For Marvin Schick: Mikva Man-on-Boy Abuse

Chaptzem has post on alleged man-on-boy sexual abuse at a Jerusalem mikva, where, apparently homosexual acts between adult males is also common. The documents are all in Hebrew and Yiddish. Shmuel, who tipped us to this post, has made a translation of parts of them, which follows directly below scans of the originals. You can click on the scans to see larger images:

 

Rabbi Nochum Rosenberg

To his honor, the great Rabbi, R’ Yitzchak Tuvia Weiss, leader of the bet din of the Edah Charedit in Yerushalayim, and the Rabbis of the BADATZ and the charedi community in Yerushalayim,

I wish to enlighten you to a story that is awesome and terrible, that in our terrible sinful state…..

It is well known that I travel the globe to fix and prepare mikvaos in order that people should be able to purify themselves for the sake of heaven. ………

I would like to testify in front of a beis din that in my sinful state, I stumbled and entered into a “gay bath house” on Friday, erev shabbos parshas metzorah….

Even though I did not do anything, rather I just saw things, it still made a gaping wound in my neshomah and I needed to travel to the mikvaos in German, Cologne, Worms etc, that have been around since the time of the rishonim, and I dipped myself in the cold water in order to remove the filth from my memory so that it shouldn’t haunt me, yet it still haunts me.

And if you wonder, how could I have done such a terrible thing, to visit a place like that, does it not say in the pasuk that ……(stay far away)and especially, me, who is involved in the purification of jews?

The answer is, this abomination was in the mikvah of Yerushaliyim the holy city, and this was the first time in 30 years that I was in Yerushalayim on shabbos, because I always go to Meiron for shabbos, And even worse, the mikvah is in the midst of the charedi communityof Geulah, in the sauna room of the mikvah, in the mikvah of Zupnik, and I didn’t know that there was there a gay bath house, rather, I thought it was a a holy mikvah, to purify the holy nation. And not, god forbid, in my stumbles, I went to be tovel my body and my spirit and I made the terrible mistake of opening the door to the sauna of the mikvah, and I saw what I saw…woe is to my eyes for the horrors that they have seen.

And this is what I saw in the sauna room of the “gay bath house”

1.    2 large darkened rooms, with meavrim tzarim
2.    Sinful people, sitting there on two levels, one on top of the other, kneeling on a stone floor, and massaging one another.
3.    on the lower level, …..
4.    I saw many sinful people giving a hand…..
5.   
I saw with my own eyes that there were small children, age seven or eight, that don’t know the taste of sin, and the sinful people would sit them on their laps, and sin with them the bitter, abominable sin of homosexuality(Molesting the children). The sin that is punished by kares and ariri, (Excummunication and early death) and they would rub the “os bris kodesh” of the children until it was hard and when I shouted in protest, they gave me a whack with…..

And this, is what I saw in the actual room of tevilah:

In the mikvah pit, they were acting with little children in a way that would even embarrass those sinners from from Sodom and Gemorah. A house of ill repute like this doesn’t exist by the Jews in any other locale in the world. (There was once a sauna in a mikvah in Williamsburg, and I fought with them until they closed it, but even there, there wasn’t depravity like there is here)

In the last 20 years, amongst the goyim, there had been a growth in the Gay bath houses of the disease of AIDS. Since then, they have shut these places down. If this place would be in America, all the participants would be in jail, and even according to the laws of the Zionist government, such a place would be closed down. But here, in the holy city of Yerushalayim, in beis zupnik, the mikvah remains open and everything is permissible.

And because of this, we are worse than the non jewish nations, even Pharoe and billam knew that god hates sexual depravity, and I fear that god will strike Jerusalem, In order that god shouldn’t have to ask forgiveness from Sodom and Gemorah, because some of the Jews in Yerushaliyim are far worse. ……

When I brought this up with many rabbis and communal activists, they told me that they knew of this sick happening, but what could they do, since it is under the hashgachah of the bedatz of the eidah charedis.
When I brought it up with the eidah charedis, they told me “what can we do, these people subsidize the mikvah for women and for actual talmidei chachamim” woe to my ears.

I answered them that you are purifying the daughters of Israel on the backs of the abominable actions of the sons of Israel…….

I begged them to close it down. I threatened that if they do not close it in the next 3 weeks, I will go to the following 3 places to complain:
1. I will go to the police, I will testify to all that I saw. I have also collected affidavits from many boys and avrechim that have been sacrificed at this sick altar. (Been abused)

2. I will go to the child abuse authorities
3. I will go to the press and tell them that there is a gay bath house that molest children in yerushalayim with the consent of the bedatz, and I will fight with all of my strength to get it closed.

And don’t try to just put a guard there, that will not suffice, such a terrible place must be closed immediately.

He then carries on in his letter about how the Gabai of Skver was raping young boys, and the rebbe knew about it, but he did nothing to stop it, because the gabai knew all of their secrets ETC….

The letter that follows, from the Bedatz, simply states, they will apoint a gaurd (Only on erev shabbos and yom tov) to make sure it doesn't happen again.

This was posted by Chaptzem last year, well before Marvin Schick attacked Hella Winston for mentioning, briefly, that haredi boys told her they had been abused in mikvas. Schick claimed this was impossible, mikvas are too public, and that Winston was, in effect, an antisemite.

Schick is a bully and a coward. If he were not, he would dedicate one of his "columns" (really paid ads in the Jewish Week) to the issue of pedophilia in the Orthodox world, and would use his bully pulpit to force the rabbis – many of them gedolim, many of them Schick's friends – to stop covering up this abuse. He could also use that forum ot apologize to Winston and to Robert Kolker, the New York Magazine journalist Schick attacked after Kolker broke the story of Rabbi Yehuda Kolko's thirty-year run of allegedly sexually abusing boys.

But, again, Schick is both a bully and a coward. He won't have the guts or the honesty to this.

Comments

[Shmuel]

I suspect that Rabbi Rosenberg, whose phone number is on his letterhead, could tell some additional horror stories about how he was stifled, threatened and intimidated all the way through.

He is not some wacko, but a very well respected Rabbi, and is known as the biggest authority on mikvaos alive today. He is a huge talmid chacham, and he is pretty irate.

[Rahel]

That is absolutely disgusting. It makes me sick.

[TM]

I really hope this isn't true. Surely there must be somebody in Jerusalem who can verify this story?

[TM]

By verify, I mean GO to that mikvah at the times he mentions.

[Yos]

I really really really hope that somehow it isn't true. Funny how some can believe the gay pride parade will bring about the end of the world and yet things like this can go on, either unpunished or unverified.

[Ma Rabbi]

Anyone who believes this post is very naive.

[Neo-Conservaguy]

Why?

[Shmarya]

Because:

1. Frum Jews don't behave this way.

2. Deviants who would do this would be immediately punished by the community.

3. Because only those who believe bad things about the frim world are naive.

In other words, MA Rabbi doesn't believe it, so you shouldn't, either.

Rabbi Rosenberg is a world-renown mikva expert, and a man who is taken very seriously in the haredi world. And, while what he writes seems extreme, it matches what many abuse victims claim.

[yisroel]

If anyone has hella's email address ,please send her this information !!!

[Vicki Polin]

I have only briefly scanned what was written here. I also cannot read Hebrew. I think that we need to pay attention to the terminology used to described criminal sexual behavior. What is being discussed is not "homosexual behavior." What is being described is call "sexual harassment," "sexual abuse" and or "sexual assault."

When an individual touches another persons sex organs without permission it is considered a sex crime. "Homosexual behavior" occurs only when both parties are in mutual agreement.

Another individuals sex organs in the ways discussed here can often be considered sexual harassment, which is also considered a sex crime.

When we talk about someone being sexually violated as partaking in homosexual acts, it's as if the victim was consenting to the molestation. Let's watch the vocabulary we use in hopes of not blaming another survivor.

[Jerusalem Guy]

I can verify that I checked into this story, and it is utterly untrue. Proof of this fact can be found by the fact that this letter has been circulating for at least a year, and was mailed to all of the prominent Jerualem rabbis, several of whom checked into this and found the allegations to be false.

I personally spoke to one of the rabbis who I trust implicitly and he told me that he was aware of the letter and that there was nothing to it. He further told me that he uses the mikveh and sauna regularly and that he has never seen anything untoward.

[Isa]

Hey Folks:

Here is a direct quote from the English:

"When I brought it up with the eidah charedis, they told me “what can we do, these people subsidize the mikvah for women and for actual talmidei chachamim” woe to my ears."

Yep, money talks-everything else walks.

What would covince you?? An actual video?? except that if it showed children, mere possession of that video would be criminal [Child Porn] better to dump it off at some Heredi hating chief of police with no return address.

Since this letter became known, would not you think these child abusers go someplace else?

How about the Rubiskin video by PETA? Still people with eyes do not see.

Well Well, the McMartin School scandal once again. Destroyed 3 generations of the McMartin family and today the same children will tell you that it never happened.
All because a bunch of people like Rosenberg manipulated the kids and the evidence into something it was not.

[Ploney]

This is completely the opposite of the McMartin scandal, because R' Rosenberg is not accusing any specific person, rather he is saying that abuse took place at a specific place. He is also claiming that he personally saw it.

Oh, and as for Jerusalem Guy's claims, some Rabbonim in Jerusalem with whom I discussed this issue seemed to think it was a davar yadua...

"He is also claiming that he personally saw it."

As the McMartin children claimed that there were tunnels and cultic sacrifices. As the Salem children saw women riding on brooms and taling to black cats.

Who knows, maybe its true and maybe this guy is looking to start something for his own agenda. And yea the alleged criminals let him escape so he could help put them in jail yea, ok.

[chaim]

i am really suprised at you guys
abuse of children in the mikvah's is very common and is universal ,its very unfortunate
but is a fact of life
and any parent that lets his child go to the mikveh unsupervised,is in my opinion worse than a murderer

[Shmarya]

You don't see Badatz saying it's untrue. And you have no denials on record from anyone. Why would that be? Where were all the Zupnik defenders?

its so easy to verify these things
allmost every phone treo palm etc today comes w a photo or video device
all u have to do is snap one photo and its over
no photo, no relief, no belief

"abuse of children in the mikvah's is very common and is universal ,its very unfortunate
but is a fact of life"

As is using Christian blood for Matzos,(another common and universal occurence though the bracha on varies according to minhag)

[al]

I bet these same child abusers were the ones stirring up violence against the gay pride parade. Can't seem to handle normal healthy well-adjusted queers in their sick world of pedophilia

did anyone call rabbi rosenberg to confirm?
without that, the letter seems as phony as that letter from the shochet.

You can't knock Schick for this- he didn't want to blow a good thing. These boys are hard to come by.

[happywithhislot]

i repeat. did you call rabbi rosenberg and confirm the letter is authentic?

[Shmarya]

His voice mail isn't set up. I've called. he doesn't answer. But it's real – at least the general allegations – so I hear from sources inside haredi leadership circles.

This nut takes a half a page with Jeremiads, to get to the point? It must be a fraud or the guy is mental. Woe Woe Woe, and what is this Mitzvah Expert bit??? Is that like a Lulav Expert or Succah Expert, how bout Lag Bomer Bonefire Specialist. Off course Scotty doesnt attack him because the story serves his purpose or you would hear him bark about how these titles like Mikvah Expert are made up so those devious haredim can charge more per Tvila.

Does anybody know what Scott Rosenberg does for a living or does he just leech of his folks.? He obviously dosent write this blog, just rips off other peoples work. So what the hell does he do all day?

[Shmarya]

That is a normal rabbinic style of discourse. It's the language and style used.

As for you, your personal attacks and lies firt the pattern of a student of Menachem Mendel Schneerson. He taught you well.

[happywithhislot]

ed (over at dov bear) and harry maryles confirmed.
sad.

[Sholomanarchy]

It is well-known among Chasidim that one goes to the Mikva on Erev Shabbes in order to Chap Ah Shpritzeleh.

Harry Maryles in his blog says that he spoke with Rabbi Rosenberg

So all the mavens here who post that this is a common occurence or they know for a fact it happens, well, where were you? You all have foreknowledge of what goes on there but I never saw you bringing up this issue? So you are accomplices and should be tried as co conspirators to sexual assualt.

[Shmarya]

No. These are people who have heard from victims or others. No one here claims to have seen it and then not reported it.

[Rafi G]

A couple of questions: 1. He says if they do not close it down he will go to the various authorities. Is he only worried about the future victims but not the current and past victims? Do the offenders until now not have to be brought to din?
2. Did they shut it down as per his threat? If not, did he go to the authorities?

[Shmarya]

It's still open. I don't think he wants to be an informer.

[Redt Hebraish]

To get a feeling for the letter writer, I quote his comments regarding the Rabbi of Skver:
... the head of the sect "David Twersky" who is called by his captive Hasidim the Rabbi from Skver, and they make stupidity that he is the Gadol Hador and very holy, and that he is bigger than the Baal Shem Tov in his generation and Moshe Rabbeinu, and they say of him that he is literally godliness (Elokus Mamash) an Ulcer (Ulkus) in the foreign tongue, an ulcer on all of Israel...

Then it continues on a diatribe about the Skver Rabbi covering for his adultress niece, protecting child molesters who know "all of his secrets and his millions hidden in Switzerland."

Mind you, the mikvah he talks of is in kikar shabbat, at the epicenter of haredi judaism. And on Friday afternoon, the busiest mikvah day- the Zupnick mikvah is used like Studio 54? Oh, btw, the writer couldn't stop the child rape because someone hit him with a soapdish!!

And this is the letter he sent to the BeDatz. People, if it looks and smells like baloney, it is baloney.

And if you are not a bully and coward, you will print this.

[Shmarya]

He's a (perhaps the) leading mikva expert in the haredi world. He confirmed the truth of the letter. Badatz has not answered other than (apperntly) to stand by their letter. Oh, one more thing –he has pictures he took with his cell phone. If a poster looks like a haredi troll, usually he is a haredi troll.

[Redt Hebraish]

The disrespectful rant against the Skver Rebbe and the notion that the administrators of the eidah were aware but uncaring about child rape because the rapists were donors is on its face garbage. It sounds like a nut-not a truth teller. It is also interesting that the pictures weren't mentioned in the letter.

shmarya - you remind me of roy cohn. sometimes the biggest pervert bashers are the perverts themselves.

[Shmarya]

Actually, several Jbloggers called Rabbi Rosenberg. He has the pictures and told Edah Charedis he'll publish them if Zupniks wasn't cleaned up. He apparently has people who spot check for him.

As for the rest of what you write, one a troll, always a troll.

[Redt Hebraish]

Rosenberg's letter and the response from the eidah are six weeks apart. Plenty of time to post a picture. And if the response was insufficient, what's your boy done in the last year. If it looks like garbage and smells like a lie-it must be shmaryah.

[Shmarya]

He told Edah to clean it up or he would release the pics. They cleaned it up. Got that?

[david eckstein]

call 212 461 2778 to hear more on this fascinating story

[david eckstein]

Nochum Rosenberg is the bigest sex offender in town, he has an Hot Line which he is updated daily with hokas storys about sex,
he is marriad but single travling the would doing mikvas and (.....) he is not trusted by nobody,he did raped a few girls in isreal and in poland and more,

[Lipa Zuger]

Why would anyone think that a perverse man raised in orthodoxy would not act as a perverse man? TNo, only the goyem and the reformed are child molesters because they don't wear tzitzes. If you haven't noticed, there's a Muslim shrine sitting atop the Temple Mount. You think that's an accident. The chosen people are in a sad state. Only each man that defiles himself and an innocent in that mikvah has the power to stop himself through fear of G-d. If these people choose not to and continue in their abominations a mosque on the Temple Munt will not be message enough, soon will come again the ovens. G-d help the Children of Israel for the depths they have fallen to.

[Avraham]

I have not personally been there, but I know R. Rosenberg to be very reliable. I would not brush this off as more B.S. I'll go erev shabbos with my video and see what I can find out and email Shmarya any interesting footage.

[Suggested Protocols for the Mikvah]

The Mikvah - Suggested Protocols to Protect Minors- by The Awareness Center, Inc.
http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/MikvahProtocols.html

[The Mikvah]

Correction of url

http://www.theawarenesscenter.org/MikvahProtocols.pdf

[yidel]

He said yesterday on his hotline that he is threatend again and going to close again today there is a rumor that they found him dead