heights, OH 

    194. Rabbi Rochelle Robins - Ardmore, PA 

    195. Rabbi Yair Robinson - Newtown, PA 

    196. Rabbi H. David Rose - Potomac, MD 

    197. Rabbi Kenneth D. Roseman - Corpus Christi, TX 

    198. Rabbi Nochum Rosenberg - Williamsburg, NY 

    199. Rabbi Joel Roth - New York, NY 

    200. Rabbi Ronald S. Roth - Nashville, TN

    201. Rabbi Jonathan Rubenstein - Saratoga Springs, NY
    202. Rabbi Elisheva Sachs - Cotati, CA 

    203. Rabbi Douglas Sagal - Westfield, NJ 

    204. Rabbi Jeffrey K. Salkin - Atlanta, GA 

    205. Rabbi Scott Saulson - Atlanta, GA 

    206. Rabbi Peter B. Schaktman - Honolulu, HI 

    207. Rabbi Susan Shankman - Washington, D.C. 

    208. Rabbi Zev Schechter - Silver Spring, MD 

    209. Rabbi Binyamin Scheiman - Niles, IL 

    210. Rabbi Judy Schindler - Charlotte, NC 

    211. 210.  Rabbi Janine C. Schloss - St. Louis, MO 

    212. 211.  Rabbi Michael Schudrich - Warsaw and Lodz, Poland 

    213. 212.  Rabbi Burt Schuman - Altoona, PA 

    214. Rabbi Barry L. Schwartz - Cherry Hill, NJ 

    215. Rabbi Beth L. Schwartz - Knoxville, TN 

    216. Rabbi Gedalia Dov Schwartz - Chicago, IL 

    217. Rabbi Amy Schwartzman - Falls Church, VA 

    218. Rabbi Peter Schweitzer - New York, NY 

    219. Rabbi Larry Sebert - New York, NY

    220. Rabbi Arthur Segal - Hilton Head Island, SC

    221. Rabbi Sam Seicol - Brookline, MA 

    222. Rabbi Jerry H. Seidler - Amherst, NY 

    223. Rabbi Drorah Setel - Buffalo, NY  

    224. Rabbi Irit Shillor - Harlow, England and Vienna, Austria 

    225. Rabbi Nahum Simon, PhD - Sunrise, FL 

    226. Rabbi Mark L. Shook - St. Louis, MO 

    227. Rabbi Howard Siegel - Houston, TX 

    228. Rabbi Yaakov (Jeffrey) Siegel - Island Park, NY 

    229. Rabbi Jonathan Siger - Macon, Georgia 

    230. Rabbi Murray Singerman - Baltimore, MD 

    231. Rabbi Ze'ev Smason - St. Louis, MO 

    232. Rabbi Myra Soifer - Reno, NV 

    233. Rabbi Eric Solomon - Bronx, NY 

    234. Rabbi Steve Solomon - Baltimore, MD 

    235. Rabbi Ned. J. Soltz - Arlington, TX 

    236. Rabbi Jack D. Spiro - Richmond, VA 

    237. Rabbi Miriam Spitzer - Ottawa, Ontario, Canada 

    238. Rabbi Sonya Starr - Columbia, MD 

    239. Rabbi Brian Strauss - Houston, TX 

    240. Rabbi David Straus - Wynnewood, PA 

    241. Rabbi Arthur Z. Steinberg - Portsmouth, VA 

    242. Rabbi David Steinberg - Burlington VT 

    243. Rabbi Jeffrey Stiffman - St. Louis, MO 

    244. Rabbi Shlomo Tenenbaum - Chicago, IL 

    245. Rabbi Elliott Tepperman - Montclair, NJ 

    246. Rabbi Jon-Jay Tilsen - New Haven, CT 

    247. Rabbi Robert L. Tobin - Westport, CT 

    248. Rabbi Daniel Treiser - Plantation, FL 

    249. Rabbi Jason van Leeuwen - Los Angeles, CA 

    250. Rabbi Nosson Vershubsky - Voronezh, Russia 

    251. Rabbi Elyse Wechterman - Attleboro, MA 

    252. Rabbi Neal Weinberg - Los Angles, CA 

    253. Rabbi Daniel A. Weiner - Seattle, WA

    254. Rabbi Simkha Weintraub - New York, NY 

    255. Rabbi David M. Weis - Northfield, NJ 

    256. Rabbi Harvey Well - Skokie, IL 

    257. Rabbi Ann White - Venice, FL 

    258. Rabbi Nancy H. Wiener - New York, NY

    259. Rabbi Shohama Wiener - New Rochelle, NY 

    260. Rabbi Jeffrey S. Wildstein - Minneapolis, MN 

    261. Rabbi Aryeh Wineman - Troy, NY 

    262. Rabbi Joel Wittstein - London, ON, Canada 

    263. Rabbi Julie Wolkoff - Waltham, MA 

    264. Rabbi Yosef Wolicki - Netanya, Israel 

    265. Rabbi Alan Yuter - Baltimore, MD 

    266. Rabbi Doug Zelden - Chicago, IL 

    267. Rabbi David J. Zucker - Aurora, CO 
 
    268. Rabbi Julie Anne Zupan - Sharon, MA


    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.


    Last Updated:  12/24/2010
     
    "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


    Thursday, December 23, 2010

    Starting in January, 2011

    Dear Friends,

    Starting the first week of January, The Awareness Center will be taking a sabbatical, while we reorganize and seek out funding. 

    The Awareness Center's web page will no longer be available. Those of you who are subscribed to daily newsletter will continue to receive messages.  Our blog will stay up and will be updated with information from time to time.


    The Awareness Center, Inc.
    (the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault)
    P.O. Box 4824
    Skokie, IL  60076

    Tuesday, December 21, 2010

    The Times Are A Changing. . .

    Dear Friends,

    I can't believe it's almost the end of the year already. So many things have happened this year in the realm of how Jewish communities around the globe have been handling cases involving sexual predators.

    It's been amazing to see how the efforts of The Awareness Center over the last 12 years have been reaching into some of the most insulated orthodox Jewish communities and along with Survivors from all the movements of Judaism are speaking out.

    The truth is that it is no longer a secret that Jewish communities are not exempt from having sexual predators amongst us, we are just like any other group of people when it comes to the statistics of those who have been sexually victimized.

    Due to the lack of funding this year has been extremely difficult for our organization, In 2010 we were forced to suspend our "friendly line" which survivors and family members could call in to and receive help. It also pained us a great deal that we were faced with the dilemma of not having the needed resources to keep our sex offender registry up and running.

    As 2011 approaches the reality of how hard the economy has been on us is staring us right in the face.

    Many of our regular donors have become unemployed, and new donors have not been able to pick up the slack.

    As the end of the year draws nearer, we are faced with the fact that The Awareness Center does not have the necessary funds to keep our web up on the internet. Without immediate help, our web page will come down until such time as we can afford to put it back up. The sad part about this is that we finally have a group of people who are volunteering their time assisting us in creating a new and better web page to assist more people in a format which would be much easier to navigate through.


    I can assure you this much, The Awareness Center is NOT shutting down -- yet we are being forced to be on an extended sabbatical. Only you can help us to continue to be a driving force in the Anti-Rape movement, within Jewish communities globally

    If you have ever been helped by us, or you care about Jewish survivors of sex crimes, from within ALL movements of Judaism, please feel to help us during these economical challenges. Send your donation checks to the address below, or go to our home page and click on the donate button to us a credit card.

    Sincerely.

    Vicki Polin, MA, LCPC
    Founder and CEO

    The Awareness Center, Inc.
    (the international Jewish Coalition Against Sexual Abuse/Assault)
    P.O. Box 4824
    Skokie, IL 60076


    The Awareness Center believes Jewish survivors of sexual violence should be given yellow ribbons to wear proudly.

    Survivors of sexual violence (as adults and/or as a child) are just as deserving of a yellow ribbon as the men and women of our armed forces, who have been held captive as hostages or prisoners of war. Survivors of sexual violence have been forced to learn how to survive, being held captive not by foreigners, but mostly by their own family members, teachers, camp counselors, coaches babysitters, rabbis, cantors or other trusted authority figures. For these reasons ALL survivors of sexual violence should be seen as heroes!

    Wednesday, December 15, 2010

    NJ Legislation Bans TSA Scanners and Criminalizes Unreasonable Searches and Invasive Pat Downs


    New Jersey Senator Michael Doherty (R-Warren, Hunterdon) announced today that he has introduced three pieces of legislation drafted to eliminate any immunity TSA agents might enjoy when violating New Jersey law during unnecessary and invasive airport screenings:“For more than a month now, the TSA has quite literally stuck their finger in the eye of law-abiding American citizens while trampling on their constitutionally guaranteed liberties,” Doherty stated. “We call upon every state legislature in our great country to immediately act to put our federal government on notice that the dignity of our citizens shall not be the cost of a failed federal open border policy.”
    The following bills were introduced:
    • Makes certain body searches third degree crime of sexual assault under certain circumstances. View as PDF.
    • Prohibits use of body imaging scanners to screen passengers and airline crew members. View as PDF.
    • Specifies that certain images generated by body scans violate State statutes, prohibiting invasion of privacy, pornography, and endangerment of child welfare under certain circumstances. View as PDF.
    “All of these bills remove any claim that TSA agents are immune to any state statutes that they violate when searching passengers or crew,” Doherty concluded. “If we don’t take strong action against these violations, where will it lead? Today planes, tomorrow trains and buses, what then? Will the drive to the market be viewed as a ‘privilege,’ the walk to church? Will we stand upon the slippery slope of paranoia that leads to invasive searches becoming a way of daily life, or say ‘No’ and defend our rights to privacy now while we still have them.”
    Senator Doherty has launched an online petition to support his efforts to stop invasive TSA screening procedures at http://www.stopthetsa.org.

    Tuesday, December 07, 2010

    Friday, December 03, 2010

    Alleged and Convicted Sex Offenders on Facebook (from Jewish Communities)

    PLEASE NOTE:  This list is not complete
    The following individuals have been on The Awareness Center's Alleged and Convicted Sex Offender Registry.  To report a convicted sex offender to facebook click here.
    • Rabbi Sheldon Zimmerman (Suspended from the Reform movement's rabbinic organization because of sexual impropriety was later hired to a top position by a program that sends thousands of young Jews on free trips to Israel..  Sheldon Zimmerman was based in Cincinnati, OH, yet, also had responsibility for the Hebrew Union College's campuses in New York, NY; Los Angeles, CA and Jerusalem, Israel) http://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000583796435

    Case of the Unnamed 15-year-old Kranczer son

    Case of the Unnamed 15-year-old Kranczer son

    (Midwood) Brooklyn, NY




    The fifteen-year-old son of Rabbi Gershon Kranczer was accused of abusing several relatives, including some of his sisters.  His father and two of his brother's were also arrested on these charges.  

    The fifteen-year-old son of Rabbi Gershon Kranczer is one of 14 children.  

    The individual discussed on this page was born around 1999. 

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

    2010
    1. Rabbi accused of sexually abusing daughters (12/03/2010)
    2. Former Yeshiva Principal Sought on Abuse Charges (12/03/2010)
    3. Brooklyn Rabbi Gershon Kranczer and sons accused of sexually abusing relatives, young girls: police (12/03/2010)
    4. Brooklyn rabbi, sons charged with sexual abuse (12/03/2010)
    5. Rabbi's son accused of sexual abuse ordered to stay away from underage victims (12/04/2010)
    6. Father, Sons Face Sex-Abuse Claims (12/04/2010)
    7. Brooklyn rabbi wanted for molesting daughters (12/05/2010)

    2012
    1. Brooklyn ‘perv’ rabbi Gershon Kranczer and son on the lam in Israel (06/03/2012)

    Also see:
    1. Case of Asher Kranczer
    2. Case of Rabbi Gershon Kranczer
    3. Case of Yechezkel Kranczer
    4. Case of the Unnamed 15-year-old Kranczer son
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    Rabbi accused of sexually abusing daughters
    By Anthonly M. Destefano
    Newsday - December 3, 2010

    The NYPD and Israeli police are searching for a Brooklyn yeshiva rabbi who, along with three of his sons, allegedly took part in years of sex abuse of four of his daughters, one as young as 8, law enforcement officials said Friday.

    Gershon Kranczer, 58, and a son, Asher, 21, are sought for questioning about the sex abuse allegations after both suddenly fled to Israel on Nov. 29 in the wake of claims by one of Kranczer's daughters that she had been raped, according to police.

    "They are wanted for questioning on the allegations," NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said Friday.

    According to police, Kranczer and his wife, who happens to be his first cousin, had 14 children - seven boys and seven girls ranging in ages from 28 to 8 years old - and were living in a two-story detached frame house in the Midwood section of Brooklyn. The home was set up in dormitory-style, with bunk beds throughout.

    "Nobody has seen anything like this before," one law enforcement source, who didn't want to be identified, said of the case.

    Investigators said the case began to develop in recent weeks after Kranczer's 20-year-old daughter, who had been working as a teacher's assistant at a yeshiva, told one of the instructors there she had been sexually attacked. The school notified the police.

    It's alleged a total of four of Kranczer's daughters were abused, either by him or three of his sons, said police. The 20-year-old victim was allegedly sexually abused by Kranczer and another of his sons, Yechezkel, 24, said Browne, adding the young woman was also allegedly raped by Asher.

    Yechezkel Kranczer was arrested by police Thursday, as was a 15-year-old younger brother, who is not being identified because he is a minor, said Browne.

    Asher Kranczer also allegedly sexually abused two other sisters, ages 19 and 17, while the unidentified 15-year-old brother alleged sexually abused his 8-year-old sister.

    Both the 15-year-old boy, whose case is being dealt with through Family Court, and his 8-year-old sister have been providing information to investigators, said police.

    Browne said an NYPD intelligence detective on assignment in Israel is joining the search for Kranczer and his son, who he described as being legally blind.


    A spokesman for the Brooklyn district attorney's office said Yechezkel Kranczer has been charged with 25 counts of sexual abuse in the second degree and 45 counts of sexual abuse in the third degree, as well as two counts of endangering a child's welfare. All charges are misdemeanors. His arraignment was pending late Friday.

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    Former Yeshiva Principal Sought on Abuse Charges
    By Kareem Fahim and Al Baker
    New York Times - December 3, 2010


    A former Brooklyn yeshiva principal and three of his sons sexually abused four of the principal’s other children, molesting one of the victims over 15 years, the authorities said Friday.
    The police are still looking for the man, Rabbi Gershon Kranczer, 58, and one of his sons, Asher Kranczer, 21, who they believe fled to Israel earlier this week. Another son, Yechezkel Kranczer, 24, turned himself in to the police on Thursday and has been charged with 70 counts of sexual abuse and 2 counts of endangering the welfare of a child.
    The third son, a 15-year-old whose name was withheld by the authorities, was brought in for questioning on Wednesday, made statements implicating himself in the abuse and was arrested, said Paul J. Browne, the Police Department’s chief spokesman.
    The authorities believe the abuse occurred in a three-story house in Midwood, Brooklyn, that Rabbi Kranczer shared with his wife and 12 of his 14 children. Neighbors said the family had lived in the house for more than 20 years. A law enforcement official said the house had a large kitchen and several bunk beds.
    Mr. Browne said the situation came to light after one of the children, who works as a teacher’s aide at a yeshiva, told a colleague about the abuse on Monday. The colleague contacted the authorities, Mr. Browne said.
    He said that Rabbi Kranczer and his son Asher flew from Kennedy International Airport to Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Monday, possibly because they had learned the authorities were investigating. Law enforcement officials said that Rabbi Kranczer and Asher, who is legally blind, were driven to the airport by Rabbi Kranczer’s wife, whom the police did not identify by name.
    Yechezkel Kranczer married recently and had moved out of the home, the authorities said.
    The authorities said no one in the family had prior criminal records.
    On Friday afternoon, a teenage child emerged from the house carrying a duffle bag, walked past crates of household items on the porch and disappeared down the street without commenting.
    Neighbors painted a picture of a family struggling financially, and said two of the children had learning disabilities. But they said that they were shocked at the accusations and that the children seemed outwardly happy. “Impossible,” said one, Sol Borger, 60, who lives across the street. “I don’t believe it.”
    Mr. Borger said he and Rabbi Kranczer attended the same synagogue and had gone to each other’s weddings. “The kindest, most helpful people you’d ever want to meet,” he said. “I’d sooner believe Mayor Bloomberg did it.” Mr. Borger said “children’s services” visited the house years ago, but he believed nothing came of any accusations.
    A spokeswoman for the Administration for Children’s Services would not comment on any visits to the home because of the investigation. She said the agency was in the process of taking some of the children from the house and was “working to ensure the safety of all the children.”
    There were conflicting accounts of the school that Rabbi Kranczer ran until three months ago, when the police say he resigned from his post for unknown reasons. State records indicate he was the principal of a school with a few dozen students called the Mesorah School. The records give the address as the rabbi’s house. But neighbors said the school, for disabled children, was called Yeshiva Tehila L’Dovid and was a few blocks away from the house. On the porch of the Kranczer home, a mailed copy of the Flatbush Jewish Journal was addressed to Yeshiva Tehila L’Dovid.
    The police said they were not aware of any victims outside the family.

    Noah Rosenberg contributed reporting.
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    Brooklyn Rabbi Gershon Kranczer and sons accused of sexually abusing relatives, young girls: police
    By Henrick Karoliszyn and Jonathan Lemire
    New York Daily News - December 3, 2010

    Brooklyn rabbi and three of his sons are accused of preying on four female relatives - and the sexual abuse may have started as many as 15 years ago.

    Detectives suspect Rabbi Gershon Kranczer, 58, abused two underage relatives, while three of his sons - ages 24, 21 and 15 - repeatedly attacked other girls, police said.

    Investigators said Kranczer and his 21-year-old son, Asher, who is legally blind, fled to Israel Monday and haven't been found.

    The rabbi's 24-year-old son, Yechezkel Kranczer, turned himself in to the NYPD Thursday, and the 15-year-old - whose name is being withheld - surrendered to police the day before.
    The horrifying abuse came to light when the oldest victim, a 20-year-old woman, told a co-worker at a yeshiva the rabbi had sexually assaulted her. The co-worker went to cops, who soon learned that three of the victim's female relatives - ages 19, 17 and 8 - also allegedly were abused in the rabbi's home.

    The 20-year-old said she was frequently molested by Gershon Kranczer - the former head of Yeshiva Tehila L'Dovid - for the past 15 years, police said.

    Neighbors were stunned at the allegations. "I've known him for 32 years, and he's an angel, a saint," said friend Sol Borger, 60. "Whenever I need anything, I know I can go to him. There's no way he would do this."

    Investigators raided the rabbi's dilapidated Midwood home, where he and his wife - who are first cousins, police sources say - raised their 14 children.

    The couple's children range in age from 10 to 28, and those younger than 18 were removed and placed in the care of the Administration for Children's Services.

    Investigators do not believe Kranczer's wife was involved in the pattern of abuse and may have unwittingly given her husband a ride to Kennedy Airport on Monday, police sources said.

    Her husband unexpectedly resigned from the yeshiva three months ago, sources said.

    Detectives are not certain if other female relatives also were abused. Local leaders expressed worry the victims stayed silent for so long because of a culture of silence in the Orthodox community.

    "Too many victims are then victimized by people who are angry at for them going forward," said Assemblyman Dov Hikind. "People are afraid to even talk about it."

    Yechezkel Kranczer was charged with 70 counts of sexually abusing relatives - ages 17 and 20, prosecutors said. The 15-year-old suspect was charged with sexually abusing an 8-year-old relative, police said.

    NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said cops were coordinating with Israeli authorities to track down the fugitives.



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    Brooklyn rabbi, sons charged with sexual abuse
    By Chris Michaud
    Reuters - December 3, 2010

    A Brooklyn rabbi and former Yeshiva school principal and three of his sons, including one aged 15, were accused of sexually molesting the family's daughters over a period of several years, including one girl as young as eight, police said on Friday.

    Gershon Kranczer, 58, fled to Israel with a 21-year-old son earlier this week and was being sought there. New York City police said they are working with Israeli officials on the case.

    Authorities said that four sisters, ages 20, 19, 17 and eight, were all sexually abused numerous times over several years variously by their three brothers or father.

    The case came to light when one of the victims, the 20-year-old, told a Yeshiva co-worker about the abuse which allegedly went on for many years. The co-worker then went to police.

    Kranczer's 24-year-old son, Yechezkel Kranczer, and his 15-year-old brother have both been arrested and were being held pending multiple charges of sexual abuse or molestation, police said on Friday.
    The teen-ager's name was not released because he is a minor.

    Kranczer was founder and until recently principal of the Yeshiva Tehila L'Dovid in Brooklyn but has resigned.


    The family had 14 children and the minors were removed from the home by officials from child protective services, according to local media. But police could not immediately confirm that.

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    Rabbi's son accused of sexual abuse ordered to stay away from underage victims
    By Matthew Lysiak and Jonathan Lemire
    New York Daily News - December 4, 2010


    As the international manhunt continued for the Brooklyn rabbi accused of sexually abusing female relatives, one of his sons was charged with a series of sick attacks - and ordered to stay away from his alleged underage victims.

    Yechezkel Kranczer, 24, posted $10,000 bail and left Brooklyn Criminal Court yesterday after he was arraigned on charges of sexual abuse and endangering the welfare of a child.
    Kranczer, two brothers and his father, Rabbi Gershon Kranczer, are together accused of abusing four relatives - now aged 20, 19, 17 and 8 - for years.

    Yechezkel Kranczer, dressed in traditional Orthodox garb, made eye contact with the judge and simply uttered "yes" when asked if he understood the charges - which are both misdemeanors - and the restraining order.

    Because he was observing the Sabbath, Kranczer would not sign the order himself, and instead had his lawyer do it.

    He refused to speak with reporters outside the courtroom.

    Yechezkel Kranczer's passport was taken to prevent him from fleeing the country, which investigators said the rabbi did Monday as cops closed in.

    Gershon Kranczer, the 58-year-old former head of Yeshiva Tehila L'Dovid, and his blind 20-year-old son, Asher, boarded a flight at Kennedy Airport and flew to Israel.
    They have not been found.

    The other suspect, a 15-year-old boy whose name is being withheld, surrendered to cops and confessed to sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl, police sources said.

    The family's pattern of abuse came to light after one of the women, who is now 20, broke down and told a co-worker at a yeshiva that the rabbi molested her for 15 years.

    "This family ... has been engaged in a horrific pattern of sexual abuse," said Assistant District Attorney John Holmes.

    Cops raided the rabbi's dilapidated Midwood home, where he and his wife, who are first cousins, raised 14 children. Though prosecutors believe the home was the site of many of the attacks, they do not suspect the wife was involved.

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    Father, Sons Face Sex-Abuse Claims
    By Tamaer El-Ghobashy and Alison Fox
    Wall Street Journal - December 4, 2010

    The former rabbi of a Brooklyn school for boys is believed to have fled to Israel after police identified him and three of his sons as suspects in the sexual abuse of the rabbi's four daughters, authorities said Friday.

    Gershon Kranczer, 58 years old, allegedly boarded a flight from Kennedy Airport destined for Israel on Monday along with his 21-year-old son Asher, after an informant told police that Mr. Kranczer had allegedly engaged in a prolonged sexual relationship with at least one of his daughters, police said. Asher, who a law-enforcement official said is legally blind, is being investigated in the sexual abuse of three of his sisters, police said.

    "We are seeking the exact whereabouts and return from Israel of the two men," top NYPD spokesman Paul Browne said.

    Two other sons, Yechezkel, 24, and a 15-year-old whose name was being withheld by authorities because of his age, have been arrested and charged with sexually abusing their sisters, police said.

    Yechezkel, who recently got married and moved out of the family's two-story house, has been charged with multiple counts of sexual abuse. The 15-year-old son has been charged with the sexual abuse of his 8-year-old sister. It wasn't known immediately whether the two had attorneys; they were awaiting arraignment late Friday.

    Mr. Browne said the department has a good working relationship with Israeli authorities in addition to an extradition agreement. An NYPD detective stationed in Tel Aviv is assisting the Israelis in their search for the suspects, Mr. Browne said.Mr. Kranczer and his wife have 14 children, ranging in age from 8 to 28, police said. The mother hasn't been named as a suspect and police are investigating if she was aware of the alleged abuse, police said. The children under 18 have been removed from the family's home and placed into the care of the Administration for Children's Services, police said.

    The allegations came to light when a 20-year-old daughter, who works as a teacher's aide at a yeshiva, confided to a staff member there that she had been raped by her father repeatedly over the course of 15 years, police said. The coworker alerted authorities.

    Police said the investigation revealed that Mr. Kranczer and his three sons allegedly sexually abused four girls who are now 20, 19, 17 and 8 years old.

    Police said Mr. Kranczer resigned from his position at a yeshiva three months ago. An online guide to Brooklyn yeshivas listed him as the rabbi of Yeshiva Tehila L'Dovid, a school for boys with learning disabilities between the ages of 5 and 18 in Midwood. Property records list Mr. Kranczer as the executive director and principal of the school. School officials didn't respond to a request for comment.

    A law enforcement official described the family's home as "utilitarian" and configured in a way to accommodate a large family. It has a big kitchen and rooms outfitted with several bunk beds, the official said.

    The family consists of seven male and seven female children, the official said. The eldest, a 28-year-old man, is learning disabled and did not live in the home, the official said. A 14-year-old boy is also learning disabled, but lived with the parents, the official said.

    Police said the investigation into the sexual abuse is continuing and did not rule out the possibility that other children were molested.

    Friends of the family expressed disbelief at the accusations.


    Faigie Sherman, 52, said the children "are happy, they play together." "They're an amazing family," said Ms. Sherman, who said moved down the block from the Kranczers 27 years ago. "I can't fathom such a thing. If the way I see the kids is any indication I would say it's not possible."

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    Brooklyn rabbi wanted for molesting daughters
    JTA - December 5, 2010

    The former principal of a Brooklyn yeshiva, along with three of his sons, are wanted for molesting four of his children over 15 years.

    New York police are looking for Rabbi Gershon Kranczer, 58, and one of his sons, Asher, 21, who are believed to have fled to Israel, according to reports. Son Yechezkel Kranczer, 24, turned himself in to the police on Dec. 2 and was released on bail, and a third son, 15, was arrested.

    The abuse reportedly came to light after one of the daughters, 20, told a co-worker at the yeshiva where she works as a teachers’ aide that the rabbi had been molesting her for 15 years, the New York Daily News reported.

    Gershon Kranczer and his three sons are accused of sexually abusing the four sisters — ages 20, 19, 17 and 8 — numerous times in the past few years. 

    Gershon Kranczer is the former head of Yeshiva Tehila L’Dovid, which serves children with special needs. He and his wife have 14 children aged 10 to 28.

    New York City children’s services officials reportedly removed the minor children from the home.
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    Brooklyn ‘perv’ rabbi Gershon Kranczer and son on the lam in Israel
    By Susan Edelman
    New York Post - June 3, 2012


    They may run, and it seems they can hide.
    Brooklyn rabbi Gershon Kranczer, 58, hopped a JFK flight to Tel Aviv on Nov. 29, 2010, running away just days before cops went to his Midwood house of horrors to arrest him on charges of repeatedly raping several female relatives. One of his sons, Asher, 21, facing similar charges, joined his dad on the plane.
    More than 18 months later, their Brooklyn indictments are sealed from public view and authorities won’t discuss any efforts to bring them to justice.
    A spokesman for Brooklyn DA Charles Hynes said he asked the US Justice Department to extradite the Kranczers in early 2011, a move purportedly in the works.
    The feds refused to comment.
    “We don’t confirm or deny extradition requests,” said Laura Seal, a State Department spokeswoman.
    The NYPD opened the sickening case when a 20-year-old woman confided in a co-worker that the respected rabbi, who ran Yeshiva Tehila L’Dovid, had sexually assaulted her for years. Cops later learned that three of her female relatives, ages 8, 17 and 19, were also allegedly abused.
    “If there was a real desire to get these guys back, DA Hynes would be pushing for it, and he would be successful,” said Ben Hirsch, president of Survivors For Justice.
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