Welcome to the Voice of Justice Blog

Thursday, October 6, 2011

VOJ SALUTES ALL THE HONORED JEWISH ADVOCATES OF THE YEAR 5772 BY THE COALITION OF JEWISH ADVOCATES


AS WE CELEBRATE THE JEWISH NEW YEAR OF 5772 IN JOY,  WE CELEBRATE THE GREAT HISTORIC PROGRESS WE HAVE ACCOMPLISHED IN PROTECTING AND SAFEGUARDING OUR MOST PRECIOUS COMMODITY OUR CHILDREN. THE FIGHT IS TOUGH AND DIFFICULT. CHANGING THE WAY THAT WE, COLLECTIVELY AS A COMMUNITY, DEAL WITH THESE ISSUES IS NOT AN EASY TASK.  


WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THE CHILD ADVOCATES OF THE YEAR.
                    
                     CHILD ADVOCATES OF THE YEAR

ADVOCATES:
MARK MEYER APPEL
THE VOICE OF JUSTICE



With both compassion and zealousness, Mark Meyer Appel works both in the public eye and behind the scenes with individuals and families experiencing the damage and anguish caused by child sexual abuse, making himself available 24 hours a day to handle the physical, material, and spiritual needs of any victim that needs assistance.



Dr. Asher Lipner, Ph.D.


Tireless advocate for our community’s children, Dr. Lipner keeps the issue of child sexual abuse at the forefront of our collective consciences by both creating awareness of the problem in the frum community and calling upon our leadership to address the issue head-on.
 








 With both compassion and zealousness, Mark Meyer Appel works both in the public eye and behind the scenes with individuals and families experiencing the damage and anguish caused by child sexual abuse, making himself available 24 hours a day to handle the physical, material, and spiritual needs of any victim that needs assistance.


Professor Marci Hamilton


Professor Marci Hamilton of the Cardoza Law School/Yeshiva University, leads the historic campaign of protecting our children and enacting new laws in all states to increase the statute of limitations on sex abuse crimes and has already been successful in California, Hawaii, and Delaware, states which have increased to statute for the benefit of survivors of sexual abuse.
 

          



Zvi Gluck, Community Activist






No stranger to community activism, Zvi Gluck is a very strong advocate and supporter of keeping our community safe.  He has traveled all over the world and has become an icon to our community as a strong defender and supporter of child safety.Zvi undestands the process and the inner working of law enforcement.




RABBIS:

Rabbi Yosef Blau, Yeshiva University
   
Mashgiach Ruchani of Yeshiva University, Rabbi Blau serves as rabbinical counsel to many child advocates in the community, and often addresses the halachic ramifications of sexual abuse and reporting it.  Rabbi Blau has become the spiritual leader of our movement.


Rabbi Nuchem Rosenberg
 

Advocate for children and survivors of sexual abuse and assault, Rabbi Rosenberg, through his hotline, website, and other media, as well as behind the scenes, educates the frum community about abuse, predators, and supports survivors of abuse and their families, often at great personal expense.
                                        





Rabbi Daniel Eidelsohn

 Rabbi, author, and blogger, Rabbi Eidensohn of http://www.daattorah.blogspot.com/ has written Child & Domestic Abuse, Vol. I, III, and III, a comprehensive resource for the discussion of halachic and psychological issues of abuse.  Rabbi Eidensohn is a strong advocate for reporting incidents of child abuse directly to the police.





 
Rabbi Gershon Tannenbaum

Rabbi Tannenbaum, Rabbi of the Young Israel of Linden Heights, Brooklyn, NY and Director of the Rabbinical Alliance of America, has been a staunch supporter of sexual abuse survivors, including opening up his shul for the “Survivors Seder” in 2011, forums on abuse, and other public events meant to create awareness of sexual abuse in the Jewish community.





Rabbi Yakov Horowitz


Dean of Yeshivas Darchei Noam and Director of Project Y.E.S. has been a strong advocate for child safety and has been a strong voice for stronger policies to eradicate predators from our yeshivas and neighborhoods.  Through his numerous seminars and publications, Rabbi Horowitz also educates parents, educators, and the Jewish community as a whole about the issue of sexual abuse and its prevention.




JOURNALISTS:
Hella Winston
 
Author, journalist, and advocate, Ms. Winston has spent countless hours interviewing survivors, researching the issue of child sexual abuse, and reporting about it with accuracy, compassion, and tenacity, as well as uncovering a long history of abuse cover-up by the Agudas Yisroel of America and Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services.


Bracha Goetz
   


Author of sixteen children’s books, including Let’s Stay Safe, the first book of its kind targeted to children in the Orthodox community that teaches personal safety in a calm, clear way.  Mrs. Goetz has also written numerous articles in various Jewish publications on the topic of sexual abuse.









LEGISLATORS:

Assemblywoman Margaret Markey
 
New York State Assemblywoman, Margaret Markey has championed the cause of child safety in private school by proposing legislation that would, among other provisions, allow victims of sexual abuse to bring lawsuits against clergy, teachers, camp counselors, and perpetrators of abuse no matter when the abuse occurred.  If enacted, this bill would go a long way in providing substantial recourse and validation for survivors of childhood sexual abuse.




Assemblyman Dov Hikind
 


New York State Assemblyman, Dov Hikind, in 2008, established a task force to investigate the rabbinic abuse of children and uses his radio show to address this issue blunt and openly thus providing a forum for honest discussion about the topic of sexual abuse.  Mr. Hikind has energized our community with his strong support of protecting our children from abuse.







Tuesday, October 4, 2011

PLEASE SEND A MESSAGE OF HOPE OF LOVE UNITY AND PEACE VOTE FOR NESHAMA CARLEBACH AS JEWISH HERO OF THE YEAR

NESHAMA
Share Your Hero                                                                         http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mr2JpGj4tS8
                      http://www.viddler.com/explore/sojournrecords/videos/62/                     

Neshama Carlebach

NYC, New York

Neshama Carlebach began training as a singer and actress at the age of 5 and began singing with her father, Shlomo Carlebach, at 15. She began her professional career soon after her father's death in 1994.
Her full name is said to be "Esther Neshama Tehora Shlucha" (a pure soul that descended to this world on the Sabbath Eve).
Carlebach performs in a number of venues, including Jewish Community Centers, synagogues, Hillels, clubs, and summer camps worldwide. She also performs alongside The Green Pastures Baptist Church Choir singing Reb Shlomo's Hebrew and English collaborations.

How is your Hero working to make the world a better place?

When Neshama sings, you want to close your eyes and take it all in. Your body energizes with spirituality and goodness. Her volunteer work in New Orleans and compositions with the Baptist Choir are typical examples of how she leads by example in wanting to be better in this world and bridge gaps with others. Her messages are filled with love and hope and her voice is angelic. If you haven't heard it, you're missing out.


Share Your Hero
                                           

Neshama Carlebach

                                      PLEASE SIGN IN AND CAST YOUR VOTE

http://www.jewishcommunityheroes.org/nominees/profile/neshama-carlebach/

Monday, September 19, 2011

TO MY DEAR AGUDAH FRIENDS IT IS TIME FOR THE AGUDAH LEADERSHIP TO SHUT UP AND START DOING THE RIGHT THING

Agudah Spokesman: Haredi Rabbi Convicted Of Fraud Who Refuses To Give Government Information About Co-Conspirators   are    "Selfless," "Principled," "Laudable"


SPEAKING AS ADVOCATES WE KNOW THAT AGUDAHS POSITION ON MESSIRA IN  

  CASES OF CHILD ABUSE AND THE MUCH NEEDED  CHILD VICTIMS LAWS  ARE

                                                                        
                     SELFISH     UNPRINCIPLED    DEPLORABLE                                                          





 "A common misconception about chillul Hashem is that it includes anything that is looked down upon by people. But for something to qualify as chillul Hashem it must first be a sin; and the fulfillment of an obligation" – like refusing to commit mesirah against another Jew, even in a democracy where Jews are treated fairly by the legal system – "cannot, by definition, be a chillul Hashem.…committed Jews need make no

RABBI AVI SHAFRIN
THE AGUDAH CLOWN
  apologies for what the Torah teaches."                

New York - Mesira Analysis By Rabbi Avi Shafran
Rabbi Avi Shafran • Ami Magazine

New York - Last Wednesday a small group of Jews was present in a Los Angeles courtroom as U.S. District Judge Margaret Morrow heard arguments on whether a 64-year-old frum Jew should be found in contempt of court for his refusal to testify against other Jews before a federal grand jury.

After completing a two-year sentence in regard to a tax evasion case on behalf of a group of religious institutions, the man was served with a subpoena to testify before a grand jury in the government’s continuing investigation of the case, and now finds himself facing the possibility that the judge will rule him in contempt, a decision that could result in additional incarceration. The case at issue concerns the group’s network of institutions, which apparently accepted donations from wealthy contributors but issued receipts in excess of what was actually received, allowing for donors’ tax breaks on the larger amounts.

At the heart of the man’s current situation is the Jewish prohibition of mesira, literally, “handing over”—the forbiddance, codified in Jewish religious law, of informing on a fellow Jew to secular authorities.

“Because the transgression of mesira is so dire,” the man asserted to the Los Angeles Times through a Yiddish interpreter, “my mind won’t change until I die.”

His attorney, Michael Proctor, said the man had obtained Jewish legal decisions that the serious prohibition of mesira applies in his case and that, as a result, he should not testify.
“It’s not conceivable,” Mr. Proctor told the judge, “that he is going to, quote, ‘break’.”

On the other side of the issue stands Assistant U.S. Atty. Daniel O’Brien, who argued that such a religious stance, if not punished, could serve as a “convenient tool” for law- breakers to hide behind. Because there are other Jews, Mr. O’Brian contended, whose testimony will be vital to the case, permitting the Jewish man to avoid testifying could “stifle” the investigation.

Prosecutors have also reportedly contended that the man’s position is unsupported by Talmudic law.

The Los Angeles Times quoted Rabbi Michael Broyde, an Emory University law professor and a member of the Beth Din of America, as contending that, in the paper’s paraphrase, “a commonly held view is that the principle doesn’t apply in a just, democratic state.” There are, how- ever, other views among respected decisors of Jewish law.

In any event, the Jewish man’s attorneys assert, what matters is not whether the rabbi is correct in his interpretation of Jewish law, but the fact that his belief is sincere and that he is committed to it. Finding him in contempt and sending him to jail, they say, will be “vindictive rather than coercive.”

The judge has postponed her decision for now.

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

DAVID MANDEL IT IS TIME TO RESIGN. AND BRING NEW LEADERSHIP TO OHEL CHILDRENS HOME

DAVID MANDELCEO OHEL CHILDRENS HOME

THE PROBLEM
Breaking the Silence about “Breaking the Silence” by Dr. Asher Lipner

In the recent sequel to the hit movie Wall Street, the protagonist, Gordon Gekko, gets released from jail after completing an eight-year sentence for committing insider trading and stock fraud. The “reformed” con-artist makes an “only in America” comeback by writing and marketing a book warning people of financial trouble in the real estate bubble that has been created by the very philosophy Gekko promoted in the 80’s: greed is good.

In their new book, David Mandel, CEO of Ohel Children’s Home and Family Services and his colleague, Dr. David Pelcovitz, Ph.D. similarly endeavor to lock the barn door after they have stolen the horses. The title, “Breaking the Silence: Sexual Abuse in the Jewish Community,” attempts to convey a courageous heroism, as if the editors are exposing an unknown crisis to the public. But in fact, our community has had scandalous headlines about sexual abuse and cover-up for over ten years. Like Gekko, the editors are engaging in a public relations campaign to cover their backsides and to maintain the silence about the fact that as leaders in the mental health community, they have helped create the system that got us into this mess.

Mandel attempts to establish his credentials as an expert in the field by repeatedly referring to “our experience at Ohel”, so the book really needs to be read in the context of Ohel’s notorious record. Since the 1980’s when Ohel failed to warn the community about its “consultant”, infamous child molester Avraham Mondrowitz, thereby enabling him to escape justice, until this day Ohel has repeatedly been involved in protecting molesters, not children.

Even on the book cover in the short list of safety goals, “reporting” to the authorities is glaringly missing. While Rabbi Dovid Cohen commits to writing for the first time that one is “allowed” to report sex crimes to the police, he hedges his bet by equivocating that the issues of “mesirah, lashon harah and chillul Hashem” are complex, and one should consult “a competent halachic authority” when in question.

Unfortunately, consulting rabbis is exactly what parents and survivors of abuse have been doing until now with catastrophic results, as almost all rabbis, out of ignorance or cowardice have breached halacha and advised protecting the abusers. Ohel’s own internal policy for staff is that no therapist is allowed to report child abuse without clearing it with Rabbi Cohen, a policy that is in breach of mandated reporting laws.

Ohel’s misguided philosophy on dealing with abusers is due to the book’s stated belief in a “diversity of values and ends” that can create conflict among “reasonably rational, well intentioned persons…involved with sex offenders.” The “relevant stakeholders” that in Ohel’s opinion can “reasonably disagree on the ordering of priorities”, seem to include (based on Ohel’s history) the molester whose concern and legal right to confidentiality is constantly trumpeted by Ohel, the molester’s family, the community whose image is tarnished by revelations of criminality and deviancy, and the institutions that harbor molesters who want to protect their reputations and finances from lawsuits. This ideology of complex, relative moral values completely flies in the face of both Jewish and secular law that give simple, straightforward and unequivocal directives that protection of the past and future victims must be the primary value and consideration.

In their chapter on “treating” sexual predators, the authors ignore the experts who advocate that courts and probation departments play a particularly important role both as a motivating force, and an integral part of therapy. The Association for the Treatment of Sexual Abusers treatment guidelines also insist that “supervision agencies work closely with victim advocacy organizations to ensure that their policies do not re-traumatize victims of sexual assault,” an idea that is neither recommended in this book, nor practiced by Ohel.

One example of a policy that certainly re-traumatized victims of abuse is that instead of joining virtually all child advocates groups in supporting the Child Victim’s Act, (aka the “Markey Bill”) Ohel advocated for a “compromise” bill giving legal amnesty to abusers.[1] Furthermore, not a single of the recent pedophiles arrested in Brooklyn were brought to the attention of the authorities by Ohel, nor has Ohel given any support to the victims of abuse who courageously came forward to warn the public.

The book also continues to support the “Ohelian” idea that a rabbinic Beit Din should be utilized to address cases of child molestation. Refusing to learn from the fiasco of the Catholic Church’s shameful system of sheltering pedophile priests, or the doomed-to-failure attempts of the Batei Din of Yeshiva University, Lakewood, Baltimore, Los Angeles and Chicago to play “Law and Order” without the police, the editors and some of the authors are proud to help set up yet another rabbinical group to “deal with” (read: cover up for) sex crimes in Rockland County.[2]

In the chapter on “Prevention and Intervention Programs,” highly trained professionals give dangerously bad advice to parents. They state that although there is no halachic problem of reporting abuse to the authorities, it is “understandable” that orthodox professionals who are mandated reporters nevertheless feel hindered by cultural taboo from doing so. Even more shocking is that parents are admonished not to tell other parents in their child’s school if molestation occurs, because it is a “private matter.”

Silence is not always golden

Psychologists and crime prevention professionals have long known that in communication, one can often learn more about the speaker’s thoughts from that which is not said than from that which is. While claiming to “break the silence,” Ohel’s book continues to censor important information that the community needs to know. The most glaring omission is the voice of a survivor of abuse. While the disclosures that were taken from therapy sessions and edited letters are educational, sorely missing is a first-hand account of an adult survivor about the real life experience of surviving abuse in our community. Survivors of abuse will certainly feel that yet another opportunity was missed to finally give them a voice, and they have once again been shut out of the discussion. By comparison, in the recently published scholarly book, “Daas Torah: Child and Domestic Abuse,” edited by Rabbi Daniel Eidensohn and Baruch Shulem, Ph.D. (to which this writer also contributed) two powerful autobiographical chapters are included, allowing the reader to hear what survivors really think and feel, unedited and uncensored.

Furthermore, “Breaking the Silence” can break one’s eardrums with its silence about the history of scandalous communal cover-ups. It is utterly ludicrous to discuss abuse in the community without addressing the real betrayal experienced by survivors whose victimhood has been denied, minimized, and silenced by our establishment leaders for so long with threats and intimidation. Most survivors of abuse agree that the community response to child sexual abuse is often a worse trauma than the abuse. The parents who have had their children thrown out of yeshivas for the “crime” of disclosing abuse, the families that were literally run out of town, the children who were slapped in the face for daring to name their molester, will all read this book and think “Here we go again.” The reasons for this betrayal are not unknown, as Dr. Michael Salamon explains in his new book, “Abuse: How Extremist Views Undermine the Apprehension of Offenders and the Treatment of Victims.”

On a bright note, David Mandel’s own chapter does provide some comic relief. Although he admits that the rabbis, adult survivors and child advocates who brought this issue to the awareness of the community deserve recognition, he declines to name them with the excuse that he does not want to get them into trouble.

As if advocates like Mark Weiss, David Framowitz, and Joel Engleman, Esther Malka Reich, Sara Rosenberg, advocates like Vicki Polin, Ben Hirsh, Michael Salamon, Mark Meyer Appel, Assemblyman Dov Hikind, Rabbis like Nochem Rosenberg, Yosef Blau, Daniel Eidenshohn,yakov horowitz,noach oelbaum, and Yitzchak Eisenman or bloggers like Paul Mendlowitz of UOJ, or  FailedMessiah fear backlash in standing up for child safety. Dr. Freud would surely interpret this notion as Mr. Mandel “projecting” his own fear of bringing attention to these individuals who have, almost to a person, been harshly critical of his record (in UOJ’s words) of “letting no cover-up go uncovered.”
[1] Mandel, D. (April 29, 2009) Sexual Abuse Legislation: A Proposed Strategy for Reform. Five Towns Jewish Times

[2] Orbach, M. (April 23, 2010) New Square appoints Vaad to deal with sexual abuse. The Jewish Star
                                           

Friday, August 26, 2011

KEEPING SAFE DURING HURRICANE SANDY

                           

                         http://www.nyc.gov/html/oem/html/nycsevereweather/weather_home.shtml


         How to Stay Safe During A Hurricane

                                                                 STAY ALERT

            KEEP CHECKING ON YOUR NEIGHBORS AND SENIOR CITIZENS AND CHILDREN


The vast majority of people living in "hurricane alley" will stay safe during a hurricane. Hurricanes can be killer storms, and you need to know what to do to stay safe. We now have plenty of notice when a hurricane is headed our way. It's up to us to make an informed decision of just what to do.

  1. If You Plan to Evacuate

    • 1
      Evacuate early! Evacuations may be ordered by state or local officials, or you may live in an evacuation zone. Find out if you live in an evacuation zone by calling your county emergency management office. Most injuries and deaths occur in zones that have been ordered to be evacuated, but people choose to stay. Listen to your local news for up to the minute information. If you choose not to evacuate, remember that police and rescue cannot reach you until the storm is over.
    • 2
      Decide where you will go. A local shelter should be your last option. They are crowded, hot and not at all private. You must bring your own supplies. It is especially difficult for young children or elderly people in a designated shelter. If you are ill or have special needs, you must make arrangements with your county to be transported to the special needs shelter. Pets are not accepted at most shelters, so they also must go to a designated pet shelter. It is much easier staying with a friend, relative or staying in a motel.
    • 3
      Assemble an emergency evacuation kit. Include important documents and photos, a list of phone numbers, emergency contacts and medical information. Don't forget insurance policies and photos of your home and contents. Pack clothes, food, water, medications, toiletries, infant and children needs, pet needs and anything that fits in your car that you cannot bear to lose. Don't forget maps, tools for your car, cell phone and a first aid kit. Pack for at least a week stay for everyone
    • 4
      Fill your vehicle with gas well ahead of leaving. Gas stations are likely to have long lines and may even be out of gas at the last minute.
    • 5
      Get cash well ahead of time. ATM's will not work when the power goes out and most stores cannot accept credit or debit cards if the power is out. Most transactions will require cash.

    If You Plan to Stay at Home

    • 1
      Stock up on hurricane supplies. Have a minimum of a seven-day supply. Buy non-perishable foods and food in pouches. Include proteins, fruits and vegetables. Buy foods that do not require extra cooking and can be eaten cold if necessary. Stock up on water, at least one gallon per person per day. Remember to add the all-important manual can opener, cooking utensils and pots and pans. Don't forget aluminum foil, paper towels, garbage bags and disposable cleaning wipes. Buy a lot of batteries for flashlights and radios. Make up a good first aid kit and stock up on cleaning supplies, especially bleach, gloves and heavy-duty garbage bags.
    • 2
      Find a "safe room" in your home, which is in the center of your home and away from windows. A large closet or even the bathroom can be your designated safe room. This is where you will shelter while the hurricane is making landfall and will stay there until the storm has passed. Do not come out until all danger has passed. Stock your safe room with a battery operated radio so you can listen to the local news and hear police reports. Also stock flashlights, pillows or a small mattress, some snacks and water and first aid kit. It's a good idea to bring your important documents in a watertight bag. Don't forget to include your pets in your safe room plans.
    • 3
      Prepare your home with hurricane shutters or plywood, trim dead branches and clean up any yard debris. Move yard ornaments or tools that can become flying missiles. Move your vehicles to a sheltered place or garage.
    • 4
      Plan for power outages and stock up on extra water to freeze. Use this water as ice until it melts and it can then be used as drinking water. Fill your tub and outdoor garbage cans with extra water. Fill as many jugs of water as possible, because you can never have too much.
    • 5
      Notify friends and relatives of your plans and make arrangements to call them if possible after the storm has passed. Ask them to be patient as phones are likely to be disrupted; arrange to call a few days after the hurricane has passed. Try to call as soon as possible to reassure friends and family of your safety.


Thursday, August 25, 2011

TO THE BOARD OF OHEL FIRE MOSHE HELLMAN AND DAVID MANDEL

When Was The Last Time
Ohel Called The Police On A Molester?
   
Is David Mandel caving in to the advocates?
Or is he trying to keep his job at Ohel Childrens Home

DAVID MANDEL OF OHEL CONTINUES IN HIS DECEPTIVE ROLE AS A PROTECTOR OF OUR CHILDREN,WE KNOW THE TRUTH AS TO HIS REAL AGENDA OF PROTECTING MOLESTORS IN OUR COMMUNITIES .HIS AGENDA OF TRYING TO MAKE DEALS WITH PUBLICITY SEEKING ADVOCATES LIKE ELLIOT PASSIK WILL NOT WORK

David Mandel must resign from Ohel Childrens Home
The problem with Ohel is at the top. We know there is a change when they begin reporting abusers to the police.
Horav Yosef Blau, Rosh Yeshiva Yeshiva University

Wednesday, August 24, 2011

It Is Time to Overhaul Ohel and Dismiss David Mandel

It Is Time to Overhaul Ohel and Dismiss David Mandel

by Yerachmiel Lopin on February 28, 2011
I wrote an article, Is Ohel a Leaky Tent? in which I concluded that Ohel was a leaky tent. Ohel has repeatedly failed to report sex abuse to the authorities. They made therapy referrals to the serial rapist of boys, Avrohom Mondrowitz.  As Vicki Polin has documented on video, David Mandel publicly advocates circumventing mandatory reporting requirements.  Hella Winston reported last week on a case where Ohel’s professional mental health staff were aware of sex abuse and wanted to report it. Once again the corrupt management of Ohel overruled professional staff. Once again, Ohel failed to protect an abused child. This cannot go on!
It is time to patch the leaky tent.  David Mandel is not the man for this job; he has built his career on ripping holes in the roof to oblige his patrons. Incredibly, he has not even bothered to respond to the latest allegations, even though the article by Hella Winston quotes former employees of Ohel. If the charges were false I am sure he would have said something. In the past he has taken out full page ads to burnish his reputation. Mandel is not shy; he is corrupt.
Honorable, charitable men and women sacrificed to create and fund Ohel it  in its earliest years. It was opened to fulfill the sacred obligation of a Jewish community to care for its orphans and others in need. Ohel should not be a  private fiefdom operated for the  financial benefit of it managers and manipulated to protect the image of powerful men and organizations.
Those of you who serve on the Board of Ohel  hold a sacred trust. I appeal to your conscience and your self interest. Do not let yourself be implicated in the illegal and immoral misconduct of your Director, David Mandel. You are responsible for oversight. You can no longer trust David Mandel. You must authorize an independent set of investigators to evaluate the performance of Ohel. You must empower these evaluators to have full access to all relevant information. You must charge them to make recommendations, up to and including the dismissal of guilty staff, the reporting of criminal conduct, and the revamping of policies and programs. Then you have to find the courage to follow up on those recommendations.
If you take these steps with rectitude and courage you will deserve credit for your work on behalf of children. If you retreat in cowardice or indifference you may fool some people in the short term. But it will weigh heavily against you on the day of your final reckoning. Divine justice is not indifferent to the anguish of tortured children.
Hat tip to Voice of Justice for issuing a comparable call for action whose text  is presented below, in its entirety.
Call for OHEL Leadership Change
The recent revelations about OHEL Jewish Children’s Home and Family Services in Brooklyn written by Hella Winston of the Jewish Week on February 24, 2011 were, without question, profoundly disturbing, but sadly, not entirely unexpected.
For many years OHEL has been awash with rumors and allegations regarding their staff not reporting incidences of sexual abuse to proper authorities as required by law. In addition, many supervisors at OHEL have reportedly instructed staff not to report the allegations of sex abuse.  These allegations of OHEL’s non-compliance with Federal and state reporting guidelines put the entire organization in jeopardy of losing its government funding and non-profit status.  It also puts senior staff and Board of Directors in jeopardy of possible criminal prosecution.
Further, serious concerns have surfaced in the community concerning the partnership and relationship between OHEL and KOL TZEDEK, which is a project of Brooklyn District Attorney Charles Hynes, created to combat sexual abuse in the Orthodox Jewish Community.  KOL TZEDEK’s mission statement calls for providing support and assistance to victims and their families. Unfortunately this relationship appears to be a political one, without any substance at all. OHEL, a major partner with KOL TZEDEK, has not provided any emergency support to victims or families of the victims, especially in the recent high profile sex cases in the community, all of which resulted in convictions.
Neither David Mandel, the CEO of OHEL, nor any one of OHEL’s staff, have ever been present at any of the court trials relating to sexual abuse in our community, nor have they reached out to any of the families involved with any compassion or assistance. OHEL, which is one of the largest non-profit agencies in the New York City area, providing mental health and foster care services, should have reached out and offered its services to victims, alleged victims, and their families. .
As Rabbi Yosef Blau, a Rosh Yeshiva at Yeshiva University, pointed out, OHEL is an extremely important institution in our community and operates vital programs that are crucial and needed for the families in our community. However, these troubling issues cannot be swept under the rug. They must be dealt with in order to banish the dark clouds that impede OHEL’s overall effectiveness and compliance. We respectfully ask OHEL’s Board of Directors to initiate an external investigation. A team of independent professionals, not associated with OHEL, must be invited in to carry out these duties. The external investigation and the implementation of their suggestions will hopefully bring about reinvigorated and honest leadership to the helm of OHEL. This investigation should be similar to the investigation of the Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America (OU) wherein confidence was successfully restored, (specifically after the Baruch Lanner scandal), resulting in the hiring of a new executive leader.  We hope for similar results in this matter. 
We firmly believe that bring new leadership to OHEL, specifically a CEO with clinical experience, to guide the agency through this pivotal and difficult period in the agency’s history, will help to restore OHEL’s original vision and vital mission of protecting Jewish children and strengthening Jewish families.
One Comment
  1. Another honorable mention should be inserted in the above post. CALA NY has learned from